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• Princess Cruises' largest casino ever debuts on new Sun Princess...

Princess Cruises' largest casino ever debuts on new Sun Princess ship

Princess Cruises has unveiled plans for the largest casino in its fleet, set to make its debut aboard the forthcoming 4,300-guest Sun Princess scheduled to set sail in February 2024.

Named The Princess Casino, this expansive facility will surpass its counterparts on Princess' Royal Class ships, offering 50% more space and 30% more gaming machines. Positioned on Deck 8 adjacent to the Piazza, the casino is designed with high ceilings and a roomy floor plan to enhance the overall gaming experience.

Onboard The Princess Casino, passengers can indulge in a diverse selection of entertainment, featuring 200+ of the latest and most popular slots and video poker games. Live table games with progressive jackpots will also be available to cater to the varied preferences of casino enthusiasts.

Princess President John Padgett highlighted the company's commitment to providing an exceptional casino experience, emphasizing the fusion of gaming with world-class dining and entertainment.

The strategic placement of The Princess Casino on Deck 8, within proximity to the Piazza, ensures convenient access for passengers seeking a blend of gaming and social activities.

Providing further details, Princess revealed that The Princess Casino will encompass ~9,000 square feet (~836m2), featuring 10-foot ceilings, 227 slot machines, 13 live tables, and a high-limit slot area. The gaming space is designed to offer optimum comfort with the most comfortable seating, while an interactive audio-visual experience enhances the overall ambiance.

Set to be unveiled in February 2024, Sun Princess is currently undergoing construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy. Beyond its impressive casino, the vessel promises a host of exciting entertainment and culinary offerings, along with a range of luxurious staterooms and suites across various categories.

Princess: Largest Casino Ever on Sun Princess

• November 28, 2023

Princess Cruises’ upcoming ship, the Sun Princess, will host the largest casino ever built by the cruise line, according to a press release.

Set to debut when the Sun Princess sets sail in February 2024, the Princess Casino will feature 50 percent more space and 30 percent more machines compared to the line’s Royal Class ships.

Located on deck 8, the Princess Casino offers over 200 of the newest and most popular slots and video poker games, live table games with progressive jackpots and more. Included in the casino will be a “Buffalo Zone,” bringing popular games by Aristocrat to the newest Princess ship.

“Casino lovers, high rollers, or simply those wanting to try a hand during their vacation will be stunned by the new Princess Casino onboard Sun Princess,” said John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises. “Princess has embraced the casino experience and is proud to offer such exciting gaming surrounded by absolutely world-class dining and entertainment.”

Key Enhancements of the Princess Casino Include: 

• Nearly 9,000 square feet, 227 slot machines and 13 live tables;
• Newest gaming seating available for both slot and table game players;
• New linked blackjack and poker table progressives;
• High-limit slot area;
• Interactive audio-visual experiences throughout the casino

The Sun Princess is currently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy. 

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Princess Cruises Will Debut Its Largest Casino Ever on New Sun Princess

By: Author Carrie Ann Karstunen

Posted on Published: November 28, 2023  - Last updated: December 4, 2023

Princess Cruises ‘ largest casino ever will be aboard the 4,300-guest Sun Princess when the premium cruise line’s newest ship sets sail in February 2024.

The Princess Casino on Sun Princess will boast 50% more space and 30% more machines than the gaming venues aboard the line’s Royal Class ships.

Sun Princess ‘ casino will be situated on deck 8 next to the busy Piazza, and will feature an expansive floorplan and high ceilings. The Piazza itself will also include several gaming stations for easier access to favorite games.

The Princess Casino will offer more than 200 of the newest and most popular slots and video poker games, along with live table games with progressive jackpots. The new casino will feature a first-of-its-kind “ Buffalo Zone ” at sea, introducing these well-liked Aristocrat games to the newest Princess cruise ship.

“Casino lovers, high rollers, or simply those wanting to try a hand during their vacation will be stunned by the new Princess Casino onboard Sun Princess ,” said John Padgett , president of Princess Cruises.

“Princess has embraced the casino experience and is proud to offer such exciting gaming surrounded by absolutely world-class dining and entertainment,” Padgett continued in a press release .

What to expect at the Princess Casino on Sun Princess

The casino aboard Sun Princess will offer almost 9000 square feet of gaming space, with dramatic 10-foot ceilings. Princess promises that the venue will include the newest and most comfortable seating styles for both slot and table game players.

The space will boast new linked blackjack and poker table progressives, offering high-value cash awards. Sun Princess ‘ casino will also feature a high-limit slot area with high-end seating.

New gaming opportunities will also be available in the casino via an interactive audio-visual experience.

Related: Cirque Éloize Will Headline Entertainment Aboard New Sun Princess Cruise Ship

Sun Princess will make her debut in February

Debuting in February 2024, Sun Princess is currently being built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy. Along with a wide range of new entertainment and dining options, the 175,500-ton, 4,300-guest Sun Princess will offer a range of luxurious cabins and suites in various categories.

Related: Princess Cruises Shares First Look at Dining Options on Sun Princess

More cruisers will be able to enjoy the sunshine and crystal-clear waters of the Mediterranean and Caribbean from the privacy of their stateroom, since Sun Princess will have the most balconies of any Princess ship. Not splurging on a balcony? The ship will also feature the most sun decks for relaxing outside.

Sun Princess cruises for 2024 to the Mediterranean, Europe, and the Caribbean are on sale now.

More news about Princess Cruises

Are you looking forward to experiencing the huge casino aboard Sun Princess? What do you think about the fact that the Piazza will include gaming installations? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

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Cruise Ship Casino Games Guide (Games Offered, Minimums, Payouts & More)

When night falls on a cruise ship, there’s arguably no more popular place to be than in the ship’s casino. The atmosphere is buzzing, people are shouting with every win (or groaning with every loss!), and the energy can be off the charts.

It’s the place to be in the evening, if you like to gamble. And if you’ve been to a casino before, then there’s a lot that’s going to be familiar. But if you’ve never been to a casino on a cruise ship, then there are some things that will definitely be a little different that you may not notice at first — especially when it comes to the games offered.

