ROYAL CARIBBEAN STAR OF THE SEAS
7-NIGHT
EASTERN CARIBBEAN
03/22/2026:
Port Canaveral, Florida
03/23/2026:
Perfect Day at CocoCay
03/24/2026:
Sea Day
03/25/2026:
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
03/26/2026:
Philipsburg, St. Maarten
03/27/2026:
Sea Day
03/28/2026:
Sea Day
03/16/2025:
Port Canaveral, Florida
Our
46th cruise isn’t just another cruise, it is our 15-year wedding
anniversary cruise as well as 15 years of cruising. Let’s not mention we’re
doing this on the largest ship in the world!
How
did we get to this point? Well, for starters this wasn’t our first choice, not
the second, not even on our list of trips we wanted for this milestone. As some
of you recall we did our 5-year anniversary on the Celebrity Constellation and
everything from the cake to the ceremony to the pictures and even my wife’s
hair was one disappointment after another. So a cruise was the LAST THING we
wanted to do. Fast forward to December 2025, with Disney World being what we
had booked, we decided it just wasn’t something we wanted to do. So we go back
to old faithful, a cruise! We’d be lying if we didn’t say we weren’t looking
for months as a “just-in-case” option. We were. Had lists of options, ports,
even to the point we rated the cruises. Tell you the truth, Star of the Seas
wasn’t even on the top of the list there either. If we had to do a cruise, we
wanted over-the-top, the butler service, the suite room, everything!
So
what did we get? Well at the time of booking for us we did not get a choice to
pick our stateroom, that left us with two balcony options. The traditional step
outside of your room balcony and the infinite, not really a balcony, balcony.
Both were guaranteed staterooms. Even the pictures on Royal Caribbean’s website
was different, we went to the point of confirming with them that the
traditional balcony WASN’T the infinite room, which they confirmed. So we
booked. Fast forward a month or so prior to the cruise we got our assignment,
11612. Okay, floor is good, let’s see the room. It was the one we did not want.
We fought with Royal Caribbean for a bit and explained we paid more money for
the traditional balcony. In their eyes they didn’t seem to care too much and
said what we got was an upgrade. I said it’s not, it’s just an oceanview with a
window that comes down, kind of like my bedroom. Needless to say nothing came
from those conversations, but in the back of our minds we knew this would
happen.
So
we were delt the cards and I already had planned to do something special for my
wife with that space. However we did do a few Royal Up bids, but they were
cancelled by Royal Caribbean after awhile a few times only for them to jack up
the rates. So we knew our room, and that was that. I had purchased a few
decorations prior for the room.
Here is your first tip, BOOK, BOOK, BOOK! Get the app and start booking what
you want as soon as you can. You can always cancel and rebook if needed,
especially for excursions, drink package and dining. We got a great deal on the
Lincoln Park Supper Club. Drink package was never in our cards, as much as we
tried to justify it, just wasn’t worth it for us. But book early, rather have
and cancel vs not have and want and can’t get. Will also add this, if you don’t
see a certain restaurant available, like Lincoln Park and Chef’s Table, we had
the chance to get those on the ship, Chef’s Table we were offered a 30%
discount as well, didn’t do it but the staff will be able to do discounts. If
there is something you really want and it’s open get them to give you a
discount, also if it’s still not at a price you want, have them ask their
manager. Actually learned that a few days prior to sailing from Matt from Royal
Caribbean Blog.
Onto
getting to the port. Now we usually won’t get a hotel, but since this was a big
trip we wanted to escape Orlando early. Funny, since so many people escape
where they live to come here! We booked at a Home2Suites right down the block
(walkable if you wanted) to the ship’s terminal. So we did that the day prior.
No need for a drive the morning of, actually took us a bit longer to get out
there due to traffic, but we got there.
The
afternoon came and we had checked into our hotel and headed to the port to
Fishlips for drinks, apps and most importantly to watch the ships sailaway! By
the way we were staying at Home2 Suites by Hilton Cape Canaveral Cruise Port,
you can almost walk to the cruise terminal from here if you wanted. Hotel was
decent, mainly clean, safe and not far of a drive at all. Would recommend.
The
morning of our boarding has finally come! With a lot of luggage we loaded up
the car and took the long 90 second drive to the terminal from the hotel.
Seriously I think it took me longer from the room to the car than the car to
the port. We got to the port around 9:30am, NOW you have the option to park,
however it will not be in the garage, instead it is the surface lot, about a 5
minute walk away from the terminal. The garage is still working to unload
guests and did not open until 10am. So we drove around a bit and then headed
back. We were parked, through security, checked in and boarded by 10:15am.
Royal excels in this, especially in Port Canaveral. Almost to the point it’s
too quick. Once we boarded we headed to our muster station, checked in and onto
lunch at the Windjammer.
