By Donna Heiderstadt | Published on May 15, 2025
Chill Island, Thrill Island, Surfside, The Hideaway, AquaDome — like its predecessor, Icon of the Seas, Star of the Seas is taking the concept of onboard excitement to new heights with eight neighborhoods designed for relaxation, play, entertainment, family fun and adult time.
Star of the Seas neighborhoods offer something for guests of all ages, especially the vibrant new family neighborhoods and incredible pools. These are places where parents and younger kids can relax and splash, where daring moms and dads and active tweens and teens can enjoy thrills together at the world's largest water park at sea and where everyone can watch in amazement as aquatic athletes defy gravity.
Each neighborhood — from colorful Surfside to the exclusive Suite Neighborhood — offers abundant activities and amenities that make cruising onboard this 20-deck ship a family vacation to remember. Better still, the second Icon Class ship is open, airy and intuitively easy to navigate. So, as you get ready to book your cruise, familiarize yourself with the ship's amazing spaces on this tour of Star of the Seas neighborhoods.
While amenities and features vary, all ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet offer multiple choices for dining, drinks and entertainment as well as several pools and hot tubs and fun diversions like mini golf, rock-climbing walls and interactive play spaces for children.
Here's everything you need to know about the different Royal Caribbean ship classes.
Surfside
Cruising with toddlers and preschoolers just got a lot easier, thanks to the Surfside neighborhood on Star of the Seas. It's a place where parents and kids can spend hours together with other young families. Several room categories — the Surfside Family Interior, Surfside Family View Balcony, Surfside Family Suite and the Ultimate Family Townhouse — are all nearby, with many overlooking this colorful, open-air neighborhood located aft on Deck 7.
This is the first Royal Caribbean neighborhood designed for young families, and it offers easy access to the Royal Promenade and Central Park neighborhoods, as well as the Adventure Ocean® Youth Program. In addition to the pool area, Surfside features a whimsical carousel and a small Playscape — not to mention an arcade with everything from classic basketball and Skee-Ball® to air-hockey tables and video race car simulators.
When it's time to eat, no one needs to go very far. Surfside Eatery is a buffet dedicated to families. Surfside Bites features a convenient pick-up window for on-the-go nibbles and specialty eatery Pier 7 serves all-day brunch (where kids eat free). The two most colorful treats are candy emporium Sugar Beach and The Lemon Post, a bar serving creative cocktails for parents — with matching mini mocktails for little ones.
Thrill Island
As you prepare to board Star of the Seas, it's impossible not to be wowed by Thrill Island from the dock. Spotting the looping slides at the Category 6 Waterpark on the ship's upper decks may even send the adrenaline-obsessed into an anticipatory frenzy. Thrill Island, another of the exciting new family neighborhoods onboard Icon Class ships, is designed for action enthusiasts of all ages but will be a favorite among families with older kids, tweens and teens — and almost all the activities are free.
Located aft on Deck 16 and occupying 17,000 square feet, Thrill Island is home to six intertwined, multi-hued waterslides with teasingly clever names. Do you dare to ride Frightening Bolt, the tallest drop slide at sea (at 46 feet), or Pressure Drop, the first open freefall slide (with a 66-degree incline) on a cruise ship? More exhilaration awaits on Hurricane Hunter and Storm Surge, the first family raft slides at sea, and Storm Chasers, a pair of dual mat-racing slides that you conquer on your stomach and head first. After a few tummy-tingling downward rides, you can challenge yourself to stay upright on the popular FlowRider® surf simulator.
The Hideaway
What's cooler than the first suspended infinity pool at sea?
The fact that it's in The Hideaway, an adults-only haven on Star of the Seas that's located aft on Deck 15 — and where you can slip into the ambience of the world's trendiest beach clubs.
About that pool — it's suspended eight stories above the sea waves below, and it offers 180-degree ocean views thanks to its clear glass infinity edge. On one side is a multilevel terrace with sun loungers and two large whirlpools. On the other is the Hideaway Bar, where guests aged 21 and older can enjoy tropical-chic libations with names like Castaway Spritz and Oh Mai Gawd. There's also ample lounge seating where you can kick back and enjoy the beats as the resident DJ amps up the celebratory vibe. Head to The Hideaway early in the morning for a refreshing swim or later in the day to sip your favorite cocktails while enjoying a more social soak throughout the afternoon and into the evening.
Chill Island
Perhaps the most impressive new neighborhood on Star of the Seas is Chill Island. Spread over Decks 15–17, it features 62 percent more water space than any other non-Icon Class ship. Four of the ship's seven pools are located here, including one with the cruise line's first-ever swim-up bar at sea. This three-level, mid-ship neighborhood is also conveniently accessible from both the fore and aft elevators.
If you start on Deck 15 and work your way up, you'll first find Chill Island's largest pool, the 5,813-square-foot Royal Bay. The shallow area around the edge features in-water loungers that make it easy to sunbathe while keeping an eye on family members enjoying a dip in the deeper end of the pool. Two nearby whirlpools serve as the perfect backdrop for a social soak, while petal-shaped sculptures add some style and shade.
