Day 1 aboard Princess Cruises
WHAT A SUNSATIONAL DAY!
Civitavecchia was busy. The Roman port was hectic with excited passengers waiting to board, luggage in tow. There was a palpable buzz of excitement in the air.
I only had eyes for one lady; the Sun Princess.
I had waited 13 months to see the completed ship, and now as I stood staring up at her hallmark sphere, traversing 9 decks, I was virtually jumping out of skin to get on board.
But first, check in. As I was traveling with a group of other Australia media, we had a dedicated crew member to assist. Handing out our Princess Medallions (more about this later) and tagging our bags took next to no time. Before I knew it, I was crossing the gangway. The process took next to no time. Princess has the boarding process down pat!
All aboard Sun Princess
I must admit, sometimes boarding day can be overwhelming, especially when it’s a new ship. It can be hard to know where to start, where to look. Not this time. This could be because I was onboard before passengers and the decks were quiet. But I also believe it was a combination of the calm palette and the light filled spaces.
First impressions
Walking through the decks, the colour scheme was very soothing. No gaudy colours or overstimulating patterns, just a nuanced sea of blues and beige, interjected with shiny chrome and sparkly stair cases. The multilevel atrium was bright and had a huge LED screen.
While Sun is different to other Princess ships, she retains the charm and elegance of her sisters in the fleet. I started with doing a quick walk around to see some of the bars and restaurants, plus the shops and entertainment areas, including the Princess Arena. So far, Sun Princess looked amazing.
Cabin life, oh so nice
The modern bathroom had plenty of space for toielteries and the shower had a glass door. No more icky, plastic curtains. Shudder,
More spaces to love
As my first walk through was quite quick, I joined the media group for a more thorough tour, this time seeing many of the standout areas which included the Dome which has an inside /outside pool, amphitheatre style seating and a stage. Then and there, I fell in love with the design and knew it would be a favourite space for passengers.
Horizons and wakeviews
Ever since my shipyard visit , I was trying to envision the 3-level main dining room. I wasn’t sure how the void would work in the middle and if it would be disjointed. Stepping into Horizons (the main dining room that spans decks 6, 7 and 8) my fears that this space would feel confused were put to rest.
The 3 levels are joined by a staircase at the entrance and is more like a high-end restaurant than a regular cruise ship eatery.
Deck 6 and 7 are more formal while Deck 8 is a more casual and has an American-style menu (including all-day breakfast). Here’s a Honey Tip: Check opening times for each level as they do vary, especially on port days.
My favourite feature? The expansive wake views that fill the floor to ceiling windows. Why can’t I have wake views for breakfast every day?
Dinner in Horizons was yummy (especially my salmon main course) and I couldn’t pass up on indulging in the signature Love Boat dessert. What else would I have?
Day 1 complete and I already knew the next 5 days would zoom by. Hasn’t anyone invented a machine to make time stand still yet?
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