The Sun Princess cruise ship has a magic of its own

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When I returned from a seven-day cruise from Athens to Barcelona, in May, my wife asked me “Where did you like the most?” My answer surprised me – the ship. The Sun Princess.

It wasn’t a snap decision, I thought about the beautiful ports of call we stopped at: Bar, Montenegro, Corfu, Sicily, and Naples. And with the embarkation port in Athens, Greece I had had time the evening before to visit the Parthenon, built in the 400s as a temple to the goddess Athena. Admittedly I could only look up at the temple columns as the gates were closed. When I asked a local who was walking the grounds why, she said “It’s a big holiday in Greece.” It was Easter Friday.

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The architecture and the history of Greece, the coast of Italy with its hills climbing steady away from the shore, walking through the remnants of the Roman fortress in Old Town Bar, seeing thousand-year-old olive groves and newly-planted orange trees street side, the climbing bougainvillea on the hillsides and buildings, is enchanting and holds enough beauty, allure and charm to entice anyone back for more.

In the Old Town of Bar, Montenegro is the oldest medieval archaeological site in the Balkans.But the most captivating magic of the cruise was the Sun Princess itself. Given a choice I would have chosen to stay aboard for its next leg in Europe and crossed the ocean on it as it repositioned for its winter run in the Caribbean. With five pools, nine hot tubs, 30  restaurants and bars, the South Korean masseuse who worked my shoulders in the Lotus Spa, and the onboard activities and shows, there’s magic aboard.

Maybe it’s the slight of hand service paired with technology, but onboard the Sun Princess I felt like I had arrived at my destination. Here’s five reasons you’ll love this boat:

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Princess Cruises Medallion Club

Before boarding each passenger is given a quarter-sized medallion that becomes your identification, key, and access to information.

Crew members and bartenders you haven’t yet met will know you by name (your information automatically beams to their displays) and tells them all about your preferences, allergies they may need to be aware of, and maybe even the drink you want.

In combination with the Princess Cruise App you can order food and drinks from anywhere onboard, including pool-side, and staff will bring your order to your location.

There’s more than 7,000 sensors built into the ship that allow the medallion to work. Bottom line – show it off on its lanyard or put it away in your pocket. It’s a geo-tracker, near-field sensor that from about two metres away will also open doors for you and provides key-less entry to your suite. As you approach your cabin – it automatically unlocks.

Spellbound by Magic Castle

Welcome to the Victorian high society club, I can’t tell you all their secrets but it is a collaboration with Los’ Angeles’s Magic Castle. Which perhaps explains the privileged air of elitism and back-room access I got I sign up for this evening of magic.

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Only 90 people per night are welcomed into Spellbound. The cost is $149 and includes a private four-course dinner. Guests are then escorted to the locked door and ushered into a speak-easy styled den of wonder and magic. Part Harry Potter (moving photos) and part James Bond you’ll be entranced by the ghosts and gadgets that move through the room.

At it’s heart is magic, mixology and theatrical secrets that astound. Try the Escape from Houdini’s Chest, a elixir that comes with handcuff and has to be taken from a smoking chest.

In the end the magician broke all the rules and told us the trick he was going to do and how he was going to do it – and we were still bewildered and amazed. I could have stayed all night, but I suspect you have to leave before the sun comes up.

The piazza atrium is at the heart of the Sun Princess

The piazza is both the heart of the ships entertainment and its living room. At the centre is the circular atrium which is open to Decks 7, 8,  and 9, with seating for guests to watch and participate in the days activities including: yoga, Zumba classes, dancing, game shows, live music presentations, disco and sometimes a late-night night club.

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Made to reflect the town squares of Europe there is constant coming and goings here as passengers shop, visit the cafes and bars, or just people watch. It’s an experience that changes every day and every hour.

Food and drink – Freshness and Fun

With 14 restaurants on board, seven of which are specialty restaurants it’s a challenge to try them all in seven days. I managed to eat at eight of them. I interviewed the one man who has tasted everything; Peter Priestley, the Sun Princess’s food and beverage director. Here’s what he told me:

“Freshness and fun are the goals for every meal. We are making everything from scratch and that makes me proud. From bread rolls to pizza dough everything is hand made. Even our ice cream is made on board from scratch. The pastry chefs have gone to Gelato to be certified so we can serve certified Gelato.

“For Kai Sushi, which will be rebranded Mokoto Ocean in partnership with Makoto Okuwa, all the ingredients are shipped from Japan. They are fresh as fresh can be. Even the main dining menus and The Catch by Rudi its all local fresh produce, picked up at ports throughout the voyage.

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“Love by Romero Britto is a collaboration with Britto the famous Miami artist to create a dining experience. It’s $149 for a seven-course tasting menu that’s all about love. It’s going to be a beautiful experience. A lot of fish, oysters, a beautiful sea bass, lobster, a fillet…little samples.

“We have a collaboration with Dario, an eighth generation butcher, for a seven-course meal in The Butcher’s Block, created family-style with big tables. And everything you sample in Dario’s is Dario’s. The salt, the herbs, the oil, the meat, the glass wear… everything about that experience is Dario’s. We work with our partnerships to take that experience from land to sea.

“Sabatini’s — we pride ourselves on our pasta and on our Italian history. It’s all made on board. There’s a pasta room on Deck 8, just in front of Sabatini’s, where you will see the chefs making the pasta every day.

“Umai Teppanyaki and Hot pot, is one of those restaurants you go into and you wouldn’t realize you are on a cruise ship.

“All this and no buffet, at least not in the get up and serve your self tradition. The Eatery is the Sun Princess main food station with 13 stations, but we serve in the form of a food-court.

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“On Princess Cruises we’ve had that history of making everything from scratch. It makes me proud. If you are a foodie Sun Princess blows your socks off.”

The culture of Princess Cruises

Sometimes it’s the little things that show the DNA of a company:

On my way to Good Spirits bar I came around a hallway a find a group of about ten, golf clubs and drinks in hand, having a putting contest on the carpet. I thought they had gone roque, only to see a staff member playing along with them. I checked and there it was listed in the daily activities.

The fresh flowers placed in our room on the second day.

The PSG v Dortmund semi-final soccer match of the UEFA champions league live on the big screen replacing the Under the Stars movie.

Free five minute neck-and-shoulder massages, when passengers returned from shore excursions in Sicily.

Drinking Irish whiskey in O’Malley’s Irish Pub while the whole bar sang along to a live band playing “The Unicorn.”

The writer was hosted by Princess Cruises in May 2024. The interview with Peter Priestley was condensed and edited for space. 

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