We all need a style refresh from time to time – a new lipstick or pair of shoes – and so do cruise ships.
Mid-size cruise ship, Princess Cruises’ Sun Princess, arrived back in Australia following an extensive refurbishment in 2016. And, as she sat basking in the glorious sunshine on Sydney Harbour, I admired and indulged in her new features over the course of a day spent onboard this busty girl.
Check out all my Sun Princess photos of cabins, restaurants, pools, cafes and more below.
Contents
Sun Princess photos
Sun Princess restaurants – SHARE Restaurant by Curtis Stone
While Curtis Stone has an award-winning restaurant in the U.S. (Maude in Beverley Hills), his first Australian restaurant is at sea! The chef has an exclusive partnership with Princess to offer his first signature restaurant for Australian diners.
The enticing menu features a wide range of share plates, designed to encourage diners to connect with each other and reflect on your day’s holiday adventures over a delicious meal. Dining at SHARE incurs a surcharge of $39 per person (for the prix fixe menu), but is definitely worth it for a special night out.
We sampled many of the dishes, from a salami and cheese tasting plate to a prawn dish (below) too pretty to eat – almost! From a tomato and burrata salad bursting with flavour to a comforting warm bread pudding. Every dish was divine.
Emerald Princess, which arrives in Sydney in November for its first Australian season, also features Chef Stone’s SHARE restaurant.
SHARE by Curtis Stone – the chef’s brand new restaurant on Sun Princess cruise ship
Prawns at SHARE by Curtis Stone – almost too pretty to eat!
Sun Princess cabins pictures – Princess Luxury Bed
Sun Princess also became the first Australian-based cruise ship to offer the new Princess Luxury Bed, designed in partnership with US sleep expert Dr Michael Breus, known as “The Sleep Doctor”.
The luxury beds feature a plush, 5 centimetre thick mattress topper, a 23 centimetre, single-sided medium firm mattress for enhanced support, individually wrapped coils for less partner disturbance, a European-inspired duvet and 100% luxurious Jacquard-woven cotton linens.
We may have rumpled the sheets a little trying out this super-comfy bed, but it’s still a smart fitout, especially in a balcony cabin with a view out to the Opera House! Can you imagine how much a Sydney hotel room with a view like that would cost? Choose your cabin wisely and you’ll be looking out to views like these while you sip your morning coffee on your private balcony.
Sun Princess has just been fitted out with super-comfy Princess Luxury Beds
View from a stateroom balcony on Sun Princess
Sun Princess cruise ship photos of new and refurbished areas
Kai Seafood Bar satisfies cravings for freshly shucked Australian oysters, prawns, sashimi and shellfish.
A New Zealand Natural ice cream outlet has been added to the pool deck to cool off after a swim.
And the new Legends bar shows great Australian sporting moments from weekly AFL and NRL matches through to the Australian Open on multiple LED screens. 
International Cafe
Enjoy a specialty coffee and cake at the International Cafe. I was particularly pleased to see that most cakes had chocolate in them – drizzles, chips or hidden inside. How could you go wrong?
Sanctuary Retreat
Get serious about relaxing on holiday and indulge in a spa treatment. To continue with the chocolate theme, I lapped up the body brushing, mini facial and foot massage, but being covered in chocolate and wrapped up in foil was a new one for me! I mean I’d rather eat it, but I wasn’t about to say no!
Getting active
When the sun is shining, there’s plenty of outdoor areas to enjoy on Sun Princess, including 4 pools, 5 spas and outdoor bar and dining areas.
Take a wander around deck to work off all that fabulous food – 2 laps = 1 km.
Or find a quiet spot to soak up the sun.
Thank you to Princess Cruises for thoroughly spoiling us on Sun Princess for the day. And thanks to the fabulous group who shared this experience with me, especially Ingrid from Fabulous and Fun Life and Deauvanne from Mama Stylista.
Ingrid, Deauvanne and I onboard Sun Princess
