Whenever you’re invited to Los Angeles' famed Magic Castle, it’s a surefire treat — but it’s even more thrilling when the invitation is to find out about a partnership with Princess Cruises about the cruise line’s next exciting onboard experience.
First introduced on Sun Princess, Spellbound — a speakeasy-style venue created in partnership with Magic Castle — invites guests in for a truly magical evening of theatrical illusions and delightful cocktails.
Now, the venue will debut onboard the upcoming Star Princess — which just completed its sea trials ahead of its Oct. 4, 2025, launch — but in fresh fashion.
Onboard the 177,800-ton, 4,300-guest Star, the multi-room Spellbound will jettison the previous outside dinner service to focus exclusively on multiple internal showtimes; this will allow more passengers to enjoy the venue nightly. Admission to an intimately presented magic show will be $45 per attendee, which includes two signature cocktails. (More elaborate “theatrical” beverages will be available for an additional fee.)
During the reveal in Hollywood, Randy Pitchford, owner of Magic Castle, discussed how Spellbound has evolved since its debut on Sun Princess.
Credit: 2025 Magic CastleRebecca Thomson Foley, head of global entertainment for Princess; Erika Larsen, president of Magic Castle Enterprises; and Randy Pitchford, owner of Magic Castle, were all on hand in Hollywood for this reveal. It would have been easy to simply replicate Spellbound on Star from Sun — but they decided to innovate instead, they said.
Onboard Sun, Spellbound is a faithful recreation of the shoreside Magic Castle. But onboard Star, the venue will evolve to highlight Richard Valentine Pitchford, known in illusion circles as Cardini (and the great-uncle of owner Randy). A historic exhibit displays the great magician’s work at the Magic Castle, including a traveling trunk still adorned with Princess corporate cousin Cunard Line tags; a similar display will take up residence onboard Star.
During the experience onboard Star, patrons will first be greeted by a revised box office-style lobby that will open to unveil the Inner Circle vestibule, where a disembodied spirit will play requested tunes on the piano while a gramophone vocalizes numbers. New to the space will be a close-up magic table drawn behind a private curtain and under the watchful eyes of magic aficionado and actor Neil Patrick Harris in poster form.
Stepping farther inside to the next room will bring guests to the eponymous Cardini Bar, where mood lighting and theatrical illusions will again set the scene, along with video of Ziegfeld Follies and other vaudevillian acts. Exclusive drinks to be poured here include The Inner Circle (milk-washed Meili vodka with jasmine tea) and the Cardini (a butter-washed rum old-fashioned). I sampled the latter on site and was delighted by its smooth and creamy finish.
/spellbound-bar.jpg?tr=w-768%2Ch-432%2Cfo-auto "spellbound bar")
Exclusive drinks to be poured at the Cardini Bar include The Inner Circle (milk-washed Meili vodka with jasmine tea) and the Cardini (a butter-washed rum old-fashioned).
Credit: 2025 Magic CastlePast the bar, the so-called Backstage area will offer its own behind-the-scenes ambience — such as ghost-activated mirrors and other effects — before funneling into the 40-seat Peacock Theater. Altogether, the series of spaces will take up the same footprint as found on Sun, but the environment onboard Star will be updated.
When asked if the Magic Castle experience might expand beyond the two latest sister ships to other vessels in the fleet, Foley coyly replied, “Watch this space.”
In either case, it's all original for Star Princess and quite special, she added.
“We will move guests; we will surprise them; we’ll inspire them — across every single venue, one no more important than the other,” she said.
Reprised entertainment venues onboard Star will include The Piazza central atrium, The Dome glass-enclosed performance venue and The Princess Arena main theater. Expanded spaces will include O’Malley’s Irish Pub and specialty restaurant Love by Britto. Also new will be a dedicated non-smoking casino.
In the meantime, clients can purchase Spellbound tickets online in advance or once onboard Star, which will head to Alaska in 2026 following its inaugural Mediterranean and Caribbean seasons.
