Call it a mega cruise line for a country-counting crowd.
The world’s five largest cruise brands all operate relatively large, mass-market cruises, with Princess Cruises offering the most diverse itineraries (typically more than 170 per year), calling in more than 100 countries on all seven continents.
Although the California-based shipping company only has 17 vessels, its ships typically visit more than 345 different ports and destinations each year and take tourists to more than 100 UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Still, by far the company’s most active regions have been Alaska, Europe and the Caribbean.
In a typical summer, Princess Cruises deploys eight of its 17 ships to Alaska and another five to six to Europe. That leaves just a few ships heading to other destinations such as the Caribbean, New England and Japan.
In a typical winter, Princess Cruises moves more than half of its ships to the Caribbean, which will be its biggest focus (the company plans to have nine ships in the region by 2027!), but it also sends a few (usually three) to Australia. It also operates flights in South America and along the Mexican Riviera.
On this line’s sailings, you’ll find everything from a 3-day West Coast sampling cruise to a 131-day around the world cruise.
In North America, Princess Cruises sails from Fort Lauderdale (via Port Everglades), Orlando (from Port Canaveral) and Miami (from Port Miami), as well as Boston; Los Angeles; San Francisco; San Diego; Seattle; Galveston, Texas; Vancouver, British Columbia; and Whittier, Alaska. Some flights also depart from New York City, Quebec City and Honolulu.
With so many options on Princess Cruises, what are some of the best destinations you can visit? Here are TPG’s top five.
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Europe
Some of Princess Cruises’ most popular itineraries are in Europe, where the route has historically held a strong presence. The company typically deploys five to six ships to the continent from spring to autumn, making Europe one of its biggest focuses for more than half a year.
Princess Cruises offers a wide range of itineraries in Europe, with a variety of itineraries in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.
In the Mediterranean, the line offers sailings from five to 50 nights, giving you the opportunity to visit iconic destinations such as Barcelona; Rome, Florence and Venice, Italy; Santorini, Greece; and Kotor, Montenegro, all in one cruise.
Some Princess cruises in the Mediterranean also include visits to Istanbul and Kusadasi in Turkey (the latter is the gateway to the famous ruins of Ephesus) and Haifa and Ashdod in Israel (visiting Jerusalem and other iconic destinations in the country).
In Northern Europe, Princess will take you to prominent Baltic cities like Stockholm; Tallinn, Estonia; and a cruise in Helsinki (until a few years ago, St. Petersburg, Russia was the brand’s primary Baltic destination, but like other cruise lines, Princess no longer sends ships to Russia due to the war in Ukraine). Some trips also take you to Iceland and the Norwegian fjords.
One of Princess Cruises’ longest itineraries in Europe is the 42-day “Best of the Mediterranean” cruise from Istanbul, calling nearly three dozen ports in Turkey, Greece, Italy, Malta, France, Montenegro, Croatia and Cyprus. The next departure for this trip is scheduled for September 14, 2027.
In Northern Europe, Princess Cruises mostly departs from Southampton and Dover in the UK, as well as Copenhagen.
In the Mediterranean, the route’s hubs are Trieste and Civitavecchia (ports of Rome) in Italy, Piraeus (port of Athens) and Barcelona in Greece.
Caribbean and Bahamas
You typically won’t find more than one or two Princess ships in the Caribbean and Bahamas during the summer, as the company turns its focus to sailings in Europe and Alaska. But come winter, it will redeploy a significant number of its ships to cruises in the Caribbean and Bahamas, making these warm-weather Princess Cruises destinations a top choice.
Next winter, for example, 10 of the company’s 17 ships are scheduled to sail in these areas for at least part of the season, including its two newest and largest ships: the 4,300-passenger Star Princess and Sun Princess.
Princess Cruises offers a wide range of Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries from three major homeports – Port Everglades and Port Canaveral in Florida and New York City.
If you’re looking for a short trip, the line can offer you quick five- and six-night trips to the Eastern Caribbean, although the line is known for its longer voyages. These include many seven-night itineraries to the Eastern and Western Caribbeans, as well as a number of even longer Caribbean itineraries of 10 to 14 nights.
The latter cruises offer the opportunity to see a wider range of islands than a typical Caribbean cruise.
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For example, a 14-day “Around the Caribbean” itinerary from Port Everglades calls at St. Maarten (the Dutch side of St. Maarten), St. Kitts, Martinique, Dominica, St. Lucia, Trinidad, Aruba and Curacao.
Princess Cruises also offers 12-day Caribbean Islanders sailings from New York, calling on St. Maarten, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Curacao and Aruba.
Alaska
Perhaps the best destination you can visit on a Princess ship is Alaska. That’s because Princess Cruises is particularly known for cruises to the 49th State, where it dominates the cruise market along with sister line Holland America. In recent years, Princess Cruises has deployed as many as seven or eight ships to Alaska during the summer, far more than most other cruise lines.
