Sky Princess Western Caribbean Crusie

[AF-1]

I was on western caribbean cruise in Feb.  All snorkling was canx during our stop.  Rough seas;  they said the catamarans and other boats could not keep up with the waves;  even the tender boats to shore were rough rides.  We received a refund for our shore excursion and spent the day onboard;  which was nice.  The ship was somewhat empty with everyone on shore. You review is great.  

[USCcruisecrazy]

Day #6...Cozumel!!

 

Of all the ports we visited, I think Cozumel was my favorite.  Not only did they have plenty of shopping and eats, but we spent the day at a very nice "All-Inclusive"  called Mr. Sancho's.  The port day was very long...from 1000am until 1000pm (back on the ship time was 0930pm).  This afforded a more relaxed day where we could go and enjoy the all-inclusive first and then spend some quality time in and around the shops and restaurants in the port.  I recommend you avoid the Duty Free Shop on the way into the port.  It was a madhouse, because there were so many large ships in at the same time.  The gate to the left of the Shop was open (there was a sign that said workers only...no one paid attention to it).  It was a quicker walk to where the security folks were checking bags...mainly for food contraband...I saw a few things confiscated, like sandwiches from the ships.  LOL!

 

We had a large party (all 12 of us went to Mr. Sancho's), so here's a head's up on the taxi situation.  As we exited the port and hit the taxi stand area, there were folks trying to sell us on using a large van for all 12 of us...$10 per person per way...so $240 for the ride back and forth.  We opted to take our chances in the normal cab ride line and secured an 8 pack and 4 pack for a total of $120...actually the 8 pack was $36 each way but we threw them $40...and the 4 pack was $20 each way.  Sometimes it pays to shop around.  The first question the taxi drivers asked was "did we have reservations?"  It seems that Mr. Sancho's is very popular and limits the number of patrons every day.  Luckily, we had reservations, so no issues.

 

The cost of Mr. Sancho's was $55 a head...included all the food you could eat (very authentic Mexican as one would expect), all the beverages you cared to consume (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), kayaks, snorkel equipment, and much more.  We had a few pick-up water volleyball games, which can be a challenge...especially with a cup of beer in one hand!!  There were also many additional sports/activities for an additional cost.  They had beach horse back riding, paddle boards (like $25 for an hour), and a bouncy water park...for lack of a better name.  I highly recommend the place...it was a great day and very relaxing.

 

We split up some after getting back to the port...some to shop, some to head back to the ship...but I went with my two brothers from another mother and hit up The Three Amigos!!  They had some very good Tamales at a reasonable price ($10 for three) and some nice cold adult beverages.  Then we passed through the Duty Free heading back to the ship and it was pretty dead...made it easy to see the potential goods. 

 

Since it was a late port, there was no Traditional Dining available...it was Anytime in all the dining rooms.  We opted to try Alfredos later in the evening since those tamales had filled the hole pretty well.  Alfredos was pretty solid overall.  The group I was with had a few different types of pizza and they were all pretty well made.  The minestrone soup was also very tasty, as well as the antipasti (2 different ones).  The only complaint I heard was from my son who ate there later and said the ham they used in the calzone was too high a concentration of water, so the calzone was a little too "wet".

 

Overall, the day was very pleasant and a great way to set us up for the final day of our journey...day #7 at Sea!!

[USCcruisecrazy]

Day #7...Sea Day enroute to Port Everglades!

 

It's always a sad day when you are on the final stretch to Port, but this was a very nice and relaxing cruise, so I didn't really stress too much.  The day started out as normal...mimosa's on the balcony and then a nice light breakfast in the dining room.  We always like to hit the dining room for breakfast when it's a lazy morning because we know it is always going to be a great experience.  The Sky was not a disappointment in that regard.  After breakfast we made our way back to the Wakeview Pool area for a nice spicy Bloody Mary and a relaxing morning in the sun.  The pool was quite pleasant and the view over the back of the ship is very unique for a swimming pool.

 

It was pretty much a lazy day.  We don't really get into the Trivia games or bingo, but we did have a group of us do the Golf Challenge on Deck 18 and then hung out afterwards and played some bocce ball.  That was a great time.  The recreational area offers all kinds of fun...mini golf, bocce ball, basketball, ping pong, etc...

 

The show that evening was the Crew Talent Show and I must say, I was impressed with some of the talent we witnessed.  The highlight of the show was the bartender that sang My Way!  Not quite Frankie, but pretty darn impressive!!  At dinner they had the usual surf and turf and topped the evening off with the traditional Baked Alaska March.  I actually stepped out a little that last night and ordered the 14 oz. Rib eye and Lobster Tail from Crown Grill.  It is an upcharge, but I felt like ending the last dinner in fashion and it was well worth the cost.