Now
I will go into detail below on every aspect of this ship, but overall what did
we think? Well, we had a really great time. Cruising as much as we have over
these past 15 years and doing the blogs and videos, it’s not just a vacation
for us, it’s a look and compare. At a certain point only the ship will change
sometimes if you’re lucky. This trip we started to think more and more about
the love for cruising and if those feelings are still there for us. I will say
it is in our hearts for sure, but the overall trips are just lacking at most
times. We can only see so many Love & Marriage shows or go to so many
Quests and deck parties. So at this point don’t attend certain things, which is
fine, that’s our choice. One thing I think we miss is that attention to detail
across the ship, friendly staff is great, love seeing it, however it’s the
smaller things like remembering our name when we see our cabin attendant or
being asked how was our meal in the main dining room or even Lincoln Park for
this trip. Things like that. Just seemed to have gone out the porthole over the
years.
Overall
the Star of the Seas is an absolutely beautiful and stunning ship from bow to
stern. Many aspects we love so much about the ship. Other things maybe not so
much, but that is any ship/trip. Will say this, the ship is very similar to the
Oasis-class, but very different at the same time. Speaking of time, let’s stop
wasting it here with me rambling on and on, let’s get to this tour, shall we?
DECK
2
Port
Gangway
We’re
starting our tour all the way on deck 2, this is where you’ll find the Port
Gangway, your way on and off the ship while at any port of call.
DECK
3
Medical
Center
Next
is the medical center, in case you have an issue medically, which we hope you
don’t, but if you need this is where you can find the doctor. I will note, the
hours are limited, there are fees to see the doctor. We always suggest bringing
your own medication, they do sell other medications around the ship as well.
Music
Hall (Decks 3 & 4)
Spanning
two decks is the Music Hall. Biggest complaint we have is how loud the music
gets, almost unbearable at times. We came to see Velvet Elvis on a couple
different nights, but could only hang for a bit, music was just way too loud.
In addition to the live music, the Music Hall also offers several other
entertainment options including a lot of family competitions, great for adults
as well, also some of the parties throughout the cruise. Felt the area was
similar to The Club, which is on Celebrities Edge-class ships, which we really
loved, however felt it fell a little short to that lounge.
Conference
Center
If
you need a private conference area to rent out this is where you’ll be able to
do that. This is not a general public space.
Main
Dining Room (Decks 3 – 5) (Complimentary)
Spanning
across three decks is the beautiful main dining room. You’ll have the chance to
dine here (for free) every night of the cruise that you wish. You also have
breakfast and lunch here as well on most days, check your Cruise Compass for
days and times. We only came here a handful of times. We tried lunch and
overall, much like every cruise ship and line, just not impressive at all. The
service is usually always terrible, and the food is something left to be
desired. For dinner, I always enjoyed Royal Caribbean to most other cruise
lines, but this ship wasn’t a hit for us. Again, we only came a handful of
times, for the entire week, maybe 2 or 3 times. We had one dinner at Lincoln Park,
and the rest was spent elsewhere around the ship. The menus are a bit limited
and redundant after this many cruises, left us wanting more options and
variety. What we got wasn’t terrible, wasn’t great, it was just food to keep
you going. Another complaint we have of this dining room and even many
specialty venues across the ship is the spacing of tables. I’ll go into this
more with each venue as we get to them, but starting here it’s just worse and
worse with each ship. Largest ship in the world, with the dining room similar
in size to the smaller classes but cramming more and more tables into them.
It’s borderline uncomfortable. We requested prior to the cruise to have a more
“private” table near the window, well we got the window, but private means
something different than a table inches away from yours. This doesn’t make the
cruise experience better in our opinion. Other complaint we have, which is more
of this day in age vs this specific cruise was the wait staff. What happened to
that dining experience we used to know and love. The staff was one of the best
parts in that. Now you can tell it’s just a job to them and nothing more. We
come in, we get seated, we order, we get food and we leave. We never once
experienced any of the wait staff checking on the dishes, make sure we enjoyed
them, talking at all to anyone, it’s just bring people food and that’s it. But
again I say this day in age, because even at home (in Orlando) same deal. The
hospitality isn’t there anymore, which sucks. To be honest, over the past few
years my wife and I generally just cook at home more often because, a, it’s
cheaper and b, we don’t have to deal with the lack of hospitality when we dine
out. Don’t get me wrong some places still do, but it’s very, very rare.
DECK
4
Royal
Theater (Decks 4 & 5)
We
got a chance to see a few things here. One was The Price is Right gameshow.
This was a slight learning curve, but did become fun after a bit. From what we
understood was in order to have a chance to go on stage you need to purchase
one of the packages, which we did. Then you would play along and get points, if
you get enough points you’d end up on stage. We did not, so we didn’t win
anything. Still fun to check out.
The other show we got a chance to see was Back to the Future the Musical.
You’re saying, wait, the movie wasn’t a musical. Correct, it wasn’t, however
someone made it into it. Now I have seen all the films in bits and pieces over
the years, and before the cruise ended up going back to watch the first two
again. Forgot how good those movies were. Don’t worry, the ship plays all three
movies on the stateroom tv everyday, so you can check them out again there.
Onto the actual show. Got to be honest, took a bit to get used to the musical
aspect and some key components of the movie were gone. Once we got through a
quarter, we really were getting into the show and enjoyed it. Overall, we
really enjoyed the entire show, especially the ending. It is a long runtime,
but it goes by very quickly. Was it the best show we’ve ever seen? No, but it
was worth going to. I’d give it a 7.1 out of 10. Now keep in mind, we’ve seen
dozens and dozens of shows, so it is hard for us to get a show that makes us go
wow, that was the best we’ve ever seen. Either way, go see it, so worth it!
