Princess Cruises’ second Sphere-class ship, Star Princess, officially entered service in the US with her naming ceremony on November 6, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
This was followed by a 3-day inaugural voyage to the Bahamas, and I was lucky enough to be onboard for it all.
After four days onboard the 4,300-guest ship, I returned to life on land with a very positive impression of the ship.
Design & Layout of the Ship
Star Princess is a sizable ship. She comes in at 1,133-feet long, 200 feet tall, and 177,800 gross tons.
She has 21 decks (just like her older sister, Sun Princess), 17 of which are accessible to guests.
One of my favorite parts of Princess ships is their elegant atmosphere and decor, as well as their traditional light color palettes and extensive use of marble.
Star Princess emanates the elegance I’ve come to expect from this brand, while also expanding upon it in innovative and modern ways.
The Piazza
For example, the main atrium, or Piazza, is three decks tall and features a big, interactive screen in the center that features cool images and graphics. One night, I even saw Star Princess sailing through the stars as the background to a musical act.
The Piazza also offers 360-degree views, which will be perfect for staying warm while taking in the views during the ship’s inaugural Alaska season in 2026.
The Dome
The Dome is also a very impressive space. For context, this is a multi-level glass enclosed structure that is a versatile entertainment and relaxation space.
Our favorite pool was in The Dome because it was less crowded and more shaded, but this venue really came alive at night during events like candlelight concerts.
The candlelight reflected off the glass tiles of The Dome and it was absolutely stunning, and really almost ethereal.
How are the Guest Cabins?
Star Princess has 2,157 guest cabins onboard, including 80 suites, 123 mini suites, and more than 1,000 balcony staterooms.
I was lucky enough to stay in a balcony stateroom on Deck 16, and very much enjoyed my stay.
What I Liked About My Balcony Stateroom
Using Princess’s innovative medallion technology, your cabin door senses you as you walk up and automatically unlocks. This means you never have to fumble for your key card.
Although the stateroom was small and narrow, as cruise cabins always are, they made good use of the limited space and there was ample storage between the closet and drawers.
There was also room to fit my monolith of a suitcase under the bed. I am NOT a light packer, so this was impressive.
The shower in the bathroom was also probably the nicest I’ve ever seen on a cruise ship, and the beds (and the pillows and comforters!) were extremely comfortable.
Additionally, I appreciated that there were reading lights attached to the bed headboards and floor lights that would automatically come on in the bedroom and bathroom upon sensing a person, which was a great safety feature.
Minor Issues in my Stateroom
I only had two complaints after my stay. The first is that the clothing rack in our closet was rather high.
My mom, who came along for the sailing as my plus one, had to stand on her tip-toes or jump to reach the rack. For context, she is 5’1”, so she is a rather petite human.
The walls were also rather thin. On multiple nights in a row, we were woken up because we could hear someone in the cabin next door to us snoring through the wall as if they were in the same room.
How is the Onboard Dining?
Speaking generally, one thing I’ve noticed after more than a dozen cruises is that dining onboard can be hit or miss. This is not the case on Star Princess.
From the room service and buffet dining in The Eatery to specialty dining meals, we enjoyed everything we ate.
We even went back to The International Cafe, which is a complimentary 24-hour casual dining spot, multiple times because we craved their snacks.
Is Specialty Dining Worth It?
I do recommend splurging for the specialty dining experiences if your budget can swing it. Most, if not all, of the specialty venues onboard cost an additional $60 per person.
Especially at The Butcher’s Block by Dario and Umai Teppanyaki, believe me when I say these were experiences rather than dinners.
Dinner at Butcher’s Block starts with a presentation from the chef about the cuts of meat and ingredients that are used, before you are shown to a table.
Rather than ordering off a menu, you are brought different cuts of meats that use nearly every part of the cow and side dishes to sample – and nobody leaves hungry!
It was also some of the tastiest, juiciest meat I have ever tried in my life. I am not kidding when I say my teeth are tingling and I’m starting to salivate typing this.
But while The Butcher’s Block by Dario reminded me of my big Italian family, Umai Teppanyaki had me laughing and smiling for the entire dinner.
In fact, I think I laughed so hard that I broke the sound barrier on more than one occasion.
As our chefs prepared our dinners on the table-top stove in front of us, they never ceased singing, joking, and performing tricks with the cutlery, which is an especially impressive ability on a moving cruise ship.
The food was also delicious, and I liked that the menu lets every guest create their own combination of hibachi delights, so I didn’t have to choose just one item.
But ultimately, our favorite meal in terms of food quality and flavor was from The Catch by Rudi, which is a more traditional fine dining experience that has stunning views of the ocean if you’re lucky enough to get a window seat.
Not only was the food too incredible to describe, but the menu also has unique dishes. For example, my chocolate dessert was called Rudi’s Artistic Face to Face and it actually looked like a face.
The only specialty dining venue we didn’t love was Makoto Ocean. We had really high expectations for the sushi joint, but found the menu to be rather limiting and the portions to be small.
Crew Members Spread Joy
One thing that stood out to me about this voyage was just how happy the 1,600 crew members were.
Not only was the service top-notch, but every single crew member we interacted with was always laughing and smiling.
Our room steward was particularly kind and went above and beyond (shoutout to Romano), and even learned our names.
In the Princess shops, we wanted specific shirts but couldn’t find our sizes, so a crew member offered to pick it up after closing during her limited time off and make sure it was on hold for us the next day. She did as she said and also remembered our names.
