Sky Princess Ship Review - My Honest Experience
Here is my full review of my very first voyage with Princess Cruises.
I’m writing this after returning from my first ever Princess cruise, and wow, I had such an amazing time.
The Sky Princess is well regarded and really is something special. From her excellent use of technology, to the delicious food, fantastic entertainment and beautiful public areas, she really is the setting for a dream holiday.
In this blog post I share my honest experience of sailing on the Sky Princess, along with lots of photos from my time onboard.
Sky Princess Essential Facts
Year launched: 2019
No of public decks: 15
Total guests: 3,660
Total crew: 1,346
Length of ship: 1,083 feet
Launched in 2019, the Sky Princess is the line’s final Royal Class ship. She’s large and spacious, with room for more than 5,000 passengers across a range of cabin types.
I did lots of research before booking this trip and settled on Sky because she looked like a beautiful, modern ship, offering a fabulous two week roundtrip from Southampton. The itinerary included visits to Rome, Florence, Cadiz, Toulon, Ajaccio and Barcelona, which were all new locations for me, and had a sizeable number of sea days for me to relax and enjoy the ship.
We embarked the Sky Princess at the QEII Terminal in Southampton, quickly making our way through the terminal and onto the ship. I was buzzing with excitement, ready for a proper break and looking forward to seeing the inside of the ship.
One of the first things you’ll see after embarking the Sky Princess is the beautiful Piazza, which serves as the hub of the ship. This glittering space is lined with restaurants and bars, and hosts live entertainment every evening.
I particularly loved the twin spiral staircases and panoramic lift that ascends right through the atrium. The gold toned interiors had a luxe feel that seemed high end and sophisticated, but not tacky. There’s more to a cruise ship than just the atrium, but this space does set the tone for the rest of the ship.
My Cabin: E310
After taking a quick peek around the atrium we headed straight for our cabin, which was on deck 8. I was amazed when I walked up to our door and it unlocked itself for me, which is something that I’ve never experienced before on a cruise. This was a taste of things to come using Princess’s amazing medallion technology, which I will explain more about later.
My first impression of the cabin was great. The room itself was well sized and clean, with everything we needed for our trip. I’d actually initially booked an inside cabin, and placed a bid for an upgrade a few months before embarkation.
I was really pleased to have been successful and was allocated this lovely obstructed view balcony cabin. It was great to have the extra space for our two week trip, including a balcony where I could relax with my book.
To read my full of cabin E310 review take a look at my blog post here.
So, what is there to do on the Sky Princess?
There’s certainly no shortage of entertainment and activities on the Sky Princess.
As we were sailing on a sunny itinerary, most guests spent a lot of time relaxing on the pool deck during sea days. The Sky Princess has a total of 4 pools and 8 hot tubs, and while it does get busy during a sea day, we were always able to find a sun bed where we wanted one.
The deck itself had a lively atmosphere, with several bars and a stage for the house band. I was surprised to find an included soft serve ice cream stand that was open all day by the main pool, as well as several included dining options.
There were lots of children onboard during our sailing, so it was lovely to have the adults only areas, which were a bit more quiet with fewer splashing noises. The kids were clearly having an amazing time, but as a couple without children, it was nice to have somewhere more quiet to sit.
The pool deck also has this glass walkway, known as the SeaWalk, which was fun to walk across and see the waves crashing below.
For those who enjoy organised games and activities, there were plenty of things going on during our sailing. Each evening we received the schedule for the following day, known as the Princess Patter, which was jam packed from morning until night - even on port days.
I prefer to do my own thing during the day, but the morning and afternoon schedule included things like quizzes, dance classes, musical performances, meet ups and talks, which I know were very popular.
Every afternoon I would check the schedule to see what entertainment options were taking place across the ship. The Princess Theatre was one of my favourites, and I saw a few fantastic broadway style productions in here. Other nights featured singers, a comedian, and a musician, with a different act on offer each night.
