SUN PRINCESS
I cruised on the Sun Princess August 22nd of 1998. It was a 7 night Voyage of the Glaciers Cruise northbound from Vancouver to Seward (Alaska). This particular ship is gorgeous!
Grand Class Cruising is having "What you want, when you want" and its true...You can eat anytime, 24 hours if you like. It offers 24 hour room service (a good selection of food to order and eat in your stateroom), a 24 hour casual dining restaurant called the Horizon Court (this offers buffets throughout the day and a sit down dinner from about 5pm til 4am), a Pizzeria (offering pizzas made to order, open from 11am til 1 or 2am) and of course the Main Dining Rooms which are open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner at selected times.
The entertainment was great. I enjoyed the big productions they offered like Pirates. I felt no matter where I was on the ship I wasn't cruising with 2000 other people.
The ship offers two Main Dining Rooms, each accommodating 500 people. The Theatre and the Vista Show Lounge only accommodates 500 people as well. After dinner every evening each dining room would be assigned a show/production in either the Theatre or the Vista Show Lounge. The following evening each dining room would then be assigned the show/production they missed the night before. This allows everyone an opportunity to see each show/production and you don't feel crowd!
I really liked the decor of the ship. It was elegant, not flashy or neon. The atrium was gorgeous with glass elevators and the circular staircases. The evening of the Captain's Cocktail Party they held it in the atrium, everyone was dressed up (it was a formal night), having pictures taken, etc. The atmosphere was great, everyone was enjoying themselves (this was the only time that it felt like you were cruising with many others...there were aprox. 1000 people in the atrium that night).
The Stateroom that I had was Category II Inside and was located on the Riviera Deck. It was big (this was because of the layout) and I was thankful for all the closet space it offered for clothes. The bathroom was good, however like most ships the shower was small. Just enough room move around.
Our room stewardess was excellent. I got sick for 2 days of the trip (the Alaska Flu) and was in my stateroom most of that time. The medical center on board was good. The nurses and doctor there were very helpful...even in the middle of the night!
The Horizon Court (24 hour casual restaurant) offers floor to ceiling windows. These windows were great for Glacier Bay. We sat up there eating breakfast, we slept in, and watching the Glaciers. In the public areas they had a Naturalists speaking about the park and what we were viewing.
One area of the ship I spent a fair amount of time was the back of the ship on the Lido Deck. There is a hot tub there that is high enough up for it to offer great views. I spend a few hours there when we where cruising out of Juneau...we watched the Regal Princess leave port and then followed her to Glacier Bay. It was gorgeous with all the lights on the ship and the city of Juneau.
The Spa was nice. They offered a good variety of treatments. Unfortunately, the treatment I scheduled I wasn't able to since I was sick. I had to cancel and they didn't charge me the regular cancellation fee because of my illness.
The gym was nice too. It offered views off the back of the ship, great for Alaska.
Overall I really enjoyed the ship. The food was great...the pasta is excellent (Italian Chef's on board) and the desserts were great! Just thinking about it makes me hungry! The waiter and assistant waiter were great...really enjoyed going to the dining room every night (even though our table mates were unpleased-they complained about everything..the stupidest things).
Of all the cruise ships I have seen (either by cruise or tour) this is my favorite!!
Written By Denise Blackmore, ACC
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