How boring is (Sky) Princess?

[Nemanoxer]

 

Don´t hurt me, Princess fans, it´s just a click magnet  😎

 

So, more seriously spoken: I am planning to book Sky Princess on 5th Nov 2020 from NYC to FLL via SXM, SKB and AUA in cabin A309, Balcony Standard midship, Deck 12.

 

I started cruising in 2012 on Celebrity Equinox, best cruise I ever had. However, apart from those higher end Celebrity cruises I´ve done (also did inaugural on the Edge), I also did RCL´s Anthem OTS (that was absolutely horrible) and NCL´s Getaway. Fun fact: Best overall feel was on that NCL cruise due to best entertainment EVER. I missed the higher end feeling there and the higher end food. However, I love both very much, just differently. 

 

Question: Right now, I imagine Sky Princess to be more Cunard-ish than Celebrit-ish. Lights out at 2200. 10 % of guests under 50. Lots of piano everywhere, some modern chill out music in the lounge areas. No loud pool party any day. The absolute opposite of NCL´s Getaway. 

Am I right with my imaginations?

 

Side info: I am a 48 year old solo traveller who is not exactly much into excessive partying but into a lively overall atmosphere with a touch of class but also a casual touch of fun. Having very high expectations on food and shows.

 

D´ya all think Sky Princess could make me happy?

 

[voljeep]

19 minutes ago, Nemanoxer said:

Having very high expectations on food and shows.

 

D´ya all think Sky Princess could make me happy?

prolly not any Princess ship … sorry

[h-sar]

Just now, Nemanoxer said:

 

Don´t hurt me, Princess fans, it´s just a click magnet  😎

 

So, more seriously spoken: I am planning to book Sky Princess on 5th Nov 2020 from NYC to FLL via SXM, SKB and AUA in cabin A309, Balcony Standard midship, Deck 12.

 

I started cruising in 2012 on Celebrity Equinox, best cruise I ever had. However, apart from those higher end Celebrity cruises I´ve done (also did inaugural on the Edge), I also did RCL´s Anthem OTS (that was absolutely horrible) and NCL´s Getaway. Fun fact: Best overall feel was on that NCL cruise due to best entertainment EVER. I missed the higher end feeling there and the higher end food. However, I love both very much, just differently. 

 

Question: Right now, I imagine Sky Princess to be more Cunard-ish than Celebrit-ish. Lights out at 2200. 10 % of guests under 50. Lots of piano everywhere, some modern chill out music in the lounge areas. No loud pool party any day. The absolute opposite of NCL´s Getaway. 

Am I right with my imaginations?

 

Side info: I am a 48 year old solo traveller who is not exactly much into excessive partying but into a lively overall atmosphere with a touch of class but also a casual touch of fun. Having very high expectations on food and shows.

 

D´ya all think Sky Princess could make me happy?

 

If you want loud pool oarties, definitely not Princess. Am in the Sky right now on my 14th cruise on Princess since 2006. I have yet to see a loud pool party. In fact, they have even done away with, at least on the newer ships, with the low key pool games they used to do years ago. Princess has fantastic production shows, the Sky has a new jazz club, the band that plays in the piazza every night is high energy, but other than the nightclub, at least on this ship, things do  shut down pretty much around 11 o’clock. I say with all sincerity that you might be happier with a different line.
Happy cruising! 

Edited December 30, 2019 by h-sar

[Globehoppers]

I think that you have a problem if you believe that Sky Princess will be stopping at airports!

[CruisingAlong4Now]

Stay with Carnival.  We'll all be happier.

[pablo222]

1 hour ago, Nemanoxer said:

 

Don´t hurt me, Princess fans, it´s just a click magnet  😎

 

So, more seriously spoken: I am planning to book Sky Princess on 5th Nov 2020 from NYC to FLL via SXM, SKB and AUA in cabin A309, Balcony Standard midship, Deck 12.

 

 

 

On Princess, I think you will find a lower average age on a 7-day carribbean cruise, particularly during school vacations.

 

The cruise you have selected ... I think will have a higher average age.

 

 

[Doug R.]

Since you have already made your mind up about the Sky Princess prior to boarding, I would humbly suggest you cancel and return to your beloved Celebrity.

[Nemanoxer]

I an starting to figure out where a Princess cruise would lead to.