Princess Cruises also operates its own wilderness lodges as well as tourist trains and buses in Alaska, and offers a series of 10- to 17-night Alaska “cruises” that combine cruises with land-based travel.
Related: Which Alaska Princess Cruise is Best for You? Complete guide to all options
Alaska’s cruise season is short, lasting from approximately May to September. By 2026, Princess Cruises will deploy eight ships to the Alaska market during this period, including:
- Four ships (Discovery Princess, Grand Princess, Coral Princess and Island Princess) operate one-way Glacier Tours between Vancouver, British Columbia, and Whittier, Alaska, a port town about 50 miles southeast of Anchorage. These seven-night cruises always include two days of glacier viewing at two of Alaska’s three most famous glacier viewing locations: Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Hubbard Glacier, and College Sound. It also includes stops at three of the state’s most popular cruise destinations: Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway.
- Four ships (Royal Princess, Star Princess, Ruby Princess and Emerald Princess) will depart from Seattle (Royal Princess and Star Princess), San Francisco (Ruby Princess), Vancouver (Emerald Princess) and Los Angeles (Emerald Princess) on “Inside Passage” sailings lasting between seven and 16 days. These cruises also include glacier viewing and stops in iconic Alaskan port towns.
The appeal of one-way sailings on Discovery Princess, Grand Princess, Coral Princess and Island Princess is that they can be combined with accommodations at the Princess Inn mentioned above to create a longer Alaska cruise that combines a one-way cruise with a land tour.
The overland travel portion of this type of trip will visit Alaska’s famous interior areas such as Denali National Park and Preserve and the town of Fairbanks.
Related: The Best Alaska Cruises to Book Now
Australia
Princess Cruises has been sending multiple ships to Australia each winter for many years, offering a variety of itineraries from Sydney, Brisbane, Fremantle (Perth Port), Adelaide and Melbourne, calling not only around Australia, but also throughout New Zealand.
The airline offers itineraries in the region of varying lengths, from two to 43 nights, but the shorter voyages are primarily aimed at local Australians looking for a quick getaway. Within North America, the most popular itineraries are the longer ones, which are probably as concentrated in New Zealand as they are in Australia.
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Princess Cruises regularly offers several New Zealand itineraries including a 13-night sailing from Sydney via the Bay of Islands, Auckland, Picton, Christchurch and Dunedin, as well as a scenic cruise in New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park (this itinerary sometimes stops in Tauranga instead of one of the ports mentioned above).
This 15-night New Zealand itinerary from Sydney includes Dunedin, Christchurch, Picton, Auckland, Bay of Islands and Tauranga, as well as a scenic cruise through New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park.
Princess also offers full cruises around Australia. A typical 28-night version of these tours will include visits to Newcastle, Melbourne, Adelaide, Albany, Busselton, Perth, Exmouth, Broome, Darwin, Cairns, Willis Island and Brisbane, as well as scenic cruises along the Yampe Strait and Kimberley coast.
By 2026, Princess Cruises plans to have three ships docked in Australia and New Zealand for at least part of the year.
Japan
In 2013, Princess became the first international cruise brand to offer an extended season in Japan and remains the leader in Japan-focused cruises. If you’re considering a cruise to this island nation, Princess Cruises should be at the top of your list.
Princess Cruises typically sends one or two ships to Japan each year for an extended season that typically runs from February to November. It offers a variety of itineraries across the country, ranging in length from 7 to 28 nights.
Long-distance trips on the schedule take vacationers to iconic Japanese destinations like Nagasaki and temple-studded Kyoto (via the port of Osaka), as well as lesser-known ports like Tokushima and Miyako. Some itineraries include at least one stop in Korea or Taiwan.
Princess Cruises normally deploys its 2,670-passenger Diamond Princess to Japan. The 22-year-old cruise ship underwent an extensive renovation in 2014 and has a distinctly Japanese flavor. The renovation added a spacious traditional Japanese bath area (a first on a cruise ship) as well as a sushi restaurant. Menus in the Diamond Princess’ main dining room and buffets include Japanese dishes such as miso soup and noodles, as well as Western dishes.
The Diamond Princess was originally updated with Japanese design and amenities specifically to attract Japanese vacationers to its Japan itineraries, but the circum-Japan itinerary has proven popular with Americans and Australians as well. On the company’s longer Japan routes, you’ll typically find Japanese, American and Australian travelers.
bottom line
Princess sails around the world and offers extensive itineraries from the Caribbean to Asia. You’ll find the largest selection of Princess Cruises itineraries in Europe, Alaska, and Australia. The route is also known for its routes to Japan. The company’s particular focus on Japan routes, and one ship in particular converted to a Japanese design, sets it apart from other large shipping lines.
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