I Cruised on Sky Princess and Couldn’t Believe How Bad It Was. We’ve just come off a cruise onboard Sky Princess, and honestly… parts of this experience left us genuinely shocked. This is a full, honest review and breakdown of what it’s really like to sail with Princess Cruises in 2026 — and why, in our opinion, things don’t quite add up anymore. From endless extra charges and confusing pricing, to a main dining experience that’s fallen well below expectations, this cruise raised more questions than it answered. We look at whether Princess Cruises still deserves its “premium” reputation, or whether it’s quietly drifting closer to something else entirely. 🚢 In this video, we cover: - The overall experience onboard Sky Princess - Why the cruise felt far more expensive than it should have been - The reality of onboard pricing, service charges, and extras - An honest review of the main dining room and speciality restaurants - Why the buffet outperformed paid dining in some cases - Service levels across bars, restaurants, and public spaces - Entertainment — and why some of it felt surprisingly amateur - Cabin quality, cleanliness, and what we found on arrival - How crowded the ship really felt during our sailing - The wider question: what has happened to Princess Cruises? 💭 Our honest verdict There are still things Princess does well. The ships are beautiful, the crew are friendly, and there’s no shortage of things to do. But… Between the constant upselling, inconsistent quality, and visible cutbacks, this cruise didn’t feel like the Princess experience we’ve had in the past. If you’ve sailed with Princess before — or you’re considering booking your first cruise — this is everything you need to know before you go. Addendum: This video is based on our first-hand experience aboard Sky Princess. Some views are naturally subjective, and individual experiences may vary. We always recommend doing your own independent research before booking any cruise. #princesscruises #Cruise #CruiseVideos For the latest cruise news, industry analysis and passenger-focused reporting, subscribe to Sail Away Magazine for just £4.95 every two months. https://sailawaymagazine.com/cruise-magazine/ YouTube: @sailawaymag Instagram: @sailawaymag Facebook: @sailawaymagazine TikTok: @sailawaymag Twitter: @sailawaymag Website: https://sailawaymagazine.com/ Contact us: [email protected] Addendum: Information discussed in this video is accurate at the time of recording, and based on public information. Cruise line policies, pricing and deployments can change at any time. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ✔✔ You Can Check Out Our Other Videos Here : 👀 P&O Britannia B530: The Cruise That Went Very Wrong Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c5NQL9fa7k&t=143s 👀 Why We’re Boycotting US Cruises (And What Trump's ESTA Changes Mean for You) Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi7UGZYY9g4&t=360s 👀 Cruise Ships Stuck as Conflict Escalates in Middle East Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS0HhoSl5ZQ 👀 The 3 Worst Cruise Trends I've Ever Seen Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiT_mKTNHe4 👀 Queen Mary 2: The Last Great Ocean Liner | Full Documentary [2025] Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECRSZz3dVYk&t=2734s 👀 The Sinking of Oceanos: The Cruise Ship Without a Captain Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhexxj6fnaw 👀 Cruise Ship Passengers Abandoned In War Zone? The Real Story Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPwljfatbCU 👀 Every Cruise Has These Annoying Passengers Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjSnrtCmNmc&t=1s 👀 JANE BOULTON Spills Airline SECRETS You Never Saw on TV! Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6swIFbEEOuk&t=7s 👀 This is Why P&O Iona Gets So Many Bad Reviews... Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkpx8zUNSvc&t=2s 👀 P&O Cruises and the Britannia Fallout Explained Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgT-p4E24d4 👀 P&O Cruises vs. Maleth Aero: Who Owes Passengers £500K? Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cWi8fp1Tqc&t=266s
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While I appreciate your insight and sharing your experience I must say we found Princess to be almost the opposite of what you experienced. We recently sailed on Royal Princess to the Mexican Riviera and had an incredible time. The crew were amazing, there were plenty of activities every day with the piazza being the main gathering spot as you mentioned. We had anytime dining and still had the same table and serving team each night. The food sometimes was great, sometimes good and at Sabatini’s the night we went there was very disappointing. The ship never felt crowded even though it was sold out. There were opportunities to buy drink packages and other things but we never felt pressured to do so. We would happily sail with Princess again.
That poached egg is a crime scene
We have been sailing on Celebrity for several years and absolutly love it. We decided to try Princess and will be on this exact ship in January. Your review is not giving me hope. Well done review none the less.
Currently on this ship for the second time. I honestly disagree. Sky Princess is stunning, the crew is amazing, everything is perfect. You need the princess plug package though but it's massively worth the money.
I just got off Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas and was wishing the entire time I was back on a Princess Ship (and I have two young kids). I appreciate your honestly but many of your concerns i wouldn’t har thought twice about 🤷♀️
We’ve cruised on Princess twice including on the Sky Princess and it is nothing to boast about. Food was edible but nothing special and inconsistent. Ships are bland and entertainment was blah. We prefer Holland America and Celebrity. Trying different lines really opens your eyes. Princess has loyal customers but I don’t understand why.
