It was a rainy Wednesday night in New York, yet I found myself soaring over the sunlit Caribbean coast of Quintana Roo in a hot-air balloon — all part of a virtual reality presentation at a Royal Caribbean event. The experience offered a first look at the cruise line’s upcoming offerings, including Perfect Day Mexico, a 200-acre private resort set to open in 2027 as a successor to the wildly popular Perfect Day CocoCay in the Bahamas. The Mexican destination will feature two miles of white-sand beaches, a sprawling waterpark with the world’s longest lazy river, an adults-only hideaway, a tethered balloon for coastal views, and a bar topped by a large, colorfully decorated sombrero.
Alongside the virtual tour of Perfect Day Mexico, the event highlighted new Royal Beach Clubs on Paradise Island and in Cozumel, and new ports of call such as Labadee in Haiti and the Vanuatuan island of Lelepa in the South Pacific. But much of the excitement focused on the newest ship. Star of the Seas, which debuted in August as the second vessel in Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class, offers 2,805 staterooms, eight neighborhoods, 26 dining venues and, for those who enjoy sailing with a drink in hand, 18 bars and lounges.
1400 Lobby Bar © Royal Caribbean
Swim & Tonic is billed as the world’s largest swim-up bar at sea and the first of its kind in Royal Caribbean’s fleet. The virtual preview showed a projection on a back wall in a room designed with a tiki bar and lounge chairs overlooking AI-rendered water; the real venue features bar seating, in-water loungers and a distinct island atmosphere. In addition to a classic gin and tonic, the menu includes creative twists such as versions with white Port limoncello or strawberry gin. The cocktail Bae at the Beach blends botanical grapefruit and rose vodka with lemon, grapefruit and a liqueur distilled from pawpaw fruit, native to the eastern United States.
For champagne lovers, Bubbles is a cozy Champagne bar nestled in the Central Park neighborhood, offering pours by the glass or bottle and sparkling cocktails like the Garden Breeze, which crowns rum, passion fruit, lime and mint with Domaine Chandon. Guests can mark special occasions—or simply celebrate being on vacation—with a trickling Champagne tower while soulful music drifts in from nearby Jazz in the Park.
Dueling Pianos brings a new kind of live entertainment to Royal Caribbean: two pianists go head-to-head while patrons sip music-themed cocktails with names like Gin Blossom, Raspberry Beret and Strawberry Fields. In the signature AquaDome neighborhood, Rye & Bean offers inventive morning and evening libations, including coffee-infused takes on the Mai Tai and Boulevardier, as well as a guava hot toddy made with Gosling’s Rum and Earl Grey.
One of the ship’s most distinctive lounges is the 1400 Lobby Bar, designed with a vintage, shipbuilding-inspired aesthetic and a nautical menu crafted by author and mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim. The bar’s terrace opens directly to the ocean, providing one of the closest, most immersive sea views available anywhere on board.