Sky Princess 12/16-12/23 Review -- First (and Likely Last) Time on Princess

[Bemidji Ty]

Thanks for your review.  Our last princess cruise was in August.  We have been on over 65 cruises and are Elite on Princess.  We experienced many of the same issues the OP did.  When we arrived home, we both said, "That may have been our last Princess cruise.

[Wishing on a star]

There are similarities to our experience on our last cruise on the Regal.

Inadequate bar staff.

Entertainment...  They have truly made huge cuts to the hours the entertainment/bands are scheduled.

I remember Xcite..  and they were AMAZING!!!   And they were scheduled all throughout.  they really carried the whole cruises we sailed.    

Last time,  it was a talented singer/band.  With a female lead...  But, this was NOT a party band. 

And, their performances were, as described in this review, limited.   So, there was limited entertainment and excitement or fun-factor onboard.

The food on our last cruise was not stellar...  But, I will say that most of it was good!

(except our experience at a 'crowded', Crown Grill - they should not fully book here)

Yes, the Piazza and the bars all kind of run together and are not unique.

That is okay with me.  

I think that Princess is changing this up a bit on the new Sun Princess.

We will be on the Sun Princess this fall.   So, I will reserve any other comments until we see how that goes!

Edited December 27, 2023 by Wishing on a star

[Kmkub]

I enjoyed your thorough review, thank you. We got off Enchanted on 12/8/23 and I agree with some of your points. This was our 9th or 10th Princess cruise.

 

The Piazza has become a joke, IMO. It used to be someplace very special, and all around it were also unique.  Now it’s just a loud noise fest that spills over to every other surrounding venue from decks 5-7.  People were exercising outside Sabatini’s because there’s not enough room for everyone who wants to exercise on the Piazza floor.  There were people surrounding the piazza on all decks, trying to exercise or line dance. It’s truly bizarre. 

 

We, too, had difficulty getting the attention of bar staff. The trick seemed to be going to the bar ourselves, and then, BAM, a server was instantly available. The worst were Crooners and Crown Grill Bar.

 

The Buffet food on our journey was intolerable, but the rest of the food was mostly very good to excellent. We found The Catch to be world class.

 

Princess is not kind to Hold ‘Em players.  The rake is 15%, and largely unbeatable. We tried a few hands and got up within an hour, never to return. If you want a ridiculous 15% rake, you’d better provide a live dealer. The table was so bad, some of us were folded by the game, because the table top wouldn’t take our commands.

 

On our cruise, the entertainment was mostly bad, but there were some very notable exceptions. It wasn’t enough to bump the overall rating. Some of the entertainers were awful.

 

We are scheduled next August on the Grand for Alaska. We haven’t been on a grand class ship in awhile. I’m hoping to see a different environment. 

 

 

[Tomcruise92]

8 hours ago, KKB said:

@adamio360

Thanks for your review.

I am of the belief that sometimes issues are situational & I am always willing to give a brand a second chance--I try a new ship, new itinerary--and see how it goes. 

Same issues twice? Probably an issue w/ the line.

For instance: my MSC cruises: Caribbean vs Europe. SAME ISSUES. Won't sail them again.

NCL: Encore in 2019 we encountered similar service to what you just experienced on the Sky.

They just felt understaffed. And not surprisingly, also then not as engaged w/ passengers.

Luckily our 3 NCL cruises since (different ships & one different itinerary) prove it was situational.

We have not had those problems since.

 

We sailed DCL 20 years ago so I can't compare to now. 

But at their price difference, they SHOULD be better. (solid 50% higher on base rates)

 

Celebrity is my fav, but they too are starting to run 30-50% higher than Princess, particularly when taking all-inclusive package into account. 

 

So one must take into account the price difference.

IMO Celebrity & DCL should be 30-50% better than Princess. 

IMO they are not.

We find the lines we have sailed (these plus RCCL, NCL & Carnival...toss out MSC) to be more alike than different.

Generally speaking we find service good to great on every cruise we have sailed; if not, it was situational.

All the other things--certain ships have things we like better than others, but no one ship has it all. 

 

I wouldn't judge Princess on one cruise. 

Service sounds to be the biggest issue of all on this cruise.

With all the upper respiratory viruses running rampant right now, this is NOT surprising.

Admittedly Ocean Now can be hit & miss. 

Entertainment: Princess is similar to Celebrity M & S class ships, imo. 

