Star Princess Pros and Cons: Who Should Book It?

Star Princess is a strong fit for travelers who want Sphere-class dining, modern cabins, Sanctuary Collection, The Dome and a much more contemporary Princess experience.

Its biggest tradeoff is that the same glass-heavy, indoor-outdoor design can feel less effortless when weather pushes more passengers into The Eatery, Piazza, Arena and interior circulation routes.

Short version

Before booking, browse the ship overview, deck plan, and onboard guide so the cabin and activities match your priorities.

Star Princess changes character with the itinerary

Star Princess works especially well in scenic regions where its modern cabins, glass-heavy public spaces and multiple outdoor viewing areas have time to earn their keep. Compare the exact itinerary first because a port-heavy sailing and a sea-day-heavy scenic cruise ask very different things from the same ship.

On a wet sea day, outdoor seating and activities become less useful while more guests seek indoor breakfast, coffee, entertainment and scenery. That shift can expose capacity limits, but occupancy, weather and individual routines still vary from sailing to sailing.

Choose Star because you want new Sphere-class dining, Sanctuary Collection, The Dome, modern cabins, and Princess’s Alaska program. Choose a smaller Princess ship if your priority is easier circulation, quieter indoor space, and a more traditional ship built around fewer passengers sharing the same lounges.

The phrase “newest ship in Alaska” is marketing, not a recommendation. Star is a very good ship with a few layout decisions that become much more noticeable in Alaska than they do under Caribbean sun.

Pro: the Sphere Piazza is one of Princess’s most dramatic public rooms

The three-level Piazza sits inside the glass Sphere at the center of Star Princess, with ocean views, bars, cafés, entertainment, aerial performances, game shows, and constant traffic moving through it. It gives traditional Princess social life a much brighter, more modern setting than the atriums on older ships.

Use the Piazza for coffee, casual people-watching, Crooners, International Café, and whatever entertainment happens to appear rather than scheduling every visit. It is at its best when the activity feels spontaneous instead of when 1,000 people are trying to watch a show designed around a central space with only a few hundred ideal viewing positions.

The Piazza’s biggest flaw is that it doubles as venue and circulation hub. When a game show, captain event, or aerial performance starts, people standing three deep around railings can make an already-busy route feel much smaller.

If a Piazza event genuinely matters to you, arrive early and choose a position where you can see the stage rather than assuming the open architecture means everyone has a good view. Glass and height create drama; they do not create infinite seating.

Con: The Eatery is the pressure point you should plan around every morning

The Eatery is Star Princess’s main marketplace-style buffet and a predictable place for demand to concentrate before early port calls. Judge it by the timing and alternatives available on your itinerary rather than label it permanently crowded.

Eat before the main rush, use a sit-down dining room when its hours fit, or choose a lighter International Café breakfast. The best time depends on the port schedule, so do not promise that one fixed hour always avoids pressure.

Cold or wet weather can reduce outdoor overflow just as more passengers prefer to remain inside. Alaska may therefore make this design tradeoff more visible than a warm-weather sailing, without guaranteeing the same experience every day.

Do not judge the entire dining program from crowd flow or one disappointing meal. Use The Eatery when it suits the day and keep included alternatives available for mornings when it does not.

Pro: Star Princess has a much deeper dining lineup than older Princess ships

Star Princess has around 30 restaurant and bar venues, including a three-level main dining complex, Americana Diner, International Café, Alfredo’s, Crown Grill, Sabatini’s, O’Malley’s, The Catch by Rudi, The Butcher’s Block by Dario, Makoto Ocean, Umai Teppanyaki, Umai Hot Pot, and Love by Britto. The variety is one of the strongest reasons to choose Sphere class over an older Princess ship.

Use the included dining for most meals and choose specialty restaurants because the concept itself appeals, not because the ship is new and therefore every paid venue must be experienced. Seven nights disappear surprisingly quickly when dinner becomes a reservation every evening.

O’Malley’s gives the ship a livelier pub atmosphere and a casual dining alternative to the main room. Its larger dining space on Star helps, but reserve or arrive flexibly with a large group rather than assume instant seating at a popular dinner time.

Love by Britto is the restaurant to save for a genuine occasion because the art-driven tasting-style experience and views make it much more specific than simply paying for another steak. Use the Star Princess dining guide before buying Princess Premier solely to justify meals you may not actually want.

The three-level dining room is elegant, but location and dining style matter

Star’s main dining arrangement separates traditional and anytime dining across multiple levels, creating a much more impressive room than a conventional flat restaurant. The aft windows add real atmosphere, especially on an Alaska evening when coastline stays visible through dinner.

Choose the dining style around the port schedule rather than loyalty to “traditional cruising.” Fixed dinner can be comforting on sea days and deeply inconvenient after a late Juneau call or an excursion that returns ten minutes before the assigned seating.

Anytime dining is only flexible when enough other passengers are not requesting the same time. If your family strongly prefers 7 p.m., reserve that time where available because other groups are likely to want the same dinner window.

The Dome is beautiful and still does not have one obvious job

The Dome is a large geodesic glass structure inspired by Santorini, with a pool by day and entertainment at night. On paper, that sounds like exactly the all-weather venue Alaska needs.