Casino
Royale
The
casino did decent for us this trip. Actually came out, kind of, sort of ahead.
The casino is filled with a lot of newer slot machines, which isn’t the best
for people who enjoy some of the older-style slots. They also do have tables.
Now smoking, non-smoking, where is what? I want to say the first half is
non-smoking and the other-half (towards the rear elevators) is smoking. Now at
times you could smell smoke, but honestly wasn’t too terrible if you’re just
walking through. Noticed it more when we stayed for a period of time. They have
fans in the floor to help with it. We do like that you can take the escalator
from the Casino to the Promenade if you’d like.
DECK
5
Fitness
Center (Decks 5 & 6)
Towards
the very front of the ship is where you’ll find the Fitness Center. We really
didn’t look around too much, we did notice it wasn’t the biggest one at sea,
nor was it too impressive with views of any kind, but it was just enough to get
a great workout in during your trip.
Jogging
Track
The
Jogging Track wraps around the entire deck, from front to back. Giving you some
great views and even some rest areas along the way. Didn’t feel it was too
narrow at all. You can also access the Fitness Center at the front of the ship.
Royal
Promenade Neighborhood
The
heart of the Star is the Royal Promenade, which is it’s on “Neighborhood”.
Let’s check out the different areas.
Retail
Shops
They
offer a variety of different shops in the Promenade area, here are a few.
Sorrento’s
(Complimentary)
We
voted this as the WORST pizza at sea! I’m sorry, it’s just not good pizza. It
somehow gets worse by each sailing we take. The flavor of the pizza just
doesn't work at all. Between the sauce and toppings and seasoning, even the
crust, dried out and tasteless. Seriously don’t know how people can eat this.
Carnival in our opinion is far superior, will say Carnival’s downfall is it’s
hard to actually get pizza since we’ll always have to wait 20 to 30 minutes at
any time of day, but it’s far better. Also hand-tossed and much fresher. MSC,
even though we haven’t been on in years, was our opinion best pizza at sea at
the time. Royal Caribbean needs to improve their pizza, and what happened to
the other options they used to have other than pizza? Seem’s cost cutting is
slowly coming across the different areas of the ship.
Spotlight
Karaoke
If
you’re in the mood to sing your heart out during the cruise, or just relax and
hear other’s do it, this is the spot for that, or should I say the spotlight!
Starbucks
Okay,
I’m generally not a huge fan of Starbucks at home, but slowly they are becoming
my go-to when it comes to my coffee. Do I prefer the inconsistent flavor of
Dunkin? Yes, but when needed I’ll head to Starbucks and spend double the price.
For the ship, what we noticed was that Starbucks rarely had a line, no matter
the time of day. Now did that mean the coffee wasn’t good? No, not at all, had
better flavor here than at home. The reason is the Pearl Café (upstairs a deck)
had coffee which is included with some of the drink packages. Now I understand
why people went that route, but the coffee there is terrible. I can seriously
smell the burnt old coffee they had there. So for Starbucks, let me give you a
tip, you may spend a bit more, but it’s really worth it, trust us!
The
Pearl (Decks 5 & 6)
You
might be asking, what is that giant sphere in the middle of the Promenade?
Well, that is The Pearl. Really cool concept and photo op, but that’s about it.
Not taking away from it at all, it is beautiful and stunning. Weird thing we
noticed with it, when you look you see bleacher-style seats, yet the railings
make it very hard to actually get to them, odd design, not sure if it was meant
to be that way or not. Other than that, it really doesn’t hold much purpose on
the ship other than a cool picture. Personally we think it took away from the
openness of the entire Promenade area, especially in that area where behind it
is all open window, which we love!
Shore
Excursions
If
you’re unsure about an excursion, need help booking or have any other
questions, the Shore Excursion team is here and ready to help with those
questions.
Guest
Services
Some
of the best Guest Services teams we’ve come across. Super helpful whenever we
needed. We did have one day we needed to ask about a cake we wanted. For months
we were looking to get information about the cakes that the ship offers for
special occasions, not too many good answers. So we went a day prior to ask
about the cake options and we luckily came across Andri, who had previously
worked in the bakery area, how lucky were we? She helped us out so much, with
trying to get exactly what we wanted. Spoiler, the cake looked perfect and
tasted even better. For $25 we’d get this again and again, loved it.
1400
Lobby Bar
Off
to the side of the Promenade is the 1400 Lobby Bar, you know the bar with the
drink with a bubble on it. If we had a penny for every time we’ve seen this. We
actually just got off Disney Wish and in their Star Wars bar, they had
something similar, bartender goes you want it? We go, no no no! But we did get
it here, it’s a looker. Overall fun and active bar, also when it’s not open a
great spot to hang out and relax.
Thron
& Thistle
Moving
along the Promenade, we come to the Thron & Thistle. This was a very lively
bar when it was open. From darts to live music, always something fun going on
here.
