A first look at Sky Princess, a sister with some distinction

The aft WakeView Pool has an infinity pool appearance and is an outdoor gathering spot. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst

As the fourth in a class of ships that Princess Cruises began introducing in 2013, the Sky Princess will be familiar in many ways to travel agents.

But there are a couple of newly designed areas and some new wrinkles, along with 50 more cabins that aren't on the three predecessor ships in the class, giving agents a few new things to learn.

The biggest deal about the Sky Princess is the two Sky Suites that have been introduced at the very top of the ship. The 1,873 square feet of space occupied by the suites includes 1,000 square feet of a balcony that extend around the suites, affording a 270-degree view of the surrounding ocean as well as a prime seat for the poolside Movies Under the Stars presentations at night.

A reserved bungalow at Princess Cays, a fancy telescope for stargazing and a "Suite Experience Manager to service your every need" are part of the package.

A second new area on the Sky Princess is Take Five, a theatre for live jazz music, plus educational programming, historical presentations and other events that will make it more than a place just to hear music.

Located across from the casino on Deck 6, Take Five occupies a space that on previous ships have been called Club 6 and included a featured bar and a small dance floor.

The new cabin area has been carved out a forward area on Deck 17 that includes The Sanctuary on previous ships. On the Sky Princess, The Sanctuary moves one deck up to Deck 18, while on 17 a kind of ship-within-the-ship area has been created on three sides of the Neptune Pool. The accommodations are mostly balcony cabins, with eight larger suites for clients with bigger budgets.

The pool deck dancing-waters fountain that made a distinctive debut on the Royal Princess has been abandoned in favour of a hot tub and some patio banquettes.

When it comes to smaller wrinkles, there is a small new WakeView Ppool at the far aft end of the ship on Deck 16, giving a nice experience looking back at where the Sky Princess has been at sea.

There's a stairway from the pool deck up to the Fitness area one deck above, and then a new mini-golf area one deck above that.

Four new hot tubs have been introduced on decks 17 and 18 that don't exist on previous ships.

Two aft cabins have been removed on the deck below the WakeView Pool to accommodate its depth.

Some smallish changes have been made in the lineup of shops, restaurants and bars on decks 6 and 7. For example, the Deck 7 Wheelhouse Bar on previous ships has been incorporated into the Crown Grill and becomes the Crown Grill Bar on the Sky Princess.

The Sky Princess' pool deck. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst

The little dedicated library space that had been located outside the Wheelhouse Bar disappears entirely.

Some features introduced with the Royal Princess in 2013 remain largely unchanged, such as the sizeable World Fresh Marketplace buffet restaurant on Deck 16. 

And the multi-deck Piazza remains an elegant atrium area, with familiar features such as the Vines wine bar, the International Cafe and Sabatini's restaurant, although the Bellini's champagne bar has become Good Spirits at Sea, and the Crooner's piano bar gives way to a new restaurant, Bistro Sur La Mer.

Caribbean Princess getting new amenities during renovation

Caribbean Princess 

The Caribbean Princess will emerge with new features following a two-week drydock in Freeport, Bahamas, from March 26 to April 6.

Princess Cruises is adding amenities catering to families, including 87 interconnecting staterooms, the Camp Discovery Youth & Teen Center and a higher-resolution outdoor screen for Movies Under the Stars.

Camp Discovery will feature the Treehouse for kids ages 3-7 (formerly Pelicans), the Lodge for kids 8-12 (formerly Shockwaves) and the Beach House for teenagers (formerly Remix).

All staterooms will be outfitted with the Princess Luxury Bed, developed in collaboration with sleep expert Dr. Michael Breus and HGTV designer Candice Olson.

Also, the Caribbean Princess will offer Club Class Mini-Suites, the new premium stateroom category featuring VIP amenities and exclusive dining.

The renovated Caribbean Princess will start its Europe season with a transatlantic sailing on April 6, continuing throughout the summer in the British Isles.

Princess Announce Their Most Technologically Advanced Cruise Ship Is Set To Launch

Princess Announce Their Most Technologically Advanced Cruise Ship Is Set To Launch

Regal Princess

Princess Cruises has just announced it has placed an order for its sixth Royal Class vessel.

Guests can expect the 3,560 guest ship to be delivered in 2022, but is still yet to be named.

The next ship for the line will feature signature elements that have become synonymous with the Princess guest experience, such as a central atrium hub with multiple dining, entertainment and retail venues; Movies Under The Stars with the largest outdoor screen at sea; and 81% of all staterooms with balconies.

