[Princess Cruises](/cruise-lines/princess)' Royal-class — Royal Princess (2013), Regal Princess (2014), Majestic Princess (2017), Sky Princess (2019), Enchanted Princess (2020), Discovery Princess (2022), and the larger Sphere-class Sun Princess (2024) and Star Princess (2025) — is the modern face of the brand. The differences between the seven Royal-class sister ships are smaller than the marketing suggests, and the right pick is almost entirely an itinerary decision rather than a ship decision. The two newer Sphere-class ships are different enough to warrant a separate framework, which this guide walks through. The shared design language across all nine modern Princess ships is a consistent operational logic: the MedallionClass wearable, the Piazza atrium as the social anchor, two main dining rooms aft, and a destination-led itinerary book that justifies the brand's positioning at the calmer end of the mass-market tier.
What the Royal-class actually is
A Royal-class Princess ship carries about 3,560 guests at double occupancy across roughly 145,000 gross tons. The deck plan repeats across the seven hulls: a forward-pool sun deck, a cantilevered SeaWalk overhanging the starboard rail (a glass-floored walkway 128 feet above the sea), the Piazza atrium amidships across three deck levels, two main dining rooms aft, and 81 percent balcony cabins (one of the highest balcony-cabin ratios in the mass-market segment).
The seven hulls share 95 percent of their layouts. The differences worth booking around: Discovery Princess (the most current Royal-class hull) has the strongest cabin tech, the most polished Sanctuary (the adults-only sundeck product), and the latest version of the Princess Plus and Premier all-inclusive packaging. Sky Princess and Enchanted Princess (2019 and 2020) sit in the middle — most of the modern features but lacking some of the Discovery refinements. The earlier hulls (Royal, Regal, Majestic) are the lower-fare entry into the class and remain credible bookings for value-led travelers.
Sun Princess and Star Princess (Sphere-class) break the mold with a larger 4,300-guest capacity, a glass-domed Park venue replacing the older Movies Under the Stars deck-screen experience, a redesigned Piazza that finally has the seating to match its visibility, and a meaningfully expanded specialty-dining footprint (Love by Britto, the Catch by Rudi seafood venue, the Crown Grill steakhouse, and the Sabatini's Italian venue all on the same hull). The Sphere-class is structurally a different ship and Princess is positioning it as the next-generation flagship; pricing typically runs $200–$400 per person above Royal-class on the same itinerary.
The MedallionClass question
Princess's MedallionClass wearable — a quarter-sized disc worn on a wristband or lanyard — is the brand's signature differentiator. It unlocks your cabin door, lets staff identify you by name in any venue (the bartender's iPad shows your photo and name when you walk up), powers in-app drink and food delivery to wherever you're sitting on the ship, and replaces the old "drop your folio card to charge a drink" workflow entirely.
After three years in service it's the most polished of the major-cruise-line wearable programs. Royal Caribbean's WOW Band and Carnival's Hub-app integration are credible alternatives but neither matches the MedallionClass for the integrated-experience feel — the Princess wearable does more things, more reliably, with less interaction friction.
Whether MedallionClass is worth booking Princess for is debatable; whether it improves a Princess cruise once you're aboard is not. The most-cited use cases from repeat Princess cruisers: locating family members on the ship via the OceanView app, ordering room service or pool-deck drinks via the in-app delivery, and the keyless cabin entry (no card to lose, no folio to carry).
Where Princess is genuinely strong
Three things justify a Princess booking over a comparably-priced Royal Caribbean or Norwegian booking.
The first is Alaska. Princess operates a vertically-integrated land-tour product (rail cars, lodges in Denali and Mt. McKinley, motorcoach transfers between them) that no other major line matches, and that integration shows up as smoother logistics on a 14-day cruisetour. A Princess cruisetour combines a 7-night Alaska cruise with a 5–7-night land program at the brand's owned-and-operated wilderness lodges. The product is genuinely differentiated and the strongest single argument for booking Princess specifically. The [Alaska booking guide](/articles/alaska-cruise-when-to-book) covers the broader Alaska season decisions.
The second is dining. The included main dining room program is the best of the major mass-market brands, with a rotating menu that doesn't feel like the same six entrees on a loop. The seasonal menu refresh (the menu rotates roughly every three months across the fleet) keeps repeat cruisers engaged in a way the Royal Caribbean or Norwegian menu rotation doesn't.
The third is the destination-led itinerary book. Princess publishes more 10-, 14-, and 21-night itineraries than Royal Caribbean or Norwegian — Mexican Riviera 14-nighters, Hawaii 15-night round-trips from California, Panama Canal partial and full transits, the world-famous Sydney-to-Singapore segment of the world cruise. For travelers wanting destinations over ship-days, Princess is the right pick.