Crown
& Anchor & Next Cruise
Any
Crown & Anchor questions or looking to book your next Royal Caribbean
cruise, this is where you can do that.
DECK
6
Escape
Room
The
ship does offer an upcharge Escape Room, details are available on the Royal
Caribbean app.
Crown
Lounge
Here
is the location of the Crown Lounge. This is an exclusive, complimentary venue
for the ships top-tier Crown & Anchor members, Diamond, Diamond Plus &
Pinnacle Club). They offer complimentary continental breakfast, premium coffee
machines and happy hour hor d’oeuvres.
The
Attic
This
is where you’ll find most of the comedy shows on board. As well as the art
auctions. Comedy does require reservations, we had them, but never ended up
going. They do a big show later in the cruise with all of the comedians in the
Royal Theatre, which we feel they should always do.
Dueling
Pianos
A
fan-favorite is the Dueling Pianos. We did hear it was always busy and hard to
get seats. We went a few times and never had an issue getting seats. Noticed
the 18+ times, always had younger kids, and they basically said if the parents
are fine with it, so are they.
Pearl
Café (Complimentary)
If
you’re looking for a quick bite, the Pearl Café will usually always have
something to grab and eat. Sandwiches, salads and even to-go containers of
fruit. The options didn’t change too much from day-to-day, but at least they
offered this. We really enjoyed the breakfast sandwiches, when you just want a
lite bite of food. They also sell specialty coffee’s here as well, they are not
as good as Starbucks, but these are included with your drink package. Free
coffee is also offered here. Did I mention the views? Best part for us, loved
that they had this section, making the ship feel even more open.
Internet
Desk
If
you need the internet package or have a question about it, you can find their
desk right here.
Boleros
This
is the lively Latin bar on the ship, always music and dancing.
Giovanni’s
Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar
There
are two parts to this location, first being the restaurant. This is what you
can reserve in the app or in person, which offers the traditional sit-down
Italian meal. Which we did not do, food looked good though. We, however, opted
for something less-causal, which is the wine bar. Here you can either sit
around the actual bar or around the area, which is what we did. Menu is less
than the restaurant, but still had a lot of great options to pick from. Service
wasn’t the best for us personally, but food was good enough. Also they had
flights, and we’re all about that life!
Schooner
Bar
Making
our way down the ship we come to the Schooner Bar. I did find a bit of peace
and quiet here for my moment of breakfast. Later on it does liven up with some
live piano music, which was very nice.
Adventure
Ocean
This
is the area dedicated to children ages 3 to 12.
Playmaker’s
Sports Bar & Arcade
We
really wanted to get here for some bar bites, but it just never happened. We
really enjoy this on the other ships. Biggest issue you must walk through
Playmaker’s to Absolute Zero. But other than that, this place was designed very
fun, big sports theming. Food that we saw while we passed by looked great. You
can even rent out areas if you’d like.
Absolute
Zero
Speaking
of Absolute Zero, here we are. You have to go down the stairs to get to the
arena area. This is supposed to be the largest at sea, doesn’t look it, but
also doesn’t look smaller. Compared to the Oasis-class ships this was round vs
square. We found great seats for the production show SOL, which was a lot of
fun, especially with the tricks they did towards the end of the show. Also in
this area you will find other activities such as the Quest, Ice Skating and
laser tag. For Ice Skating and Laser Tag you do need to sign up prior, so make
sure you keep an eye on the app for that.
Social020
This
is the area dedicated to children ages 13 to 17.
DECK
7
Surfside
Neighborhood
Welcome
to our next neighborhood, the Surfside neighborhood. If you’ve been on the
Oasis-class of ship this is the area you’d find the Boardwalk. Overall, we miss
the Boardwalk, just a different vibe. Also the AquaTheater here was also just a
different vibe at night.
Arcade
If
you’re looking to find the arcade, here it is.
Sugar
Beach
For
your sweet tooth needs, Sugar Beach has you covered.
Carousel
We
never got a chance to ride this, honestly really missed the one’s on all of the
Oasis-class ships, like I said, it was a vibe.
Surfside
Eatery (Complimentary)
This
is one of the free food venues on the ship, dedicated to the younger cruisers,
however is available for anyone throughout the day. We found ourselves here
quite a bit when we got hungry. Loved the selection they had. Also never too
busy.
Sprinkles
(Complimentary)
This
is one of the places you can get ice cream, but no sprinkles, which is odd. If
you actually want sprinkles, then head into Surfside Eatery, they will
sometimes have some.
Surfside
Bites (Complimentary)
Next
to those locations is Surfside Bites. We heard nothing but hype for some of the
food here like the churros, let me tell you, I was fair and got them twice,
both visits, overcooked and disgusting. The chicken nuggets however, are
incredible.
The
Lemon Post
For
the adults, the Lemon Post is where you’ll find a good selection of cocktails
while you watch your kids play.
Pier
7 ($$$)
This
is going to be one of the specialty dining options available on board the
ship. We did research prior and saw out
of most of the other places, this menu and food looked better than most.
However, the size of the venue was very small and felt like a closet. Reminded
us of Johnny Rockets a bit as far as size goes. Again food looked really good
from what we saw.
