SINGAPORE, 30 September 2024: Princess Cruises celebrated a major construction milestone last week as its second Sphere-Class vessel, Star Princess, completed its traditional maritime float-out ceremony at the Fincantieri Shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy.
The new ship will now transfer to the outfitting quay, where construction will continue in anticipation of her autumn 2025 debut.
Star Princess’ inaugural sailing is set for 4 October 2025 when the ship will depart from Barcelona on an 11-day Mediterranean roundtrip cruise, visiting six ports such as Marseille, Rome, Naples, Sicily, Gibraltar and Cartegna (Spain).
The ship will then sail a seven-day cruise in the Mediterranean on 15 October before embarking on a 14-day transatlantic crossing to Fort Lauderdale (Florida, USA) on 22 October where she will commence her inaugural season in the Caribbean. Voyages for the inaugural season of Star Princess are on sale now.
Star Princess joins her sister, Sun Princess, as the largest ship ever built for Princess at 178,000 tons and carrying 4,300 guests in more than 2,000 staterooms across 21 decks. It is also the second in the new Sphere-class of ships for Princess and will be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Honouring the hundreds-year-old seafaring custom, the float out celebrates the first time the superstructure of a new ship meets water for the first time. Third Engineer Chiara del Vecchio, who currently works aboard Sun Princess, served as the brand’s madrina and became the first member of the Princess technical team to hold this time-honoured role.
