5 best Princess cruise destinations

Call it the big-ship cruise line for the country-counting crowd.

Among the world’s five biggest cruise brands, all of which operate relatively large, mass-market vessels, Princess Cruises offers the most diverse array of itineraries (more than 170 in a typical year), with stops in 100-plus countries and on all seven continents.

Despite having just 17 vessels, the California-based line’s ships visit more than 345 different ports and destinations in a typical year and bring travelers to a whopping 100-plus UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Still, the line’s heaviest presence, by far, is in Alaska, Europe and the Caribbean.

In a typical summer, Princess will deploy eight of its 17 vessels to Alaska while sending another five or six to Europe. That leaves just a few vessels for other destinations such as the Caribbean, New England and Japan.

During a typical winter, Princess will move more than half of these ships to the Caribbean, which becomes its biggest focus (the line plans to have nine vessels in the region in 2027!), but also sends several (usually three) to Australia. It also operates sailings in South America and along the Mexican Riviera.

Among the line’s voyages, you’ll find everything from three-day sampler cruises along the West Coast to 131-day world-circling voyages.

In North America, Princess ships sail out of Fort Lauderdale (via Port Everglades), Orlando (from Port Canaveral) and Miami (from PortMiami) in Florida, as well as Boston; Los Angeles; San Francisco; San Diego; Seattle; Galveston, Texas; Vancouver, British Columbia; and Whittier, Alaska. Some sailings depart from New York City, Quebec City and Honolulu, too.

With so many options, what are the best Princess cruise destinations you can visit? Here are TPG’s top five.

Related: The ultimate guide to Princess Cruises ships and itineraries

Europe

Some of Princess’ most popular itineraries are in Europe, where the line traditionally has been a significant player. It typically deploys five or six vessels to the continent from spring to fall, making Europe one of its biggest focuses for more than half the year.

The itineraries that Princess offers in Europe are wide-ranging, with a diverse set of routings in both the Mediterranean and across Northern Europe.

In the Mediterranean, the line offers everything from five- to 50-night voyages that provide the chance to see such iconic destinations as Barcelona; Rome, Florence and Venice, Italy; the island of Santorini in Greece; and Kotor, Montenegro, in a single cruise.

Some Princess cruises in the Mediterranean also include visits to Istanbul and Kusadasi, Turkey (the latter a gateway to the famed ruins of Ephesus) and Haifa and Ashdod in Israel (for visits to Jerusalem and other iconic destinations in the country).

In Northern Europe, Princess will take you to such well-known Baltic cities as Stockholm; Tallinn, Estonia; and Helsinki in a single sailing (until a few years ago, St. Petersburg, Russia, also was a major Baltic destination for the brand, but like other cruise lines, Princess no longer sends ships to Russia due to the war in Ukraine). Some itineraries will also bring you to Iceland and the Norwegian fjords.

Among the longest itineraries Princess offers in Europe is a 42-day “The Best of the Mediterranean” trip out of Istanbul that offers stops at nearly three dozen ports in Turkey, Greece, Italy, Malta, France, Montenegro, Croatia and Cyprus. The next departure of this itinerary is scheduled for Sept. 14, 2027.

In Northern Europe, Princess ships mostly sail out of Southampton and Dover, England, as well as Copenhagen.

In the Mediterranean, the line’s hubs are Trieste and Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) in Italy, Piraeus (the port for Athens) in Greece and Barcelona.

The Caribbean and the Bahamas

You usually won’t find more than one or two Princess ships in the Caribbean and the Bahamas over the summer since the line turns its focus to sailings in Europe and Alaska then. But come winter, it will reposition quite a few of its vessels to the Caribbean and the Bahamas for sailings, making these warm-weather Princess cruise destinations a top choice.

For next winter, for instance, it currently has 10 of its 17 vessels scheduled to sail in the regions for at least part of the season — including its two newest and biggest ships, the 4,300-passenger Star Princess and Sun Princess.

Princess offers a broad range of Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries from three main home ports — Port Everglades and Port Canaveral in Florida and New York City.

If you’re looking for something short, the line has you covered in the form of quick five- and six-night trips to the Eastern Caribbean, though it is best known for longer sailings. These include lots of seven-night itineraries to the Eastern Caribbean and the Western Caribbean and a large number of even longer 10- to 14-night Caribbean voyages.

The latter trips offer the chance to see a broader mix of islands than is typical on Caribbean sailings.

Related: Princess Cruises ship cabin and suite guide: Everything you want to know

A 14-day “Circle Caribbean” itinerary out of Port Everglades, for instance, stops at the islands of St. Maarten (the Dutch side of the island of St. Martin), St. Kitts, Martinique, Dominica, St. Lucia, Trinidad, Aruba and Curacao.

Princess also offers a 12-day “Caribbean Islander” itinerary out of New York City with calls at St. Maarten, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Curacao and Aruba.

Alaska

Perhaps the best destination you can visit on a Princess ship is Alaska. That’s because Princess is particularly known for cruises to the 49th state, where it dominates the market for cruises along with sister line Holland America. In recent years, Princess has deployed as many as seven or eight ships to Alaska in the summer — far more than most other lines.

