Princess Cruises, Sun Princess Cruise Review at Cruise.co.uk

Wednesday 20th August 2008

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Reviewed By: Douglas Ward, author of Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships 2006

Cruise Line: Princess Cruises

Cruise Ship: Sun Princess

Ship Facts
Large (Resort) Ship: 77,499 tons
Lifestyle: Standard
Cruise Line: Princess Cruises
Former Names: none
Builder: Fincantieri (Italy)
Original Cost: $300 million
Entered Service: Dec 1995
Registry: Great Britain
Length (ft/m): 857.2/261.3
Beam (ft/m): 105.6/32.2
Draft (ft/m): 26.5/8.1
Propulsion/Propellers: diesel-electric
(28,000kW)/2
Passenger Decks: 10
Total Crew: 900
Passengers
(lower beds/all berths): 1,950/2,250
Passenger Space Ratio
(lower beds/all berths): 39.7/34.4
Crew/Passenger Ratio
(lower beds/all berths): 2.0/2.5
Navigation Officers: Italian Cabins (total): 975
Size Range (sq ft/m): 134.5–753.4/
12.5–70.0
Cabins (outside view): 603
Cabins (interior/no view): 372
Cabins (for one person): 0
Cabins (with private balcony): 410
Cabins (wheelchair accessible): 19
Cabin Current: 110 and 220 volts
Elevators: 11
Casino (gaming tables): Yes
Slot Machines: Yes
Swimming Pools (outdoors): 4
Swimming Pools (indoors): 0
Whirlpools: 5
Self-Service Launderette: Yes
Dedicated Cinema/Seats: No
Library: Yes
Classification Society: Registro Navale
Italiano (RINA)

OVERALL SCORE: 1,531 (OUT OF A POSSIBLE 2,000 POINTS)
Berlitz Guide © Apa Publishing 2008

Overview
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

Accommodation
There are 28 different cabin grades: 20 outside-view and 8 interior (no view) cabins. Although the standard outside-view and interior (no view) cabins are a little small, they are well designed and functional in layout, and have earth tone colors accentuated by splashes of color from the bedspreads. Proportionately, there are quite a lot of interior (no view) cabins. Many of the outside-view cabins have private balconies, and all seem to be quite well soundproofed, although the balcony partition is not floor to ceiling type, so you can hear your neighbors clearly (or smell their smoke). Note that the balconies are very narrow, only just large enough for two small chairs, and there is no dedicated lighting.
A reasonable amount of closet and abundant drawer and other storage space is provided in all cabins – adequate for a 7-night cruise, as are a television and refrigerator. Each night a chocolate will appear on your pillow. The cabin bathrooms are practical, and come complete with all the details one needs, although they really are tight spaces, best described as one person at-a-time units. They do, however, have a decent shower enclosure, a small amount of shelving for your personal toiletries, real glasses, a hairdryer and a bathrobe.
The largest accommodation can be found in six suites, two on each of three decks located at the stern of the ship, with large private balcony (536–754 sq. ft./49.8–21.3 sq. meters, including balcony). These are well laid-out, and have large bathrooms with two basins, a Jacuzzi bathtub, and a separate shower enclosure. The bedroom has generous amounts of wood accenting and detailing, TV sets in both bedroom and lounge areas. The suites also have a dining room table and four chairs.
The 32 mini-suites (374–536 sq. ft./34.7–49.7 sq. meters) typically have two lower beds that convert into a queen-sized bed. There is a separate bedroom/sleeping area with vanity desk, and a lounge with sofa and coffee table, indented ceilings with generous amounts of wood accenting and detailing, walk-in closet, and larger bathroom with Jacuzzi tub and separate shower enclosure.
There are 19 wheelchair-accessible cabins, which measure 213–305 sq. ft (19.7–28.2 sq. meters.), and are a mix of 7 outside-view and 12 interior (no view) cabins.

Berlitz Guide © Apa Publishing 2008

Cuisine/Dining
For some really good meat, however, consider the Sterling Steakhouse; it’s for those that want to taste four different cuts of Angus beef from the popular “Sterling Silver” brand of USDA prime meats – Filet Mignon, New York Strip, Porterhouse, and Rib-Eye – all presented on a silver tray.
There is also a barbecue chicken option, plus the usual baked potato or French fries as accompaniments. This is available as an alternative to the dining rooms, between 6.30pm and 9.30pm only, at an additional charge of $8 per person. However, it is not, as you might expect, a separate, intimate dining room, but is located in a section of the Horizon Buffet, with its own portable bar and some decorative touches to set it apart from the regular Horizon Buffet.
The Horizon Buffet is open 24 hours a day, and, at night, has an informal dinner setting with sit-down waiter service; a small bistro menu is also available. The buffet displays are, for the most part, quite repetitious, but better than they have been in the past few years (there is no real finesse in presentation, however, as plastic plates are provided, instead of trays). The cabin service menu is very limited, and presentation of the food items featured is poor.
There is also a pâtisserie (for cappuccino/espresso coffees and pastries), a wine/caviar bar, and a pizzeria (complete with cobblestone floors and wrought-iron decorative features), and excellent pizzas (there are six to choose from).

Berlitz Guide © Apa Publishing 2008

Entertainment
There are two showlounges (both theater and cabaret style). The principal showlounge, the Princess Theater, has a sloping floor, with aisle-style seating (as typically found in shore-side movie houses) that is well-tiered, and with good sightlines to the raised stage from most of the 500 seats.

The second showlounge (Vista Lounge), located at the aft end of the ship, has cabaret entertainment, and also acts as a lecture and presentation room. Princess Cruises has a good stable of regular cabaret acts to draw from, so there should be something for almost all tastes.

Berlitz Guide © Apa Publishing 2008

Spa/Fitness
A glass-walled health spa complex is located high atop ship and includes a gymnasium with high-tech machines. One swimming pool is “suspended” aft between two decks (there are two other pools, although they are not large for the size of the ship).
Sports facilities are located in an open-air sports deck positioned inside the ship’s funnel and adaptable for basketball, volleyball, badminton or paddle tennis. Joggers can exercise on the wrap-around open Promenade Deck.

Berlitz Guide © Apa Publishing 2008