Royal Caribbean International’s second Icon-class ship, Star of the Seas, was floated out for the first time on Thursday, October 3, 2024. Thousands of workers were on hand as the “next combination of the best of every vacation” reached the major milestone, bringing her one step closer to her debut from Port Canaveral in August 2025. Star of the Seas will now enter her final stages of construction.
Star of the Seas is under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, the same shipyard that brought us Icon of the Seas. Construction began in February 2023 and now, 19 months later, 92 million gallons of water have been pumped into the construction dry dock so Star of the Seas could be floated out. The ceremony, a maritime tradition, was attended by executives of both the shipyard and the cruise line and featured a ceremonial shot from a cannon. Four tugboats guided the vessel out of the dock and into the outfitting pier where workers will continue construction inside and out.
“Float out really marks the beginning of the next phase, where the fun really begins,” said Jennifer Goswami, Director of Product Development for Royal Caribbean. “This is when you’ll see the interior coming to life. We’re moving from an assembly stage, really heavy construction, to now the outfitting. We’re going to give the soul to Star of the Seas. It’s really an exciting time and it’s now the sprint to the finish.”
Once completed, Star of the Seas will sail her inaugural voyage on August 31, 2025, which is later than her initial delivery date. While her debut from Port Canaveral is almost a year from now, the ship’s sailings are open for booking. After her inaugural voyage, Star of the Seas will sail 7-night Eastern Caribbean and Perfect Day itineraries that will call on Perfect Day at CocoCay, Bahamas; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; and Philipsburg, St. Maarten. Her 7-day Western Caribbean and Perfect Day itineraries will call on Perfect Day at CocoCay, Bahamas; Cozumel, Mexico; Roatan, Honduras; and Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico. Perfect Day at CocoCay is the cruise line’s private destination in The Bahamas.