Star of the Seas Cruise Blog – Day 4 – Final Sea Day

It was our last day aboard Star of the Seas. This short sailing flew by, and it was really tiring trying to squeeze every bit of this ship in while onboard. Today, we had to try out everything we missed so far, so it was going to be jam-packed.

Star of the Seas Day 4 Overview

• Day 4 Cruise Compass
• Meeting Star of the Seas Celebrities
• Trying Surfside Eatery for Breakfast
• Bellinis and Mimosas at Bubbles
• The Hideaway Adults-Only Area
• Category 6 Waterpark Again
• Basecamp for Lunch
• Surfside Bites for Second Lunch
• Lemon Post Bar
• Star of the Seas Casino
• Pearl Cafe
• Royal Trivia at Spotlight Karaoke
• Guitar Music in Thorn & Thistle English Pub
• Bon Voyage Dinner in the Main Dining Room
• “Torque” Aqua Show
• Noisy Night in the Cabin
• A Last Breakfast
• Debarkation
• Star of the Seas Day 4 Wrap Up

Star of the Seas Day 4 Cruise Compass

Meeting Star of the Seas Celebrities

On our way to breakfast this morning, we met two Star of the Seas celebrities.

The first was Bob, the cleaning robot. This robot runs in certain areas, vacuuming and cleaning up. Usually, he can be found in The Overlook, which makes sense because it is large, flat, and carpeted. Today, we saw him in Central Park.

At the same time, we got to see Sailor, the resident dog onboard Star of the Seas. CEO Michael Bayley is a dog fan, so he announced that the Icon Class ships would have a resident dog onboard.

Sailor is a 7-month-old Golden Retriever. She does not have any official meet and greets or times, so you have to be lucky to get a chance to see her. All cruise we had an eye out, but no luck. This morning in Central Park, we saw a bit of a crowd, and there she was, saying hi to everyone. The Facebook group had been tracking where she was so people could try to see her, but I was glad we found her on our own.

The sweet dog has been working on taking pictures and shaking hands with guests. Recently, she got off the ship at Perfect Day at CocoCay for some land time, and she got to see her counterpart on Icon of the Seas, Rover.

Trying Surfside Eatery for Breakfast

This morning, we decided to try Surfside Eatery, the secondary, smaller buffet located in the family-friendly Surfside Neighborhood. We headed over to Deck 7 and entered the neighborhood. The whole area was quiet. It was sleepy even though it was 10 AM.

Surfside Eatery is not huge, but it has all you would need for breakfast. They had some really nice options you would not find in the Windjammer, and no lines at all. I loved that they had fresh fruit to go, also available in the Pearl Cafe sometimes, and Park Cafe. It made it easy to snack on healthy foods for a change.

The inside seating was maybe half full, but we went outside since it was a nice day. It reminded me a bit of having breakfast at Johnny Rockets on Harmony of the Seas (read about that cruise here). It was not overly scenic, but it was nice to be outside and have another included option for breakfast.

Bellinis and Mimosas at Bubbles

Another new venue on Icon Class ships is Bubbles, a counter in Central Park that serves champagne and sparkling wine throughout the day. At first, I did not understand why they were installing it. I thought, “How many people really drink champagne?” Apparently, it has been a hit. Royal Caribbean says it is the highest revenue per square foot venue in the fleet, which makes sense since the space is literally about 16 square feet. It is just a person standing at a counter with a bunch of bottles on ice.

I believe it. Throughout the ship, I saw people walking around with champagne flutes filled with champagne or bubbly cocktails.

I ordered a bellini, which I enjoy more than a mimosa, as the peach purée is more refreshing to me. I was impressed that most of the available drinks here were under the drink package maximum.

The Hideaway Adults-Only Area

After breakfast, we headed to The Hideaway, the adults-only area on Star of the Seas. On the Oasis Class ships, the adults-only area was at the front of the ship in the Solarium. On Icon Class, Royal Caribbean decided to do more of a Vegas pool club type venue. I had seen the area several times already on this sailing, but today would be the first time I tried it.

