Booked Sky Princess in December 2025 for myself and 7 adult family members. Coming from Celebrity, what should I know?

[Torfamm]

We split our cruise time between Princess and Celebrity and find them much more alike than different.
 

I think the medallion device is great. Being able to wear it on a wristband when I swim or exercise is much more convenient than trying to keep a cruise card with me. The automatic unlocking of the cabin door is very convenient as well.

 

My favorite uses for the app are finding other members of my travel party, ordering drinks to be delivered to me, and contacting guest services to ask questions or resolve any issues rather than standing in line.

 

I appreciate that the International Cafe has savory food rather than just desserts like Cafe Al Baccio on Celebrity. We often use it for breakfast. Princess’ self-serve laundry is also very helpful on longer trips.

 

The biggest negative is that Princess allows spoking in their casinos and the smoke sometimes spills out into the piazza area.

[mikkelhansen]

8 hours ago, Lady Meer said:

Sorry if you already know this! When onboard you can link all your group’s medallions which enables you to find each other using the electronic screens situated in the lift lobbies.

Didn't know about that, I only knew about the chat option in the app (similar to Celebrity)! Will definitely look into that.

7 hours ago, tulok said:

I had premier and went to the fitness classes almost every day. The personal trainer that lead the classes was excellent. There is a variety of classes from pilates, stretching, barre, yoga, spin and others. Pilates was my favorite. Great way to start my morning, then a walk to IC for my morning coffee. They had classes morning and evenings. I was able to sign up right before the class started. On Emerald, it was a nice size gym.

Thanks for the info.

7 hours ago, Torfamm said:

We split our cruise time between Princess and Celebrity and find them much more alike than different.
 

I think the medallion device is great. Being able to wear it on a wristband when I swim or exercise is much more convenient than trying to keep a cruise card with me. The automatic unlocking of the cabin door is very convenient as well.

 

My favorite uses for the app are finding other members of my travel party, ordering drinks to be delivered to me, and contacting guest services to ask questions or resolve any issues rather than standing in line.

 

I appreciate that the International Cafe has savory food rather than just desserts like Cafe Al Baccio on Celebrity. We often use it for breakfast. Princess’ self-serve laundry is also very helpful on longer trips.

 

The biggest negative is that Princess allows spoking in their casinos and the smoke sometimes spills out into the piazza area.

Thank you so much, it sounds like Princess is farther ahead technologically than Celebrity (medallion and auto-unlocking doors), while Celebrity's overall on-ship design and looks may be a bit ahead of Princess'.

We will definitely be using the Int. Cafe a lot, based on all the comments about it in this thread.

We don't plan to use the casino at all, unless they offer something like Celebrity's free 5$ credits on evening chic/formal nights. We have three smokers in our party, so they might enjoy it, though.

Edited July 12 by mikkelhansen

[BazingAu]

Just so you are aware, the Princess balcony cabins are much smaller than Celebrity’s due to their “walk in closet” design that takes up a ton of space. (TBH, I think the closet is kind of stupid, especially since there’s no doors and just looks messy to me.) The BD category won’t have any extra seating aside from your bed in the cabin except the desk chair. You need to be in the Deluxe balcony category to get a loveseat and Mini suite to get a sofa. We can only book deluxe or above since we need the seating and don’t want to be on the bed the whole time.

[Wishing on a star]

A couple thoughts...

The week you are sailing should be really good!!!   We have sailed during this timeframe, by design. Either families are sailing over Thanksgiving, or much closer to the Christmas holiday.  So, a good week!  Most all Christmas decorations will be up.

 

You might get a simple claw/clip keychain holder for your medallion.  then, you can clip that to a lanyard, wristband, clothing/belt-loop, a chain that you already have, etc.    Would not cost much, and give you all options for keeping your medallion handy!

 

If you plan to make good use of all of the non-alcoholic perks on the Plus package, yes, I think it would be quite possible to 'break even'.   And, just gives the all inclusive feel and freedom from thinking about all of the little charges every day.   