Splashaway
Bay & Water’s Edge Pool
For
the kids here is Splashaway Bay, which takes the place of the AquaTheater on
the Oasis-class ships. Honestly I think it’s a miss, never once was this area
busy. Really think Royal needs to reimagine this area for all ages.
DECK
8
Lincoln
Park Supper Club ($$$)
This
was one place we were looking forward to. Now keep in mind reservations are
booked months in advanced and once they are gone it is rare they open back up.
We did get offered this again at the end of the cruise, but declined. So what
did we think?
To
start, we got to our reservation shortly before they opened the doors. Once
opened, the staff would come out to greet you personally by name, which was a
very nice touch. From there we headed inside and sat at our table. Our waiter
filled our drinks and handed us our menus. Same with all of the tables. Now I
will say they require a jacket for men, since this is formal, but they do
provide them as well if needed.
After
awhile our food started coming out as well as drinks, which paired with each
course. Now I will say this, the Moet was non-stop, they filled it up each and
every time.
They
do offer live Jazz music to set the mood throughout the night, and honestly
this was the best part of our evening.
I
will be perfectly honest with you. We didn’t expect much from the food going
in, it was more of the experience as a whole. Food overall was fine, apps far
better than the entrees. A bit disappointed in the entrée’s, the lamb was
undercooked and not too flavorful, my wagyu was not flavorful at all and
nothing like I’ve had before. I’ve eaten far better sirloins. Dessert, well not
remembering that either. Service, well, let me just say everything felt machine
operated, each course would come out at the same time as everyone else, same
with drinks. At no point were we asked how anything was, if we liked or
disliked anything. Pretty much this is the menu, pick your entrée and that is
that. No second option if you don’t like something, unless it’s allergy related.
Biggest issue was just ask. This is a common trend in dining across the ship,
and on land as well. So it’s not isolated to Lincoln Park.
Onto
the drinks, much like the food, it was nothing memorable at all. Everything was
fine to a one-and-done for us.
Will we do this again? No. Not that it wasn’t for us, it just really didn’t
justify the large price tag for live music and fancy dishes with okay flavors.
I’d rather spend less at the steakhouse on something I will hopefully remember.
But
that is just our opinion.
Central
Park Neighborhood
Izumi
Hibachi & Sushi
We
did come in here just to check it out. Will say for the largest ship in the
world, this had to be the fleets smallest Izumi. Seriously seating alone was
enough for us not to dine here. I don’t want to feel like I’m on Disney and be
forced to be right next to people. Which sucks, because Royal has some of the
best sushi at sea. Needless to say we did not end up dining here during our
cruise.
Izumi
in the Park
Right
next to the hibachi and sushi is Izumi in the Park, which is an additional cost
and offers a small menu of options for you to enjoy right in Central Park.
Chops
Grille
Right
nearby is Chops Grille, which offers indoor and outdoor seating in Central
Park. They offer meat’s that are included in the cost as well as upcharge
steaks. We did look at dining here, but again, every table more on top of you
than the next. We wanted something more upscale, which isn’t really offered on
the ship. Last thing we want to do is get all dressed up just to sit right next
to people in shorts, flipflops and a hat. Other than that we weren’t too
impressed with the menu, it’s a steakhouse. You’re never going to get the best
steak of your life here. Since I picked up a hobby of perfecting my steaks at
home, a steakhouse on a ship has become a thing of the past for us.
Trellis
Bar
I
will say, I love what they did with the bar and how they have it setup in
Central Park.
Park
Café (Complimentary)
If
you’re in the mood for some light bites throughout the day, then here at the
Park Café you’ll find a decent variety of options. From morning bagels and
wraps to afternoon sandwiches and salads. Also this is where you’ll find
Royal’s famous Kummelweck Sandwich, which we’ve had on just about every Royal
ship that offers Park Café and at no point was this sandwich ever good. Same
with Sorrento’s, very overrated and borderline disgusting. I’m sorry but a true
roast beef sandwich should never be that tough to eat, even when cut thin.
Sorry, rant over. Overall we came here a few times to enjoy some breakfast and
lunch, yes I did get the sandwich, only because I wanted meat.
Bubbles
I
made it a point to make sure our first drink of the cruise was here at Bubbles.
We were celebrating our 15-year wedding anniversary this week and needed to
start off with some bubbly. Loved it!
Retail
Shops
If
you’re looking for shopping, then you can find a few stores here in Central
Park.
Lou’s
We
finish Central Park at Lou’s, which has taken the spot of Vintages on the
Oasis-Class, will say it’s nicer in parts. The live music nightly was great.
Wish they offered a small food menu like they did at Vintages. Overall great
bar.
DECK
9 – Staterooms
Deck
9 is where you’ll find staterooms.
DECK
10 – Staterooms
Deck
10 is where you’ll find staterooms.
Deck
11 - Staterooms
Deck
11 is where you’ll find staterooms. Including ours.
