As excitement builds for the arrival of the new Star of the Seas, Royal Caribbean’s second Icon Class vessel delivered by Meyer Turku shipyard on July 10, 2025, one destination is feeling dismayed.

As the ship begins its final outfitting, it was expected to leave its Finnish birthplace at the Meyer Turku shipyard and travel to Cadiz, Spain, for a two-week stay at the Navantia shipyard.

As Royal Caribbean’s CEOs Jason Liberty and Michael Bayley were on hand in Turku, Finland, to receive the new ship from Meyer Turku CEO Casimir Lindholm, initial reports revealed the ship was cutting its visit to Navantia to just three days.

Now, it appears the 248,663-gross-ton Star of the Seas will skip the shipyard altogether and instead visit the nearby Algeciras shipyard, according to Diario de Cadiz.

The decision follows growing concerns about a metalworkers’ strike that has disrupted operations at the Navantia shipyard and caused other cruise lines to reconsider their own plans to visit the region.

Star of the Seas now remains in Finland until July 17, 2025, with the crew boarding the delivered vessel to begin preparing the ship for guests.

It will set sail for southern Spain later in the month, spending July 24 through 26, 2025, at the Alegeciras shipyard before beginning its transatlantic sailing to its homeport in Port Canaveral.

Ships Skip Cadiz Due to Protests

The move mirrors a recent decision by Carnival Cruise Line, which pulled Carnival Liberty from Cadiz dry dock because of strike disruptions that took place in mid-June.

On June 18 and 19, 2025, over 26,000 metalworkers across Cadiz launched a strike, led by major Spanish unions. 

The workers were demanding better sick-leave, wages automatically tied to inflation, the reinstatement of a “toxic work bonus,” and more regulations of contracts. They also reported excessive overtime, no breaks, and unsafe conditions.

The strike included thousands of workers employed directly or as subcontractors at Navantia, according to World Socialist.

It also forced Carnival Cruise Line to stop dry dock refits early and relocate the vessel to Marseille, France, for completion. 

However, even attempting to move the ship was hindered by the strike with reports of protestors preventing the ship from leaving the shipyard earlier than it could.

The delays resulted in Carnival Liberty cancelling its July 6, 2025, cruise to the Bahamas from New Orleans and reimbursing nearly 3,000 passengers.

Carnival Cruise Line has since filed a €4.5-million lawsuit against Navantia for damages.

It has 11 ships scheduled for dry dock through 2028 in the shipyard, which could be at jeopardy due to the strike and pending lawsuit.

A settlement was not reached during the initial days of the strike, also interrupting passenger operations for P&O Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line’s sister company under Carnival Corporation.

Read Also: How Long Does It Take to Build a Cruise Ship?

In late June, 5,200 passengers aboard P&O Cruises’ Arvia and more than 3,000 guests aboard Ventura were diverted from a Cadiz call due to security concerns amidst the unrest. It is estimated that the missed calls cost Cadiz over €350,000.

While it is unclear what the future holds for Cadiz, the protests will not delay Star of the Seas‘ big debut.

The ship is set to arrive in North America in early August and will host three preview sailings for media, travel agents, and industry insiders ahead of its August 31, 2025, inaugural voyage.

That sailing will be a 7-night voyage to the Caribbean with a stop at Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at Coco Cay for up to 5,610 passengers.

For the past few years, the cruising ducks phenomenon has really taken flight, if you’ll pardon the pun. But not every cruise line feels just ducky about the growing trend, and now, Royal Caribbean has taken a first step toward banning the little quackers.

Guests onboard at least one of the cruise line’s Oasis or Icon class vessels have spotted a discreet sign in the ship’s Central Park admonishing the behavior. Photos of the sign have recently begun circulating through social media.

“Please help us protect the plants,” the sign reads. “This is a duck free zone. Please don’t hide ducks in Central Park.”

Granted, there is no immediate indication of consequences for hiding ducks among the thousands of plants that adorn the sophisticated space midship on Deck 8. At this time, there is no confirmation of which ship has the sign, but the Oasis and Icon class ships are the only ones that feature Central Park.

Still, the consequences of violating the request could actually be severe in the end. The cruise line is obviously attempting to safeguard the park’s plants, including the shrubbery, elevated boxes, and even the impressive multi-story green wall.

If guests continually disrupt the plants as they either hide or search for ducks, the plants can be crushed, trampled, uprooted, torn, broken, and damaged in many other ways.

This can cause dead or bare sections and a much less pleasing aesthetic for guests who enjoy the peaceful space and its sophisticated ambiance of nightly live music, casual strolls, and unexpected nature in the middle of the ocean.

It can be expensive to continually replace the plants, not to mention the labor necessary to remove and replant every time a plant is damaged.

Furthermore, there may be environmental restrictions on where and how damaged plants could be discarded to avoid introducing pests or invasive plants to different regions.

Should Ducks Be Hidden in Central Park?

Guests have reacted to the new signage with varying degrees of support. While no one wants to condone damaging the ship and its living decorations, many guests do feel the activity is a relatively harmless one that brings a great deal of joy to many cruisers.

