Icon of the Seas was the biggest cruise ship in the world when she launched in January 2024, and in 2025 she’s joined by sister ship Star of the Seas.
These two cruise behemoths are absolutely packed with incredible features – but how do you know which to pick?
Icon and Star aren’t identical – so let’s take a look at how they compare.
Size
The final size of Star of the Seas hasn’t been confirmed yet, but she’s described as having a gross tonnage of 250,800 and will carry 5,610 passengers at double occupancy along with 2,350 crew. At maximum capacity – with every family room full – she’ll host 7,600 passengers.
Icon of the Seas has a gross tonnage of 248,663 according to official fact lists, but all the way up to her launch she was advertised as having a gross tonnage of 250,800.
So it’ll be interesting to see if Star of the Seas is actually bigger, or if her official GT measurement will come down once she launches.
Essentially, the ships are the same size, with 20 decks in total (18 accessible to the public) and measuring 1,196 feet (364 metres) long.
Star of the Seas might measure slightly bigger when she does launch as Royal Caribbean has often liked to find the extra couple of inches or couple of hundred gross tons of space so that each new ship can be the “biggest”.
Royal Caribbean have said that the size of Star of the Seas isn’t the focus and so it may be that she is exactly the same size as Icon. We’ll see.
Suggested read: Top 10 Largest Cruise Ships In The World
Neighborhoods
Both Icon and the Seas and Star of the Seas are split into different ‘Neighborhoods’, which are areas of the ship with certain theming and designed for different uses.
The Neighborhoods on the ships are the same, and they include:
- The Aqua Dome – offering a large space for relaxed food and drinks during the day, and vibrant AquaTheater performances at night
- Chill Island – as the name suggests, this relaxing space features swimming pools and bars just perfect for relaxing
- Thrill Island – home to the waterslides, the surf simulator, a ropes course and sports facilities
- The Hideaway – an adults-only space with infinity pool, dedicated bar and whirlpools
- Surfside – a family-friendly area with tailored dining options, family staterooms, a splash park and more
- Royal Promenade – and indoor space where you’ll be able to enjoy restaurants, shops and the huge ice rink (for guests to use, and with live skating shows too)
- Central Park – an actual park with thousands of real plants, along with shops, bars and restaurants
- The Suite Neighborhood – the exclusive part of the ship where the suites are housed, as well as a private sundeck and restaurant for suite guests only.
Despite the ships having the same Neighborhoods, one of them is getting an overhaul, and that’s Surfside.
On Icon of the Seas, Surfside aimed primarily at 0-6 year olds, but on Star of the Seas that’ll change so that kids up to 10 years old can fully enjoy the space.
This means that Splashaway Bay and Playscape, the splash park and play area, will get some new features aimed at older kids, while Water’s Edge will be incorporated more into the family-friendly spaces.
On Icon of the Seas, Water’s Edge was meant to be more of a space for parents, but the cruise line has seen families using it as more of an extension of the kids’ areas, and so is leaning into that for Star.
There are other smaller tweaks in the Neighborhoods too and more could be announced – things like The Pearl in the Royal Promenade which will get more dynamic lighting options.
Broadly, though, the ships have a very similar experience.
Staterooms and suites
When it comes to accommodation, both Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas offer a broad range of staterooms and suites to suit different budgets and preferences. The layout and categories remain largely the same, with options including:
- Interior Staterooms – the most affordable option, these cabins have no windows
- Ocean View Staterooms – slightly larger rooms with windoes that look out to sea
- Balcony Staterooms – including those facing Surfside or Central Park, and those with an ocean-facing balcony
- Infinite Ocean View Balconies – a newer design where the balcony seamlessly integrates into the room, similar to a floor-to-ceiling window that opens partially.
- Suites – including Junior Suites, Grand Suites, Owner’s Suites, and the top-tier Royal Loft Suites, each offering increasing levels of luxury and exclusive access to suite-only areas.
Read more: The Best and Worst Cabins on Icon of the Seas
The core offering remains consistent, but there are a couple of notable changes for Star of the Seas.
We know that Royal Caribbean is going to test facial recognition stateroom doors on Star of the Seas.
This was an idea the cruise line had in play just before everything shut down in 2020, but it will be implemented in a small capacity on Star of the Seas.
The cruise line has confirmed it’s a pilot scheme and that only some staterooms will offer this – but it’ll be cool if it all works!
The other significant update is to the Ultimate Family Townhouse, the extravagant three-story suite designed for large families looking for the ultimate cruise experience.
The Ultimate Family Townhouse debuted on Icon of the Seas as the most expensive suite at sea, featuring an in-suite slide, a dedicated movie-viewing room, a karaoke machine, and a private “backyard” with a ping pong table, outdoor seating, and a white picket fence leading directly to Surfside.