Stateroom
11615
Let’s
take a step back to when we booked this cruise in December. At the time of our
booking we only had a choice of GTY (guarantee) oceanview balcony and a GTY
infinite oceanview balcony. We picked the oceanview balcony, which from the
image showed a traditional balcony stateroom, where you can exit the room to an
actual balcony. We even confirmed with Royal Caribbean before spending more
money on that decision that it was indeed a traditional balcony room AND NOT a
infinite balcony. About a month prior to our sailing date we got our room, it
was an infinite balcony, what we didn’t pay for. We immediately called Royal
and they said nothing we can do, and said it was an upgrade and we should be
happy about it. Which annoyed us even more. I waited a few weeks and called
again, they said just do the Royal Up bid, which we did multiple bids and
multiple times they cancelled them and increased the minimums. So most likely a
“scam” on Royal’s part to get the most money out of people.
So
without any choice on our room, we tried making the best of it for the week.
Biggest issue on why we didn’t want the room in the first place was how noisy
the rooms are, we had a similar room on Celebrity Beyond and we didn’t sleep
for days, even with ear plugs, constant banging and creaking when at sea. Will
say this sailing was one of the calmest in 47 cruises, but still heard things
here and there.
Let’s
start with the front of the room and work our way back.
Stateroom
Door: This is magnetic, and you can decorate. We had “conjoining” doors,
which meant the outside door would close and then both rooms can open that door
and then there would be the two regular doors into each room, vs a door inside
of the actual stateroom. Didn’t make a difference to us at all, it was kept
open since we didn’t share the conjoining room with the people next door.
A/C
Unit: Overall the room was decent, nothing to really brag about. We did
keep it on morning mode on the a/c and kept the shades down while we were not
in the room to help keep it cool. We did bring a fan and long (10ft) USB cord,
which we plugged in at night above the tv to help with air. Again mainly cool,
wouldn’t say cold by any means. Our temperature outside was comfortable the
entire trip, not too hot, not too cool. Warmer months I’d assume the room would
get warmer. Also if your “balcony” window is down the a/c unit will turn off.
Bathroom:
The bathroom was super small, they didn’t think too smart on this part of the
room. Hard to use the toilet, the shower was fine, didn’t understand the seat
though, when you think about it, pretty disgusting because the stateroom
attendant barely cleaned as it was, so wasn’t putting anything on that seat.
Closet
Space: Again failed attempt here, seems like the bigger the ship, the
smaller the closet. Also those drawers are pointless, to use most of them you
need to take the cushions off the couch just to pull the drawers out. If the
couch was about a foot smaller than it would be fine. Did it fit a week’s worth
of clothes? Yes, we made it work overall.
Couch
Area: The couch was very long for the room, comfortable and great use of
random clothes and things for the week. We did have a table across from it that
was also useful.
Bed:
The bed overall was fine. Nothing to brag about. Like I said, I did have a fan
above the TV that faced the bed, helped with airflow. Would say get a couple of
fans, we got ours off Amazon, not too expensive. Worth the investment.
Infinite
“Balcony”: Notice I’m using quotation marks for “balcony”. Well this isn’t
a balcony stateroom, I don’t care what marketing gimmick Royal Caribbean uses.
It is an oceanview with a window that comes down. Want me to prove it? In your
living room, do you have windows? Do they come down? If you answered “yes” to
both of those, then it is no different than an oceanview. For our home we have
a living room and then we can go outside to our balcony, where we can sit
outside. Okay enough complaining. For the actual area, it comes with two chairs
and a small ottoman. The walls were magnetic and I used it towards the end of
our cruise to decorate for our anniversary, which came out beautiful. Overall
decent area. Warmer months probably not the best. For us, we had perfect
weather, so we did open it a couple of times, again the A/C will turn off when
you do this.
Would
we get this room again? No. We have no interest in booking this stateroom ever
again. Luckily worked for our week, but would never go out of our way for it.
Especially not for what we paid for it. I would have been better off saving
thousands of dollars and going with a regular oceanview or interior and enjoyed
the room just as much.
DECK
12
Vitality
Spa (Deck’s 12 & 14)
Here
is where you’ll find the spa area of the ship. We didn’t experience much here
during our trip.
DECK
14
The
Overlook (Access on Deck 15)
While
you need to access this area on deck 15, the actual area is on deck 14. This is
The Overlook. One of the most scenic areas of the Star of the Seas. We came
here often to hang out and relax. Now on the Oasis-class ships this is the
Solarium. So which, in our opinion is better? Truthfully this is a hard one,
while The Overlook offers stunning views and a great ambiance and vibe, the
Solarium is a dedicated area for adults-only and often a pool. So in that case,
I’m picking the Solarium area. But a close second is The Overlook.
The
Overlook Bar
In
this same area is The Overlook Bar.
The
Overlook Pods
We
had a hard time getting one of these pods, however on our last day we took it
over for a few hours. They are good, but kind of pointless. Kids would always
take these over and just make a complete mess out of them. Cool concept but
could be better.