International Cafe is wonderful...  Take good advantage of the specialty coffees! Alfredo's/Gigi's is also really good.  

 

It looks like you have booked a lower category level Balcony Cabin.  BD.

It you were to consider any other options, or just good info for other newbies...  Here are a few balcony stateroom tips.

 

1.  The Balcony cabins, as mentioned, are small.

I actually love the walk-in open closet area, which means no cabinets with doors that open up into the narrow cabin interior walkways.  It is great.   But, if you want a nice sized cabin, consider a Deluxe Balcony cabin.   The cabin space is a bit bigger, with room for a small two-seater sofa.  Regular Balcony cabins do not have any seating except the desk/vanity chair.

I would always recommend at least the Deluxe balcony if possible. 

If any are available, they probably won't show up unless you put in three or more guests.  (just the way it is with Princess????).  It will just show Reserve or Guaranty.  There is a workaround if you are traveling as two guests.

 

2.   Check out the deck plans carefully.  There are Premium Balcony and Premium Deluxe Balcony cabins that have larger/deeper balconies.   Look on Deck 9.

The balconies on most standard and Deluxe balconies on this ship are very small/narrow.

It is possible that there are Balcony cabins that have the deeper balconies that do not have the Premium Category.  So, no extra cost. (Dolphin Deck, Deck 9 D701-D710)  I notice that these are often booked up, and you might not see any available.  

 

3.  There are Balcony and Deluxe Balcony cabins, located mid-ship on the bump-out, that would give you more space on your balcony.  Many have angled balconies.  A few are even-strait non-angled balcony rail.   This would give you a great mid-ship location.   If there are any of these left available on Deck 8, these are sold for a bit less as 'obstructed'.  (You might have to look under the Interior cabins, not Balcony cabins where this category will be shown.). There is no real obstruction on these bump-out cabins, just that there is that open public deck area just below.

 

 

Edited July 14 by Wishing on a star

[mikkelhansen]

On 7/14/2024 at 1:16 PM, BazingAu said:

Just so you are aware, the Princess balcony cabins are much smaller than Celebrity’s due to their “walk in closet” design that takes up a ton of space. (TBH, I think the closet is kind of stupid, especially since there’s no doors and just looks messy to me.) The BD category won’t have any extra seating aside from your bed in the cabin except the desk chair. You need to be in the Deluxe balcony category to get a loveseat and Mini suite to get a sofa. We can only book deluxe or above since we need the seating and don’t want to be on the bed the whole time.

Thanks for the info - I might look into upgrading to a deluxe balcony. However we got a nice OBC deal when booking, so it depends on whether we lose that bonus. But thanks anyway.

 

On 7/14/2024 at 7:09 PM, Wishing on a star said:

A couple thoughts...

The week you are sailing should be really good!!!   We have sailed during this timeframe, by design. Either families are sailing over Thanksgiving, or much closer to the Christmas holiday.  So, a good week!  Most all Christmas decorations will be up.

 

You might get a simple claw/clip keychain holder for your medallion.  then, you can clip that to a lanyard, wristband, clothing/belt-loop, a chain that you already have, etc.    Would not cost much, and give you all options for keeping your medallion handy!

 

If you plan to make good use of all of the non-alcoholic perks on the Plus package, yes, I think it would be quite possible to 'break even'.   And, just gives the all inclusive feel and freedom from thinking about all of the little charges every day.   

International Cafe is wonderful...  Take good advantage of the specialty coffees! Alfredo's/Gigi's is also really good.  

 

It looks like you have booked a lower category level Balcony Cabin.  BD.

It you were to consider any other options, or just good info for other newbies...  Here are a few balcony stateroom tips.

