Star Princess Sanctuary Mini Suite Tour · Cabin 12445 Scored 25/34

Cabin 12445 was our home for a week in Alaska aboard the Star Princess, and it is a Sanctuary Collection mini suite on Deck 12. We filmed this tour on embarkation day in Seattle, so it is a genuine first look, with the Space Needle and Mount Rainier sitting right outside the balcony.

We ran it through our Great Cabin Checklist, the same objective scoring system we use on every room we sail, and it landed at 25 out of a possible 34 points. That puts it in our Ship Shape tier. For context, our last two cabin tours scored 13 on the Carnival Radiance and 20 on the Carnival Firenze. This one is a real step up, and power by the bed is a big part of why.

Entryway, Lights, and Thermostat

Walking in, you are greeted by two hooks, which are a handy spot for a lanyard or a purse. Right beside them are the master light switches, and here is the first win: they do not need a key card. That is a definite plus in our book, and it shows up on the checklist. The thermostat sits next to them so you can set the air before you even get to the bathroom.

The Bathroom and Shower

The bathroom light switches are outside the door, along with what we think is a nightlight for when it is dark. Inside there are two more hooks, and then a step up into the bathroom itself.

The shower is a nice size and it has a door, not a curtain. You also get a bar for shaving your legs, a clothesline for drying swimsuits, a removable wand, a soap shelf, and a grab bar. The toiletries are separate bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. None of that three in one stuff, and Christina was very happy about that.

The sink area has plenty of counter space, lights, a shaver outlet, shelves underneath and to the side, lotion, hand wash, and two glasses. There is no magnifying mirror, but that is okay. It is not a huge bathroom, but it is bright and genuinely useful.

Closets, Drawers, and Storage

This cabin is an adjoining room, so there is a connecting door, which we ignored. Next to it is a full length mirror. Christina checked, and no, it is not a secret hiding spot.

The closet system is where this room starts to earn its points. The big cabinet holds the safe, which works with a code rather than a card swipe, plus the life jackets and some extra shelves with little lips so things do not slide off when the ship moves. Below that are three nice, very deep drawers.

The closet lights were on every time we opened the doors, and we were never sure whether they were on a motion sensor or simply never turned off. In the hanging section you get two very nice robes, slippers, hangers, a laundry bag, and a second run of hanging space. There are also two large golf size umbrellas, which make sense for Alaska. There was no rain in the forecast, so Christina was already planning to use hers for the sun.

The Desk, Power, and Welcome Amenities

As Sanctuary Collection guests we were greeted with a bottle of Spellbound Prosecco on ice. By the time we filmed, the ice had melted, and there were no champagne glasses to go with it. Our cabin steward, Jovito, came by to introduce himself, and when we asked for a couple of glasses he was back with them almost immediately.

The desk has an actual chair, with a handle on the back so it is easy to move. That sounds like a small thing, but on our last cruise there was no desk chair at all. There are two drawers, an ice bucket, glasses, and a Sanctuary book with everything you need to know: the special Sanctuary schedule, the daily Princess Patter, dining options, the spa, and a guide to the Star Princess. We needed that guide, because we had already gotten lost a couple of times.

The power at the desk is excellent. There are two 110 volt outlets, two USB-A ports, two USB-C ports, and a European outlet, then another 110 and another European outlet a little further along. A drawer holds a Drybar hair dryer that is removable, but you will need to use it out here, because the bathroom outlet is a shaver outlet and will not power a hair dryer.

The Mini Bar

Being a Sanctuary suite, the room also came with a stocked mini fridge. Inside we found Coke, Sprite, a can of Archer Roose Sauvignon Blanc with a moose on it, beer, iced tea, vodka, a couple of Coronas, sparkling and still water, and two canned drinks we had genuinely never seen before: a sparkling bourbon with peach, honey, and mint, and a sparkling tequila. Tony has accepted the challenge of trying both later in the cruise, purely for research.