The highlight of The Hideaway is a long, suspended infinity pool in the center of the area, with floating decks above the Surfside Neighborhood. The pool is meant for relaxing with a cocktail. The water is only 3 feet 11 inches deep, so just about waist level. There are dividers in the pool where you can put your drinks.

While the pool is a good size, it is almost always full. At 11 AM, we were able to go in without feeling packed in like a sardine, but many other times when I walked by, it looked like people soup. The pool is not big enough for the demand. There is another adults-only pool, the Swim & Tonic bar, and that was also very packed on sea days.

The most frustrating thing about the pool is Royal Caribbean’s choice to put three daybeds at the entrance of the pool and charge $200 to $500 for a day. These beds take up space in the pool that could have been used for stairs or platforms people could sit on. Instead, people pay a premium to have others standing all around the beds they paid for, and guests put their cocktails on the beds. I cannot see why anyone would pay for those beds.

The music in the area started getting louder at 11 AM, and it took on more of a Vegas beach club vibe. It does not have the same feel as the Solarium you will find on Quantum and Oasis Class ships. It tries for a party feel, which some guests seemed to appreciate, but others left as the music went up.

Tip: The floor in this area is scorching if the sun is out. Carry your flip flops with you to minimize burning your feet. They have cubbies right by the pool.

On the starboard side of The Hideaway is The Hideaway Bar. It continues the beach club theming with a modern-looking bar and elevated cocktails.

On the other side of The Hideaway is tiered seating overlooking the ship’s wake, as well as two decent-sized hot tubs. While there is a decent amount of seating here, none of it is in the shade. It is all full sun.

One thing I really disliked about this area was the extra-fee bed rentals. Not only do they charge for the three poorly placed beds in the pool, but the seating closest to the railing on both sides of The Hideaway is also reserved for those paying an extra $150 to $400s. These types of beds can be found on Norwegian and Virgin Voyages for no extra cost, but Royal Caribbean decided to make this an extra charge. On this sailing, most of the beds were not rented.

Category 6 Waterpark Again

As the pool filled up, we decided to get out and try the waterslides again. Being a sea day, the lines were longer than those we experienced on Day 1. For the mat slides, the wait was 10 to 15 minutes. For the raft slides, the wait was 15 to 20 minutes. The yellow drop slide, Pressure Drop, had no wait at all. The slide just did not seem as popular as the others.

Tip: For the shortest lines, try Category 6 Waterpark on the first day. The lines were half of what we saw on the sea day, although the lines were still acceptable for a waterpark.

Today, it was a much more diverse group of people using the waterpark. Adults with their friends, teenagers, and families. It seemed like everyone wanted to try it out.

Learn more about Category 6 Waterpark and see height requirements.

Basecamp for Lunch

Since we were in the area, we decided to grab a quick bite at Basecamp. Again, there were no lines at all and plenty of tables, even though it was the peak time of 12:30. I got the Smash Burger, which was constantly being cooked and took less than two minutes. It had a nice char and was still juicy. I would say it came close to the quality of my favorite burger at sea, Guy’s Burger Joint on Carnival ships. What was missing, though, was a topping bar.

Basecamp was loud, with the music from Thrill Island, separate from the music at The Hideaway, filling the space.

Surfside Bites for Second Lunch

After Basecamp, I headed down to the Surfside Neighborhood to try some food from Surfside Bites. The venue is a new concept for Icon Class ships and is grab-and-go right by Splashaway Bay. The kid-focused menu makes it easy to make sure your kids are fed without wasting time drying off and going into a buffet.

I ordered the Pizza Toasty, which was made to order and took three minutes in their turbo oven. It was basically a quesadilla with mozzarella and tomato sauce. Overall, it did not have a ton of flavor, which was disappointing, but probably just up the alley for younger palates. The cinnamon sugar churros were also tasty and came in a convenient little bag to carry around the ship.

