What Was Princess Cruises Thinking With Sun Princess?

The newest Princess Cruises ship, Sun Princess, has arrived. However, loyal cruisers to ‪@princesscruises‬ are not taking to this ship. But are the critics of Sun Princess being too harsh? We just returned and shared our honest take with our Sun Princess review.
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Our Honest Sun Princess Cruise Review
0:44 New Standard Balcony Cabins
2:51 Piazza Design and Layout
5:07 Navigating the Ship
7:09 Specialty Dining
9:30 Specialty Restaurant Location and Décor
10:35 Three-Story Main Dining Room
13:05 Smart Elevators
14:15 Outdoor Spaces
16:41 Spellbound by Magic Castle
18:21 Not a Smoke-Free Casino
19:28 What is Still Unknown
SUN PRINCESS REVIEW
We had the chance to spend five days onboard Princess Cruises' newest ship, the Sun Princess. For this review, we aim to address several common criticisms of the ship from loyal Princess Cruises cruisers.
For Sun Princess, Princess Cruises changed the staterooms, which was a welcomed change. The new standard balcony cabins are roomier and have upscale finishes, putting the brand on par with premium cruise lines like Celebrity Cruises. Plus, there is no longer a shower curtain in the bathroom!
The Piazza on Sun Princess has also been redesigned. This three-story hub of activity has been moved up a deck and ultimately changed to make this focal point easier to navigate. Now, cruisers have better sight lines as they watch the events and live music on deck 7. The 9-story sphere also provides plenty of light into the Piazza, making it a more inviting space.
Most venues are right off the piazza, and the setup is for cruisers to hop from one place to the next on decks 7-9. However, Princess Cruises falls short on the layout of the rest of the ship. Getting from one end of the ship to the other takes some maneuvering and picking the right deck and elevator shaft.
One benefit of Sun Princess is the addition of smart elevators. With this technology, we never had issues getting a lift from one deck to the next. For a ship holding 4,000+ cruisers, it never felt busy or crowded.
This could partially be due to the setup of the outdoor spaces. Sun Princess has several outdoor pool areas, including the new Wake View pool and the promenade. We were also fans of the Sea View Terrace, which was a nice escape from the main pool deck on deck 17.
While the casual dining on Princess Cruises is average, we enjoyed the specialty restaurants on this new ship. For this Sun Princess cruise review, we dined at two of the new restaurants, Umai Teppayanki and the Butcher's Block by Dario, and they were a big hit.
However, we were disappointed in the location of some of these upscale eateries. The Catch by Rudi and the Butcher's Block are within the buffet. Princess Cruises calls them "pop-up" restaurants. But really, they are part of the overflow section of the Eatery. Both restaurants need more ambiance and the elegant feeling of other restaurants on the ship, like the Crown Grill or Sabatini's Italian Trattoria.
The casino on Sun Princess is the largest in the fleet. However, we were surprised to find out that smoking is allowed. In fact, there is no smoke-free casino. The entire casino is smoking, and already, the smoke is bellowing out into the hallways and creeping into the piazza. For us non-smokers, this wasn't very pleasant.
However, one element we can't rave enough about in this Sun Princess Review is Spellbound by Magic Castle. While it is pricey, at $145 a person, this mystical dinner and show is well worth it. The well-themed room rivals anything you will find in a Disney theme park or cruise ship in terms of theming and immersion. Let's say you will be amazed by the experience.
So, while Sun Princess is different, most changes are improvements over previous ship classes.
READ MORE WITH OUR SUN PRINCESS REVIEW ON THE BLOG
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[@barnum4244]

So Princess continues their policy of making the complementary dining less than what came before to get us into additional dining venues. They've lost us. Princess no longer wants basic cruisers, they only want passengers who pay the considerable prices for Plus packages. A total waste for non-drinkers. I suspect Princess are happy to see the back of us. They are not interested in all loyal passengers.

[@Leo-lp4zh]

Another disappointment is the Eatery (aka buffet). Did you know with the exception of the carving station where the meats are, all lunch selections remain the SAME THROUGHOUT the entire week with NO CHANGES. SAME goes with diinner (no changes in dinner selection except for the carving station). The management aboard Sun Princess says this is a "new concept" but call it what is is - NEW COST CUTTING MEASURE!! People need to PROTEST this in as many ways possible (surveys, communicating with the managers aboard Princess, social media, letting travel agents know, etc).

