We set sail for Alaska aboard the Sun Princess on June 11, a scant two days after getting married! We were so excited to begin our dream honeymoon, and based on previous reviews we had read of the Sun Princess, we felt confident in our choice. We were a bit disappointed.
Most disturbingly, the food was appalling - rarely served hot, rarely comprised of fresh ingredients, rarely flavorful. Whether we ate in the 24-hour buffet (I've had better meals in hospital cafeterias), the pizzeria, or the dining room, we were plagued time and again by limited choices, poor quality, and inadequate temperature (to the point of being concerned about food poisoning). At first I thought it was just me, being a hard-core foodie and vegetarian (and for the record, I have been pleased with the food on every other cruise I've sailed on, all of which were carnival Cruises). But then my new husband, who is typically indifferent to food, mentioned it, too. And then the other people we ate meals with. Clearly, it was not just my food snobbery that was to blame! The food was just crappy. We took advantage of every single opportunity to eat off the ship, and did so with relish.
The customer service was just so-so - our steward and all the restaurant staff were often indifferent to our questions and requests, and never really went the extra mile (for example: breakfast was supposed to be served from 6:30 to 11:30 - we can in at 11:25 for breakfast, which had already been cleared, and there were no vegetarian options for lunch - we asked for a box of cereal, or even some granola, and they were unable to accommodate the request.) I will say that Alissa of the social staff was friendly and recognized us as the "Scrabble Couple," often making conversation and chatting with us. In addition, the ship's naturalist was absolutely outstanding - we went to almost every presentation and whale watch and enjoyed every one thoroughly.