 

Great shows, good food (maybe over average), a very relaxed and chilled out atmosphere, no ballyhoo anywhere and a good percentage of elderly cruisers who are prone to feeling their pride hurt easily  🤓

 

Like ten days to read a good book and stay away from certain fellas. Sounds like fun.

[AF-1]

Are you looking for a lively vibe or a more relaxed vibe.  NCL and Carnival have the lively vibe. RCL has a theme park vibe with all the things to do on their ships. Princess is relaxed vibe; but still plenty to do with lounges.  You will not find rock climbing walls, zoom slides, ice rinks or any theme park rides on Princess.  

[Nemanoxer]

@AF-1

 Yeah, as I mentioned before, I loved NCL only for the entertainment and relaxed vibe, nothing much else.

 

Also as mentioned best cruise I ever had was on Equinox where there was hardly any ballyhoo or sports / kids stuff going on. 

 

I just don´t wanna end up in a Cunard-ish environment cause I tried that once, and even though they had the best buffet I ever had had til then, I felt like everyone else was just waiting to... well... not be with us for very much longer...

[AF-1]

Princess has all ages.  You will fit right in the middle;  so with that said; go ahead and book this ship.  You should have fun.  You will be getting on a few weeks after I get off.  I will be on the ship mid October doing the New England cruise. 

Edited December 30, 2019 by AF-1

[SargassoPirate]

38 minutes ago, Doug R. said:

Since you have already made your mind up about the Sky Princess prior to boarding, I would humbly suggest you cancel and return to your beloved Celebrity.

 

Seems like from what he said in his posts, the Sky might be a good fit for him.

Edited December 30, 2019 by SargassoPirate

[CruisingAlong4Now]

42 minutes ago, Nemanoxer said:

I just don´t wanna end up in a Cunard-ish environment cause I tried that once, and even though they had the best buffet I ever had had til then, I felt like everyone else was just waiting to... well... not be with us for very much longer...

 

We're all waiting for . . .  Godot?

Edited December 30, 2019 by CruisingAlong4Now

[Hlitner]

59 minutes ago, Nemanoxer said:

@AF-1

 Yeah, as I mentioned before, I loved NCL only for the entertainment and relaxed vibe, nothing much else.

 

Also as mentioned best cruise I ever had was on Equinox where there was hardly any ballyhoo or sports / kids stuff going on. 

 

I just don´t wanna end up in a Cunard-ish environment cause I tried that once, and even though they had the best buffet I ever had had til then, I felt like everyone else was just waiting to... well... not be with us for very much longer...

We will take your post seriously (others might think you are a "troll") and give you a very honest point of view.  We have been blessed to have cruised on 16 different lines (including many on Celebrity and some on NCL).  Cruisers all have their personal priorities and if yours is entertainment then stick to the huge megaships of both RCI and NCL.   Other cruise lines do not offer that quality of entertainment (perhaps MSC will one day reach this same entertainment pinnacle with their large ships).  The main theater production shows on Princess are OK, but are more of the typical cruise ship karaoke (no live band) with 4-6 singers of varying skill and some young dancers.  You are not going to see truncated Broadway production shows and the secondary entertainers (mostly solo and duo groups) vary from just  OK to quite talented.

 

As to the age of your fellow passengers (we are seniors) you will find that the length of the cruise and time of the year has more impact then the actual cruise line.  Cruise during spring break or the summer vacation time and there will be plenty of younger cruisers on most 7 day cruises.  Cruise during the school year on a 21+ day cruise and you will likely have a ship full of seniors.  

This also happens on Celebrity.  I recall being on the Silhouette in early December when the waiters (2nd floor of the MDR) would have a nightly parade when they drove around in all the "scooters" (that belonged to the passengers).  It was a very long parade.  

 

Hank

 

 

[sbflcruiser]

My $.02 cents worth.  We spent a month on the Sky, within that time frame there were different dynamics of people.  As with most things the staff caters to the prevalent crowds on board.  The new production shows are much more geared to a younger dynamic with Rock Opera and 5 Skies, while we loved them and thought they were the best shows we had seen from Princess, a lot of others did not care for them.  Starting at 10pm in the Vista Lounge they have a DJ, that plays much more upbeat music, again depending on the number and the ages in the lounge the music varied.  He did on occasion have themed music, like Disco, etc.  Some nights lots of people there, other nights a ghost town, some of that driven by the port schedule of early mornings and long days.  The band Static on board was good, with a great variety of songs.

