Princess Cruises' Star Princess carried approximately 90,000 guests through Alaska across more than 20 departures in its inaugural season there, closing out a first year of service that began with delivery from Fincantieri on September 26, 2025.

The 175,500-ton vessel is the second ship in Princess's Sphere class and runs on LNG. Fincantieri built it at its Monfalcone shipyard in Italy, extending a newbuild pipeline that keeps the brand's capacity growth tied to a single European yard.

How the first year unfolded

The ship welcomed its first guests on October 4, 2025, on an 11-night maiden voyage roundtrip from Barcelona, calling in France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. After further Mediterranean sailings, it crossed the Atlantic in early November 2025.

Its U.S. debut centered on seven-night Caribbean cruises from Port Everglades. On November 7, 2025, Princess christened the ship in Fort Lauderdale with godparents Camila and Matthew McConaughey, plus a performance by nine-time Grammy winner Sheryl Crow.

The takeaway: Princess used a celebrity-led launch to anchor the ship in its core Florida cruise market within weeks of delivery.

What did the Alaska deployment deliver?

After its first Caribbean winter, the ship repositioned to the West Coast to join what Princess calls its largest-ever Alaska lineup. It sailed weeklong roundtrip itineraries from Seattle to ports including Juneau and Ketchikan through late September.

The measured result: roughly 90,000 guests moved through Alaska on this one ship in a single season, on over 20 departures. That volume, from a vessel only months in service, shows how quickly Princess is monetizing new capacity in its highest-demand summer market.

Where does the ship go next?

Star Princess returns to Florida for a second winter season in 2026-27. Starting in late October, it operates four- to seven-night cruises to the Caribbean and the Bahamas from Port Everglades — a shorter, higher-frequency format than its debut seven-night program.

In April 2027, the ship sails a Panama Canal voyage before a second Alaska summer season from Seattle.

The plan locks the vessel into a repeatable two-market rotation, giving sellers a stable, year-round product to build around through at least 2027.