The traditional games are all there, including slot machines and blackjack. There are also some things that you wouldn’t expect in a casino, including games like the crane machine and coin pusher machines.

To help you get acquainted, let’s dive into the games you’ll find in a cruise ship casino, and what to know about them.

Slot Machines

If there is a most popular game in a cruise casino, it would be the slot machines, without a doubt. Any ship’s casino will be filled with rows of them and during the busy periods in the evenings, you’ll find most of them taken up by players.

The games offered are similar to what you’d find in a land-based casino. In fact, many of your favorites are likely to be onboard, including names like Lobstermania, Cleopatra, and Quick Hit. We will say that the large slot machines (e.g. those that are full experience like Wizard of Oz or Monopoly with rumble seats and more) usually aren’t found on cruises. We think that’s due to the size of the machine that may simply take up too much space on a cruise ship.

Denominations will vary, but penny machines seem to take up the lion’s share of what’s available. Often you can change the denomination right at the machine. Minimum bets tend to be around $0.40 – $0.50 cents per spin, with the ability to bet several dollars per turn.

Video Poker

Another machine that you’ll find in any cruise casino is video poker. That said, the number of machines and the poker games available are significantly fewer than you might be used to seeing.

In our experience, there is usually a bank or two of the machines, but not much more than that. Denominations are typically $0.25, but some machines may let you change that amount. Jacks or Better is always available, and often you can change the game at the machine. Even so, you may or may not find some of the variations such as Deuces Wild, Bonus Poker, multi-hand machines or machines that play with a multiplier. It will depend on the ship, but just know in general things are more limited.

As for payouts, video poker on a cruise will almost always offer lower pay tables than the optimum “9/6” machines. We find that they usually vary between 6/5 to 7/5, which increases the house’s take over the long term.

While machines take up the largest portion of the cruise ship casino floor, table games have a healthy showing. That includes roulette, which always seems to be a popular game on the ship.

Cruise ships offer double-zero roulette. There are all your traditional bets, including individual numbers, red/black, even/odd, as well as sections of the board. There is also usually a video board that offers up stats on recent rolls so you can get a feel for how the table has been running.

Minimum bets are usually $5 overall, but may be $10 in some cases.

Blackjack is another popular table game, and in the evenings you’ll see these tables plenty busy with players.

The rules are just like you find on land. Games are normally played with multiple decks (though we have seen single-deck games) and allow for doubling down. Traditionally dealers are required to hit on soft 17.

While blackjack payouts will vary based on table minimums, normally you’ll find 6:5. Higher limits will see the traditional 3:2 payouts for blackjack.

Minimums normally start at $5 (or $6 to make blackjack payouts easier) and go up from there. You likely won’t see minimums higher than $10-$25 on your cruise.

One more thing to note is that a number of the blackjack tables available also have side bet options available if you are so inclined.

Texas Hold ‘Em has boomed in popularity over the last decade or two, and that includes on cruise ships. Most cruise ships will have a poker table on the casino floor.

Unlike a typical casino, however, it’s not a situation where you can just walk in, sign up and start playing poker. Given the limited number of players on a cruise, games are normally announced ahead of time, not “sit and go.”

Keep an eye out on the daily planner for when a game is starting. Then just head down to the casino a little early for details on how to score a seat to play.

Like to throw dice? Cruise ship casinos all offer at least one craps table and sometimes two. We will say that the tables seem to be fairly slow during the day, but definitely see plenty of action in the evenings. So grab a drink, squeeze into an open spot and make some new friends at the table.

You’ll want to check out the table before you play as different ships will have different betting spots that pay differently. For instance, you’ll often find the “Big 6 | Big 8” bets. This large area pays you even money if there is a six or an eight rolled on the table. But if you simply “place” the same bet with a dealer, then you’d earn 7-to-6 ($7 on every $6 bet). Casinos place these “Big 6 | Big 8” in order to lure in bets with a higher house edge. Field bets often pay double for both 2 and 12, instead of paying triple for 12.

Odds bets can vary, with many ships allowing only 1X odds with others offering 3X-4X-5X. In general you will find $5 minimums, but don’t be surprised if that’s slightly higher at $10 as minimums do seem to be creeping up.

Scratch-Offs & Lotto

We’ve never been to a casino other than a cruise ship that offers its own scratch-off tickets. But sure enough, head to the cashier and you’ll see several options for these games to purchase.

Typically there are a handful of tickets available and they are cruise line branded. For instance, we played one game on Carnival that offered prizes of up to $30,000 and/or the chance to instantly win a cruise.

Just like on land, don’t expect great odds on these lottery tickets. Still, they are a fun way to play and come in affordable denominations. We bought one for $5.

In addition, many cruise casinos offer lotto-style drawings where you can buy a ticket and win if your numbers match. Look to your daily planner for the drawing times.

Other Games

As you can see, cruise casinos have plenty of well-known and favorite games. But there are some others that you should know about that you’ll see and typically don’t find in land-based casinos.

Crane Machines: Remember those arcade cranes you’d find and try your luck to grab a cute stuffed animal? You’ll often find those same machines in a casino, with the chance to grab stacks of cash. There are also other games like the “Keymaster” where you position a key in the hole to win the cash prize.

While these might look like games of skill, it’s well-publicized that they can be set to only win sometimes  by only allowing enough grip strength to occasionally pick up a bundle of cash. Keep this in mind when playing.

Coin Pushers: Remember the carnival (like the fair, not the cruise line!) that featured tokens you’d drop in to push even more over the edge? Well, they make an appearance on cruise ships only this time using quarters. Drop in a quarter and hopefully you can push more over the edge than you used… along with folded cash and other prizes stacked on top.

These games seem to be extremely popular on ships. One tip is to know that often the landing platforms for the coins have slots in the side of the wall. So not only can coins go over the edge and into your pocket, but they can be pushed to the side where they are no longer in play.

