Are you looking for the most venue-packed, resort-like Princess Cruises ships at sea? If so, you'll want to get on one of the biggest Princess cruise ships.
The biggest Princess cruise ships are, by their very nature, the Princess ships with the most onboard restaurants, bars and showrooms, as well as the most sprawling decktop pool and lounge areas. The biggest Princess ships have the biggest casinos and spas among ships in the Princess fleet and the most cabins and suites — and the most variation in cabin and suite types.
With room for 4,000 passengers or more, the biggest Princess ships are truly large resorts of the sort you find at the biggest vacation destination on land. If you're in the "bigger is better" camp when it comes to a resort experience, these are the Princess ships for you.
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Still, Princess doesn't just operate large vessels. The Los Angeles-based cruise giant — the fifth largest cruise line in the world — also has several relatively small cruise ships in its fleet that carry just 2,000 or 3,000 people and have a more intimate feel. In some cases, these vessels are nearly 40% smaller than the size of Princess Cruises' biggest ships. These smaller ships, notably, have less deck-top pool space and fewer interior venues than the biggest Princess cruise ships. However, with fewer people on board, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
The smallest Princess cruise ships are best for vacationers who like a more intimate, less crowded resort experience.
Related: The 3 types of Princess Cruises ships, explained
To make sure you end up on the right Princess ship for you, it pays to study which Princess ships are the biggest and which are the smallest before booking.
Here, every Princess ship currently in operation is ranked from biggest to smallest.
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1. Discovery Princess
Maiden voyage: 2022.
Size: 145,000 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 3,660.
2 (tied). Enchanted Princess
Maiden voyage: 2020.
Size: 144,650 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 3,660.
2 (tied). Sky Princess
Maiden voyage: 2019.
Size: 144,650 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 3,660.
4. Majestic Princess
Maiden voyage: 2017.
Size: 143,700 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 3,560.
5 (tied). Regal Princess
Maiden voyage: 2014.
Size: 142,229 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 3,560.
5 (tied). Royal Princess
Maiden voyage: 2013.
Size: 142,229 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 3,560.
7 (tied). Ruby Princess
Maiden voyage: 2008.
Size: 113,561 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 3,080.
7 (tied). Emerald Princess
Maiden voyage: 2007.
Size: 113,561 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 3,080.
7 (tied). Crown Princess
Maiden voyage: 2006.
Size: 113,561 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 3,080.
10 (tied). Sapphire Princess
Maiden voyage: 2004.
Size: 115,875 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 2,670.
10 (tied). Diamond Princess
Maiden voyage: 2004.
Size: 115,875 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 2,670.
12. Caribbean Princess
Maiden voyage: 2004.
Size: 112,894 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 3,149.
13. Grand Princess
Maiden voyage: 1998.
Size: 107,517 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 2,600.
14. Island Princess
Maiden voyage: 2003.
Size: 92,822 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 2,200.
15. Coral Princess
Maiden voyage: 2002.
Size: 91,627 gross tons.
Passenger capacity: 2,000.
What is the biggest Princess cruise ship?
The biggest Princess cruise ship is the 3,660-passenger Discovery Princess, which is also the line's newest vessel. It debuted in March 2022.
Discovery Princess is the sixth and final vessel in the Royal class of Princess ships that began rolling out in 2013. They all are roughly the same size, but Discovery Princess is just a tad bigger than its sister ships at 145,000 gross tons. The other five ships in the Royal-class series measure from 142,229 to 144,650 gross tons. Note that gross tons is a size measurement referring to interior space, not weight.
The ships in Princess' Royal class are significantly bigger than the ships in the line's other two classes of vessels (the Grand class and Coral class) and have more restaurants, bars, showrooms and deck-top pool space than the nine vessels in those classes.
The other Royal-class vessels that are similar in size to Discovery Princess are Enchanted Princess, Sky Princess, Majestic Princess, Regal Princess and Royal Princess.
For more details on Discovery Princess, including what venues are on board and what it's like to sail on the vessel, see TPG's first impressions of Discovery Princess after an early sailing.
What is the smallest Princess cruise ship?
