Cruise Spotlight
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Voyager of the Seas vs Star of the Seas
The Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas was built in 1999. It was renovated in 2024. Voyager of the Seas was Amplified in 2022 which added many new features, restaurants, and attractions to this ship. It's 26 years older than the Star of the Seas, which was built in 2025. Star of the Seas will start sailing in Summer 2025. It'll feature many of the same restaurants and attractions as its sister-ship Icon of the Seas. The Star of the Seas is still under construction and Royal Caribbean hasn't released all the details yet.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
Ship Size
The Voyager of the Seas is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 1,020 feet long and 157 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.8 football fields, as wide as 3 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 14-story building. Compared to the Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas, the Voyager of the Seas is 45% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas holds 36% fewer passengers than the Star of the Seas based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Voyager of the Seas has less space per person compared to the Star of the Seas.
The Star of the Seas uses a neighborhood layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
| Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Voyager | Icon |
| Gross Tonnage | 137,276 | 250,800 |
| Length | 1,020 | 1,198 |
| Beam/Width | 157 | 216 |
| Passenger Decks | 14 | 18 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,602 | 5,610 |
| Crew | 1,200 | 2,350 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 3.0 | 2.4 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 38 | 45 |
Food and Restaurants
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Voyager of the Seas has eight different dining options like Chops Grille, Giovanni's Table, and Izumi Sushi & Hot Rocks. Of those options, eight are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other five options have an additional fee.
The Star of the Seas has fifteen more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Hooked Seafood, Basecamp, and Playmakers. fifteen of these restaurants are complementary and the other fourteen have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Star of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 188% more dining options than the Voyager of the Seas.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
Restaurants on Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas & Star of the Seas
| Restaurant | Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas |
Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Included | |||
| AquaDome Market | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Basecamp | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Cafe Promenade | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| El Loco Fresh | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Main Dining Room | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Park Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Pearl Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Sorrento's Pizza | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Surfside Bites | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Surfside Eatery | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Windjammer | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| A la carte | |||
| Ice Cream Parlor | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Izumi Sushi & Hot Rocks | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Izumi in the Park | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Playmakers | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Starbucks | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Sugar Beach | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Flat fee | |||
| Celebration Table | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Chef's Table | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Chops Grille | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Giovanni's Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Giovanni's Table | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Hooked Seafood | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Izumi Hibachi & Sushi | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Lincoln Park Supper Club | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Unnamed Surfside Eatery | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Exclusive (open to select guests only) | |||
| Coastal Kitchen | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Grove | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
Bars and Drinks
The Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas has 13 fewer bars than the Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas.
| Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Aquadome Market Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Basecamp Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Boleros | ✗ | ✓ |
| Bubbles | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cantina Fresca | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Desserted Milkshake Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dueling Pianos | ✗ | ✓ |
| English Pub | ✓ | ✓ |
| Giovanni's Wine Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| High Notes | ✓ | ✗ |
| Lou's Jazz 'N Blues | ✗ | ✓ |
| Music Hall | ✗ | ✓ |
| Playmakers | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pool bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| R Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Rye & Bean | ✗ | ✓ |
| Schooner Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sky Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Solarium Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spotlight Karaoke | ✗ | ✓ |
| Star Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Suite Lounge* | ✓ | ✗ |
| Swim & Tonic | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Grove Bar* | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Hideaway Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Lemon Post | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Lime & Coconut | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Lime & Coconut: Frozen | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Overlook | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Tavern | ✓ | ✗ |
| Trellis Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Windjammer Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship. Most Royal Caribbean ships also have Coke Freestyle machines where you can make 100 different flavor combinations.
You can check out recent the bar menus for the Voyager of the Seas and the Star of the Seas below.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas has a total of 3 pools and 6 hot tubs.
Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas has more pools than the Voyager of the Seas and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Star of the Seas. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
Worried about lots of kids onboard? Visit The Solarium, an adult-only area for guests 18 and older only. On Icon Class ships, there's isn't a Solarium, but instead, the adult-only area is called The Hideaway.
Both the Voyager of the Seas and the Star of the Seas have full-depth adult-only pools in The Solarium. The Solarium on both ships is unenclosed and open to the elements. The Voyager of the Seas’ adult-only area is in the middle, while the Star of the Seas’ is in the back.
| Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 7 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 5 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 0 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 6 | 10 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 4 | 8 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | 1 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 0 | 1 |
Cruise Coloring and Activity Books for Kids
Get your kids ready for their cruise or keep them entertained while on board with our custom made coloring and activity books. These are the Royal Caribbean editions with places like Studio B and Sorrento's featured.
Cruise Ship Coloring Book for Kids 3-5 - Royal Caribbean Edition
Let's Get Cruising Activity Book for Kids 6-8 - Royal Caribbean Edition
Ship Features and Activities
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. On the Voyager of the Seas, 80% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Star of the Seas, only 79% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✓ |
| Aquatheater | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Carousel | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Escape Room | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| FlowRider | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ice Skating | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Laser Tag | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ropes course | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✗ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✗ |
| Waterpark | ✗ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Royal Caribbean is a mainstream cruise line. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas will likely be cheaper than on Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas.
Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you understand what you might spend onboard a Royal Caribbean ship.
| Royal Caribbean | |
|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $18.50 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% |
| Soda Price | $3.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.25 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $77 - $118 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $19 to $30 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | |
Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing, which means the pricing for many things will vary per sailing. The daily gratuities and tip are consistent across the fleet, but the pricing for the drink package, internet, and excursions will change. The only way to know your price is to consult the Royal Caribbean cruise planner once you're booked.
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