Star of the Seas is still months away from her August debut in Port Canaveral, yet she’s already making waves—this time not with record-breaking waterslides but with brushstrokes and mosaics. Royal Caribbean has announced the encore cohort for its Artist Discovery Program, a talent initiative that plucks emerging painters, muralists, and mixed-media prodigies from across the Caribbean and installs their work in front-of-house spaces on the brand-new Icon-class ship. Gone are the days when ship art meant stock prints in stairwells; these are large-scale, site-specific creations that greet guests the moment they step aboard.
Origins of The Artist Discovery Programme
The project began during the build of Icon of the Seas, when Royal Caribbean’s experience team looked for ways to mirror the vibrancy of the islands its ships frequent. Instead of shipping in generic décor, they partnered with cultural curators to offer up-and-coming Caribbean artists a grant, a massive blank wall, and global exposure. The initiative was so well received that the cruise line quickly promised an encore—and Star of the Seas is the lucky canvas.
Meet The New Cohort of Visionaries
Four artists—Dominican muralist Néstor Omar Garcia (Angurria), Jamaican painter Anthony Smith (Taoszen), Trinidad & Tobago’s colour-driven Saegel Bascombe, and Haitian mosaic master Philippe Dodard—were selected from nearly 180 applicants representing 28 Caribbean nations. Each creative voice brings a distinctive palette and storytelling tradition, transforming high-traffic zones such as the Royal Promenade and Suite Sun Deck into immersive galleries.
Murals That Tell Island Stories
Expect kaleidoscopic portraits celebrating Dominican hair-braiding culture; electric riffs on Jamaican fauna and folklore; swirling, sun-warmed Trinidadian patterns; and tessellated Haitian motifs inspired by revolution-era architecture. Every mural is large enough to anchor its surrounding neighbourhood, yet rich in detail for guests who like to linger with morning coffee and decode hidden symbols.
How Art Enhances The Star of The Seas Experience
Art at sea has long been a visual break between buffet runs, but this programme reframes it as a narrative thread that ties the ship’s eight neighbourhoods together. The result? Families disembark with a mental map stitched together by colour, line, and Caribbean history rather than just deck numbers.
First Impressions In The Embarkation Area
Néstor Omar Garcia’s mural is the first thing you see after your SeaPass card beeps. His bright pinks and aquamarines evoke Santo Domingo’s street art, setting an instantly festive tone. Royal Caribbean’s guest-flow designers intentionally positioned the piece opposite the security photo backdrop, so your embarkation selfie is framed by living Caribbean heritage.
Royal Promenade’s Beating Heart of Colour
The Royal Promenade is both pedestrian motorway and social boulevard. Anthony Smith’s towering installation rises above the bar district, blending humming-bird silhouettes with reggae-inspired geometric beats. At night, programmable LEDs sync with live music sets, turning the artwork into a reactive light show.
Suite Sun Deck: Private Oasis, Public Art
Saegel Bascombe’s swirling blues and sunset corals adorn the entrance to the Suite Sun Deck lobby, a space normally defined by muted luxury. Her design elevates the lobby from corridor to contemplation nook—ideal for guests waiting on smoothies delivered by their concierge. Upstairs on the deck itself, Philippe Dodard’s mosaic wraps the infinity-edge whirlpool, catching golden hour rays in thousands of glistening tiles.
Beyond The Brush: Deeper Community Connections
Art is beautiful, yes, but the programme’s bigger goal is cultural reciprocity: ensuring that Caribbean creative economies benefit from the tourism they help fuel.
Grants That Empower Emerging Talent
Each artist receives between US$20,000 and US$100,000 (about A$30,400–A$152,000) to cover research trips, materials, and studio time. For many, it’s the first commission of this magnitude—a chance to hire local apprentices, upgrade equipment, and scale their practice far beyond island borders.
Collaboration With Caribbean Destinations
Royal Caribbean didn’t just mail cheques. Ship architects, destination managers, and even Perfect Day at CocoCay staff joined virtual workshops with the finalists, ensuring that installation themes align with on-shore shore-excursion messaging. The synergy means guests who see Bascombe’s abstract sea turtles onboard can later book a turtle-tagging eco-tour in Trinidad.
Cultivating Cultural Literacy Onboard
Alongside each mural, interactive plaques let you scan a QR code for an audio explanation recorded by the artist in their own accent and cadence. Kids’ club staff run scavenger hunts that encourage younger cruisers to match colour swatches with mural segments, sneakily teaching geography and art history between laser-tag rounds.
Planning Your Artistic Voyage
Star of the Seas is more than floating museum; she’s a 20-deck playground packed with waterslides, an ice-skating rink, and more than 40 dining venues. Here’s how to marry art appreciation with all-ages fun.
Highlights of The Icon Class Ship
Eight thematic neighbourhoods range from the adrenaline-charged Thrill Island to the tranquillity of the AquaDome, where floor-to-ceiling glass frames cascading waterfalls. New on Star is an expanded family suite complex that wraps around Surfside, the one-stop mini resort for parents who like coffee bars within pram-rolling distance of splash pads.
Choosing The Right Cabin For Art Lovers
Mid-ship balconies on decks 6–8 place you a lift ride away from the Royal Promenade mural, ideal for late-night photography when foot traffic thins. Suite guests, of course, enjoy after-hours access to Bascombe’s Sun Deck lobby piece—perfect for quiet contemplation under Caribbean moonlight.
Itineraries That Pair Sea And Studio
Seven-night loops sail to both Eastern and Western Caribbean favourites, each including a stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay. Many voyages also visit Jamaica’s Falmouth, where you can see Anthony Smith’s street art in situ before recognising his stylistic fingerprints onboard. Talk about full-circle storytelling!
As Star’s inaugural season approaches, excitement is building among cruisers who collect memories through culture as much as through cocktails. You can preview every sailing—down to cabin category, price snapshot, and port sequence—by diving into our user-friendly Cruise Finder. The filters let you choose voyages where school holidays align with festival season in Jamaica or Carnival in Trinidad, making the art even more relevant once you step ashore.
Just as compelling, Cruise Finder offers live inventory on cabin positions, so you can nab that port-side balcony perfect for photographing Dodard’s mosaic as the sunrise hits the tiles. Set alerts for fare drops, share shortlists with your travel buddies, and lock in an itinerary before everyone else realises these murals are about to become Instagram magnets.
Secure Your Place On This Art-Infused Journey
The second act of the Artist Discovery Program proves that cruising can uplift local voices while enchanting guests with sights they’d never find in a traditional gallery. If you’re ready to trade white walls for turquoise horizons—and let Caribbean creativity guide your holiday soundtrack—chat with our team today. We’ll line up the perfect stateroom, the ideal sailing date, and perhaps even a private tour with one of the featured artists, so your next getaway is as colourful as the islands themselves.
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