On board the new cruise giant that’s a ‘next-level Love Boat’

The fog is chasing me. It streams across Sicily’s Mount Etna – the highest active volcano in Europe – cloaking it in a cashmere scarf. A will-o’-the-wisp, it slips between basalt boulders, pours into lava tubes and smothers everything in its wake. Buttoning our jackets, we turn our backs on the scorched rim of the Silvestri crater and make our descent to the floor, where chocolate brown rubble gives way to a vibrant, honeycomb centre.

“According to mythology this is the work of a 100-headed dragon,” says our local guide, Katia Grasso. “When he loses his temper, he spits flames from any one of his many mouths.”

Through the ruins to a smoking Mount Etna.Credit: iStock

Clearly, this multi-headed monster has anger issues, given the 3357-metre mountain has been spitting and growling for 500,000 years, with recent activity continuing to make headlines. Thankfully, at a safe elevation of 1900 metres, the chain-of-craters we are walking on is long extinct. Grasso explains that while the summit of Mount Etna has four active craters, there are hundreds of extinct lateral craters spread over its lower flanks.

The island of Sicily is the much-anticipated mid-point of our seven-day cruise from Athens to Barcelona aboard the newly launched Sun Princess. The more adventurous have chosen a full-day shore excursion to explore the higher reaches of Mount Etna, while movie buffs have opted to follow in the footsteps of The Godfather. Others are visiting wineries or enjoying a beach day. Our “small-group” shore excursion of just nine passengers is spending the morning on Mount Etna followed by lunch at a traditional Sicilian restaurant.

The richness of choices comes to define this Mediterranean cruise. We’ll visit four countries – Greece, Montenegro, Italy and Spain – with stops at celebrated places such as Corfu in the Greece’s Ionian Islands as well as unsung beauty spots such as Bar on the Adriatic coast of Montenegro. I’ve travelled this way before – by train, plane and car – but there is something about entering ports from the sea, like the mariners of old, that cannot be replicated.

Sun Princess, the “next-level Love Boat”.

To do so aboard the Sun Princess elevates the experience to a whole other level. Launched in February 2024, the line’s biggest (21 decks/4300 passengers) and most innovative (powered by liquefied natural gas) afloat, the Sun Princess wears its tagline – “next-level Love Boat” – with pride.

To understand The Love Boat connection, we need to step back to the 1970s, when Captain Stubing introduced a generation of viewers to cruising, through the popular TV series that was filmed aboard various Princess ships. Today, this love match is still apparent, from the recognisable locks of the Sea Witch emblem to the series’ tune blasting from the ship’s horn during sail-away.

Nostalgia is a bit of fun, but everything else about the Sun Princess is next-level.

Take the glass-enclosed Dome, not just a soaring geodesic structure (billed as the first of its kind at sea) but also a multi-use venue that converts from a tiered pool deck by day to a stage for shows by the renowned Cirque Eloize by night. It’s inspired by the terraces of Santorini with sun lounges and Sea View bar.

Inside the multi-use Dome.

And then there is the Sphere Atrium, after which this new Sphere-class of ship is named. Imagine a glass globe, blow it up to eight decks high, suspend it in the middle of the ship and sit it out over the water on both sides like a pair of crystal eyes.

Housed within this luminous bubble is the three-level Piazza, the “go-to” heart of the ship for restaurants, bars and entertainment. Each zone has a different mood, yet the overall feeling is one of light and space, designed to connect passengers with the sea vistas.

My Cabana mini-suite is a category of stateroom new to the Princess line. To the calm space with soft-hued decor, comfortable queen-sized bed and spacious lounge, the ship adds a private, covered cabana, which comes with a second sofa and wall-mounted television, and bi-fold doors that open to the balcony, delivering the best of the indoor/outdoor life.

A Cabana mini suite and its sea views.

This month (October) Sun Princess will introduce the exclusive Sanctuary Collection, which includes bespoke amenities, private spaces and premium services. These range from a private restaurant to a tranquil top-deck space exclusively for adults.

