Cruise on the Modern Ship Star Princess

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General

Star Princess, the newest ship from Princess Cruises, was launched in November 2025 and has since been sailing week-long itineraries in the Caribbean. The ship weighs 175,500 tons, has 21 decks, a maximum double occupancy of 4,300 passengers, and a crew of 1,550.

A beautiful and impressive ship, featuring the Aqua Dome, a unique 3-story central space with seating on every floor, and a circular theater with a stage that has a pool underneath it.

The ship offers a wide variety of restaurants and bars, making it primarily suitable for couples seeking service and quality accompanied by a wealth of activities and options.

The Star is the second ship in the SUN class of Princess Cruises, the true "Love Boat," which even whistles the beloved theme song of the legendary Love Boat series. This site also features a detailed article about the first ship in this series, launched in February 2024: Cruise on the "Sun Princess". That article provides a detailed description of the entire ship (which is almost identical to the "Star") and its sections, accompanied by many photos.

I booked the cruise on the Star Princess while I was still on board its twin sister, the first in the series, the Sun Princess, about a year and two months ago. It is recommended to book cruises a year or more in advance to get a cheaper price. I did a long cruise (27 nights) on the Sun Princess and subsequently wrote a review about it. I was favorably impressed by many things, but there were also too many failures, glitches, and especially overcrowding and lines. Regarding most of my complaints, I was told that this is typical for the first ship in a series, but everything would be fixed in the following ships.

I tested the Star Princess about a month after its launch, on a short one-week cruise that included three sea days and three ports emphasizing beautiful beaches: Princess Cays—Princess's private island in the Bahamas, Grand Turk (in Turks and Caicos), and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. A perfect itinerary for beach lovers, ideal in winter.

Between enjoying the beautiful beaches, I explored the ship from end to end and checked the differences and improvements compared to the Sun Princess, as well as compared to the Celebrity Edge series, specifically the Celebrity Beyond and Celebrity XCEL. On this topic, I wrote a comparison article between the new Princess and Celebrity ships. To my delight, many lessons were indeed learned from the passengers' complaints on the Sun and from the glitches. This time, despite the ship being at absolute full capacity, no heavy congestion was felt, there were no unbearable lines, the food was excellent (especially the desserts), seating in every restaurant and buffet was plentiful and spacious, including many outdoor seating options, the service was personal and wonderful, the ship is beautiful and full of options, and I definitely recommend it. It will alternate between the Caribbean in winter and Alaska in summer, with cruises featuring the best possible itinerary—a full Panama Canal transit—during the transition seasons. Along with the recommendation, I will add a caveat that the rooms are quite cramped (rather narrow), the bathrooms are small (it's actually difficult even to dry yourself in the bathroom), and the main shows are insufficient, both in terms of quantity and level.

Shows on the Ship

On the Star Princess, there are many simultaneous activities and shows held in several dedicated areas. None are very large, but because there are many events happening at the same time, there were always comfortable places to watch and participate without issue. The theater called the Princess Arena is circular and rather small. One production by the entertainment and acrobat team was held there; it was quite recommended, but surprising that there was only one during a one-week cruise.

The rest were guest performances by magicians, acrobats, singers, and bands. In the "Dome"—a glass-domed hall on the ship's upper decks—there are many unique musical performances, various events, and acrobatic shows.

In the Princess Plaza—the central three-story space with seating on every floor—various TV games, music shows, acrobatic performances, dances, Zumba, events with officers and crew, and more are held non-stop.

The "Princess Live!" hall is the venue for most TV games, karaoke, comedy club (stand-up), and more. Each venue individually is not large, but usually, in all four locations (in addition to other spots like the Irish pub or near the bars with musicians and singers), different shows and events happen simultaneously, so there were no lines or seating problems. This contrasts with the experience I had on the Sun Princess, the first in the series. Apparently, lessons were learned and the various activities were organized correctly. In short—there is never a dull moment from morning to night. The level of shows and major productions does not equal Royal Caribbean or Celebrity (in the Edge class) and can certainly be improved and upgraded (but surpasses the level on other Princess or Holland America ship classes), but the other events, including the Captain's reception, the farewell from the staff, all the dancing, TV games, etc., are very recommended and diverse.