In practice, use The Dome more as a flexible scenic and entertainment space than as the ship’s definitive indoor pool. The room changes function, seating gets rearranged, and the schedule determines whether it feels like relaxation space, concert hall, event venue, or something temporarily between those identities.

The Dome’s evening schedule gives the space more purpose than a simple indoor pool, but productions can change by sailing. Treat any named show as a bonus rather than make the entire booking depend on one seasonal entertainment title.

For Alaska, do not assume The Dome solves every bad-weather crowd issue because it only holds a fraction of the passenger load. Think of it as one beautiful refuge among several, not the indoor living room for the whole ship.

The Princess Arena is technically impressive and too small for everyone who wants the same show

The Arena can reconfigure for different productions and creates sightlines and staging that feel much more contemporary than a traditional fixed cruise theater. Star’s original productions such as Meridian and Illuminate use the technology well enough to see at least one.

The problem is capacity. A roughly 1,000-seat theater on a ship carrying more than 4,000 passengers means popular performances require multiple showtimes and some planning.

Reserve or arrive early for the show that matters most and stop assuming “big new ship” means “walk in whenever.” The Arena’s flexibility improves the performance, not the arithmetic.

If a show is full, Princess Live!, Piazza programming, The Dome, Crooners, O’Malley’s, and live music create enough alternatives that you should not spend the evening sulking outside the theater. The ship works better when one sold-out event is treated as redirection rather than catastrophe.

Pro: Sanctuary Collection can create a completely different version of Star Princess

Sanctuary Collection rooms include access to the private Sanctuary Club and Restaurant plus Princess Premier, while qualifying suites add the Signature Suite Lounge. The upgrade changes daily access and inclusions as well as the cabin.

Price Sanctuary Collection for adults who genuinely want quiet top-deck space and private dining. The upgrade is not simply a nicer cabin; it changes where you eat, where you relax, and how much of the public ship you need to use at peak times.

Controlled Sanctuary access improves the chances of finding a calmer base, but it does not promise an empty pool or identical demand every day. Buy it for the restaurant, club and Premier bundle together rather than for an imagined private deck.

Compare the full Sanctuary total with a smaller premium ship on the same route before upgrading. The fair comparison is a private zone on Star versus a more intimate whole-ship product, not simply balcony versus suite.

Con: Star’s public-space circulation can feel strangely residential

One of Sphere class’s oddest design choices is how often public routes run beside or through cabin corridors. Most decks contain staterooms, so a walk between major venues can suddenly feel like you are passing hundreds of bedroom doors rather than moving through a public ship.

This becomes annoying when a wide public flow narrows into a residential corridor full of room-service carts, passengers, and people stopping to figure out where the public deck went. Learn the main public route on Deck 7 and the key vertical connections early rather than trusting intuition.

The Medallion app can help with navigation, but technology does not shorten a long route. If mobility matters, use Princess’s accessibility guidance to reserve the correct cabin type and confirm device storage, tender limits and any assistance well before sailing.

A forward cabin can involve long stretches through accommodation decks before reaching the Piazza, Eatery, or other central venues. Trace your actual repeated destinations before choosing a room because 1,133 feet of ship does not become shorter after you memorize it.

Con: Alaska amplifies every indoor-capacity weakness

Star Princess can feel wonderfully open on a dry sunny day because the Lido deck, Sea View Terrace, Wake View Terrace, outdoor dining, promenade seating, and other exterior areas absorb people. Rain removes a large portion of that overflow instantly.

Poor weather can increase demand at The Eatery, Piazza, Arena, elevators and Dome, while a sunny day gives the ship more usable outdoor capacity. Prepare for that shift without assuming every Alaska sailing or every indoor venue will feel the same.

Bring proper rain gear and keep using outdoor viewing decks whenever conditions are safe rather than retreating inside at the first drizzle. Alaska scenery is often better outside, and waterproof clothing is cheaper than spending the entire cruise fighting for one indoor window seat.

For truly bad weather, spread the day across Dome, Piazza, evening entertainment, spa, dining, Princess Live!, and your cabin instead of trying to occupy one lounge from breakfast until dinner. The ship works better when you rotate.

SkyDeck is practical, but Star is not a thrill-attraction ship

Star Princess has a SkyDeck sports court and track with pickleball, basketball, a jogging track, splash pad and shaded relaxation space. It gives active families useful included choices without turning the ship into a high-adrenaline attraction resort.

Book Star for destination programming, food, pools, shows, relaxation, and modern social spaces rather than expecting giant slides, surf simulators, or roller coasters. Families with teenagers who require constant high-adrenaline attractions may be happier on another line.

The simpler activity profile is a benefit for adults who want a modern ship without a theme-park atmosphere. Star can feel lively without forcing you to hear people scream from a waterslide while trying to drink wine.

Modern cabins still need a careful category and location choice

Star has 2,157 cabins, including more than 1,000 balcony rooms, plus interiors, ocean views, mini-suites, cabana concepts, Sanctuary Collection rooms and suites. Dedicated single interior cabins give solo travelers a purpose-built option, while the full category and location still matter more than the ship’s age.

