Every Princess ship, class by class, with where she sails, what she carries and how we score her. Start with the chart, then settle the fare before you settle the cabin.
Princess runs 17 ships that group cleanly into four classes — from the brand-new Sphere-class flagships down to the small, characterful Coral-class pair.
The good news for planning: the Princess experience is consistent. So the real choice is how new a ship you want and where it sails. Here they are, biggest to smallest.
Princess is early in a fleet renewal. Sun Princess (2024) and Star Princess (2025) delivered its biggest design leap since 2013.
The line has also ordered three all-new, roughly 183,000-GT Voyager-class ships, expected in late 2035, 2038 and 2039. For now the fleet stands at 17. As always, only confirmed dates are worth planning around.
Guest numbers are approximate double-occupancy (lower-berth) capacities; each ship carries more at maximum occupancy.
The fleet chart
16 Princess ships on one chart
Year along the bottom, gross tonnage up the side, bubble size for staterooms, colour for class. Filter by what matters, then tap a ship for her links. (Island Princess sits out: her tonnage is only published as a range.)
02
02How Princess scores
Princess's identity is clear: a relaxed, grown-up, destination-led experience. It's one of the best lines afloat for couples and for downtime, with real strength in Alaska and long, port-rich itineraries. The honest trade-offs are a lighter family offering and main-stage entertainment that trails the big splashy lines.
Seabound Fit Profile · Princess Cruises1–10 scale
These are fit scores, not review scores. A lower families score means the experience is less suited to travelers who want a kid-focused, activity-packed ship — not that the ship is lower quality.
Families6
Couples9
Food8
Entertainment6
Value8
Relaxation9
Luxury7
Accessibility7
Two honest caveats. On entertainment: Princess's dining, enrichment, Movies Under the Stars and the Sphere-class Dome are good, but the main-stage production shows lag the big-budget lines. This isn't the ship for nonstop spectacle.
On families: Princess works well for multigenerational trips and has solid youth centers, but it lacks the waterparks and kid-first energy of the family-focused lines. The score reflects fit, not quality.
03
03Class by class
Four classes, spanning nearly three decades of design. Newer ships add venues, dining and technology; older ones offer the same destinations, a calmer feel and often lower fares.
◆ Largest & newest · 2024–2025
Sphere Class
The new flagships — and a real step up.
~178k GT~4,300 guests2 shipsLNG-powered
Sun Princess (2024) and Star Princess (2025) are Princess's biggest ships by a wide margin — about 21% larger than anything before them. They are also its first LNG-powered vessels.
They headline the glass-domed, three-deck Dome (a light-filled lounge and pool by day, a theater by night), an expanded Piazza, the fleet's widest choice of dining and bars, and the premium Sanctuary Collection suites. More lively and venue-rich than any other Princess ship, while keeping the brand's calm core.
Best for
Anyone who wants the newest, most complete Princess experience — the most dining, the Dome, and the top premium accommodations.
Skip if
You want the lowest fare, or a small, traditional ship on a niche port-rich itinerary.
Seabound Fit Profile
Families7
Couples9
Food9
Entertainment7
Value7
Relaxation9
Luxury8
Accessibility8
Read the full Sphere Class guide →The 4,300-guest question, a page that runs its own MedallionClass demo, the Attention Ledger, and guides to Sun and Star Princess.
◆ Modern core · 2013–2022
Royal Class
The heart of the fleet.
~142–145k GT~3,600 guests6 ships
Royal, Regal, Majestic, Sky, Enchanted and Discovery Princess (2013–2022) are the modern backbone of the fleet. They are large, refined ships with the signature piazza-style atrium, generous pool decks, plenty of dining and entertainment venues, and — on several — the glass-floored SeaWalk cantilevered over the sea.
Newer members (Sky, Enchanted, Discovery) feel close to current, without the top-of-fleet Sphere premium.
Best for
Most travelers — a modern, full-featured Princess ship with strong itinerary range and better value than the newest hulls. A great first Princess cruise.
Skip if
You specifically want the Dome and newest venues (Sphere) or the lowest possible fare (Grand/Coral).
Seabound Fit Profile
Families6
Couples9
Food8
Entertainment6
Value8
Relaxation9
Luxury7
Accessibility7
Read the full Royal Class guide →Diana-to-Catherine christening lineage, the hull where the Medallion debuted, and all six ship guides.
◆ Traditional Princess · 1998–2008
Grand Class
Classic Princess, softer pricing.
~109–116k GT~2,600–3,140 guests7 ships
The Grand-class group — Caribbean, Crown, Emerald and Ruby (mid-2000s), plus the original Grand, Diamond and Sapphire — is traditional Princess: comfortable, well-run and a little dated, but visiting the same destinations for often noticeably lower fares. Diamond and Sapphire were built for and are popular in the Japan/Asia market.
