Princess put its newest big ship in Alaska this summer, and most people missed it. Star Princess is running 7-day Inside Passage cruises roundtrip from Seattle right now. It is the first Alaska season for this ship.
Star Princess is the second Sphere-class ship from Princess. It is the sister to Sun Princess, and it is the 17th ship in the fleet. It launched last October out of Barcelona, spent the winter in the Caribbean, then sailed through the Panama Canal to Seattle for this Alaska run.
The numbers are big. This is a 177,000-ton ship carrying around 4,300 guests at double occupancy. There are 30 dining and bar venues on board. Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila are the godparents, which is a sentence I did not expect to write this year.
Here is what makes it interesting for Alaska. Sphere-class ships were built around a big glass dome at the front called the Piazza, and it is a wall of windows facing forward. In the Caribbean that is a nice place to have a drink. In Alaska it is a front-row seat to glaciers and coastline. That view is the whole reason people book this itinerary.
Now the honest part. This is a new ship design, and Princess made choices some longtime fans do not love. There is no traditional wraparound promenade deck for a full walk around the ship. It is also a lot of people in one place, so it does not feel intimate. If you want a small ship and empty railings and quiet, this is not that.
Who is this for. It is for people who want a modern ship with real Alaska scenery and do not mind a crowd to get it. The MedallionClass technology makes ordering food and finding your group easy, and the food across those venues is genuinely good. First-time Alaska cruisers who also want the ship to be part of the trip will be happy here.
If you are trying to figure out whether a brand-new mega ship or a smaller one fits your Alaska trip, that is a real decision and it is worth talking through. That is literally what we do.
Fair winds and following seas,
Captain Steve
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