Other Table Games: We mentioned the most popular table games like roulette and blackjack. However, there are likely to be a number of different table games. What’s available will vary from ship to ship. We’ve seen Three Card Poker, Mississippi Stud, Baccarat, and others. The good thing is that cruise ships are great places to learn these sorts of games as minimums are typically low and there are few other players.

More on Cruise Ship Gaming:

• 12 Must-Have Cruise Casino Tips to Know Before You Play
• Cruise Ship Casino Gambling: Everything to Know Before You Bet

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When are Casinos Open on Alaskan Cruise?

By SuzieQ521 , March 6, 2023 in Princess Cruises

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We have a couple people in our group who will be spending the majority of their time in the casino but I thought I read somewhere that the casinos are not open as long as the ship is about 12 miles from any Port. Is that true? How does that work given that the Alaskan Ports are so close to each other?

We are doing Seattle-Juneau-Skagway-Glacier Bay-Ketchikan-Victoria-Seattle on the Royal Princess.

Would the casino also be closed all Glacier Bay day? We also don't arrive in Victoria until 7 p.m. so would the casino be open any of that day?

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The casinos are very much closed in Glacier Bay - they’ll typically open about an hour after the park rangers disembark.   

The casino will typically close about an hour before arrival in Victoria and will not reopen before Seattle. 

1 hour ago, SuzieQ521 said: We are doing Seattle-Juneau-Skagway-Glacier Bay-Ketchikan-Victoria-Seattle on the Royal Princess.

Hopefully the ship will go out to sea far enough to open the casino on the last night - Victoria to Seattle. However, please be sure to ask in advance.

We disembarked in Vancouver and the last stop before that was Victoria. The ship didn't go out to sea far enough to open the casino and there was absolutely no notice about the fact so, when I went to the casino to cash out the last night, I found it was closed and nobody could give me my money. I had something like $475 ($425?) in my casino account and was unable to get it out. I had to wait weeks for them to mail me a check.

DallasGuy75219

1 hour ago, SuzieQ521 said: We also don't arrive in Victoria until 7 p.m. so would the casino be open any of that day?

1 hour ago, VibeGuy said: The casino will typically close about an hour before arrival in Victoria and will not reopen before Seattle. 

On Crown last August we were scheduled in Victoria from 6 pm to midnight.  They closed the casino super early (like noon) and it didn't reopen between Victoria and Seattle.

38 minutes ago, Thrak said:   Hopefully the ship will go out to sea far enough to open the casino on the last night - Victoria to Seattle. However, please be sure to ask in advance.   We disembarked in Vancouver and the last stop before that was Victoria. The ship didn't go out to sea far enough to open the casino and there was absolutely no notice about the fact so, when I went to the casino to cash out the last night, I found it was closed and nobody could give me my money. I had something like $475 ($425?) in my casino account and was unable to get it out. I had to wait weeks for them to mail me a check.

Casino does not open sailing from Victoria to either Vancouver or Seattle.

18 hours ago, that said: Casino does not open sailing from Victoria to either Vancouver or Seattle.

Thank you for that information.

Just now, Thrak said:   Thank you for that information.

Have unexpectedly experienced

18 minutes ago, Thrak said:   Thank you for that information.

Also while you are in a Canadian port only one bar per deck is allowed to be open. Weird to me

For Alaskan cruises, cruise lines have an arrangement with Alaska to open the casinos at a certain distance from the ports, and do not have to be as specific distance from the coast.  I believe the actual implementation is an hour away from port, but I could be mistaken on that. 

As noted by others, this does not apply while in Glacier Bay (National park?), and also does not apply once you’re in Canadian waters, or approaching WA state.

As long as we're sorta on the topic, when the casino is "closed" is it "closed" as in "doors closed" or is it "closed" as in "all the machines are turned off, the cashier windows are closed but you can use it as a shortcut" closed?

TIA in advance.

11 minutes ago, phroggie said: As long as we're sorta on the topic, when the casino is "closed" is it "closed" as in "doors closed" or is it "closed" as in "all the machines are turned off, the cashier windows are closed but you can use it as a shortcut" closed?   TIA in advance.

Closed meaning Only Shortcut available 😉

Honolulu Blue

13 minutes ago, phroggie said: As long as we're sorta on the topic, when the casino is "closed" is it "closed" as in "doors closed" or is it "closed" as in "all the machines are turned off, the cashier windows are closed but you can use it as a shortcut" closed?

I've never seen a casino on a cruise ship with closed and locked doors. They tend to be built in places where they're critical thoroughfares to other high traffic parts of the ship.

1 hour ago, phroggie said: As long as we're sorta on the topic, when the casino is "closed" is it "closed" as in "doors closed" or is it "closed" as in "all the machines are turned off, the cashier windows are closed but you can use it as a shortcut" closed?   TIA in advance.

Can still go in and wander around or pass through on your way to the theater but that's it.

1 hour ago, Honolulu Blue said: They tend to be built in places where they're critical thoroughfares to other high traffic parts of the ship.

Not unintentionally, I'll add.

Quiltartist

Hi folks, does anyone know if the Noordam has  a Texas Holdem poker table? Or Carribean poker table? I was recently on the Neuw Statendam and was surprised, no poker

snoozecrooze

26 minutes ago, Quiltartist said: Noordam

You may want to direct your questions to the Holland America forum just in case.

• 1 month later...

On 3/5/2023 at 8:54 PM, Thrak said:   Hopefully the ship will go out to sea far enough to open the casino on the last night - Victoria to Seattle. However, please be sure to ask in advance.   We disembarked in Vancouver and the last stop before that was Victoria. The ship didn't go out to sea far enough to open the casino and there was absolutely no notice about the fact so, when I went to the casino to cash out the last night, I found it was closed and nobody could give me my money. I had something like $475 ($425?) in my casino account and was unable to get it out. I had to wait weeks for them to mail me a check.

