We have another Princess cruise coming up!
In January 2027, we’ll be sailing on Sun Princess. We’ve sailed on both Sun Princess and Star Princess before, so we already know there are a lot of things we like about these newer Princess ships.
This trip will be a little different, though. We have three ports we’ve never visited, we’ll be traveling with a much bigger group, and we’re making some of our plans based on what we’ve learned from our previous cruises.
We know we like the extra space of a mini-suite, we’ve figured out which dining experiences we’d like to repeat, and we know Princess Plus works well for the way we cruise.
At the same time, there will be plenty that’s new.
Here’s what we’re planning and what we’re looking forward to.
We Chose a Mini-Suite Again
One decision was pretty easy. We booked a mini-suite.
We had a mini-suite on Star Princess and really enjoyed having the extra space. When we priced this cruise, the mini-suite wasn’t that much more than the other options we were considering, so we decided it was worth the upgrade.
We also love having a balcony. It’s become one of those cruise expenses we’re willing to save for.
Sometimes it’s nice to get away from everything happening around the ship, sit outside with a drink and just watch the ocean.
Could we cruise without a balcony? Sure.
But we’d rather not!
It’s one of those upgrades that we’ve decided is worth it to us.
We’re Sticking With Princess Plus
We recently compared Princess Standard, Plus and Premier, and after looking at how we actually cruise, we’re sticking with Princess Plus for this trip.
On Sun Princess, Plus is $70 per person per day, which is a little higher than the $65 price on most Princess ships.
Even at the higher price, we think Plus works best for us.
It includes crew appreciation, Wi-Fi, drinks, specialty coffees, bottled water and four casual dining meals per person during the cruise. Those are all things we know we’ll use.
Premier is tempting, especially because it includes unlimited specialty dining. We really enjoy Princess specialty dining, so we haven’t ruled out trying Premier on a future cruise.
This time, though, we’re traveling with a larger group and probably won’t do as much specialty dining. That makes it harder for us to justify paying extra for Premier.
Plus still seems to be our sweet spot.
Christopher Gets the Classic Soda Package
Our college-age son Christopher will be traveling with us, and he doesn’t drink alcohol.
For him, we purchase Princess’s Classic Soda Package.
It’s currently $14.99 per day plus the 18% service charge, bringing the total to about $17.69 per day. It includes sodas, juices, mocktails and smoothies.
For the way Christopher drinks on a cruise, we think it’s a pretty good value without paying for a package that includes alcohol he isn’t going to drink.
We also share one of our Wi-Fi connections with him, which has worked well for us in the past.
It’s a good example of why we don’t think there’s one package that’s right for everyone. You really have to look at what you’ll actually use.
We’re Looking Forward to the Food
Food is always a big part of cruising for us, and we’ve had some really good meals on Princess.
We may go back to The Catch by Rudi. Of all the specialty restaurants we’ve tried on Princess, we think The Catch may have been our favorite.
That’s saying something because we’ve had good experiences at all of them.
We also tried Umai Teppanyaki on Star Princess. Everyone really enjoyed it. It’s dinner and a show, with the chef preparing the meal right in front of you.
We thought it was a lot of fun, and the food was very good.
Would we pay the $60 per person specialty dining charge to do it again?
Probably not.
At that price, we think we can find equally good teppanyaki on land for the same price or less. That’s not to say we didn’t enjoy it. We did. There are just other specialty restaurants onboard where we’d rather spend that money.
The Catch by Rudi would probably get our $60 first.
And then there’s the pizza.
We’re definitely looking forward to Alfredo’s Pizzeria. Princess does pizza really well, and Alfredo’s is definitely on our list.
Sometimes the simplest food ends up being something you look forward to the most!
A Few Favorite Spots We Already Know
One advantage of having sailed Sun and Star Princess before is that we already know a few places we’ll be heading back to.
Crooners Bar is one of our favorites.
We love finding a seat, having a drink and enjoying the atmosphere. It’s just a great place to hang out for a while, and I’m sure we’ll spend plenty of time there again.
We’ve also learned a few things about the entertainment.
If there’s a show in The Dome that we really want to see, we know we need to get there early. It’s a great venue, but good seats can go quickly.
We’ve learned the same lesson with the main theater.
