Princess Cruises’ second Sphere-class ship named Star Princess

Princess Cruises has revealed the name of its second Sphere-class cruise ship will be Star Princess.

The new vessel will sail an inaugural season of Mediterranean voyages when it debuts in August 2025.

The 4,300-passenger ship is being built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, and will join the first Sphere-class ship, Sun Princess, as the largest ships ever built for the cruise line.

Sun Princess will make its US debut in October 2024 with a series of Caribbean sailings.

More: Princess to celebrate 40 years in Mediterranean with ‘largest-ever’ collection

Star Princess will be 20% larger than any of the line’s existing ships, with features such as The Dome entertainment venue; the Princess Arena theatre; an expanded casino; and a two-storey Lotus Spa.

The new ship will be the second in the Princess fleet to be powered by LNG fuel technology.

Star Princess debuts on August 4, 2025, sailing a nine-day maiden Grand Mediterranean roundtrip voyage from Rome (Civitavecchia), featuring Corfu, Kotor, Mykonos, Santorini and Naples (for Capri and Pompeii), followed by a variety of 10-day cruises roundtrip from Rome.

Star Princess cruises go on sale with the cruise line’s larger Europe 2025 programme release on June 1.

John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises, said: “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 actress and humanitarian Audrey Hepburn.

The second Star Princess launched in 2002, as the third Grand-Class vessel playing a role in the evolution of the brand with popular offerings such as Anytime Dining.

More: Princess to celebrate 40 years in Mediterranean with ‘largest-ever’ collection