Caribbean Princess cruise ship: where it sails and who it suits

Caribbean Princess at a glance

Line

Princess Cruises

Class

Grand

Entered service

2004

Gross tonnage

112,894

Guests

About 3,140 (double occupancy)

Crew

About 1,200

Part of the Princess Cruises fleet. Sister ships: Grand Princess, Diamond Princess, Sapphire Princess, Crown Princess, Emerald Princess, Ruby Princess. Home ports: Fort Lauderdale, Copenhagen, Boston, Quebec City.

Caribbean Princess was built by Fincantieri at Monfalcone, Italy, and sailed its maiden voyage on April 3, 2004, a day after it was named in Fort Lauderdale. It is a modified Grand-class ship: an extra deck of cabins makes it a little larger than the original Grand Princess, and it carries about 3,140 guests with about 1,200 crew. It is about 952 feet long with 1,556 guest cabins. It sails for Princess Cruises, and for most of its life it has done what its name says: year-round Caribbean cruising. That changes in 2027.

Where does Caribbean Princess sail in 2026–2027?

In winter 2026–27 Caribbean Princess sails 12-night Panama Canal round trips from Fort Lauderdale, with shorter Caribbean trips in spring. In late April 2027 it crosses to Europe for 12-night Baltic cruises from Copenhagen, then spends fall 2027 between Boston and Quebec City before returning to Fort Lauderdale in November 2027.

• Winter 2026–27: Panama Canal from Fort Lauderdale. From October 30, 2026 to February 2027 it runs 12-night round trips that call at Aruba, Cartagena, Colón and Limón in Costa Rica, with a partial transit of the canal’s new locks and, on the itinerary we checked, Celebration Key in the Bahamas on the way home. See our Panama Canal cruise guide.
• Spring 2027: shorter Caribbean trips. From late February to April 2027, CruiseBound lists 6- to 12-night Eastern and Southern Caribbean sailings from Fort Lauderdale. Our Caribbean cruise guide compares the routes.
• Summer 2027: the Baltic from Copenhagen. Princess moves the ship to Europe in late April 2027, part of its decision to drop summer Caribbean cruises that year. From May to August it sails 12-night round trips from Copenhagen to ports in Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany and Norway. See our northern Europe cruise guide.
• Fall 2027: Canada and New England. After crossing the Atlantic to Boston in late August, it sails 10- and 11-night trips between Boston and Quebec City, with an overnight in Quebec and scenic cruising on the St. Lawrence River and the Saguenay Fjord. Our Boston cruise port guide covers the terminal, and the Canada and New England guide covers the season.
• Winter 2027–28: back to Fort Lauderdale in November 2027 for 9- to 12-night Caribbean cruises, some again with a Panama Canal partial transit.
• 2028: Europe again. The sailings already on sale put it in the Mediterranean in spring 2028 (from Rome and Athens) and in northern Europe in summer 2028 (from Southampton, Copenhagen and Reykjavik).

Sample Caribbean Princess sailings. From-prices per person, checked October 2026.

Departs	Line and ship	Nights	Itinerary	From	Link
Oct 30, 2026	Princess Cruises, Caribbean Princess	12	12 Night Transcanal Cruise (from Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) Florida)	$2,042	Check price
Nov 11, 2026	Princess Cruises, Caribbean Princess	12	12 Night Transcanal Cruise (from Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) Florida)	$2,076	Check price
Nov 23, 2026	Princess Cruises, Caribbean Princess	12	12 Night Transcanal Cruise (from Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) Florida)	$1,913	Check price
Dec 5, 2026	Princess Cruises, Caribbean Princess	12	12 Night Transcanal Cruise (from Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) Florida)	$1,911	Check price
Dec 17, 2026	Princess Cruises, Caribbean Princess	12	12 Night Transcanal Cruise (from Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) Florida)	$1,945	Check price
Dec 29, 2026	Princess Cruises, Caribbean Princess	12	12 Night Transcanal Cruise (from Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) Florida)	$2,148	Check price
Jan 10, 2027	Princess Cruises, Caribbean Princess	12	12 Night Transcanal Cruise (from Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) Florida)	$2,009	Check price
Jan 22, 2027	Princess Cruises, Caribbean Princess	12	12 Night Transcanal Cruise (from Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) Florida)	$1,133	Check price
Feb 3, 2027	Princess Cruises, Caribbean Princess	12	12 Night Transcanal Cruise (from Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) Florida)	$2,229	Check price
Feb 15, 2027	Princess Cruises, Caribbean Princess	12	12 Night Transcanal Cruise (from Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) Florida)	$1,124	Check price
Feb 27, 2027	Princess Cruises, Caribbean Princess	6	6 Night Caribbean - Eastern Cruise (from Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) Florida)	$529	Check price
Mar 19, 2027	Princess Cruises, Caribbean Princess	9	9 Night Caribbean - Southern Cruise (from Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) Florida)	$1,149	Check price

Who it suits

Retirees and couples with time. The 12-night Panama Canal trips have six sea days, which suits people who like the ship itself. The canal day is a partial transit: the ship goes into the new locks and comes back out, so you see the engineering without a two-week ocean-to-ocean voyage.