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We’re regular Celebrity and Cunard cruisers but tried Princess for an Alaska cruise in 2024. (Discovery princess) Personally I loved every second - strangely the low point was Crown Grill which had dreadful food and service (whereas you had a good meal there and bad in the others!) Everything else was great! I could even begin to ignore the Smokey smell from the casino so must have enjoyed it overall! Interesting point about the sommeliers and the junior waiters though - such a nice part of the meal and I’ll be noticing their absence now :-( Thanks for a great video guys!
Just got off Sky Princess after back to back sailings. Everything was amazing, I really dont know why you guys have to put down the cruise lines all the time. Nothing is ever perfect. On my last cruise i didnt even manage to spend all of my onboard credit so came home with their money!!! 2 cruises 2 fantastic happy swathes of guests. Still you cant please everyone. Last day was a cake fest with literally dozens of amazing cakes, in the buffet!!! Also in the buffet was a whole suckling pig!!! Hardly budget.
Looking forward to this as Sky Princess has been one of our most favourite cruise ship experiences, been on her several times and will be on her again next year in the Med for 31 nights. We only did one speciality restaurant and weren't impressed or did any ridiculously priced extorsions or fell for the upselling, we were last on her Sept 2025 for 31 nights in the Med and loved it. 😀 Now watched your vlog and have to agree with all that you say, the crew were great in our experience except for two mdr managers who were ass holes.
The cruise line group that banned Sail Away Magazine is Carnival Corporation. Dan and Jay from Sail Away Magazine were banned from sailing on all Carnival Corporation cruise lines, including brands like Cunard, Holland America Line, and P&O Cruises. This ban was reportedly due to their critical reviews and has sparked debate over censorship. The ban was imposed around mid-2025 but was officially lifted by Carnival UK in August 2025.
I AM NOT WAITING 30 MINUTES on a ship for anything! Life is too short and there are a lot of options out there😊
I have been sailing Princess for nearly a decade. All of these perks being talked about in the olden days are non-existent. You always had to pay for drink packages, wifi, and specialty dining. If you have children, the kids club is the best of the three cruise lines we consistently sail, Celebrity being one of them. I have been on over 30 cruises and no cruise is perfect. A cruise is what you make of it. You think the shows are bad. Don't go. You don't like the restaurants or main dining, go to the buffet, pizza, salad bar in adult pool, the grill up on deck usually above the pool deck, the coffee place. Maybe 5 star hotels on land are better for you.
My daughter had a horrific time on Enchanted as a vegan. We were going to fly home a port early (Halifax, Nova Scotia) as she was that miserable.
We were on this cruise and i did speak to you both thanks for chatting. We enjoyed it but agree at times waited ages for a drink. We had no issue with set time dining. We took our gratuities off our bill and just tipped cabin steward and waiters. Our bill i queried as we were charged 2 bills exactly the same but only registered my card. They did sort it eventually. The pizza bar on the pool deck served gluten free if you asked inside they didnt (strange) same with ice cream we had to pay for gelato. Our 1st cruise with princess but would try a different ship next time
16 day cruise transatlantic…. PRINCESS hire more people Please! Sky was our first cruise ever 2025, beautiful ship but some servers needed a poke to smile😊 one server nicknamed UK was THE best we loved him and he needs a promotion ❤❤❤❤️❤️🍁🇨🇦
Good points. Especially about comparing the actual cost after all the add ons. I just did a Princess Mediterranean cruise with a balcony and princess premier. Shopping around I found a simialer cruise itinerary on Viking for the same price!
I’m still in recovery at the shock of $450 for a coach trip to Omaha Beach!! How they persuade a couple to part with almost $1000 for an 8 hour bus outing leaves me dumbfounded. I thought Fred Olsen excursions were bad enough (£250 some of our fellow cruisers paid in Norway for a husky sleigh ride only to be sprayed with the contents of the huskies ‘upset stomach’ as they sprinted along) but Princess have outdone them. Agreed about Ambassador and service as in 16 days we never waited more that 5 minutes for a drink and the efficiency always came with a smile.
Just got off the Sky Princess and it was great! Was on her 2 years ago and really liked her then. Norway and Iceland and now the Baltics! Would definitely sail her again! Really enjoyed the sea days at the end to relax prior to coming home. I think the Chef’s table was the best meal at sea we have had!
My last Princess cruise on the Sun I removed gratuities and handed cash to those who provided good service. You get a really nice smile from the person at the international cafe when you give a couple of bucks for cookies. Same with soft serve. Getting dining reservations on the app prior to the cruise is very problematic to impossible for me. I appreciate your video.