(I find RCL, NCL, DCL & Celebrity E class to be a step above the others)

Activities: after 40 cruises on varying lines, we have determined that a cruise director makes or breaks this; but again, overall more alike than different

Music: if I can find 1 group or 2 I enjoy, I consider that a win. Cruises have a wide variety of musicians to appeal to a variety of tastes. They won't all appeal to all. I wouldn't have a problem w/ steel drum music during dinner on a Caribbean cruise, so that is a matter of taste. Again, nearly all we have heard over the years are good to great. I can think of 1 bad one over the years...and it appears they were on a "test" trip.

Casino: Not a fan of smoking in the casino either; was so intolerable on Discovery I had to wear a mask.  You are incorrect on the Poker Pro tables only holding 8--they can accommodate 10 players at a time. We have been able to ask the Casino Manager to add more poker tournaments when there was passenger interest. Other than when we have sailed official poker cruises, there has never been more than one official poker table on a ship (whether live or Poker Pro). NCl tournaments throughout the year are held on 6 person regular gaming tables (tho more than one if demand merits). Not a fan.

 

Just my thoughts. 

Perhaps Princess is not for you.

 

 

I found this comment really useful... particularly with the Celebrity running circa 50% higher in cost than Princess but certainly not 50% improvement!

 

I have sailed Sky a few times and think it's a tricky ship for the fleet as it overall has less bar space (no crooners) and slightly more passengers which makes for an extremely busy piazza. It also seems to have a nearly all relatively new crew compared to others in the fleet.

 

To the OP, sorry to hear it was not a great cruise. It's a shame as Princess is generally so much better than this.

[cr8tiv1]

I have yet to cruise on a Royal Class ship.  All of my cruises have been on a Grand Class/GEM ship with a few earlier cruises on other lines.  
 

It is my fear that the Royal Class ships are the issue.  Crew have been fantastic since post pandemic on the smaller ships.  Too many changes for me.  Is that why Princess called it quits and went to the Sun Class ships?  Will these newer ships continue to have the problems of the Royal Class ships?

 

[PacnGoNow]

7 hours ago, Kmkub said:

The Piazza has become a joke, IMO. It used to be someplace very special, and all around it were also unique.  Now it’s just a loud noise fest that spills over to every other surrounding venue from decks 5-7.  People were exercising outside Sabatini’s because there’s not enough room for everyone who wants to exercise on the Piazza floor.  There were people surrounding the piazza on all decks, trying to exercise or line dance. It’s truly bizarre. 

The Enchanted does NOT have to start at 9 am with dance lessons, line dancing and exercise classes.  Have them in the Vista lounge. Plenty of room there.

 

Exercise? Go to the fitness center on 17.

This is the CD’s fault.  

 

That, and the extremely loud games are what makes the noise so bad.

The Sky seems to be worse than the Enchanted

from comments being posted.

 

 

[SCX22]

4 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

It is my fear that the Royal Class ships are the issue.

Service was subpar on the Caribbean Princess to Canada/New England this past summer as well.

 

13 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said:

This is the CD’s fault.  

That's the other problem.  There are a lot CDs that were promoted out of necessity rather than merit.  

[SCX22]

14 hours ago, KKB said:

Celebrity is my fav, but they too are starting to run 30-50% higher than Princess, particularly when taking all-inclusive package into account. 

 

So one must take into account the price difference.

IMO Celebrity & DCL should be 30-50% better than Princess. 

IMO they are not.

 

I have a strong affinity to X as well.  X has always been more expensive than Princess, but the difference in has become more and more evident at the present.  I think part of it is due to the recent award from Forbes Travel Guide.  Now they have pedigree.  

[paulam]

We were on the same sailing as you and totally agree with everything you have said. It's interesting to note that while you were a large party experiencing a 2 1/2 hour MDR experience we were only 4 people and had the same lengthly dining time. For me, in addition to service issues in the dining room and medallion drink orders not arriving (which by the way more than one Princess employee admitted was not working up to par) was the ambiance of the cruise ship. It just annoyed me to no end that there was no music playing on the Lido deck. On the one beautiful sunny day we had (in Puerto Rico) they were playing A Christmas Story on the big screen at the pool. Where's the music!? There was none!! One rainy day I was sitting at a table at the pool and turned up Bob Marley on my phone. People walked past me singing, whistling, up beat! I went to the bar there and asked "why is there no music? We have had rain for the last 4 days, put on some music, it's like a morgue here!" I was told he had to ask the entertainment department. This should be a no brainer. Play the typical Caribbean music we are used to hearing on cruise ships. Get people excited to be there!!

