This was the first Transatlantic for the Sun Princess and there were some definite hiccups. While the ship was beautiful, it is a bit too large for our tastes so we will probably continue sailing on the other Princess ships and not this one.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Embarkation was relatively fast and we did not have to wait too long to board. As Elite members, we had a separate area to wait.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The food was, for the most part, really good. We had some hits and some misses for sure. The MDR had some issues with cooking temperature for meat dishes. My order for Medium came out RARE on 3 different occasions. They were quick to fix, but it did cause me to wonder if they even had a meat thermometer! Alfredo's as well as the dining on the outside decks was always good and I loved the fact that they served you at the Buffet.
One interesting note was they ran out of lettuce on the ship with 7 days left in the cruise! Hoping that was just a one-off.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Onboard activities were what you made of them. With Park 19 closed, there was no real place to walk laps outside which was a bummer.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
I struggle with this rating because the stage shows I thought were excellent. The dancers were some of the best I have seen on any ship. The venues made the experience a lot less entertaining though. They were too small for the size of the ship. For example, the Dome hold approximately 200-250 people for shows and the ship has 4300 passengers! Almost all of the other performers were in the Piazza which, while beautiful, was extremely loud. PRO TIP -- Be very careful walking through the Piazza as there is a raised lip around it that is not evident. I saw 3 different people fall.
Children's Programs
No kids
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Our room steward was excellent and kept everything as we needed it. Service overall was excellent and all the staff treated us great. We were a bit disappointed in the MDR. The first 5 nights we had a different Junior Waiter each night. This put a lot more pressure on our Waiter which he handled as best he could.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Cleanliness was excellent. The design left something to be desired. These are my thoughts and I am sure others may disagree.
Buffet area - Liked the food being behind plexiglass and being served, however there was no defined lines to get food, and the space between the food and the seating was too narrow which caused bottlenecks of people walking through.
The Dome - Way too small! 250 seats for 4300 passengers and the seating was tiered in such a way that Cabins if you are not on the front, you have trouble seeing.
The Arena - Also too small. It is set up in the round, but an entire section is reserved for Princess Premier guests. There are several seats that are behind support beams. Go early!
Princess Live - The seating is not tiered so seeing from the back is a challenge.
Hallways - Be aware that there are several dead ends where you might have to go up a deck or around to get from the front to the back. And unless they have moved it, Guest Services is well hidden!
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
At first I thought the storage was not going to be enough but surprisingly there is more than enough. Also great many outlets and USB ports. The bathroom is small, but no shower curtain! The balcony is extremely large since we were on the Sphere.
The rating would have been a five except for noise. Be aware that if you are a light sleeper or you go to bed before 11PM, you will be able to hear noise from the Piazza. I would recommend a higher deck.
Ship tip
Take your patience and realize that this is a completely different ship than other Princess designs.
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