The 4 classes of Princess Cruises ships, explained

Of the seven big cruise lines that account for the majority of cruises taken by North Americans, Princess Cruises has the simplest fleet.

The vast majority of the line’s 16 ships fall into one of just two groups, known as “classes” in cruise industry lingo: The Royal Class and the Grand Class.

Each of these two groups is made up of ships that were constructed around the same time to the same basic design. If you know one member of the group, you know them all.

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In total, the Princess fleet has six Royal Class ships and seven Grand Class ships, and the line operates just three ships that are not part of these two groups: Sun Princess, Coral Princess and Island Princess.

Sun Princess is the line’s newest and biggest vessel, and the sole ship in the line’s new Sphere Class of vessels. Coral Princess and Island Princess are the line’s oldest and smallest vessels and part of what’s called the Coral Class.

An introduction to Princess Cruises ships

Princess downsized its fleet considerably during the COVID-19 pandemic with the removal of five ships. But it’s still the world’s fifth-biggest cruise line by passenger capacity, with 16 vessels that together offer roughly 50,000 berths.

In general, Princess operates big ships. But they’re not quite as big as the vessels operated by Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises — the two lines best known for giant ships. The biggest Princess vessel, the line’s new Sun Princess, measures around 177,000 tons. That’s about 29% smaller than the biggest ship operated by Royal Caribbean. The line’s Royal Class vessels are more than 40% smaller than the biggest Royal Caribbean ships.

Sun Princess is, without a doubt, the belle of the ball in the Princess fleet. Newer, bigger and more venue-filled than the line’s other ships, it debuted in early 2024 and carries 4,300 passengers at double occupancy.

Also relatively new and chock-full of lots of venus are the line’s five Royal Class ships, which measure between 142,229 and 145,281 tons. These vessels began rolling out in 2013 and carry about 3,600 passengers apiece at double occupancy.

Still, the biggest cohort of ships in the Princess fleet are its seven Grand Class vessels. Unveiled between 1998 and 2008, the vessels in this class 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. However, they’re still big enough to offer a lot of onboard venues. The Grand Class ships carry between 2,600 to 3,100 passengers at double occupancy.

Related: The ultimate guide to Princess Cruises

Rounding out the Princess fleet are its two Coral Class ships which, at around 92,000 tons, are the smallest of the line’s ships. They each carry around 2,000 passengers at double occupancy.

Sphere Class

Ships in class: Sun Princess (2024); Star Princess (2025)

Size: 177,882 tons

The Sphere Class is just starting to debut at Princess — for now, just one of the ships is sailing. But it’s already making waves as a class of Princess ships that’s a significant evolution from what came before.

Notably, the one ship in the series so far, Sun Princess, is more lively, more kid-friendly and offers more dining, drinking and entertainment options than any other Princess ship at sea.

That’s in part because Sun Princess is a much bigger ship than is typical for Princess, giving it room for more venues. At 177,882 tons, it’s a whopping 21% bigger than the next biggest Princess ship and nearly double the size of the line’s smallest ships.

Related: TPG’s take on the new Sun Princess

It also carries far more passengers than earlier Princess ships — 4,300 at double occupancy and 5,189 with every berth filled.

In short, if you’re in the “bigger is better” camp when it comes to cruise ships, this is the Princess ship for you.

Among the most significant differences between Sun Princess and earlier Princess ships is that it has a far more diverse array of eateries — a conscious effort by the line to offer its customers more options.

In addition to the two specialty restaurants found on almost every Princess ship (the Crown Grill steakhouse and Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria), Sun Princess is home to the Butcher’s Block by Dario, a new meat-focused grill designed in partnership with celebrity Italian butcher Dario Cecchini (if you’ve seen Netflix’s “Chef’s Table,” you know who he is).

Related: New Princess ship is serving breakfast for dinner

It also has three new Asian dining options: Makoto Ocean, a sushi eatery designed by James Beard Foundation honoree Makoto Okuwa; teppanyaki-serving Umai Teppanyaki; and hot pot venue Umai Hot Pot (the latter two outlets share the same space). There’s also a new restaurant called Love by Britto, designed in partnership with artist Romero Britto, and a version of The Catch by Rudi, a seafood restaurant designed by Princess head of culinary arts Rudi Sodamin that is on a handful of Princess vessels.

The wider range of eateries is complemented by the most diverse array of entertainment venues ever on a Princess ship. They include an innovative main theater that can be reconfigured three ways for performances; a secondary performance venue for comedy shows and karaoke nights; a central atrium that houses musical performances, game shows and other lively events throughout the day; and a covered-by-a-glass-dome nightspot atop the ship rigged for aerial shows.