Yes, this exact thing

happened to me on the Sapphire Princess last week. The cruise director told everyone at the show the night before Victoria stop that the casino would be open after we left the victoria port at 111;30 pm or so. They decided last minute to not open at all that night ad I had $500 sitting in my folio. It has been a week since disembarkation and I called the very next day and was told someone would get back to about it. Still haven't heard back

2 hours ago, doxiegal said: Yes, this exact thing happened to me on the Sapphire Princess last week. The cruise director told everyone at the show the night before Victoria stop that the casino would be open after we left the victoria port at 111;30 pm or so. They decided last minute to not open at all that night ad I had $500 sitting in my folio. It has been a week since disembarkation and I called the very next day and was told someone would get back to about it. Still haven't heard back

Sadly it was not a "last minute" decision. It is always closed between Victoria and Vancouver as the ship doesn't go out to sea far enough from the shoreline to make it legal to open the casino. The cruise director gave you bad information. I think we got our money back in something like 4 weeks (might have been 5). Unlike the OBC refund this came in an envelope that indicated Princess in the return address. To be safe, check all supposed junk mail to be sure you don't miss the check. This is a hard lesson to learn but once learned you won't forget.

3 hours ago, doxiegal said: Yes, this exact thing happened to me on the Sapphire Princess last week. The cruise director told everyone at the show the night before Victoria stop that the casino would be open after we left the victoria port at 111;30 pm or so. They decided last minute to not open at all that night ad I had $500 sitting in my folio. It has been a week since disembarkation and I called the very next day and was told someone would get back to about it. Still haven't heard back

58 minutes ago, Thrak said:   Sadly it was not a "last minute" decision. It is always closed between Victoria and Vancouver as the ship doesn't go out to sea far enough from the shoreline to make it legal to open the casino. The cruise director gave you bad information. I think we got our money back in something like 4 weeks (might have been 5). Unlike the OBC refund this came in an envelope that indicated Princess in the return address. To be safe, check all supposed junk mail to be sure you don't miss the check. This is a hard lesson to learn but once learned you won't forget.

Agree that it wasn't a last minute decision and the CD just didn't know what he/she was talking about.

On Crown last year the casino made multiple announcements on day 6 (sea day) and the morning of day 7 (late call in Victoria) that they would be closing around noon on day 7 and would not reopen between Victoria and Seattle, so everyone needed to cash out by noon on day 7.

4 minutes ago, DallasGuy75219 said:   Agree that it wasn't a last minute decision and the CD just didn't know what he/she was talking about.   On Crown last year the casino made multiple announcements on day 6 (sea day) and the morning of day 7 (late call in Victoria) that they would be closing around noon on day 7 and would not reopen between Victoria and Seattle, so everyone needed to cash out by noon on day 7.

Nice. We had zero warning and it was a rude shock to find the casino closed.

4 hours ago, doxiegal said: Yes, this exact thing happened to me on the Sapphire Princess last week. The cruise director told everyone at the show the night before Victoria stop that the casino would be open after we left the victoria port at 111;30 pm or so. They decided last minute to not open at all that night ad I had $500 sitting in my folio. It has been a week since disembarkation and I called the very next day and was told someone would get back to about it. Still haven't heard back

I would not trust the cruise director to know anything about the casino it is not part the entrttainment department 

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The ultimate guide to Princess Cruises ships and itineraries

Call it the cruise line for people who want a big, amenity-filled ship that isn't a floating amusement park.

Princess Cruises operates relatively large, reasonably priced vessels. But unlike many of its competitors in that space — most notably Royal Caribbean , Norwegian Cruise Line and MSC Cruises — it doesn't load them up with sprawling water parks, go-kart tracks, laser tag courses and other flashy, family-focused diversions.

Compared to most of its big ship-operating rivals, Princess is known for a more serene, almost old-school style of cruising that isn't about a lot of gee-whiz attractions.

As Princess executives like to say, the line is all about warm and gracious service in an atmosphere of comfortable elegance designed to spark connections among passengers.

Instead of bustling attractions, the top decks on the typical Princess ships offer lots of quiet and relaxing pool and lounge areas where you can enjoy the experience of being at sea without a lot of hustle and bustle. Inside, the experience revolves around dining, classic showroom entertainment and a classy bar and music scene — just as it has on Princess ships for years.

This is, notably, just the way Princess customers like it. Popular with middle-aged couples, retirees and multigenerational families, the "Love Boat" line caters to people who like a more traditional type of cruising than you'll find on the vessels of most other big-ship lines.

Related: Which cruise brand is right for you? A guide to the most popular lines

3 things TPG loves about Princess Cruises

• The abundance of outdoor pool and lounge areas on its ships
• Its expansive spas
• Its far-flung itineraries

What we could do without

• The lack of big suites on most of its vessels

The Princess Cruises fleet

Princess has downsized its fleet considerably in recent years with the removal of five vessels, but it's still the world's fifth-biggest cruise line by passenger capacity, with 16 ships that together offer roughly 50,000 berths.

In general, Princess operates big ships, though they're not quite as big as the vessels operated by Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises — the two lines best known for giant ships. The biggest Princess vessel, the line's new Sun Princess , measures around 177,000 tons. That's about 29% smaller than the biggest ship operated by Royal Caribbean. The line's Royal Class vessels are more than 40% smaller than the biggest Royal Caribbean ships.

Sun Princess is, without a doubt, the belle of the ball in the Princess fleet. Newer, bigger and more venue-filled than the line's other ships, it debuted in early 2024 and carries 4,300 passengers at double occupancy.

Also relatively new and chock-full of lots of venues are the line's five Royal Class ships, which measure between 142,229 and 145,281 tons. These vessels began rolling out in 2013 and carry about 3,600 passengers apiece at double occupancy.

Still, the biggest cohort of ships in the Princess fleet is its seven Grand Class vessels. Unveiled between 1998 and 2008, the vessels in this class are smaller than Sun Princess and the Royal Class ships at around 107,000 to 116,000 tons in size. This smaller size allows them to operate a wider range of itineraries than the Royal Class ships, but they're still big enough to offer a lot of onboard venues. The Grand Class ships carry between 2,600 and 3,100 passengers at double occupancy.