DECK
15
AquaTheater
On
the Oasis-class ships, the AquaTheater is located at the back of the ship on
the Boardwalk. On the Icon-class, the AquaTheater is located all the way in the
front of the ship. The main show here is Torque, which was really, good. Loved
the choice of music throughout the show and the part where they have the
motorcycles in a cage to Metallica is one of the best and thrilling parts of
any show we’ve seen. It’s a must-see show. Now you do need reservations to sit
in the AquaTheater, HOWEVER, you do not need reservations to sit around the
AquaTheater, which still has a ton of great seats to see the shows or anything
else going on here. Speaking of other events here, this is where you’ll find
several other events such as Q&A’s and a bunch of different game shows. So
you can grab a bite in the market and enjoy what is going on here. Great area.
Rye
& Bean
I
still remember the moment I first came here, it was just stunning, the large
glass dome in the background and The Overlook below, this area was stunning.
The bar, also amazing, love it! They also serve fresh coffee, so if you’re
needing an early morning cup or afternoon pick-me-up, this is your spot. The
drinks are also really good, from the spiked coffee’s and even spiked teas,
which were so tasty. One of the best bar’s with the greatest views on a ship.
BUT, I think our top is still the Sunset Bar of Celebrity Beyond, just a
different vibe. Either way, a lot of fun.
Hooked
Seafood
If
you’re looking for something nice that contains seafood, then Hooked will be
your option. Now I will say, this place get’s loud, especially when events in
the AquaDome are going on, so if that is an issue, this is your warning. As far
as the tables, felt they weren’t too cramped compared to the rest of the ship,
the vibe is very coastal and nice in this area, we really enjoyed it when we
walked through.
Celebration
Table
In
the back of Hooked Seafood is the Celebration Table and for close to $1000, you
and your party can reserve this entire area for dinner. It’s tucked behind
Hooked, so not sure on the noise level, they do offer doors, which can help
with that a bit.
Aquadome
Market (Complimentary)
The
Aquadome Market is a completely free option. Open for much of the day it is a
great alternative to the Windjammer or if you’re just looking for a bite to eat
during the day. They do offer seating inside and outside around the Aquadome.
Most of the food here was very good and enjoyable. Also don’t be afraid to
mix-and-match options. Or even if you went to Basecamp for Tots and added the
pulled pork from Pig Out BBQ, options are endless. Love it! Also they have a
small bar here as well that offers beers and sodas.
Pig
Out BBQ
Serves
smoky pulled pork and beef brisket served over mac & cheese or as
sandwiches, complete with sides like coleslaw, pickles, and chips.
Mai
Thai
Offers
Southeast Asian favorites like pad thai, beef panang curry, and grilled
lemongrass chicken over jasmine rice, alongside crispy spring rolls.
La
Cocinita
Focuses
on South American staples, serving hot empanadas (chicken or spinach and
cheese), sweet corn arepas, and Cuban sandwiches.
Feta
Mediterranean
A
returning favorite where you can build your own fresh pita or rice bowls with
proteins like chicken or falafel, topped with tzatziki, hummus, or harissa hot
sauce.
Crème
de la Crêpe
The
popular French dessert station making sweet or savory fresh-flipped crêpes,
including the highly-rated Nutella, banana, and strawberry combo.
Chill
Island Neighborhood
Our
next area is the Chill Island Neighborhood, consisting of everything on the
pool deck.
Table
Tennis
As
we make our way out of the AquaDome area we now start our adventure on the pool
deck. They do offer an area with table tennis, free to play.
Whirlpools
The
ship offers a bunch of different areas with whirlpools, here are a few of them.
The
Lime & Coconut (Location 1)
The
Lime & Coconut have 4 different locations, 3 with regular menus and one
having frozen drink options.
Sprinkles
(Complimentary)
If
you’re looking for ice cream, here is your 2nd Sprinkles location.
The
Lime & Coconut (Location 2)
The
Lime & Coconut have 4 different locations, 3 with regular menus and one
having frozen drink options.
Cove
Pool
We
come to our first (of many) pools, this is the Cove Pool. We did notice across
the entire pool deck that chairs were plentiful and never once encountered an
issue with getting one, even on busy sea days.
Royal
Bay Pool (Main Pool)
Across
the way is our 2nd pool, the Royal Bay Pool. This is supposed to be
the largest pool at sea, similar to what we had on Celebrity’s Edge-class
ships. It was nice to have stairs into the pool, appreciate that part a lot.
El
Loco Fresh (Complimentary)
This
is always a favorite spot for me, this trip, no different. I will say this, I
think on Utopia, at least, the venue felt to have more options, I felt that at
the Windjammer as well, but I’ll talk about that in a few. El Loco Fresh offers
a lot of Mexican favorites, including tacos, burritos and bowls, with an entire
toppings and salsa bar. I will also suggest a bit of a food hack, grab some
nachos and head over to the AquaDome market and stick some pulled pork on top
with some cheese and BBQ sauce.
Cantina
Fresca
Welcome
to Cantina Fresca, located right next to El Loco Fresh, another fun bar of the
Star.
Windjammer
Marketplace (Complimentary)
I’m
going to keep this real. Windjammer on most Royal Caribbean ships we’ve been on
has been as good as Sorrento’s, which is not a compliment by any means. Now the
Windjammer on Star was better than the other ships (Oasis, Allure, Harmony,
Independence, Vision, Majesty and Mariner) we’ve been on, BUT, Utopia was
better. The selection on Star is great, but felt ¼ of it was missing compared
to Utopia. Don’t get me wrong, compared to most other cruise lines, this is
still a top notch buffet. Celebrity (Edge-class) does give it a good run for
their money. That being said, other than the food, the setup was good, felt
they had a lot of stations spread apart and it never got too crazy. We did hear
a ton of rumors that lobster was available on certain nights, at no point was
it available on our sailing. Only on embarkation day, they did offer two types.
