Three months after my first visit to Venice I already flew back. Yes I love Venice, but this time it had a much bigger meaning than taking a gondola through the canals. Princess Cruises celebrated the first sail away of its brand new cruise ship the Sky Princess and guess who was invited for the Sky Princess inaugural cruise from Trieste to Athens.
From hiking in the Karakoram mountains in Pakistan to cruising on the Mediterranean Sea: I like to do it all, as long as I see the adventure in it! I got in touch with cruising last year only and since back then it was my first cruise I wrote down all my first time cruise tips in this link.
Moreover though I felt extremely honored that Princess Cruises specifically asked me to come document this cruise from Trieste to Athens. Only the day before we arrived on the Sky Princess inaugural cruise, this brand new ship left its dockyard in Monfalcone and I was offered to experience it as one of the first passengers in the world.
Is cruising on the Med one of your dream trips? Click on the following link to read all my 19 Mediterranean cruise tips, including excursions and more port tips. Curious where the Sky Princess will sail after the inaugural cruise from Trieste to Athens? Click here to find out all about the Sky Princess' itinerary for the next year.
That same day the Sky Princess left the Monfalcone shipyard I flew to Venice for 1 night where the next day I was picked up to drive to Trieste where the Sky Princess inaugural cruise would start. I started the morning very early with a walk around the completely deserted famous square in Venice: Piazza Marco Polo.
Sky Princess is a Princess Medallion Class ship
The OceanMedallion program is basically a chip that you can wear on you to elevate your cruise experience to another level. This high-tech system is completely integrated in the daily life on board all Princess Cruises ships that have the OceanMedallion technology. It makes your life on board much easier, here are a couple examples:
- Keyless stateroom access: the ocean medallion registers when you are in front of your door and unlocks it.
- OceanMedallion App which makes you organize your cruise from your smartphone.
- Check in through your app, book activities, plan your cruise, etc.
- Order drinks/food from the Ocean Medallion app everywhere on the ship and based on your location it will be delivered to you.
- It is a free service, included at all OceanMedallion cruises.
- It is exclusive to Princess Cruises ships.
- You can turn it off completely for full privacy.
These are just a couple features of the OceanMedallion technology onboard the new Sky Princess cruise ship.
Sky Princess check-in
It was only my second cruise ever. Last year I officially did my first cruise when I sailed on the Crown Princess from Barcelona to Rome. From what I remembered checking in back then was pretty smooth and there was no waiting line whatsoever. Neither this time, but because I already checked-in through the Ocean Medallion app the check-in process for Sky Princess took probably under a minute.
The lovely staff handed me over my Ocean Medallion as well as some info brochures and a map and I was good to go. The security check was very fast as there was no line at the time I checked in. Of course I couldn’t help but taking some pictures from the brand new Sky Princess ship first before going on board.
Entering the ship was easy as I scanned my Ocean Medallion and I was onboard within a split second.
My first impressions of the new Sky Princess ship
Before I even got to my stateroom I wanted to get a bite at the International Cafe as that was my to go to place for a quick bite or a coffee on my first cruise last year. I had no clue but quickly figured out that all Princess Cruises ships are probably built by a similar plan, so because I still remembered my way around on the Crown Princess from last year I found it super easy to navigate the Sky Princess. The International Cafe was still on deck 5 next to the Atrium where I immediately spotted Vines Bar as well.
Standing in the middle of the massive Atrium I straight away felt at home as this is where I had such amazing moments last year, but now on a brand new ship. I could clearly see the difference as everything was obviously brand new. The more modern look, feel and colors made me feel like I was somewhere in a fancy hotel in Vegas. Stunned I realized once again how lucky I was Princess cruises invited me for this special Sky Princess inaugural cruise from Trieste to Athens.
See all of my adventures on board the Sky Princess in my Instagram highlights. Click on the link to directly go to my highlight videos. You can tap through them to find the parts about the Sky Princess inaugural cruise that you like the most.
Sky Princess Cabins
There are a bunch of different Sky Princess cabins on board this brand new Princess Cruises ship. From inner cabins to two suites on the top deck with the biggest balcony at sea. I was granted a balcony room and that made me smile big time. In my opinion not much had changed when it comes to comparing the Sky Princess cabin to the Crown Princess Cabin from last year, at least not that I noticed. The bed was still the same fluffy little piece of heaven, the set up was the same and the bathroom looked pretty similar as well. Something that did catch my attention is that the balcony door couldn’t be opened all the way; the sliding door doesn’t open completely.
Balcony room Sky Princess
I would everyone recommend to get a balcony room if you are choosing which Sky Princess cabin to go for. Of course if your budget allows you to do so, but waking up with the sound of the ocean is simply magical. Watching sunset from your own balcony is just as impressive and the endless unobstructed ocean views never get bored.
Sky Suite on Sky Princess
Don’t believe everything you see on social media! I did not really spend a night in one of the two amazing Sky Suites during the Sky Princess inaugural cruise, but at least I had a chance to pretend I did.
For an hour I was able to enjoy the largest balcony at sea and that had to be celebrated with pizza and beer. Caviar and champagne would definitely suite this exclusive 2-bedroom suite much more but hey… that would be so fake! ;) LOL
Exploring the Sky Princess features
The Sky Princess inaugural cruise from Trieste to Athens involved two sea days so I got some time to explore this brand new cruise ship. Even though that seems like a lot of time, there were so many places to discover on the ship that I still have the feeling I could have spend another week onboard this new masterpiece of Princess Cruises.