 

The Dis-embarkment Process was very smooth and easy...took very little time, so I'll leave you with that!!! 

 

TIDBITS or Things of Interest I may have left out (answers all those lingering questions I read on CC all the time):

* There was always plenty of butter on the table...never had to ask for extra pads/balls

* The soft serve ice cream was exceptionally good...I think they may have tweaked their recipe a bit

* Never tried the Ernesto Burger (didn't want to wait that long for it), but the other burgers were pretty tasty...and the fries!!!

* The Chair Hogs are out and in full force...sent my displeasure to Princess in my formal feedback...not sure they can actually address the subject though...it really comes down to lack of integrity by those abusing the system!!

* Definitely prefer the Eastern and Southern Caribbean over the Western...it was nice but not the same.

* No evidence of smoke in Take Five from Churchill's like some have reported...it could just be the day and/or time of day I suppose, but we went before dinner a few nights and it was fine

*  The area around the roulette table did have an issue with smoke because the smoking area in the casino I'm guessing is around those slots adjacent to the Roulette Table...that was a little bothersome

* The new process for photos is much, much better...no prints...you go to a computer and it loads all the pics of you from facial recognition...or so it expect...and there was very little "Upsell" for photos going on...that's a plus

* In fact, it seemed like I wasn't approached a single time for selling me a massage, a photo, a t-shirt or anything else...I don't remember one time being approached, so perhaps they are moving away form the hard sell tactics...let's hope

* There was always something fun going on in the Atrium...from line dancing, to aerobic workouts, to comedy or fantastic musicians...it was nice to have so many differing things to attend if you wished

* Not having Crooners was a mistake...single biggest disappointment on the ship...although Take Five was okay.

* Food is subjective, but the variety in the MDR and the Buffet were good and I don't remembering trying anything I didn't like

 

If you have any specific questions, please ask...I know I made this sort of vanilla and tried to just highlight some niceties', but I lest out a lot, I'm sure....so Fire Away!!!!

[JEM4205]

Do you recall what deck was used for embarkation in Port Everglades 5,6, or 7?

Milkshakes available?

Thanks.

Edited December 19, 2019 by JEM4205
added question

[DrivesLikeMario]

Was the stringed quartet really a quartet or a trio or duo?

[USCcruisecrazy]

47 minutes ago, JEM4205 said:

Do you recall what deck was used for embarkation in Port Everglades 5,6, or 7?

Milkshakes available?

Thanks.

Once you go up the escalator, if you file to the right, you embarked on Deck 6...if you file to the left, you embarked on Deck 5.

I don't remember seeing any milkshakes, but they may have been available.  I can say beyond a doubt, the Gelato was superb and would make a great substitution.  If I remember correctly, 3 generous scoops was like $2.50.

[USCcruisecrazy]

28 minutes ago, DrivesLikeMario said:

Was the stringed quartet really a quartet or a trio or duo?

Absolutely a Quartet...four very nice looking young ladies...two of whom were tall enough to play front line on a volleyball team.  They played regularly in the Crown Grill Bar seating area and in the Piazza...well worth the listen!!

[Vexorg]

We spent the day at Mr. Sancho's the last time we were in Cozumel.  It's rather touristy (which is par for the course there) but probably the best option we've found for a beach day on that itinerary.  I'd probably do it again if we went back.  

 

Part of the fun at Cozumel is watching people stagger back to the ship late after having just a bit (or a lot) too much to drink in town...

[USCcruisecrazy]

8 minutes ago, Vexorg said:

We spent the day at Mr. Sancho's the last time we were in Cozumel.  It's rather touristy (which is par for the course there) but probably the best option we've found for a beach day on that itinerary.  I'd probably do it again if we went back.  

 

Part of the fun at Cozumel is watching people stagger back to the ship late after having just a bit (or a lot) too much to drink in town...

Yeah, I agree it was a little touristy...although we were the A-typical tourists.  But for the cost at $55 it seemed like a pretty fair deal.

 

We, too, like to hang out and watch those that had a drink or two too many...although occasionally, I may find one of them to be a member of our party...which can be extra fun!!

[mthomp5]

Thank you for taking the time to do a review!  We’ll  be on then Sky for a Western Caribbean cruise in March.  Do you recall if the Royal Tea was offered in the atrium area?  It usually cost $10 (or $20 with champagne).  I heard from previous cruisers that it was not offered on their cruise.  I hope they still offer it.  Have done it once on the Royal and really enjoyed it. 

