Sky Princess vs Sun Princess

The Princess Cruises Sky Princess was built in 2019. This ship is the second ship to sail under the Sky Princess name. It's 5 years older than the Sun Princess, which was built in 2024. Sun Princess is the first in a whole new class of cruise ship for Princess Cruises. It's the 3rd ship to be sailing under the Sun Princess name.

Comparison Overview

• Ship Size
• Number of Passengers
• Food and Restaurants
• Bars and Drinks
• Pools and Hot Tubs
• Ship Features and Activities
• Cruise Costs
• Onboard Costs

Ship Size

The Sky Princess is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 1,083 feet long and 126 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3 football fields, as wide as 2.4 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 19-story building. Compared to the Princess Cruises Sun Princess, the Sky Princess is 21% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Princess Cruises Sky Princess holds 15% fewer passengers than the Sun Princess based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Sky Princess has less space per person compared to the Sun Princess.

	Princess Cruises Sky Princess	Princess Cruises Sun Princess
Class	Royal	Sphere
Gross Tonnage	141,000	177,882
Length	1,083	1,133
Beam/Width	126	126
Passenger Decks	19	21
Passengers (double occupancy)	3,660	4,300
Crew	1,346	1,600
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.7	2.7
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	39	41

Food and Restaurants

Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.

The Sky Princess has fourteen different dining options like Sabatini's, World Fresh Marketplace, and International Cafe. Of those options, ten are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other nine options have an additional fee.

The Sun Princess has two more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are The Eatery, Umai Teppanyaki, and Love by Britto. nine of these restaurants are complementary and the other thirteen have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Sun Princess might be a better choice. It has 14% more dining options than the Sky Princess.

If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Sky Princess might be a better choice then the Sun Princess. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.

Restaurants on Princess Cruises Sky Princess & Sun Princess

Restaurant	Princess Cruises Sky Princess	Princess Cruises Sun Princess
Included
American Diner	✗	✓	Learn More
Main Dining Room	✓	✓
Slice	✓	✗	Learn More
The Eatery	✗	✓	Learn More
The Pastry Shop / The Bakery	✓	✗
The Salty Dog Grill	✓	✗	Learn More
World Fresh Marketplace	✓	✗	Learn More
A la carte
Gelateria	✗	✓
Gelato	✓	✗	Learn More
International Cafe	✓	✓	Learn More
O'Malleys Irish Pub	✗	✓	Learn More
Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar	✓	✗	Learn More
Vines Wine Bar	✓	✗	Learn More
Flat fee
Alfredo's Pizzeria	✓	✓	Learn More
Chef's Table Lumiere	✓	✗	Learn More
Crown Grill	✓	✓	Learn More
Lido Eats	✗	✓	Learn More
Love by Britto	✗	✓	Learn More
Makoto Ocean	✗	✓	Learn More
Sabatini's	✓	✓	Learn More
The Butcher's Block by Dario	✗	✓	Learn More
The Catch by Rudi	✓	✓	Learn More
Umai Teppanyaki	✗	✓	Learn More
Exclusive (open to select guests only)
Sanctuary Restaurant	✗	✓	Learn More

In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship.

There are also plenty of bars available on these ships. Alcohol is not included in the base price of this cruise ship. To see if you would save money with a drink package, try our Drink Package Calculator.

Pools and Hot Tubs

Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Princess Cruises Sky Princess has a total of 4 pools and 10 hot tubs. 1 of the hot tubs are exclusive access, which means there's either an extra charge to access them or you need to book a certain class of cabin to have access to them.

Princess Cruises Sun Princess has more pools than the Sky Princess and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Sun Princess. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.

Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools are adults only on Sky Princess.

	Princess Cruises Sky Princess	Princess Cruises Sun Princess
Total Pools	4	5
Pools - General Access	3	4
Pools - Adults Only	1
Pools - Exclusive		1
Total Hot Tubs	10	11
Hot Tubs - General Access	9	10
Hot Tubs - Adults Only
Hot Tubs - Exclusive	1	1

Ship Features and Activities

Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. On the Sky Princess, 77% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Sun Princess, only 62% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.

	Princess Cruises Sky Princess	Princess Cruises Sun Princess
Adults-only area (additional fee)	✓	✓
Adults-only area (no extra fee)	✓	✗
Afternoon Tea	✓	✓
Art Auctions	✓	✓
Casino	✓	✓
Fitness Center	✓	✓
Jogging Track	✓	✓
Mini golf	✓	✗
Pool-side Movies	✓	✓
Royal Afternoon Tea	✗	✓
Shows - musical review	✓	✓
Spa	✓	✓
Spellbound by Magic Castle	✗	✓
Sports Court	✓	✓
	Learn more	Learn more

Cruise Costs

Princess Cruises is a premium cruise line. Premium cruise lines typically offer upscale food, accommodations, and service. These typically cost about $150 - $400 per person per day.

Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Princess Cruises Sky Princess will likely be cheaper than on Princess Cruises Sun Princess.

Onboard Costs

Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.

Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.

The table below will help you understand what you might spend onboard a Princess Cruises ship.

	Princess Cruises
Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day)	$17.00
Tip added to drinks & services	18%
Soda Price	$2.50
Domestic Beer Price	$6.25
Drink Package Price	$77 -$100
Internet Plan	$24.99 per device per day
*Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates.

Princess Cruises offers two packages to bundle onboard expenses. The Princess Plus package includes daily gratuities, the basic beverage package, 2 fitness classes, 2 casual dining meals, and internet for $60 per day per guest. The Princess Premier package upgrades to the premiere beverage package, wifi for up to 4 devices per guest, two specialty dining meals, unlimited casual dining meals, unlimited fitness classes, and a photo package for $80 per guest per day.

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