Princess Cruises may have stepped up its ship game with the debut this year of Sun Princess now sailing out of Port Everglades, but the details within the massive vessel are what make it stand out.

The first in the line’s new Sphere class of ships arrived to its Fort Lauderdale winter home in October to begin seven-night Eastern  and Western Caribbean itineraries. The exterior notably shows off not one but two “spheres” in the form of a bulbous center of the ship that is home to the main atrium within, but also “The Dome” atop the vessel, which is home to the ship’s avant-garde aerialist performances.

The sphere-theme continues within at the main theater called The Arena, which can transform from a normal stage production to a theater-in-the-round experience.

It’s within these spaces and others on board the 177,882-gross-ton ship that can carry more than 4,300 passengers that the line has cooked up a bevy of new experiences that set it apart from the rest of the fleet. Here are 10 of the best.

1. The magic: Through a secret door lies a dinner and entertainment experience called Spellbound by Magic Castle, brought to you through a partnership with the historic Hollywood members-only club Magic Castle. Within is a speakeasy bar with whimsical drinks, bartenders with card tricks up their sleeves and even a piano played by the resident ghost named Isabella who takes requests. She won’t do “Chopsticks” but did manage to knock out “The Love Boat” theme. The experience allows those who paid the extra fee to come and go all night, catching the small theater magical performances every half-hour, or hang out in the lounge to partake of beverages like “The Conjurer,” “Open Sesame” and the “Escape from Houdini’s Chest” served within an ornate box with a smoky reveal.

2. The meat: The ship has the cruise line’s classic steakhouse Crown Grill plus mainstay Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria, but it’s given the carved out a home for a unique combination of the two from Italian butcher Dario Cecchini, with his venue The Butcher’s Block by Dario. The Tuscan celebrity can be seen on the Netflix series “Chef’s Table,” and has made appearances on shows such as “Top Chef” and Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” through the years.

His space on the ship since its debut in the spring switched places with Crown Grill, so now he has a more enclosed dining room more closely mimicking his famous butcher shop in Panzano, Italy. Think long tables with family-style dishes that focus on the basics of meat preparation. This is not fancy, but it is mighty tasty.

Diners will be offered fresh-cut portions of the cow, which come directly from Cecchini’s Italian farms, managed separately from the rest of the ship’s proteins. Get comfortable talking with your dining neighbors at a shout, or at least high volume amid full mouths of carpaccio di manzo, costata alla Fiorentina (a bone-in ribeye that diners can choose to have spilling out over their plates) and bisteca panzanese, all accompanied with a nice chianti.

3. The love: Artist Romero Britto has his fingerprints in multiple places on board the ship with his signature, colorful, heart-filled designs taking on perhaps the most romantic venue on board, Love by Britto, a restaurant whose menu is concocted by Chef Rudi Sodamin, who was named Princess’ head of culinary arts in 2022 after bringing his seafood and whimsy to sister lines Holland America and Carnival. For Love by Britto, the food is mouthwatering, but the flair is all Britto with many of the menu items, from the bread to the lamb to the dessert, served in the shape of a heart. There’s whimsical glass-blown wine carafes, punchy pop-art plateware, and even a little stirring spoon with a heart-shaped hole served with the cappuccino of wild mushroom appetizer. You’re supposed to drink it, not use the spoon with the hole in it. Located on Deck 17 aft, it has one of the best views for dining on board.

4. The pizza: Just like sister line Carnival Cruise Line and its authentic Italian ovens, Princess offers free slices of some of the best pizza at sea on its top decks. But head down to Alfredo’s in the Piazza to try some award-winning creations from pizza chef Tony Gemignani, a 13-time World Pizza Champion, who recently partnered with the line. He’s debuted five signature pizzas on board Sun Princess with his creations also rolling out to other Princess ships. Gemignani trained Princess chefs at his San Francisco venue Tony’s Pizza Napoletana to they can mimic his methods at sea.

The Honey Pie, for instance, features calabrese peppers, mozzarella, parmagiano, hot honey, green onions, applewood smokes bacon and fried onions. Other Chef Gemignani creations include the Hot Soppressata, New Yorker, Cal Italia and Pesto Veggie, but the menu has plenty of other pizza offerings as well.

5. The spectacle: Humans can do some amazing things, including standing in a human-size hula hoop and spinning like a whirlwind to look like an anthropomorphic atomic symbol. Take that and suspended aerobatics, avant-garde dance and theatricality, and you get the artistry of Montreal-based Cirque Éloize performing a selection of 20- to 30-minute creations under The Dome.

Similar to Cirque du Soleil, the titles literally stretch the bounds of the human body while telling a wordless story with visual and musical flair. One was conceived with the help of Romero Britto once again offering his heart-centric art in a show titled “Art Beat.” Others include “Come Fly Away” and “Blue.” The venue offers intimate seating under the glass dome with performers mingling with the crowd. The timing of the shows could mean sunsets or rainstorms making an appearance depending, and those wandering on the outside of the dome can get a peek inside, even getting a nod from a performer mid-spin.