Show-Stopping Entertainment
There is no shortage of entertainment onboard. One would have to try if they wanted to be bored on this ship.
Notably, the theatrical productions in the Princess Arena are not to be missed.
Star Princess has two exclusive, original productions called “Meridian” and “Illuminate.”
“Meridian” is a nautical-themed love story filled with pop-culture hits, while “Illuminate” is a high-energy circus-themed spectacular with epic acrobatics.
These shows were perhaps a bit light on story, but they were packed to the brim with fun and entertainment value.
What impressed me most was the elaborate sets (including interactive and digital backdrops I’m used to seeing at Broadway-caliber theaters), the fact that the full stage was always used, and the unique lightning effects (especially in “Illuminate”).
The stage also spins, rises, and has trap doors, which all add to the dramatic effects.
More Entertainment Onboard
Elsewhere around the ship there is no shortage of live music in a variety of genres.
I was personally partial to the Irish duo, Kind Ears, that kept the party going into the wee hours of the morning in O’Malley’s Irish Pub.
There is also typical (but always fun) cruise entertainment like comedy and karaoke happening in Princess Live.
My Favorite Hidden Retreats Onboard
If you don’t do your research in advance, there are a couple experiences onboard that you could miss that might just be some of your favorites – as they were for me.
First, Star Princess and Sun Princess are the first vessels in the fleet to have the Sanctuary adults-only sun deck that is exclusive to guests staying in Sanctuary suites.
This was an oasis with its own pool, jacuzzis, loungers, and a bar that offered a great escape from the hustle and bustle elsewhere on the ship.
My favorite feature of this area was a living wall, where you could ring a bell and a hand would magically pop through the shrubbery with a drink for the guest who rang the bell a few seconds later.
Don’t Miss Spellbound by Magic Castle
Next up is Spellbound by Magic Castle, which is one of only three Magic Castle experiences in the world.
The original is in Hollywood, California, and the other Magic Castle at Sea experience is onboard Sun Princess.
While I won’t give away too many of the secrets inside, the specialty cocktails, unique atmosphere, and Cardini-inspired magical performances make this an experience not to be missed.
However, the entrance is a bit subtle and could be missed by unsuspecting guests who are not in the know.
How Bad are the Crowds?
As the maiden voyage was a sold-out sailing, I had been mentally preparing myself for crowds and lines.
I am happy to report, however, that crowding was never really an issue onboard. Even during major events like the sail away party on embarkation day, I never felt like I was stuck in a crush of people.
We also never had to wait in long lines to get on and off the ship in our two ports of call, one of which was a tender port (Princess Cays).
Where Crowds Do Happen
The only issue I really saw was that the Princess Arena could run out of room for the popular theatrical performances, so guests who want to see these shows should arrive early and consider investing in the Princess Premier package – which comes with reserved seating.
For context, the Princess Arena is two decks high and has a capacity for up to 990 guests at every performance.
The main buffets, such as The Eatery, could also get a bit crowded during peak dining hours.
We had trouble finding seats during the breakfast rush the one morning we tried out this venue, but did discover that there was additional seating in the attached Americana diner.
The Pros & Cons of Smart Elevators
As many modern ships do, Star Princess uses smart elevators onboard.
This means that guests hit their desired floor on a touch screen and are assigned an elevator that corresponds to a letter.
This system mostly worked well onboard, but I did see examples of guests getting confused and simply getting in open elevators or not knowing how to input the total number in their travel party – which led to longer waits and capacity issues.
For reference, you are supposed to hit the desired deck multiple times until everyone in your travel party is accounted for. So, since I was traveling with my mom as a party of two, I would hit my desired deck twice.
Sometimes, the system also glitched and would give me error messages instead of calling the elevators. In this case, I would take the stairs up one floor to try again, and that usually worked.
How is the Wi-Fi?
Despite using the latest and greatest internet that Starlink has to offer, I found that the MedallionNet Wi-Fi could be hit or miss. I had trouble getting all of my texts to go through, especially when trying to send pictures or short videos to my loved ones at home.
I also noticed that my phone battery drained much faster onboard than it does at home.
And oddly enough, my phone kept getting confused and thinking that we were in Western Europe instead of the Bahamas, which meant it was showing me the wrong time.
When I went down to guest services to ask for possible solutions, the crew member informed me that this is a common glitch.
In order to fix it, I had to manually set my phone’s time and date instead of allowing it to adjust automatically.
Communication Fumbles
Some of this may be part of working out the kinks of a new ship and a new crew, but I noticed a fair amount of confusion among other passengers during port calls.
For example, I saw many people get confused about if they should bring beach towels when they disembarked for the day and where they should meet for shore excursions.
For the day in Princess Cays, which is a tender port, the crew members also employed a system where you picked up a boarding group number and made your way to the tenders once your number was called.
This was a very efficient system that I loved, but it was also confusing at first because I heard no announcements explaining when and where to get your boarding group number and didn’t see anything about the process in the daily Princess Patter newsletter.
Would I Sail on Star Princess Again?
While no cruise ship is perfect, Star Princess is about as close as they come.
When my husband asked how I would describe the new Princess ship when he picked me up at the airport, the first thing that came to mind is that she is a star among stars.
Not only would I sail on this ship again, but my family and I have already started looking into getting back onboard for her inaugural Alaska season next year.
My mom and I loved our experiences so much that we now want our husbands to experience it, too!