Balconies themselves are not huge, so do not pay a massive premium simply for outdoor square footage. In Alaska, the value is private access to scenery rather than having enough balcony room to host a dinner party nobody asked for.

Cabana mini-suites have an unusual semi-private outdoor concept that needs an exact-location check before booking because public sightlines and access vary by exact location. Sanctuary categories also include service benefits that matter far more than a small difference in cabin dimensions.

Noise from the gym, public decks, elevators, laundry, service areas and connecting doors can still affect a new ship. Use the cabin-location guides before accepting a guarantee and assuming every new room is equally suitable.

Princess Plus and Premier are valuable only when the math matches how you cruise

Princess Standard includes main dining, the buffet, entertainment, pools and fitness, while Plus and Premier bundle selected drinks, internet, crew appreciation, dining and delivery benefits. Compare the package price with what this group would realistically buy rather than assume a bundle is automatically better value.

Calculate likely spending without a package before buying one and compare Star’s dedicated single interior with the single-occupancy total of a standard double room. A regular drinker using internet and premium meals may benefit, while a light-drinking solo traveler could pay for little-used inclusions twice over.

Sanctuary Collection already includes Premier under the setup, so do not accidentally count the package as a separate reason to upgrade twice. Compare the complete cabin-and-package totals instead of adding benefits mentally as though each arrived free.

Star Princess versus Sun Princess

The sisters are close enough to not invent major hardware differences that do not exist. Star has expanded versions of some dining venues, a refined SkyDeck setup, new Arena productions, and its own entertainment changes, while the underlying Sphere layout, Dome, Piazza, Sanctuary concept, and cabin architecture remain closely related.

Choose Star when its current Alaska, Caribbean or Panama Canal itinerary fits, not because it is universally superior to Sun. Choose Sun when its Mediterranean or Caribbean dates and total fare create the stronger vacation.

The most important Sphere-class question is whether you like the layout at all. If residential corridors, a packed central Piazza, and a large Sanctuary footprint bother you, switching sisters will not solve the fundamental design.

Who you should book Star Princess for

• Couples who want a very modern Princess ship. Sphere Piazza, The Dome, modern cabins, restaurants and Medallion service feel materially fresher than older Princess hardware.
• Food-motivated travelers. The specialty and casual lineup is one of Star’s strongest advantages.
• Sanctuary Collection guests. Private dining and retreat access solve several public-space crowding problems.
• Multigenerational adults. There is enough dining, live entertainment, pools, sports, spa and destination programming for different generations without a theme-park atmosphere.
• Travelers who value scenic itineraries but still want a large modern resort ship. Star is strongest when the itinerary gives its indoor-outdoor spaces time to matter.

Who you should steer toward another ship

• Alaska travelers who hate indoor crowding. Rain exposes The Eatery, Piazza, Arena, and circulation bottlenecks quickly.
• People who want a simple intuitive deck plan. Public routes through cabin areas make Sphere class harder to learn than it should be.
• Families with thrill-seeking teens. Star has sports and pools, not Royal Caribbean-style headline attractions.
• Travelers who do not value Sanctuary but dislike how much premium deck space it occupies. The ship’s private-zone strategy may feel like lost public space.
• Anyone choosing only because Star is newest. Older Princess ships can be easier to navigate and better matched to Alaska weather.

How to book Star Princess

First, decide whether Sphere class fits the itinerary, then compare the exact date and fare with Discovery Princess, Royal Princess or another suitable regional ship. New hardware should solve something you value rather than merely win a launch-date contest.

Choose the cabin based on Sanctuary access, balcony value, and repeated route rather than simple midship logic. Trace how often you will walk to The Eatery, Piazza, Dome, Arena, and outdoor viewing areas before paying for a location that looks central on a tiny deck map.

Book specialty restaurants and Arena shows that genuinely matter, eat breakfast away from the peak buffet window, and keep proper Alaska rain gear handy so a little drizzle does not force the entire family into the same crowded indoor spaces as everyone else.

If Sanctuary Collection is affordable and quiet private space is a priority, still compare that full total with a smaller premium cruise. Star works well when you want both a large modern ship and a controlled retreat, but that combination is not automatically the best value.

Continue planning with the things to do, cruise tips.

The final verdict

Star Princess is compelling because its best features and biggest weaknesses come from the same ambitious Sphere-class design. The Piazza, The Dome, Sanctuary Collection, deep dining lineup, modern cabins, Arena productions and SkyDeck create a polished resort experience that older Princess ships cannot duplicate.

The tradeoff is capacity and circulation rather than a universal crowd verdict. The Eatery, Piazza, Arena, Dome and cabin-corridor routes can face predictable pressure, so book Star for its modern Princess features and itinerary with a realistic plan for alternatives.

If Star Princess is on your shortlist, compare the cabin location, dining package and itinerary against the way you actually expect to spend each day. The ship is easiest to recommend when its modern spaces solve real priorities rather than simply making the booking feel newer.

Plan your Star Princess cruise

Use the cabins to avoid, best cabins, and deck guide to turn the broad pros and cons into a confident room choice.