Princess’ newly announced vessel will also feature the recently released Ocean Medallion Class, including the Ocean Medallion, a first-of-its-kind wearable device that promises to offer enhanced services and a more personalised experience for guests.

The new technology is set to debut aboard Regal Princess on Nov. 13 on Ocean Medallion Class cruises from Port Everglades, and will follow on Royal Princess and Caribbean Princess in early 2018, the cruise company has said

The yet-to-be-named Princess ship will be built at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, and further details will be announced in due course.

The line’s vice president UK and Europe, Tony Roberts, has stated: ‘The decision to grow our fleet is testament of the success of Princess Cruises around the world. With four new ships now due for delivery, starting with Majestic Princess in March, these are incredibly exciting times for Princess Cruises.’

Carnival Corp & PLC, cruise giant that owns Princess Cruises, made this announcement on the 19th January, along with a new ship for its Holland America Line brand.

The new 99,500-ton, 2,660-passenger Holland America ship will be the third in its new Pinnacle class of ship. It will join sister ships ms Koningsdam — now sailing from Port Everglades for the winter season — and the Nieuw Statendam, currently under construction and set to debut in November 2018. 

Company CEO for Carnival Corp , Arnold Donald, has stated: “Using our strategic fleet enhancement plan to introduce new ships is an important part of our measured capacity growth strategy, which includes replacing less efficient ships with newer, larger and more efficient vessels.” 

With Thursday’s agreement, Carnival Corp. now has 19 new ships scheduled to be delivered across its corporate fleet between 2017 and 2022. The company’s cruise lines also includes Carnival Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, Seabourn, Cunard, Fathom, P&O Cruises (UK), P&O Cruises (Australia) and AIDA Cruises.

Princess orders another ship in Royal Princess class

By Tom Stieghorst

Princess Cruises said it has reached an agreement to build a third in the class of ships that began with Royal Princess.

The new ship, to be built by Fincantieri, will carry 3,560 passengers at double occupancy and is scheduled for delivery in 2017.

Princess said the price is around 600 million euros, or just over $800 million at current exchange rates.

The Royal Princess was the largest ship to date for Princess when it was delivered in 2013. It was followed by the Regal Princess earlier this year.

Princess said the new ship will include its signature elements such as a soaring central atrium hub with multiple dining, entertainment and retail venues; the adults-only Sanctuary; the Movies Under the Stars cinema experience; and 80% of all cabins with balconies. The ship will also include some new innovations, Princess said.