Cross over to Deck 15's port side and you'll find the infinity-edged Cove Pool (a personal favorite) and two whirlpools. Adding a colorful and delicious twist is The Lime and Coconut, a tropical-themed pool bar with a frozen cocktail area. When it's time for lunch, Deck 15 offers easy access to both the Windjammer Marketplace and the new AquaDome Market, which features food-court-like counters serving global dishes such as Asian noodles, Mediterranean salads and French crepes.
AquaDome
The most visually dynamic of the new family neighborhoods on Star of the Seas is AquaDome, a space located forward on Decks 14 and 15 that incorporates entertainment, dining and relaxation beneath a dramatic glass dome that's 164 feet wide and 84 feet tall — and offers amazing 220-degree ocean views.
At its heart is a reimagined AquaTheater, where performers will thrill you with dives and aquatic antics enhanced by a 55-foot waterfall, four robotic arms, one halfpipe, seven lifts and projection mapping that create a multimedia spectacle.
Behind the AquaTheater is one of my favorite new spaces: The Overlook. By day, this two-level lounge area, with its floor-to-ceiling windows, contemporary decor, cool ocean-facing loungers and live greenery is an oasis of calm, ideal for reading or resting. The Overlook Pods on Deck 15 are especially cool, so try to grab one. Equally appealing is Rye & Bean, a bar serving lattes and coffee-infused cocktails.
By early evening, The Overlook bar — topped by a metal palm-tree sculpture — is the place to take in the colors of the sunset before the entire space is transformed into an almost glow-in-the-dark wonderland with royal blue and turquoise lighting and a pair of free-form fish tanks.
AquaDome is also home to two eateries, the AquaDome Market (mentioned earlier) and the specialty restaurant Hooked Seafood. After dinner, you can also peruse the glittery offerings at Royal Bling, where you can buy your glitziest souvenirs.
Central Park®
From the moment it debuted in 2009 on the first Oasis Class ship, open-air Central Park has been a popular spot to enjoy a drink or dinner. Designed for adults and enhanced to be lusher and greener than ever, Central Park on Star of the Seas is five decks high. Artfully shuttered windows add a bit of Southern charm, especially when live music wafts from the new Lou's, an openair jazz lounge in Central Park®.
This inviting space on Deck 8 also features the Trellis Bar, with its menu of small bites, and the new Bubbles walk-up Champagne bar. When you're hungry, head to the complimentary Park Café, reserve a table at Izumi Hibachi & Sushi (a new location for this fan-favorite Japanese eatery) or order sushi to go from the take-out window at Izumi in the Park (I love this new option!). Chops Grille, the popular onboard steakhouse, is also here
Royal Promenade
Whether you're hungry or thirsty, need a laugh or feel the urge to sing or shop, the Royal Promenade offers it all. And on Star of the Seas, this reimagined two-deck social hub also features one of the most Instagram-worthy structure at sea: The Pearl, a chameleon-like orb covered with approximately 3,600 kinetic tiles and featuring an illuminated stairway linking Decks 5 and 6. It's also an integral and ingenious part of the ship's structure, supporting three decks.
Along both decks of the Royal Promenade, you'll find more than 15 restaurants, bars, lounges and entertainment venues, as well as most of the ship's shops. Complimentary eateries include the 24-hour Sorrento's Pizza and the new natural-light-filled Pearl Cafe serving sandwiches, salads, sweets and coffee. Specialty restaurant Giovanni's Italian Kitchen is also here, along with a Starbucks® coffee kiosk.
The Royal Promenade truly shines when its bars and lounges kick into full-on fun mode. You can enjoy Latin music and salsa dancing at Boleros, craft cocktails at 1400 Lobby Bar, piano music at Schooner Bar or a more raucous competition at Dueling Pianos. Fancy a pint? Head to the Point & Feather pub. Need a laugh? Reserve a seat at The Attic for stand-up comedy. Ready to belt out your favorite chart-topper? Spotlight Karaoke is ready to host your star moment.
To watch the pros at work, head to the Royal Theater for nightly production shows, Music Hall for terrific cover bands or Absolute Zero, the largest ice arena at sea, for dazzling figure-skating performances. On the way there, you can catch your favorite team in action at Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade.
Suite Neighborhood
Icon Class ships are home to the largest Suite Neighborhood in the fleet — and guests who book Royal Suite Class accommodations have access to four decks of exclusive amenities. Located on Decks 16-19, the Suite Neighborhood on Star of the Seas offers multiple categories of suites — from Sky Junior Suites to the Icon Loft Suite — as well as a two-level sun deck called The Grove that features a pool, whirlpool and bar.
Coastal Kitchen, an onboard restaurant exclusively for suite guests, now occupies two decks and features AquaDome views, while The Grove offers al fresco Mediterranean dining.
The top things to do in the other seven Star of the Seas neighborhoods may be yours to enjoy whenever you wish, but the four-deck Suite Neighborhood is your VIP enclave.
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