The theatre itself had a modern feel and is large enough that we were always able to find a seat without arriving super early. Several seats were reserved at each performance for Princess Premium guests, but these were declassified five minutes before it started, and didn’t impact our ability to get a good seat.
Other evening entertainment venues onboard the Sky Princess include Princess Live! which hosts quizzes and game shows, the Vista Lounge, and Take 5, which features live jazz performances. Musical performances also take place in the Crown Grill Bar and the Piazza.
My favourite thing to do in the evening on the Sky Princess was to return to the pool deck for Movies Under the Stars. This is something that I hugely underestimated before boarding, as the crew work hard to make it feel like a special event each night.
Each day at around dinner time, the crew would spruce up the sun loungers in front of the screen with these comfy padded seat covers.
I really liked that the bar and food stations would all stay open until the final movie finished, meaning there was easy access to food or drink throughout the night. They even give out free popcorn from the soft serve stand in one corner of the pool deck, which I took advantage of on several occasions.
They even keep the pools open during this time, so you could watch a movie from the comfort of a hot tub if you wanted to!
The only thing to bear in mind is that the children were generally in and out of the pool all evening (looking like they were loving life), so if you’re child-free and want to avoid this, I would advise travelling outside of the school holidays. For those with families, this seemed like a great way to keep everyone entertained in the evening.
Featured below is a photo of myself settled in for a movie with a crepe from the buffet.
All About Food and Dining
I’d heard that Princess has some of the best food at sea… and after sailing with them I have to agree! I enjoyed so many delicious meals onboard and never became bored of what they had to offer.
Day-to-day we usually ate in either one of the main dining rooms, Estrella and Cielo, or the World Fresh Marketplace, which is the ship’s buffet. I can be a bit of a fussy eater, but always found something delicious to eat in one of these restaurants.
I particularly loved the buffet, which changed its selection each day. I enjoyed so many delicious curries, salads and desserts in here - the waffles they make in the Pastry Shop each afternoon were a firm favourite.
During our two week holiday I also enjoyed a fantastic meal in one of the speciality restaurants, Sabatini’s, which is the ship’s signature Italian restaurant. This was very kindly gifted by the Princess PR team, and I’m so grateful for that because it really was a mouthwatering experience.
We also ate in the ship’s pizzeria, Alfredo’s once during our trip, which is said to offer the best pizza at sea. I’m inclined to agree - it was delicious! This used to be served free of charge but is now subject to a small fee. The restaurant itself is fairly small so I wonder whether that helps to keep queues down.
Delicious free pizza is still available every day on the pool deck.
For my full review of Alfredo’s, Sabatini’s, and the rest of the food options onboard the Sky Princess, take a look at my food and dining guide here (coming soon).
The Medallion Technology
This is something else that really sets Princess Cruises apart from other lines.
After boarding, each guest is issued with a medallion instead of a cruise card, which can then be used to access your cabin and make purchases around the ship. Unlike a cruise card, however, this medallion is also able to do clever things like unlock your cabin door as you walk towards it, and inform staff members of your name and cabin number when you arrive at a restaurant.
The medallion is also linked to the app, so you can even use it to have food and drinks delivered to you around the ship. It really is a cool and helpful feature that I’m surprised isn’t used by any other cruise line.
Final Thoughts
Looking back over all of these photos, for me, reinforces what a wonderful time I had. My partner and I had a fantastic few weeks exploring new ports and relaxing onboard the Sky Princess. I frequently find myself wishing I was back onboard, perusing the buffet at dinner time and napping in my comfy air conditioned cabin.
Would I sail with Princess again? 100% yes.
I’m currently pondering booking one of their Sphere Class ships next, which is the newest, ultra modern generation of Princess ship. Both the Sun and Star Princess have additional dining options, fantastic architecture and brand new shows that I am keen to experience.
To read more about my time on the Sky Princess take a look at the links below.
Read More About the Sky Princess
Food and Dining Guide (to come)
Cabins to Avoid (to come)