Sea trials are the moment a new ship proves itself in open water, not on paper. The news from the Adriatic is simple and reassuring, Star Princess has completed her final tests and the results point to a confident debut for guests from 4 October 2025.
From Dock to Deep Water: The Final Proving Run
Over 9 to 12 August, Princess Cruises’ Star Princess sailed out of Fincantieri’s Monfalcone yard to run a full checklist in the Adriatic. These trials assessed steering response, navigation systems, propulsion performance, and overall handling at speed. Trials teams look for consistency under changing sea states, smooth transitions between power settings, and predictable behaviour when the bridge orders an abrupt turn or stop.
Handling and Stability You Can Feel
The ship’s manoeuvrability comes from two Azipod propulsion units that can rotate for precise thrust in any direction. The setup combines with four controllable pitch bow thrusters, so the bridge can slide the ship laterally in tight harbours, adjust in a gust, or hold position while tender operations are underway. Guests will mostly feel this as calm arrivals and unhurried departures, which is exactly what you want on busy port days.
Cleaner Power, Smarter Efficiency
As Princess’ second LNG-powered vessel, Star Princess uses liquefied natural gas to help reduce certain emissions compared with conventional marine fuels. LNG pairs well with modern energy management, allowing the ship to balance hotel load, propulsion, and onboard comfort efficiently. The goal is straightforward, deliver the Princess experience while using newer tech to lighten the footprint.
Spaces Designed For Different Kinds of Days
A new ship works when it offers lively moments and quiet corners in the same day. Star Princess is built around that balance, with social venues that flow naturally and retreats that invite you to slow down.
The Dome: Daytime Retreat, Nighttime Spectacle
The Dome serves as a sunlit lounge by day, then shifts toward entertainment in the evening. Expect a space that draws you in for coffee after breakfast, a book in the afternoon, and a show once the sky darkens. The curved architecture frames sea views, so even when the mood changes inside, the ocean remains the backdrop.
The Arena: Tech-Rich Storytelling
Princess calls The Arena its most technologically advanced theatre to date. That matters because modern shows rely on crisp sound, flexible staging, and lighting that can move from subtle to cinematic without a hiccup. The result is entertainment that feels considered rather than loud, a good fit after a port day when you want to be drawn in, not overwhelmed.
The Piazza: A Light-Filled Heart
The Piazza is the social centre, with sweeping glass, sculpted lines, and all-day people watching. It is where you meet before dinner, discover a favourite duo on a late afternoon, and return for a final espresso. Because the space is open and layered, you can be in the buzz or just above it, which keeps it interesting over a week.
Staterooms and Sanctuary Collection Perks
Where you sleep shapes how you cruise. Star Princess brings a large mix of balcony categories and introduces the Sanctuary Collection, so you can tune your stay to how you like to unwind.
Balcony Living for Glacier Days and Med Sunsets
More than 1,500 balcony staterooms make private sea time easy, useful in the Mediterranean and essential in Alaska. A balcony turns sail-ins and sail-aways into personal rituals, from Barcelona’s harbour to glacier mornings when you want fresh air and a front row. If you are a keen photographer, the ability to step out quickly can mean better shots without leaving your room.
Sanctuary Collection Suites and Minisuites
Sanctuary Collection suites and mini-suites layer in exclusive amenities and access to private spaces that keep days smooth. Think priority touches that reduce waiting, quiet areas where staff learn your pace, and in-room details that make longer voyages feel seamless. For celebratory trips, these categories help set a special tone without forcing a formal atmosphere.
Smart Planning for Families and Friends
If you travel as a group, consider adjacent balconies that can open for shared outdoor space. Midship rooms temper motion for first-timers, while forward views feel like a lookout on scenic days. The key is matching your cabin to your rhythm, early risers often prefer quiet decks, night owls might choose a shorter walk to late-evening venues.
Where Star Princess Will Sail First
The ship opens with a Mediterranean season from Barcelona, then pivots to warm-water classics and finally to the Great Land. That arc gives you a choice of culture-rich cities, island time, or ice and wildlife, all within her first year.
Mediterranean From Barcelona, 4 Oct 2025
Barcelona embarkations make flight planning easy and set you up for a pre-cruise stroll through the Gothic Quarter. Seven to ten nights give you a satisfying rhythm, a city day here, an island there, a sea day to reset. The Dome and The Piazza become familiar waypoints that bookend your shore time with something effortless.
Caribbean and Panama Canal After the Med
Once the European season wraps, expect roundtrips to the Caribbean and transits of the Panama Canal that mix sea days with classic ports. Warm evenings suit The Arena’s programme and al fresco dining spots, and balcony breakfasts feel different when the air stays soft from dawn. If you like a balance of port density and downtime, these routes hit a sweet spot.
Alaska Season: Balconies Earn Their Keep
Alaska rewards early coffee on your balcony and long looks at ice. In this context, the ship’s theatre tech, lounges, and quiet corners are not just novelties, they are places to digest what you saw. On a typical glacier day, you will move from rail to room to lounge without losing the thread of the experience.
Behind the Bridge: The Team and the Build
Shipbuilding is equal parts engineering and choreography. Knowing who is on the bridge and where the work happens helps explain why the sea trial milestone matters.
Captain Gennaro Arma at the Helm
Captain Gennaro Arma, a 27-year Princess veteran, led the trials and now heads a team of about 1,600 crew as outfitting continues. Leadership continuity from yard to inaugural sailing builds confidence on board, crew learn the ship’s quirks under the person who will guide her through the first season. His public comments emphasised navigation precision and manoeuvrability, themes guests will feel as smooth handling on busy days.
Fincantieri’s Monfalcone Yard and the Timeline
Monfalcone has a long record with Princess builds, and that familiarity shows in tight trial windows that hit their marks. With trials completed 9 to 12 August, the focus shifts to interior fit-out, systems tuning, and crew training. That pipeline sets the ship up for a 4 October 2025 debut, giving time to polish before guests arrive.
Why Sea Trial Success Matters for You
A clean trial means fewer surprises later. It signals that propulsion, steering, and navigation systems work together under stress, that noise and vibration levels sit where they should, and that the bridge has the feel of the ship before day one. In guest terms, that translates to reliable schedules, comfortable transits, and a calm sense that the crew and ship are already a team.
New ship launches create extra choice across a fleet, which is great if you know how you like to travel. Start by deciding whether your next cruise leans towards old-world cities, Caribbean lounging, or Alaska’s scenery, then match that to sailing dates.
Use our Cruise Finder to line up itineraries that include Star Princess and her Sphere Class sister. You can filter by region, month, and voyage length, then save a shortlist to share with family or friends so planning stays simple. Choosing the right cabin and deck is half the joy. If you are motion sensitive, go midship and lower, if you love views, look at forward balconies for scenic days and midship for everyday balance.
Plan Your 2025–2026 Princess Voyage With Us
Sea trials are in the wake and the finishing work is on track, which means this is the moment to turn intrigue into a real itinerary. Decide what you want your first week on board to feel like, a city-hopping Mediterranean loop with long twilights, warm-water days in the Caribbean, or a balcony-heavy Alaska run where mornings start with coffee and distant ice.
Now sketch the sequence, pick your season, choose the right balcony or suite for your travel style, and line up flights around Barcelona for the October debut or later dates as the ship crosses the map. If you would like tailored options and holds on ideal cabins, speak with our travel experts and we will shape a shortlist that fits how you like to travel.
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