Where the price shows
The entertainment program is the soft spot. Production shows are competently staged but lean older — the rotating book includes "Spotlight Bar," "5-Skies," and "Encore," which are all Princess-original productions but feel a generation behind Royal Caribbean's currently-running Broadway-style shows. The comedy and live-music rotation can feel thin against what Norwegian and Royal currently put on, and the headliner-act bookings (rotating singers, magicians, dancers) are the most uneven part of the onboard experience.
Bar service in the Piazza atrium runs slow at peak times — the venue's central staircase channels the entire ship's foot traffic through its perimeter, and the bar staffing math hasn't kept up. For travelers using the [Princess Plus drink package](/articles/drink-package-math), the Wheelhouse Bar (deck 7 forward) and Crooners (deck 7 mid-port) move noticeably faster than the Piazza atrium bars.
How Princess compares to Holland America
Princess and Holland America are the two cruise lines most often shortlisted by 60+ travelers, and both are owned by Carnival Corporation. The decision between them is detailed in the [Princess vs Holland America comparison](/articles/princess-vs-holland-america-older-travelers). The short version: Princess for the larger ship and the MedallionClass tech; Holland America for the smaller ship, the stronger culinary program, and the longer destination-led itineraries. Both are credible Alaska bookings, with Princess winning on the cruisetour integration.
The verdict
For an Alaska cruise, book Princess for the cruisetour integration alone. For Caribbean or Mexican Riviera, the Royal-class is a strong premium-leaning mass-market pick if the calmer onboard rhythm matches your travel style. For Sphere-class on Sun or Star Princess, the upgrade is worth the $200–$400 per person premium for travelers who specifically value the larger ship and the expanded dining footprint; for travelers who don't, a Royal-class booking on the same itinerary delivers most of the experience at a meaningfully lower fare. For families with under-10s or a party-deck preference, choose a different line — Princess's strengths point a different way.
MedallionClass in everyday use
Princess's MedallionClass system — the wearable RFID Medallion that replaces the keycard, plus the in-cabin tablet and the Princess app — is the brand's signature operational differentiator. Unlocking the cabin door, charging onboard purchases, ordering food and drinks delivered to your location anywhere on the ship, and finding party members on the deck plan all run through the Medallion. The system is genuinely well-executed when it works — order a drink from the pool deck and the bar staff will track you down within a few minutes, regardless of which lounger you've moved to. It's also genuinely temperamental when it doesn't — battery issues on the wearable, app sync delays, and the occasional charging discrepancy that requires a front-desk visit are all routine.
For first-time Princess cruisers, the right setup is to download the app pre-cruise, complete the OceanReady check-in (which generates the Medallion order), and choose either the keychain attachment or the wristband form factor. The pendant version that Princess defaults to in marketing is the least practical of the three — it gets caught on shirts and slips around when you're trying to scan something one-handed.
Loyalty: Captain's Circle vs. peer programs
Princess's Captain's Circle loyalty program is structurally similar to Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor and Holland America's Mariner Society, with five tiers (Gold at 1 cruise, Platinum at 5, Elite at 15, Ruby at 30, and the lifetime-only Most Traveled). Elite is the meaningful tier — complimentary internet minutes, free laundry/dry cleaning, priority embarkation, and a dedicated Elite Lounge for evening canapés. The path to Elite (15 cruises) is reachable for cruisers who sail 1–2 times per year over a decade, and the perk stack is genuinely valuable for travelers in that pattern.
Frequently asked questions
**Is the MedallionClass wearable required, or can you skip it?** Required. The wearable replaces the cabin key and the folio card; you can't skip it. Most travelers find it intuitive within 24 hours of boarding.
**Should you book Princess Plus or Princess Premier?** Plus ($65/day) is the right pick for most travelers — it bundles the standard drink package, WiFi, and crew gratuities. Premier ($85/day) adds the Premier drink package, premium WiFi, two specialty-dining meals, and unlimited photo downloads. For travelers who'll use specialty dining and the photos, Premier is worth the upgrade.
**How does the Royal-class compare to Royal Caribbean's Quantum-class?** Quantum-class carries about 4,200 guests vs. Royal-class's 3,560 — meaningfully larger. Quantum's onboard activities are more varied (the North Star observation pod, the RipCord by iFly skydiving simulator); Princess's pace is calmer and the dining program is stronger. Different products for different travelers.
**Which Royal-class ship should you book if you have flexibility on dates?** Discovery Princess (2022) is the latest and most polished. Sky and Enchanted (2019, 2020) sit in the middle and are typically the best value. Royal, Regal, and Majestic (2013–2017) are the lowest-fare entries into the class.
**Is Sun Princess (Sphere-class) worth the upgrade over Discovery Princess?** For first-time Princess cruisers wanting the most current product, yes. For repeat Princess cruisers who specifically prefer the smaller-feeling Royal-class layout, the upgrade is incremental. The Sphere-class is structurally a different ship — bigger, busier at peak, more contemporary in design language.