These ships trade the newest design for a familiar, easygoing feel. (Some references subdivide these seven ships into separate sub-classes; we group them together for reader clarity.)
Best for
Value-minded and itinerary-first travelers who care more about where the ship goes and a relaxed feel than the newest hardware.
Skip if
You want current design, the widest dining choice, or the most reliable MedallionClass experience.
Seabound Fit Profile
Families6
Couples8
Food7
Entertainment6
Value8
Relaxation8
Luxury5
Accessibility6
Read the full Grand Class guide →Where Movies Under the Stars and The Sanctuary were invented — and the ships still carrying the Alaska summer. Seven ship guides.
◆ Smallest & oldest · 2003
Coral Class
The small, far-roaming Princess ships.
~92k GT~2,000 guests2 ships
Coral and Island Princess (2003) are the smallest and oldest ships in the fleet. They are narrow enough to transit the original Panama Canal locks, which makes them Princess's specialists for classic Panama Canal crossings and other long, off-the-beaten-path voyages.
Fewer venues and a dated feel, but an intimate scale, easy pace and typically the most approachable fares.
Best for
Destination purists after the Panama Canal, long voyages and a quiet, small-ship feel at a friendly price.
Skip if
You want modern venues, lots of dining and activity choice, or a big-ship atmosphere.
Two comparisons come up constantly. Here's how we'd frame them.
Sphere class vs Royal class
Sphere (Sun / Star)
Newest and most complete — the Dome, the widest dining and bar choice, the Sanctuary Collection, and the most modern design. The clearest picture of where Princess is heading.
Royal
The proven modern core — piazza atrium, SeaWalk, strong itineraries and a lower fare, especially on the newer Sky, Enchanted and Discovery.
The honest read: Book Sphere when you want the newest ship and the most to do on board; book Royal for the best balance of a modern Princess experience and price. Both deliver the same relaxed, destination-first feel.
Royal class vs Grand & Coral
Royal
Bigger and more current — more venues, more dining, the smoothest MedallionClass, and broad mainstream itineraries.
Grand / Coral
Smaller, older and easygoing, usually at lower fares — and, in Coral's case, the key to classic Panama Canal and long, niche voyages.
The honest read: Choose Royal for the modern all-round ship; choose Grand or Coral when the itinerary and the fare matter more than new-ship features and you want a calmer, more traditional feel.
05
05Dining & entertainment
Princess is a premium-mainstream line with good food and a relaxed evening rhythm. It's honest to say the main-stage shows aren't its headline act.
Dining
Specialty standouts — Sabatini's Italian Trattoria, the Crown Grill steakhouse, and The Catch by Rudi (seafood) lead the paid venues. Alfredo's/Gigi's pizzeria and the Piazza's International Café are among the included favorites.
The Sphere ships add still more, from Makoto Ocean to Love by Britto. Princess has held the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence fleet-wide.
Order anywhere — with MedallionClass, you can have food and drinks delivered to wherever you are on the ship (OceanNow) — by the pool, in the theater, on your balcony.
Entertainment
Where it shines — Movies Under the Stars on the poolside big screen (a Princess signature), live music around the Piazza, enrichment through Discovery at Sea (stargazing and destination programming), an award-winning casino, and the speakeasy-style Spellbound magic venue on select ships.
Where it lags — the main-stage production shows trail the big-budget lines.
On the Sphere class the Dome adds a striking venue. If nightly blockbuster theater is your priority, though, this isn't the line built around it.
06
06MedallionClass & The Sanctuary
Two things define the Princess experience day to day: the wearable technology that smooths everything out, and the adults-only retreat that anchors its calm reputation.
MedallionClass
The OceanMedallion — a quarter-sized wearable that unlocks your stateroom hands-free, pays contactlessly, speeds embarkation, lets you order food and drinks to your location, and helps you find your travel party on board. It's one of the most capable and comprehensive onboard technology systems in mainstream cruising.
The caveat: it can be less reliable on the older retrofitted ships. The experience is smoothest on the newer Royal and Sphere-class vessels.
The Sanctuary & cabins
The Sanctuary — many Princess ships offer this purchasable, adults-only retreat: a serene sun-deck space with dedicated attendants and shade. It is one of the best quiet-space products in mainstream cruising.
Sun Princess and Star Princess expand the idea through the Sanctuary Collection, which adds premium accommodations, exclusive dining and private spaces.
Cabins — Princess staterooms are comfortable and unfussy, with a high proportion of balconies. Suites are pleasant, but this isn't a suite-led luxury line.