If you want something a little colder, right next door to Surfside Bites is a Sprinkles ice cream machine. You do not have to go far to find food in Surfside.

The whole Surfside area was pretty busy, with kids playing in the water area, pool, and dry area. It was the first time all sailing that I heard a child scream, a testament to the family neighborhood design.

Supposedly, this area was adapted to skew older, to appeal to kids up to 10, but it still feels like it is more suited to younger cruisers, except for the arcade, maybe.

Lemon Post Bar

On top of all the kid-friendly spaces in the Surfside Neighborhood, there is also an adult venue, The Lemon Post Bar. When Royal Caribbean first announced it in videos, the designers referred to it as a “mommy and me” bar, which makes me cringe. To their point, the menu at The Lemon Post Bar has both alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks. For kids, they have juices that come in reusable pouches like a Capri Sun.

The cocktails on the menu are fruity plays on lemonade. I got the Peachy Passion, which had peach and orange blossom vodka, banana purée, and house-made lemonade. It was quite refreshing and not sugary sweet, unlike daiquiris.

The bar was pretty busy with parents grabbing drinks for themselves and their kids while they were in Splashaway Bay right next door. I would not say you would relax at that bar, but it is a convenient place to grab a drink while with your kid. If you have a soda package, you can just use the Coke Freestyle machine right next door.

Star of the Seas Casino

We decided to check out the casino since we had not spent much time there yet. It spans the middle of the ship on Deck 4 and can be accessed from either elevator bank or the escalators from the Royal Promenade.

For this sailing, the casino was always absolutely packed. Apparently, Club Royale, Royal Caribbean’s casino program, was offering free cruises on most of the showcase sailings. Because of that, a lot of people were in the casino trying to earn a free cruise.

The layout of the casino is pretty convoluted. There is no direct walkway from one side to the other. You have to meander through tables and slot machines, which is annoying when leaving the Music Hall and trying to get to the main areas of the ship.

Half of the casino is smoke-free, while the other half allows smoking. Oddly, Royal Caribbean decided not to close or wall off the smoking section. They installed powerful fans or blowers in the floor to try to address the smoke, but you definitely smelled it walking through the smoking section to get to the non-smoking side. It also wafted to the first machines in the non-smoking section, but if you were at the far side, you could not smell it.

It was an odd choice for Royal Caribbean. All new classes of ships for the North American cruise market have a separate, dedicated smoking space. Carnival’s Excel Class splits it down the center with a hallway in between. Norwegian’s Prima Class has it in a separate room behind a glass wall. Celebrity and Virgin Voyages do not allow smoking in the casino at all. I do not get Royal Caribbean’s thought process here.

In the middle of the casino is a large bar. There is no dedicated bar menu here. They use the Fleet Menu. Servers also circulate around the floor, but it was almost impossible to get one.

Overall, the casino just did not seem to work. It was crowded, noisy, and cramped. Maybe on sailings that are not featured by the casino program, it would be less crowded. This cruise might have been a worst-case scenario, but the consensus in the Facebook group for our sailing was that the design needs adjustments.

Note: Royal Caribbean must have had this on their radar, and they recently announced that on the next Icon Class ship, Legend of the Seas, the casino will be two floors. (Learn more)

Pearl Cafe

After some gaming, I wanted a quick snack, so I headed to the Pearl Cafe. Located on the second story of the Royal Promenade behind The Pearl, this venue replaces the Cafe Promenade found on many other Royal Caribbean ships.

To get there, I walked up the stairs in The Pearl, with the panels inside subtly moving and shimmering. At the top, I was greeted by a beautiful view of the ocean through the massive windows along the side of the ship. Suspended from the ceiling were sea life elements, like a school of fish and a turtle, floating in the air.

The area had tons of seating, which people were using to read, catch up on work, and FaceTime with people back home. It was not necessarily quiet, but it was one of the few places onboard without music blaring.

