On Star, I would choose the route before the room
Star is so large that cabin location can become a daily habit. The useful question is not “forward or aft?” It is where will your family keep going back to?
Crossing Star to see one show is nothing. Crossing it before breakfast, after the pool, before dinner and again at bedtime is different. Location can quietly become one of the most-used things you bought.
Star is one of the rare ships where Royal tells you where to stay
Most deck advice online is somebody's preference dressed up as a rule. Here, Royal actually publishes location guidance by traveler type. I would start there, then adjust for motion and walking tolerance.
Start in the middle until your routine tells you otherwise.
For a first trip with mixed interests, central access is the safest starting point. Star gives you good reasons to leave that default, but I would want one of those reasons before choosing an extreme end.
Royal's own Star guide suggests connecting cabins for older teens so “their mess is theirs.” I like the logic more than the phrasing. At that age, another door can be worth more than another 80 square feet inside one room.
Star's family rooms make more sense when you sort by age
A six-person room and a four-person Surfside suite are both “family cabins.” They are solving completely different family problems.
Family Infinite Ocean View Balcony
This is the headcount room. Six people fit, the kids get a separate bunk alcove, and the split bathroom lets one person shower while someone else uses the toilet. That last part will matter long after the novelty of the bunk TVs wears off.
Surfside Family Suite
This is the age-and-location room. It works when younger kids will use Surfside so often that being right there changes the week. Royal currently lists Surfside Family Suite in Sea Class, so I would not price it as though it included the broader Sky package.
Connecting cabins near the aft elevators
By the tween/teen years, privacy starts gaining value while the little-kid nook starts losing it. Star's Thrill Island location makes this a rare case where two ordinary cabins in the right place can beat one specialized family room.
A room designed around a six-year-old can be brilliant for a six-year-old and a terrible use of money for a sixteen-year-old. Star makes that obvious because the neighborhoods themselves are age-coded.
Now narrow the room, after you know the routine
This matcher starts with party size and the thing you value most. It deliberately keeps location separate because Star's deck choice deserves its own decision.
What has to work behind the cabin door?
Star has three genuinely different ways to buy a view
Outdoor balcony, flexible Infinite space, or a wall of AquaDome glass. This is not one category ladder. It is three different ways to use the room.
Ocean View Balcony
- Sleeps up to four
- Located across Decks 7–14
- A separate outdoor room
- The easiest balcony concept to understand
Infinite Ocean View Balcony
- Royal's editorial guide lists 250 sq ft
- Sleeps up to four
- Floor-to-ceiling operable window
- More interior footprint when closed
The 258-square-foot Panoramic Ocean View on Deck 14 is the one I would not bury in “Ocean View.” It sleeps up to three, gives you floor-to-ceiling glass, and makes sense for someone who values the scenery but rarely sits outside.
Star has a five-person suite option hiding in plain sight
Royal currently publishes the one-bedroom Owner's Suite for five guests. That matters because five is exactly where many suite comparisons become awkward.
Layout first
- Dedicated check-in / priority boarding
- Coastal Kitchen dinner subject to availability
- Selected upgraded amenities
- No assumption of Sky lounge access
Access starts mattering
- Concierge service
- All-day Coastal Kitchen
- Suite Lounge + The Grove
- Priority dining / departure / select entertainment seating
Service becomes part of the room price
- Royal Genie
- Broad specialty dining inclusion with exceptions
- Beverage package, VOOM and standard gratuities
- Expanded priority treatment
If five guests want Sky Class, I would put the Owner's Suite beside the Family Infinite and two connecting cabins before doing anything else. One is access-heavy, one is layout-heavy, and one is privacy-heavy. That is a much better comparison than simply clicking the next-largest suite.
Royal's current Suite Class list places Sky Junior Suite and Sunset Junior Suite in Sky, but the current VOOM terms exclude both from complimentary internet. Surfside Family Suite is currently Sea Class. citeturn422354view2 citeturn422354view3
Star's best upgrade may be a better address
We usually think of upgrades as more square footage, a bigger balcony or better perks. On Star, I would sometimes spend the money on where the room is before I spent it on what the room is called.
Example: same category, better week.
If your younger kids spend every afternoon in Surfside, a room that removes four cross-ship trips a day can improve the vacation without changing cabin class at all. The same logic applies to pool-heavy adults higher-midship or teen families near the aft elevators.
Then, once the location is right, compare category upgrades in per-person-per-day terms. Keep those two decisions separate. Otherwise Royal can sell you a nicer room in a place that makes your week harder.
Check the Royal upgrade value →The Townhouse is impressive. It is also still math.
Royal publishes Star's Ultimate Family Townhouse at 1,772 square feet, sleeping eight, with three levels, three bathrooms and the full family-attraction treatment.
The temptation is to stop comparing because nothing else looks like it. I would do the opposite. Once the price gets this high, compare it against two or three excellent cabins, suite access where it matters, and every add-on your family would actually buy.
The room can absolutely be worth it. But “there is nothing else like it” and “this is the best use of our money” are not the same sentence.
Keep the guide stack simple
Star cabin questions worth answering
Where should I stay if my kids are young?
Royal recommends family rooms near Surfside, aft on Deck 7, for children roughly ages two to six. I would follow that advice if Surfside will be your daily family base; repeated convenience is the reason to choose it. citeturn422354view0
What about tweens and teens?
Royal specifically suggests Deck 12 or 14 near the aft elevators for families using Thrill Island and Windjammer heavily. It also suggests connecting cabins for older teens, which can be a smart privacy upgrade. citeturn422354view0
Does Star have a suite that sleeps five?
Yes. Royal's current Star room guide says the one-bedroom Owner's Suite sleeps five and lists it at 658 square feet inside with a 190-square-foot balcony. citeturn422354view0
How big is the Family Infinite Ocean View Balcony?
Royal's current Star editorial guide lists it at 335 square feet and up to six guests, with a separate bunk alcove and split bathroom. citeturn422354view0
Is the Surfside Family Suite Sky Class?
Royal's older Star editorial guide still describes Sky privileges, but Royal's current Suite Class category list places Surfside Family Suite in Sea Class. I would use the current Suite Class list and sailing-specific deck plan when the sources disagree. citeturn422354view0 citeturn422354view2
Pick the route. Pick the room. Then decide whether the upgrade earns the difference.
Check the upgrade valueLet Seabound compare themAsk the Star cabin question you're actually deciding.
Tell us the travelers, the rooms, or the part of Star you'll use most.
Primary research: Royal Caribbean's current Star room page, Star room-selection guide, deck plans, Royal Suite Class category list and current Suite Class benefits. Royal's current Star guide publishes specific location advice for Chill Island, AquaDome, Surfside and Thrill Island, and lists the Family Infinite at 335 square feet plus the one-bedroom Owner's Suite for five. citeturn422354view0 citeturn422354view1