People asked me for my favorite spot on the ship and I would love to say the jacuzzi’s overlooking the two main pools on the top deck. Unfortunately I didn’t allow myself a moment to drink a beer in one of these, but it seemed like the perfect spot for me. During the Sky Princess inaugural cruise the World Championship Rugby was ongoing and the matches were shown live on the massive big (and very bright) screen. Even during bright daylight you could clearly see the screen.
Some day I hope to be on board the ship during Champions League night and watch football from a hot tub with endless ocean views around me and a million stars above me. Yes, Im a massive football fan.
The top deck in general is my favorite place on the Sky Princess cruise ship anyway, but that would count for any cruise ship for me I reckon. I love the outdoors and sail aways are something truly special I think. But also the fresh air, the sound of the wind and the amazing views. In that light I also really liked the infinity style wake-view pool at the backside of the Sky Princess ship.
Discover all the Sky Princess cruise features through my Live-Video below. Find out all about the Ocean Medallion, see all the pools onboard, the casino, the atrium and even the retreat pool and look into the Sanctuary.
There obviously was a lot to discover indoors of the Sky Princess cruise ship as well. Honestly too much to name, but I would like to highlight two favorite places as they really caught my attention during the Sky Princess inaugural cruise: the Atrium and the Crown Grill. Last year during my first cruise on Crown Princess I celebrated my birthday at the Crown Grill and it wasn’t only the celebration that I clearly remember, the food was outstanding.
During the inaugural cruise of the Sky Princess I got another chance to get a taste of Crown Grill and damn that place is by far my favorite restaurant on board the Sky Princess. Damn yummy!
The Atrium was the place were every night I enjoyed the entertainment to the max and made me stay up until early in the morning. Vines Bar was a great place for people to gather and to check out what was going on at the dance floor in the middle of the Atrium.
Check out the Sky Princess' itinerary for the next year in this link and much more info about it.
WiFi on board the Sky Princess
Something we take for granted in our day to day life is internet access. But on a cruise ship? In the middle of the ocean? Yes even there we nowadays expect to be able to stream live videos and be online on demand! GOOD NEWS for those booking a Princess Cruises holiday on the Sky Princess.
The MedallionNet WiFi on board the new Sky Princess cruise ship is supposed to be the best internet at sea and I can tell you it works damn good! As a full time travel blogger and social media addict I want to be online at all times anywhere and everywhere. Thank you Princess cruises for the super smooth internet access that actually works really fast at all times.
From my experience during the Sky Princess inaugural cruise I can tell you it was FAST & RELIABLE and I have high demands when It comes to internet.
Itinerary Sky Princess inaugural cruise
As said before we embarked the ship in Trieste in Northern Italy and sailed in 4 days towards Athens. The Sky Princess inaugural cruise included 2 sea days: one between Trieste and Kotor and one between Kotor and Athens. As we disembarked in Athens, the only port of call during our cruise was Kotor really. Not complaining here as I think and also what I have heard from many experienced cruisers, the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro is one of the most impressive cruise ports in the world.
The Sky Princess didn’t dock at one of the piers but majestically positioned itself in the middle of the Bay of Kotor. There were water shuttles taking us from the ship to the port of Kotor. When getting on land I almost forgot I was actually entering a new country. Montenegro was my 55th country I visited for at least the second time.
Although I had been to Montenegro before I never saw the Bay of Kotor. All I can say after the Sky Princess inaugural cruise is: thank you Princess Cruises for bringing me here. Charming, stunning and totally worth visiting.
We strolled through the old town and climbed up to the castle on top of the hill behind Kotor Old Town. The €8 entrance fee just to walk up some stairs is a little outrageous I think and purely put in place to make money off the cruise tourists, but well… once you reach the top you forget about that as the views are unbeatable.
On our last day we disembarked in Athens in the early morning and went up to the world famous Acropolis on a guided tour. Definitely enjoyed the tour for the fact of learning about the history of this polace, but the crowds were insane! We were unlucky that it was the last day of the autumn school holidays in Northern Europe. Nevertheless the Acropolis is an unreal historical monument that is worth visiting and Im glad I got to see it from up close during the Sky Princess inaugural cruise.
All my Sky Princess inaugural cruise adventures can be found on my Instagram highlights. Through this link you go directly to my cruise highlight videos. Tap through them to explore the Sky Princess cruise ship by short videos. All areas are covered: the Sanctuary, pools, entertainment on board, Kotor, Athens, restaurants, the state room, Ocean Medallion and more.
The itinerary for the Sky Princess is out now, click here to find out where she will be sailing in the next year.
Thank you Princess Cruises
As you were able to sense throughout this Sky Princess blog I had the time of my life during this inaugural cruise from Trieste to Athens. I still feel very honored that Princess Cruises chose me to be among the first ones ever to experience a brand new cruise ship and create content for the Sky Princess.
Interested in more of my cruise blogs then check out all my tips for a Mediterranean cruise and some epic Mediterranean cruise excursions. Also have a look at what I think are some essential first cruise tips!
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As I quit my job and started traveling the world in December 2012 I am already on my way for more than 2,500 days as of November 2019. How I afford to travel and became a travel blogger can be read in the link or curious how to earn money from a travel blog then click here.
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