We originally compiled this review in 2022 after our first cruise on Princess Cruises’ Sky Princess ship. However, since then, we have enjoyed a return trip at the end of 2024. In the period in between we went on some different cruises too, so 2025 feels like a good time to give you an updated Princess Cruises’ Sky Princess review, and a comparison to other cruise lines.
There are some handy Sky Princess cruise tips and hacks that you should know, if you are thinking of doing this cruise. Read on for Sky Princess tips on where to eat, where to chill and what cabin and package to choose. It’s definitely a way to travel in style! Of all the Sky Princess cruise ship reviews, make sure you read this one, especially if you are a first-time cruiser! We also compare a Sky Princess cruise to other smaller cruises, so you can decide which one suits you best.
Our first Princess Cruises’ Sky Princess cruise was along a coast of France & Spain. For example, the small beach town in France of La Rochelle, plus La Coruna in Spain. We only got off the ship for one morning to La Rochelle as the ship was so amazing. On our second 2024 cruise, we actually didn’t get off the ship at all. We wanted to completely chill and experience everything the Sky Princess has to offer.
When to embark and disembark the Sky Princess?
We could not have hoped for a quicker or smoother embarkation or disembarkation with this cruise on the Sky Princess. Our luggage wasdropped off at 11:01. We were then were through check-in and security, after just 12 minutes in total. By 11:13 we had taken a seat in the Sky Princess Piazza on-board and were ordering that first drink. That makes the 10hr drive from Glasgow to Southampton worthwhile.
You choose what time slot (if you make the choice early enough) to board and disembark the ship at the start and end of your cruise. We wanted as much time as possible on-board the Sky Princess, enjoying all the food and amenities, so we boarded in the second available time slot.
We also wanted to have a bit of a lie-in and enjoy breakfast before we left the boat, so we chose a disembarkation time after 0900. You can leave as early as 0645 if you wish. I think our times were perfect and I wouldn’t change them if we did this cruise again.
For those inspired by the exceptional service and experience on board, it’s worth exploring job opportunities on cruise ships in the United Kingdom, where a variety of roles are available for those seeking a career in the cruise industry.
Princess Cruises review – Which cabin and package to choose on the Sky Princess?
Given that this was our first cruise, I think we were pretty much spot-on with cabin and package choice for the Sky Princess. We opted to pay more for an Ocean-View Mini Suite cabin to give us some extra space. It was absolutely beautiful and felt so luxurious and not at all like you were on a cruise ship.
The bed was insanely comfortable and we actually slept with the balcony door open at night to really enjoy the chance of being out on the ocean.
If I was to book again, i’d probably be more inclined to just book an Ocean-View Balcony Cabin as I think the extra space in the mini suite set our bed back much further from the balcony – for personal preference, I would have liked to have been a little bit closer to the open balcony door and sounds of the ocean when sleeping.
The balcony feature is essential in my opinion, as otherwise, you can’t properly enjoy the spectacular views and sunsets that you get on a cruise.
Where on the ship to choose a cabin?
In terms of cabin location, we were right by the Sky Princess mid-ship elevators on Deck 15 – near the top of the ship. This made the views from the balcony spectacular, so I would choose to be on a high up deck again.
Mid-ship is definitely where I would want to be located also, as all the main eating and relaxation spots for us as mid-ship and it made getting places so quick and easy. I’ve heard some people advise not to choose a cabin near the elevators, but on this ship, we couldn’t hear a single thing and were glad to be so close to the elevator when returning to our room to rest.
Is a Princess Cruises drink package worth it?
In terms of package for this trip on the Sky Princess, we chose the Princess Plus package, which includes unlimited unalcoholic beverages and 15 up to $12 alcoholic beverages per day per person. Everything is priced in USD on the ship. There was a higher Premier package which allowed for drinks up to $18 each, but this wouldn’t have been really that suitable for us, as most of the drinks at this amount were wines, champagnes and whiskies – all of which give me heartburn. We both love a cocktail and the vast percentage of the cocktails were $12 or less. On both our 2022 and 2024 cruises, we found the cocktails to be fresh and of great quality. No skimping on the alcohol.
The whole drinks menu can be delivered to your cabin or to anywhere on the ship for free, as well as from all bars and restaurants in person. Our favourite cocktail was a frozen Strawberry Daiquiri and the best ones are made by the staff at Belini’s on Deck 5 plaza.
Something else included in the Plus package is mandatory crew gratuities – this means we didn’t have to wrry about tipping the crew as Princess took care of this for us. The Premier Plus package for UK guests costs an additional £40 per person per day, and is definitely something we would opt for again as it’s great value.
Princess Cruises review – What to eat on the Sky Princess?
Sky Princess cruise ship reviews always focus on the food for good reason. Included in your cruise on the Sky Princess you get unlimited food in all of the following locations – Deck 16 buffets, Deck 17 pool area burger, pizza and ice-cream bars, Deck 5 International Cafe (cakes and sandwiches), room-service menu, and Soleil/Cielo/Estrella Dining Rooms (for breakfasts, lunches, dinners and daily afternoon tea). There are also some places to eat with a small additional charge – the Deck 5 Italian gelato bar and the Deck 7 sushi bar.