In addition, Sun Princess is home to a clubby, magic-infused nightspot called Spellbound by Magic Castle, which is a first-of-its-kind venue at sea. Open to just 90 passengers a night (who pay for the exclusive access; the cost currently is $149 per person), it’s a floating version of Magic Castle, the iconic, private club for magicians and their guests in Los Angeles.

Related: My strange night out at Princess Cruises’ new magic-infused nightspot

Sun Princess also has a large family-friendly play zone on its top deck called Park19, a first for a Princess ship. Park19’s marquee attraction is Sea Breeze, a hang gliding-like ride experience; it also features a ropes course and a climbing wall.

The vessel is also the first Princess ship with a separate suite complex aimed at the growing number of big-ship-loving vacationers willing to pay big bucks to be pampered while at sea.

Royal Class

Ships in class: Discovery Princess (2022); Enchanted Princess (2020); Sky Princess (2019); Majestic Princess (2017); Regal Princess (2014); Royal Princess (2013)

Size: 142,229 to 145,281 tons

The six Royal Class ships in the Princess fleet aren’t as big as Sun Princess. But they’re still significantly bigger than the rest of the line’s vessels and, like Sun Princess, offer more of everything — more lounge space, more restaurants, more bars and more entertainment — than you’ll find across most Princess ships.

On the Royal Class ships, you’ll find all of the things for which Princess is known: lively, piazza-like central atriums surrounded by bars and restaurants that serve as central gathering points; lots of entertainment venues for live shows, comedy acts and more; and relatively uncluttered pool decks with lots of space for sunning.

You’ll also find some “extras” not found on the other ships including, on some of the vessels, a glass-floored “seawalk” that extends over the side of the ship.

Related: The 5 best destinations you can visit on a Princess ship

Each of the Royal Class ships has at least half a dozen eateries, including main restaurants and a casual buffet where meals are included in the fare. Extra-charge restaurants on the vessels include versions of the line’s signature steakhouse, Crown Grill, and Italian restaurant, Sabatini’s.

Some of the ships also have the seafood restaurant The Catch by Rudi that is on Sun Princess, serving up the likes of Dover sole, mussels Provencale and lobster. Plus, you’ll find pizzerias on the vessels and the gourmet hot dog- and taco-serving Salty Dog Grill.

Royal Class ships also have some of Princess’ most elaborate spas with large thermal suites. If you’re a spa lover, you’ll revel in the hydrotherapy pools, Turkish-style steam baths and other spa features found on these vessels.

The most recent vessels in the series — Sky Princess, Enchanted Princess and Discovery Princess — also have more suites than is typical for Princess, which has never been known for high-end accommodations (though not as many suites as you’ll find on Sun Princess). If you’re looking to live it up on a Princess cruise, these three ships as well as Sun Princess probably are the ships for you.

Sky Princess, notably, was the first Princess ship ever to have truly big suites — a pair of so-called Sky Suites that measure more than 1,800 square feet and lord over the main pool area. They were also the first cabins at the line that could accommodate more than four people. With two bedrooms plus a living room with a pullout sofa, they’re designed for up to five people.

As noted above, the Royal Class ships can carry about 3,600 passengers apiece, based on double occupancy (two people per cabin). However, it’s possible you’ll find even more people than that on these ships when you sail on them. When additional berths from pull-down bunks and pull-out sofas are factored in, the total capacity of the ships jumps to around 4,600 passengers.

In case you’re curious, the name of the Royal Class series ties to the godmother of the initial Royal Class vessel. Dubbed Royal Princess, it was famously christened by a royal, the U.K.’s Catherine, Princess of Wales (known as the Duchess of Cambridge at the time). The cruise line’s first Royal Princess, which debuted in 1984, was christened by Diana, Princess of Wales.

Grand Class

Ships in class: Ruby Princess (2008); Emerald Princess (2007); Crown Princess (2006); Caribbean Princess (2004); Sapphire Princess (2004); Diamond Princess (2004); Grand Princess (1998)

Size: 107,517 to 115,875 tons

The Grand Class ships have long been at the core of the Princess fleet, and they continue to be highly popular with Princess fans. About 20% smaller, on average, than the line’s Royal Class ships, the seven vessels in the series offer a more intimate feel than the Royal Class ships while still being big enough to offer a lot of features and activities.

Like the Royal Class ships, the Grand Class vessels have interiors that revolve around lively, piazza-like atriums with cafes that serve as central gathering places. They also have big theaters that are home to production shows, comedy clubs and multiple restaurants and bars spread across their interiors.