Related: The 4 classes of Princess Cruises ships, explained

Rounding out the Princess fleet are its two Coral Class ships, which, at around 92,000 tons, are the smallest of the line's ships. They each carry around 2,000 passengers at double occupancy.

The downsizing of the Princess fleet over the past few years had a lot to do with the COVID-19 pandemic. Three ships left the Princess fleet starting in 2020 as part of an effort to cut costs during the line's coronavirus-caused global shutdown. Another two vessels — Golden Princess and Star Princess — had been scheduled to leave the Princess fleet even before the pandemic began. They were transferred to one of the line's sister companies, P&O Cruises Australia.

The line currently has one more vessel on order that will be a sister to the recently unveiled Sun Princess. To be called Star Princess, it's due to debut in October 2025 .

Destinations and itineraries

Princess Cruises sails to more than 100 countries on seven continents, from North America and Europe to Asia and Australia, and it offers a wide range of itineraries — around 170 in a typical year. The line's ships visit more than 380 different ports and destinations and take passengers to more than 100 UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Among the line's voyages, you'll find everything from three-day sampler cruises down the Pacific Coast to 116-day around-the-world voyages.

Princess is particularly known for cruises to Alaska , where it dominates the market for cruises along with sister line Holland America . In a typical year, Princess deploys seven or eight ships to Alaska in the summer — far more than most other lines. It also operates its own wilderness lodges in the state, as well as tourist trains and buses. It uses the lodges, trains and buses to offer a range of 10- to 17-night Alaska cruisetours that combine a cruise with land-based touring.

Princess also typically deploys five to seven ships to Europe in the summer, and it has a big presence in Australia, where it can deploy as many as six ships for parts of each year. In recent years, it has also become a major player in cruises around Japan that cater to both American and Japanese travelers, as well as Australians.

In North America, Princess ships sail out of Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades and Port Canaveral , Florida; Boston; New York City; Los Angeles; San Francisco; San Diego; Seattle; Galveston, Texas; Vancouver, British Columbia; and Whittier, Alaska. There are also some sailings that depart from New York City, Quebec City and Honolulu.

In Europe, Princess ships mostly sail out of Southampton, England; Copenhagen; Barcelona; Piraeus, Greece (the port for Athens); and Civitavecchia, Italy (the port for Rome).

Related: The 5 best destinations you can visit on a Princess Cruises ship

Who sails Princess Cruises?

Princess appeals to an older demographic than lines such as Carnival and Norwegian. The average age of passengers is around 54, and you'll usually see a lot of couples on board in their 50s, 60s and 70s.

As noted above, these aren't people necessarily craving go-kart tracks and ropes courses at sea. They're people looking to explore the world in a comfortable, classy sort of way that also is relatively affordable. That last part is key. Princess offers a lot of globe-circling itineraries of the sort often available from high-end luxury lines. However, it does so at a much lower price.

While not the biggest line for families with young children, Princess does draw a lot of multigenerational family groups. It's the line you take if you want an affordable ship that'll appeal to your 70-year-old parents as much as your 12-year-old kid.

Princess also draws a lot of passengers celebrating milestones. The line markets heavily to people marking birthdays and anniversaries with special packages and programs. It's also a huge player in the market for destination weddings at sea, with a division that will help you arrange a ceremony on board or at an exotic location on land during a port call.

Princess was, notably, the first cruise line to host modern-day weddings on ships, offering ceremonies officiated by the ships' captains hosted in onboard chapels.

It is, after all, the "Love Boat" line.

Cabins and suites

When it comes to rooms, Princess is sort of the Marriott of the big-ship cruise world. Its rooms are comfortable and functional but a bit bland. Avant-garde style is not a Princess thing.

The vast majority of the accommodations on Princess ships fall into one of three broad categories: windowless inside cabins, ocean-view cabins and balcony cabins. Balcony cabins, in particular, are widespread on Princess ships. Among mass-market lines, Princess was the pioneer in adding large numbers of balcony cabins to ships.

While balcony cabins are common on Princess ships, you'll find relatively few suites on them. Just 50 of the 2,162 cabins on the line's new Sun Princess are suites, for instance, and that's a lot more suites than you'll find on most other Princess ships.

What this means is there aren't a lot of ways to live large on a Princess ship or to pack a lot of people into a single accommodation. Until the debut of Sky Princess in 2019, the line didn't have a single cabin that could accommodate more than four people.

That said, the Grand Class vessels each offer two Family Suites that can be created by connecting a Mini-Suite with an adjacent inside cabin to form a six- to eight-person complex.

Unveiled five years ago, Sky Princess featured the line's first truly large stand-alone suites, dubbed Sky Suites. Such suites were later added to the line's Discovery Princess and Enchanted Princess, too.

There are two of the suites on each of the ships, and they measure a generous 1,800 square feet (though more than half of that space is taken up by a huge wraparound balcony). With two bedrooms plus a living room with a pullout sofa bed, they're designed for up to five people.

The line's new Sun Princess also has several large suites that measure as much as 1,260 square feet.

Still, even the biggest suites on Sky Princess, Discovery Princess and Sun Princess aren't the truly epic suites with huge interior living spaces that you'll find on the latest Royal Caribbean or Regent Seven Seas Cruises ships. If that's what you're after, Princess isn't your line.

Related: Everything you want to know about Princess cabins and suites

Restaurants and dining

Every Princess vessel has three main dining rooms where meals are included in the fare, and these dining rooms are at the heart of the dining experience on Princess ships. Many passengers have all or most of their dinners in a main dining room.

As of this year, the three main dining rooms on each Princess ship operate under different formats. At one of the main rooms, you can make a reservation for any time, provided a table at the time you want is available. To ensure you get the time you want, it's best to reserve a table far in advance of your sailing, which you can do online once you've paid for the cruise in full. You also can make reservations on board ships during your cruise.

At another of the main dining rooms, you can just show up for dinner at any time without a reservation and be seated on a space-available basis.

The third main dining room on every Princess ship offers a fixed-time "traditional" seating option where you can request the same table at the same time with the same waiter every night of a cruise.

