Star Princess vs Sun Princess 2026: Which Sphere Ship?

Sun Princess reinvented what a Princess ship looks like when it launched in 2024, and Star Princess is the second draft of that same idea. They are Sphere-class twins, and the honest answer to which one is better is that they are nearly the same ship. Star simply files down a few of the first ship’s rough edges.

Because the hardware is so close, this decision comes down to price and itinerary far more than to the ships themselves.

The core difference is the second ship’s refinements

Star Princess is not a new class, it is a polished version of Sun. Princess used the second build to expand restaurant seating, enlarge the non-smoking section of the casino, and improve the top-deck family zone. None of these are headline features, but they address the exact friction points guests noticed on the debut ship: reservations at peak times, casino comfort, and space for kids up top.

If those specific improvements matter to you, Star is the better ship. If they do not, you will struggle to tell the two apart once you are aboard.

Space and cabins are identical

The spec sheet leaves almost no daylight between them. Sun Princess is 177,882 GT and Star Princess is 177,800, both carry 4,300 guests at double occupancy, and both run 1,133 feet long, so each delivers about 41 gross tons of ship per guest. The cabins match category for category: interiors at 136 sq ft, oceanview at 212, balconies at 200, and suites from 267 up to 1,118 sq ft, with the same Cabana Mini-Suites on both.

There is no roomier twin here. Whatever you book on one ship, you get the same square footage on the other.

The headline experiences are shared

Both ships were built around the same signature venues, and Star kept all of them. The Dome, the fully glazed geodesic structure that is a pool by day and an aerial-show stage by night, appears on both. So does Spellbound by Magic Castle, the intimate close-up magic partnership, the Princess Arena with its three-configuration stage, and Park19, the three-deck outdoor activity zone.

This is why the choice feels so marginal. The experiences that define a Sphere-class cruise are present on either ship, in the same form.

Which ship is the better buy

If two sailings are priced similarly and you want the latest tweaks, book Star Princess for the extra restaurant seating and the improved family deck. If Sun Princess is meaningfully cheaper for the itinerary you want, book Sun Princess and spend the difference onboard, because you are getting the same ship in nearly every way that counts.

The tiebreaker is almost always the itinerary and the fare, not the ship. Compare specific Princess sailings side by side, and let the cheaper or better-routed option win.