Fincantieri Puts New Princess Cruise Ship Through Its Paces During Trials
Italian shipbuilding Fincantieri completed sea trials for Princess Cruises' second Sphere-Class ship, the Star Princess. The cruise ship, which is one of the largest ever built in Italy, is also the last of the pre-pandemic orders by Carnival Corporation, while continuing a strong year for Fincantieri.
During the final sea trials from August 9 to 12, Star Princess departed the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, for the Adriatic Sea. The vessel completed a comprehensive series of tests, including steering, navigation systems, and propulsion. They report the ship is on track for delivery and its first cruise on October 4, sailing from Barcelona.
"We confidently led Star Princess through sea trials," said Captain Gennaro Arma, leader of the Sphere-Class newbuild site team, who oversaw the sea trials for Princess. "As the proud leader of our newest vessel, I'm extremely impressed with the ship's navigation capabilities and maneuverability.”
Currently under final construction at Fincantieri, the 177,800-gross ton Star Princess is a sister to the Sun Princess, which, after several construction delays, finally entered service at the end of February 2024 while final work was still being completed on the ship. Each ship accommodates 4,300 passengers and 1,600 crew, featuring 30 dining and bar venues, and entertainment, as well as over 1,500 balcony staterooms.
They will remain the largest cruise ships built in Italy until Carnival Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line begin delivery from Fincantieri of their over 200,000 gross ton ships late in the decade. The Princess sister ships are also the first LNG dual-fuel ships for the line and the largest cruise ships operated by Princess Cruises. With the delivery of Star Princess scheduled for this fall, Carnival Corporation will begin a nearly two-year pause on new ship deliveries before Meyer Werft delivers Carnival Festivale to Carnival Cruise Line in 2027.
Fincantieri has already delivered four cruise ships in 2025: Mein Schiff Relax (160,000 GT) in February; Norwegian Aqua (156,300 GT) in March; Viking Vesta (54,300 GT) in June; and Oceania Allura (68,000 GT) in July. The shipbuilder has work underway on additional cruise ships for Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas, Viking, TUI Cruises Mein Schiff, and Four Seasons Yachts. Its orderbook as of mid-2025 stands at a total of 36 cruise ships, including the seven ships each over 200,000 gross tons. Cruise continues to be the largest segment of the business, representing over 40 percent of the group’s total revenues in the first half of 2025.