New Year’s Sky Princess Review – Maybe our most enjoyable cruise so far?

[Leo37]

Just back from a 7 day Caribbean cruise on the Sky Princess over the New Year and wanted to share a review. Long post below but overall, we [British couple, late 30s] had a great time and it might be our most enjoyable cruise so far. Would happily recommend the Sky Princess and ports to our friends and family.

 

It was our 5th cruise, having done three before in the Mediterranean [on the Royal, Regal and Crown] and one in Alaska [on the Coral]. We had a couple of days in Miami beforehand, which meant we joined the ship already relaxed and in ‘vacation mode’.

 

Boarding

Boarding was easy, despite needing to pick up our Medallions, and we got from being in Uber to drink in hand in the Piazza in under an hour.

 

The Ship

We were very impressed by the Sky Princess itself. We’ve cruised on two of the older Royal ships, but thought the Sky Princess had some subtle but welcome improvements: a more open Princess Live, a bigger aft pool, a refreshed colour palette that looked more modern, USB charging at the bedside. The music played around the ship also seemed to be a more modern selection (welcomed, after the Regal Princess last year seemed to be Beatles and Abba obsessed).

 

The ship was packed – to be expected given the time of year – but seemed to do a good job of spreading people around. We missed one event in Princess Live because it was too packed, but otherwise were always able to find deck chairs, seats in the theatre ten minutes before show time, get into the lounges we wanted to etc.

 

Service

Service was generally good. No interactions with any staff which made us think they were ‘mailing it in’ or unhappy to be there, and some were genuinely excellent. Staff at the International Café learnt our typical order, and waiters were quick to suggest dishes and bring second helpings and extras. Our room steward quickly brought us bath robes when we asked, and kept the room spotless.

 

Entertainment

Onboard entertainment was good too. The three production shows were all improvements on what we’ve seen before. Rock Opera was a traditional music review, but the selection of music was markedly more modern. Spotlight Bar and 5-SKIES were a big step up on past efforts. Genuinely enjoyable and raises the bar for what we expect in future.

 

I don’t think any of the on-board musicians or bands were standout excellent, but there was always live music somewhere and we enjoyed them in general. Princess laid on a fun and busy deck party for New Year’s Eve and seeing in 2024 at sea was a good experience.

 

Also liked that Princess found creative ways to use venues. They actively advertised the seafood restaurant as being open during the day to get coffee from (quieter and quicker than the International Cafe), one of the restaurants each day as being available as a quiet space for reading or games etc. None of these are big things, but I think new or higher profile than prior cruises.

 

Dining and Food

Food can be subjective, but we enjoyed most of what we had. Some dishes were genuinely excellent – a Scallops and Chorizo dish for dinner one night, a seafood three ways risotto another night, the Spaghetti Aglio Olio from the new lunch menu – were standouts. Sweet treats and desserts, as in prior cruises, were excellent. We’d used the App to book a nightly table before we boarded, and the reservation worked great: we never waited more than two minutes to get our table.

 

I was also pleased to see more Indian inspired cuisine options in the buffet, and the new juice bar at breakfast another good addition. We ate once at Alfredos (included in the package) and once at Crown Grill as, as on other ships, both were enjoyable and the Grill was worth the $ upcharge.

 

Personally, I’d like more spice in dishes that are supposed to be spicy and the speed of service was a little inconsistent, but overall happy.

 

App and Technology

We used the new App without problem, and it seemed much more stable and reliable than the old one last year on the Regal. We could change dinner bookings easily, check the schedule, order drinks etc without issue.

 

I know speed of drink delivery is discussed often here, but it was ok for us. Ordering through the App to the Stateroom, it took 30 minutes for drinks to arrive. At bars when we ordered in person, we waited perhaps 10 minutes at peak times (e.g. New Year’s Eve at 23:30) but more normally it was just a few minutes to get a drink.

 

The medallion itself worked flawlessly and the internet was fast and reliable.

 

Ports of Call

Princess aren’t responsible for the ports, but for the record we enjoyed (and all were new to us). We had chilled beach days at Princess Cays and Grand Turk and explored the old town and forts of San Juan on foot, independently. We were blessed with good weather at all three.

 

Amber Cove was a less successful day: the gangways were closed and disembarking suspended for 35 minutes which meant we missed our planned excursion (and it was somewhat frustrating Princess didn’t hold the excursions as they said they would). But they did their best to put it right, putting us on alternative tour and issuing a refund. The rain that day didn’t help.

