What a Week on Star Princess in Alaska Really Looks Like

Star Princess launched in 2025 as the newest and largest ship in the Princess Cruises fleet, bringing 4,300 passengers at double occupancy to Alaska this summer as one of eight Princess vessels serving the state. According to The Points Guy, the ship delivered a week-long experience that balanced exploration of The Great Land with onboard comfort, blending activities across land excursions, dining venues, entertainment productions and spa services in a way that rarely left room for boredom.

Ship Technology and Cabin Experience

Star Princess employs MedallionClass technology, Princess’s digital innovation system that goes beyond the typical cruise card. Passengers wear or carry a small medallion that serves as their room key, payment method and location beacon. The technology allows guests to order room service from elsewhere on the ship and to track family members’ locations through the Princess app. The medallion automatically unlocks cabin doors as guests approach, a convenience that matters when hands are full from onboard activities.

Cabin design reflects modern cruise standards. Balcony cabins feature fluffy white bedding, intuitive lighting with floor lights that activate at night, and showers with strong water pressure—details that The Points Guy emphasizes matter after nights of exploration and early mornings for excursions. Cabin staff touches up accommodations twice daily, and crew members across the ship maintained both graciousness and attentiveness throughout the sailing.

Glacier Adventures and Alaska Excursions

Read also: Four Types of Ponant Cruise Ships: Choose Your Adventure · First-Time U.S. Passport Applications Move Online in 2027 · Cruise Drink Packages Explained: Costs and Inclusions by Line

Helicopter Landings and Glacier Walking

The most memorable excursion involved helicopter tours with NorthStar Helicopters over Juneau, where guests land directly on the Juneau Icefield glacier. Walking on actual glacial ice—hearing it beneath your boots and examining deep crevasses—creates a different experience than viewing glaciers from the ship’s deck. According to The Points Guy, while helicopter excursions add cost atop the cruise fare, the close-quarters glacier experience justifies the expense for those prioritizing glacier viewing.

Water-Based and Rail Adventures

In Juneau, an airboat tour approached the Taku Glacier with bald eagles and seals visible throughout. Skagway’s longer port day allowed multiple excursions: an ocean raft adventure through North America’s deepest and longest fjord, lined with waterfalls and wildlife, plus the White Pass Scenic Railway into Canada. The luxury car option holds only 14 passengers with a private scenic platform and dedicated guide, though standard cars deliver the same views. Ketchikan featured a motorized inflatable Seahawk cruise through Clover Passage to a secluded beach in Tongass National Forest, with a guided rainforest trail and humpback whale sightings on the return.

Booking Excursions Through Princess

The Points Guy booked all excursions directly through Princess rather than independently. Princess guarantees that if an excursion runs behind, the ship will wait when possible, or arrange transportation to meet the vessel at the next port. Independent bookings carry no such protection. This assurance eliminates the need to watch departure clocks and lets guests fully absorb each location.

Dining Across Seven Specialty Restaurants

Food defines an Alaska cruise where sea days bookend the itinerary and meals happen aboard. The Princess Premier package, starting around $100 per person daily, includes unlimited dining at seven specialty restaurants and two casual venues, plus alcoholic beverages up to $20 each, Wi-Fi, gratuities and specialty coffees.

Signature Restaurants

Crown Grill, Princess’s signature steakhouse and seafood venue, delivered exceptional service and a standout mozzarella and garlic-stuffed bread basket alongside lobster tail with melted butter. Umai Teppanyaki brought entertainment and participation—guests attempted to catch cooked eggs in their mouths and used spatulas in friendly challenges with entertaining chefs preparing fried rice, teriyaki chicken and shrimp. Makoto Ocean offered multicourse sushi including toro and snow crab, while The Catch by Rudi impressed twice over, particularly its hot-smoked, honey-brushed salmon appetizer.

Buffet and Casual Dining

Included dining options—the main dining room, on-deck taco and burger spots, and The Eatery buffet—provided daily variety. A pro tip: when The Eatery reaches capacity, the adjacent retro-style Americana Diner offers space and many of the same food selections. Alaska appeared on menus throughout: fresh salmon came aboard in Juneau, Alaska beer appeared across venues, and seafood night and formal night lobster options reinforced the regional focus. According to The Points Guy, consuming lobster three times across one week becomes not a regret but a highlight.

Entertainment and Daily Activities

Star Princess offered 130 to 150 entertainment activities daily—far exceeding the typical one or two main events found on other sailings. Rather than a single nightly focus, passengers chose from a diverse menu of options.

Production Shows and Performances

Illuminate, staged in the 990-seat theater-in-the-round arena, ran 45 minutes of color and acrobatic talent. Two candlelight concerts in The Dome featured more than 900 candles creating an atmospheric setting, complemented by aerial acts in both the Piazza and The Dome. The Points Guy also purchased the Spellbound by Magic Castle experience, a buy-up offering that included two signature cocktails in a themed speakeasy and a 30-minute performance by a world-class magician with no-idea-how-that-happened trick work.

Casual Activities and Games

Shuffleboard tournaments, game shows, bingo and guest-versus-officers bean bag tosses filled daytime hours. The Points Guy recommends arriving 30 to 45 minutes early for popular game shows and production acts in the arena, Dome and Piazza to secure preferred seating.

Spa and Relaxation Onboard

The Lotus Spa includes a hydrotherapy pool, heated stone loungers and aromatic steam rooms within a section called The Enclave. Weekly access to The Enclave costs extra but delivers spa-quality relaxation between hiking and excursions. The Points Guy took advantage of the shampoo and blow-dry three-pack option, finding prices lower than land equivalents while avoiding the need to pack full hair-styling tools for a week.

Viewing Alaska From Deck

Beyond excursions, glaciers and fjords appear from multiple vantage points on Star Princess. The Dome and forward portions of the top decks provide sheltered viewing. The aft-deck infinity pool offers sailaway and wake views. For totally unobstructed sightlines, especially without a private balcony, The Points Guy discovered Deck 10 forward near room 10106 as a wind-in-your-hair, glacier-viewing secret spot.

Who This Cruise Works For

Princess’s reputation skews toward retirees and grandparents, but Star Princess carried significant multigenerational diversity. Young kids enjoyed pools, young adults populated bars and shows, and parents and grandparents mingled throughout. According to The Points Guy, the passenger demographic didn’t concentrate so heavily in one direction that any age group felt out of place. Age-separated kids’ spaces existed for families with younger children, and the mix of companions meant traveling with parents—or extended family of any age—fit naturally into shipboard life.

Source: The Points Guy Articles