[@barnum4244]

@@Leo-lp4zh I contacted Princess when they removed a number of inclusive features and stuck them on the Plus package one week before our last sailing with them. Their "customer service" department replied with "we can do what we want, it's in the small print". I mentioned it on board, but all they could do is shrug as they can only say what the Carnival Corporate Overlords tell them. After the cruise I communicated via social media, where Princess undercover spies just ridiculed everyone who did not like having features they'd already paid for removed just before embarking. Princess has made it perfectly clear they only want people prepared to fork out for Plus packages. It was nice while it lasted but it's time to look at alternative options.

[@barnum4244]

@@Leo-lp4zh I have communicated with Princess, but the company didn't give a stuff. They either ignored me or sent copy and paste replies pointing out that they can do what they want due to the small print.

[@Leo-lp4zh]

@@barnum4244 You did your part and I will do mine. However, at some point I will post on social media (Princess websites where more people will see) to let them know not everyone is hoodwink from the new ship on first impressions. I'll keep you posted (via PM) as I am getting like minded folks to band together. This cost-cutting measure with the Eatery is a low blow to passengers!!

[@barnum4244]

@@Leo-lp4zh Good luck. I hope you have more joy than others. I posted on Facebook where there were a lot of folks in agreement but lots of Princess spies just ridiculed anyone daring to criticise the company. It's truly astonishing how much the company hates anyone not willing to purchase Plus packages.

[@Queenfan1961]

Thank you for this review. It’s nice to see that princess has updated its look…..it’s staggering how much less all Inclusive there is 😢. As a platinum member with >100 sea days, I’ll Never take a trip on this vessel. I noticed the appalling “balconies” On the main walking deck 😂. Princess had lost its touch. I have one more trip on Caribbean Princess then it’s time to stick with smaller ships like Azamara Seaborn etc. I make >200k in retirement with zero mortgages…I’ll NEVER waste money eating at specialty dining rooms, MDR food has always offered delicious meals.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Thanks for watching. Sun Princess has some bright spots, but we think the cruise line has a ways to go to live up to the competition. Happy sailing.

[@esr243]

A vision of horror …

[@eminiarvii]

I have taken 80 cruises since 1972, i say this to say the ships back in the 70s were plain simple and i enjoyed each and everyone…The ships now a days have so much more, so for me the little nuisances that people are mentioning in the comments are not enough for me to turn my back on Princess. I am looking forward to all that the Sun Princess has to offer and i will have 21 days in 2025 to get accustomed to the lay out. I love the pkgs and have utilized Princess plus and Princess Premier and found them economical for me As i will always say I will be my own judge of what i like….Thanks for the review, enjoyed it🚢🙂

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Glad you enjoyed the review. We can’t wait to hear about your 3 weeks onboard. What type of cabin are you staying in?

[@eminiarvii]

@@Eatsleepcruise1 i am in a deluxe premium balcony on the 14 th deck. I understand on that floor i can go aft and take the elevator directly to the wake view terrace and Of course have the Princess Premier pkg

[@dawndevault2726]

I had a ton of trouble learning this ship. It took me around 4 days to get the general understanding of what elevator banks I needed to go to for different venues on the ship. I still didn’t find everything. I like the light decor theme, but the signage was a bit small and muted for me and possibly other older cruisers. I would recommend that since you know if you are on port or starboard side, to look at the picture of the direction of the ship to find the correct hallway for your room. The carpet is the same color on port and starboard sides. Also other cruises have the day of the week on the elevator floors- that would be nice. I also had a difficult time making reservations for our odd numbered group prior to boarding. However we could just do walk in at 7:40pm.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Navigation is definitely an issue. What did you think of the food?

