If you want to sail with Princess Cruises to Alaska, the Star Princess is the clear choice: It’s the largest, spiffiest ship in the fleet.
The ship made its debut in 2025 as the second ship in the line's Sphere class, joining sister ship Sun Princess as the largest vessels Princess has ever built. It carries roughly 4,300 guests at double occupancy, and it’s one of eight Princess ships sailing to Alaska this summer in what marks the cruise line’s largest Alaska season ever.
I sailed on the Star Princess for a seven-day Inside Passage Alaska cruise in May 2026. Although Princess covered the cost of this Alaskan cruise, the opinions in this review are my own.
It wasn’t the first time I had sailed with the cruise line, but it’s the trip that convinced me: Alaska is where Princess’ Sphere class really shines.
On the lower end, interior cabins for two people start at about $2,500 — or about $180 per person, per night, as of June 2026. That’s a solid value considering you’re getting accommodations, all the food you can eat, entertainment, activities and transportation between ports.
Cruising is a surprisingly efficient way to see Alaska
I’m a big fan of visiting Alaska by cruising, in part because it’s so efficient. Navigating by land is difficult because many of Southeast Alaska's towns aren't connected by road. For example, Juneau, the state capital, can only be reached by boat or plane. Doing it yourself means juggling regional flights, ferries, rental cars and a new hotel in each town.
A cruise also lets you hit multiple towns without booking the small regional planes that connect much of coastal Alaska. You unpack once, and the ship moves you from port to port overnight. That’s a lot easier than unpacking, repacking and trying to make multiple connections.
Plus, when sailing, you can see glaciers up close that are difficult to reach any other way, and you can pass some of the world's most impressive landscapes from your own room.
First impressions: The Dome is spectacular
Star Princess’ most impressive space is The Dome, a soaring glass-enclosed venue — billed as the cruise industry's first geodesic dome — that doubles as a pool area by day and an entertainment space by night. On Alaska sailings, where the sun sets late into the evening, the theater shows are excellent, set against sunsets through that open-air dome.
One of the best uses of the space is what Princess calls the Candlelight Concert Series: Fire & Ice, where Alaska singer-songwriters perform live amid candlelight in The Dome, heightening the dreamy effect.
Cabins: Balconies are worth the splurge
I'm a budget traveler who usually prefers booking lower-cost interior cabins on cruises to splurging on balcony rooms. On sailings where you're off the ship all day — common in the Mediterranean — or crossing open ocean with nothing to look at, that's the smart call. But this cruise made me reconsider.
On this Alaska cruise, I felt that paying more for a balcony room was worthwhile. The scenery changes by the hour, and there's something special about waking up to a glacier or stepping out of the shower to a fjord out your window.
Though exact fares vary by date, base fares for two people on this 7-night sailing tend to start at about $3,700 for a balcony room for two people (or $264 per person per night), as of June 2026. That's significantly more than interior rooms, which start at $2,500 for two people, or about $180 per person per night. But if you're booking this cruise for the views, it's worth it.
Dining: Get the Princess Premier package
On a port-heavy itinerary, I'd skip the dining package, since you're likely eating on land most nights. But because Alaska sailings put you on the ship for long stretches, the Princess Premier package — which includes unlimited specialty dining — is worth it. For an additional $105 per person per day, it includes benefits like Wi-Fi for up to four devices per guest, a premium drink package, gratuities and unlimited professional photos.
Otherwise, specialty dining can be purchased à la carte; prices vary by restaurant but tend to run $45 to $60 per person.
A few venues stood out:
Love by Britto — named after Brazilian pop artist Romero Britto — is the most unusual concept on board, and a bit gimmicky. There are hearts everywhere, including heart-shaped croissants and cocktails served in heart-shaped goblets. Taylor Swift's "Love Story" was playing over the speakers when I walked in.
The food is a series of small plates and multiple courses that aren't necessarily the best things you'll ever eat, but they're original. The standout is a mushroom cappuccino, which is essentially mushroom soup served in a tiny coffee cup.
The Catch by Rudi is your best seafood option. Here, you can order dishes like calamari, cioppino, lobster and fresh fish.
Butcher's Block by Dario was the most fun meal, but only go if you love meat. It's a communal concept where the entire restaurant eats at the same time, an employee gets on the mic to explain each course, and you work your way through everything from beef carpaccio to a tomahawk steak.
All of the above are included with the Princess Premier package.
The single best meal, though, was an additional cost not included with the Princess Premier package: the Grand Tuscan Dinner at Sabatini's.
