Sea Princess Review
After a brief excursion into the fleet of sister brand P&O Cruises (where it was known as the Adonia) Sea Princess has now reverted to its original name, rejoined her original brand and is spearheading Princess Cruises' drive to carve itself a slice of the ever-growing local market for cruises from U.K. ports. Sea Princess is proving a big hit with Brits, who now make up 90 percent of passengers on summer sailings around the Western Mediterranean. And having just spent a week onboard, I can easily see why.
Traditional afternoon teas, fine steak-and-chips dinners (both in the pay-per-use Steak House and in the no-extra-fee main restaurants), BBC costume dramas on the TV and an excellent U.K.-focused entertainment programme make Sea Princess feel like a home from home for British travellers. That's a real achievement for a cruise line which has traditionally catered mainly to Americans.
Sea Princess' appeal extends far beyond Anglophiles. The ship, launched in 1998, is not old but its mid-size style and more traditional features make it a good choice for cruise travellers who like to feel they're onboard an ocean-going vessel rather than a theme park at sea.
True, Sea Princess needs a bit of cosmetic work in parts, but it's due to get it as part of Princess Cruises' ongoing plan to upgrade its older, 2,940-passenger Grand-class ships Grand, Golden and Star Princess, alongside Sea Princess and her 2,272-passenger Sun-class sister ships Dawn, Sun and Sea Princess.
But even without a lick of paint being applied, it's a cosy, welcoming, lovely ship whose atrium area and Vista Lounge are among the most attractive at sea. I suspect Sea Princess's fans will sorely miss the ship in summer 2009, when the larger Grand Princess takes over April-to-September round-trip runs from Southampton there to the Western Mediterraean.
But those who like the Sea Princess style can join her on a summer 2009 cruise around Alaska instead.
 Read Complete Sea Princess Review
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