On the other hand, the duck-finding obsession can become troublesome if guests are trampling plants or engaging in other poor behavior – climbing statues, rearranging furniture, etc. – as part of what should be a lighthearted game.

Read Also: Cruising Ducks – Everything You Ever Wanted to Know!

Other guests note that the problem isn’t so much the cruising ducks game itself, but when children are overly enthusiastic to search for ducks and parents don’t correct their bad behavior.

Granted, it is not just children who might be stepping into planters or pushing plants aside in their enthusiasm!

How such a “duck free zone” could be enforced is another concern. If the duck hiding-and-hunting were to become too problematic, it is possible that Royal Caribbean could completely ban the activity. At this time, only Disney Cruise Line officially discourages cruising ducks.

If an official ban were instituted, crew members might collect and discard any ducks, and guests seen hiding them could be cited as violating the cruise line’s conduct policy.

The conduct policy does specifically note that vandalism is prohibited, though exactly what constitutes vandalism is not defined.

“Placing materials anywhere on the interior of the ship (including stateroom doors, along corridors, etc.) without the express permission of ship management,” is also noted as prohibited.

The new signs in the Central Park neighborhood could be seen as directly denying permission to place ducks in that area, and therefore guests who do so would be in violation of the conduct policy.

Onboard horticulture experts do monitor the plants in Central Park, and it isn’t unheard of to change out which plants are showcased in which areas.

For example, aboard Wonder of the Seas, fragrant rosemary was initially prominent in the planter boxes outside Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen. After all, what better plant to enjoy when dining al fresco at an Italian restaurant?

Unfortunately, the rosemary was too tempting for curious guests, who kept touching the plants (the delicious aroma and velvety texture can be irresistible!) and eventually damaged the plantings. The rosemary was removed and replaced with alternatives that, while still attractive, were much less tempting.

It would not be possible to replace all of Central Park’s plants with indestructible alternatives. The only option might be artificial plants, which miss the entire point of the space.

Hopefully, guests will respect the duck-free zone and enjoy getting their ducks in a row somewhere else.

It’s nearly here!

Royal Caribbean has officially taken delivery of its brand-new Star of the Seas, the cruise line’s second ship in the massive Icon Class, from Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland on July 10, 2025. 

This means the new Star of the Seas will soon be sailing to Florida – after a few more weeks of final touches – where it will operate Caribbean itineraries out of Port Canaveral starting in late summer.

Jason Liberty, CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, called the handover a major step.

“The completion of Star of the Seas is another significant step in Royal Caribbean Group’s journey toward a completely new type of vacation experience,” he said.

The delivery is the final phase of the 248,663-gross-ton vessel’s construction, which began steel cutting at Meyer Turku in February 2023. 

Throughout its construction phases, eager wannabe passengers have watched in delight as Star of the Seas completed its successful float out in October 2024 and then began a series of successful sea trials in June 2025. 

The multi-day testing period took place in open waters near Turku beginning June 14, and included assessments of the ship’s propulsion systems, maneuverability, safety features, and overall performance. 

And all of the construction went faster than expected, noted senior leadership at Meyer Turku, with the shipyard working on Star of the Seas on the heels of delivering the vessel’s sister and first Icon Class ship, Icon of the Seas, in January 2024.

“Star of the Seas is already the second world’s most advanced Icon class cruise ship built on our dock,” said Casimir Lindholm, CEO of Meyer Turku.

“In good cooperation with the subscriber and the companies of our network, we were able to make use of the lessons we gained during the prototype ship building process, and the Star was finished in record time,” he added.

Now that the ship is delivered, crew are boarding and beginning the final onboard preparations, with teams setting up departments from culinary and housekeeping to entertainment and engineering, ahead of test sailings and media previews.

Final Outfitting Underway

With Star of the Seas now officially in Royal Caribbean’s ownership, the vessel is in its final phase before entering service.

The final outfitting is scheduled to take place in Turku until July 17, 2025, and then in Cadiz, Spain, from July 24 to 26, 2025.

Next, the vessel will compete a transatlantic crossing to Port Canaveral, where it will undergo final inspections and host a series of preview cruises for media and travel agents, including one scheduled for the weekend of August 7 through 10, 2025.

Read Also: Icon of the Seas Amenities and Everything You’ll Love Onboard

Three additional preview sailings will take place on August 20, 23, and 27, 2025, and the ship’s first official passenger sailing will depart on August 31, 2025. That will be a 7-night inaugural voyage to the Caribbean.

Its schedule includes alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean routes, both of which include a call at Perfect Day at Coco Cay, Royal Caribbean’s private destination in the Bahamas.

Star of the Seas can carry up to 7,600 guests at full capacity (5,610 at double capacity) with 2,350 crew members.

Said Liberty of the ship, “We are proud to bring this new generation vacation experience to life at Meyer Turku shipyard together with our esteemed partners.”

Meanwhile, Legend of the Seas, the cruise line’s third Icon Class ship, is also under construction at Meyer Turku. That vessel will move to the outfitting dock at Meyer Turku following Star of the Seas’ departure.