Sky Princess is a beautiful ship and the staff at all levels did everything they could to make our cruise as enjoyable as possible.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
We arrived early and were one of the lucky ones as embarkation was delayed due to a deep clean onboard the ship due to a high number of coronavirus cases on the transatlantic before us. We needed the QR code on the Medallion app, our vaccine passports and proof of a negative antigen test then we were issued with our medallions with free lanyards and took our seats in the embarkation lounge. Some people had received a text to say embarkation would be delayed. We didn’t. Once the embarkation lounge was full they stopped checking in passengers and some waited outside for 3 hours!!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The food was excellent without exception. We only ate in the Estrella Dining Room for breakfast and dinner unless we had excursions when we had room service which always arrived at the first time of the slot time. At lunch we dined mainly at the International café, a couple of times at Alfredo’s for pizza and Estrella on sea days.
Menus changed daily with always available items clearly marked although they had subtle changes from night to night such as the sauce with the chicken for example.
International Café
5 out of 5
Our favourite place on the ship!! Open 24 hours a day with a rolling menu according to the time of day. All food is complementary and the staff always brought my food to my table as I was on crutches. This is great for lunch on port days. Sandwiches and quiche can be heated or served cold whatever you prefer. I wish we had collected a couple of pain au chocolat or croissants on disembarkation day for snacks on the way home. I shall certainly be doing that next time! Desserts are served in shot glasses or are miniature cakes and this is the place for cookies too. All food is complementary.
Vista Lounge
5 out of 5
This is the location for the elite lounge for canapés served 5pm-7pm available for all platinum and elite guests. It is also the venue for the Captains Circle event on the second formal night.
Alfredo's Pizzeria
5 out of 5
Excellent venue after a shore excursion. The menu includes starters, pasta or pizza and then dessert. I chose the Princess Pizza both visits then added some extra toppings with no problem. I recommend the tiramisu it was delicious. There was a slight delay with the drinks order but otherwise no problem. Staff were friendly and efficient. We had to wait about 5 minutes the first time for a table but the second time we walked straight in.
Vines Wine Bar
5 out of 5
This is a good spot if all the tables are taken in the piazza. Really friendly staff who are very efficient. This was also the location for wheelchair assistance on disembarkation day.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
The pool in the retreat was heated which was a pleasant surprise. There were loads of quizzes and activities available to suit everyone. The egg drop challenge proved very popular and was fun to watch. I went to the spa raffle on embarkation day and won a voucher for $150!
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The evening show in the Princess theatre was superb every single night. Rock Opera by the production team was a highlight. We also enjoyed Phillip Browne who was the original Mufasa in the Lion King, comedians, a ventriloquist, violinist, male singer, Celine Dion in Vegas tribute act (not my cup of tea) plus combined shows of previous acts when I was surprised to enjoy the former Celine Dion tribute act being herself as she was very good indeed. Some Suite guests had reserved seats (6 in total) but we arrived early and always had a good seat.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
All staff were excellent without exception. The waiters called us by our names and we were lucky enough to enjoy the same table and waiters the entire cruise. Our waiters were very attentive and brought more sauce etc as requested and always checked we were happy with our food.
Our stateroom was always clean and sparkly. Robes can be ordered on the television and you can also request your room service tray is collected via the TV. The officers were always visible and were hands on. They resolved all issues we had (charged for drinks on drinks package, bad experience on shore excursion)
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
I loved the design of the ship which has midship stairs unlike others with a similar design. The lifts were fast and often empty. Staff were constantly cleaning tables, polishing glass etc.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Good size cabin located port side at the front of the ship with queen size bed opposite wall mounted large flat screen television. Balcony light switch behind the right curtain. The balcony door is quite heavy. The glass fronted balcony has a table and two chairs. Tea and coffee making facilities sailing from Southampton. We got fresh milk from room service and kept it in the fridge.
The shower has 2 large wall mounted bottles with shower gel and shampoo/conditioner, a washing line and a curtain. There are 3 corner shelves and 2 large bottles of soap and body lotion.
Ship tip
Don’t buy medallion accessories until you board so you can try before you buy. I wanted to buy the gold bracelet but even the large was too small so I was glad I waited.
Very disappointed by our Princess organised excursion which was not as advertised and we were discriminated against for being disabled by the tour guide not allowing us to sit on disabled front seats which remained empty and did not show us the slope and disabled access to Blandy’s making my mum struggle to carry her collapsed walker up 15 steps with no help from our guide!!!!
Princess dealt with our complaint well and were we left the beautiful island annoyed by our experience but not with Princess.
DIY The café by the port offers good value drinks and snacks. The old town is up a steep slope so not ideal for disabled passengers. The shopping centre by the port has lifts but was very over priced and we found better value gifts a few steps away opposite the port.
We did DIY and found a little café almost opposite and enjoyed the famous custard tart Pastel de Nata and coffee for only €5 for both of us. We then headed to the main square before heading back. Beware of pickpockets in Lisbon.
Wheelchair assistance was seamless. Luggage labels were provided for suitcases to be placed in the corridor on the last night before 10pm. Our suitcases disappeared in minutes so don’t put them out until you are absolutely sure.
Breakfast available in the Estrella Dining room, International café or the buffet. Everyone disembarked earlier than their allotted times from what I could see as there was no queue once disembarkation began.
Suitcases sorted by coloured numbered tags (tear off the perforated bit for reference before placing outside the stateroom.
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