We recently traveled on the Sun Princess through the Caribbean, departing from Fort Lauderdale with stops in Princess Cays (Bahamas), Puerto Rico, and St. Thomas.
This cruise is designed for those seeking a true relaxation experience, with an itinerary that includes three days at sea and stops that allow you to enjoy and unwind at each destination.
Cutting-Edge Technology
One of the most notable features is its advanced technology. The traditional Princess seapass card has been replaced by an innovative medallion that facilitates cabin access. It detects your presence seconds before you reach the door, and automatically unlocks so you can enter immediately.
This system is particularly useful for registering different activities, such as during events, allowing for smoother participation in activities like raffles. Restaurants and cafes can also quickly identify you without needing to ask for your cabin number or swipe a card through a reader.
Throughout the ship, there are interactive screens you can use that display personalized information thanks to your medallion, which allows you to log in when you approach and view information such as your photos and upcoming events.
Lastly, worth highlighting is the mobile application, which we used more than ever as it provides interactive deck maps. Not only maps but also calculating the most efficient routes to destinations, locating your travel companions, and allowing message exchanges between people you add. All of this can be done for free using the ship’s WiFi.
Outdoor Spaces Designed for Everyone
The Sun Princess stands out for its extraordinary distribution of outdoor spaces, offering a variety of environments to satisfy all preferences. At the ship’s bow, the Dome provides an exclusive retreat for adults seeking tranquility. Here you’ll find an outdoor pool that partially connects with the ship’s interior within the Dome.
As is common on other cruises, the central area houses two pools and is where most activity takes place, with music playing depending on the time of day. The large screen is also used to show movies or sporting events.
Suite guests will find their space in the VIP Sanctuary area, strategically located at the stern.
Complementing these main areas, decks 8 and 9 offer extensive outdoor zones surrounding the buffet, crowned by an impressive infinity pool that provides spectacular ocean views.
Comfort and Functionality in the Cabins
The Sun Princess cabins are a perfect example of modern design and well-thought-out functionality. Each space has been carefully planned to maximize guest comfort, starting with exceptionally comfortable beds that ensure restful sleep. The smart lighting incorporates night sensors that activate automatically, facilitating nighttime orientation without disturbing rest.
The interior design is complemented by spacious closets that include multiple compartments for optimal luggage organization. The bathroom deserves special attention, pleasantly surprising with its dimensions that are larger than usual on cruises, particularly highlighting its spacious shower.
Dining Experience
The buffet service has been designed prioritizing hygiene, with dedicated staff serving food according to diners’ preferences, avoiding self-service and ensuring controlled consumption.
This ship features several specialty restaurants, as well as numerous options included for all guests. Therefore, the variety in terms of styles and types of cuisine is quite diverse. The buffet also features live cooking stations.
Sun Princess recently received an award for best food at the World Cruise Awards.
Quality Entertainment
The shows stand out for their participatory nature, and the circular design of the “Princess Arena” theater allows good visibility from most seats.
Other shows and entertainment activities are also held in the central area known as the Piazza, which is visible from decks 7 through 9.
Embarkation Tips
Although Fort Lauderdale port can experience some traffic due to multiple cruise ships coinciding, the embarkation process is swift once you access the corresponding terminal. If you choose to arrive by UBER as we did, it’s important to know exactly which terminal your cruise is at since distances can be quite significant. In the case of Sun Princess, it was located at terminal 2.
Conclusion
Besides the points mentioned above, it’s important to highlight the crew’s work in all areas, from cabin cleaning to restaurant service, they have been truly efficient.
During peak times when the buffet can be most crowded, such as embarkation and disembarkation days, we had no problems quickly finding a table. Additionally, for the Princess Cays stop which requires a shuttle boat, the process was surprisingly comfortable with practically no waiting time to disembark.
This was our first experience with this cruise line and it definitely lived up to our expectations.
