Royal Caribbean’s newest cruise ship has already climbed to the very top of the fleet rankings after just one year in service, with Star of the Seas becoming the line’s highest-rated ship based on customer review scores.
The result comes from my newly updated rankings, which analyses guest review data across Cruise Critic, Cruiseline.com and TripAdvisor to determine how the cruise line’s 29 ships compare.
For a ship that only launched in 2025, jumping straight into first place is an impressive result. But perhaps even more interesting is where her closest ship currently sits.
Star’s sister ship, Icon of the Seas, is now ranked 10th out of Royal Caribbean’s 29-ship fleet, despite the two vessels sharing almost identical layouts, attractions and overall concepts.
The contrast may seem surprising at first glance. After all, Icon of the Seas was one of the most anticipated cruise launches in years and introduced Royal Caribbean’s completely new Icon Class design when she entered service in January 2024.
When Icon first launched, she also held the number one position for several months before gradually settling lower in the rankings as more reviews arrived and the excitement around the new ship levelled out.
That could mean Star’s current position is not necessarily permanent.
As more passengers sail and review the vessel over time, her average score could shift in the same way Icon’s did.
Why Star May Have An Early Advantage
Although Star of the Seas and Icon of the Seas are roughly 95% the same ship, Royal Caribbean did make several adjustments based on guest feedback from Icon’s debut.
Rather than redesigning the concept completely, the cruise line focused on refining areas that passengers felt could work better.
Among the changes were updates to Surfside, expanding the family neighbourhood to appeal to older children rather than focusing primarily on younger families. Royal Caribbean also introduced tweaks intended to improve guest flow around the ship, while dining received some changes too.
Star also added new venues and experiences, including the Lincoln Park Supper Club replacing Empire Supper Club’s New York-inspired theme with a Chicago concept, refreshed food options in AquaDome Market, and changes to entertainment including Back to the Future: The Musical becoming the headline production.
There were smaller changes as well, including an additional hot tub and revised children’s spaces with more traditional play areas.
Individually, many of these adjustments may seem relatively minor, but together they could help explain why guests appear to be responding even more positively to Star than they initially did with Icon.
Price may also play a role.
While Icon of the Seas remains one of Royal Caribbean’s most expensive ships, reviewers have sometimes highlighted that the premium pricing raises expectations considerably. Star faces similar pricing pressures, but with refined features and lessons learned from the first ship in the class, passengers may feel they are getting a more polished experience.
Of course, one year of data still represents a relatively small sample compared with ships that have been sailing for decades.
Some of Royal Caribbean’s strongest performers have built reputations over many years and thousands of reviews, making Star’s early lead notable but still very much a developing story.
The Next Test Arrives This Summer
The next big test for Royal Caribbean’s newest class of ships is not far away.
Legend of the Seas, the third Icon Class vessel, is due to debut this summer and will become the latest evolution of the cruise line’s biggest and most feature-packed ship design.
If Star has shown anything, it is that Royal Caribbean appears willing to keep making adjustments rather than simply repeating the same ship design over and over.
That now raises an interesting question.
If Star refined what Icon started and immediately climbed to the top of the rankings, where will Legend sit after her first year at sea?
By this time next year, Royal Caribbean may have another new number one.
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