 

On a January Cruise, that is during school times, I would guess there would be an older demographic, as a lot of families with children would not be taking them out of school.  It probably a lot of passengers looking to escape cold winters, that maybe retired or without children, or have grown children.  My observations are just that my observations and not based on anything else.  I would guess that March, during a spring break time frame would be a little more active and attract a younger demographic.  Summers in the Caribbean also seem to attract a younger demographic.

 

The new ship is a beauty, the Cruise Director Alex and his staff were great.  My DH and myself fall into the mid 50's range and love both Princess and Celebrity, but at times we are also just looking to chill and get away, but have not found it difficult to connect with others via cruise critic that are like minded and get together on board and have made some great friends.

 

Enjoy whatever future cruises you embark, that is the ultimate goal. 

[Nemanoxer]

@Hlitner

 

Thanks Hank.

I am surely not trolling, just sometimes forgetting that my kind of humour is not for everybody.

 

Tryna be more held back from here on.

[Hlitner]

10 minutes ago, Nemanoxer said:

@Hlitner

 

Thanks Hank.

I am surely not trolling, just sometimes forgetting that my kind of humour is not for everybody.

 

Tryna be more held back from here on.

I got it :).  Just not sure everyone else would understand.  DW and I share your desire for decent entertainment.  Unfortunately, we discovered (many years ago) that our kind of cruises (generally longer voyages to exotic locations) do not usually come with what I would consider very good entertainment.  Our decision has been to put up with what is offered, make sure our Kindles are loaded with lots of books, and enjoy all of our cruises/trips.

 

Hank

[grouchomarx]

I just got off the Sky.  I am also 48 and I like to go out at night and have fun but not into disco/club scene.  I found the ship VERY lively at night.  We had pre-dinner drinks at Take Five with live music playing, or at Great Spirits where they make all the cool cocktails. After dinner there was always a party in the Piazza with live music.  Some nights we just danced the night away (and provided some very good entertainment for the onlookers, I'm sure!).  I was never bored. We didn't even see the two productions shows as the timing didn't work out. I think you would be happy on Sky. Lots of variation in age and it will depend on what venue you choose too. For the record, the older folks we met at the bars were plenty of fun so don't associate age with being boring.  The people in their 60, 70's, and up know how to live it up!  It's not as frenetic as an NCL ship (thining of Breakaway) but more classy and fun and not chaotic.  You can get around, find a seat, have room to dance, etc.  Princess Live is also a VERY fun and very popular night spot when they do the game shows (like yes/no, etc).  It's is SRO every night.  Karaoke there too.  

[grouchomarx]

I will also add the food on this ship blew me away!  It restored my faith in the MDR (we have taken to specialty because we came to hate the MDR service and food, here it was awesome). I ate like a pig every day/night and I normally am very disciplined but that went out the window on day 1.  Food everywhere was excellent, and impossible to resist.

[Nemanoxer]

It's just three ships that managed to stay on my mind. That's the Equinox when Celebrity were in their S-Class prime in 2012, the Getaway for fantastic entertainment and a great website and the Edge for feeling a bit nuts and like taking drugs (which I never really have).

 

So, I guess I will either try to hope for the Sky to get somewhat close to my 2012 Equinox experience or switch to Escape for simple fun and great entertainment with average food.

[Wishing on a star]

Princess, especially it's newer larger ships, is def. NOT 'Cunard'.

Now, maybe it's smaller ships on itineraries like Alaska are a bit low-key.

But, I would have no worries about this on the Sky.

As long as you won't miss cheesy pool games and zip lines!!!!

 

[Colo Cruiser]

4 hours ago, Nemanoxer said:

 

Don´t hurt me, Princess fans, it´s just a click magnet  😎

 

So, more seriously spoken: I am planning to book Sky Princess on 5th Nov 2020 from NYC to FLL via SXM, SKB and AUA in cabin A309, Balcony Standard midship, Deck 12.

 

I started cruising in 2012 on Celebrity Equinox, best cruise I ever had. However, apart from those higher end Celebrity cruises I´ve done (also did inaugural on the Edge), I also did RCL´s Anthem OTS (that was absolutely horrible) and NCL´s Getaway. Fun fact: Best overall feel was on that NCL cruise due to best entertainment EVER. I missed the higher end feeling there and the higher end food. However, I love both very much, just differently. 

 

Question: Right now, I imagine Sky Princess to be more Cunard-ish than Celebrit-ish. Lights out at 2200. 10 % of guests under 50. Lots of piano everywhere, some modern chill out music in the lounge areas. No loud pool party any day. The absolute opposite of NCL´s Getaway. 