The servers on deck wore drab brown vests or blue shirt. We are on a Caribbean cruise dress the wait staff on the pool deck in bright floral shirts! 

The weather on this cruise was horrible, but that's not Princess's fault. What is their fault is not having additional activities to keep guests happy and engaged.

 

 

[dog]

9 hours ago, Wishing on a star said:

There are similarities to our experience on our last cruise on the Regal.

Inadequate bar staff.

Entertainment...  They have truly made huge cuts to the hours the entertainment/bands are scheduled.

I remember Xcite..  and they were AMAZING!!!   And they were scheduled all throughout.  they really carried the whole cruises we sailed.    

Last time,  it was a talented singer/band.  With a female lead...  But, this was NOT a party band. 

And, their performances were, as described in this review, limited.   So, there was limited entertainment and excitement or fun-factor onboard.

The food on our last cruise was not stellar...  But, I will say that most of it was good!

(except our experience at a 'crowded', Crown Grill - they should not fully book here)

Yes, the Piazza and the bars all kind of run together and are not unique.

That is okay with me.  

I think that Princess is changing this up a bit on the new Sun Princess.

We will be on the Sun Princess this fall.   So, I will reserve any other comments until we see how that goes!

Oh my goodness! I am booked on the Regal in February 2024 and this thread has given me a heads- up on what to expect for my $714.50 CAD pp in a BW cabin.  Taxes, platinum insurance & crew appreciation on top of that hefty fare. Just recently back from the Royal Princess Vancouver to Oahu for similar price. ( free upgrade to a BB).
We go Standard, pre order bottle water-12 for less then $10 CAD, bring on soda & wine, and have a few perks as elite.  Use to spend in the casino but can no longer stand the smoke. One of us still gets casino OBC, as well and OBC for using our FCD.

My Norwegian & last HAL cruises brought me back to Princess.

I am also booked on the Sun Princess in a Premium Deluxe balcony & a Signature Suite. 
Thanks to the OP for sharing and wish you well in the future

 

60+

Edited December 27, 2023 by dog
Add age

[hllwdcruiser]

9 hours ago, Kmkub said:

I enjoyed your thorough review, thank you. We got off Enchanted on 12/8/23 and I agree with some of your points. This was our 9th or 10th Princess cruise.

 

The Piazza has become a joke, IMO. It used to be someplace very special, and all around it were also unique.  Now it’s just a loud noise fest that spills over to every other surrounding venue from decks 5-7.  People were exercising outside Sabatini’s because there’s not enough room for everyone who wants to exercise on the Piazza floor.  There were people surrounding the piazza on all decks, trying to exercise or line dance. It’s truly bizarre. 

 

We, too, had difficulty getting the attention of bar staff. The trick seemed to be going to the bar ourselves, and then, BAM, a server was instantly available. The worst were Crooners and Crown Grill Bar.

 

The Buffet food on our journey was intolerable, but the rest of the food was mostly very good to excellent. We found The Catch to be world class.

 

Princess is not kind to Hold ‘Em players.  The rake is 15%, and largely unbeatable. We tried a few hands and got up within an hour, never to return. If you want a ridiculous 15% rake, you’d better provide a live dealer. The table was so bad, some of us were folded by the game, because the table top wouldn’t take our commands.

 

On our cruise, the entertainment was mostly bad, but there were some very notable exceptions. It wasn’t enough to bump the overall rating. Some of the entertainers were awful.

 

We are scheduled next August on the Grand for Alaska. We haven’t been on a grand class ship in awhile. I’m hoping to see a different environment. 

 

 

I read your excellent review and was on the next sailing on the Enchanted. Our experience was very similar to yours and I also wrote a review. We aren't giving up on Princess yet, but we aren't quite the cheerleaders we once were.

[Jadn13]

I was on this cruise and the one prior.

The Dec 16 cruise was extremely different than the week before.

More Cabins with 3’s and 4’s

Horrible weather keeping more people inside.

Each week was its own experience and seemed like two very different cruises.

