Princess Cruises Enchanted Princess: 9 Reasons to Get Excited About This Royal-Class Ship
Princess Cruises' Enchanted Princess is enjoying a successful maiden season sailing from Southampton after its inaugural itineraries in the Caribbean last winter.
Launched in late 2021, Princess Cruises' fifth Royal-class ship is sailing a mix of cruises to Scandinavia, Iceland, the Mediterranean and Canary Islands.
The 3,660-passenger Enchanted Princess is one of four Princess Cruises' ships sailing from Southampton in 2022 with the most up-to-date facilities, modern cabins and best entertainment the cruise line has ever offered.
Here are nine reasons why we are excited about Princess Cruises' Enchanted Princess.
Explore Enchanted Princess reviews to find out what cruisers think.
1. Enchanted Princess Sky Suites Have The Wow Factor
Enchanted Princess' two Sky Suites are so big you may be tempted to move (they are bigger than many flats). They're 1,873 sq ft including a massive balcony and their top deck views are fabulous: 270 degrees. You can watch Movies Under The Stars from just one section of the balcony or just sit back and contemplate the sea from another section.
They're like a private yacht for up to five people with two separate bedrooms and bathrooms plus a Suite Experience Manager to look after your every need. This can include complimentary Ultimate Balcony Breakfast and Dinner, complimentary access to The Enclave in the Lotus Spa, complimentary Princess Fine Wine Tasting and reserved theatre seats.
Obviously, everything is ultra-luxurious and there's a bar set up with two bottles of your favourite spirits and another bar and fridge on the balcony. But the best bit? It has to be the deluxe telescope for Discovery Stargazing at SEA.
2. The New Princess Cruises All-Inclusive Package Offers More Perks
This new add-on package takes the all-inclusive options to a whole new level, with better Wi-Fi and drinks among the benefits.
Princess Premier offers unlimited MedallionNet Wi-Fi for up to four devices at once, drinks up to $18 and 25 percent off bottles of wine. Speciality coffees, smoothies and bottled water are included and you get meals at two speciality dining venues such as Crown Grill and Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria. Other extras include gratuities, free digital downloads of all photos taken by Princess photographers plus three prints up to 8x10.
Princess Premier costs £60 per person per day, although you could opt for £40 a day Princess Plus or stick with the no-frills Princess Standard option.
Princess Plus will give you unlimited Wi-Fi on one device, drinks up to $11, gratuities and speciality tea or coffee, while with Princess Standard you're just paying for the cruise and complimentary dining options. Drinks, Wi-Fi, barista coffee and gratuities cost extra.
3. You Can Enjoy Authentic Gelato in the Ship's Piazza
It looks like an ice cream parlour, it even smells like an ice cream parlour (delicious) but Gelato in the atrium's Deck 5 Piazza is even better than that because its authentic Italian gelato is just as creamy but with fewer calories.
Even more impressive, it's one of only three places outside Italy to be awarded an Ospitalità Italiana certificate by the Italian Chamber of Commerce that confirms its authenticity. The other two locations are on Discovery Princess and Sky Princess. Only gelato shops with outstanding quality, using Italian-certified ingredients and equipment, get this certificate of authenticity.
Enchanted Princess sells nine flavours including salted caramel, tiramisu, pistachio and amaretto and the good news is that one scoop of gelato is just 80 to 100 calories, although toppings including whipped cream and fudge sauce might change that. One scoop plus topping is $1.50.
4. Two New Shows Mean An Even Greater Choice of Entertainment
Enchanted Princess is showing two new productions specially created for Princess Cruises. Rock Opera, starring Dutch singer Max Himmelreich, is a powerful performance with a soundtrack that has something for everything: rock, opera and music from the shows. The costumes are awesome, the lighting dramatic and the sheer talent of the ship’s singers and dancers shines through.
But it was 5-SKIES that really excited me. Set within a virtual reality game, it starts as Gamer 1 sets out to battle his way through five levels to free the beautiful Sky Princess. It’s so well-choreographed -- using the theatre's incredible technology for special effects including "screens" beamed onto the stage -- that the audience almost feels like it's slaying the baddies, too.
