Princess Cruises Ships by Size, Age and Class (2022)

Discovery Princess
Discovery Princess

Princess Cruises has an active fleet of fifteen cruise ships with a further two ships on order (due 2023 and 2025).

In this guide, we will cover all the different ships in the Princess Cruises fleet and how they compare to each other.

Introduction to Princess Cruises

Princess Cruises is an American cruise line which is part of the Carnival Corporation and sister to other brands such as Cunard Line, P&O Cruises and Holland America Line.

Its headquarters are based in Santa Clarita, California, however, some marketing activities are also carried out at Carnival House in Southampton, England.

The company itself was made famous by the television series, The Love Boat, however, it was founded in 1965 when Stanley McDonald chartered the original ship Princess Patricia to sail Mexican Riveria cruises when traditionally the ship would have been laid up for the winter.

Eventually, P&O Cruises acquired Princess in 1974, at that point the line had two ships – Island Princess and Pacific Princess.

Much later on, in 2003 when Carnival acquired P&O Princess Cruises (as it was then called) Carnival transferred operations of Princess Cruises over to America back from the UK.

Princess Cruises operate cruises worldwide – with many of their ships offering Alaskan itineraries and more recently several more of their ships now sailing from Southampton to Northern Europe, the Canary Islands and the Mediterranean.

Princess Cruises Ships Frequently Asked Questions

Discovery Princess is the latest Princess cruise ship, she took her maiden voyage in March 2022

Grand Princess is currently the oldest Princess cruise ship. She was delivered in 1998.

Discovery Princess is the biggest Princess cruise ship. She is 145,000 GRT and can carry 3,660 passengers. Her sister Enchanted Princess is identical in size.

Coral Princess is the smallest Princess cruise ship. She weighs 91,627 GRT and can carry 2,000 passengers.

All of the Princess cruise ships are registered in the Bahamas. (Bermuda)

You can only smoke in the designated areas on Princess ships. This is usually some bars, an area on the outside deck and various other venues. Smoking is not allowed on your balcony, in cafes or in restaurants.

There are fifteen Princess cruise ships currently in the fleet, with a further two ships on order.

Carnival Corporation owns Princess Cruises. It was originally part of P&O Cruises (who Carnival also now own).

Princess cruise ships commonly dock in Sydney, Australia. More specifically they dock at the White Bay Cruise Terminal of the Overseas Passenger Terminal (Circular Quay West). Princess also sails out of Melbourne.

Discovery Princess, Sapphire Princess, Majestic Princess and Crown Princess regularly sail to Alaska.

Yes. Carnival Corporation is the parent company of Princess Cruises. Carnival Cruises is a brand of Carnival Corporation!

Princess Cruises Ships by Size (from largest to smallest)

Ship NameTonnage (GRT)Passengers (Max)Length (Metres)Decks
Discovery Princess145,0003,66033019
Enchanted Princess145,0003,66033019
Majestic Princess143,7003,56033019
Regal Princess142,2293,56033019
Royal Princess142,2293,56033019
Sky Princess141,0003,66033019
Diamond Princess115,8752,67029018
Sapphire Princess115,8752,67029018
Crown Princess113,5613,08029019
Emerald Princess113,5613,08029019
Ruby Princess113,5613,08029019
Caribbean Princess112,8943,14029019
Grand Princess107,5172,60028917
Island Princess92,8222,20029416
Coral Princess91,6272,00029416

What does ‘Tonnage (GRT)’ mean?

GRT (Gross Registered Tonnage) is a term used to calculate the volume inside a ship. It is a measure of cubic capacity and is calculated by the total volume from inside the hull and decks of the ship. 1 GRT = 100 cubic feet of space. In essence, the bigger the GRT – the more ‘space’ the ship has for passengers, cargo, etc.

How are ‘Passengers (Max)’ calculated?

You’ll see multiple numbers for passengers on ships – this is because many ships include extra beds in cabins (such as the sofa/couch can convert to a pull-out bed) – but the majority of cabins usually have 2 people in them. the ‘Max’ number is if every cabin used their additional pull-out bed, etc. This number is unlikely to be reached very frequently.

Princess Cruises Ships by Age (from newest to oldest)

Ship NameBuilt
TBCDue 2025
TBCDue 2023
Discovery Princess2022
Enchanted Princess2020
Sky Princess2019
Majestic Princess2017
Regal Princess2014
Royal Princess2013
Ruby Princess2008
Emerald Princess2007
Crown Princess2006
Caribbean Princess2004
Sapphire Princess2004
Diamond Princess2004
Island Princess2003
Coral Princess2002
Grand Princess1998

Are all of Princess Cruises ships new builds?

Yes. All of the Princess ships are built specifically for the line. However, two of the design classes (Grand-class and Royal-class) have been used across sister brand P&O Cruises.

These include:

  • Ventura and Azura for P&O Cruises (Grand-class)
  • Britannia for P&O Cruises (Royal-class)

Princess Cruises Ships by Class (from newest to oldest)

Ship NameClass
TBC (2025)Sphere-class
TBC (2023Sphere-Class
Discovery PrincessRoyal-class
Enchanted PrincessRoyal-class
Sky PrincessRoyal-class
Majestic PrincessRoyal-class
Regal PrincessRoyal-class
Royal PrincessRoyal-class
Ruby PrincessGrand-class
Emerald PrincessGrand-class
Crown PrincessGrand-class
Caribbean PrincessGrand-class
Sapphire PrincessGrand-class
Diamond PrincessGrand-class
Grand PrincessGrand-class
Island PrincessCoral-class
Coral PrincessCoral-class

Final Thoughts

Princess Cruises is a family-friendly cruise line with a reputation for great service and beautiful looking ships. Out of all the Carnival brands, Princess generally is first with new technologies (such as the Sea Medallion – a small device you wear that allows you to enter your cabin, pay for services and locate your family anywhere on the ship).

Princess has proved very popular in their Alaskan itineraries and also cruises from Australia and New Zealand. Recently, they have been offering near year-round cruises from Southampton over multiple ships as the market for new cruisers hots up in Europe.

Enjoyed this guide? Try reading about MSC Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean or Cunard Line!

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