Princess also operates its own wilderness lodges in Alaska, as well as tourist trains and buses, to offer an extensive range of 10- to 17-night Alaska “cruisetours” that combine a cruise with land-based touring.

Related: Which Princess Alaska cruisetour is right for you? A complete guide to all your options

The Alaska cruise season is a short one, lasting roughly from May to September. For 2026, Princess will deploy eight ships to the Alaska market during this window with:

• Four ships (Discovery Princess, Grand Princess, Coral Princess and Island Princess) operating one-way “Voyage of the Glaciers” itineraries between Vancouver, British Columbia, and Whittier, Alaska — a small port town about 50 miles southeast of Anchorage. These seven-night sailings always include two days of glacier viewing at two of Alaska’s three most famous places for seeing glaciers: Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, Hubbard Glacier and College Fjord. They also include stops at three of the most popular cruise destinations in the state: Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway.
• Four ships (Royal Princess, Star Princess, Ruby Princess and Emerald Princess) sailing seven- to 16-day “Inside Passage” cruises out of Seattle (Royal Princess and Star Princess), San Francisco (Ruby Princess), Vancouver (Emerald Princess) and Los Angeles (Emerald Princess). These voyages also include a mix of glacier viewing and stops at iconic Alaska port towns.

The appeal of the one-way sailings on Discovery Princess, Grand Princess, Coral Princess and Island Princess is that they can be combined with the stays in Princess’ lodges mentioned above to create the longer Alaska cruisetours that combine a one-way cruise with a land tour.

The land tour portion of such trips brings visits to such well-known interior Alaska locations as Denali National Park & Preserve and the town of Fairbanks.

Related: Best Alaska cruisetours to book right now

Australia

Princess has been sending multiple ships to Australia every winter for many years, offering a wide range of itineraries out of Sydney, Brisbane, Fremantle (the port for Perth), Adelaide and Melbourne that make calls not just around Australia but also in New Zealand.

The itineraries in the region that the line offers vary in length from just two nights to 43 nights, but the shorter voyages are primarily aimed at a local Australian crowd looking for a quick getaway. Among North Americans, the most popular itineraries are the longer ones, which may be as focused on New Zealand as they are on Australia.

Related: Princess Cruises’ Captain’s Club loyalty program: Everything you need to know

Among several New Zealand-heavy itineraries that Princess offers regularly are 13-night voyages from Sydney that feature calls at Bay of Islands, Auckland, Picton, Christchurch and Dunedin, as well as scenic cruising at New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park (variations on this itinerary sometimes include a stop in Tauranga in lieu of one of the above ports).

A 15-night New Zealand itinerary out of Sydney brings calls at Dunedin, Christchurch, Picton, Auckland, Bay of Islands and Tauranga, as well as scenic cruising at New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park.

Princess also offers full circumnavigations of Australia. A typical 28-night version of these trips will include visits to Newcastle, Melbourne, Adelaide, Albany, Busselton, Perth, Exmouth, Broome, Darwin, Cairns, Willis Island and Brisbane, as well as scenic cruising in Yampi Sound and along the Kimberley Coast.

For 2026, Princess plans to have three of its vessels in the Australia and New Zealand region for at least part of the year.

Japan

In 2013, Princess became the first major international cruise brand to offer an extended season of voyages around Japan, and it remains a leader in Japan-focused cruises. If you’re thinking about cruising to the island nation, Princess should top the list of lines to consider.

Princess typically sends one or two ships to Japan every year for an extended season that often lasts from February to November. It offers a wide mix of itineraries around the country, ranging in length from seven to 28 nights.

The longer trips on the schedule deliver vacationers to such iconic Japanese destinations as Nagasaki and temple-filled Kyoto (via the port of Osaka), as well as such lesser-known ports as Tokushima and Miyako. Some itineraries include at least one stop in South Korea or Taiwan.

Princess typically deploys its 2,670-passenger Diamond Princess to Japan — a 22-year-old ship that has a distinctly Japanese flavor, thanks to a massive makeover in 2014. The makeover brought the addition of an extensive traditional Japanese bath area — a first for a cruise ship — as well as a sushi restaurant. Menus in Diamond Princess’ main restaurants and buffet feature Japanese items such as miso soup and noodles alongside Western fare.

Diamond Princess originally was updated with Japanese-style design and amenities specifically to lure Japanese vacationers to its Japan sailings, but the around-Japan voyages have proven popular with Americans and Australians, too. You’ll usually find a mix of Japanese, American and Australian travelers on the line’s longer Japan sailings.

Bottom line

Princess sails to destinations around the world and offers a wide range of itineraries from the Caribbean to Asia. You’ll find the most choices among Princess itineraries in Europe, Alaska and Australia. The line is also well known for voyages to Japan. Its special focus on Japan sailings, with a ship retrofitted with Japanese design, in particular, is something that sets it apart from other big lines.

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