 

 

 

[hllwdcruiser]

Thank you for your excellent review. We experienced many of the same issues on the Enchanted on the December 8th sailing. Clearly, the issues are fleet wide. We met many new cruisers to Princess who expressed the same sentiments as you. Most said they would never sail Princess again. 

[georgiavol]

We have been cruising for some 20+ years on three different lines and some 15 ships. In reading this review and comments, it strikes me that folks are looking for faults/problems and need to quit complaining so much. All cruise lines have issues and their ability to attract staff is impacted by what's going on in society just as much as we are. We need to stop our whining and cut them some slack. Or go rent a beach condo. 

[mtnesterz]

59 minutes ago, georgiavol said:

...Or go rent a beach condo. 

This!

What nobody mentioned is that nowhere in the review did the OP mention the itinerary, the ports, or if they enjoyed their vacation as a whole.

Yes, it was a review of the cruise ship, I get that. But for example, nothing of how shore excursions were handled.

Like many of the younger, newer cruisers, what is wanted is a floating resort. Not those things unique to a cruising. When you cruise, be assured, things will go awry. You have only what was brought or walked onboard, or can be streamed. If you can't roll with that, next time, buy an all-inclusive in Cancun or similar.

Edited December 27, 2023 by mtnesterz

[TAW1963]

Like @Rick&Jeannie, my wife and I were on the Sky Princess for the 15-day transatlantic sailing to relocate the ship to Fort Lauderdale.   Of course there were a few small, and far less than perfect, issues here and there, but we found the staff to be very friendly and accommodating.  Our waiters in the MDR for the evening meals were fantastic, and the food was very good overall.  We enjoyed the Enclave daily.  There was a broken overhead show in the hydrotherapy pool, but overall we enjoyed our time there very much.  We do not have much experience with the thermal suites on other cruise lines other than HAL, which we enjoyed as well.  We really enjoyed the three production shows as well as the solo performers.  We saw plenty of rude passengers,  but at no time did we experience rude staff or crew.  Perhaps things have changed after we disembarked, or perhaps the 7-day Caribbean sailings are different.  I sure hope the OP will give Princess another chance to, hopefully, experience the more positive side of Princess.

[Caddy928]

Having cruised on 30+ cruises on 6 different lines, there will always be experiences. Good and bad. In the past several years the cruise industry has struggled with staffing. Not much different than land based restaurants and hotels.  Many of the exceptional employees elected not to come back into the service industry since Covid.  
 

Having cruised on Princess, Royal, Celebrity and NCL in the past 2 years, they all had hiccups.  Food quality has decreased across the board..even in the specialty restaurants.  And since I see that happening in high end restaurants on shore, makes you wonder about the suppliers.

 

I consider cruising to be about relaxing with family/friends and viewing the beautiful ocean.  Great way to meet new people and see the world. Make the most of your time on earth…looking forward to celebrating 2024 on Sky Princess this weekend. 

[Simsonite]

Always so weird how experiences can vary so much. We are on the sky right now for the first time and we have absolutely loved it. 

 

 Our whole experience this week has been excellent except for a little bit of madness at the port in Roatan (not enough infrastructure for two ships hitting the port at the same time). 
 

But bars, service, etc have all been top notch and we like the styling and lay out of the ship better than any we’ve been on (all on DCL and Princess). We’ve also had no weather issues, so I do wonder if that had a snowball effect that led to OPs miserable experience. 

Either way, I understand  souring on a brand after a bad experience, and there are obviously lots of other great options so happy sailing wherever you head next. Take care. 

[dweeb]

2 hours ago, georgiavol said:

We have been cruising for some 20+ years on three different lines and some 15 ships. In reading this review and comments, it strikes me that folks are looking for faults/problems and need to quit complaining so much. All cruise lines have issues and their ability to attract staff is impacted by what's going on in society just as much as we are. We need to stop our whining and cut them some slack. Or go rent a beach condo. 

I'm sorry but I feel you are incorrect about their ability to attract staff.  Since the pandemic, Princess has changed the pay (lower for most all crew) than what they were paying before.  This is a major reason for all the new crew and for crew to not renew their contracts.  Everyone keeps comparing to the problem of being able to attract staff like what is going on in the US and maybe even Canada.  But where these crew members are coming from isn't the US or Canada, they are willing to work, but not for a lower wage than they had before.  This is what Princess has done, and it shows!  I also feel that Princess doesn't have the amount of crew that each ship had prior to the shut down.  Fewer crew with full ships = problems that could be avoided!!