Every vessel also has a casual buffet eatery where meals are included in the fare. Near the main pool area on most ships, it's usually called Horizon Court but is also known as the World Fresh Market or Panorama Buffet on some vessels.

Other covered options on at least some Princess ships include poolside pizza outlets and poolside grills serving burgers. Also, on sea days, Princess transforms a bar or dining venue at lunchtime into an included-in-the-fare English-style pub. It serves traditional pub food such as fish-and-chips and cottage pie, along with Bass Ale or Guinness (for an extra charge).

Every Princess ship also has at least a couple of extra-charge eateries. On most ships, you'll find the line's signature Italian restaurant, Sabatini's. It serves homemade pasta, seafood and other Italian specialties in an elegant setting and comes with a flat fee of $45 per person.

Most Princess ships also have a signature steakhouse. On most vessels, it's called Crown Grill and offers premium beef and seafood cooked to order in an open, theater-style kitchen. On two ships — Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess — it's called Churrascaria Grill and is a Brazilian-style steakhouse with meat presented by waiters.

On two ships — Coral Princess and Island Princess — the steakhouse has a Cajun and Creole twist. In addition to steak dishes, the menu features New Orleans-style peel-and-eat shrimp, alligator ribs and gumbo. On those vessels, it's called the Bayou Cafe and Steakhouse.

Princess ships also offer a chef's table experience — a concept the line pioneered in the cruise world. Costing $95 to $115 per person, it includes predinner cocktails and hors d'oeuvres in the ship's galley with the executive chef before a main dining experience at a private table in the dining room.

Another dining option that recently began popping up on Princess ships is a seafood eatery called The Catch by Rudi, designed by Princess' head of culinary arts, Rudi Sodamin. (Holland America fans will remember Sodamin as that line's longtime master chef.)

The Catch by Rudi is only on Sun Princess, Enchanted Princess, Sky Princess, Majestic Princess and Discovery Princess. Like the Princess steakhouses, it has a cover charge of $45 per person.

Related: Princess cruise food: The ultimate guide to restaurants and dining on board

Entertainment and activities

Princess ships are loaded with entertainment that ranges from Broadway-style theater shows to street entertainers who appear in each vessel's central piazza. That said, they're not floating amusement parks. Unlike some big-ship lines, Princess isn't topping its vessels with waterslides, go-kart tracks, ropes courses and other family-focused attractions.

Theaters and shows

There's no shortage of theater and lounge entertainment on Princess ships. On a typical night, you might find a flashy, fast-paced production show playing in the main theater, a comedian performing in a secondary lounge and live music on offer in several more venues.

In many cases, the main theaters on Princess ships are quite elaborate, with Broadway show-level lighting and special effects, and the productions housed within the theaters are elaborate, too.

Princess has upped its game with its theater productions in recent years through a partnership with Stephen Schwartz, the Tony Award-winning composer of "Wicked," "Godspell" and "Pippin."

Among new productions that Schwartz has worked on is "The Secret Silk," which features life-size puppetry from Jim Henson's Creature Shop, dancing and special effects. It was created and directed by John Tartaglia, a star of Broadway's "Avenue Q" and "Beauty and the Beast."

Princess is also known for its karaoke nights, and it holds a "The Voice of the Ocean" competition during cruises, which is a spinoff of the TV show. Passengers compete in a live performance after karaoke auditions and rehearsal sessions with the shipboard band and backup singers. A team of coaches sits in giant "I Want You" chairs, just like on the show, and passengers vote to choose the winner.

Other interior attractions and activities

In addition to entertainment spaces, the interiors of Princess ships are filled with other venues where passengers can kick back and let loose day and night, including a range of bars, lounges and nightspots.

On many ships, the hub of activity is the Piazza, a sprawling, multilevel space that serves as a central gathering place, like a square in Italy. The configuration of the Piazza varies by ship, but the area typically offers several shops, a coffee bar called International Cafe, a wine bar called Vines, and (on some vessels) additional bars and eateries. The Piazza is also home to roving street performers.

Every Princess ship also has a casino, often just off the Piazza, and spas are big on Princess ships. The Lotus Spa complexes on the line's Royal Class ships offer nearly two dozen treatment rooms, an extensive beauty salon, and a thermal suite with a hydrotherapy pool, heated stone beds, a Turkish-style steam bath and other steam chambers.

Several of the newer Princess ships, including Discovery Princess, Enchanted Princess and Sky Princess, have jazz clubs called Take 5.

In addition to such venues, Princess offers a lot of enrichment activities on its ships. The line has partnered with Discovery to offer a Discovery at Sea program on vessels that includes activities like stargazing from a top deck with a specialist. The program also brings destination specialists and naturalists on board in places such as Alaska to offer insights.

Inspired by Discovery's popular "Shark Week," Princess has also created Shark Week at Sea programming that runs on select sailings in the summer with activities and games designed to challenge both adults and kids on the myths and interesting facts about sharks.

Culinary demonstrations, wine tastings and dance classes also are popular on Princess ships.

Top-deck attractions

The top decks of most Princess ships are notable for what they don't have: There are no roller coasters or pedal-powered sky rides like you'll find on Carnival ships or the go-kart tracks that top some Norwegian vessels. There are no surfing simulators, sky diving simulators, rock climbing walls or zip lines of the sort found on Royal Caribbean vessels. For the most part, there aren't even waterslides or watery splash zones (two vessels, Caribbean Princess and Sun Princess, do have splash zones).

Princess executives long ago decided not to engage in what they call the "amusement park arms race" taking place among lines operating big resort-like ships.

Instead, the line has mostly stuck to the basics with its top decks. They are covered with relaxing pool and lounge zones — and lots of them.

On the last three Royal Class ships, for instance, there's a main pool area at the center of the top deck with two full pools and three hot tubs, plus a secondary pool area at the back of the ship with another pool. There's also an adults-only pool area toward the front of the vessel, along with an extra-charge, adults-only relaxation area called the Sanctuary.