This area is where you can really see the Royal Caribbean team rethought the experience. The massive windows let natural light into the Promenade, getting rid of the dark, mall-like feel on some of the older ships. The seating is comfortable and practical, great for a snack or relaxing.

Looking at other ships, this is what Carnival’s Grand Central on their Excel Class ships should have been. Carnival installed massive three-story windows in the space, but put stage seating around it that cannot or will not be used most of the day. The place where people actually would sit, by their coffee shop, JavaBlue Cafe, is dark and windowless.

The Pearl Cafe serves specialty coffee, which is an extra cost but included in the drink package, unlike the nearby Starbucks, which is always extra. Complimentary coffee, juices, lemonade, and a Coke Freestyle machine (for those with a drink package) are also available in the area.

The cafe also has a variety of snacks throughout the day and night. The selection here is much more diverse than you would find on other Oasis Class ships, with a large selection of sandwiches, pastries, pasta salads, and even grab-and-go hummus and veggies. I liked all the quick grab-and-go options. Both the drink and snack counters usually had a line, but I never waited more than a few minutes.

One thing I did not love was the sandwich selection. They had some odd-sounding sandwiches, like an apple-mozzarella sandwich, a mushroom sandwich, and a curry chicken sandwich. I never went to the counter and thought, “Wow, I want to try that.”

Royal Trivia at Spotlight Karaoke

At 5 PM, we headed to Spotlight Karaoke to try “Royal Trivia LIVE! (Your Phone, Your Power!).” We have done plenty of trivia on cruises before, but I had never heard of something like this.

Spotlight Karaoke is technically the dedicated karaoke venue onboard, but the space is also used for events throughout the day. It is on the lower level of the Royal Promenade, directly under the Dueling Pianos bar. Unlike Dueling Pianos, the bar is at the side of the venue, so it does not block the entrance or people who want to watch from outside.

By the time the event started, it was full. The game format is similar to Jackbox online games you might have played in the past. When you arrive, you scan a QR code and join the game on your phone. You use the phone to answer questions, and then it keeps score.

Tip: You do not need an internet package to participate. You just have to be connected to the Star of the Seas network, which is free. That is how you access the Royal Caribbean app.

The hostess suggested not playing in teams, because you are rewarded for fast answers, and even a slight delay while talking to your teammates would cost time and points. For the event today, there were 60 different players participating.

The game is really fast-paced, broken into four rounds with topics ranging from TV and entertainment to geography and history. The questions go very quickly, but we learned how to look at the question on the TV or screen and figure out where the button would pop up on the phone.

The crowd really seemed to be enjoying it. It was much more intense than standard cruise trivia. At the end, the top three contestants are announced and brought to the front to get a medal.

Overall, it was a lot of fun and a nice change of pace from normal cruise trivia, which can feel a bit slow at times. That said, I think this was a bit too fast. If they had allowed 45 minutes instead of 30 minutes, the host would have had some time to address the crowd and give a breather between rounds.

Guitar Music in Thorn & Thistle English Pub

Usually, when we are on a Royal Caribbean cruise, the pub is where we spend a lot of our evenings, enjoying live entertainment and relaxing. So far this cruise, we had not spent any time in the English pub, called Thorn & Thistle on Star of the Seas.

Like most of the bars on the ship, Thorn & Thistle is an open bar that spills out to the main level of the Royal Promenade. Because of that, it loses a bit of the traditional pub feel, but if you are farther inside, you get the usual pub vibe. On Star of the Seas, Royal Caribbean upped the atmosphere a bit, adding a dartboard in the back and a hook-and-ring on each table. In the front corner is a small stage for a live musician, usually a guitarist.

The pub was not too crowded, but it was close to full. Royal Caribbean does not provide capacity for the English pubs on the ships, but it felt about the same, if not slightly smaller, than the ones on Oasis and Quantum Class.

