What is the newest Princess Cruises ship? If you're in the market for a Princess cruise, it's something worth knowing.
The newest Princess cruise ship is typically also the Princess ship with the most up-to-date restaurants, bars, attractions and cabins. It's the one to choose if you want the very latest and greatest in a vessel for your Princess cruise vacation.
As of this year, the newest Princess cruise ship is Sun Princess — the first of a new class of vessels for the line. It just sailed on its maiden voyage in February.
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Other relatively new Princess ships include Discovery Princess, Enchanted Princess, Sky Princess and Majestic Princess. All began sailing in the last seven years.
In all, Princess Cruises operates 16 vessels. On average, the line comes out with one new ship every two years or so, and it typically keeps vessels in its fleet for around 20 to 30 years before retiring them. The oldest Princess Cruises ship, Grand Princess, is 26 years old.
In general, Princess Cruises' newest ships are bigger and more venue-packed than its older ships. If you crave a lot of options for restaurants, bars and pool areas for your Princess cruise vacation, you'll want to stick to vessels built in the last 10 or so years.
Related: The 4 types of Princess Cruises ships, explained
The oldest Princess cruise ships — those built in the late 1990s and early 2000s — can be as much as 30% smaller than the line's newest vessels.
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Here, every Princess ship currently in operation is ranked from newest to oldest:
1. Sun Princess
Maiden voyage: 2024
Size: 177,882 gross tons
Passenger capacity: 4,300
2. Discovery Princess
Maiden voyage: 2022
Size: 145,000 gross tons
Passenger capacity: 3,660
3. Enchanted Princess
Maiden voyage: 2020
Size: 144,650 gross tons
Passenger capacity: 3,660
4. Sky Princess
Maiden voyage: 2019
Size: 144,650 gross tons
Passenger capacity: 3,660
5. Majestic Princess
Maiden voyage: 2017
Size: 143,700 gross tons
Passenger capacity: 3,560
6. Regal Princess
Maiden voyage: 2014
Size: 142,229 gross tons
Passenger capacity: 3,560
7. Royal Princess
Maiden voyage: 2013
Size: 142,229 gross tons
Passenger capacity: 3,560
8. Ruby Princess
Maiden voyage: 2008
Size: 113,561 gross tons
Passenger capacity: 3,080
9. Emerald Princess
Maiden voyage: 2007
Size: 113,561 gross tons
Passenger capacity: 3,080
10. Crown Princess
Maiden voyage: 2006
Size: 113,561 gross tons
Passenger capacity: 3,080
11. Caribbean Princess
Maiden voyage: 2004
Size: 112,894 gross tons
Passenger capacity: 3,149
12. Sapphire Princess
Maiden voyage: 2004
Size: 115,875 gross tons
Passenger capacity: 2,670
13. Diamond Princess
Maiden voyage: 2004
Size: 115,875 gross tons
Passenger capacity: 2,670
14. Island Princess
Maiden voyage: 2003
Size: 92,822 gross tons
Passenger capacity: 2,200
15. Coral Princess
Maiden voyage: 2002
Size: 91,627 gross tons
Passenger capacity: 2,000
16. Grand Princess
Maiden voyage: 1998
Size: 107,517 gross tons
Passenger capacity: 2,600
What is the newest Princess cruise ship?
The newest Princess cruise ship is Sun Princess. As noted above, it just debuted in February.
Measuring 177,882 gross tons, Sun Princess is the biggest Princess cruise ship ever built and has more restaurants, bars, showrooms and deck-top pool space than any other Princess ship.
Sun Princess is the first vessel in Princess Cruises' new Sphere Class of ships and considerably bigger than the vessels in the line's last new series of ships, the Royal Class. A second ship in the Sphere Class series, Star Princess, is under construction and will debut in October 2025.
For more details on Sun Princess, including what venues are on board and what it's like to sail on the vessel, see TPG's comprehensive first look at Sun Princess after an early sailing.
What is the oldest Princess cruise ship?
The oldest Princess cruise ship is Grand Princess. Unveiled way back in 1998, it's the namesake vessel for the line's Grand Class of vessels, which remain at the core of the Princess fleet.