Youth centers (Camp Discovery) serve families where present.
Accessibility · verify by ship and sailing
Princess offers accessible staterooms across categories, and MedallionClass helps with wayfinding and step-free service.
The newest and largest ships (Sphere, newer Royal) have the most accessible infrastructure. The older Grand and Coral ships are more limited.
Treat our score as a starting signal. Confirm the specific features you need — cabin dimensions, roll-in showers, and port/tender accessibility — for your exact ship and sailing before booking.
Standard, Plus or Premier?
What each Princess fare really buys
Pick your nights and your cabin tier. The tool prices the two packages for two people against the à-la-carte items they replace, using Princess’s rates as published on 14 October 2026 (Plus and Premier rose $5 a day on 13 October). Verify the rate in your own booking.
Standard
Plus
Premier
Drinks
Pay as you go, plus a 20% service charge on each one
15 a day, each up to $15; specialty coffee and tea unlimited
Unlimited, each up to $20
Wi-Fi
From $27.99 a day for one device, bought ahead
One device
Four devices
Crew appreciation
$18 to $20 a day by cabin tier
Included
Included
Casual dining
Pay per meal
Four meals per cruise
Unlimited
Specialty dining
Pay per meal
Not included
Unlimited, one specialty meal per mealtime
OceanNow delivery
$14.99 one-time activation
Included
Included
Photos, reserved seats, excursion credit
Not included
Not included
Digital photos plus three prints, reserved theater seating, $100 to $300 excursion credit by length
Pre-cruise rates for guests one and two; bought on board, add $5 a person a day. Sun Princess and Star Princess carry a $5 a day premium on both packages. Source: princess.com packages page, 14 October 2026.
07
07Captain's Circle & fare bundles
Princess rewards repeat guests through Captain's Circle, and shapes most of its pricing through two fare bundles worth understanding before you book.
Captain's Circle — status by cruises or days sailed
Captain's Circle rises through Gold, Ruby, Platinum and Elite, earned by the number of cruises you take or days you sail (whichever gets you there faster). Perks grow with tier — priority services, complimentary laundry, a disembarkation lounge and onboard discounts at the top.
It's a fairly standard program, not a reason on its own to pick the line.
Princess Plus & Premier — most fares are sold as a base cruise or one of two bundles. Plus adds drinks (to a per-drink limit), Wi-Fi, gratuities and extras; Premier raises the limits and adds specialty dining, premium Wi-Fi, photos and more.
Bundled at sale pricing they can be real value, but only if you'll actually use the inclusions. Price the base fare against the bundle for your trip.
08
08Princess Cays
Princess's private beach in the Bahamas is a pleasant stop rather than a headline attraction — worth setting expectations on. Treat this as a snapshot and confirm the stops for your sailing.
Princess Cays (Eleuthera, Bahamas) Active
A private beachfront resort on the southern tip of Eleuthera, with a long stretch of beach, a mostly included barbecue, watersports, and reservable bungalows and clamshells.
It's a relaxed, classic beach day — but a tendered call, and deliberately low-key. There are no waterslides or big built attractions like the marquee private islands some rivals operate.
Featured on many Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries.
Destination-led everywhere else The real draw
Princess's strength isn't a private island. It's the range and depth of real destinations, from Alaska's glaciers to the Panama Canal, the Mediterranean, Japan and long world voyages.
For most Princess guests, the ports are the point.
09
09Where Princess sails
Few mainstream lines sail as broadly. Deployments shift yearly.
Read this as the durable pattern, and verify your homeport and itinerary before booking.
Alaska is Princess's signature — decades of Inside Passage and Gulf sailings. Add its own wilderness lodges and land-and-sea cruisetours that pair the ship with rail journeys and stays near Denali. For an Alaska trip, few lines match its depth.
Caribbean & Mexican Riviera run from Florida, Los Angeles and beyond (with Princess Cays on many Caribbean routes). The Panama Canal is a Princess classic — the Coral-class ships still transit the original locks.
Europe, Japan & beyond — extensive Mediterranean and Northern Europe seasons, a strong Japan/Asia presence (Diamond Princess), plus South America, Australia/New Zealand, Hawaii and lengthy world cruises. Princess is part of Carnival Corporation and sits in the premium-mainstream tier.
Ports Princess sails from
If you already know where the ship leaves from, start here. Princess turns up on the lines list at twenty-two ports we’ve written up, and each one links to its guide and its parking page.
A tag marks a pairing the port guide qualifies — occasional, a single call, a 2027 start. Read that port’s own list before you plan around it.
