TTG joined a hard-hat tour this week of what is set to be the line’s largest ship to date, which will carry 4,300 passengers when it launches in February, following a first look back in March.
Dialling in from Florida, Princess president John Padgett told media assembled at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard that the ship "will be our apex".
"Sun Princess is a significant evolution of Princess but it’s not revolutionary because our guests love our brand," he said. "We’ll be giving them more of what they like about Princess, while injecting new places.”
With just two months to go until its maiden voyage, some areas of the ship still resembled a construction site, while others – previewed by Princess towards the start of the year – are close to completion.
It’s already easy to see how impressive the glass-covered dome will be at the top of the ship, even before the final work on the 36-foot high waterfall.
At night, the venue will host performances by acrobats, contortionists and circus acts, with it reverting to a pool area during the day.
Sun Princess is the first of Princess’s new Sphere class, named after the nine-deck glass-covered area at its centre.
Here, The Piazza will host musical acts and performances, game shows and a champagne waterfall event. To one side is Spellbound, a magic meets mixology venue.
Among the 29 dining and lounge options is the three-storey main dining room Horizons, new speciality bistro The Butcher’s Cut and an Irish pub, as well as the line’s first teppanyaki restaurant.
Another key area is the Arena theatre, with a circular stage, which will put on four musicals.
The three-deck Park 19 zone at the top of the ship will house the Rollglider, which carries riders high above the waves using an overhead track.
Sun Princess will also have the largest casino in the fleet and introduce a new level of suite accommodations, the Signature Collection, that has a dedicated restaurant and lounge.
Every cabin has been redesigned from scratch, with shower curtains banished in favour of glass doors.
Scheduled to launch on 8 February next year, Sun Princess will sail a European season before heading to the Caribbean in October. Sister ship Star Princess is due in 2025.