Spellbound - A Special Bar with Magic and a Show

A unique and mysterious experience for an extra fee on the Star Princess is an area called "Spellbound," hidden behind a door with the letter 'S' near the casino. This is a unique and luxurious entertainment complex designed entirely like a mysterious Hollywood magic castle with secret rooms and corners, moving pictures, and a host of surprises.

"Enchanted" cocktails are served there—drinks with effects like smoke, color changes, etc., which are both tasty and photogenic (two cocktails per participant are included in the experience price). There is also beautiful self-playing piano music.

A magician moves among the people performing private magic at each table, and there is a magic and illusion show held once an hour for about half an hour by a magician named "Handsome Jack" involving the audience. A host circulates to explain the unique venue, and the bartenders are friendly.

The idea is to independently explore the place while drinking cocktails, pressing hidden buttons, discovering special effects, and enjoying the atmosphere of mystery in a special and pampered place while enjoying magic shows. There is no time limit for spending time at Spellbound; you can return to it on the day you purchased entry and stay as long as you wish. For adults only.

Restaurants, Bars, and Food on the Ship

Love by Britto Restaurant

The most recommended restaurant on the Star Princess, as on its sister, the Sun Princess, is Love by Britto.

The restaurant was created in collaboration with the artist Romero Britto, and the atmosphere is colorful, romantic, and very artistic. All the pictures are, of course, by the popular heart-artist, and even the dishes are all designed with hearts, including the bread and even the napkin folded into a heart shape.

But beyond the look and atmosphere—this is a high-quality chef's restaurant where every bite is wonderful and delicious. You receive a five-course meal, with 2-3 choices for most courses.

There are also special cocktails for the venue—photogenic and, above all, tasty. The service is personal and wonderful. In short—highly recommended. This is, of course, a restaurant with an extra charge, what is called a "Cover Charge" on ships. Currently, it is $60 per person, similar to most of the ship's specialty restaurants (there is a large selection of extra-fee restaurants; the others, in my opinion, justify the extra charge less). The restaurant is located at the aft of the ship on the 17th deck in a quiet spot away from all other restaurants, overlooking a wonderful view of the sea.

Desserts on the Ship

The desserts in the main dining room on Princess Cruises (not in the extra-fee restaurants, but in the included main dining room) are wonderful! A large variety of delicious and photogenic options. Much more than most cruise lines, including much more expensive ones. From "Love" chocolate desserts, through soufflés (which are rare on large ships but plentiful on Princess), and many other options. The temptation is great... the choice is difficult. When the waiter notices the hesitation, he brings two or more...

Beverage / Specialty Dining / Tips / Internet / Shore Excursion Packages

Each company has different packages for drinks/internet/tips/food/excursions that can be purchased before the cruise at a discount or during the cruise. Some are very limited and some include a lot. Some are expensive and some are truly worthwhile. Princess had quite worthwhile packages called Princess Plus at a cost of $60 per person per day which included: tips, drinks up to $15 (up to 15 glasses per day), satellite internet (recommended and unlimited with no need for upgrade), room service (delivery of food and drinks to the room and other locations around the ship), two extra-fee restaurants (Irish pub and excellent pizzeria), daily fitness classes, specialty desserts, and natural juices.

