SUN PRINCESS Review by John Pond, Sydney Australia
My first impression of the Sun Princess was a good one. The ship was well decorated and the refurbishment was in great taste unlike some of her sister ships on the American market that are very garish in the “Las Vegas Style”. She looked like a ship. There were many areas to sit and relax as well as tasteful bars that seemed full to capacity for pre dinner drinks, the Martini Bar was most popular and the drinks reasonably priced.
The duty free shops could have had more exciting goods, but the alcohol was well priced.
The Front Pursers Office seemed to have a line at most times, causing long waits and needed more staff.
My cabin (I had a regular balcony), was a trifle smaller than I am used to, but was OK, the balcony was adequate and functional and we spent a lot of time there, often enjoying room service that was very good and fast, their sandwiches with coleslaw and french fries were wonderful.
The buffet had food virtually non stop and was very popular. The main dining rooms offered a fair choice but, I feel, not up to Princess standard. I get the feeling the quality had been cut down slightly for Australia, more Pacific Sky than “Princess”. New cruisers thought it was great, old cruisers thought it could have been better. Food is an important part of cruising and I hope management will not cut corners in this direction.
Service generally was very good, with waiters attending to ones every need.
The alternative restaurant The Steak House, charging an extra $20, offered fine cuts of meat in the American tradition but tried a little too hard with their service, resulting in a few mix ups. Nevertheless should be experienced.
Entertainment was good, the usual big band and lots of singers and dancers doing Broadway type numbers. This was augmented by some featured artists flown in at different ports. Jackie Love was excellent, though her patter needs a little work.
All in all the experience was very good and great value for money. This ship should do very well in the Australian market. My rating: 3.5 stars out of 5, with the potential of 4 stars if food selection improves.
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