Pleasant New Boat
Sun Princess Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 20
10 Night Grand Mediterranean (Rome Roundtrip)
Sail date: March 19, 2024
Ship: Sun Princess
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 16417
Traveled as: Large Group
Reviewed: 7 months ago
Review summary
The Sun Princess is well on its way! The ship is still not 100% done but I would say it's 90% there, and all the of the dining areas and bars are beautiful. I missed being able to use Park 19, but we were able to catch a couple shows in the Arena. The best part about this experience are the staff, who are so fun and personable. They really make it a great experience! Some negatives: The Princess Medallion app needs a lot of work. It is just inconsistent and glitchy. If Princess wants everyone to rely on this, it needs to work. I regularly got booted off the wifi, and the staff sometime had issues finding me on the ship even with my medallion. The large displays near the elevators also were a little hard to use and would get stuck sometimes. The laundry rooms were always full. Princess (and I) underestimated how many people would use the laundry services. The laundry rooms are large, and it seems like they could definitely fit a few more machines. One morning I got a "vegetable frittata." To my surprise when I started eating it, I noticed there were shrimp in the frittata. For me this was just an inconvenience, but I feel that things like shellfish and other common allergens should be labeled in the buffet since some people have severe reactions. My biggest gripe with this trip was that a member of our group ordered a motorized wheelchair to meet him on the boat, and Princess sent it off without confirming who it was for. Fortunately, he brought his own chair with him. Otherwise, he would not have been able to easily get around the ship or leave the boat at all in some cases. We went to guest services about this multiple times, and though they were apologetic, there was nothing done to remedy the situation. My relative struggled to get around in many of the ports of call because this chair he brought was not rated for extended use.Embarkation
I was quite annoyed that the hours for the eatery weren't announced or posted. There was a bit of pandemonium because it was the only place open to eat as far as most people knew. I missed being able to have lunch there by a few minutes because I had no idea they would move all the food since people were still just getting on the boat. Besides that, I would say the whole embarkation was quite smooth.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
The variety of food available on the ship was great! I will say that they tend to go on the blander side. We had a large group so we were even able to make special requests in the dining room a few days in advance. Those meals were awesome. The main dining room seemed a bit understaffed at times, especially on formal nights. On those nights in particular, the food would come out very slow and typically be cold or lukewarm by the time it arrived.
Onboard Activities
None of ropes and rock-climbing in Park 19 was open, which was sad :( I did walk the track a few times, which was nice even though it gets pretty windy up there. The fitness center was small, but decently appointed. It did strangely only have very warm water from the water fountains. I thought the pools were a bit small in general. Only the one towards the front of the ship really seemed long enough for swimming laps.
Entertainment
It was a little disappointing that all the ship's performances were up and running. What we did see was okay-good. There were some technical issues in one of the shows we went to, but nothing major. I do feel like the late night entertainment (and food) options are lacking. The DJ just plays in the piazza, and the area is too big to really get that going out vibe. After the bars close, there's not much to do.
Children's Programs
No kids
Service and Staff
The staff all around the boat were excellent. Our room stewart, Marlyn, was extremely friendly and made us feel very welcome. We loved our waiters in the dining area. Ian and Valentina expertly handled our large group. They were always in good spirits, and we all looked forward to seeing them at dinner! We also loved the staff (and the drinks) at Good Spirits. It became out regular haunt for pre-dinner drinks.
Ship Quality
Overall, the ship was clean and well maintained. I loved that the buffet had staff that served the food. On the negative side, quite a few of the automatic soap/water dispensers in the public restrooms were glitchy and often didn't work.
Cabin / Stateroom
I loved the automatic lights in the room! There was a good amount of storage for clothing and shoes. The balcony felt very spacious for 2 people.
Ports of call
too short of a stop to see much
Thumbs Up
0
Wish the stop was longer, and there should be a bit more information about the port size and location in the port guide. We accidentally went to the wrong area of the port when we returned.