The 20 Best 'Free' Things to Do on a Cruise

The 20 Best 'Free' Things to Do on a Cruise

Cruise travelers who feel like they get onboard and immediately start emptying their pockets of nickels and dimes are not alone. Today's mainstream mega-ships offer an ever-increasing number of eating, drinking and entertainment options that levy fees atop the base fare. Long gone are the days when a perilous bar bill was the only onboard financial concern. Surcharges and add-ons are here to stay. But there are plenty of noteworthy experiences still included in the ticket price, including Vegas-style shows, thin crust pizza and simple pleasures like free toothpaste or shaving cream. Sure, (optional) surcharges are the new at-sea reality, but it's still more than possible to find $0.00 on your final bill. Check out our list of the best "free" cruise offerings, and share your own favorites in the comments below. Wondering what's not included in the fare? See our story on hidden fees -- and how to fight back. 1. Blue Man Group. Norwegian Epic is one of only a handful of venues in the world where you can watch the confused blue mutes of the Blue Man Group perform their out-of-this-world percussion-and-paint mime melee -- and it's surcharge free. So put on your poncho, and get ready to get splattered. 2. Cruising's Best Pizza. Long prized by Cruise Critic readers for its best-at-sea slices, Carnival gave its cooked-to-order pizza a makeover on Carnival Breeze in 2012. And it got better. We're not talking wood-fired-from-Naples good, but the palate-pleasing pies exhibit an impressive balance of (thin) crust, sauce and cheese -- and they come fresh from the convection oven fee-free. It's rolled out that pizza on numerous ships across the line. 3. Sunset Over the Ocean. It's one of the most beautiful sights in nature, and it doesn't cost a 15-cent piece extra. Grab a loved one's hand (or your favorite cocktail), walk over to the ship's railing, and take a deep breath. You've seen it before, sure, but watching the sunset over the ocean never fails to give you that, "I'm on vacation, and life is good" moment. Enjoy. 4. Ham & Cheese Croissant-wiches. When is a sandwich more than just sliced bread and filling? When it's Royal Caribbean's addictive ham and cheese mini-croissant, a flaky, cheese-y, three-bite morsel topped with lettuce, tomato, mustard and mayo. The fee-free mini-wich has long been a staple in Royal Caribbean's signature 24-hour Cafe Promenade. One word of warning: Post-cruise 'wich withdrawal can be severe. 5. Big-Screen Wii Battles. If you've been honing your video-gaming skills, but never had an audience who could appreciate your expertise, you're in luck. The entire Norwegian Cruise Line fleet is outfitted with Nintendo's interactive gaming system, Wii. "Boxing," "bowling" and other tournaments are offered on most sailings. We recommend you show off properly on the two-story screen in the atrium. 6. All-You-Can Eat Indian. To us, the lack of line for Carnival's fee-free Tandoor dining option is hard to fathom. The aromatic grab-and-go counter, typically open for lunch, serves up Indian comfort food made by the line's Indian cooks. Dig into grilled meats and fish, curries, daals and basmati rice alongside essential accouterments like mint chutney, raita and achar (pickle). 7. Dancing Lessons. Country line-dancing, waltz and tango, the electric slide -- cruise ships are great places to try out a variety of dance genres without enrolling in Arthur Murray classes (which would levy a fee besides). It's okay to have two left feet -- until you try out your new steps during pre-dinner live music. The couples there have been burning up dance floors for decades. And on P&O Cruises there's also the opportunity to learn some moves from the professional dancers of Strictly Come Dancing onboard selected sailings. 8. Milk and Cookies. You're lounging poolside in the afternoon, and all of a sudden you get a craving for something sweet -- but you're perfectly comfortable and don't want to move. What do you do? If you're onboard a Princess cruise, you relax while the waitstaff bring over fresh, soft-baked cookies and ice-cold milk. And then you silently wish that you could afford to employ someone to do the same for you at home. 9. Free Cabin Toiletries. We can't figure out why, but finding Carnival's famous complimentary in-cabin toiletry baskets always inspires a stupid grin. Inclusions rotate, but on our last Carnival cruise, we sucked on cherry Ludens, and kept hair frizz-free with Pantene conditioner and teeth from turning brown with Arm & Hammer whitening toothpaste. It's the little things. 10. Surfing at Sea. At-sea surf simulators first debuted onFreedom of the Seas, offering passengers a chance to surf and boogie-board, minus the ocean. It's now on a number of ships throughout the Royal Caribbean fleet. Although it's free to participate, you'll have to sign a waiver, hold on to your bikini top and embrace the possibility of public humiliation by way of wipeout. Not the daredevil type? It's also free to grab a seat on the nearby bleachers and enjoy the spills. 11. AquaSpa Cafe. With its AquaSpa Cafe concept, Celebrity Cruises is out to prove that healthy cruising is not an oxymoron. The bathrobed, post-gym or -spa treatment crowd flock to the fee-free venue, which proffers salads, sushi and other light-fare foods alongside a few a la carte items (grilled pork, poached salmon). The standard location, Celebrity's lovely adults-only, glass-covered Solarium, provides just the right backdrop for the guilt-free offerings. 12. Poolside Milkshakes. Most ships do free soft-serve ice cream, but Oceania Cruises steps it up a notch with three flavors of milkshakes (vanilla, chocolate and strawberry) made to order by the pool deck. The ambience is way nicer than a diner, but the treat is just as tasty. 13. Outdoor Movies. The flicks may not be first-run, but admission is free, and you can bring in treats from your cabin or the buffet without having to smuggle them under your jacket. Lido Deck movie screens are even more romantic than the real deal, with prime viewing from the pool by day and on snuggly loungers covered with warm blankets (and popcorn!) at night. 14. Climbing the Mast. Tall ship line Star Clippers lets you embrace your inner pirate by allowing passengers to climb one of the masts up to a crow's nest lookout. As you sway gently, high above the ocean, you'll get one-of-a-kind views -- if your eyes aren't shut tight in acrophobic terror. (Don't worry though: the line doesn't let anyone climb without a harness.) 15. People-watching. There is no better free entertainment than positioning a chair in a high-traffic zone on the pool deck, promenade or atrium and watching the antics of your shipmates. From fashion snafus to bizarre behavior and juicy conversations overheard, what you witness on a cruise ship can rival the best reality TV. 16. Time to Make Eat the Donuts. Sick of paying extra for sweets at the "specialty cafe"? Step out onto Oasis of the Seas' Coney Island-style Boardwalk, and grab a surcharge-free donut at the onboard, er, donut shop. With a rotating lineup of flavors from glazed to key lime, you're sure to find something you'll like. (Coffee and other items are also available there, but you'll pay up to $4 for them.) 17. Broadway Onboard. In the mood to see a Broadway show without paying Broadway ticket prices? You're in luck. Check out "Hairspray" on Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, "Chicago" on Allure of the Seas, "Saturday Night Fever" on Liberty of the Seas, "Rock of Ages" on Norwegian Breakaway or "Legally Blonde: the Musical" on Norwegian Getaway. You can also catch West End and TV stars such as illusionist Derren Brown and classical singing star Russell Watson. And the best thing about this entertainment? -- it's all gratis. 18. Bathrobes for All. Carnival takes a proletariat approach to cabins -- there are no 1,000-square-foot suites with baby grand pianos on the Fun Ships. And everyone, from the inside cabin occupier to the passenger in the modest-sized suite, gets a bathrobe. Who is to decree that only cruisers with money should be able to spend their post-shower moments in comfort? Not Carnival. (Note: Holland America also provides robes to all.) 19. Coronary Burgers. If you're craving a complimentary heart attack on a bun, give one (or several) of Guy Fieri's burgers a try at Guy's Burger Joint. This fee-free venue will be added to the pool decks of 14 Carnival ships through 2015, offering burgers on buttered buns with a choice of toppings like blue cheese crumbles, onion rings and chipotle mayonnaise. 20. Mini-Golf. For anyone who wants to avoid crowds and catch some sun without lazing by the pool, top-deck mini-golf is a great option -- and it's free. Offered on some Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Disney, Princess and MSC ships, to name a few, the courses generally aren't a full 18 holes, but they can still be challenging, as your putting will be affected by the ship's movement. For an even more competitive twist, join a mini-golf competition, usually offered once per sailing.

