Princess Cruises and shipbuilder Fincantieri announced the cruise line’s second Sphere-class ship, Star Princess, will be delayed. The cruise line and the shipyard mutually agreed the remaining construction milestones could not be met and still maintain the quality Princess Cruises and Fincantieri expect. The ship’s delivery date has changed from July 29, 2025 to September 26, 2025 which cancels the ship’s first nine sailings.
“Despite our collective dedication and relentless pursuit to deliver the ship in late July, it has become evident that additional time is required to ensure the Star Princess is delivered to the highest standards expected by our guests,” said John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises.
With Star Princess now debuting in September 2025, she will sail roundtrip from Barcelona and include an 11-day voyage around the Mediterranean embarking on October 4, 2025 and a 7-day Mediterranean voyage on October 15, 2025. She will then sail a 14-day transatlantic arriving on November 5, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where she will homeport for her Caribbean season. These three new inaugural cruises will open for bookings later this month on April 30, 2024.
Guests who are already booked on Star Princess’ canceled voyages can choose how they want to be compensated. They may rebook on any Princess cruise worldwide, including future sailings of Star Princess or any other ship in the fleet, or they may cancel their cruise for a full refund back to their original form of payment. Guests who choose to rebook will receive future cruise credits as well as onboard credits based on the original and alternative sailing.
Star Princess is the sister ship to the Sphere-class Sun Princess, which debuted in February 2024. Star Princess will feature the same iconic and structural lines Princess is known for as well as The Dome on the top deck, and The Sphere at the center of Sun Princess