Princess Just Announced a New Ship Class… But You Can’t Sail It Until 2035

April 15, 2026 Randy Young

Today, Princess Cruises announced three new shipbuilding agreements for a brand-new class of cruise ships. But the first isn’t debuting for another 9 years. Here’s what we know so far.

Fincantieri Will Build the New Voyager Class

The new class of ships will be built by shipyard Fincantieri. That’s the same shipyard used to build their current newest class of ships, Sun Princess and Star Princess. They also built older ships like Crown Princess and Regal Princess. The new vessels will be constructed at their Monfalcone, Italy shipyard.

You’ll have to wait a while to sail on any of these ships. The Voyager Class ships are scheduled to be delivered in late 2035, 2038, and 2039.

What Will the Voyager Class Be Like?

With the first ship not debuting for nearly a decade, there aren’t many details available yet.

The biggest confirmed details are the size and capacity. These ships will be Princess Cruises’ largest yet, coming in at 183,000 gross tons and accommodating 4,700 guests at double occupancy. That’s only about a 3% increase in size over the Sphere Class, but a 9% increase in capacity. Comparing it to other cruise lines, it’s a similar size to Carnival’s Excel Class (Mardi Gras, Celebration, Jubilee), and MSC’s Meraviglia Plus Class (Grandiosa, Virtuosa)

	Royal Class	Sphere Class	Voyager Class
Gross Tonnage	145,000	177,882	183,000
Capacity (double occupancy)	3,660	4,300	4,700

Based on the press release, it appears the ships will be an evolution of the Sphere Class. Princess Cruises says the new ships will “seamlessly blend the most desired and highest-rated experiences and venues Princess Cruises is known for with completely reimagined outer decks, staterooms, and Piazza designs.”

The ships will be dual-fuel powered, primarily using Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).

Gus Antorcha, President of Princess Cruises, said the company has been conducting extensive customer research and gathering feedback from travel agents to find the right balance between evolving customer favorites and introducing brand-new concepts.

Will the Voyager Class Be a Hit With Princess Cruisers?

It’s interesting that Princess Cruises has chosen not to build additional Sphere Class ships.With just two ships in the class, a rarity in the cruise industry, it hints the the ships didn’t meet expectations.

Both Sphere Class ships had relatively rough launches, with multiple delays to their inaugural sailings, the removal of high-publicized top-deck attractions, and the need to relocate certain restaurants onboard because of capacity and design issues.

The reception from long-time Princess Cruises fans has been mixed as well. While many appreciate the updated suite areas and dining options, others have raised concerns about the larger ship size compared to the rest of the fleet and what they see as a lack of personality in the overall design.

It will have been nearly a decade since Star Princess debuted before these new ships arrive, so it gives them time to improve on the concept. Will the Voyager Class overcome these challenges?