 

A few problems and suggestions

As with anything, there are some areas I think Princess could improve. The food offer at Princess Cays was surprisingly basic and not up to on board standard. Gelato, once a quiet relaxing place, is now packed because of the premium dessert offer and could really do with more staff (although we had no problem trading premium desserts for normal gelato).

 

I still dislike shower curtains and feel it cheapens the cabin, and would prefer to see glass. And some of the bars were definitely busy with waiters queuing to collect App orders, so more bar staff would be welcome.

 

Overall

But these are small niggles, none were major or stopped ourselves from having a great time. All vacations are different – our trips in the Mediterranean are more active and sightseeing, in Alaska was more nature oriented, with this break more beach and ‘chilled’ – but this cruise was at least as enjoyable if not more so than those. We liked the Sky Princess, we liked the food and entertainment, service was good, drinks were plentiful and easy to get, the Tech worked, and destinations (despite the issue at Amber Cove) were enjoyable too.

 

We put down a Future Cruise Credit and are considering booking the new Sun Princess.

 

Happy to answer any questions, a couple of photos from our travels below.

 

[CATGUY7]

Great review and pictures!  Thank you.

[Leo37]

1 hour ago, CATGUY7 said:

Great review and pictures!  Thank you.

Thanks, very kind.

[Host CJSKIDS]

Great review, thanks for taking the time to write one up. Great pictures!  We enjoyed our time on the Sky in December and I would step back on tomorrow if I could.  

[Paula_MacFan]

2 hours ago, Leo37 said:

 

I still dislike shower curtains and feel it cheapens the cabin, and would prefer to see glass. 

 

On our last cruise while attending the Captain's party they gave an update on the new ship builds and announced 'no more dreaded shower curtains!' to which everyone loudly clapped. 🙂 

 

Glad you had a good cruise and thanks for taking the time to write up the review and provide pictures.  Very nice.  

Edited January 10 by Paula_MacFan

[Simsonite]

We were on the Sky the week before you and also had an excellent experience. Your comment about the more open Princess Live really jumped out at me. I’m not sure how many ships have this (we’ve only been on the Regal and Majestic and they did not) but we had the exact same reaction that this was a change for the better! We really dug that whole area more with the openness. 

 

Safe travels to you and happy new years from the states!

[spethstation]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts about the Sky! This is a ship I'd love to step foot on.

[Leo37]

1 hour ago, Paula_MacFan said:

On our last cruise while attending the Captain's party they gave an update on the new ship builds and announced 'no more dreaded shower curtains!' to which everyone loudly clapped. 🙂 

 

Glad you had a good cruise and thanks for taking the time to write up the review and provide pictures.  Very nice.  

I'm pleased to hear that!

[Leo37]

53 minutes ago, Simsonite said:

We were on the Sky the week before you and also had an excellent experience. Your comment about the more open Princess Live really jumped out at me. I’m not sure how many ships have this (we’ve only been on the Regal and Majestic and they did not) but we had the exact same reaction that this was a change for the better! We really dug that whole area more with the openness. 

 

Safe travels to you and happy new years from the states!

And a very Happy New Year to you! We visit the States often and have always had a warm welcome and met friendly people.

[upwarduk]

3 hours ago, Paula_MacFan said:

no more dreaded shower curtains!' to which everyone loudly clapped. 🙂 

But, presumably they will remain on SKY.

I hope there is plenty of room in the cubicle, otherwise my husband will be very unhappy.🙈

[Paula_MacFan]

17 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

But, presumably they will remain on SKY.

I hope there is plenty of room in the cubicle, otherwise my husband will be very unhappy.🙈

 

Oh yeah, I didn't mean to imply they were changing on existing ships. Just that Princess management is aware people hate them and going forward they won't use them. 🙂

 

[DAJones1]

I'm glad the OP enjoyed the cruise.  We did as well.  But the ship was totally overbooked and the staff paid for it. The venues were overwhelmed.  Comedian nights had people standing four deep to watch them if they got in at all.  As previously posted the staff did well accommodating all guests as best they could but they were certainly working overtime. We decided to bring in the New Year in Take 5 and it was much more enjoyable than standing with thousands of other people on top deck.

We'll never sail Sky again.  Too many changes we don't appreciate.  No bar at all in casino.  No more Churchill's (thanks John Padgett).

