Cruise Spotlight
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Royal Princess vs Star Princess
The Princess Cruises Royal Princess was built in 2013. It was renovated in 2018. This ship is the third to carry the Royal Princess name. It's also one of 3 ships that feature Princess' Watercolor Fantasy Show, an outdoor dancing fountain show. It's 12 years older than the Star Princess, which was built in 2025. Star Princess is the newest ship from Princess Cruises. It's the 3rd ship to be sailing under the Star Princess name and will debut in October 2025. The Star Princess is still under construction and Princess Cruises hasn't released all the details yet.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
Ship Size
The Royal Princess is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 1,083 feet long and 126 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3 football fields, as wide as 2.4 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 19-story building. Compared to the Princess Cruises Star Princess, the Royal Princess is 20% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Princess Cruises Royal Princess holds 17% fewer passengers than the Star Princess based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Royal Princess has less space per person compared to the Star Princess.
| Princess Cruises Royal Princess | Princess Cruises Star Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Royal | Sphere |
| Gross Tonnage | 142,229 | 177,882 |
| Length | 1,083 | 1,133 |
| Beam/Width | 126 | 126 |
| Passenger Decks | 19 | 21 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,560 | 4,300 |
| Crew | 1,346 | 1,600 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.6 | 2.7 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 40 | 41 |
Food and Restaurants
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Royal Princess has fifteen different dining options like Alfredo's Pizzeria, World Fresh Marketplace, and Chef's Table Lumiere. Of those options, ten are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other eight options have an additional fee.
The Star Princess has one more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are International Cafe, The Catch by Rudi, and The Butcher's Block by Dario. nine of these restaurants are complementary and the other thirteen have an additional fee.
The Princess Cruises Royal Princess has about the same number of dining options as the Princess Cruises Star Princess.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Royal Princess might be a better choice then the Star Princess. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
Restaurants on Princess Cruises Royal Princess & Star Princess
| Restaurant | Princess Cruises Royal Princess |
Princess Cruises Star Princess |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Included | |||
| American Diner | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Burger & Hot Dog Grill | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Main Dining Room | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Swirls Ice Cream Bar | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| The Eatery | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Pastry Shop / The Bakery | ✓ | ✗ | |
| World Fresh Marketplace | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| A la carte | |||
| Gelateria | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Gelato | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| International Cafe | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| O'Malleys Irish Pub | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Vines Wine Bar | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Flat fee | |||
| Alfredo's Pizzeria | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Chef's Table Lumiere | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Crown Grill | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Lido Eats | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Love by Britto | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Makoto Ocean | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Sabatini's | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Butcher's Block by Dario | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Catch by Rudi | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Umai Teppanyaki | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Exclusive (open to select guests only) | |||
| Sanctuary Restaurant | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship.
There are also plenty of bars available on these ships. Alcohol is not included in the base price of this cruise ship. To see if you would save money with a drink package, try our Drink Package Calculator.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Princess Cruises Royal Princess has a total of 3 pools and 7 hot tubs.
Princess Cruises Star Princess has more pools than the Royal Princess and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Star Princess. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and two of the hot tubs are adults only on Royal Princess.| Princess Cruises Royal Princess | Princess Cruises Star Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 5 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 4 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 7 | 11 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 5 | 10 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 1 |
Ship Features and Activities
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. On the Royal Princess, 73% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Star Princess, only 25% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Princess Cruises Royal Princess | Princess Cruises Star Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults-only area (additional fee) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Afternoon Tea | ✓ | ✗ |
| Animated fountain | ✓ | ✗ |
| Art Auctions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✗ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✓ |
| Royal Afternoon Tea | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spellbound by Magic Castle | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sports Court | ✓ | ✗ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Princess Cruises is a premium cruise line. Premium cruise lines typically offer upscale food, accommodations, and service. These typically cost about $150 - $400 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Princess Cruises Royal Princess will likely be cheaper than on Princess Cruises Star Princess.
Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you understand what you might spend onboard a Princess Cruises ship.
| Princess Cruises | |
|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $17.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% |
| Soda Price | $2.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $6.25 |
| Drink Package Price | $77 -$100 |
| Internet Plan | $24.99 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | |
Princess Cruises offers two packages to bundle onboard expenses. The Princess Plus package includes daily gratuities, the basic beverage package, 2 fitness classes, 2 casual dining meals, and internet for $60 per day per guest. The Princess Premier package upgrades to the premiere beverage package, wifi for up to 4 devices per guest, two specialty dining meals, unlimited casual dining meals, unlimited fitness classes, and a photo package for $80 per guest per day.
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