What is Princess Cruises’ new ship Sky Princess really like?
It’s easy to stay connected on this new addition to the Princess fleet.
The door to cabin C737 on Caribe Deck 10 releases automatically as I approach and my preloaded headshot appears on a display panel near the number signage. This miracle of open-sesame technology has been activated by the silver and blue Sky Princess OceanMedallion, the size of an American quarter, embedded in a plastic sheath on my lanyard. It’s a new-age, sci-fi sort of device that could well unlock the mysteries of the universe. But for now, its purpose is to let me in without a key or fob swipe.
Later I talk on my mobile phone from the depths of my cabin to family members in Australia. The reception is better than at home. And just because I can, I stream movies while lolling in a deckchair. I have entered a parallel universe of, well, unparalleled connectivity that seems remarkable while sailing the Adriatic. MedallionNet Wi-Fi is touted as “fast, reliable, unlimited and affordable”, and that’s no stretch. I am told that four million feet of cable was laid for the technology and my head is spinning way too fast to “do the math” to metres. I feel as modern and up there in the cosmos as Jane Jetson at Skypad Apartments. At any moment, George Jetson, piloting an aerocar home from Spacely Space Sprockets, could hover past my balcony and, who knows, land on Deck 18, much to the astonishment of joggers on the fitness track. I reckon Captain Merrill Stubing and the crew of The Love Boat, the TV hit show that introduced generations of viewers to the Princess brand, would be equally wide-eyed.
Princess Cruises has invested heavily in this latest technology, designed to offer “digital and immersive experiences”. Passengers need to be OceanReady and download a pre-registered MedallionClass app on their chosen device or use interactive portal screens across the ship to navigate deck to deck, check daily events, order food and drinks, book spa appointments, even wager at the casino and so on. My cruise aboard sparkling white Sky Princess is a so-called shakedown inaugural for media and industry professionals between Trieste and Athens via Kotor in Montenegro. Also on board are many workers and executives from shipbuilding giant Fincantieri’s Monfalcone yard where Sky Princess was “born”.
“The most fun was doing fast turns and spinning doughnuts on sea trials,” says Giovanni, who may or may not be joking. Fabio adds, “The best part is when the ship is opened, layers peeled back like a big, shiny present.” There is a tangible sense of great pride and achievement in the air. Sky Princess is the first ship created “from the ground up” says Giovanni, as a MedallionClass ship, finessing the “design platform” used on earlier siblings. Fabio adds that there’s 200 tonnes of Italian marble in the fit-out. Giovanni makes sure I write down that this is the 17th Princess liner delivered by Fincantieri.
The new 19-decker ship is a beauty, with capacity for 3660 passengers across 1830 cabins and suites. The 753 balcony or 311 deluxe balcony cabins are the perfect mid-range choices. The fact that 100 cabins are interconnected confirms a family focus, which is carried through with the OceanCompass “tracking” capabilities of the MedallionClass app, which lets you invite fellow “shipmates”, sort of like WhatsApp friends afloat, to join chats and, importantly for parents of junior passengers, to track their whereabouts in live time. I wonder if this is a bit intrusive but end up finding it invaluable when it comes to changing plans to join my group. “No one is lost at sea,” laughs one of my companions. It is a benign form of surveillance. Using the OceanNow function, you can even order drinks, sunscreen, pizzas the size of flying saucers, possibly an inflatable pool flamingo, to your deckchair if moving a muscle suddenly seems like hard work.
Cruise cuisine has come a long way since the era of first and second sittings in cavernous dining rooms, with the ever-lurking prospect of flambees and carvery trolleys. There are three main restaurants aboard, all with individual decor, but these are not overly formal; Lumiere, one of the trio, even has a chef’s table option for 12, veiled in a curtain of light. Most passengers seem intent on trying as many food options as feasible. And there’s a load of choice, including casual poolside burgers with proper ground beef and not woeful frozen patties at Salty Dog Grill and tasty bites to go from Slice Pizzeria.
Top options come with a reasonable surcharge up to about $US35 ($51.50) a person. In terms of hanging out, I particularly like the town square feel (and flavours) of the multi-level midship Piazza, where a string quartet of young women in silk gowns performs, and the spiral staircases and curved nautical lines add a touch of art deco glamour.
The coffee from International Cafe is worthy of any Australian hipster barista, but is not free; the complimentary stuff, poured up at the bright and airy World Fresh Marketplace on Deck 16, a food court of buffets and cooking stations, is pretty bad, but its breakfasts, in particular, are terrific.
Deck 7’s “circle of dining” is a treat; there’s handmade pasta at trattoria-style Sabatini’s, terrific pizzas at Alfredo’s (grab a table on the deck) and seafood served with French flair at Bistro sur la Mer, created in conjunction with Michelin three-star chef Emmanuel Renaut. Best of all, I reckon, is Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar for oyster shooters, sushi, sashimi and cocktail glasses piled with Alaskan king crab. Bars? I give you pulled pints at the Wheelhouse Pub, fine wine at Vines and myriad cushy lounges where staff circle with loaded trays. Somewhere on board, apparently, is a wedding chapel and an internet cafe.
