In case you didn’t know, the Sun Princess is Princess Cruises’ latest behemoth ship. I just got back from a 2-week sailing and took meticulous notes on this epic new vessel. Here’s my extremely detailed, no-BS review:
The Sheer Size is Nuts
When I say this ship is massive, I mean it’s absolutely nuts how big this floating city is. Especially when you get off in ports and have to walk back down the dock to reboard – that’s when the sheer scale of the Sun Princess really hits you. Even though it carries a ton of people, the only time it really felt crowded was during breakfast. The Eatery fills up quickly and the International Cafe, which sits outside The Eatery doesn’t lend itself well to crowds of people waiting for their coffees. You kind of end up waiting in the middle of where the walking traffic moves.
Sure, there are bigger ships on the sea (mostly from Royal Caribbean) – but for Princess which usually has more mid-sized ships, the Sun just feels massive in comparison.
The Medallion Life
Your entire cruise experience revolves around the new Medallion wearable device and app, for better or worse. I’ll admit it has some creepy “Big Brother” vibes with how much it tracks your every movement and purchase. But the convenience it provides is undeniable.
The medallion is your modern-day “cruise card” that you tap everywhere to make payments, order drinks, unlock your stateroom, get on/off the ship, and more. But what’s crazy is the app can use the medallion to detect your location anywhere on board. Order a drink or meal through the app and the server will manage to find you anywhere on the ship to deliver it, usually within 15 minutes. Caveat: there were times when it took longer and other times when our order was marked “delivered” and it never arrived.
The medallion definitely feels like getting on/off the ship is way faster. The only time we ever waited in line was for the few minutes it took people to run through security.
This made getting food/drinks almost too easy. On port days when we needed to get off the ship early for excursions, setting up a scheduled delivery of my Egg McMuffin, fruit plate in coffee was convenient.
Fair warning though – if you’re anti-tracking and value privacy over convenience, the ubiquitous Medallion system may not be for you.
Story: we were sitting in a bar having our nightly pre-dinner cocktail. The bar was packed on this night for some reason. A staff member in a suit started wandering the room, made eye contact with me from 40-feet away, and then made a b-line for us. He wanted to make sure I had preordered my dinner for the night because of a documented food allergy. This is because the tracking is being done via the medallion. They could see where we were and were able to track us down within feet of our location. It definitely felt a little creepy, though I appreciated the effort.
Premier Package Was Best for Us
We opted for the Premier package at $80 per day and I’m glad we did for a few reasons:
- If you need to have more than one device connected to the internet at a time, Premier makes sense just based on that (you can have four devices). The cheaper Plus package only allows one device, which was a non-starter for me needing both my phone and laptop to be online. I’m unfortunately not able to just live off the grid for almost three weeks and need to periodically check in with clients.
- The wine selection is way better with Premium vs Plus. As a wine drinker, the upgrade was 100% worth it.
- Two free specialty dining meals are included, which was a nice addition to our 2-week cruise to break up the repetition of the main dining rotation.
- Unlimited premium desserts and ice creams – a nice perk for those with a sweet tooth. But in reality, I only had a couple during the entire voyage.
- Unlimited casual dining. This was great for days when nothing appealed in the main dining rooms for lunch or dinner. Being able to go to Alfredo’s or grab some sushi at any time was a nice option.
Premier removed almost any need to think about or worry over costs on board. For $80 per day, the premium drinks, specialty dining, better wines, desserts, and the internet made it an easy choice for our needs.
And for those wondering about the 15-drink-per-day limit (since there’s almost a daily post asking about it on various social media platforms) – it was never an issue for me. I’m a scotch drinker and to get a decent pour, you have to order a double. Even drinking doubles, I never got to 15 drinks/day. This even includes sea days where we’d typically have a mimosa or two with breakfast, a few cocktails/beers at the pool, a cocktail or two before dinner, and then wine at dinner.
