Could Royal Railway Be Coming to Star of the Seas?
Star of the Seas, the second ship in Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class, is just months away from launch. While we’ve learned about many of its headline features, there’s still some mystery surrounding a few onboard venues, especially when it comes to dining. One of the biggest questions: Could Royal Caribbean be bringing its immersive new restaurant, Royal Railway, to this highly anticipated ship?
What is Royal Railway?
Royal Railway is a new “experiential” dining experience that debuted on Utopia of the Seas. It’s a specialty dining restaurant that costs $119.99 per adult and $59.99 per child (with a $49.99 surcharge if you have the Ultimate Dining Package).
Booked guests arrive at the Station, themed after an old-timey train station, and enjoy a cocktail before boarding the antique train. The train is set up as a dining car, and guests sit down to enjoy their meal. Virtual windows show the landscape, and motors and speakers in the seats make it feel like guests are really onboard a moving train. Throughout the meal, a “show” is taking place with actors and characters participating. Currently, the only show is Wild West-themed, but Royal Caribbean has indicated they want to add additional shows in the future.
Hints That Royal Railway May Be Coming To Star of the Seas
Trademark Application
On February 8, 2024, Royal Caribbean filed several trademark applications. The ones that are most interesting in this case are “Royal Railway,” “Utopia Station,” and “Star Station.”
Royal Railway debuted later that year, with the Utopia Station appearing on Utopia of the Seas during its launch.
That still doesn’t mean it’s a sure thing—Royal Caribbean loves trademarks and patents, and they file plenty of trademarks they don’t use. But also around that date, they trademarked “Pesky Parrot” and “Hideaway Beach.” A few months later, they trademarked Lincoln Park Supper Club, which is the high-end restaurant in the Central Park neighborhood on Star of the Seas (replacing Empire Supper Club on Icon of the Seas).
Star of the Seas Deck Plans Show Mystery Restaurants
On the deck plans on Royal Caribbean’s website, two empty restaurant spaces have yet to be filled.
Deck 6 on the Upper Royal Promenade
One is on Deck Six on the upper level of the Royal Promenade across from the Dueling Pianos bar. On Icon of the Seas, this space is used for The Attic, a comedy club on board. Royal Caribbean Blog has reported that Royal Caribbean is phasing out The Attic on its newest ships. On Wonder of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas, these spaces are being turned into non-smoking casinos, and the comedy shows are all moving to the main theater.
It makes sense, as these ships will only be sailing short cruises, and having a venue that only holds 300 people on a ship that holds 7,600 guests means that even if they ran three shows a night, it would still be impossible for even half the people on board to see a comedy show during the sailing.
Deck 7 in Surfside Neighborhood
The second location is in the Surfside Neighborhood at the back of Deck 7. On Icon of the Seas, this is where the Pier 7 restaurant is—an extra-fee specialty restaurant with “California” cuisine. Reception to this new restaurant has been less than stellar, and Royal Caribbean has removed the name Pier 7 from the most recently released deck plans. Royal Caribbean has already indicated they were going to rework this venue.
Of the Two Locations…
The former location of The Attic makes more sense. Still, it’s a very public space along a main thoroughfare. It’d be silly for them to waste a prime, publicly accessible space on the ship for something that’s totally enclosed.
Other Options for the Former Attic Space
While The Attic space on Utopia of the Seas and Wonder of the Seas has been converted to a non-smoking casino, that makes less sense on Star of the Seas. The location is two decks away from the casino and would be completely separate from the casino experience.
Since The Attic was more of a bar or entertainment space, it could be turned into another bar—perhaps the Pesky Parrot, which debuted on Utopia of the Seas and was recently added to Allure of the Seas. But on the deck plans, the placeholder icon is clearly a restaurant icon, not a bar icon.
So, if it’s a restaurant, a new restaurant from Royal Caribbean that’s glaringly absent from the Icon Class ships is The Mason Jar. This Southern-themed restaurant, reminiscent of Cracker Barrel, debuted on Wonder of the Seas, was on Utopia of the Seas at launch, and was recently added to Allure of the Seas. It’s odd it’s left out completely from the Icon Class, but the space on the deck plans doesn’t lend itself to The Mason Jar, which has panoramic windows and a more open feeling on the other ships.
And if it’s not any of that, it could be a totally new concept. If Royal Caribbean wants the Icon Class to stick out, they should have new restaurants not found on the Oasis Class or older ships. So far, the AquaDome Market, Supper Club concept, and Desserted are exclusive to the class—but maybe they’re looking for another.
Would Royal Railway Make Sense for Star of the Seas?
Does this new concept make sense to add to Star of the Seas? You can see the appeal for Royal Caribbean—Royal Railway is their second most expensive dining concept, just behind the Supper Club experience, which is $200 per guest. But capacity is the biggest problem.
As it’s built on Utopia of the Seas, Royal Railway can only accommodate around 240 people a night. That’s just a tiny fraction of all the guests onboard this ship. In addition, the placement of either of these two options isn’t ideal. On Utopia of the Seas, the Royal Railway is hidden away on a lower deck accessible by a stairway or the casino. It doesn’t need to be prominent because it can only be used by booked guests.
Either of the options on Star of the Seas is very public, so you’d have a prominently placed restaurant that almost no one can go to.
We shouldn’t have to wait long. With just four months until Star of the Seas debuts, Royal Caribbean is likely to release the final dining lineup—and open specialty restaurants for booking—any day now.
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