[@dawndevault2726]

@@Eatsleepcruise1 the food was good. I normally don’t do the specialty restaurants, but we had the premiere package and it came with two specialty restaurant meals. We had Hot Pot and the Butcher’s Block, both were very delicious. The Americana Diner was good for what I was looking for in a late breakfast. My 10 year old grandson loved all the food near the pool, hot dogs, burgers, pizza. The food in the main dining room was really good too, I am a picky eater and always found something I liked. The buffet seemed to have the same thing each day.

[@amandareiche9083]

Sabatinis and Steakhouse table arrangement looks like a close quarters school lunchroom, 2X2 w/ table cloths---way to pack 'em in Princess.

[@webjammer1]

I liker the older ships...maybe because I am older.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

lol. Perhaps. Although, we are getting up there in age, and still like the newer ships. When’s the next cruise.

[@webjammer1]

@@Eatsleepcruise1 December on the Regal Princess.

[@wlkennedy]

Just turned Platinum after a two week cruise on the Sun Princess. Loved the elevators, the new showers and the best service ever. Hated the smoky walk to the stage shows. For a seat at the shows you need to be there at least 30 minutes ahead of the shows. Great singing and dancing but volume was a bit too loud, and my hearings not that great. Most of the tours were great but in most cases we were forced to return to the ship by 2 or 2:30 and the ship was not leaving until 5:00 or later. We often had only 15 t0 30 minutes to shop at the end of the tour. We would have liked more time to shop than we were given. Food in the Eatery was good but by the second week it got monotonous. Despite the size of the ship it never felt crowded.

[@jw3411]

sailing on Sun Princess first week of September in the Mediterranean, cant't wait!

[@mariaaguila1274]

I’m excited to be there June! Looks beautiful, and I love the food options!!

[@jakehoskins4444]

The buffet (the eatery) was among the worst I've ever had on any cruise ship. Other than that is was okay.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Have fun! What type of stateroom are you staying in?

[@mariaaguila1274]

Regular balcony for family of 3, 2 adults and a teen :)

[@pw-sz6ds]

A very safe thorough review. Begin positively and end positively with a sprinkle of the things that were a slight disappointment. As invited guests on this cruise, it was a good presentation of the ship whether Princess directly or indirectly influenced the presentation.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Thanks, Princess had no say in the review. When is your next cruise?

[@CC-TimesTwo]

Seriously, the Dry Bar hairdryers are amazing!!!

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

I don’t have enough hair to know. lol. You plan on sailing on Sun Princess?

[@amandareiche9083]

I don't cruise for hairdryer quality!

[@robertk4552]

This June will be our first Princess Cruise on the Royal Princess, 14 days to Alaska in a Mini-Suite and Premier Package. This will be our first time getting more than a soda package on a cruise but since it is our 25th wedding anniversary we're going above and beyond what is normal for us. Having multiple additional pay restaurants, extra pay ship areas, etc.. just has us looking for other vacation options. We'll see if the Premier package is of value to us or not and turns some of the negatives about cruising these days into more of a positive.

[@cajhawk84]

I feel the plus package was well worth it. Not heavy drinkers but specialty coffee in the morning, am afternoon margarita, wine with dinner and a late night drink were just right. I don't go for specialty restaurants as MDR is still good.

[@user-yk1tz7wb8l]

I guess myself and friends of mine very seasoned and experienced world travelers for decades, I previously worked for a major cruise line at the corporate headquarters and on the ships handling financial and legal operations, were on a different ship. Food in buffet was repetitive everyday dried out no taste, walkways and ship design as you mentioned was very poorly laid out, spellbound is overpriced overrated certainly not worth 169 I’ve been to the magic castle in LA and you can go on you tube see same tricks and even get the secrets for nothing. Most of the ship is convoluted with long hallways and wasted space. The areas with open glass reminds me of a hospital or a ny office building the piazza and dome unlike royal class ships does not have the intimacy charm and character with everything being well appointed and laid out near each other so you feel your in the same complex. Guest services tucked in a obscure area won’t handle the guest flow when dozens are standing in line down the halls. Enough said I and others feel this ship is overrated overpriced and all hyperbole. There’s a reason princess kept the same design on their ships for some 60 years it’s what their guests wanted. But carnival saw other lines making more money and getting more cross section of people by adding bells and whistles but the guests on princess are considerably older and much more set in their preferences.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

We appreciate the review. When’s the next cruise?