The Dome offers an alternative to the main-stage shows in The Arena, but those Princess shows play into the musical tastes of its customer base, while also keeping them short.

“What we have decided to do is not necessarily go down the 90 minute Broadway route, like some of the companies have done very successfully,” said Princess Head of Global Entertainment Rebecca Thompson Foley. “I think what we want to do is activate all of the different spaces and have our guests experience as much variety as possible.”

Shows include Viva La Música putting Latin-flair music and dancing on stage and inviting the crowd to join performers on stage at its conclusion.

“When you see how many people are up on their feet at the Latin show and just how engaged everybody gets with them, you suddenly realize, you’re not playing the sock hop anymore. The sock hop’s gone,” she said.

Other shows “Fiera!” plays up more recent popular songs while “Stage Struck” offers up classic musical theater.

Entertainment expands to other parts of the ship as well, with individual musicians and parties that show up at the bars, and in the Piazza atrium space, for instance.

“Entertainment is the little cherry on the cake, and the little things that you do there as well,” she said. “There’s entertainment that goes across the board, and kind of peppers along everything we do, and not just in the big spaces.”

6. The sweet tooth: Princess Cruises touts the only gelato outside of Italy that is officially certified by the Italian government. Travelers can indulge in rotating flavors like hazelnut and pistachio at The Gelateria, while also offering up ice cream from a celebrity partnership with Tyra Banks, who recently began an ice cream company called Smize & Dream that pays homage to her mother, with a treat hiding at the bottom of each bowl.

7. The fish: Chef Sodamin doesn’t just have his hand in Romero’s Love by Britto, but he’s brought on board the latest version of The Catch by Rudi with whimsical seafood dish displays that make way for sumptuous dishes like shitake-encrusted halibut, olé prawns and mussels Provençale. The ship also brings amazing sushi at Makoto Ocean, with a home nestled within the spherical edges of the Piazza atrium. It’s the brainchild of Miami-based Chef Makoto Okuwa who has his own approach to traditional sushi, called Edomae style that pays tribute to Japanese traditions. The bluefin toro tartare with its cured egg yolk sauce and flaky nori rice crackers as well as the fatty tuna chu-toro tamaki hand roll are specialties that shouldn’t be missed.

“My mission was to bring Princess to the next level for culinary. We are leading the guest satisfaction scores, and this is the mission,” Sodamin said having decades of experience in the cruise industry and having trained likely more than 1,000 people working across the industry. “Everything is good. … I’m always looking for new things. It’s always what drives me.”

8. The tech: Just like Royal Caribbean recently rolled out, the ship elevators have the new approach, which really cuts down on crowds. Passengers choose their destination deck from kiosks outside the elevator and are directed to the correct one to wait on, with button pressing removed from within the elevator itself. But also, the line continues to lean on its Medallion technology, which is smart enough to unlock your cabin door before you even get to it walking down the hall, and can figure out when standing at the signage next to an elevator bank that you have something on your schedule and has already plotted out your best path to get there. It’s the same tech that lets you order drinks from anywhere on the ship and they magically appear minutes later, schedule restaurant and show reservations and book shore excursions.

“We don’t talk a lot about the technology platform anymore, because it’s like talking about your iOS on your phone,” said Princess Cruises President John Padgett. “You know it because the iOS, at one point in time we talked about it, because it was super exciting, but now it’s about how that kind of ubiquitous operating system is allowing you to manifest all the content better than every before, and that’s what we do.”

9. The ritz: Princess Cruises is following the suit of the likes of MSC Cruises, Norwegian, Carnival and Royal Caribbean, with a new ship-within-a-ship concept called The Sanctuary. It gives those booking suites access to their own restaurant, lounge and other amenities that create an oasis on board for those that don’t want to venture out into the public spaces frequented by the rest of the ship.

There’s some high-end touches in the shopping offerings as well including a Breitling watch store with its own sort of shrine, but the priciest pieces of fine jewelry can be found at the Diamonds International store, including a $4 million necklace.

10. The view: Sun Princess’ massive spherical, glass structure midship allows for expansive views out and the sunshine in from both sides of The Piazza atrium, along with more than half a dozen bars and restaurant either within or adjacent. The view keeps going from the three decks of main dining at the aft of the ship. But keep the lookout going from Wake View Terrace with its infinity pool view at the aft and Sea View Terrace at the front, top decks of the ship. Be sure to take a ride on the aft elevators as well.

What’s Missing?

The thrill: Princess has never focused on top-deck thrills, which cater to more family-friendly customers, but Sun Princess was supposed to bring a unique ride called the Rollglider to the cruise industry. Originally touted as part zipline, part hang glider, Sun Princess has a space on the top deck for that ride, a ropes course and climbing attraction. None was active when the ship debuted, and in a news release in July, Princess said it “unable to accept delivery” of the ride and side attractions.

The area remains closed off.

“We are actively evaluating these areas for future recreational opportunities to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all our guests,” the cruise line stated.