The musician was talented and the crowd was enjoying it, but, annoyingly, the guitarist’s set overlapped with all the main shows, “Back to the Future,” the aqua show, and the ice show.

Bon Voyage Dinner in the Main Dining Room

We originally did not have a reservation booked for our final dinner because we had a show tonight, and the app kept saying we could not reserve dinner because it conflicted with a show. The previous night, I went to the host desk at the front of the dining room on our way out and asked to have the same table for 6:30 tonight, and had no problem. We showed up at 6:30 and were seated immediately.

Tonight’s menu was the “Bon Voyage” dinner, which had a slight Mediterranean focus.

I started with the Mediterranean Tapas Medley, which was a bit underwhelming. It was a pita cut into four pieces and two small bowls of hummus and tzatziki. It was tasty, but did not feel like a full appetizer.

For the entrée, I went with spaghetti bolognese, which was meaty and rich, with the pasta cooked perfectly. Dessert was the Warm Apple Cobbler, which was very similar to the blueberry cobbler the previous night, but at least the apples felt real.

Dinner took 50 minutes, so we still had plenty of time before the show.

Overall, I was pretty impressed with the main dining room this sailing. It never took longer than an hour, the wait staff was very attentive, and the food was always hot and fresh. It was starting to feel repetitive, which is odd considering it was just a 4-night sailing. Every night, we had the same breads and packaged butter, and while the menu rotated, it felt limited. How many cobblers can you offer?

I think part of the problem is that my last sailing was on Celebrity (read about that cruise here). Because Celebrity is a premium cruise line, the food in the main dining room was much better with a broader selection. Each night there, we had three new breads, three fresh dips, and twelve main entrée selections to choose from. The food on Royal Caribbean was not bad at all, and I was happy with it, but it really illustrated the difference between the mainstream and premium cruise offerings.

“Torque” Aqua Show

Tonight, we had tickets for the aqua show called “Torque.” These were the toughest reservations to get for this cruise because the AquaTheater is the smallest performance venue on the ship (Royal Caribbean doesn’t provide exact capacity).

Tip: Make reservations as soon as you can for shows. They usually open the first day of the month before you are sailing, but especially with Star of the Seas, it has been inconsistent since the ship just launched. Keep checking the app to see if they are open, or better yet, join the Facebook group for the sailing, and your fellow sailors will share it when they see availability.

We got to the AquaDome 50 minutes early and scanned our SeaPass cards to get in. At that point, about 20 percent of the seats were already taken. On Icon of the Seas, guests complained about how uncomfortable the wooden benches were, so on Star, they made some adjustments. About half of the benches received wooden backs, and before a performance, they put chair pads out to cushion the wooden benches a bit.

Thirty minutes before the show started, the venue was already about 80 percent full. Staff went through the rows and pushed people together, and tried to enforce one cushion per person. Some inconsiderate people were taking up two spaces so they had more personal space. It would not have been an issue if Royal Caribbean had put seats in here instead of benches. Fifteen minutes before showtime, they started letting in people from the waiting line.

The acrobatic and aqua spectacular is all about torque and cars. According to Royal Caribbean, it is their largest aqua show cast yet, with talented divers, swimmers, and slackliners.

The show was fast-paced and loud, filled with rock and metal to start, then some car-themed songs like “Drive” by Rihanna and “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman, and lastly some more pop music like “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims. Again, it was a nice change from the older Royal Caribbean shows that tried to be artsy for the sake of being artsy rather than fun.

Royal Caribbean spared no expense with the technology behind the venue. At one point, a waterfall falls from the top of the dome while two dancers fly through the air using a patented new technology. Throughout the show, the floor of the stage seemingly slips under the surface of the water for impressive transitions. One silly expense, though, was the four massive robotic arms that were basically glorified flashlights for this performance. This performance was technically a preview, so maybe they do more in the full show, but as I saw it, the million-dollar arms felt like a waste of money.

