BRAND NEW REDUCTION! European Explorer from Barcelona to Southampton with Stay, 12 September 2024 (11 nights)

Sun Princess embarkation 26th April Barcelona took approx 20minutes. Cabin 12245 deluxe balcony, great location Quiet but easy to access all main venues. Well equipped cabin, very comfortable, small but well designed bathroom , shower door could prove difficult to manoeuvre if you have mobility issues. We opted for princess plus which worked out well . The princess app worked well and all information can be accessed from your smart TV. In cabin TV movies etc very good. Food - considering we only booked the cruise 2 or 3 weeks before departure we were able to book our preferred dining time although it was in Eclipse and not Soleil ( same menu on floor above fixed dining ) . All meals were high quality, not one issue, service very good although tour table and waiter changed each night when you boot into eclipse, note that you can just walk in to this restaurant and we didn’t see anyone having a problem or waiting long. The Eatery is the buffet which was pretty good although busy as always. It’s not self service which is increasingly popular on various cruise lines. Other complimentary venues were good quality , we didn’t try the specialty restaurants as we saw the $44 pp charge excessive. Drinks - great choice ( we selected princess plus) - note this was our first Prince cruise so we were ‘blue’ level. House wines good, I found cocktails to be hit or miss depending on the bar. Probably score cocktails 5/10, wines 8/10 , beers 10/10. Entertainment - sailed with 4 other cruise lines and found entertainment in the main arena theatre excellent 10/10 . Other venues weren’t really our bag but there was varied programmes for all tastes . Ship decor/facilites - a fairy new ship , with impressive public areas, clean and never seemed crowded although it was a full cruise. We particularly loved the forward area on deck 16 (dome) which was adult only accessible to all cabins . Disembarkation - took option to self disembark, we did this at 9am and took no more than 10 minutes! Overall we can highly recommend Sun Princess and would definitely return on other itineraries. By the way the itinerary was good . Our only criticism which is not a ship or indeed cruise line specific issue is the cost of excursions. We booked all of our excursions independently and everyone was good quality and ran smoothly. FYI the cruise was made up of a mix of ages but not many children, possibly 60% American , 20% Canadian, 10% Asian/far east, 10% other

Food very good. The number of places visited has been reduced - too many sea days so will look elsewhere in future. Cabin was very nice. Transfer from Miami to Fort Lauderdale a nightmare and hotel was absolutely rubbish and overrated. Couldn't book in at 5pm because the room wasn't ready.

Lovely ship, excellent food at all venues, nice little technology improvements. But. . . some of the bars are tucked away from the main event and feel a bit forgotten.

I loved the new lift system. Preventing cues. Really liked the piazza and the seating on three levels. I did really miss the theatre in the other ships. and found the other entertainment venues too small for the amount of people on the ship. Our state room was beautiful, and loved the new shower cubicle. Also loved the cosy seating outside on deck 9. All in all a beautiful cruise ship. Derene