Sky Princess Review
Rating by category
Additional details
In March of 2020 my wife, her sister and brother, and all spouses, 6 of us, flew to Ft. Lauderdale to take our first cruise on the Princess Line to the Panama Canal. The morning of our sailing, we got word that the cruise had been cancelled. We got a refund plus a future cruise credit, so we have been waiting for an opportunity to actually take a cruise with Princess.
In the intervening 2 years, my wife’s sister passed away, and her brother’s Parkinson’s had progressed to where he can’t travel. That left my wife and I to use our future cruise credit. We love cruising and have over a dozen cruises we’ve taken. So, when I found an Eastern Caribbean cruise with an interesting itinerary, we booked it.
We flew Southwest Airlines direct from Austin, TX to Ft. Lauderdale on the day of embarking. We knew there was a risk of the flight being delayed, but we did book the flight through the Princess web site. A few days before our trip there was an ice storm in Central Texas so we did drive to Austin and take a hotel (LaQuinta) near the airport. The trip went smoothly, and since we had booked transfers with Princess, we were able to get the port in good time.
Cabin Review
We found the stateroom to be roomy and bright with excellent lighting. We splurged in getting a balcony, and that proved to be a good choice. The cabin and balcony were both very clean with no evidence of wear and tear on anything.
Our medallions worked well, in fact, my wife’s was more sensitive than mine. She could just walk down the hallway by our door and the door screen would welcome her and unlock the door. The medallion app on my iPhone also was useful for finding our way around and finding event schedules.
We appreciated the layout of the storage space. The hanging clothes were readily available without having to guess at which door they were hanging behind. Although the bath was small, it was totally functional and sufficient for our needs. The bed itself was comfortable, but the pillows were not, because they didn’t stay fluffed up, but became hard after laying on them. We missed our foam pillows from home.
Port Reviews
Amber Cove (Puerto Plata)
The port at Amber Cove is a destination all to itself. Nearly everything is free and there are lots of beach chairs available. We enjoyed the water slides, but the walk up to them is excruciating on bare feet. We think the steps should be fixed so that bare feet can walk on them without pain!
Princess Cays
This was the only port requiring a water shuttle to visit. The installation was pleasant with a lot of water activities available. The buffet lunch provided was good, but nothing to write home about in my opinion.
Grand Turk
We booked an excursion (the only one we took on this cruise) through our travel agency. Another couple who booked it did not show for the tour, so we had a private tour with a very friendly, knowledgeable tour guide who took us all around the island, giving us good info on the culture and facilities on the island. We were able to walk fairly close to a group of flamingoes in the water. The tour was with Papa J Tours. Highly recommended.
Nassau
We had been to Nassau many years ago on our very first cruise. We had gone to Paradise Island and did some snorkeling in the bay near the Atlantis Resort. We could see the Atlantis and the bay from our balcony, but did not choose to make our way back there. But the weather was wonderful and the water was so clear. We enjoyed sitting on the balcony and watching the scenery.