So be careful and don’t grab an entire plate to find out that they had another
lobster style at the station next to it. Luckily I got the better of the two.
Also make sure to make your own DIY lobster roll, get lobster, melted butter
and a hot dog bun, or 3! You’re welcome!
The
Hideaway (Adult’s Only) (Access on Deck 16)
We
come to the very back of the ship to the adults-only area, The Hideaway. This
is a dedicated area for the adults. Which on the Oasis-class was the Solarium.
I will say as cool as it is, there is a lot of needed improvements. For
example, shade, there isn’t much at all in this area, so spending hours upon
hours outside in the heat isn’t the most relaxing, at least to us. Overall
still a very nice area, we do see future Icon-class ships improving the area,
which is great. I’d also like to see crew actually enforcing the adults-only
aspect of this area, too many times did we come across younger kids and teens
in the area and in the hot tubs. One other thing was those day beds, get rid of
them, they are over-priced and useless. Seriously, make the pool bigger and get
rid of them. I will say we did enjoy our time in this area, was overall nice
and relaxing, never felt it got too busy, even on sea days.
The
Hideaway Bar
There
is also a bar right here in The Hideaway, which offers some amazing views!
DECK
16
Coastal
Kitchen (Deck’s 16 & 17)
If
you’re staying in the suite’s on the ship, this is your dedicated restaurant,
open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also you have a great view of the
AquaDome below.
Swim
& Tonic (Adult’s Only)
We
come to another adults-only pool, this is the Swim & Tonic. It’s on the
small side, but it’s really meant to just be a bar with some seats and a small
water area. Still a fun concept for a cruise ship. We headed here once, wasn’t
really our vibe. Seating on the loungers were a bit awkward, where it was hard
to get in and out of them, depending on where you were seated.
The
Lime & Coconut Frozen Bar (Location 3)
The
Lime & Coconut have 4 different locations, 3 with regular menus and one
having frozen drink options.
Thrill
Island Neighborhood
We
come to another neighborhood area, this is Thrill Island, which is where you’ll
find water and thrill.
Crown’s
Edge
We
come to Crown’s Edge, which for an extra fee is just a small ropes course with
a zip line. On the Oasis-class the zipline is free. Wasn’t anything we’d waste
our money on honestly.
Adrenaline
Peak
This
is the rock climbing wall on the ship, which is free to do.
Desserted
Milkshake Bar
If
you’re looking to elevate your ice cream experience, then you can get some
fun-looking shakes here, also spiked options are available.
Basecamp
(Complimentary)
Now
this was one place I was looking to try out, because there has been SO MUCH
hype about their smash burgers. First off, not a smash burger, second, I can
name so many other burgers that are better than this, starting with Burger
King. Now I love a good, basic burger, this isn’t it. Guy’s on Carnival is
better, and theirs is mid at best. They do have several other options that are
also included. You can always find an option here and head to another location
to make it even tastier, like the tots.
Basecamp Bar
Right
in the same area is the Basecamp Bar.
Lost
Dunes (Mini Golf)
This
is where you can find the mini golf, have to say these are becoming more and
more lackluster with the newer ships. We played a game, wasn’t too fun compared
to other ships and lines, but something to do.
Water
Slides
The
Star has a total of 6 record-breaking water slides. We are not water slide
junkies, but they do have many different options to choose from. We did head up
to one of them for the views, and it was so incredible. I will note that these
slides are known to be down for sailings at a time, so don’t book strictly for
these slides, or any other amenities for that matter.
Flowrider
I
hate to say it, but this compared to the older Oasis-class ships we’ve done
this area is just lacking the fun element. Most of the other ships have 2, and
each side has a vibe of their own. You can come, sit and hang out there for
awhile enjoying the show. Here, it was hard to do, since we rarely saw it open,
and when it was everything was crammed filled with stuff, you could barely sit.
DECK
17
Cloud
17 Neighborhood
Our
next neighborhood is the Cloud 17, which is just one of the most upper public
decks to enjoy.
Cloud
17 Pool
If
a pool went on a diet it would be this pool. Make’s 0 sense. Why even had a
pool this narrow on a ship? I will say the area itself works since it is
usually less busy, but still.
The
Lime & Coconut (Location 4)
The
Lime & Coconut have 4 different locations, 3 with regular menus and one
having frozen drink options.
Smoking
Area
This
is where you’ll find the smoking area on the ship.
Sports
Court
All
the way near the top of the ship is the Sports Court. Here you’ll find
basketball and sometimes pickleball and other events throughout the cruise.
DECK
18
The
Grove Neighborhood
We
come to our final neighborhood and that is The Grove. This area is exclusive to
anyone staying in the suites on board the Star of the Seas. They offer a two
level sun deck as well as a bar and pool area.
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