I sailed the newest and biggest cruise ship in Alaska — here’s what it was like

In one week, I went to the casino with my dad, had my hair done with my mom, walked on a glacier, hiked through a rainforest, ate lobster (three times), watched my dad win a shuffleboard tournament, got a massage, saw more than a dozen bald eagles, countless whales, watched aerialists and acrobats, had a blast at an interactive teppanyaki dinner, saw a candlelight concert and laughed with my parents more times than I could count.

And honestly, that list of things we did was just the tip of the iceberg, or glacier, if you will. It would be accurate to say a smile rarely left my face for those seven days.

Even doing one of those things back home would make it a pretty darn good week, but they were all at my fingertips as I sailed with my parents on the newest and biggest ship to cruise Alaska. To say that we had a great trip would be a dramatic understatement.

The ship that made it happen was Star Princess, the newest ship in the Princess Cruises fleet, which first set sail in 2025.

But don’t let that new ship smell fool you into thinking you’re just getting the fluff of Alaska without the real adventure. Princess has been sailing to the 49th state since the 1960s, and this summer it brought its newest and largest ship north to join seven other Princess ships sailing Alaska.

While I’m not new to cruising or to Alaska, this was my first sailing with Princess. I went in not knowing exactly what to expect, and I left seven days later, hoping it wouldn’t be too long before my second sailing. (And my parents may or may not have already put a deposit down to do it all over again.)

In case you’re toying with the idea of exploring The Great Land by ship, here is what it was like to experience Alaska on Star Princess.

Related: The ultimate guide to Princess Cruises ships and itineraries

Star Princess brings new-ship comforts to Alaska

While I try not to be, I’m maybe a tiny bit bougie.

And though I’d tell you with an honest, straight face that Alaska is worth visiting no matter where you stay or who you cruise with — because it is — I’d also admit that your trip will be a lot more comfortable if you sail on a beautiful new ship.

There’s no doubt that Star Princess is a belle of the Alaska ball as a brand-new option that holds 4,300 passengers at double occupancy and provided us with an incredibly smooth ride and a ship that rarely felt crowded due to all of the many spaces that the ship provided for guests to spread out.

But beyond just looking beautiful, some of the ship’s technology genuinely made the trip better. The Wi-Fi was fast and worked every time I tried it, and the MedallionClass technology actually improved the experience.

Princess gives you a small medallion to wear or keep in your pocket that serves as your room key and payment method. It can also track your location, which means you can order “room service” at other places on the ship. It was also incredibly helpful to find my parents on such a large ship by checking their location in the Princess app, since we were linked as shipmates.

The Medallion even knows when you are approaching your cabin and automatically unlocks the door for you, which may sound small, but when your hands are full, it’s tremendously helpful.

And speaking of the cabin, it was an extremely comfortable place to come back to after exploring Alaska.

There are sometimes late nights and early mornings if you want to make the most of an Alaska cruise, but falling asleep at night was never a problem thanks to the deliciously fluffy white bedding in my balcony cabin.

The room itself was not only modern and lovely, but also thoughtfully designed and intuitive. The lights were easy to operate, including floor lights that automatically came on at night. The shower was also easy to use and had strong water pressure. And if you’ve ever fought with technology just to get the water on or lights off, you know how much this matters.

My cabin was touched up twice a day by the gracious cabin host, who was the equivalent of a fairy godmother in my eyes. That made walking back into my “home” for the week a treat every single time. And in fact, every Princess crew member that we encountered was both gracious and attentive.

Then I stepped onto an actual glacier

I can be 100 years old, and I’ll never forget flying with NorthStar Helicopters, soaring over the mountaintops in Juneau and coming to a gentle rest atop a real glacier in the Juneau Icefield.

We got to step outside and walk around on the glacier, look at the glacial blue streams and peer into crevasses so deep that my mind could barely comprehend how far down they might go.

It’s one thing to see a glacier from the ship, which by itself is breathtaking, but it is a whole other level of spectacular to experience one this close up and hear the sound of the ice beneath your boots.

It can be hard to budget for a helicopter excursion on top of the cruise itself, but this day convinced me it is absolutely worth doing at least once, if at all possible, if glaciers are as high on your wish list as they were for me.

I ate extremely well — including a whole lot of lobster and Alaska salmon

When you’re sailing for a full week, the food matters. That’s especially true on an Alaska sailing, where you will likely have some sea days at the beginning and end of your journey when you’re eating all your meals onboard.

