Key Aspects:
- Sister ships Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas met up for the first time on Friday, August 8 at CocoCay.
- Icon of the Seas was on a regular sailing, but Star of the Seas only stopped for a photo visit.
- Star of the Seas will make her first official visit to CocoCay on Sunday, August 17, on her first showcase sailing.
It was an iconic meeting of stars in the Bahamas on Friday, August 8, 2025 as the two largest cruise ships in the world met for the first time.
Sister ships Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas both visited Perfect Day at CocoCay, a first meeting for the two 250,000-gross ton vessels.
Granted, Star of the Seas is not “officially” sailing as she has not welcomed her first paying guests, but that doesn’t mean the ship is empty.
Not only are her more than 2,300 crew members aboard, but she is also hosting hundreds of content creators and influencers who are discovering just how much of a star she is.
Icon of the Seas, on the other hand, is on a regular 7-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary that departed Miami on Saturday, August 2. CocoCay is her last port visit on this sailing, and she will return to Florida on August 9.
If both ships were sailing fully booked, together they could have brought more than 15,000 guests to the island at once!
What a sight it must have been for both vessels to be docked side-by-side. Even as far away as Great Stirrup Cay, about one mile east of CocoCay, the Icon-class ships can truly dwarf the Bahamian island.
Star of the Seas stopped by for the meetup only as a photo opportunity, rather than spending a full day at the private destination. Her first official visit will be on Sunday, August 17 as the only port visit on her initial showcase sailing.
Final Steps Before Star of the Seas Joins the Fleet
Star of the Seas will embark her first “official” guests on Saturday, August 16 at her homeport of Port Canaveral. That maiden voyage will be accompanied by a fun “sailabration” as hundreds of onlookers wave the ship out of the port with a spectacular sendoff.
Until the end of the month, the new ship is offering a series of shorter showcase cruises – 3- and 4-night voyages that were made possible because of her early delivery to Royal Caribbean last month.
Beginning Sunday, August 31, Star of the Seas will offer 7-night Eastern Caribbean and Western Caribbean sailings, just as Icon of the Seas offers from PortMiami.
In the meantime, the ship has had very momentous occasions in the past few days. She completed her first transatlantic sailing and stopped in Ponce, Puerto Rico to take on additional supplies and crew members ahead of entering service.
One of those crew members is her most famous officer, Sailor, the Chief Dog Officer of the ship. Royal Caribbean fans have eagerly watched the famous golden retriever pup since she was born in February. She will undoubtedly be (and probably already is!) one of the most photographed members of the ship’s crew.
The next few weeks will be filled with plenty of fantastic firsts for the new ship as she makes inaugural visits to different ports of call.
Read Also: Royal Caribbean Ships by Size – Largest to Smallest
For those special visits, port authorities often exchange plaques or other mementos with the vessel to commemorate each occasion.
Those souvenirs are typically displayed onboard, and over the years become a timeline of a cruise ship’s world travels.
The next few months will certainly be filled with celebratory firsts, including the ship’s naming ceremony, holiday sailings, special performances, port visits, and much more that thousands of guests will enjoy.
