| My wife and I cruised on the Fairsky April of 88. We had a great
time but the ship did not live up to my expectations, in the dining
room. But, being Italian, my expectations for an Italian
ship run on the high side, especially in the dining room.
After talking with several folks who had cruised on the Fairsky
previously I found out the reason why. Problems had developed after
the crew was given a large wage decrease by the Sitmar owners.
I've not been on her since she became one of Princess ships but
all of the cruise agents I spoke with seemed to believe it was a
change for the better.
The ship as I remember it was beautiful, spacious, and very clean.
The entertainment was enjoyable.
I would not hesitate to book on this ship again if the opportunity
presents itself. I am very sure that you'll have a wonderful time.
Let us know how things work out!
Joe
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| I am currently looking to cruise for my honeymoon and the travel
agency told me that they have discounts on the Princess 10 day eastern
caribean cruise on what was previously one of the Sitmar boats.
This boat seems to be the largest with 1400 people capacity. My
question is as follows,
How are the rooms? Can a double bed be made from the twins?
How is the crowd? Are there any other young couples on their cruises?
How are the facilities--health club, etc? Is there some entertainment
geared for us younger people. THis is just one of a few cruises
that I am looking into. I have been on the Sea Escape, which I
understand is small, but a big concern is that after a day on that
boat I was getting a bit bored. I guess that is what stopping at
the islands are for
Thanks
Sandy
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| Sandy,
I am leaving on Monday for that same cruise...I will post results
when I get back after the 6th of July. The Sky Princess is the
former Fair Sky. It is only about 4 years old. We have sailed
with Sitmar before and have found many activities and a variety
of age groups. During the summer there is a large amount of families.
At other times there seem to be a large amount of "older" folks.
Since I hit 40 next week I guess I can join into that group. The
first cruise I ever took was also Sea Escape. There is no comparison.
Princess/Sitmar is top notch on service and Food. I can can guarantee
that you should never get bored. The Sitmar ships pride themselves
on great service and the rooms are larger than most. They have
the most closet space I have ever had on a ship. We travel with
our two sons, four in a room, and while it is cramped we did not
have to live out of suitcases. I will fill in on the rest of your
questions when I return. Us "old" people do not worry about the
double bed much; This will be my third cruise on a Sitmar Ship
so it must have something to offer. Best of luck; will update next
month.
Joe Pflanz
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| Sandy-
CONGRATULATIONS! I've sailed on the Sky Princess when she was the
Sitmar Fairsky on the Western Carib cruise in 1988, and my sister
went on the Eastern Cruise on a different Sitmar ship in 87
(FairWind?). The Fairsky is beautiful...spacious, wonderful lounges,
library, deck space, etc, AND is an exceptionally sleek ship. All
cabins, with the eception of the suites, are identical except location.
They offer plenty of room for two...good closet space and a nice
layout. Compared to the other ships I've been on (NCL Skyward,
Home Lines Oceanic, QE2) Fairsky is on/near top (QE2 is a little
more elegant). Some nice touches are the whirlpool/sauna, the pizzaria
(which offers an excellent "house" wine), and a very wide range
of activities.
The problems I had with our cruise were primarily "people" oriented;
we left just as the ships were being sold, there were morale problems
with some of the staff, hence service was not what we expected, nor what
my sister had experienced previously on Sitmar; service wasn't bad,
it just wasn't great either. I have to add, however, that on eof
the best parts of our trip was late nite/early morning, 2 days before
we returned to port, that (against all rules) my wife and I were
invited to a crew and staff only party (2-6:00 am) below decks in the
crews quarters. We got a chance to really meet many of the cruise staff,
and had a wonderful time...they DO know how to party, and I was
amazed to see them, most with smiling faces, early the next
morning.
The Eastern Itinerary was preferred by most over the west, as aside
from the "common" ports of St. Thomas and Nassau (?), it's Barbados
etc vs. Cancun, Jamaica, etc.
The crowd during our (February) cruise probably averaged 45 yrs, with
(I believe) several (3-4?) honeymooners. This contrasts with an NCL
cruise in 87 (albeit in June) with an average age of 30-35, with 40 or
50 newlyweds.
Net-net...Sky Princess is a comfortable, stable modern ship which
I would not hesitate to cruise on again; Service quality has reportedly
been restored by Princess according to several travel agents I've
spoken with.
Good Luck!
Steve (thinking_about_booking_on_the Niew_Amsterdam_for_Spring_'90)
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| Sandy,
I have just returned from my ten day cruise. This was my third
on a Sitmar Ship. It is very much as described above. The ship
is great...smoothest I have been on. Rooms are large...I do not
think there are double beds except min suites though.
I also think the service is lacking from past trips...not bad just
not as excellent...One point in their favor is that I was not hounded
the last two days for "excellent" ratings. It was hardly mentioned
at all. The ports were fine...Nassau is considered to be the worst
of the itinerary. Shopping in downtown Barbados is like shopping
here in downtown Detroit. Antigua has beautiful beaches. Martinique
was not as "snittish" as described. In fact the people were quite
delightful.
Our cruise had a good mix on it. Families, older folks, newlyweds,
and quite a few children. there were plenty of activities for all.
You could not possibly get bored. The shows were not quite up to
par with Princess standards...But should be updated very soon.
The only problem we had was that they were filming a commercial
on board. The film crew was the rudest of people. This limited
our access to some areas at inconvenient times. They even roped
off a street in St Croix for their filming. Aside from that it
was delightful.
My only suggestion for this itinerary is to limit the number of
ports. 6 ports in ten days in stressful. The last two days at
sea are very relaxing. I tend to enjoy my time at sea more than
at port. But I have seen many of the islands before.
Good luck and let us know what you decide.
Joe
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