10
10Who Princess fits — and who should look elsewhere
Princess is a strong fit if you…
Are a couple or adult traveler who wants a calm, grown-up ship
Care about destinations and itinerary depth — especially Alaska
Value good food, enrichment and quiet spaces over spectacle
Like tech that just works (MedallionClass) and order-anywhere service
Want relaxed multigenerational travel without a party atmosphere
Consider another line if you…
Want waterparks, big kids' clubs and family-first energy
Rank blockbuster main-stage shows at the top of your list
Are after a true luxury or small-ship-luxury experience
Want the biggest, most attraction-packed ships at sea
Prefer a lively, high-energy nightlife-forward vibe
11
11If you asked us to pick
Seabound Picks · Princess Cruises
Best overall Princess ship
Sun or Star Princess
The newest Sphere-class ships — the most to do and the best of the brand.
Best newest ship
Star Princess
The second Sphere-class ship and Princess's largest ever.
Best for Alaska
Pick by itinerary
For Alaska, the right Glacier Bay or Voyage of the Glaciers sailing, departure port and cruisetour matter more than one ship — Royal, Sphere and Grand options vary by season.
Best for couples & romance
Sun/Star in Sanctuary Collection
The Sphere ships' Sanctuary Collection, or a Royal-class ship with The Sanctuary.
Best value within Princess
Emerald, Ruby or Crown
Grand-class ships: same destinations, softer fares.
Best for the Panama Canal
Coral or Island Princess
Narrow-beam ships built for the original canal locks.
Best first Princess cruise
Enchanted or Discovery
Newer Royal-class ships without the top-of-fleet premium.
Best for Japan
Diamond Princess
Built for and based in the Japan/Asia market.
12
12Ask Seabound about Princess
Tell us about your trip.
Tell us your home airport or driving radius, budget, who's traveling, preferred length and region — especially if Alaska, the Panama Canal or Europe is on your mind — and we'll point you to the right Princess ship and itinerary, or tell you honestly if another line fits you better.
Best Princess ship for AlaskaSphere class or Royal class?Is Princess good for couples?Is Plus or Premier worth it?Best value Princess shipIs Princess good for kids?
Instant answers from our guides · always verified against current Princess Cruises information before you book.
Every guide on this fleet
The Princess Cruises fleet, guide by guide
17 ships across 4 classes, and every guide behind them. A dash means that guide isn’t written yet — not that the ship lacks it.
Sailing this line to Alaska from Florida or Texas?
Nonstops to Seattle from Houston, Dallas, Austin, Orlando, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa, the Anchorage and Vancouver options, the time-zone math, and when to land before you sail.
Princess operates 17 ships as of 2026, across four classes: Sphere, Royal, Grand and Coral. The newest are Sun Princess (2024) and Star Princess (2025), the two Sphere-class ships and the largest in the fleet. A new, larger Voyager class — three ships — is expected in 2035, 2038 and 2039.
Is Princess Cruises good for families?
Princess is family-capable — it has Camp Discovery youth centers and works well for relaxed multigenerational trips — but it leans toward adults and couples. If your priority is waterparks, big kids' clubs and nonstop kid-focused activity, Royal Caribbean, Carnival or Disney are stronger fits.
What is Princess MedallionClass?
MedallionClass is Princess's wearable OceanMedallion system: keyless stateroom entry, contactless payment, order-anywhere food and drink delivery (OceanNow), faster boarding, and the ability to locate your travel party. It's one of the most capable and comprehensive onboard technology systems in mainstream cruising, though it can be less reliable on older retrofitted ships.
Is Princess the best cruise line for Alaska?
Princess is the most established Alaska operator, with decades of itineraries, its own wilderness lodges (including near Denali), land-and-sea cruisetours, and strong glacier and enrichment programming. For an Alaska-focused trip it's one of the top choices in the market.
What's the difference between the Sphere-class ships and the rest of the fleet?
Sun Princess and Star Princess are the newest and largest ships, with the glass-domed Dome venue, more dining and entertainment options, and the premium Sanctuary Collection. The older Royal, Grand and Coral-class ships sail the same destinations, often at lower fares, but without the newest design features.
Planning Alaska, the Panama Canal, or a relaxed getaway for two?
Princess sells three fares, not one package. Price all three before you sail.
Standard, Plus at $70–$75 a day, or Premier at $105–$110 a day — each bundles a different mix of drinks, dining, Wi-Fi and crew appreciation. The Princess Add-On Value Evaluator prices all three against what you’d actually drink and eat, then values the Premier upgrade over Plus on its own.
The closest matchup in the series on the headline numbers — Princess's up-to-100% cancel-for-any-reason and $100,000 evacuation figure against Allianz's published numbers.
The Cruise Finder ranks this ship against the whole fleet on what you care about,
shows the trade-offs honestly, and names the ports you’d actually visit.