[@trainsandships]

Thanks for share video. This ship are too big for me. I would like to go on Princess' older ships with about 2,000- 3,000 passengers. This ship is too modern. Thanks for take review on ship. I miss watching "The Love Boat" show.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Thanks for watching. When is the next cruise?

[@trainsandships]

@@Eatsleepcruise1 I don't know yet. I hope I will go on cruising next year.

[@davidmarsden305]

Looks a nice ship, as fans of princess I'll be watching reviews of what others think to? Don't particularly like multi floor venues, however if the lifts live up to the hype, then great, thanks for the overview 👍

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Glad you enjoyed the review. We are fans of mega ships and when compared to then Royal class, Sun Princess is a huge improvement.

[@davidmarsden305]

No idea, when she will come to Southampton, however deffo on my radar, until then? I'll have to suffer celebrity apex this Aug and back on Sky princess in 2025. Happy days 🥳

[@AM-dr9qd]

I'm curious, professional complainers and haters, get paid by complaint, salary, yearly, weekly 🤔? Or is just a hobby?

[@mickeytollison]

I think they wake up to complain.

[@Queenfan1961]

I think you’re too ignorant to understand……

[@groovypotato]

I heard a rumor that there are spots on deck 8 for those two restaurants that are popped up in the buffet for now. But they are still not ready. “South” of Teppanyaki on the deck plan is one.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

That’s news to us. Do you plan to sail on the ship?

[@jvarner7088]

If you have any complaint whatsoever, upgrade yourself to a suite.

[@JayneDeaux5555]

Was this a comped cruise?

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

We were guests of Princess Cruises.

[@Chris-ql1jj]

As a Platinum Member of the Captains Circle, I don't find this ship in anyway attractive or appealing. It may not appear so to anyone outside Europe but the interior resembles a large modern European ferry.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

We actually like the new decor, compared to the older Princess ships.

[@amandareiche9083]

Very spartan and utilitarian but feels clean and airy----not enough to make me want to sail with the hoards in Ts and wife-beaters......

[@williamwatson689]

Cruising in general has lost its appeal. Too expensive, poor security, too many kids, and outrageous selling of up sell.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

These may not apply to Sun Princess, as there were few kids and plenty of security. Like all contemporary cruise lines, there was some upsell, but it was not crazy.

[@williamwatson689]

Just wait for the word to leak out that Princess has made a huge design move that will attract many kids.​@Eatsleepcruise1

[@whistlebloer8254]

Does anybody know if the production show is open now (End of April 24). I will be on Sun Princess in July.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Right now, one show is open in both the theater and dome. By July, the cruise line indicated all the shows should be running. Let us know. What type of cabin are you staying in?

[@whistlebloer8254]

Thank you. We'll be in the Deluxe Balcony. They kept sending me emails to upgrade. But I still have time to decide.

[@DeniseG-nl2ro]

Just returned from 14 days on the Sun Princess, all shows were open.

[@whistlebloer8254]

@@DeniseG-nl2ro Thank you. I am happy to hear that.

[@jenniferrivera4031]

One big mistake Princess has done is replacing Churchills Lounge with an arcade. Churchills ensured smokers had a place to go that truly didn't affect non smoking passengers and from what I've gathered, the arcades are always empty

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

That is true that there is no indoor smoking, besides “active play” in the casino.

[@iloveowls90]

because they arent aware the arcades are there, its not obvious unless you know its there or just happened to stumble upon it , yeah i know that

[@jenniferrivera4031]

@iloveowls90 then they aren't paying attention or researching the ship and cruise line. There are reddit threads and fb groups posting pics/videos daily about the empty arcades. They've been there long enough that people should know they exist by now.

[@jenniferrivera4031]

@iloveowls90 I don't smoke so I personally couldn't care less, but I've seen literally seen hundreds of complaints about it

[@amandareiche9083]

Yeah that is ridiculous and will send part of my family away. But it will attract the children and teens who I have no desire to experience. [Dad wears graphic T's to the MDR and wife-beaters everywhere else]----don't need to see that!

[@chucknorris8704]

Is it really that much bigger than their Royal class ships? Looks the same size to me or am I wrong?