Additionally, there were packages called Princess Premier at a cost of $90 per day that included much more: beyond the "Plus" package, it included drinks up to $20 with no quantity limit, unlimited specialty dining, preferred seating in the theater, and internet for four devices (instead of one). These packages are much more recommended compared to companies at a similar level, such as Celebrity, which cost more and include much less. Like all good things, prices here are also increasing starting from the beginning of 2026: The Plus package will cost $65 when booked in advance and $70 when booked on the ship, and the Premier package will be $100 and $105 respectively. On the newest ships of the company (where the price has been identical until now despite the wider variety of options), the price will be five dollars more per day for each package compared to the other ships. In short—for those sailing on the Sun or Star Princess, the price will be $10-$15 more per person per day (depending on the booking date). The content of the benefits has increased slightly (in Premier you also get up to $300 in shore excursion credit and in Plus four pizzeria or Irish pub meals instead of two) but does not justify the price increase. Still, for someone who needs internet, gives tips, and drinks more than 2 alcoholic beverages a day plus some quality coffee here and there—the Plus package is still worthwhile, and for those who also plan many meals in the luxury restaurants and love higher quality drinks—the Premier package is still recommended and worthwhile, but it is highly recommended to book them in advance, before boarding the ship, and also to book specialty dining reservations far in advance. Additionally, it is always worth following holiday and event sales in all lines and booking quickly when you find something attractive.

Destinations in the Ship's Itinerary

Port of Grand Turk Island

Grand Turk Island port in the Turks and Caicos Islands is one of the most recommended ports in the Caribbean for sea and beach lovers. The country is known for its wonderful beaches and indeed, the beach adjacent to the port has clear turquoise water, soft golden sand, and no less important: a wonderful view of the ship.

The great advantage in this port is that there is no need for tours or taxis. You disembark from the ship onto a fairly long pier, walk through duty-free shops to the port's central plaza where there are shops, restaurants, and also a large, beautiful pool with free lounge chairs.

It's really not worth lingering there; the sea is amazing, clear, clean, and quiet with free lounge chairs near the ship but far from the water, and if you move a little away from there, there are fewer people and the chairs are right next to the water (for a modest fee). From anywhere on the beach, you can see the beautiful ship in all its glory.

The water is pleasant and warm. It is recommended to bring inflatable water mattresses from home (or from Amazon), but for those who don't have them—they can be rented on-site. There are also banana boats, paragliding, massages, hair braiding, and vendors of necklaces and souvenirs like at any tourist beach. It is recommended to return to the ship for a good lunch and rest, and return to the sea again towards sunset.

Amber Cove Port in the Dominican Republic

"Amber Cove" port in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, is the port of the Carnival corporation. The port, which "celebrated" ten years since its establishment, is similar to many cruise line ports, with shops, restaurants, and bars (it's really not clear to me why one would leave a ship full of included goodies to sit in a restaurant to eat), a large pool for free use by guests, a water slide, a pool with facilities for small children, lounge chairs, and several extra-fee facilities like a zipline and spacious cabanas.

The port is located adjacent to a beautiful beach of the same name, Amber Cove, but access to it is not direct from the port and requires leaving the port and walking for about 20 minutes or taking a taxi for about five minutes (at a cost of about ten dollars). You can also drive for about ten minutes to a recommended beach further away, which we overlooked from our room balcony. Anchored in the port with us was also the Carnival Mardi Gras ship, one of the company's largest ships, so the port and its pool were quite crowded.

On the other hand, the adjacent beach was quite calm, with free lounge chairs and plenty of shade from the trees. The water is quiet and warm, but not clear. The view—of the Carnival ship (ship views are always a favorite of mine), and there are extra-fee banana boat rides, paragliding, and of course soft and hard drinks and souvenir vendors. Definitely recommended and cheap for someone looking for a pleasant beach who has already exhausted the attractions in the area.

Port on Private Island Princess Cays

Princess Cruises' private island in the Bahamas is called Princess Cays. The island is located at the southern tip of Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas. It is not a separate island but a large private beach area intended for Princess passengers.

The island has wonderful beaches with turquoise water and white sand. Lounge chairs are for free use but cabanas, snorkeling equipment, or water mattresses are for a fee. Food (BBQ with sides and of course fruit and toppings)—free. Arrival to the island from the ship is by "tender" boats. The boat ride takes about ten minutes and the frequency is high, but since this is a large ship, there are lines at popular times (mainly in the morning shortly after arrival). There is an option for water sports (banana boats, paragliding, kayaks, guided snorkeling) but the main thing—a free and pampering stay at a recommended beach.