On first ship in five years, Princess Cruises builds on trends

By Tom Stieghorst

MONFALCONE, Italy — The $760 million Royal Princess, nearing completion here, is a pivotal vessel for Princess Cruises that will give it an entrant into the megaship class of vessels now being delivered to the industry.

Five years in the making, the Royal Princess will be 25% larger than the last ship Princess launched, the Ruby Princess in 2008.

Since then, ships like the Norwegian Epic and Allure of the Seas have raised expectations for what passengers can find on the most modern ships in the cruise fleet.

Like those ships, Royal Princess will have space for more features, bigger venues and greater variety in onboard experience.

Some of the features are Princess versions of ideas that have been seen elsewhere.

The “over the edge of the ship” concept, embodied in the Allure’s cantilevered hot tubs, shows up on the Royal Princess as a transparent SeaWalk over the ocean. Its newly expanded buffet area keeps pace with a similarly innovative example on the Solstice-class ships of Celebrity Cruises.

Other features let Princess leap ahead of the pack. These include a huge, dedicated pastry kitchen for the buffet restaurant.

“This is not a gimmick,” said Jonathan Wilson, vice president for hotel operations at Princess. “It’s not just one of a kind to Princess, it’s one of a kind anywhere [at sea],” he said.

Princess executives led an at-sea tour of the partly outfitted ship this week, detailing many of the new features passengers can expect onboard and outlining some of the strategies behind them.

Even from a distance, Royal Princess will have an unusual profile, shaped by the SeaWalk, a promenade that extends 28 feet over the side of the ship and offers a “Fear Factor”-style view through a see-through glass floor to the ocean 16 decks below.

On the tour, Stuart Hawkins, Princess’ vice president of newbuild, said shipbuilder Fincantieri engineered the first-of-a-kind platform with remarkable fidelity to a rendering the cruise line presented.

“We were surprised that they could make it as free-standing as they did,” he said.

The Royal Princess’ top decks feature several other innovations, although none had been completed in time for the tour.

A dancing-waters fountain with nearly 100 fountain jets is the centerpiece of the pool deck. It will be illuminated at night and will be a lounge-chair area during the day. Hawkins said sensors will monitor wind speed and conditions to determine how high the water jets will shoot, so that excess spray doesn’t carry beyond the fountain area.

Looming over the pool area is an enormous steel frame for the Movies Under the Stars outdoor video screen, which at 35 feet by 21 feet will be 30% bigger than the screens on previous Princess ships.
Adjacent to the pool deck will be the buffet dining room, Horizon Court, which will seat nearly 1,500. That is substantially larger than on other Princess vessels, and officials said they think it will solve the chronic crowding that plagues such restaurants.

“Buffets on cruise ships tend to be an Achilles’ heel because of the heavy traffic,” said Rai Caluori, Princess’ executive vice president of fleet operations and head of the newbuild team.

In another innovation, Princess has eliminated beverage stations in Horizon Court and will hire additional wait staff to serve drinks.