First-time Baltic cruisers. A 12-night loop from Copenhagen covers several capitals with one unpack, and the ship stays on the same route all summer 2027, so dates are flexible.

Fall foliage travelers. The Boston and Quebec City sailings are one-way, so you need open-jaw flights, and they include the Saguenay Fjord. If you would rather start and end in one city, Regal Princess sails 7-night round trips from New York in the same season.

Who should look elsewhere: families who want water slides, and anyone who wants new hardware. Compare Princess with other lines on our cruise line rankings.

Is Caribbean Princess a good ship for the Panama Canal?

Yes, if a partial transit is what you want. Its 12-night round trips from Fort Lauderdale spend a day in the new locks and add Aruba, Cartagena and Costa Rica, with no one-way flights. It does not cross the full canal, so pick a full transit on another ship if sailing from ocean to ocean is the point.

If a full crossing matters to you, look at Island Princess, the Princess ship that runs the line’s Panama Canal program; our Panama Canal guide explains the difference between partial and full transits.

Standout features

• The Piazza: the central atrium with the International Café and Vines wine bar.
• Movies Under the Stars: an open-air poolside screen.
• The Sanctuary: an adults-only outdoor retreat.
• Two Bedroom Family Suites: sleep up to eight, for groups and multi-generation families.
• Bars and nightlife: Crooners, the Wheelhouse Bar, Skywalkers Nightclub, Club Fusion and the Princess Theater.

Cabins to pick, cabins to avoid

Cabins run from interiors (about 158 to 162 square feet) and oceanviews (about 146 to 206 square feet) to balconies (about 214 to 222 square feet including the balcony), mini-suites (about 323 square feet) and suites (about 460 to 932 square feet).

Pick:

• Family suites at the front of the ship if you are a group: two cabins with a shared living area and a large balcony.
• Cabins next to the aft Terrace Pool on Riviera deck if you want quick access to the back pool.
• Midship cabins on a lower deck if you get seasick; they move least.
• Inside cabins if you mostly want the ports; they cost far less than a balcony.

Avoid or think twice:

• Riviera deck cabins directly under the Lido pool deck, where deck chairs are moved early and late.
• Forward balconies, which are often too windy to use at sea.
• Obstructed-view oceanview cabins on Deck 8, where lifeboats block the view.
• Cabins next to the guest laundries and near the forward crew stairwells.
• High aft balconies if soot from the funnel would bother you.

Dining and activities

The main dining room is included, along with the World Fresh Marketplace buffet, the International Café, Slice Pizzeria, The Salty Dog Grill, Coffee & Cones and afternoon tea. Extra-charge options include Crown Grill, Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria, the Chef’s Table, Steamers Seafood, Planks BBQ and Ultimate Balcony Dining.

Kids’ clubs cover ages 3 to 7 and 8 to 12, with a teen lounge for 13 to 17. Drinks, Wi-Fi and gratuities are extra unless you buy a Princess Plus or Premier package; our Princess line guide explains what each covers.

Sister ships

Caribbean Princess shares its basic design with Grand Princess and the three Crown-type ships: Crown Princess, Emerald Princess and Ruby Princess. The onboard layout and venues are close to the same, so if Caribbean Princess’s dates don’t fit, Emerald Princess sails the Southern Caribbean from San Juan in winter 2027–28.

Caribbean Princess FAQ

Where does Caribbean Princess sail from?

In winter 2026–27 it sails from Fort Lauderdale. In summer 2027 it sails from Copenhagen, in fall 2027 between Boston and Quebec City, and from November 2027 it is back in Fort Lauderdale.

Does Caribbean Princess go through the Panama Canal?

Partly. Its 12-night round trips from Fort Lauderdale make a partial transit of the new locks, then turn back toward Costa Rica. It does not cross from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Is Caribbean Princess still sailing in the Caribbean in summer 2027?

No. Princess is not running summer Caribbean cruises in 2027, and Caribbean Princess spends that summer on Baltic cruises from Copenhagen.

How big is Caribbean Princess?

About 112,894 gross tons and 952 feet long, with about 3,140 guests at double occupancy, about 1,200 crew and 1,556 cabins.

Is Caribbean Princess a good ship?

We don’t publish ratings for ships. It is a 2004 ship with a traditional Princess layout and fewer restaurants than the newer Royal-class ships. Book it when the itinerary and price suit you.