Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas Finishes Sea Trials in Record Time
The cruising world is waiting eagerly for the second Icon-class ship to make her debut, and it seems that Star of the Seas is just as eager to join the Royal Caribbean fleet and set sail as the star she is.
Meyer Turku, the shipbuilder responsible for the massive vessel, has announced that she has successfully completed her sea trials and is ready for the final phase of construction work.
“Star of the Seas completed her sea trials in record time and returned to the shipyard on the morning of Tuesday, May 27th,” the shipyard confirmed.
“Star spent a total of eight days at sea, during which all systems were thoroughly tested. All tests were completed successfully.”
Star of the Seas began these open water tests on May 19, 2025. This is one of the most important milestones of the ship’s construction, when every system is fully tested to ensure proper operation.
Navigation, propulsion, emergency maneuvers, safety responses, and other systems are tested while the ship is underway, ensuring that everything is functioning well within established guidelines.
For a ship with such a glamorous name to live up to, Star of the Seas is certainly holding her own.
“These were the best sea trials I have ever participated in. There was a strong sense of team spirit throughout,” said Jaakko Leinonen, Project Manager for Meyer Turku. “Now it’s time to focus on completing the remaining work on the ship.”
While the ship’s systems are now fully operational, more finishing detail work must be completed before Star of the Seas is considered complete and ready for handover to Royal Caribbean, which should happen in the next few weeks.
Work has progressed amazingly well on the vessel, so well that her debut has been pushed forward for three “showcase sailings” ahead of her planned inaugural 7-night cruise on August 31, 2025.
Now, the ship will welcome her first guests on August 20 for a 3-night Perfect Day at CocoCay cruise, followed by two 4-night showcase cruises also visiting the private island destination.
The “official” inaugural cruise is a Western Caribbean itinerary that will not only visit Perfect Day at CocoCay (as will all sailings of the new ship!), but also Costa Maya, Roatan, and Cozumel.
Star of the Seas will remain homeported from Port Canaveral year-round, offering both Western Caribbean and Eastern Caribbean sailings. The Eastern Caribbean routes will be visiting St. Thomas and St. Maarten, while select sailings will call on San Juan and St. Kitts instead.
Undoubtedly, the ship will arrive in Port Canaveral ahead of her first showcase sailings, with great fanfare to welcome her home.
One crew member is already learning the proverbial ropes, as Star of the Seas‘ Chief Dog Officer, Sailor, recently met her big sister onboard Icon of the Seas and began to learn what a life at sea can mean for a canine cruiser.
Up Next – Another Sister Ship!
From an Icon to a Star – up next is a Legend! The wild popularity of Icon of the Seas and the impressive progress on Star of the Seas has certainly set high expectations for the third Icon-class ship, Legend of the Seas.
Also under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in southern Finland, Legend of the Seas is scheduled to debut in 2026. At the moment, her first sailing is planned as a 7-night Western Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona, departing August 2.
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The ship will remain in Europe until November 2026, at which time she will homeport from Port Everglades.
This will position all three Icon-class ships from Florida homeports – Icon of the Seas from Miami, Star of the Seas from Port Canaveral, and Legend of the Seas from Fort Lauderdale – each one offering amazing cruise adventures for everyone aboard.
Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas Finishes Sea Trials in Record Time