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Sun Princess is about 20% bigger. You can feel it in certain areas, like the piazza and the sun deck, especially the dome and Sea View terrace.

[@niuhuskieguy]

Also keep in mind this ship appears to be using the Carnival Excel class platform and has been modified in such a way that it actually carries almost 1000 less passengers at double occupancy than the Carnival versions. Not sure what the capacity is of the P&O and Aida versions.

[@porkins74]

What they did to the Wheelhouse Bar is a travesty.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

What did they do? We have only sailed on the Royal class before this that doesn’t have a wheel house bar.

[@porkins74]

@@Eatsleepcruise1 the Wheelhouse Bar on all the older Princess ships have dark wood and brass accents. Ornate you could say. Lights are low. Kinda tucked away even though they are always midship. On the Sun, it appears to be light and airy and just there for everyone to walk right by.

[@horizonsblue]

It’s a nice ship with several improvements. Elevators are better. The lotus spa is better. The casino is larger. However: the gym layout feels more confined than their last 3 newest cruise ships, the layout can be confusing, and the Eatery (their replacement of the buffet) was dreadful. The food was the same every night, they got rid of self-serve, and I didn’t speak to anyone who was happy about it. Ever got annoyed with waiting behind a person who takes minutes to select food? Wait until you have to wait even longer behind those same indecisive dinners and can’t walk around them. Or have to ask for more sauce or dressing. The Eatery was the biggest fail imo. I like the ship, but prefer the Discovery Princess overall due to the food situation.

[@horizonsblue]

No pickleball courts either.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

We didn’t eat much in the eatery, so good to know.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

For now. While not ideal, they could place nexts under the ropes course.

[@trainsandships]

I heard about long waiting for food from Lido. I don't like full service buffet there. I like self service buffet better. I would go on Princess' older or oldest ships. I like smaller ships.

[@johnnyv5995]

Piazza - sounds like Piatza

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

If you say so, lol. Happy cruising.

[@amberstroeder1301]

Is there a kids club?

[@dawndevault2726]

My grandson thoroughly enjoyed the kids club. He is 10 years old. Unfortunately Park 19 wasn’t up and running yet for our cruise 19-29 March.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

yes, three clubs based on ages. We showcase them in our ship tour.

[@MatthewChang-rq1bu]

People like to smoke on the ship

[@suesuegrosser]

We won't cruise on a smoking ship.

[@greggm6614]

Every mainstream cruise line has a limited smoking section on their ships. The Carnival Paradise was 100% non smoking many many years ago and didn't survive since many heavy duty gamblers tend to smoke and the casino revenue dropped off big time

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Not Celebrity Cruises. The new Edge-class is 100% smoke-free casino. Happy cruising.

[@jenniferrivera4031]

May I ask why? I'm a former social smoker, so I probably find the smell of cigarette smoke even more offensive than people who never smoked. At the same time, I recognize people do smoke and doing so is not illegal. I'm not going to tell people they can't do it and see no problem with places having designated smoking areas. That way, smokers have their space and non smokers can avoid them if they want. I also find heavy perfumes and colognes offensive, but I'm not going to tell people not to wear them.

[@rogeryannett7212]

So I watched the video and on 18.13 you said you have to walk through the casino to get to the theater. Not true why are you misleading us. You can get to the theater on deck 6 and 7. Deck 7 is the casino that has designated smoking area, also not every night some nights are non smoking. Yes it’s a new ship it will take some time to adjust to the new layout. This is a beautiful ship that offers so much more for us LOYAL princess cruisers.

[@Theunconservativeconservative]

I'm thankful they still allow people to smoke on a cruise considering how much money they spend

[@BeeHee0704]

I find nothing “gorgeous” or innovative or even interesting about this ship. But nice try, Princess. I hope they fix some of these issues on the next ship in this class.

[@mickeytollison]

The ship is absolutely awesome!!

[@greggm6614]

We already have 4 sailings booked on her and another 4 booked on the Star.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Compared to the other Princess Cruises ships we have sailed on, the Sun Princess is definitely more trendy, modern, and open. Happy cruising.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Happy cruising!