[Leo37]

57 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

But, presumably they will remain on SKY.

I hope there is plenty of room in the cubicle, otherwise my husband will be very unhappy.🙈

They do say holidays are a chance to reconnect with loved ones!

[nini]

Thank you so much for your review on the Sky. We truly  enjoyed the Sky last June for Norway and Iceland. My only regret is that we did not try The Catch, but we will this June.

[Leo37]

4 hours ago, nini said:

Thank you so much for your review on the Sky. We truly  enjoyed the Sky last June for Norway and Iceland. My only regret is that we did not try The Catch, but we will this June.

Glad you enjoyed your cruise on the Sky, have visited Reykjavik for a weekend break but would love to do a round Iceland cruise one day.

[nini]

4 hours ago, Leo37 said:

Glad you enjoyed your cruise on the Sky, have visited Reykjavik for a weekend break but would love to do a round Iceland cruise one day.

 

It was a great itinerary.

[Leo37]

22 hours ago, DAJones1 said:

I'm glad the OP enjoyed the cruise.  We did as well.  But the ship was totally overbooked and the staff paid for it. The venues were overwhelmed.  Comedian nights had people standing four deep to watch them if they got in at all.  As previously posted the staff did well accommodating all guests as best they could but they were certainly working overtime. We decided to bring in the New Year in Take 5 and it was much more enjoyable than standing with thousands of other people on top deck.

We'll never sail Sky again.  Too many changes we don't appreciate.  No bar at all in casino.  No more Churchill's (thanks John Padgett).

I'm glad you enjoyed it, but sounds like you had more issues than us. We're not big comedian or casino people so those issues we didn't notice. Hope they didn't spoil New Year's too much for you.

[upwarduk]

On 1/10/2024 at 3:58 PM, Leo37 said:

still dislike shower curtains and feel it cheapens the cabin, and would prefer to see glass.

Are these over one section of a  bath, or is it a shower cubicle with a curtain?

[Leo37]

16 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

Are these over one section of a  bath, or is it a shower cubicle with a curtain?

A shower cubicle with a curtain. We just stayed in a ordinary Balcony, so no bath tub. Couldn't speak to how it is in suites.

[nini]

2 hours ago, upwarduk said:

Are these over one section of a  bath, or is it a shower cubicle with a curtain?

 

Sadly, the sticky shower curtain is a fact of life on Princess. Some people bring "chip clips" that act as weights and attach them to the bottom of the curtain. We just ignore it and know that we prefer Princess for other reasons.

However, from what I have read, the new Sun Princess will not have those horrid shower curtains, regardless of the type of cabin you select.

[Leo37]

1 hour ago, nini said:

 

Sadly, the sticky shower curtain is a fact of life on Princess. Some people bring "chip clips" that act as weights and attach them to the bottom of the curtain. We just ignore it and know that we prefer Princess for other reasons.

However, from what I have read, the new Sun Princess will not have those horrid shower curtains, regardless of the type of cabin you select.

Thanks for the tip. Agree, it's part of cruising with Princess and it doesn't stop us enjoying the other many good things.

[GK95]

Glad to see the Sky Princess was fun for you. Our first Princess cruise was on the Sky Princess and one of our favorite parts were the excellent staff. This summer we’re be headed on the Sun Princess and can’t wait! 

[ChynaS]

Oh no I absolutely detest shower curtains and this has now put me right off from booking.  Such an old fashioned thing.

[ChutChut]

Thank you for posting such a balanced, well-reasoned review!

[swjumbo]

Great post and thank you. We’re on this ship in April and are v excited as our ‘normal’ cruise line is Celebrity but thought we’d give Princess a go from Southampton as they’ve taken our favourite ship elsewhere and given us a newer model.😢

 

Couple of questions if I may?

 

Dinner. Celebrity’s main dining is ok but our main cruise indulgence is speciality dining and would rather have a lesser cabin if it meant we could eat well throughout. Would you be content with main dining every night? Does it feel special or would you do speciality for the duration of the cruise? Also, is there a difference between Cielo and Estrella dining rooms?

 

Did you have a drink package? I’m early 50’s, she’s mid 40’s and we do enjoy a small libation throughout the day from a glass of bubbles with breakfast to a nice cognac in the early hours.

Thanks again!

 

PS. Your first pic where people are swimming next to the ship is awesome!!!!