Sea days are for relaxing. Daily events are designed to keep passengers in perpetual motion, but I prefer the “busy-not-doing-much” approach. A morning stretch class, a few hours at the Wake View Terrace and an afternoon wine-appreciation class constitute a good day in my books. Throw in a treatment in the Lotus Spa and I’m hoping the sea day will never end.

The only thing that will drag me away is the promise of a new destination. In Bar, we go our own way in preference to the Montenegro shore excursion. The town is renowned for its beaches, but it’s late spring and still too cold for a dip (no judgment please). Instead, a taxi (€15/$24) brings us to Stari Bar, the old town set at the base of the formidable Mount Rumija.

It is just after 9am when we step through the ruins of the town’s 11th century Byzantine walls, the crumbling towers and turrets silent witness to centuries of troubles at the hands of the Venetians, Serbians, Hungarians and Ottomans. Yet, it is still extraordinarily beautiful; olive and fruit trees reign over the landscape, while a riot of daisies creates a carpet of green and gold; cobbled pathways flow beneath ancient arches; the foundations of Turkish bathhouses stand beside the remains of cathedrals and chapels. In the distance, the loops of a 17th century aqueduct straddle a steep ravine. And the best part? We have it to ourselves.

Later that night it’s delights of the Italian kind at specialty ship restaurant Sabatini (additional $US45/$68 a person) where lobster tortellini and Sicilian-style branzino (sea bass) grace the menu.

A dish from Sabatini.

These add-on restaurants are good for a special treat, yet the included options, such as the three-level Horizons dining room, are impressive. The Medallion, a wearable disc the size of a 20-cent coin, aids investigation of the 30 restaurant and bar options. From ordering a snack to be delivered to your deck chair to unlocking your stateroom door (on approach no less) to helping you navigate your way around the ship, there’s little this nifty device can’t do. It even alerts staff to your name – and preferences – as you approach the bar.

The next morning, we wake in Naples. A city I have longed to visit, but until now has eluded me. I sign up for a full-day shore excursion, which takes us beneath the city and deep inside the labyrinth of tunnels, followed by a Neopolitan pizza and a guided tour of the ruins of Pompeii. Of course one day isn’t enough, but with the inside scoop from our knowledgable guide it has planted the seed for a return visit.

With free time I leave the crowds in favour of a quiet section of the ruins, the towering crown of the still active Mount Vesuvius levitating above fog that resembles a smoke ring. Walking in the footsteps of an ancient civilisation, while travelling aboard one of the most technologically advanced ships yet built. Cruising doesn’t get better than this.

FIVE WAYS IN FIVE PORTS OF CALL

ATHENS
Sample delicacies such as sesame bread, souvlaki and Greek doughnuts on a food walking tour.

CORFU
Cruise aboard a catamaran with stops to snorkel at Pontikonissi (Mouse Island) and a dip in the waters below the Mon Repos Palace.

SICILY
Soak in the thermal baths of the island of Ischia, the largest island in the Bay of Naples.

NAPLES
Visit a vineyard and enjoy food and wine pairing on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius.

BARCELONA
Ride an electric tuk-tuk past the city’s major sights such as the Sagrada Familia, the Gothic Quarter and Arc De Triomf.

THE DETAILS

FLY
Qatar Airways operates multiple daily flights from Australia, connecting through Doha to Barcelona and other European cities. See qatarairways.com

CRUISE
Fares for a Cabana mini-suite on a seven-night Mediterranean voyage, departing Barcelona on June 7, 2025, visiting France and Italy and finishing in Naples, costs from $3759 a guest on a Princess Premier package. This includes Wi-Fi (up to four devices per guest), premier beverage package, two speciality dining meals and unlimited fitness classes. See princess.com/sun-princess

The writer was a guest of Princess Cruises.

For great deals on cruise holidays, visit mycruises.com.au