If you told me that I’d be one of the first to sail onboard one of the largest cruise ships in the world, I might have thought you were joking. The reality of my situation did not quite set in until I flew halfway across the world to Port Canaveral, Orlando, Florida, where I stood in face-to-face with the huge 1,196 feet long, 20 decks high vessel known as Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas.
As part of the media voyage, we boarded the cruise from Port Canaveral in Orlando, Florida where the excitement only continued to build after passing through the initial security checks. Once on board, I was given directions to my state room, which was located on Deck 10, near the back of the cruise.
Now, I’ve been on Royal Caribbean once with my family, a few years ago, but I’m not kidding when I say that the state rooms on board the Star of the Sea are not like any other. Not only did the toilet feel more spacious than it should for a cruise, the room was huge.
My room faced the sea and even though I would have liked a type of balcony access, I really liked that in place of a separate balcony, the room had expanded to incorporate the space, which provided a similar idea without having to be actually outside. The use of the curtain also helped to designate the space, if I really wanted to feel like I am outdoors.
The Cruise
After settling down, I headed out to explore the cruise which was a rather daunting task, given the number of decks the vessel had.
On board the Star of the Sea, there are over 40 restaurants, bars and lounges, 8 neighbourhoods, 7 pools, 10 whirlpools, and 28 types of accommodations. This included the Category 6 waterpark on Decks 16 and 17, as well as the expansive 5,813 sq. ft. Royal Bay pool and an adults-only spot on Deck 15.
While I did not have a chance to actually play at the waterpark at sea, I did head up to Deck 16 and could confirm that Royal Caribbean was not joking when they say this was the largest waterpark onboard a vessel, especially with the different slides zig-zagging across the space. Looking back now, I really regretted not having tried it out at least once but I guess this just serves as another reason to make a return trip.
Needless to say, exploring the cruise was a workout in itself, and with the Florida heat, I found myself seeking refuge within the air-conditioned spots on the different decks. Though one of the spaces that I particularly liked was Central Park on Deck 8.
This signature open-air neighbourhood features a variety of dining locations but was surprisingly one of the cooler spots on board the ship despite it being outdoors. It was also one of the least crowded, which really helped since I was getting overwhelmed by the size of the ship.
The entertainment
Having already experienced the entertainment on board Royal Caribbean on their Asian cruises, I didn’t quite know what to expect from their American cruises and so, I went in with mid-to-low expectations which resulted in me getting blown away by the different shows that I caught during my voyage.
SOL
The first show I caught was the cruise’s ice-skating show, SOL, at Absolute Zero which was dubbed the largest ice arena at sea. The 45-minute show featured world-class ice skaters who performed inspiring routines that followed the idea of how the sun played a part in different groups of people’s lives across the globe.
While I had initially thought it was a tamed, run-of-the-mill ice-skating show, Royal Caribbean upped the ante with the inclusion of extreme ice-skaters into their show, so, on top of the perfectly executed routines, we were treated to ice-skaters doing stunts on the ice like they would at a skateboard park. In my opinion, this was an unconventional act to include in the show but it definitely showed various aspects of ice-skating, which you might otherwise not be able to see on land.
TORQUE
I did not know the extent of how popular TORQUE was, until I found myself unable to book a slot for any of this water show’s performance during the voyage. Despite not having a guaranteed spot, I was still able to join a standby queue for the respective performances, which eventually paid off.
Staged at the AquaDome, TORQUE featured experienced divers performing dance choreography and extreme stunts in and out of the water. Essentially, the performers were leaping off of really high dive boards, dropping one another from jaw-dropping heights and keeping us, the audience, on the edge of our seats.
As I was on a preview voyage for the cruise, the performance of TORQUE that I attended was not without its technical issues. Despite feeling so excited for the show, I was disappointed when the show was cancelled half-way due to a few technical hiccups. While I would have hoped they’d try and restart the performance from where the issue occurred, I understood that safety is the priority and there were no denying that some of the kinks required more time to get fixed.
I did, however, managed to catch the rest of the performance on the last day of my voyage and was really impressed with how the entire show was. From the music to the stunts, I could finally understand why TORQUE was one of the most highly-anticipated shows on board the Star of the Seas.
Back to the Future The Musical
I am a loud and proud theatre geek, and it’s therefore a no brainer that Back to the Future The Musical was the most highly-anticipated show for me. Having never managed to catch the musical on land yet, I was curious to see how Royal Caribbean would stage the musical without compromising on the quintessential elements of a broadway production.
This, to me, meant not just the costumes and the sets but also the music, the storyline, and most importantly, the duration of the musical (because a 45-minute show is NOT a musical!).
A few of my questions were answered during a behind-the-scenes session that I had participated in, where I learned that the Royal Caribbean team had actually worked with the OG writer of Back to the Future, Bob Gale, to create the concise version for the Star of the Sea. In doing so, they were able to retain the story and keep most of the key songs while keeping to a duration of no more than 100 minutes.
Needless to say, the musical was a hit. In addition to a stellar cast, who were of Broadway calibre, the stage sets were pure theatre magic. Not only could I believe that I was seeing the DeLorean traverse time and space, the whole scene made me feel like I was actually a part of the moment.
The ingenious use of stage lighting and technology was something I’ve never seen before and added to that element of awe, especially when the scene was one of the most iconic in the Back to the Future franchise.
I remember leaving the theatre gushing about the musical to my family (who were just starting the day in Singapore), and wishing that I only had more time on board the cruise to relive the experience.
The food
Aside from the all-inclusive food that you will find on board the Star of the Sea at places like Windjammer, the Dining Room, and other small snack spots, the cruise also offers additional paid-for dining experiences.
During my voyage, I was lucky enough to dine at Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar, which offered a hearty Italian fare, featuring classic starters, pastas, pizzas and charcuterie boards, alongside a large selection of wines.
As I was dining alone, I opted to have a Truffle Caprese Salad to start followed by a Linguine con le Vongole, and cannolis for dessert.
While I am not a fan of anything truffle, I am a big fan of anything burrata. Even though the truffle was somewhat infused into the burrata already, I was pleasantly surprised by how the taste didn’t come on too strong (like how some dishes with truffle would), and I was still able to taste the milkiness of the burrata, paired perfectly with the tartness of the balsamic vinegar.
Now, when it comes to pasta, I’m more of a tomato sauce girl and though I wouldn’t mind trying a non-saucy dish every now and then, I often avoided Vongole because I didn’t like clams. However, a suggestion from the waiter to swap out the clams for prawns eventually convinced me to give their best-selling pasta a try.
Even though I’d never be able to compare the actual taste of Vongole to this one, I was thoroughly impressed with the freshness of the prawns that went really well with the white wine and olive oil base. The pasta also had a great al dente consistency which only elevated the dish.
Like most, desserts are my favourite way to end a meal and the cannolis at Giovanni’s were absolutely brilliant. The fried pastry dough filled with the sweet and creamy ricotta cheese may seem indulgent but they were calories I was willing to put on. I especially enjoyed the chocolate chips which added another layer of texture to give the dessert a fuller bite.
Final Thoughts on Star of the Seas
This massive cruise definitely surpassed all kinds of expectations I had prior to the trip and it would be hard to go on any other cruise without thinking about my time on one of the world’s largest cruises.
While I still don’t consider myself much of a person who enjoys a sailing voyage as a vacation, Star of the Seas was truly an unforgettable experience that showed me that there are no limitations to what you can experience on board a Royal Caribbean cruise.
