Great time!
Sky Princess Cruise Review
Contributor Level:
Second Mate
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 4
Helpful Votes: 65
11 Night Southern Caribbean Medley (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)
Sail date: December 28, 2021
Ship: Sky Princess
Cabin type: Suite
Cabin number: C415
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 2 years ago
Review summary
Overall a fantastic time! Met some wonderful people. There were a lot of extended stay visitors on board. Some that had been on for a couple cruises before and then others that were staying after. Envious of them!Embarkation
Took several tries but we got to green on the app before embarking. From the time we arrived at the terminal to the time that we were on the ship was less than 10 minutes.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Food in MDR was hit or miss. One night the lamb chop was more like jerky than chop, and two nights later the lamb shank was fantastic.
We did do the crown grill, which was excellent.
Buffet was slightly above average.
Onboard Activities
Standard Princess activities. Trivia, game shows, cooking, outdoor activities, etc.
Seemed a bit scaled back just because things are still getting up and running
Entertainment
The stage shows were very sparse for an 11-day Cruise. There were comedians and a quartet that seemed like they used to be in the Vista lounge. Now they are headliners. The rock opera was pretty good but the singers and dancers only came on stage twice briefly the entire cruise. Seems a bit low
Service and Staff
Staff was phenomenal! Only half full ship with plenty of staff.
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Mini suite midship. Room is nice. Couple things:
1. The balcony with the angle on it is large and very nice, but it kind of impedes The view when looking forward. You could sit out in the protrusion and look backward but then you had to lean out over the rail to get a glimpse forward. Not sure if the extra space is worth this issue.
2. Starboard side. For this Cruise it seemed like the port side was much better than starboard. Starting from the pier we sat and listened to forklifts beep for a couple hours. Then the same thing when we hit the dock at 6:00 a.m. on arriving back at the Everglades terminal. There were a couple times when starboard was okay but about 8or 9 of the days the port side had more to see.
Ship tip
Keep moving... Take the stairs!
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida
Lovely spot. Did a catamaran snorkeling trip. Have done several of these over the years. This one was about average. Crew was very friendly and nice and the food was excellent. But the snorkeling location isn't great. We were in 30 or 40 feet of water and it was a bit rough so the visibility stunk.
They took us to a small Beach which really didn't meet our perception of the description. It was about a hundred yard bit of sand. Steep cliffs above and a couple sharp points at each end. That's where they served us the food and we got to hang out there for about an hour. Actually jumped in the water with my snorkel and saw more fish along the point where the boat was parked than in the main snorkeling location previously. Nice ride back to the pier. They did a small circle on the main dock area opposite the ship. One plus on the excursion was we got to get right off the ship and straight on to the catamaran without having to bus to a different location.
Beautiful stop. The island was on a partial government lockdown. We could get off the ship and tinker around right in the port area but you couldn't leave the port unless you were on a government approved cab or ship sponsored shore excursion.
We did a cooking trip to Daria's. It was about a 20 minute cab ride up into the hills. The ride was a bit suspect because the minivan was packed anf the streets were very steep with sharp corners. Once there, we swapped with the first group who got in our van and went back. They offered us some refreshments and then the cooking demonstration lasted a little over an hour. Then we got to hang out and wander around a bit. We ate the stuff that we had just helped to prepare. It was a good meal. Did some rum tasting that was very strong. Jumped back in the same scary van and headed back to port.
Awesome spot. Nice people.
Did the side by side excursion thru the ship. There was 10 of us in our group. Took us on a nice bus in about a 10 minute ride. Then we got outfitted and jumped in a side by side. There was a total of five vehicles, plus the guide. I actually tried to rent one of these on my own before arriving there but didn't do it in time and they were all rented out. There was three or four ships in court so there was a bunch of people on the island.
We buzzed to the old gold mine ruins. It was interesting with a small bit of narration from our guide. Then it was off to the arch bridge across the island. It was fun driving around in the side by side. Once there we stopped and had a beer and took some pictures and grabbed one of the local snacks. It looked like a chicken empanada but it was pretty good.
Then we went back near the ship terminal and stopped at a beach for about a half an hour. We jumped in the water and swim around for a bit looked like a decent spot to snorkel but I didn't bring it unfortunately. Dropped off the side by sides and they gave us a ride back to the terminal.
We walked into town and did a little bit of shopping. Then we bar hop to a couple spots and had some chips and salsa and couple beers. The last stop was called the paddock. The inside is covered with dollar bills stapled to the walls. Had a good vibe and music playing. Then walked back to the ship.
Princess Cays (Cruise Line Private Island)
Princess Cays gets mixed reviews. Have been to it several times now. We usually end up going to the right where you have to walk over the bridge and there are less people.
There are some flies around the buffet but if you get there shortly after they roll it out it isn't bad.
The water has been great every time we've been there. And I've seen some nice size manta rays snorkeling in front of the bar more than once. It can be a bit Rocky so you have to choose your path wisely. I found that one returning to the beach it is easier to stay on your belly as far as possible and then get to a sandy spot and just stand up and walk out.
We are from a cold area so we are just happy to be where it is warm with the ocean and Beach! However, I could see if you were from Florida how it might be kind of boring.
We grabbed a cab and went to fort James Beach. 12 minutes ride. We wandered around the old fort. Not a lot to see but there are some cool cannons a nice vantage point. We then walked the entire Beach which is about a half a mile long. Did some combing. Watched a horseback short excursion with a bunch of people from the ship. Then we ended up at the bar next to the beach. They have some umbrellas and lawn chairs for five bucks. We camped out there and had a couple beers and ordered some food that was excellent and affordable.
Splashed around in the ocean a couple times just to cool off. Not a great snorkeling spot because it's fairly deep and there isn't great visibility because of the waves.
Disembarkation
Fast and efficient!
Traveler Photos