 

1.  The Balcony cabins, as mentioned, are small.

I actually love the walk-in open closet area, which means no cabinets with doors that open up into the narrow cabin interior walkways.  It is great.   But, if you want a nice sized cabin, consider a Deluxe Balcony cabin.   The cabin space is a bit bigger, with room for a small two-seater sofa.  Regular Balcony cabins do not have any seating except the desk/vanity chair.

I would always recommend at least the Deluxe balcony if possible. 

If any are available, they probably won't show up unless you put in three or more guests.  (just the way it is with Princess????).  It will just show Reserve or Guaranty.  There is a workaround if you are traveling as two guests.

 

2.   Check out the deck plans carefully.  There are Premium Balcony and Premium Deluxe Balcony cabins that have larger/deeper balconies.   Look on Deck 9.

The balconies on most standard and Deluxe balconies on this ship are very small/narrow.

It is possible that there are Balcony cabins that have the deeper balconies that do not have the Premium Category.  So, no extra cost. (Dolphin Deck, Deck 9 D701-D710)  I notice that these are often booked up, and you might not see any available.  

 

3.  There are Balcony and Deluxe Balcony cabins, located mid-ship on the bump-out, that would give you more space on your balcony.  Many have angled balconies.  A few are even-strait non-angled balcony rail.   This would give you a great mid-ship location.   If there are any of these left available on Deck 8, these are sold for a bit less as 'obstructed'.  (You might have to look under the Interior cabins, not Balcony cabins where this category will be shown.). There is no real obstruction on these bump-out cabins, just that there is that open public deck area just below.

Sounds interesting with the "walk-in" style closets. My wife loves walk-in closets, so it might not be that bad for us.

We have booked our cabins on deck 14 aft. Due to family members suffering from seasickness, we preferred to be as far back on the ship as possible. Great info about the "free" larger balconies, but unfortunately it doesn't really make sense for us to exchange possible seasickness for a larger balcony.

[BazingAu]

On 7/15/2024 at 1:38 PM, mikkelhansen said:

We have booked our cabins on deck 14 aft. Due to family members suffering from seasickness, we preferred to be as far back on the ship as possible. Great info about the "free" larger balconies, but unfortunately it doesn't really make sense for us to exchange possible seasickness for a larger balcony.

I'm actually surprised to hear your family prefers higher aft cabins for seasickness prevention. Typically the higher forward and aft cabins are the ones that experience the most movement (although the forward ones generally have the most movement). Lower midship cabins are typically recommended for the least movement. We are also prone to seasickness, so in addition to taking dramamine/bonine, we usually try to book in the order of preference: 1. midship, 2. mid-aft, 3. mid-forward when possible.

[cbfb]

We are also new to Princess from Celebrity, sailing this November on Sun. One difference to be aware of, which I absolutely hate, is that you can’t book dinner reservations unless you have status or are paid in full. I didn’t know that before we booked and normally I wouldn’t be concerned but we are a party of 8 celebrating a big birthday. So hoping it works out! Just something to know. 

[mikkelhansen]

17 hours ago, BazingAu said:

I'm actually surprised to hear your family prefers higher aft cabins for seasickness prevention. Typically the higher forward and aft cabins are the ones that experience the most movement (although the forward ones generally have the most movement). Lower midship cabins are typically recommended for the least movement. We are also prone to seasickness, so in addition to taking dramamine/bonine, we usually try to book in the order of preference: 1. midship, 2. mid-aft, 3. mid-forward when possible.

Interesting. On our first cruise (all three prior cruises were with Celebrity) we were in a forward inside cabin on deck 6 or 7 I think, and my wife's and sister-in-law's seasickness was bad. On our next cruise, we were in a midship inside cabin on deck 7 I think, and it was a bit better. On our latest cruise, were were in an aft balcony cabin on deck 8, and neither had any severe seasickness. It may have been just the difference between an inside and a balcony cabin, but we prefer to book as far aft on the ship as possible.

