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 Discovery Princess. It sailed on its maiden voyage in March 2022.
That said, Discovery Princess soon will be supplanted as the newest Princess Cruises vessel by Sun Princess — the first of a new class of vessels for the line. Sun Princess begins sailing in February 2024.
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Other relatively new Princess ships include Enchanted Princess, Sky Princess and Majestic Princess. All began sailing in the last six years.
In all, Princess Cruises operates 15 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 25 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 3 types of Princess Cruises ships, explained
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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.
Here, every Princess ship currently in operation is ranked from newest to oldest:
1. Discovery Princess
Maiden voyage: 2022.
Size: 145,000 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 3,660.
2. Enchanted Princess
Maiden voyage: 2020.
Size: 144,650 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 3,660.
3. Sky Princess
Maiden voyage: 2019.
Size: 144,650 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 3,660.
4. Majestic Princess
Maiden voyage: 2017.
Size: 143,700 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 3,560.
5. Regal Princess
Maiden voyage: 2014.
Size: 142,229 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 3,560.
6. Royal Princess
Maiden voyage: 2013.
Size: 142,229 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 3,560.
7. Ruby Princess
Maiden voyage: 2008.
Size: 113,561 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 3,080.
8. Emerald Princess
Maiden voyage: 2007.
Size: 113,561 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 3,080.
9. Crown Princess
Maiden voyage: 2006.
Size: 113,561 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 3,080.
10. Caribbean Princess
Maiden voyage: 2004.
Size: 112,894 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 3,149.
11. Sapphire Princess
Maiden voyage: 2004.
Size: 115,875 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 2,670.
12. Diamond Princess
Maiden voyage: 2004.
Size: 115,875 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 2,670.
13. Island Princess
Maiden voyage: 2003.
Size: 92,822 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 2,200.
14. Coral Princess
Maiden voyage: 2002.
Size: 91,627 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 2,000.
15. 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 Discovery Princess. As noted above, it debuted in March 2022.
Measuring 145,000 gross tons, Discovery Princess is the biggest Princess cruise ship ever built and has more restaurants, bars, showrooms and deck-top pool space than many older Princess ships.
Discovery Princess is part of Princess Cruises’ six-ship Royal class of vessels, which is comprised of bigger ships than the line’s earlier classes of vessels. The Royal class began debuting in 2013 and also includes Enchanted Princess, Sky Princess, Majestic Princess, Regal Princess and Royal Princess.
For more details on Discovery Princess, including what venues are on board and what it’s like to sail on the vessel, see TPG’s first impressions of Discovery 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 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 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 two new cruise ships on order. The first to arrive will be Sun Princess in February 2024. As noted above, it’s the first of all-new Sphere-class series of vessels for the line that, as of now, will be made up of two ships (Princess could order more Sun-class ships in coming years — we’ll see).
The second ship in the Sphere-class series, to be called Star Princess, is due to begin sailing in 2025.
The Sphere-class vessels are being built at the Fincantieri shipyard near Monfalcone, Italy.
TPG recently got a sneak peek at the most notable new features under development for Sun Princess during a visit to the partly completed vessel at the Fincantieri shipyard. They include The Dome, a glass dome-covered pool area with tiers of seating facing the bow that will turn into a nighttime entertainment zone with a stage at night.
What is the newest Princess cruise ship available for booking?
Sun 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 February 2024 already are on sale, as are future voyages through March 2025. The one other Princess ship on order, Star Princess, has yet to open for bookings.
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 due to debut in February 2024.
At 175,500 tons, Sun Princess will be about 21% bigger than the biggest ships currently in the Princess fleet — a significant jump in size for the line. And yet, while it’s 21% bigger, it’s designed to hold just 17% more passengers.
In other words, its space-to-passenger ratio will be 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 will also be 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 vessels, the 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 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 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 Discovery 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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