Star Princess Completes First Panama Canal Transit
Star Princess' crossing shows how the canal's expanded locks are reshaping cruise deployment, letting larger new ships join a route once built around smaller vessels.
Princess Cruises' Star Princess completed its first Panama Canal transit over the weekend, the line's newest ship making the crossing in its inaugural season. The 4,300-guest Sphere-Class vessel sailed through as Princess builds toward a 2026-27 canal program of six ships and 31 departures.
Princess' canal program dates to 1967, when the line became the first to run regularly scheduled cruises through the waterway.
"A Panama Canal transit is a true 'must-do' journey for travelers around the world, and it's especially meaningful when one of our newest ships makes this iconic passage for the very first time," Capt. Gennaro Arma said. He credited the Panama Canal Authority for its "expertise and stewardship."
Passengers had a daylong program of destination commentary, enrichment talks on the canal's history, and viewing from the ship's open decks and observation spaces.
Built for the new locks
Fincantieri built Star Princess in 2025 at Monfalcone, Italy. At 1,133 feet long and 155 feet wide, the 177,800-ton ship is too large for the original Panamax locks, which cap vessels at 965 feet, and uses the expanded chambers. It has 21 decks, roughly 2,160 staterooms and a crew of 1,550 to 1,600, running on dual fuel with LNG primary and marine gas oil as backup.
What's coming in 2026-27
The 2026-27 season is planned around nine itineraries from Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Vancouver, with 13 transits through the historic locks and 26 through the expanded set.
Princess did not identify all six ships assigned to the program.