And I have to say, I ate like an absolute queen while on Star Princess.

I found plenty I liked well enough from room service, the main dining room, the on-deck taco, burger and pizza spots and The Eatery buffet, all of which are included.

But I also had the optional Princess Premier package, which can start around $100 additional per person, per day and includes Wi-Fi, gratuities, specialty coffees, sodas and alcoholic beverages up to $20 each, along with unlimited dining at seven specialty restaurants and two casual restaurants onboard.

Naturally, I tried as many as I could.

Crown Grill, Princess’ signature steakhouse and seafood restaurant, was a standout, with exceptional service, a memorable mozzarella and garlic-stuffed bread basket and, naturally, a lobster tail with melted butter.

But the most fun dinner of the week award goes to Umai Teppanyaki, where my parents had their first teppanyaki experience. We laughed through the funny songs, tried (and succeeded!) to catch cooked egg in our mouths and even took turns attempting to catch an egg with a spatula without breaking it — which we all failed.

What didn’t fail us was the fried rice, teriyaki chicken, shrimp, miso soup and hilariously entertaining chefs.

I also really enjoyed the multicourse sushi at Makoto Ocean, including toro and snow crab, and went back to The Catch by Rudi twice, in no small part because of its hot-smoked, honey-brushed salmon appetizer.

And Alaska showed up on the menus, too. Princess brings fresh salmon on board in Juneau and serves Alaska beer throughout the ship, as just two examples. Seafood night at The Eatery was popular, and on the last formal night of the cruise, lobster was an included option for everyone in the main dining rooms.

Yes, that means I ate lobster three times in one week. No, I don’t regret it one bit.

Pro tip: If The Eatery is looking full, keep walking aft to the adjacent retro-style Americana Diner and sit in that area for a bit more space to yourself. It has many of the same food options as The Eatery, or you can just bring your plate from there if it had an item you wanted and couldn’t find in the diner.

Easy access to excursions across Alaska that I’ll never forget

I couldn’t wait to tell you about walking on a glacier, but there was so much more we saw and experienced in Alaska, all of which was booked through the ship.

You certainly can book your own excursions, sometimes for a few dollars less if you DIY, but I liked having mine booked through Princess for two main reasons.

First, given how long Princess has been sailing to Alaska and working with tour operators there, I felt confident the excursions would be excellent. And second, I didn’t have to worry about getting back to the ship on time.

If a Princess-booked excursion is delayed, the ship will wait when possible. Or, in the rare worst-case scenario that it can’t wait any longer, Princess will arrange transportation to meet up with the ship at the next port. The same is not true if you book on your own. But having my excursions booked directly meant I could relax and enjoy my time in Alaska without watching the clock.

And we packed a lot into our port days.

In Juneau, in addition to the helicopter landing I already told you about, I took an airboat extremely close to the Taku Glacier, with plenty of bald eagles and seals along the way.

Thanks to a relatively long port day in Skagway, I was able to fit in two excursions — and still had time to walk into town for some epic fry bread from the Klondike Doughboy, which I highly recommend.

That morning, an ocean raft adventure took us through North America’s deepest and longest fjord, lined with waterfalls, hidden coves and, again, plenty of bald eagles and seals. It had the right mix of adrenaline-junky speed and pauses to take in the views and wildlife.

Later that afternoon, I took the White Pass Scenic Railway into Canada along some of the same route that carried prospectors toward the gold more than a century ago, albeit in much greater comfort today.

I was in the luxury car, which certainly isn’t necessary to enjoy the views, but was pretty darn nice. It holds only 14 people and has a private scenic platform, along with a guide dedicated to your car who shared some fantastic history along the journey — and made sure drinks stayed full.

In Ketchikan, having already explored the totem poles and Creek Street on a previous trip, I boarded a motorized inflatable Seahawk for a cruise through the Clover Passage to a secluded beach in the Tongass National Forest. We walked a trail through western red and yellow cedars with a naturalist guide before heading back to the ship.

And just when I thought we’d packed enough into the day, we spotted several humpback whales from the boat on the way back to the dock.

Related: Ultimate guide to Alaska cruise ports and attractions

Plenty of places to take in epic Alaska views

Of course, one of the highlights of sailing to Alaska is taking in the glaciers, fjords and mountains along the way.