[DrivesLikeMario]

3 hours ago, USCcruisecrazy said:

Absolutely a Quartet...four very nice looking young ladies...two of whom were tall enough to play front line on a volleyball team.  They played regularly in the Crown Grill Bar seating area and in the Piazza...well worth the listen!!

OH!!  Wonderful!  We will definitely look for them!  Thanks for the info.!  

[USCcruisecrazy]

17 hours ago, mthomp5 said:

Thank you for taking the time to do a review!  We’ll  be on then Sky for a Western Caribbean cruise in March.  Do you recall if the Royal Tea was offered in the atrium area?  It usually cost $10 (or $20 with champagne).  I heard from previous cruisers that it was not offered on their cruise.  I hope they still offer it.  Have done it once on the Royal and really enjoyed it. 

I did not hear of or see anything on a Royal Tea being offered.  They did have 2 very nice Wine Tastings, well worth the time and small expense.  They offered some very good lessons on wines...plus had some great tasters.  Enjoy your cruise either way!!

[mthomp5]

4 minutes ago, USCcruisecrazy said:

I did not hear of or see anything on a Royal Tea being offered.  They did have 2 very nice Wine Tastings, well worth the time and small expense.  They offered some very good lessons on wines...plus had some great tasters.  Enjoy your cruise either way!!

Thank you very much for checking!  The wine tasting sounds fun!  We enjoy those as well.  

[katmu]

2 hours ago, mthomp5 said:

Thank you very much for checking!  The wine tasting sounds fun!  We enjoy those as well.  

 

My patters said there was afternoon tea service in the dining room but we did not attend.

[mthomp5]

1 hour ago, katmu said:

 

My patters said there was afternoon tea service in the dining room but we did not attend.

Thank you! We like to do that one too.  Some of the Royal class ships had another one in addition to the one in the dining room.  It was called the Royal Afternoon Tea.  These were a couple of things I liked from it - the berries and cream and the Queen of Puddings.

[katmu]

20 minutes ago, mthomp5 said:

Thank you! We like to do that one too.  Some of the Royal class ships had another one in addition to the one in the dining room.  It was called the Royal Afternoon Tea.  These were a couple of things I liked from it - the berries and cream and the Queen of Puddings.

Those treats look delicious.

[Suncitycruiser1925]

Thanks for your review.  We were on the same sailing.  We were very disapointed in the movies under the stars that were shown which is a favorite activity of mine on the ship.  We watched the movies Judy and A Rainy Day in New York and we thought they both were awful.  They showed The Upside as an on demand movie choice in the cabin which was very good.  We did enjoy watching football on the movie screen.  The picture quality on the movie screen was better (clearer) than the Regal and Royal.  Popcorn served on deck during the movies was terrible.  It had no taste.  

[john_galt]

On 12/19/2019 at 2:10 PM, Vexorg said:

Part of the fun at Cozumel is watching people stagger back to the ship late after having just a bit (or a lot) too much to drink in town.

Watching the 'drunk walk' is my favorite part of Cozumel. I recall a couple try to board a Carnival ship when they should have been boarding the Princess ship. The Carnival people got them sorted out. Balloon hats and souvenir drink glasses. Yikes!

[cheezenip]

On 12/19/2019 at 10:29 AM, USCcruisecrazy said:

* Food is subjective, but the variety in the MDR and the Buffet were good and I don't remembering trying anything I didn't like

 

If you have any specific questions, please ask...I know I made this sort of vanilla and tried to just highlight some niceties', but I lest out a lot, I'm sure....so Fire Away!!!!

You mentioned you have been on Regal. How would you compare the MDR and buffet on both ships?

[kywildcatfanone]

2 hours ago, cheezenip said:

You mentioned you have been on Regal. How would you compare the MDR and buffet on both ships?

For me, they are equal.  Food and quality.

[USCcruisecrazy]

5 hours ago, cheezenip said:

You mentioned you have been on Regal. How would you compare the MDR and buffet on both ships?

I enjoyed the MDR and the buffet on both ships.  The food (as far as I'm concerned) was very good on both.  I think the one difference was that on the Sky it seemed less difficult to find a place to sit, so I don't know if they redesigned the seating some or if less people were eating when we went there. 

 

Our last trip on the Regal, they did not have the choices from the Crown Grill on the menu...so that was a pleasant change.  I enjoyed a nice 14 oz. Ribeye one evening for a nominal fee of $19.  It was well worth the cost. 

[zonkerstl]

Thank you for the info.  Sounds like you all had a wonderful trip.  We are looking forward to our trip next month  on the Sky.  Would you be able to share your menus and Patters?