Between all these pool and lounge areas running along the sides of the ship are additional sunning areas with lounge chairs and four more hot tubs.

In short, there is a ton of space for relaxing on the top deck of these newest Princess vessels — more than you'll find on any other ship of comparable size, save for their earlier sisters in the Royal Class.

The one big attraction that you will find on the top deck of Princess ships, always at the main pool area, is a giant Movies Under the Stars movie screen. A growing number of cruise ships now have movie screens on their pool decks, but Princess pioneered the concept.

The screens show movies, concerts and sporting events during the day, but at night, they really shine. In a longtime Princess tradition, the line turns the main pool areas of its ships into outdoor movie theaters at night by reconfiguring lounge chairs to face the screen and bringing out blankets to ward off the evening chill. It even serves popcorn.

Some ships also feature basketball courts, miniature golf putting courses, shuffleboard games and pingpong tables tucked into corners of their top decks.

Children's programs

While it doesn't draw as many families with young children as Carnival or Royal Caribbean, Princess offers an extensive children's program that gets high marks from parents.

The Princess Youth and Teen centers were recently rebranded "Camp Discovery" as part of the line's partnership with Discovery Communications and offer free, supervised activities daily for children ages 3 to 17.

The line splits children in the program into three age groups: the Treehouse (ages 3 to 7 years), the Lodge (ages 8 to 12 years) and the Beach House (ages 13 to 17 years). Each age group often has its own separate facilities on ships. On some ships, the age groups may be further divided based on available space.

Each group has its own age-appropriate activities, with newly revamped experiences designed to "help young Princess explorers learn, play and create fun memories."

While the free programming for children ages 3 to 12 ends at 10 p.m., you can pay extra to leave your kids at shipboard Youth and Teen centers from 10 p.m. until 1 a.m. During those hours, they're supervised in what is essentially a group child-sitting service.

The Youth and Teen centers also welcome children under the age of 3 if they are accompanied by an adult.

Related: The 15 best cruise ships for people who never want to grow up

What to know before you go

Required documents.

A passport is required for all international itineraries, including world cruises and sailings to Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Europe, India, Central and South America, the Panama Canal (partial and full transit), Caribbean voyages that visit Martinique or Guadeloupe, the South Pacific and Tahiti.

If you're a U.S. citizen, you don't need a passport for many domestic itineraries (including Alaska, Bermuda, Canada, Caribbean, Hawaii and Mexico sailings). You can instead travel with an official copy of your birth certificate and a driver's license or other government-issued photo identification. A few other forms of identification, such as a passport card, are also acceptable. That said, Princess strongly recommends that all travelers bring a passport.

Passports must be valid for at least six months. The name on your reservation must be exactly as it is stated on your passport or other official proof of nationality.

Related: Where can I cruise without a passport?

Princess adds an automatic service gratuity of $16 to $18 per person, per day to final bills, depending on your cabin category. If you are unhappy with the service you receive, you can adjust this amount at the Guest Services desk before disembarking. (You can also increase the tip amount if so desired.) Also, an 18% gratuity is added to bills at bars, dining room wine accounts and spas.

Related: Tipping on a cruise: What to know about cruise ship gratuities

Princess has rolled out faster Wi-Fi systems with landlike speeds across its fleet in recent years, such that you now can stream video on ships. That's the upside. The downside is that such service costs a lot more than Wi-Fi access did in the past. Pricing changes over time, but the line was recently charging $24.99 per day to hook up a single device. That's an enormous increase from as recently as early 2023, when Wi-Fi access was available for just $9.99.

The faster Princess Wi-Fi system is called MedallionNet Classic , and it's one of several technological upgrades that Princess has made to its ships in recent years under an umbrella called MedallionClass. MedallionClass also brings expedited embarkation, keyless cabin entry, on-demand food and beverage delivery, and the ability to locate friends and family on board — all via an app for mobile devices and a Princess-issued medallion that passengers carry while traveling.

Princess also recently began offering an even faster Wi-Fi service called MedallionNet Max that only is available to those paying for one of the line's add-on extras packages known as Princess Plus or Princess Premier.

Related: Wi-Fi on cruise ships: 5 things to know about internet use on board

Carry-on drinks policy

Princess allows you to bring one bottle of wine or Champagne per person onto ships at boarding at no charge (for consuming in your room; you'll be charged a $20 corkage fee if you want to bring it to an onboard restaurant or bar to drink). You can bring even more bottles of wine on board, but you will pay a $20 corkage fee per bottle.

Smoking policy

On all ships, smoking (including electronic cigarettes) is only allowed in designated outdoor areas and in cigar lounges, designated sections within nightclubs and at designated slot machines within casinos (for those who are playing). It's forbidden in cabins and on cabin balconies. Passengers caught smoking in their cabins will be charged a $250 fine per occurrence. One exception to the above rule is that e-cigarettes are allowed in cabins (but not on cabin balconies).

Princess ships have self-serve launderettes on cabin decks with washing machines, dryers, irons and ironing boards. There's a charge of $3 per load to use a washer or dryer. The launderettes also have vending machines that dispense small boxes of detergent and water softener at $1.50 per box. Additionally, vessels offer extra-charge laundry and dry cleaning services.

Related: Everything you need to know about cruise ship laundry services

Electrical outlets

All vessels have standard North American-style, 110-volt outlets in rooms, and some also have European-style, 220-volt outlets and USB ports in cabins.

The currency used on most Princess itineraries is dollars. The exceptions are select sailings on ships based in Australia, where pricing is listed in Australian dollars. All vessels operate on a cashless system, with any onboard purchases you make posting automatically to your onboard account. You'll receive a medallion that you can use to make charges. This same card or medallion also is what lets you into your cabin.

Drinking age

You must be 21 to consume alcohol on many Princess itineraries. The exceptions include sailings between ports in Europe, China, Australia and New Zealand, and Singapore, where the drinking age is 18. For cruises between Japanese ports, the drinking age is 20.

During the day, there is no specific dress code, and people dress casually. If it's a sea day in a warm-weather destination, and you're bound for the top deck, that means looking like you're going to the beach — T-shirts, shorts and bathing suits (with a cover-up to go inside) are just fine.