On their top decks, they feature lots of quiet and relaxing pool and lounge areas where you can enjoy the experience of being at sea without a lot of hustle and bustle — a notable difference from the vibe on a lot of big ships at competing lines.

Related: The ultimate guide to Princess cabins and suites

Indeed, what you won’t find on the Grand Class ships (or any Princess ship other than the new Sun Princess, for that matter) are a lot of family-focused deck-top attractions. Unlike many of its competitors in the big-ship market — most notably Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line and MSC Cruises — Princess hasn’t been known to load up the tops of its vessels with sprawling water parks, go-kart tracks, laser tag courses and other flashy diversions.

Compared to most of its big ship-operating rivals, Princess is known for a more serene, almost “old school” sort of cruising that isn’t about a lot of attractions.

While all of the Grand Class ships are roughly similar, you’ll find a fair amount of variation from ship to ship, as they were built in clusters with some design changes along the way.

Among the biggest differences is that the three oldest of the Grand Class vessels — Grand Princess, Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess — each have one fewer deck than the rest of the ships in the class.

You’ll also find some variation in restaurant choices on the seven Grand Class vessels. All have a signature Princess steakhouse (either called Crown Grill or Sterling Steakhouse), and a Sabatini’s Italian eatery. But two of the ships — Emerald Princess and Ruby Princess — also have a gastropub called Salty Dog that isn’t found on the other vessels. Some of the vessels have a seafood outlet called Steamers.

In addition, one of the Grand Class ships — Diamond Princess — has been specially overhauled to appeal to the Japanese market with extensive Japanese baths, a sushi restaurant and cabin bathrooms retrofitted with Japanese-style bidets. This ship often sails around Japan on voyages that target the local market, but also Americans and Australians.

Three of the Grand Class ships — Ruby Princess, Emerald Princess and Caribbean Princess — have more elaborate spas than the others with thermal suites. Additionally, one of the vessels, Caribbean Princess, features a family-focused pool deck with a splash pool — a nod to family vacationers that’s unique among ships in the class. As a result, Caribbean Princess makes for a top choice for Princess fans who will be cruising with small children.

Coral Class

Ships in class: Island Princess (2003); Coral Princess (2002)

Size: 91,627 tons

The Coral Class ships are even smaller than the Grand Class ships — about 15% to 20% smaller — and have a more cozy feel. Because of their smaller size, they also have somewhat fewer features and amenities than the ships in the other Princess classes.

In general, these are ships that appeal to cruisers looking for a more intimate experience on a cruise than what you’ll find on the big Royal Class ships. They also draw cruisers who care more about the destinations that they visit on a cruise than onboard attractions.

Along those lines, Princess often deploys the Coral Class ships on its more far-flung, destination-rich itineraries, including lengthy around-the-world cruises.

For the coming year, for instance, Island Princess is sailing a 116-day world cruise out of Los Angeles (starting Jan. 20, 2025) and will also offer lengthy trips to the Arctic and the Baltic.

Related: Everything to know about the Princess Captain’s Circle loyalty program

Coral Princess will spend much of the coming year based in the Australian ports of Sydney and Brisbane for sailings to Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. These sorts of itineraries mostly draw local Australians, but Americans are welcome, too. Coral Princess will also sail a 110-day, around-the-world voyage out of Sydney that will begin April 30.

As is typical for Princess ships, both Coral Class vessels have a restaurant scene that revolves around main restaurants, a casual buffet, a steakhouse (in this case, one with a New Orleans theme called Bayou Cafe and Steakhouse) and an Italian eatery called Sabatini’s.

Entertainment venues on the ships include a relatively large main theater for production shows, secondary lounges that offer comedy shows and other entertainment, and a casino. Like other Princess ships, the top decks of the vessels are mostly devoted to pool areas with hot tubs and lounge chairs. Both ships also have spas.

Bottom line

The Princess fleet is relatively easy to understand. There are just four types of ships in the Princess fleet and for the most part, they aren’t wildly different from each other.

Princess believes strongly in offering a consistent product from ship to ship, and it generally doesn’t make revolutionary changes with each class of vessels it unveils (though the newest Sphere Class has relatively more differences from earlier classes). The big difference among the line’s four classes of ships is the size of the vessels in the classes. If you’re a fan of big ships, you’ll want to gravitate to the new Sphere Class and Royal Class vessels. If you like your cruise ships more intimate, you’ll probably want book the Grand Class or Coral Class vessels.

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