The Sky Princess – 15th September to 16 October

Today we return from our latest cruise experience on the Sky Princess, one of Princess Cruises fabulous, elegant ships.

I will be reviewing this 31 day North American cruise and eventually looking back at some retro cruises, dating back to the 1980’s. Things have certainly changed since those days, some for the better, some sadly for the worst. But all things must move with the times and cruising is no exception. Today’s ships are often like glorious floating villages with amazing facilities and food and drink options.

But back to the current day. Let’s talk about the Sky Princess….

The Sky Princess is described as being the length of three American football fields. The ship has 1,830 passenger cabins and 757 crew cabins. The passenger capacity is 3,660 guests and 81% of the cabins have balconies. When at maximum capacity, the ship holds 5,800 passengers and crew. The ships length is 330 metres and has 19 decks.

Princess Cruises announced the name ‘Sky Princess’ which was the fourth Royal-class vessel in 2017. She was the second Princess ship to carry that name. The ship was delivered on 15 October 2019 and was christened by the NASA astronaut and U.S. Navy Captain Kay Hire and NASA engineer Poppy Northcutt on 7 December 2019.

The amenities on Sky Princess include 4 pools ,2 top-Deck Pools, the Retreat Pool and the Wake View Pool. There are also 8 Hot tubs scattered around the ship.

Embarkation

We arrived at Southampton via Cruise Connect with Intercruise. As ever, we deposited our cases with the driver at our pick-up point and didn’t see them again until they appeared in our cabin onboard the Sky Princess. The whole embarkation process was remarkably smooth, perhaps the best we’ve experienced. We showed our boarding passes, passports and ESTAs and were handed our Princess Cruise Medallions and were escorted onboard, all very fast and problem free.

The Free Dining on Sky Princess comprises of the main dining rooms, Soleil, Cielo and Estrella. Then we have the World Fresh Marketplace, the Salty Dog, Slice Pizzeria, Swirls, International Cafe and Room Service.

We generally dined in the Cielo Restaurant of an evening. Although we were allocated freedom dining, the first time we dined there, our wonderful waiter Bernard asked if we would like to reserve this table permanently. As a small family group, this was the perfect arrangement for us and we were looked after very well by Bernard and his smiling young assistant, Daniella. The food in the Cielo was excellent with a choice of vegetarian, 2 fish and 2 meat dishes most nights. There was also the option to have Princess Favourites for both all courses.

The Premium Dining establishments which have a small cost, are Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria, the Crown Grill, the Catch by Rudi, the Crab Shack (on Alaskan cruises only), Vines, the Chef’s Table, Bistro sur La Mer, Alfredo’s.

Bars and Lounges

There are 14 bars and lounges aboard Sky Princess. These include the Vista Lounge, Bellinis, Vines, Good Spirits at Sea, Take Five, Sea view Bar, the Mix, Wake View Bar, Princess Live Bar, the Piaza, Five Live.

Formal nights

There are 6 formal nights in all over the duration of this cruise, so over 31 nights, it’s not too bad – for those who don’t like to dress for the occasion. Smart casual dress is also expected for the other nights, and some ladies in particular, enjoy dressing to impress every evening. Formal attire is normally a smart suit or tuxedo with shirt and bow tie or tie for the gentlemen. A cocktail or elegant evening dress is the norm for ladies on the formal nights. Photographers are normally around to capture these moments with some beautiful backdrops available.

The Princess Theatre

This is the ships theatre where the main shows take place, usually twice nightly and often of an afternoon too. This is located over two decks, five and six. The standard of entertainment on here was excellent and varied. The ship’s own theatre group performed three full productions, the Princess Bar, Rock Opera and 5-skies. The guest performers included Hypnotist David Knight, the Trawler Men, Adam Barry, Jeff Tracta, Peter Grant, John Bressler, Mikey Votano, Sonia Selbie, Zanin Zarif, Uptown, the Barricade Boys, Nick Page

Activities on Board

The activities included in the Sky Princess itinerary are:- the Princess Pop Choir, Art and Crafts classes, Line Dancing Classes, Pilates, Onboard Art Gallery with talks and auctions, Port and Enhancement talks, Trivia Quizzes, Princess version of the Voice, Ukulele friends group, wine tasting, Afternoon and deck-side movies, multiple musicians around the ship, Karaoke, Gymnasium, fitness and dance classes,

The Medallion System

This was one of the best things about the cruise. We’re all given a medallion on a chord, that we can wear around our necks. Some people choose ornamental necklaces or bracelets that would house their medallion. So what does the medallion do?
This nifty little device acts as a tracker – you can be found anywhere on the ship and it connects with the Princess ap on your mobile phones. It also opens your cabin door – as soon as you approach your cabin, it detects you and displays your selected image on a small screen near the front of your door. Everything is paid for using the Medallion, every drink at the bar and item bought in the shop is done via this device. All passengers can order food or drinks anywhere on the ship, including from their own cabin, and the fabulous crew will find you and deliver what you need. Also, when disembarking and embarking again at various ports, the medallion is your identification, checking you on and off the ship. This piece of technology is a game changer and we all loved how easy it made everything onboard so easy.

The Sky Princess Staff

I can’t praise the service we received from the Princess staff enough. From the restaurant staff to the bedroom stewards, and everyone in between, everyone was efficient and friendly. Honestly, they are one of the best set of staff of any cruise ship I’ve encountered. Staff gratuities are now taken upfront and are taken via your bank card.

Sky Princess Accommodation

Our stateroom was lovely. A standard room with a comfortable Queen Sized bed and a balcony (with restricted view). In all honesty, we loved our balcony, even though we had number 11 Lifeboat housed just beneath. It was lovely to be able to get fresh air when we needed it and to enjoy the gorgeous evening skies. My daughters were in the cabin next door and we were able to have the partition between the balconies unlocked, making a double balcony. We could pop in and out of each other’s staterooms via the patio doors.
Inside the Stateroom, we have the usual shower, toilet, bed, plenty of wardrobe and cupboard space. There was also a television with lots of pre-recorded tv series and films, documentaries and Princess cruise TV. We enjoyed the cruise director’s morning ‘Wake Show’ highlighting different staff members and entertainers each morning.

The Princess Patter

This was an informative leaflet presented to us in our cabins each evening. The Patter would provide us with all details for the following day, including all activities around the ship, who the entertainers would be and disembarkation details for when we were approaching a new destination. Most of the information was also provided on the Princess ap and our cabin television Princess channel.

Cruise Itinary

Southampton, UK

Corner Brook, Canada

Saguenay, Canada

Quebec, Canada

Charlotte Town, Canada

Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Canada

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

New York, USA

Newport, Rhode Island, USA

Boston, USA

St. John’s, Canada

Brest, France

Cherbourg, France

Southampton, UK

 

Because of the number of Ports visited on this cruise – 12 in all – I have decided to do a separate blog post for each destination. So watch this space…….