[Rick&Jeannie]

51 minutes ago, TAW1963 said:

Like @Rick&Jeannie,  Perhaps things have changed after we disembarked, or perhaps the 7-day Caribbean sailings are different.

Strictly my opinion...but there always seems to be a big difference in the "clientele" from a transatlantic cruise and the shorter Caribbean sailings. A transatlantic *seems* to draw a more "serious" cruise crowd than what you might find on the shorter cruises.  This might not sound like it has anything to do with the main topic of this thread, but with a crowd that has a few more cruises under their belt I think they are more "forgiving" than other (newer) cruisers. I feel that they may have seen plenty of issues with various cruises they have taken and are more likely to roll with the punches. 

[SKCruiser007]

1 hour ago, mtnesterz said:

This!

What nobody mentioned is that nowhere in the review did the OP mention the itinerary, the ports, or if they enjoyed their vacation as a whole.

Yes, it was a review of the cruise ship, I get that. But for example, nothing of how shore excursions were handled.

Like many of the younger, newer cruisers, what is wanted is a floating resort. Not those things unique to a cruising. When you cruise, be assured, things will go awry. In every sense of the word, you have only what was brought or walked onboard, or can be streamed. If you can't roll with that, next time, buy an all-inclusive in Cancun or similar.

I dunno.

 

I don't think it's necessary to denigrate the OP or his generation. He gave his views, and was pretty spot on if the comments that follow can be believed (including mine.)

 

All of us who have travelled a lot know that with every trip, there are going to be bumps in the road. You take them, and give yourself a little shake, move on, and enjoy whatever you enjoy in cruising. Ports, dining, sitting on a balcony when there is three feet of snow in your front yard - the list goes on and on about what makes cruising great.

 

I LOVE Princess. I love sailing on their ships. I love sending my clients (I'm very part time - we're farmers full time) on their ships. I even love the automatic night lights that so many people complain about. 🙂

 

Even my husband was complaining about the service on Sky Princess, and he is about the most laid-back person you can imagine. We literally had to laugh out loud when the waitress who mocked me with "Oh, Madame wants a Coca Cola!" ended up being our server that night. That phrase is now our little joke to each other.

 

In my view, the problems we and others have encountered are not fleet wide. There is something amiss with that ship. And I hope that the OP gives Princess another try so he can see the same things that so many of us appreciate about this line. I also hope that specific feedback given onboard or in post-cruise surveys will be taken to heart. 

 

BTW - I DID enjoy my vacation on Sky Princess. It was surely better than being at home in what has turned to be a very brown December in Minnesota. 

[KKB]

6 hours ago, SCX22 said:

 

I have a strong affinity to X as well.  X has always been more expensive than Princess, but the difference in has become more and more evident at the present.  I think part of it is due to the recent award from Forbes Travel Guide.  Now they have pedigree.  

What things does the award change?

 

My point is that while they are more expensive...but they aren't hands down better.

(again...my fav line...but struggling to justify how much more expensive it is)

 

[Kmkub]

4 hours ago, hllwdcruiser said:

I read your excellent review and was on the next sailing on the Enchanted. Our experience was very similar to yours and I also wrote a review. We aren't giving up on Princess yet, but we aren't quite the cheerleaders we once were.

I just read your excellent review. Balanced reviews are the most trustworthy, IMO, and yours was balanced. Thank you. PS. I also had the seafood tower and it was delicious.

[mtnesterz]

2 minutes ago, SKCruiser007 said:

I don't think it's necessary to denigrate the OP or his generation. He gave his views, and was pretty spot on if the comments that follow can be believed (including mine.)

An observation is not a denigration.  Times and what appeals changes.

I did not dispute the onboard views presented.

Being able to take the, "Bumps in the road," Is pretty much what I wrote.

Never said we don't like Princess. Twenty cruises with them and another booked.

Admit I can't relate to 3 feet of snow, but cruising when summer means week after week of triple digit heat? That I get.

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

What a great review. Thank you.

 

We have sailed on Sky 3 times, once pre-covid and twice post, and we have loved her with few serious complaints. However, I am expecting the experience to be quite different on our next cruise in April so that will determine whether we ever sail with Princess again. I am trying to keep an open mind as one person's experience can sometimes not be representative of other's experience on the same cruise so I have to see for myself to decide.

 

Thank you for taking the time to give us your experiences.