 

16 hours ago, cbfb said:

We are also new to Princess from Celebrity, sailing this November on Sun. One difference to be aware of, which I absolutely hate, is that you can’t book dinner reservations unless you have status or are paid in full. I didn’t know that before we booked and normally I wouldn’t be concerned but we are a party of 8 celebrating a big birthday. So hoping it works out! Just something to know. 

Yes, I found out about the dining booking "limitation" as well. I think we will go with the open dining option, so booking wouldn't be as essential for us anyway, as for others who prefer fixed or traditional dining.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

4 hours ago, mikkelhansen said:

I found out about the dining booking "limitation" as well. I think we will go with the open dining option, so booking wouldn't be as essential for us anyway, as for others who prefer fixed or traditional dining.

I would suggest making dinner reservations anyway. You can easily cancel them once you are in board if you want.  I had a couple of friends who sailed with us and did not take my advice. They were stuck with either eating very late or waiting in a very looooong line for a significant amount of time to get a walk-in any time table for dinner. They also were not able to book their preferred time once on board as no tables were available.  They were not happy campers. 

 

I don’t know how pervasive this problem is but I think an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.   If you do make advance reservations please do cancel them if you find you aren’t going to make it. This can be done on a day by day basis. 
 

You can link your travel partners to you and make reservations for the whole group.  Some people like to time dinners by the production shows (typically 7:30ish and 9:30ish) or sunset. 
 

Also just to add to the find your shipmate discussion, in addition to using the screens in the public areas you can use the ap on your phone or iPad. Best feature ever. 
 

If anyone is celebrating a special event (birthday etc) register it on your ap. The big screens in public spaces will do a pretty cool Happy (fill in the blank) visual display with balloons and cake and all kinds of fun stuff. It happens when you walk by and it picks up your medallion. 
 

 

[mikkelhansen]

18 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

I would suggest making dinner reservations anyway. You can easily cancel them once you are in board if you want.  I had a couple of friends who sailed with us and did not take my advice. They were stuck with either eating very late or waiting in a very looooong line for a significant amount of time to get a walk-in any time table for dinner. They also were not able to book their preferred time once on board as no tables were available.  They were not happy campers. 

 

I don’t know how pervasive this problem is but I think an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.   If you do make advance reservations please do cancel them if you find you aren’t going to make it. This can be done on a day by day basis. 
 

You can link your travel partners to you and make reservations for the whole group.  Some people like to time dinners by the production shows (typically 7:30ish and 9:30ish) or sunset. 
 

Also just to add to the find your shipmate discussion, in addition to using the screens in the public areas you can use the ap on your phone or iPad. Best feature ever. 
 

If anyone is celebrating a special event (birthday etc) register it on your ap. The big screens in public spaces will do a pretty cool Happy (fill in the blank) visual display with balloons and cake and all kinds of fun stuff. It happens when you walk by and it picks up your medallion. 
 

 

Thanks, we will definitely look into making dinner reservations when the cruise is paid in full.

[IrishMis]

We have done 25+ cruises on both lines.  Started on Princess then were wowed by Celebrity for many cruises. X has far better loyalty perks which seems crazy and since we live in Orlando and Royal and Celebrity now do reciprocal  benefits it’s REALLY FUN. But just earlier this month we did the Emerald repo, Lauderdale to Quebec with Princess Plus.  We had the best time playing with it.  I am still trying to loose the pounds I gained on that cruise🫣😂was it overpriced….YES….but we loved the service esp in AM where we ordered Lattes to our room instead of coffee. They came FAST AND HOT without having to decide the night before what time we “might” wake up so we could order in advance.  The 2 speciality restuarants were just ok, but a decent change from MD on a 14 day cruise.  The speciality desserts are a joke….we are 1 each the whole trip..in my review I suggested they do away with that perk and think of something else.hubby likes hamburgers and NEVER had to stand in the long line and PP had their waiters find us by medallion multiple times. ALL the service on the ship was terrific.  We came home and booked another trip next year just to use PPlus.