Am I right with my imaginations?

 

Side info: I am a 48 year old solo traveller who is not exactly much into excessive partying but into a lively overall atmosphere with a touch of class but also a casual touch of fun. Having very high expectations on food and shows.

 

D´ya all think Sky Princess could make me happy?

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2709251-sky-princess-extremely-low-key-live/

[CruisingIsBest]

3 hours ago, Nemanoxer said:

I an starting to figure out where a Princess cruise would lead to.

 

Great shows, good food (maybe over average), a very relaxed and chilled out atmosphere, no ballyhoo anywhere and a good percentage of elderly cruisers who are prone to feeling their pride hurt easily  🤓

 

Like ten days to read a good book and stay away from certain fellas. Sounds like fun.

 

37 minutes ago, Nemanoxer said:

I did it, everybody.

Was very much prone to staying in my comfort zone and book NCL, but...

 

Hell, a new ship and an amazingly relaxed itinerary including three beautiful islands. What can possibly be too bad?

 

By the way... The most fun I ever had with fellow guests was at table of five solo travelers, none younger than 60.

 

Heads up, Princess. I'm coming 😇

 

You sound much like myself...  can't say some of the posts above are very encouraging and people tend to be be overly protective of their beloved Princess like they have a vested ownership. It is what it is... Princess can be downright boring. They don't change their ships and innovation is lacking. Don't expect the same product as NCL... it's a totally different vibe... and I like NCL for a change of pace too! But I come back to Princess because the product is quite good and it's kind of like "coming home"... I know what to expect. I am also on this exact sailing, the 05 Nov repo. You've never sailed Princess so this will be completely new for you. I sometimes just want the more laid back cruise. I honestly do NOT want an army of kids running around and you won't find many on this particular cruise, especially given the time of year and it being a repo for 10 days. I've done this same trip several times (it's better when Halloween falls during the cruise), lots of fun, but not this year.

 

Ok, so you've sailed on X. I have as well, numerous times. X isn't exactly a "party" atmosphere either! If you enjoyed X, you will find this to be similar, although perhaps older and even more laid back given the 10 day repo voyage. I generally do two cruises each year... one more "fun" like NCL, and the other I go back to Princess for the more relaxed theme. Next year I'm only planning one so I'll do this 10 day. I like the Elite benefits, and the Royal class ships... although I WISH Princess would finally change something on these ships... they're just carbon copies (expect another deck of cabins and silly suites). `Since it's your first, that won't be a concern. Not sure about "great shows"... NCL had that, Princess is just typical cruise ship shows. You won't find Jersey Boys or Blue Man Group on Princess. I don't even bother with the shows... I could care less. MUTS is very nice, assuming the weather cooperates. I always get the same front-facing cabins which I really love. Buffet areas on the Royal class are excellent. New Medallions and the internet is the fastest on the seas. You won't be nickel and dimed like NCL for simple things like watching new movies in your stateroom.. they are free on Princess! If you got the drink package... unlike NCL, you can get coffees and bottled water... it's not extra! I'm going with some family, and some friends from past cruises. One couple also wanted to try something new so this will be their first Princess cruise too. Others are long time Princess cruisers like myself. Bottom line, everyone just wants a relaxing cruise, and the many sea days on this itinerary will certainly accommodate that as well. 

 

So you made the choice and I think you will enjoy it... stick to the expectations above and you will be fine. Don't expect bowling lanes, ropes courses, race cars, and glow parties! LOL  Sailing out of NYC is wonderful, but it will be cool the first day or two... never know what you'll get for weather coming out of the northeast in November! By the 3rd day the temps should be getting nice and warm. If you are coming from Germany you can fly into JFK and take a quick Uber to Brooklyn for an overnight. See you onboard!

Edited December 30, 2019 by CruisingIsBest

[jangor]

Personally, I choose the itinerary first; then the ship!

[Nemanoxer]

@CruisingIsBest

NYC might be in the higher 50s in the beginning of November. I consider that the perfect climate to hang out over there. Who loves sweating in the Subway or riding CitiBike in the 80s 🙊

And aren't the first two days on a new ship discovering days, anyway?

I might need to slow down my inner speed on that trip, but I guess as we are talking about November, I might even prefer that and use it for a slowdown towards Christmas time.

I'll be kind of fine.