Staff & Service
I can’t say enough about how incredible and friendly the service was across the board on the Sun Princess. Our room steward, waiters, and bartenders – everyone went so above and beyond daily, it really elevated the experience. I’m always amazed at how they remember everyone’s names.
However, we did notice a clear slip in the quality of service in the second week compared to the first, likely due to a crew changeover partway through our sailing. Simple things like forgetting drink orders or getting meals wrong became more frequent from our new set of MDR servers.
Suites & Staterooms
We originally booked a balcony room. When the bid offer came in I followed some old advice and just placed bids on upgrades because “you don’t have to take the offer if you don’t like it.” Well, guess what, that’s not the case anymore. My offer was accepted and we automatically became the proud recipients of a Reserve Mini-Suite for an additional $500. In hindsight, I’m glad it worked out. The room has noticeably more space than a standard balcony room. These mini-suites are spacious, basically, a separate living room and bedroom divided by a curtain you can close off. Having two TVs and an extra closet was great.
As mini-suite guests, we also received a nice amenity of free premium wines in our room – on the second week they even topped us up with two more complementary bottles! Some older posts complained about the wine quality. It looks like it’s been upgraded because we received a Pinot Noir and Chard from La Crema. Being California wine people, La Crema works great for us. If you can swing it, I’d highly recommend going for a mini-suite over a regular balcony.
Weirdly, I was in love with the bathrooms in the cabins on the Sun Princess. They just feel elevated in design, felt more spacious and plenty of storage.
Cabins to Avoid on the Sun Princess
That being said, I’d avoid the “Cabana” balcony suites. The layout is really bizarre and in my opinion a downgrade. When you walk out onto your balcony, it’s not really a balcony. There’s another area in front of your balcony that connects a few other cabana suites. The idea is that a few rooms share a private balcony with a jacuzzi. However, it also means that walking out onto your balcony doesn’t give you a private ocean view because there’s this 20 – 30 foot of additional patio in front of you and everyone above you just looks down into your balcony area.
They’ve done a great job with the power situation in these rooms. Every outlet has a USA 110v plug, a Euro plug, a USB-C and a USB-A plug. There are outlets by the desk area and with each nightstand on both sides of the bed. Since we had ample USB outlets, all we really needed a regular USA outlet for was the blow dryer. Don’t get tricked! There’s what looks like a two-prong USA outlet by the sink in the bathroom. It has a funky icon next to it. This outlet is for charging an electronic razor — that’s the only kind of plug that will fit in this outlet so don’t try and jam another device in there — it won’t work. My mom tripped the breaker in her state room by running the hair dryer while her curling iron was on — so beware ladies!
Dining Highs & Lows
Not everything is perfect….ever.
Main Dining Rooms
All of the dining rooms were well-decorated and had a lovely ambiance.
It can be confusing because there are three floors (Decks 6, 7 and 8). We reserved dining in the Deck 6 MDR prior to the trip via the app for the first few days just so we knew there was a guaranteed place to eat. On night one, the dining room manager introduced himself to us and said he went ahead and booked our table for us every night of the trip. If we didn’t show, it was fine.
Food quality in the main dining rooms (MDRs) was consistently good across breakfast and dinner. On port days, it’s an “express breakfast” which just means a shorter list of options. Nothing mind-blowing, but solid and tasty. My biggest gripe here is the operating hours. On sea days, the MDR closes for breakfast at 9:00 am. You basically have to choose between sleeping in a little, hitting the gym, or getting a decent breakfast.
Pro-Tip: The biggest breakfast tip is to stay away from the scrambled eggs — they’re gross. We figured out that the scrambled eggs come from a bag. If you want real, cracked eggs, either get an omelet or over easy/medium/hard/etc.
Reserve Suite Dining Access
The Reserve mini-suite gives you access to the Reserve Restaurant. It’s a little bit more elevated of a dining experience and reservations aren’t needed — you just show up. We dined here a few times and it did feel more elevated. Unlike the MDR, the server in the Reserve Restaurant feels more personal because they’re handling smaller groups.