There are seven Grand Class vessels in the Princess fleet in all, making it the biggest grouping of ships at the line. Unveiled between 1998 and 2008, the Grand Class vessels are smaller than the Sphere Class and Royal Class vessels at around 107,000 to 116,000 tons in size. This smaller size allows them to operate a wider range of itineraries than the Sphere Class and Royal Class ships, as the vessels can access some smaller ports that aren't as accessible to the bigger ships.
Related: The ultimate guide to Princess Cruises
Still, the Grand Class vessels are big enough to offer a lot of onboard venues. The Grand Class ships carry between 2,600 to 3,100 passengers at double occupancy.
What new Princess cruise ships are coming?
Princess currently has one new cruise ship on order: Star Princess. As noted above, it's the second vessel in Princess' new Sphere Class series of ships, which for now will be made up of just two ships (Princess could order more Sphere Class ships in coming years — we'll see).
As noted above, Star Princess is scheduled to debut in October 2025. The ship was scheduled to debut earlier in 2025 but recently was delayed by several months due to construction issues.
The Sphere Class vessels are being built at the Fincantieri shipyard near Monfalcone, Italy.
What is the newest Princess cruise ship available for booking?
Star Princess is the newest Princess cruise ship you can book right now. While the vessel isn't yet in operation, its initial sailings scheduled for October 2025 already are on sale, as are future voyages through March 2026.
What is the newest class of Princess cruise ships?
The Sphere Class is the newest class of Princess ships. It'll be made up of at least two vessels, the first of which (Sun Princess) is already sailing.
At 177,882 tons, Sun Princess is about 22% bigger than the previous biggest ships in the Princess fleet — a significant jump in size for the line. And yet, while it's 22% bigger, it's designed to hold just 17% more passengers.
In other words, its space-to-passenger ratio is greater, making the ship feel roomier — if only modestly.
Related: Everything to know about Princess cabins and suites
In addition to being significantly bigger than past Princess ships, Sun Princess is also the first Princess ship with suites that come with exclusive access to a private restaurant, lounge and sun deck — a sign Princess hopes to draw more upmarket travelers.
In all, the vessel is designed to hold 4,300 passengers at double occupancy.
What's the difference between newer and older Princess ships?
Newer Princess ships generally are bigger than older Princess ships and thus have more and bigger onboard venues than the line's older vessels.
On the newest Princess cruise ships, the Sphere Class and Royal Class vessels, for instance, you'll find the largest piazza-like central atriums in the Princess fleet surrounded by lots of bars and restaurants; multiple entertainment venues for live shows, comedy acts and more; and expansive pool decks with more space for sunning than you'll find on smaller Princess vessels.
You'll also find some only-on-the-Royal-class-ships extras, including, on some of the Royal Class ships, a glass-floored "SeaWalk" that extends over the side of the vessel.
Related: The 5 best destinations you can visit on a Princess ship
Princess' oldest cruise ships are significantly smaller than its newest ships and lack some of the above features. They have a more intimate feel, at least in the pantheon of relatively big, mass-market ships, and they hold fewer people. While Sphere Class and Royal Class ships can hold more than 4,500 passengers with every berth full, the line's oldest vessels (particularly the relatively small Island Princess and Coral Princess) often sail with just 2,000 or so passengers on board.
That makes them a good choice for someone who wants to try Princess Cruises but isn't eager to travel with huge crowds. The oldest ships in the Princess fleet thus appeal to a subset of Princess fans who prefer more intimacy in a cruise vessel and don't mind giving up some onboard amenities to get it. They are also often less expensive to sail on, on a per-day basis.
Related: Don't miss out on these Princess loyalty perks
In addition, because of their size, the oldest ships at Princess Cruises are able to operate itineraries to places that aren't as easy for big ships to visit. Not all ports in the world can handle a ship the size of Sun Princess.
Note that all Princess Cruises ships are renovated and upgraded on a regular schedule every few years, so even the oldest Princess vessels have newer carpeting, updated furniture, modern decor in cabins and other updates. In many cases, they also have had entire eateries and bars renovated over the years with concepts that first debuted on newer vessels.
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Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