The Bed and Nightstands: The Big Win

Our beds were configured together into one very large bed, with a headboard light that we were really hoping would turn off at night. There are light switches by the bed as well.

This is the part of the room we are most excited about. Both sides of the bed get a nightstand with a drawer, two shelves, and a clean flat top with nothing on it, so there is plenty of room for a CPAP machine. Each side has its own 110 outlet, a USB-A port, and a USB-C port, plus a light switch and a little nightlight. We cannot remember ever being on a cruise that gave you two proper nightstands with outlets and USB on both sides. Good job on that, Princess. It is a big step up.

The Sanctuary Collection also includes a big tote bag that we believe is yours to take home. We were headed to Alaska rather than the beach, so it became the Alaska gear bag.

The Living Area and Two TVs

Because this is a mini suite, there is a separate couch area, with a curtain you can pull across to split the room. There are also two large flat screen TVs, one facing the bed and one facing the couch. If you were traveling with someone else, they could watch their show on one side while you watch yours on the other, with a little privacy between you.

One thing to know before you book: this particular room is designed for two people only, and the couch does not fold out into a bed. You also get a footstool and a small table.

The Balcony

The balcony door slides rather than swings, and that earns extra points on our checklist. We do not like the swinging ones, because sometimes they slam. There is no extra child lock, though the door is quite heavy.

It is not the largest balcony we have had, but the seats are very cushy, there is a small table, and each chair has a little ottoman you can pull out as a footstool. Privacy above is good. Off to one side you can see where the Sphere juts out, with cabins above and below us, but nothing hangs over our balcony. Directly below there is some kind of public space, probably around Deck 8, and on day one we honestly had not worked out what it was.

The view on embarkation day was spectacular. It was an absolutely gorgeous day in Seattle. We watched the Holland America Noordam sail away, had just missed the NCL Encore leaving, and could see Mount Rainier in the distance after it had been completely fogged in the day before. Downtown Seattle and the Space Needle were right there, and the Ferris wheel near Pike Place, where the original Starbucks is worth a visit if you have time before you board.

First Impressions of the Star Princess

We filmed this at 4:42 in the afternoon on day one, with dinner booked at Love by Britto that night. The Star Princess is a beautiful ship, but we had already noticed some flow issues. It is not intuitive where to go or how to get there, and we could not find anything in the hallways telling you which side of the ship you are on or which way is forward and which is aft. There was a lot of going up to go back down and around.

For a brand new ship, you would think they would have that figured out a little better. We have been on enough ships to have this down, so we do not think it is just us, and by the end of the week we had a much clearer view. That full verdict is in our Star Princess ship tour.

The Great Cabin Checklist Score: 25 out of 34

Here is where cabin 12445 earned its points. Remember that we score per room, not per ship, because some of these extras may only come with the Sanctuary mini suites.

Tech and power. Outlets next to the bed, including USB ports. A desk with an outlet. A master light switch by the bed. Magnetic walls.

Sleeping comfort. A nightstand on each side of the bed, and an automatic nightlight that comes on when you get up in the middle of the night to use the restroom.

Bathroom. A shower door instead of a curtain, and included body wash, shampoo, and conditioner as separate products, not a combination.

Storage and furniture. A chair at the desk. Space under the bed for luggage. Three drawers for clothes. Plenty of shoe storage. A full length mirror. A fridge and at least two drinking glasses.

Balcony and extras. A sliding balcony door, plus bonus points for a writing utensil and a notepad.

Deductions. None. There was no key card required for power, which we believe is thanks to the Medallion.

That adds up to a very high 25 out of 34, which lands it in Ship Shape. If you are considering a Star Princess mini suite, or trying to decide whether the Sanctuary Collection is worth the upgrade, this room gave us very little to complain about.

Score Your Own Cabin

The Great Cabin Checklist now lives in the free Lido Hoppers Cruise App, on both the Apple App Store and Google Play. Rate the cabin you sail in, and as more cruisers add their ratings, you will be able to check how other people scored a room before you book it.