Both shows were simultaneously launched on Sky Princess, where they were supposed to be shown in 2021 until the pandemic caused an industry-wide pause.
5. Entertainment is a Big Hit All Day Long
Cruise director Matt Barnard really earns his keep on Enchanted Princess. He springs up everywhere -- for daytime quizzes, deck sailaway parties, evening comedy shows in the bars and to introduce the main theatre show every night. Luckily he's very funny with an infectious British sense of humour, while his American deputy Giani is very patient with him.
I was onboard for the Comedy Stars cruise that featured British and Irish comedians Rory Bremner, Lucy Porter and wonderful Ardal O'Hanlon -- as well as the Comedy Store Players from London -- but so many of the other entertainers were great value, too.
Britain's Got Talent ventriloquist Gary Oliver was particularly funny and game shows such as The Liars Club and Sat-Nav Singalong were packed out. Karaoke Power Hour in the Princess Live lounge was also a big hit with the party crowd -- and no wonder with something like 75 percent of the passengers signed up for the Princess Plus package including drinks.
6. Movies Under the Stars (or Midnight Sun) is Enchanting
Never underestimate the pleasure of sitting on deck watching a film while stretched out on a sun lounger and gazing up at a giant screen -- even if you do have to wrap yourself up in the blankets provided during a Northern Europe summer sailing.
Thankfully, Enchanted Princess also sails in the Mediterranean, but May and June in the North Sea mean there are few stars at the 7 p.m. showing and if you're sailing the Baltic Sea there won't be any at 9 p.m. either -- but Movies Under The Midnight Sun is just as magical, though.
Enchanted Princess screens concerts during the day as well as films at night, so if you like Sting, UB40 or Crowded House you're in luck -- although the James Bond film No Time To Die got a big thumbs up when I was onboard.
7. An Adults-Only Space At Enchanted Princess' The Sanctuary
When the buzz of the pool deck gets too much but you still want to relax in the sunshine, there's always The Sanctuary. It's a gorgeous adults-only oasis of calm with discreetly screened cabanas equipped with chic cane sofas and sun loungers topped with luxurious foam mattresses.
It's a world of dreamy coffee and cream-soft furnishings, sail-like awnings and al fresco massages, with Serenity Stewards to bring you food and drink -- even ice-cold face towels if you need them.
Of course, it all comes at a price: $140 for a private cabana for half a day, which makes the $20 for a sun lounger practically a bargain. You need to book your spot fast, though, especially on sea days when they’re snapped up.
8. There Is a Swimming Pool to Suit All Cruisers
The back of the ship is always a good place to sit if you want to avoid the constant activity of the main pool deck and Enchanted Princess’s Wake Bar and infinity pool is no exception.
It’s largely shielded from the wind, there are great views of the sea and the white froth left in the wake of the ship -- plus it's just a few steps from the buffet restaurant World Fresh Market.
For a tranquil few hours on a lounger -- at no extra cost -- the Retreat Pool is the place to go. It’s smaller than the main pools but you can still swim rather than just bob around in the water and it has its own bar -- although there's no sea view.
Love the buzz of the lido deck? There are two reasonable-sized pools to cool off in and several large hot tubs where you can sit with your pina colada and enjoy whatever is going on.
9. The Enclave is the Inner Sanctum of Enchanted Princess' Lotus Spa
This is the last word in luxury and relaxation on Enchanted Princess and it’s available to everyone, for a price. The Enclave is the inner sanctum of the Lotus Spa, Princess Cruises’ largest thermal suite, with a gorgeous heated mineral water pool that has jets of warm water to massage your back and shoulders.
It’s the best place to go when the weather's bad or you've just come back from an exhausting excursion. You can lie back on a heated ceramic lounger or sit in the sauna-like laconium. There are also two steam rooms: a menthol-scented hammam and herb-infused caldarium, which is warm but less steamy.
You can book by the week, day or half day but if you take a tour of the spa on embarkation day you’re most likely to get a tempting discount. Prices start from $40 but special deals may be available.