Overall Score

BERLITZ'S RATING
	Possible	Achieved
Ship	500	425
Accommodation	200	162
Food	400	266
Service	400	288
Entertainment	100	86
Cruise	400	304

How this score is created

In November 2007, Sun Princess moved its permanent base to Australia, operating cruises from Sydney, Melbourne, and Freemantle. The onboard currency became the Australian dollar, the entertainment was geared to Australian tastes, and other aspects of the cruise operation modified accordingly. Note that, for long voyages (such as a Grand Circle Pacific cruise), the cabin closet space is extremely small.

Although large, this all-white ship has a good profile, and is well balanced by its large funnel, which contains a deck tennis/basketball/volleyball court in its sheltered aft base. There is a wide, teakwood wrap-around promenade deck outdoors, some real teak steamer-style deck chairs (complete with royal blue cushioned pads), and 93,000 sq. ft (8,600 sq. meters) of space outdoors. An extensive glass area on the upper decks provides plenty of light and connection with the outside world.

The ship, while large, absorbs passengers well, and has an almost intimate feel to it, which is what the designers intended. The interiors are very pretty and warm, with attractive colors and welcoming decor that includes some very attractive wall murals and other artwork. The signs around the ship could be improved, however. There is a wide range of public rooms, with several intimate rooms and spaces so that you don’t get the feel of being overwhelmed by large spaces. The interior focal point is a huge four-deck-high atrium lobby with winding, double stairways, complete with two panoramic glass-walled elevators.

The main public entertainment rooms are located under three decks of cabins. There is plenty of space, the traffic flow is good, and the ship absorbs people well. There are two showlounges, one at each end of the ship; one is a superb 550-seat, theater-style show­lounge (movies are also shown here) and the other is a 480-seat cabaret-style lounge, complete with bar.

The library is a very warm room with ocean-view windows, and has six large buttery leather chairs for listening to audio CDs. There is a conference center for up to 300, as well as a business center, with computers, photocopiers and fax machines. The collection of artwork is good, particularly on the stairways, and helps make the ship feel smaller than it is, although in places it doesn’t always seem co-coordinated. The casino, while large, is not really in the main passenger flow and so it does not generate the “walk-through” factor found aboard so many ships.

The most traditional (many say the nicest) room aboard is the Wheelhouse Lounge/Bar, which is decorated in the style of a late 19th-century gentleman’s club, complete with wood paneling and comfortable seating. Its focal point is a large ship model from the P&O archives.

At the end of the day, as is the case aboard most large ships today, if you live in the top suites, you will be well attended; if you do not, you will merely be one of a very large number of passengers. One nice feature is the captain’s cocktail party; it is held in the four-deck-high main atrium so you can come and go as you please – and there’s no standing in line to have your photograph taken with the captain if you don’t want to.

There are a number of dead ends in the interior layout, so it’s not as user-friendly as a ship this size should be. The cabin numbering system is extremely illogical, with numbers going through several hundred series on the same deck. The walls of the passenger accommodation decks are very plain (some artwork would be an improvement).

The swimming pools are quite small for so many passengers, and the pool deck is cluttered with white, plastic sunloungers, which do not have cushioned pads.

Berlitz Guide © Apa Publishing 2008