Adjacent to Horizon Court will be the 1,200-square-foot pastry kitchen, the Horizon Bistro, which will offer a more casual atmosphere.

“Action stations” in Horizon Court, including hibachi grills, rotisseries and a sandwich bar, cut down on the cafeteria-like queues found in older ships.

“We wanted to avoid a canteen-style, cafeteria-style ambience and make it more of a premium experience,” Wilson said.

In the evening, Horizon Court will transform into one of two alternate dining venues: Crab Shack or Fondues.

A sports well has been created above Horizon Bistro, with a basketball court, batting cages and an indoor laser shooting range. The gym has been doubled in size and moved from Deck 5, adjacent to the spa, to Deck 17 to provide light and ocean views. That also puts it over a public area instead of over cabins, so it can open earlier in the morning, Caluori said.

The expanded spa will have 18 treatment rooms. One eye-popping option will be a pair of Lotus Spa cabana rentals in the adults-only Sanctuary area on Deck 17, which will offer up to four people a daylong session of treatments and pampering for $3,000 per group.

The Sanctuary will have a total of six cabanas, the first time they have been offered on a Princess ship.

The corridors of the Royal Princess will be decorated with cruise photos taken by past passengers. A contest solicited 57,000 photos from which Caluori and his team picked 1,000 of the best submissions to be displayed with a plaque noting the photographer’s name, plus when and where the photo was taken.

“We hope all of the winners will book a cruise to take a photograph of their photograph,” Caluori joked.
Of the 1,780 cabins on the Royal Princess, 81% will have balconies. Nearly half of those will be suites, mini-suites or deluxe cabins with room for a sofa in addition to the balcony.

Three main dining areas

The ship will continue the Princess tradition of having three main dining venues, with lots of nooks and banquettes. “We’ve never wanted to be the cruise line with one massive, open, noisy dining room,” Wilson said.

But the feature room, a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired restaurant called Concerto, will sport a different look from the other two, and will include an enhanced version of the chef’s table concept.

The circular Chef’s Table Lumiere, private dining area, positioned in the middle of the ship’s traditional dining room, will be encircled by a fiber optic-illuminated curtain.

The 12-seat dining area will feature a table with a 6-foot Murano glass sculpture rising through it. When diners arrive, the floor-to-ceiling curtain will move on an automatic track, closing around them and illuminating vertically at the same time, Caluori said.

There are less showy chef’s tables in the ship’s other two main dining rooms. On previous Princess ships, they were only available on some nights of a cruise, but on the Royal Princess they will be used every night, Caluori said.

The current cover charge for the chef’s table is $90 per person, which includes wine and other features. “We may leave it, we may move it up a bit,” Caluori said of the price. “We haven’t decided.”

Several dining areas have been moved adjacent to complementary bar areas. The steakhouse, called Crown Grill, will be next to the Wheelhouse Bar, a lounge designed to male tastes.
Sabatini’s, an Italian specialty restaurant, will be situated adjacent to Vines, a wine bar that will include what Princess claims will be the largest selection of super-Tuscan wines at sea. They will be displayed in a wine tower decorated with vertical strands of crystal.

There will also be tastings of so-called super-Tuscan wines — a high-powered version of Italy’s friendly Chiantis — with more than 20 choices available.
“Wine is a focus, but it’s not superficial,” Wilson said. “There’s a lot of thought that’s gone into it.”

The midship area where passengers board will be called the Piazza, a three-story space that will be filled with eating, shopping and entertainment options.

A new gelato shop, free fresh pizza and the Bellini Bar, named for a peach-flavored Italian cocktail, will be some of the attractions.

The goal, Caluori said, is to provide enough to keep a passenger in that part of the ship for a whole evening.

If not, the ship features a main theater seating 1,000 and a second lounge/stage area with room for 320.

Princess Live will be another option. Set up like a TV production studio, the 200-seat space will offer live entertainment between 8 a.m. and midnight.

The entertainment will require little or no staging or setup time, so that there will be no more than 15 minutes between shows.

“We don’t want to have people waiting to see something set up,” said Caluori, who noted that the acts might include a quiz show, a guest lecturer, an interview with the captain or a solo entertainer of some sort.

The shows will also be part of the programming for a new, in-cabin TV service that will offer on-demand access to hundreds of movies. Viewers will be able to pause the movie so they can, for example, go to eat and resume watching after dinner, Caluori said.

Princess has been looking for awhile to upgrade its scheduled movie system to make it more appealing. Caluori said focus groups revealed that the average time passengers viewed a scheduled movie on existing ships is 11 minutes.