Our plan is usually to show up about 30 minutes early, grab a drink on the way and find seats we like.
We’d much rather spend those 30 minutes sitting with a drink and relaxing than arrive right before the show and find out all the seats we wanted are gone.
It’s one of the nice things about returning to a ship we’ve sailed before. We don’t have to spend the first few days figuring everything out.
Of course, I’m sure we’ll find something new this time, too.
Cruising With Eight Will Be Something New
One of the biggest differences this time will be who we’re traveling with.
Christopher’s girlfriend and her family are joining us, so we’ll have eight people traveling together.
We’ve never cruised with a group that size before, and we’re looking forward to seeing how it goes.
It has already changed the way we’re planning.
Getting a dinner reservation for two or three people is one thing. Getting a reservation for eight people at the time you want is a little different.
We want to be able to have dinner together, so we’ve already worked on getting our dining reservations lined up.
This is definitely not the trip where we want to wait until we’re onboard and then try to figure out where eight people are going to eat!
It will be fun having a bigger group to share the cruise with, and I’m sure that will make this trip different from our usual cruises.
Three New Ports for Us
Another thing we’re really looking forward to is visiting three ports we’ve never been to before: San Juan, Grand Turk and Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic.
There’s something fun about getting off the ship somewhere completely new and having no idea yet what you’re going to think of it.
San Juan
San Juan may be the one we’re most excited about.
We’re looking forward to walking around Old San Juan and especially visiting the historic fort.
We’re not planning to pack every possible attraction into the day. We’d rather have time to explore, see the fort and get a feel for Old San Juan.
Grand Turk
Grand Turk will also be completely new for us.
We’re still deciding what we want to do there. We may choose an excursion, or it might turn into a more relaxed day.
Not every port day has to involve rushing from one activity to another.
Amber Cove
Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic will be another first.
We’re still researching this one, too. We’ll see what catches our attention as we get closer to the cruise.
One of the fun parts of having three new ports is that we’ll have plenty to write about when we get home. We’ll let you know what we did, what we liked and what we’d do differently.
This Time We’re Driving to Florida
We’re also changing how we’re getting to the cruise.
We live in South Carolina, so this time we’re planning to drive to Florida rather than fly.
Our plan is to break up the trip by spending a day in Orlando before heading to the port the morning of the cruise.
That works well for us because Disney has always been a big part of our family’s travels. Spending a day in Orlando gives us a chance to break up the drive and enjoy a little Disney time along the way.
Our last cruise involved flying through Fort Lauderdale, and it wasn’t our favorite experience.
Our flight was delayed, and we weren’t particularly impressed with the airport. We didn’t find it especially comfortable or clean, and there wasn’t a lot to do while we waited.
This time, we’d rather have the flexibility of our own car.
And getting a little Orlando time before the cruise certainly doesn’t hurt!
What We’re Most Looking Forward To
It’s hard to pick one thing.
We’re looking forward to being back on Sun Princess. We’re looking forward to having the extra room in our mini-suite and sitting out on the balcony.
We’re looking forward to Crooners, Alfredo’s pizza, possibly another dinner at The Catch by Rudi, and some good shows.
We’re excited to see San Juan, Grand Turk and Amber Cove for the first time.
And we’re really looking forward to seeing what it’s like to cruise with a group of eight.
Even though we’ve sailed Sun Princess before, this won’t be the same cruise. Different people, different ports and hopefully a few new experiences mixed in with some old favorites.
We’ll share more as January gets closer. And after the cruise, we’ll let you know what worked, what didn’t, our favorite meals, what we thought of the three new ports and whether we still think Princess Plus is worth $70 per person per day.
For now, we’re just looking forward to getting back onboard!
Planning a Princess cruise? Here are a couple of our other posts that may help:
Princess Plus vs. Premier vs. Standard: Which Is Worth It in 2026 & 2027?
We break down what’s included with each option and explain why we chose Princess Plus for our upcoming Sun Princess cruise.
Getting Ready for the Cruise
Of course, before we can get onboard, we have to pack!
We’ve learned quite a bit about what we actually use on a cruise and what can stay at home. If you have a cruise coming up, we’ve put together our cruise packing list with the things we actually bring and use.
Have you sailed Sun Princess? What’s one thing you think we shouldn’t miss?