The performers were incredibly talented. Slackliners bounded 10 plus feet in the air while doing flips. The divers pumped up the crowd before jumping off huge platforms and plummeting into the water, and synchronized swimmers appeared from almost nowhere from underneath the water.

The finale of the show is a “globe of death,” where an electric motorcycle drives in a metal sphere cage. When it first came out, I rolled my eyes. It seemed silly, but watching a motorcycle drive up and around the ball at top speeds was impressive. When a second motorcycle entered, the crowd went wild.

I am not sure if the show was finalized or they were still working on it, but it was odd how it just came to a stop. Then the performers came out for applause, and people dispersed. Throughout this whole cruise, we never got the cruise director or an entertainer thanking the crowd after a show and saying what else was going on. Maybe that is Royal Caribbean’s new direction, with less staff interaction, but I did not care for it.

Overall, the show was fun and visually impressive, and I would definitely recommend trying to get tickets. When you think about it, it is crazy that a show like this is on a cruise ship. On land, this would be a hugely expensive theater with very expensive tickets. The venue is a big step up from the AquaTheater on Oasis Class ships, which often cancels performances because of rain or wind. Thankfully, the AquaDome here means that these performances do not have to worry about that.

That said, the theater is still too small, the seating is uncomfortable, and the angle is poor. Most guests cannot even see many of the things going on in the water, like synchronized swimming, because the seating is not steep enough.

Noisy Night in the Cabin

Since this was a short sailing, it seemed like people did not want the cruise to end. All the venues were busy when we turned in around 11 PM. All night, you could tell people were still up. I heard banging on the floor and doors slamming from above us at midnight, 2 AM, and 4 AM. It did not feel like it was all coming from one cabin, but noise from all over the place. I did not hear anyone in the hall, a common problem on cruise ships, but this was very annoying and probably the loudest cabin I have experienced in a while, if not ever.

A Last Breakfast

Debarkation morning was really smooth, maybe the easiest and most relaxed I have ever had. We brought carry-on luggage with us, so we did not bother putting it out the night before. At 7 AM, we went to the Windjammer to get breakfast. I have never seen a cruise buffet so empty. Hundreds of tables were open. There were no suitcases all over the place and no lines for any of the food. It was actually calm, something you almost never see in a buffet on the last day. This lack of crowd might have been because it was a short sailing and many people rushed off the ship as soon as they could, but it was really nice.

Debarkation

Debarkation was a breeze. We received a notification in the app when it was our time to leave and headed off the ship at 7:35 AM. We just walked right off. There were no lines to get off. Royal Caribbean’s terminal made a smart choice by using ramps to get to the main area, so you do not even have to wait for an escalator.

We picked up our car from Port Parking Space and were back at the MCO cruise terminal by 9:30 AM to wait for our 1 PM flight home.

Star of the Seas Day 4 Wrap Up

Day 4 aboard this megaship still impressed me with crowd management and food options. That said, there were some new pain points onboard for me, like the cabin noise from above, the too-small AquaTheater, and the entertainment schedule. Overall, Star of the Seas goes down as one of my favorite ships.

The biggest complaint I have is that it is not possible to do everything on a 4-day sailing. Thankfully, Icon Class ships will be sailing 7-day itineraries for now. If Royal Caribbean starts running short cruises on these, like they have done recently with the Oasis Class, they are going to be doing a disservice to guests. Their hope may be that guests cannot do everything, so they come back on board. I think it is more likely that people will not realize they missed things, think the ship is done, and look at another possible cruise or vacation.

Follow Along on our 4-Day Star of the Seas Cruise

Star of the Seas – Cruise Blog - Day 1 – Port Canaveral

Star of the Seas – Cruise Blog - Day 2 – Sea Day

Star of the Seas – Cruise Blog - Day 3 – Perfect Day at CocoCay

Star of the Seas – Cruise Blog - Day 4 – Final Sea Day

6 Hits and Misses on Star of the Seas

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