A Family Day on Sky Princess
What Does a Family Cruise Look Like on Sky Princess?
Last weekend, I was fortunate to be invited by Princess Cruises to bring my loved ones onboard Sky Princess for a day to find out what family cruising looks like, Princess style.
These days we cruise as a couple, so rarely get a glimpse of what is available for children on board. However I have been yearning for an opportunity to show my grandchildren what is so special about cruising and was grateful for the opportunity. I have always tended to think of Princess as an adult-centric cruise line, so was intrigued to discover what it would be like to cruise as a family.
So that’s how I found myself on a very sunny September Saturday morning, getting up at an unearthly 5:30 am to make the journey down to Southampton from Kent, with two of my daughters and three of my grandchildren. My daughters were very excited, as although they had cruised with us in their teens, they hadn’t since having children of their own, and had never experienced Princess Cruises. My grandchildren, aged 5, 7 and 10 respectively, had no idea what to expect and were awestruck at their first glimpse of Sky Princess as we approached the Mayflower Terminal.
Although it was my first time on Sky Princess, I decided against rushing around filming everything as I usually would, in favour of packing as much family fun in as possible to get a true flavour of a family cruise.
As we boarded into the atrium on Deck 6, their eyes were like saucers as they took it all in. My granddaughter gasped “it’s so posh”! Making a beeline for the elegant spiral staircase, she said “I feel just like a princess” which I thought very apt.
We headed to our meeting point in The Vista Lounge on Deck 7, where we enjoyed some refreshments before the lights dimmed and the stage lit up. We were given a small preview of one of Sky Princess’s family shows, a Jim Henson-inspired production ‘Inspired Silliness’, a 30-minute performance featuring singers, dancers comedy, iconic music and puppetry. My grandchildren were mesmerised by the show, as were my daughters - we used to watch The Muppets and Fraggle Rock together as a family so it brought back happy memories.
All the shows on Sky Princess are family-friendly, including the big Broadway-style production shows in the Princess Theatre (Spotlight Bar, Rock Opera. Bravo, 5-SKIES. The Secret Silk. Magic To Do and Encore - so many), Movies under the Stars, and the game shows such as Deal or No Deal.
Next stop was Camp Discovery, Princess Cruises exciting youth & teen clubs. The Tree House is a Club for 3-7 year olds and features a treehouse-inspired soft play, age-appropriate video games, a story time carpet, craft tables, a football table and even a small outdoor area with trikes and play equipment. The Lodge is for 8-12 year olds and features arcade bowling games, football and ice hockey tables, banks of computers and a huge communal gaming area with all the latest titles. Next door is The Beach House - a chill out zone for teens aged 13-17. There is a table tennis table, computers, arcade games and lots of comfy seating. My grandchildren, initially reluctant to visit a kids club, had to be dragged away.
Time for lunch, and I was really looking forward to showing all the options to the children, particularly my 10 year old grandson who is a bit of a foodie. We headed down to the World Garden Marketplace (buffet), which didn't disappoint. As well as a fabulous carvery section, cuisine from around the world, a well stocked Vegan & Gluten-free selection and much, much more, there was also a kids food section with all their favourites from nuggets and fish and chips, to pizza and pastas plus some healthier options. Obviously mine filled their plates without a token veggie in sight, but hey I’d said they could eat anything they wanted on a cruise (plus their mothers were there to supervise so it wasn’t my call).
After all that food what else but a dip in the pool (no use telling them to let their meal digest first)! My daughters were reassured to see a rail of life jackets at the side of the pool as the smaller ones didn’t like being out of their depth. Although the sun was shining, the water was still quite cold. However that wasn’t going to deter them, and soon they were swimming lengths and thoroughly enjoying themselves. We supervised them so they could warm up in the hot tubs before drying off and enjoying pizza from Slice Pizzeria on deck and an ice cream from Swirls.
My heart was full when 10 year old Oscar said to my daughter: ‘Mummy, I can see why Nanny loves cruise ships so much now’.
We just had time for a quick stroll over the SeaWalk and a quick window shop before it was time to leave.
The day was summed up beautifully by my 5 year old grandson:
This visit was kindly gifted by Princess Cruises UK PR & Media. The views contained in this article are my own unbiased opinions.