Royal Caribbean just finished installing an architectural and engineering feat onto its new cruise ship.
The AquaDome is one of the signature areas onboard Star of the Seas, which will be one of the biggest cruise ships in the world.
The ship is being built at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, where Icon of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, and Allure of the Seas were also built.
The installation of Star of the Seas's AquaDome made history as the largest glass and steel structure ever lifted and installed onto a cruise ship, a Herculean task that took 80 hours to complete.
Photo by Niko Alakoski.
The multiple-day process took months of planning for a single feat of huge proportions.
Now, its completion marks the beginning of the next phase of construction.
Royal Caribbean can start to bring it all to life, building out neighborhood restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues.
Star of the Seas will debut in August 2025, out of Port Canaveral, Florida.
Even lifting the dome off the ground was a massive undertaking.
Photo by Niko Alakoski.
Royal Caribbean had to build a custom, 155-ton rig to move the dome into place.
1,640 feet (500 meters) of suspension cables connected the rig to the dome. These cables are longer than the height of the Empire State Building!
To complete the lift, the shipyard had to rely on the wind to stay calm. If wind speeds reached 10 miles per hour (or 16 kilometers per hour), the entire operation would come to a halt.
In the end, the dome traveled over 1,200 feet (366+ meters) in the air and rested on top of the vessel.
Workers completed 6 hours of precise welding and other work to fully attach the dome.
The dome was first built alongside Star of the Seas, a process that allowed it to be constructed in tandem with ship construction.
This strategy is commonly used in cruise ship building to complete multiple facets of the process at the same time.
Read more: Royal Caribbean unveils changes to make Star of the Seas even better than Icon of the Seas
Cabins, ship blocks, neighborhoods, and other features are often built elsewhere, then assembled and added later at the shipyard.
The AquaDome is 82 feet (25 meters) tall, 164 feet (50 meters) wide, and weighs 367 tons (332 tonnes).
The dome has 12 modules that were assembled over 8 months, composed of 673 glass panels and 712 aluminum panels.
But installing the dome is just the beginning.
Next, the cruise line will work to bring the AquaDome to life.
Construction must add all the interior pieces, such as lighting, bars, lounges, restaurants, sculptures, seating, the central waterfall, and the AquaTheater.
The innovative, beautiful space will serve as a peaceful gathering place during the day and a lively, entertaining spot at night.
Once the AquaDome is complete, guests will experience 220-degree ocean views, restaurants, bars, nightlife, stunning entertainment, and a 55-foot-tall waterfall.
The AquaDome was first introduced on Icon of the Seas as a completely new neighborhood concept that was built on the AquaTheater in Oasis-Class ships.
Located atop decks 15 and 16, the neighborhood includes innovative features like the brand-new AquaTheater and the cruise line's first AquaDome Market.
Photo by Mediascope Productions.
Construction on Star of the Seas began in February of 2023 when steel was first cut in the shipyard.
Once construction is complete, Star of the Seas will sail to Port Canaveral, Florida.
The ship was originally scheduled to be delivered in mid-August of 2025, but delays in production and construction forced the cruise line to push back her original inaugural sailing.
Photo by Mediascope Productions.
The inaugural sailing will now take place on August 31st, 2025.
Cruisers can expect Star of the Seas to stay around the same dimensions as Icon of the Seas.
Jay Schneider, Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer has stated that the ship's attractions are more important than the total size.
"That's never been a focus for us," he said. "The world's best family vacation was never about size for us. It still isn't."
That places the cruise ship at around 250,800 gross tons total, with a capacity for 5,610 passengers (or up to 7,600 passengers at maximum occupancy).
The Icon Class has been specifically marketed to draw in the family vacation market, especially appealing to families with younger children.
The cruise line has already ordered another Icon Class ship, due to be delivered in 2026. No further details have been revealed about Icon 3.