For Star of the Seas, the Ultimate Family Townhouse is getting a refresh. While specific details haven’t been shared, the cruise line has confirmed that the suite will get an “uplift” with a “new look,” based on guest feedback from Icon of the Seas.
Restaurants
Once again, the majority of dining venues across both ships will remain unchanged and guests on both ships can enjoy a huge variety of casual and formal options.
One of the biggest changes is the introduction of the Lincoln Park Supper Club. This is a sequel to the Empire Supper Club, shifting the focus from its original glitzy New York theme to a Chicago-inspired experience.
The concept remains the same – an intimate fine dining venue with a themed menu and live music, but it’ll now be influenced by Chicago’s rich culinary and cultural scene.
Royal Caribbean is also looking to improve Aquadome Market for Star of the Seas, already one of the most well-received complimentary dining options on Icon of the Seas. Located within the AquaDome Neighborhood, the market currently features five food stands offering a variety of options, from chicken pita wraps to bacon mac and cheese.
While the fundamentals will remain unchanged, the cruise line has said it will be testing ways to refine and enhance the offerings for Star of the Seas and future ships. Exciting!
And the other major dining change is the overhaul of Pier 7. This venue, located in the Surfside Neighborhood, currently serves California-inspired cuisine and offers a kids-eat-free program.
While many guests have left positive reviews, Royal Caribbean sees it as a flexible space and is planning a new offering, or at least some significant changes.
The final decision on Pier 7’s replacement has not yet been announced, as the cruise line continues to test different ideas. But I doubt it’ll be something radically different in terms of cost, even if the cuisine completely changes.
Bars, lounges, activities & entertainment
Icon of the Seas has a great variety of bars and lounges where guests can grab a drink and relax, and so far the cruise line hasn’t announced any major changes to those.
So, guests on both ships can take their pick from popular bar spaces such as:
- The Lime and Coconut bars
- Swim & Tonic, the largest swim-up bar at sea
- Schooner Bar – a classical musical-themed bar
- Trellis Bar – a chilled spot in Central Park perfect for champagne
- Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade
Plus loads, loads more!
Activities onboard are very similar too, including surf simulators, rock climbing, ice skating, karaoke, the casino, mini golf, the ropes course… the list feels endless!
One change, which may seem minor but it’ll have a big impact, is the addition of one more hot tub on the outdoor deck near the AquaDome Market.
It was originally intended for Icon of the Seas but was removed from plans due to concerns over the water weight of the ship – but they found that Icon’s so far within acceptable margins that it can be reinstated for Star of the Seas. Even one extra hot tub will help during busy days when pool space is at a premium.
The biggest changes for activities will come in the redesigned Surfside as already covered, and in bigger changes to the kids clubs onboard.
The cruise line has said that nothing’s being removed compared to Icon, but Star will have more ‘analog play’ toys, instead of the heavy reliance on video games and other digital entertainment.
The teen spaces will get a revamp, with more of a focus on spaces just to meet up before the older kids can explore the ship and feel more like adults, so there’ll be a focus on more activities in different parts of the ship.
And of course, the entertainment onboard will be different too. The full schedule for Star of the Seas hasn’t been announced but we know that, instead of The Wizard of Oz which you’ll find on Icon, guests will be able to enjoy Back to the Future: The Musical – that was a popular announcement!
Read more: Great Scott! Audition Call For Popular Musical To Be Staged On Star Of The Seas
Ultimately, you’ll have a hard time managing to tick off even half of the activities and entertainment on each ship during your cruise – there’s just so much.
What a shame that it just means you’ll need to book another one…
Itineraries
In terms of the itineraries being offered by both ships, they are almost identical. Both are sailing 7-night cruises to both the eastern and western parts of the Caribbean, with tips to the private resorts of Perfect Day at CocoCay and Labadee.
The key difference is the departure ports, with Icon sailing from Miami and Star sailing from Port Canaveral.
That matters, because Royal Caribbean wants to position Star of the Seas as a sort of alternative option to the theme parks close to Port Canaveral – a rival for Universal and Disney, essentially.
And even if it’s not clashing, it’s an option to capitalise on the family holidays in the region, with people having the chance to spend a week ashore at the big parks either before or after they cruise.
Is there a winner?
There’s no way that you can definitively say that either Icon of the Seas or Star of the Seas is better than the other because they are probably 95% the same ship.
And with the differences, it’s often subjective. If you’re travelling with younger kids under 6 then they might prefer Surfside on Icon, while families with kids aged 7-10 may love the newer one on Star.
You’ll have a very similar experience onboard both ships, so just see which dates and itineraries work best for you – unless you’re someone who absolutely must see either Wizard of Oz or Back to the Future when you’re onboard!
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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