Lido Deck
For more casual fare, the Lido deck had some surprises like an awesome made-to-order salad bar station that became my go-to for healthier meals between all the indulgent dining. The burger grill, taco station, and pizza areas were pretty standard, but that salad bar slapped.
Lackluster Buffet
On the flip side, The Eatery buffet left a lot to be desired. Despite different themed stations, the quality was mid at best. We largely avoided eating at the buffet outside of quick breakfast grabs. The Eatery closes for breakfast around 10:00 AM. At which point if you move further into the ship, the restaurants that are normally Catch and Butcherblock become a buffet extension that’s opened later — it’s kind of funky.
The layout of the buffet is weird and leaves people wondering if they’re cutting in line especially when you go to the extended buffet at Catch/Butcherblock.
What’s odd to me is you can go grab a million cheese plates, fruit plates, or hummus/veggie plates at the buffet. But if you order those things through the Medallion app, it’s not “complimentary.” You have to pay $4.99-$5.99 for those items. We still can’t figure out why it costs $5 to order a tiny cheese plate but ordering a cheeseburger is free.
Specialty Dining Winners
We used our two specialty dining credits at Crown Grill and Butcher’s Block by Dario. I was a little worried because I had read mixed reviews on here about both of these restaurants. However, both meals were quite good and before you come at me, I’m a foodie guy — I’d tell you if they weren’t good.
We chose Crown for a friend’s anniversary dinner. The service was awesome and they made us all feel really special. The setup here is like a steakhouse, where you order your beef and then the sides are a la carte family style. We had a group of six — the manager just said “We’ll bring you out all the sides, enough for your whole party” which was great.
The next week, we hit up Butcher’s Block by Dario. I’ve never left a meal feeling so stuffed on a cruise than at this restaurant. It’s family-style dining and they just bring out everything for you — almost like a Brazilian steakhouse. We started with a bread appetizer and a glass of wine while you waited for them to get the dining room set up. Then there’s more bread on the table + veggies. Then the food starts coming out: beef tartar; beef carpaccio; etc. The main event is the massive tomahawks and porterhouse steaks they carve up tableside. They’ll just keep putting beef on your plate until you beg them to stop. Finally, there’s desert and a grappa digestif.
Both restaurants were great experiences and a very welcomed change from the MDR after a week of repetition. The food, service, and overall vibe were a noticeable step up.
Spellbound
We also splurged one night for the Spellbound immersive magic/dinner experience and it was easily a cruise highlight despite the $150/pp price tag. After an elevated multi-course meal, you get ushered by a guy in a top hat into an exclusive hidden club. While waiting for the magic show, you hang out in their bar which is reminiscent of the Disneyland Haunted Mansion. While enjoying your drink, there’s a magician perorming more intimate magic for everyone at the bar. Once they’re ready for the show, you’re brought into the room where the actual magic show takes place. Afterward, you’re welcome to hang out in the Spellbound bar and continue drinking.
If you’re from LA, you may know about the Magic Castle in Hollywood. Spellbound is an extension of the Magic Castle. Just like with the Magic Castle, you show up in formal wear. This means a coat and tie for the men and an evening gown/dress for the woman.
Overall, we really enjoyed it.
Sky Princess Room Service
This was hit or miss for us. You fill out the paper door hangar and place it on your doorknob before heading to bed. Then you hope and pray that it will actually arrive — which in two of our instances, it never did. Your options are also limited. You also may or may not receive what you actually ordered. With coffee, for example, you have a choice of ordering it to-go (paper cup) or stay (actual coffee cup). We always seemed to get the opposite of what we ordered to the point where it became a running joke for us.
International Cafe
This became our go-to for a lot of things: coffee, snacks, and quick breakfast food (pastries, coffee cake, avocado toast, Egg McMuffins). Weird fact though: if you order the Egg McMuffin through the app, it comes as an egg patty just like McDonalds, and with cheese. When you get the one at International Cafe, it’s just an over-easy egg and no cheese. Why they can’t just be the same is odd.
