Sun Princess has the potential to be a great ship once it gets all venues up and running. If you need a basic cruise vacation in the Mediterranean for relaxation, then you can enjoy this ship especially on the pool decks. I've had better menu variety in dining rooms on other cruise lines but it was still enjoyable on Sun Princess. Lido Slice had the best pizza. Gelateria was disappointing. Gelato was rock hard frozen on the day I had it. The bars were great and the service from the crew make up for whatever you might find is lacking on the ship. The only major downside for me was the poor air ventilation in the casino with smoke drifting outside of the casino at times. Princess needs to either improve the air circulation so smoke can dissipate faster in the casino or give smokers a lounge to hang out.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Quick and easy with green lane check in
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Main dining rooms were beautiful, food was good for the most part. I guess I expected more or better variety in menu items with a new ship. The shrimp in Princess shrimp cocktail were very small, one size bigger than bay shrimp.
Didn't go to the specialty restaurants. Went to the buffet (The Eatery) only on embarkation day and that was the last time. No reflection on Princess but there were guests that didn't know how to respect personal space while in line at the pasta station. They would just hover over your shoulder to see how food was prepared as if they couldn't wait their turn. I appreciate that the Princess crew would hand the food to you as opposed to unsanitary guest hands grabbing and touching underneath the glass.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Enjoyed the hot tub. The spa was beautiful and smelled wonderful. Wished spa treatments included access to the Day spa as much as those treatments cost. Daily/Wkly spa passes were separate and were not widely advertised. Only mentioned by the spa staff after I had my treatment to come back to enjoy it "next" time for an additional cost.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Entertainment was average as not every venue was ready and most performances tend to repeat often. The party band, Xcite was the best. Loved the magician that performed at the beginning of the cruise. The other performers were okay. Didn't like that one of the productions shows required getting tickets before the performance as opposed to just showing up to the venue on a first come, first serve basis.
Children's Programs
Didn't travel with children.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Ship staff was always cheerful given they were trying to familiarize themselves on a new ship and working long hours. My cabin steward was great. He checked in with me daily to see if I needed anything and kept my room tidy.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Ship was always clean. I don't think I ever found my way around the ship 100% of the time unless it was the upper pool deck areas. HAHA!
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
I was happy to be upgraded to Oceanview which was a great perk. However, I wouldn't purposely pick the aft location of the ship on Deck 5. The noise from crew members exiting through the back with carts to clean or deliver food can be loud if you're trying to sleep in on a sea day.
Ship tip
Although I enjoyed myself despite some limitations on the Sun Princess, I would wait another 6 months or so for them to get all the dining & entertainment venues finished and operational. Otherwise, try to enjoy what is available on the ship.
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