The smallest Princess cruise ship is the 2,000-passenger Coral Princess. Measuring just 91,267 gross tons, it's about 36% smaller than Discovery Princess, making it a significantly smaller vessel.
Coral Princess dates to 2002, a time when cruise ships were built far smaller than they are today and with far fewer venues. At 21 years old, it's also one of the two oldest vessels in the Princess fleet and will probably be phased out sometime in the next decade.
Related: The ultimate guide to Princess Cruises
While significantly smaller than the newest Princess ships, Coral Princess still has many of the signature spaces and venues found on new Princess vessels, including an Italian eatery called Sabatini's and a steakhouse.
Entertainment venues on Coral Princess include a relatively large main theater for production shows, a secondary lounge that offers comedy shows and other entertainment, and a casino. Like other Princess ships, the top deck of the vessel is mostly devoted to pool areas with hot tubs and lounge chairs. There's also a spa.
While smaller and older than the typical Princess ship, Coral Princess has a loyal following among Princess fans who prefer smaller and more intimate ships.
Are bigger Princess cruise ships coming?
Yes! Princess currently has two new, bigger cruise ships on order. The first to arrive will be Sun Princess in February 2024. This will be the first of an all-new Sphere class of vessels for the line that will be made up of ships that will be notably bigger than anything Princess has had in its fleet before.
Measuring 175,500 gross tons, Sun Princess will be about 21% bigger than the biggest Princess cruise ship currently at sea — a significant increase. It'll be nearly double the size of the smallest Princess ships currently at sea.
The second new ship that Princess has on order, to be called Star Princess, will be a sister vessel to Sun Princess of a similar size. It's due to begin sailing in 2025.
The Sphere-class vessels are currently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard near Monfalcone, Italy.
Note that this isn't the first time Princess has named a ship Sun Princess or Star Princess. Both are recycled names from past Princess ships. Princess operated smaller vessels under the Sun Princess and Star Princess names up until 2020.
TPG recently got a sneak peek at the most notable new features under development for the new Sun Princess during a visit to the partly completed vessel at the Fincantieri shipyard.
Related: Everything to know about Princess cabins and suites
In addition to being significantly bigger than past Princess ships, the new Sun Princess will also be the first Princess ship with suites that come with exclusive access to a private restaurant, lounge and sun deck — a sign Princess is hoping to draw more upmarket travelers.
In all, the vessel is designed to hold 4,300 passengers at double occupancy.
What's the difference between bigger and smaller Princess ships?
The biggest Princess cruise ships have room for more onboard venues and attractions than smaller Princess ships. That makes them more alluring for vacationers who prefer a big resort experience with lots of options as compared to a stay at a smaller resort.
On the biggest Princess vessels, the Royal-class vessels, for instance, you’ll find the largest piazza-like central atriums in the Princess fleet surrounded by lots of bars and restaurants; multiple entertainment venues for live shows, comedy acts and more; and expansive pool decks with more space for sunning than you'll find on smaller Princess vessels.
You’ll also find some only-on-the-Royal-class-ships extras, including, on some of the ships, a glass-floored “SeaWalk” that extends over the side of the vessel.
Related: The 5 best destinations you can visit on a Princess ship
Princess' smaller cruise ships also generally are its older cruise ships and lack some of the above features, which are more typical of newer ships. These smaller Princess ships have a more intimate feel, at least in the pantheon of relatively big, mass-market ships, and they hold fewer people.
While Royal-class ships can hold more than 4,500 passengers with every berth full, the line’s smaller vessels (particularly the relatively small Island Princess and Coral Princess) often sail with just 2,000 or so passengers on board.
That makes the smaller Princess ships a good choice for someone who wants to try Princess but isn't eager to travel with huge crowds. The smallest ships in the Princess fleet thus appeal to a subset of Princess fans who prefer more intimacy in a cruise vessel and don’t mind giving up some onboard amenities to get it. They are also often less expensive to sail on, on a per-day basis.
Related: Don't miss out on these Princess loyalty perks
In addition, because of their size, the smallest ships at Princess Cruises are able to operate itineraries to places that aren’t as easy for big ships to visit. Not all ports in the world can handle a ship the size of Discovery Princess.
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