Nine cruises during the Star Princess' inaugural season have been canceled due to a decision by Princess Cruises and shipbuilder Fincantieri to delay the ship's delivery.
The 4,300-passenger ship, a sister of the recently debuted Sun Princess, is now expected to be delivered on Sept. 26, 2025. The original delivery had been scheduled for two months earlier, on July 29.
"Despite our collective dedication and relentless pursuit to deliver the ship in late July, it has become evident that additional time is required to ensure the Star Princess is delivered to the highest standards expected by our guests," said John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises.
The decision followed a review of the remaining construction milestones, Princess said.
The new inaugural sailing is now set for Oct. 4, 2025, when the Star Princess will depart Barcelona on an 11-day Mediterranean roundtrip cruise. The ship will sail a seven-day cruise in the Med on Oct. 15, 2025, then a 14-day transatlantic crossing to Fort Lauderdale on Oct. 22. Bookings for these three sailings will open for sale on April 30.
Princess said it will protect travel agent commissions on all bookings that have been paid in full.
Guests booked on the impacted voyages are given the option to book any Princess cruise worldwide. Guests who rebook will receive a future cruise credit and onboard credits depending on the cruise they select. Guests also have the option to cancel and receive a full refund of the cruise fare.
This is the second delay for the cruise line's Sphere-class ships. The Sun Princess was originally expected to begin sailing in early February, but its delivery was pushed back. The ship sailed its first revenue cruise at the end of February.