Star Princess is especially good for this if you like your views with a side of protection from the elements, as there are plenty of sheltered places to take it all in, including The Dome and the forward portion of the ship on the top decks.

The infinity pool on the aft deck was another incredible place to watch sailaways and be impressed by the ship’s wake.

But if you want totally unobstructed views, especially if you don’t have your own balcony, a “secret” spot I found was on Deck 10 forward near room 10106. Head out there, and you can have the wind in your hair and clear views of the glaciers and more.

Getting pampered on board after exploring on land

I highly recommend getting off the ship and enjoying all that Alaska has to offer if you are physically able, but after all that hiking and adventuring, I’m also a big fan of making the most of the onboard amenities.

Naturally, one of my first stops was the Lotus Spa. In addition to a full array of treatments, this is also where you’ll find what Princess calls “The Enclave,” with a hydrotherapy pool, heated stone loungers, aromatic steam rooms and more. You can purchase access for the week even if you don’t book a spa treatment.

Pro tip: Take the spa tour on the first day to get a peek at The Enclave and decide whether to purchase access.

I also loved the shampoo and blow-dry three-pack that was available. Cruise ships are great, but they aren’t always ideal for bringing all your hair tools and products, so I often get my hair done at least once while on board to skip all that packing.

But getting a three-pack at prices that were honestly less than what it costs me on land was a no-brainer. My mom even came along once, which was a real treat.

Almost too much entertainment to choose from

The cruise director shared a mind-boggling stat that there were 130 to 150 entertainment activities per day on our sailing, and after seeing the lineup, I believe it.

Unlike some other cruises I’ve been on, there weren’t usually just one or two main events that everyone went to in a day, but rather a buffet of activities to pick and choose from.

We tried everything from the shuffleboard tournament, which my dad won, to game shows, bingo (which we sadly did not win) and even a silly guest vs. officers bean bag toss.

I’d say don’t miss Illuminate, which was in the 990-seat theater-in-the-round arena and was around 45 minutes of pure color, fun and talent. Think: Pink Pony Club goes to the circus.

Then there were two candlelight concerts in The Dome, each with more than 900 candles creating a truly beautiful setting, along with aerial acts in both the center Piazza and The Dome.

One night, I also purchased the buy-up Spellbound by Magic Castle experience, which included two signature cocktails in a themed speakeasy and a 30-minute show by a world-class magician. I had a front-row seat and still have absolutely no idea how he did any of his tricks.

If you like speakeasies and magic, I’d absolutely add this one to your sailing.

Pro tip: To have your pick of seats for the popular game shows and production-level acts in the arena, the Dome and the Piazza, I’d recommend getting there at least 30 to 45 minutes early.

Star Princess worked well for multiple generations

Don’t take this the wrong way, but if you ever thought Princess was just a cruise line for retirees and grandparents, it’s not.

Yes, it absolutely works for that demographic — but there were so many multigenerational families on board that it honestly didn’t matter what age you were, you were going to be in good company.

There were happy kids jumping in the pool, young adults enjoying the bars and shows and plenty of parents and grandparents, too. At least on our sailing, it didn’t skew so heavily in any one direction that those outside of that group would feel out of place.

I didn’t feel overwhelmed by an army of kids, but I also wouldn’t hesitate to bring mine, as the kids’ spaces, broken up into separate age groups, looked great.

And, obviously, sailing with my own parents made this a multigenerational trip for us, too. We found plenty we enjoyed doing together, but also had no problem splitting up when we wanted to do our own thing, which is pretty much the sweet spot for a family trip.

The vibe on board was certainly lively, but also classy and, dare I say, classic, with some silly moments and activities, but nothing that crept too far into wet t-shirt contest or beer-chugging competition territory.

Bottom line

Alaska is always worth the trip, and doing it on Star Princess made for an extremely comfortable experience. Some of the best excursions Alaska has to offer were right at our fingertips, but welcoming touches like hot chocolate and even quick chair massages were waiting when we walked back on board.

Star Princess is the newest and biggest ship sailing Alaska right now, and when you combine that with the decades of history Princess has in the 49th state, it makes for a combination that’s hard to beat.

I very much hope to sail with Princess again, but it’s looking more and more like my parents may beat me to it, as they already want to sail Alaska again — whether I’m with them or not.

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