In 2022, it used to be that you got unlimited free food in pizza restaurant Alfredo’s too – the pizzas are best thing to eat on board. However, we were disappointed that in 2024, it is not free for all. Guests not on the Plus or Premium packages now pay $14.99 for a fixed price menu at Alfredo’s. It’s not that much, but it is if you went many times on your trip.
Finally there are 3 speciality restaurants on the Sky Princess which offer elevated dining for a nominal (and extremely affordable charge) – the Crown Grill (steak and seafood), Sabatini’s (Italian) and Bistro Sur La Mer (French cuisine).
These speciality restaurants are between $25-29 per person per meal. The meals are huge (5 or 6 courses) and much better quality than anywhere else on the ship. We ate at speciality restaurants for 3 out of the 7 nights of the cruise. I feel it would be impossible to eat at the any more than this due to the huge size of the meals. Take this part of the Princess Cruises review into account when booking dining.
We went to Sabatini’s and the Crown Grill on the cruise and both were great. However, I would definitely say that the Crown Grill is the place with the best food on-board. Also, I love the fresh stone-baked pizzas from Alfredos and this was lunch for us most days. The Crown Grill costs $29 per person and includes 4 courses – starter, soup or salad, main course and dessert. You also get a speciality bread basket too.
What does it include?
This includes all of the available steaks and seafood. However if you would like to add lobster to a steak (i.e. have both), it’s an additional $10. I did this and it was definitely worth it. With your main course you also get unlimited sides – we got creamed spinach, truffle fries and sauteed mushrooms. Some things I’d recommend here is the Surf & Turf option, the lobster cake starter and the creme brulee cheesecake dessert.
For breakfast, I would definitely recommend that you eat in at the Estrella Dining Room table service as the food is made fresh to order and it’s such a nice way to start the day on each day of the cruise. The pancakes with bacon and maple syrup was my daily breakfast of choice! Also make sure you take advantage of the daily free afternoon tea in the Cielo Dining Room. You’ll get sandwiches, cakes and traditional scones. A key Princess Cruises review tip and more Sky Princess cruise ship reviews should really big this up.
Princess Cruises review – Where to relax on the Sky Princess?
Read on for the Princess cruises review of where to relax in peace on-board. The Sky Princess main pool area is so central and so key. It would be entirely possible to forget that an adults only pool exists on Deck 17 aft. It’s called The Retreat and it also has it’s own bar. Adults can relax here for no extra costs and it is substantially quieter. It has two levels and multiple hot tubs too. During the school holiday, the main pool area is just overrun with families and can be so noisy.
The Retreat is the exact opposite of this and is heaven! Not many Sky Princess cruise ship reviews point this out.
We also enjoyed time in the undercover sofa areas surrounding the main Deck 16 pool. Sometimes it was nice to just people-watch and be around people enjoying their vacation. My favourite place for relaxing was the inside Deck 15 Piazza. It’s the main central atrium on the Sky Princess ship. It’s surrounded with bars, eating locations and shops.
Live music also takes place here and there are relaxing water features. We liked to sit next to and listen to the trickling water. Every day we would get mini cheesecakes from the International Cafe. It’s the best sweet treat you can eat on the ship and the flavours change daily. We’d sit and eat them in the Piazza.
Read our tips on how to take great travel photos!
We chose a Mini Suite cabin for this holiday on the Sky Princess. We liked spending time in our spacious cabin with the balcony doors open. It was nice to watch a lot of films here and read in the shade.
It was such a relaxing and romantic vacation and we definitely want to spend more time on this ship in the future. If you are deciding what type of holiday to go on next year, definitely check out the Sky Princess. Head to my Instagram @alifewithfrills to see my IG Stories Highlight and Reel from the cruise, where you can see our Mini Suite cabin!
Is the Princess Cruises’ Sky Princess the right ship for me?
At the end of this Princess Cruises review, I wanted to compare a trip on the Sky Princess with some other small cruise lines we have been on recently.
Between our 2022 and 2024 Sky Princess cruises, we went on two much smaller, very different cruise lines – a mega yacht with Seadream and a clipper ship with Star Clippers. On the Sky Princess, the capacity is 3660 passengers. It’s 100 on both of these other ships full. The main difference we found was with anonymity. If you want to ‘get lost’ on-board and not be recognised, choose Sky Princess. If you want a personal service where you are greeted by name every time you step out of your cabin or pass a crew member, choose the more personal service of these small cruise lines.
The second main difference was with travel sickness. In a ship the size of the Sky Princess, you don’t feel any movement as you walk around. Lying in bed you can feel a slight, gentle rocking that’s very relaxing. However, on the other small vessels, the rocking can be intense and we had trouble with travel sickness nausea.
A final key difference is with dining. If you prefer to dine alone in peace, or dine wherever you want to, Sky Princess is great. These smaller cruise lines have set times for meals and snacks. On Seadream you can get room service outwith these times, but it’s a limited menu. On Star Clippers, there are no food options outwith the set times. On Seadream you can find at your own table, although you’ll often be pulled into dining with others when asked, due to politeness. On Star Clippers, dining is all communal and they choose who you sit with, so it can be very awkward. No room service either!
So, if you want a relaxed vacation where you don’t need to think about other people, Princess Cruises’ Sky Princess is perfect.