Key Aspects:
- A broken glass panel inside Star of the Seas’ AquaDome is drawing attention from cruisers.
- Thankfully, the shattered glass has remained in its frame and does not appear to pose a risk to guests.
- This is the second time a glass panel has suddenly shattered onboard the Royal Caribbean ship since her debut last summer.
Guests onboard Star of the Seas have noticed that the AquaDome is looking a bit worse for wear. Specifically, passengers of the second Icon-class ship noticed that one of the 673 glass panels within the dome had shattered.
As the 248,663-gross ton vessel entered service less than a year ago in August 2025, many were surprised to see the new build showing signs of potential wear and tear.
For context, the AquaDome serves as a glass-domed neighborhood on the forward top deck of the ship that is designed for tranquility during the day and to be an entertainment hub at night.
“Come on, this ship is only 9 months old and someone already broke a glass panel on the AquaDome,” one current passenger posted on Facebook on May 26, 2026, along with photos of the shattered panel.
While the guest’s language implies that a person caused the damage, this has not been confirmed by the cruise line.
The break could have been caused by a variety of factors, including inherent glass defects, a bird strike, sailing through stormy weather, rogue waves, and/or sudden and significant changes in temperature.
Currently, the Port Canaveral-based ship is operating 7-night Caribbean itineraries, where toasty temperatures can reach into the high 80s and low 90s (degrees Fahrenheit) in May. However, the glass would be impacted more by a dramatic shift in temperature than by consistent heat.
Thankfully, there are no reports that passengers were endangered or injured because of this incident. It appears the shattered fragments stayed in their frame, and crew members will likely cordon off the area until repairs are complete.
Not the First Glass Incident
Interestingly, this is not the first time that Star of the Seas has had issues with broken glass during her short career.
Cruise Hive previously reported that a glass panel suddenly shattered on Deck 15 of the 5,610-guest ship during a preview sailing ahead of the official maiden voyage last August.
The panel in question was part of the safety barrier to prevent guests from going overboard. The open section was blocked off with a crowd control barrier and a white tarp until the panel was replaced.
Thankfully, no guests were injured when the glass shattered, but it certainly caused a fright for the passengers lounging in the area.
Out of an abundance of caution, the young ship was also forced to debut with the Frightening Bolt waterslide out of order, which is a key attraction in the Category 6 Waterpark.
On August 7, 2025, just before Star of the Seas made her debut, an accident occurred onboard Icon of the Seas in which an acrylic panel on the slide shattered while a guest was riding it.
Unfortunately for Star of the Seas, its version of the tallest drop slide at sea is essentially identical to the slide onboard Icon of the Seas.
Both slides were closed out of an abundance of caution to ensure that the same accident could not unfold a second time onboard Royal Caribbean’s newest addition.
Royal Caribbean Glass Incidents
For whatever reason, Royal Caribbean seems to be particularly unlucky when it comes to glass. While it’s not unheard of for glass to break occasionally on cruise ships, it seems to have happened a lot recently.
Including the waterslide incident and the broken barrier on the two Icon-class ships, the cruise line experienced at least six glass incidents in 2025.
In September, a glass panel broke in the Windjammer Marketplace onboard Utopia of the Seas. Thankfully, no one was injured.
Throughout the summer, Symphony of the Seas had three different glass panels break in the Coastal Kitchen restaurant, the adults-only Solarium, and on the sports deck near the zip line.
Once again, nobody was injured, though the Coastal Kitchen incident could have been bad if not for the quick actions taken by a crew member that got guests out of harm’s way just in time.
Safety is Royal Caribbean’s top priority, and the cruise line has surely investigated these incidents and made any necessary repairs to try to prevent future breakage.