At night, there is an official dress code that is enforced when entering restaurants. Most nights are designated as "smart casual," which Princess takes to mean pants and an open-neck shirt for men and skirts and dresses or slacks for women.

Beach attire, shorts, baseball caps and casual jeans (think: the fraying kind or those with holes) are not allowed. One or more nights per cruise, depending on the cruise length, will be designated as a "formal" night when men are expected to turn out in dark suits with a tie or even a tuxedo. The suggested attire for women on such nights is evening gowns or cocktail dresses.

Related: Cruise packing list: The ultimate guide to what to pack for a cruise

Princess Cruises' loyalty program

Princess has a four-tier frequent cruiser program, the Captain's Circle, that is worth joining for the perks — if you're willing to bear with its convoluted tier qualifying structure.

You reach the first tier, Gold, by taking a single cruise. However, from there, you move to each successive tier either by accruing a certain number of "cruise credits" (which aren't necessarily the same as the number of cruises you've taken) or by sailing a certain number of days.

Reaching the Ruby level, for instance, requires three cruise credits (more on those in a moment) or 30 days on Princess ships. Platinum status kicks in after five cruise credits or 50 days on ships.

Related: Princess Cruises' Captain's Circle loyalty program: Everything you need to know

In most cases, members earn one cruise credit for every cruise they take. However, members who book a suite or travel solo in a cabin meant for two will receive two cruise credits for the voyage. The number of cruise credits you have earned is thus often the same as the number of cruises you have taken, but not always.

As is typical with cruise line loyalty programs, lower tiers don't bring all that much in terms of truly valuable benefits. You'll receive things like an invite to a private party (at the Gold tier) and a free upgrade for your travel insurance package when buying it through the line (at the Ruby tier). However, higher levels of the program start to be enticing.

The second-to-highest tier, Platinum, brings such perks as priority check-in and boarding, and a free internet package.

The top Elite level (15 cruise credits or 150 cruise days) adds such things as an exclusive window to preview and book new itineraries, priority ship-to-shore water shuttle service, complimentary laundry, and a complimentary minibar setup.

Members at all tier levels get access to special pricing on certain cruises. They also receive a monthly newsletter and a membership pin.

Note that, in contrast to airline frequent flyer programs, cruise line loyalty programs do not require you to requalify for status every year. So, yes, the perks with lower tiers aren't great. However, it's not as difficult as it might at first seem to hit the more rewarding higher-level tiers in just a few years if you're cruising a lot.

A Princess passenger staying in suites will hit the Platinum level after just three cruises. The top Elite level is reachable within just eight cruises for someone staying in suites.

Related: A beginners guide to cruise line loyalty programs

How much does a Princess cruise cost?

Princess ships are very reasonably priced. They're not the least expensive vessels out there, but they're not pricey by any means. It's possible to find Princess voyages to the Caribbean, the Bahamas or Mexico starting under $100 per person, per night, including all taxes and fees — at least in the offseason.

For instance, as of the date of this story's posting, six-night sailings from Galveston, Texas, to the Western Caribbean in February 2025 started at just $418 per person, not including taxes and fees of $138. That works out to just $93 per night, per person, with taxes and fees for a package that includes your lodging, transportation and meals.

As you might expect, pricing for ships will generally be lower during offseason periods such as September, October, November (not including Thanksgiving week) and parts of December.

When you book can also matter. Cruises book up much further in advance than airplanes or hotels. Many cruisers will tell you that the best pricing for any given sailing is often available when cruises first go on sale (which can be a good two years before a departure). Booking far in advance also gives you the best chance of getting your preferred cabin type and location on a ship.

Once on board a Princess ship, you'll pay extra for most drinks, extra-charge restaurants, spa services, shore excursions, internet service and a few other things — unless you've bought a package for some of these items in advance.

Specifically, the line now offers bundle pricing for several extra-charge add-on items including gratuities, a Wi-Fi package, a specialty dining package and a drink package — if passengers pay for them in advance.

The line's Princess Plus plan gives passengers included gratuities, a single-device Wi-Fi plan, a basic beverage package and a few other freebies for a bundled price of $60 per person, per day.

An enhanced version of the above plan called Princess Premier gives you gratuities, Wi-Fi access on more devices, an unlimited drink package and an unlimited dining package for $90 per person, per day.

Most onboard activities, such as theater shows, are included in the fare.

Related: 15 ways that cruising newbies waste money on their first cruise

How to book

If you're sure you know what sort of cabin you want, on which ship, on which itinerary — and about a dozen other things — you can head over to princess.com to make a booking directly.

That said, given the complexity of booking a cruise — there are a lot of decisions to make during the booking process, trust us — we recommend that you use a seasoned travel agent who specializes in cruises.

A good travel agent will quiz you about your particular interests, travel style and preferences, and steer you to the perfect cruise line, ship, itinerary and cabin for you. They can also help you if something goes wrong just before, during or after your voyage.

If you're sure that Princess is your line, look for a travel agent who specializes in trips with the brand. You want someone who understands all the little quirks that are unique to Princess cabin categories and, preferably, has done ship inspections to see the cabins firsthand.

Related: How to book a cruise using points and miles

Whether you use a travel agent or not, make sure to maximize your credit card points when paying for the cruise by using a credit card that offers extra points for travel purchases . This could be the Chase Sapphire Reserve® , which offers 3 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on travel and dining (excluding the annual up-to-$300 travel credit). There's also the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card , which brings 2 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on travel and 3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on dining.

Bottom line

Princess offers big, amenity-filled ships that are comfortable and classy at an affordable price.

If you're looking for a lot of top-deck fun zones — waterslides, go-kart tracks and the like — it's probably not the line for you. However, if you're on the hunt for not-too-expensive vessels that will take you to the farthest corners of the world in comfort, Princess ships should be on your shortlist.

It's also a great line if you're trying to put together a multigenerational trip, as its ships are designed to appeal to a wide range of age groups.

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