Night Owl Needs
My main dining gripe was the lack of solid late-night food options for night owls. The Eatery buffet closed at an absurd 10:30 pm, leaving only spotty room service or mobile ordering as the choices if you worked up an appetite after evening activities. More robust late-night casual dining would be appreciated.
Bars & Alcohol
Overall, great selection of cocktails. All of the bars have their own little theme and different menus. The ladies I was with were consistently impressed at the quality and thought of the cocktails at each bar. They were also impressed with the quality of the glassware being used. I must admit, everything from the rocks glasses to the martini glasses quite was beautiful.
If you just want straight spirits, you have to order a double to get a normal pour (they’re actually measuring out the pours). That being said, with either Plus or Premium, you’ll get a good selection of top-quality booze.
You have to try really hard to hit the 15-drink max. Some days I had drinks at breakfast, during the day, lunch, before dinner, during dinner, and after dinner. I never hit my max. (You can ask any bartender to look up where you are in your limit!)
One thing that impressed me was the staff actually being concerned about drink quality. We were having drinks at one of the bars on the Lido deck. The supervisor was upset with the bartenders because they ran out of premium liquor and hadn’t requested more. He made sure to remind them that when someone orders a premium drink they get a premium liquor — no exceptions.
You also must check out the Good Spirits bar. There are a few times throughout the night when you watch a live cocktail demonstration. The bartenders here are so fun and playful — it makes for a great vibe.
Amenities – Hits & Misses
The gym facilities on board were a bit of a disappointment, especially for a new ship. While they had a nice assortment of cardio machines, the actual weight room was laughably small with only a few pieces of strength equipment that were always monopolized. Not a deal-breaker, but an area that could be improved.
The pool areas were nicely spread out across different sections of the Lido deck. On sailing days, there was typically a band, the DJ, and then a random movie on the jumbotron. The random blasting of action movies at 3pm really ruined the pool vibe and it’s typically when the deck would thin out. One minute you’re relaxing in the jacuzzi, the next an action movie with explosions is shaking the pool area. It made no sense and seemed tailored for a much younger crowd despite this sailing’s passengers being mostly older adults.
Technology & Support
In addition to the Medallion app, the overall internet speeds were fast and reliable enough for me to easily stay connected for basic work needs.
The technology support via the app’s live chat feature, however, was utterly useless. Any time we had issues properly being charged for drink packages or had to modify reservations, the live chat was a time-wasting nightmare. You’re clearly just talking to an outsourced rep with zero actual knowledge of Princess’ systems or operations. Your best bet is to go in person to the guest services desk.
Theater & Entertainment
I never judge or rate a cruise or cruise ship on the entertainment. I usually prefer to be pleasantly surprised, but when I’m disappointed, it doesn’t really change the overall cruise for me.
However, the entertainment on the Sun Princess didn’t disappoint.
The theater is large with a seating arrangement that makes even the worst seats in the house, not so bad!
We saw Vallora, A Pirate Quest – Created, directed, and choreographed by Danny Teeson of “American Idol” fame, the show features an upbeat and nostalgic 80’s soundtrack, including Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams,” Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” Chicago’s “You’re the Inspiration” and Starship’s “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.” The show follows the intrepid heroine ‘Vallora’ through a pirate adventure, telling a story of searching for what’s lost and above all else, family and love.
It was clever and well done.
In addition to the theater performances, there were plenty of things to do on the ship including bingo, small magic performances, outstanding musicians in the bars in the evening, etc.
Other Notes & Quibbles
- Dress codes weren’t enforced at all. We did the whole suite/gown routine for formal nights only to see plenty of people still rocking jeans and t-shirts in the MDR. Same lack of enforcement for the “formal attire required” Spellbound event. Either lose the formal nights or enforce them.
- Our drink package tallies often had errors, with our group’s drinks randomly getting combined into one person’s account. Always double-check and ask for corrections.
- The “Cabana” balcony suite layout is bizarre – your balcony is just a shared landing in front of other suites, rather than a private space. We avoided these after hearing about the lack of privacy.