When I tour the shiny kitchens, I hear about the Gelato University at Anzola dell’Emilia, near Bologna, set up by ice-cream machine maker Carpigiani in 2003. The facility has an authentication process for “real” gelato and Sky Princess is fully, and uniquely, accredited. Princess Cruises’ operations executive Mario Siebaldi shows me Carpigiani’s “Ferrari of gelato machines”, which churns the delicious ice cream and recommends tiramisu and amaretto as his favourite flavours. Mine are pistachio and lemon. “The usual, Susan?” greets the attendant at the Gelato bar on Deck 5 as I approach, admittedly more than once a day. Ha, there’s that all-knowing OceanMedallion technology at work again; one has few secrets aboard. My standing order of pre-breakfast macchiato appears by some form of alchemy.
There’s the usual line-up of on-board activities, multiple swimming pools and swirl tubs, Las Vegas-style casino with a slot-machine alley and gaming tables, boutiques, recreational activities, and two new musical theatre productions, one with an eight-piece live orchestra and costumes that could have twirled out of a New York society gala.
In essence, though, this is not an amusement park afloat, like Royal Caribbean ships, and is even a little bit old-school with its Movies under the Stars, a Princess Cruises’ stalwart, which is well patronised during my cruise. There’s something wonderful about being off the coast of Montenegro as a film shows on a screen of the sort I recall from 1960s drive-ins, lying back all comfy with a cushioned headrest and blanket, and knowing that somewhere aboard this evening DJ Mateo is just warming up and a “flair bartender” can be tracked down to shake, rattle and pour an unspeakably exotic cocktail.
Back in C737, I slumber soundly on the trademark Princess Bed “designed by a sleep expert”. The mattress has a marshmallow-like topper, the pillows super-soft, the linen first-class. Cabin attendant Jim keeps things shipshape, and although the ensuite is tight and the shower requires a few gymnastic moves, layout is good, with intuitive lighting, big TV, full-length mirror, two-seater couch and plenty of hanging space. The decor of metallic blue and caramel is calming and the glass-screened balcony has twin recliner chairs.
Our shore excursion to the fortress city of Kotor in Montenegro gives us an opportunity to look up, and up, at Sky Princess, one of several ships in port. Guide Silvana says she thinks our floating home is “a pretty big one” but then she corrects me when I refer to the high stone cliffs beyond the 12th-century walled city as mountains. “We call those hills,” she says. Sky Princess is undeniably large and full of fun, with great crew and plenty to keep passengers occupied. Captain Heikki Laakkonen, from Finland, is fond of bagging the weather in his homeland. “It’s very cold, rainy and miserable there at this time of year,” he announces over the PA system. “That’s why I’m here for a good time.”
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MORE TO THE STORY
Want a touch more exclusivity? Two remarkable Sky Suites, each accommodating up to five guests in two bedrooms and on a fold-out sofa, feature twin-sided balconies touted as “the largest at sea”, at 167sq m and with 270-degree views. These are Sky Princess’s unrivalled top-drawer digs, positioned so guests can watch Movies Under the Stars (with the option of choosing a night’s film) from their private perches and deign to wave, perhaps, to the passengers below. Included are personal concierge and staff, access to the Lotus Spa’s Enclave, private balcony dining options and a nifty telescope for stargazing. Also at the elite level, the adults-only Sanctuary, a pool club with eight private cabanas, twice as many as Royal Class sister ships, offers light meals, drinks, al fresco massages and a personal “Serenity Steward” to spritz you with Evian water and who knows, strew petals in your path. I recommend slipping away to the Asian-themed Lotus Spa for the likes of a herbal poultice massage, combined with a pass to The Enclave, equipped with hammam, heated mosaic-tiled lounges, hydrotherapy pool, sauna and sensory showers.
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IN THE KNOW
Wi-Fi costs from about $US20 a day but much less if a voyage-long package is selected; the swiftness and efficiency of connectivity is almost scary. Sky Princess is the fourth Royal Class ship, joining Royal Princess, Regal Princess and Majestic Princess. Exclusive new features include the Take Five lounge, featuring live jazz; a Phantom Bridge “escape room” experience (top fun for teens) with more than 700 possible outcomes; additional swirl tubs, and a Deck 16 Wake View Pool with submerged loungers and adjacent bar. Enchanted Princess launches in June this year; Discovery Princess in November 2021; and two ships in 2023 and 2024. OceanMedallion technology is being rolled out or retrofitted across most of its fleet. Sky Princess is cruising the eastern and western Caribbean until its Scandinavia, Russia and northern Europe season, starting with an April 11 departure from Fort Lauderdale on a 17-day voyage to Berlin via stops in Portugal, France, Denmark and Norway.
Susan Kurosawa was a guest of Princess Cruises.
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