Princess Cruises has announced the name of its second remarkable Sphere Class cruise ship as Star Princess. This magnificent vessel is set to embark on its inaugural Mediterranean voyages starting in August 2025.
Currently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, Star Princess joins Sun Princess as the largest ships ever built for Princess at 175,500 tons and carrying 4,300 guests. The new ship is built on a platform that is distinctly different and unique to Princess, designed to simultaneously embrace the Princess heritage while celebrating the romance of the sea by offering more dynamic, outward views.
While 20 percent larger than any of the line’s existing ships, Star Princess design retains the more intimate settings Princess is known for, with a number of new and incredibly ground-breaking spaces such as:
- The Dome, a transformational entertainment venue inspired by the terraces of Santorini;
- the next-level Piazza featuring a glass sphere
- the “see it to believe it” Princess Arena, a configurable, technologically-advanced main theater that allows Princess to produce a variety of innovative entertainment concepts; and
- a majestic dining room positioned aft of the ship to deliver unforgettable wake views.
This second Sphere Class ship will also offer a number of spectacular features with an array of exciting new food and beverage concepts; a magnificent, expanded casino; a two-story Lotus Spa; and mesmerizing entertainment headlined by Cirque Éloize.
Guests also will love the expanded accommodations options with luxurious staterooms and suites, including the new Reserve and Signature Collections.
Star Princess also will showcase the exclusive Princess Medallion service that extends Princess’ leadership position in delivering exceptional personalised experiences.
The new ship will be the second in the Princess fleet to be powered by LNG fuel technology and also is being built with the most advanced sustainable innovations available.
Star Princess debuts August 4, 2025, sailing a nine-day Inaugural Italy & Greece roundtrip voyage from Rome (Civitavecchia), featuring the destinations of Corfu, Kotor, Mykonos, Santorini and Naples (for Capri and Pompeii), followed by a variety of 9- and 10-day cruises sailing from Rome, Athens or Trieste (Venice) that visit idyllic coastal ports. Star Princess cruises go on sale with the larger Europe 2025 programme release on June 1, 2023.
“There’s much to be admired about Star Princess – her sleek, eye-catching design, spacious interiors, and of course, the remarkable views of the sea and sky, just like the features found on Sun Princess that have prompted cruise lovers to snap up inaugural year bookings,” said John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises. “We’ve carefully designed these ships to feel familiar to our guests yet significantly advanced with lots of exceptional new and expanded experiences to embrace and explore.”
Princess’ first Star Princess ship initially launched in 1988 as Sitmar Fair Majesty. With the merger of Sitmar Cruises into Princess, she then entered service as Star Princess in 1989, and was christened by legendary actress and humanitarian Audrey Hepburn. The second Star Princess launched in 2002, as the third Grand-Class vessel playing an instrumental role in the evolution of the brand with popular offerings like Anytime Dining, the only dining program in the industry at the time to give guests freedom to dine where, when and with whom they wish.
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