Sabatini's is normally a standard specialty restaurant, but every so often (sometimes just once per sailing) it hosts this special six-course dinner, run like Butcher's Block, where everyone is served at once, and an employee gives commentary on each course over a mic. It runs $99 extra and includes a wine pairing along with high-end dishes such as tuna and scallop carpaccio topped with caviar and black truffle. Normally, I'd skip specialty add-ons — but not this one.
The ship also has several bars and lounges, where drinks cost extra unless your package includes them.
Spellbound by Magic Castle
One of the highlights on the Star Princess is Spellbound by Magic Castle, created in partnership with the iconic Hollywood magic club. It's a combination speakeasy-style bar and magic show. For an additional $45 per person, you get access to the show (which runs about 30 minutes) plus two cocktails.
The themes differ slightly on each ship. This one has a 1920s Prohibition-era speakeasy vibe. The magic show varies based on the magician that night. My night featured a mentalist who professed to read the audience's mind, and it was absolutely incredible.
It's well worth it, especially if you skipped the unlimited beverage package and have a free evening.
Included meals
That said, it’s entirely possible to eat well without paying anything beyond the base cruise fare given how much is included. The main dining hall, The Eatery, serves a mix of kid- and picky-eater-friendly fare that still feels elevated, such as Detroit-style pizza and made-to-order pasta bowls. There's also a global lineup, with Mexican and Indian options almost always available, plus other rotating international dishes.
Other included options include a main dining room with waiter service, a 24/7 cafe serving sandwiches, pastries and other small bites, and a few poolside eateries serving tacos, pizza and burgers.
It's also nearly impossible to walk past one of the self-service soft-serve machines without grabbing a cone.
Entertainment: Shows, but no thrill rides
You should come to Alaska for the nature, not the shows. That said, two acts on Star Princess stood out: Asian Soul, a high-energy, funny and charismatic party band, and Duo Lumiere, an acrobatic duo that performs in The Dome.
To be clear, Star Princess is not the ship for anyone chasing big family-friendly thrills. There are no rock walls or waterslides here, so look elsewhere if that's what your crew wants.
Activities: Gyms, games and glacier views
Unlike port-heavy itineraries in the Mediterranean or Japan, Alaska sailings involve a lot of time at sea. The ship offers plenty to keep you busy: a well-equipped gym, a track (yes, I ran laps while we sailed past glaciers), a casino and multiple pools and hot tubs.
Because Alaska is generally chilly, the pools are rarely crowded the way they are on Mexican or Caribbean sailings.
Staff also host plenty of entertainment throughout the day, from line dancing and Zumba classes in the atrium to interactive TV-style games like "Family Feud." I got a kick out of watching others try karaoke roulette, where you step on stage without knowing which song you'll sing.
Ports: Adventure-filled excursions
Princess runs a few different Alaska itineraries, but Star Princess sticks to seven-day round trips from Seattle, departing every Sunday. The ship calls at Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan, all easy to explore whether you book a ship excursion or head out at your own pace. There's plenty to do, like hiking, canoeing, ziplining or taking helicopter rides over glaciers.
Princess sells its own excursions, including salmon fishing in Ketchikan, canoeing to Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau and riding the White Pass Scenic Railway in Skagway. Some can be booked directly through the tour company to cut out Princess as the middleman, typically saving money. That said, booking through Princess can be worth it for the perks — namely, the ship is guaranteed to wait for you if a Princess tour runs late.
It's also entirely possible to skip the excursions and explore on your own for free. (The hike to Yakutania Point and Smuggler's Cove, reachable right from the Skagway cruise port, is a must-do.)
The other signature stretch is the sail through Endicott Arm fjord toward Dawes Glacier, which takes about half a day. Set an alarm, because it starts early in the morning and you don't want to sleep through it. This is where the scenery peaks: waterfalls, floating ice and sheer granite cliffs.
Once Alaska season wraps up at the end of September, the ship sails the Caribbean each winter plus a twice-a-year Panama Canal crossing to reposition between the Caribbean and Alaska.
Is Star Princess in Alaska worth it?
Star Princess isn't the cheapest ship you can sail to Alaska on, but it's one of the best values. What you're really paying for is the scenery, and Star Princess is designed to show it off. Glaciers, waterfalls and the occasional breaching whale slide past walls of glass all day long. Even from a budget interior cabin, you're a short walk from the ship's public spaces, where a great window seat rivals any balcony.
Splurge for Spellbound or the Grand Tuscan Dinner at Sabatini's, and you've got a memorable vacation that's well worth the cost.
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