What is the single smartest thing you can do to get the most out of a Sun Princess Mediterranean cruise? Book the things that sell out before you sail, and set up your Ocean Medallion at home so the ship works for you from the first minute. Sun Princess is Princess Cruises’ newest flagship and the first of the all-new Sphere Class, a clean-sheet redesign around 177,000 gross tons with 21 decks and roughly 4,300 guests. That scale means the best specialty restaurants, the Cirque Éloize shows in The Dome, the Sanctuary retreat, and the marquee shore tours in Rome, Athens and Santorini fill up fast. Below is a practical, tip-by-tip playbook for booking early, mastering MedallionClass and Dine My Way, finding the quiet corners and best views, spending smart, and surviving hot, port-intensive days without burning out.
Book these before you board
The reservations that matter most on Sun Princess open in the Princess app well before your cruise, and the desirable ones go quickly. A ship this new draws full sailings, so the popular evening slots and headline tours are gone by embarkation day. Treat the weeks before you sail as part of the trip: log in, look at your voyage, and lock the handful of experiences you truly care about. You can always cancel or shuffle later, but you cannot conjure a table or a tour seat that has already sold out.
Specialty dining worth reserving first
Sun Princess carries a genuinely large spread of specialty and casual venues, and two are close to unique to Sphere Class. Love by Britto is an artistic prix-fixe restaurant with wake views aft — a slower, dressier, whole-evening meal rather than a quick bite, and it books up early because seats are limited and the room is a talking point. The Butcher’s Block by Dario is a Tuscan butcher-style steakhouse that leans into big cuts and a convivial mood; it is the one to grab if you want a proper steak night. Beyond those two, you have Makoto Ocean for Edomae sushi, Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria, the Crown Grill steakhouse, and The Catch by Rudi for seafood. My advice: pick one or two standout nights, book them now for the times you actually want, and leave the rest of the week flexible.
- Love by Britto — prix-fixe with wake views; a full-evening occasion, reserve early.
- The Butcher’s Block by Dario — Tuscan butcher-style steakhouse; the best steak night aboard.
- Makoto Ocean — Edomae sushi for a lighter, refined dinner.
- Sabatini’s, Crown Grill, The Catch by Rudi — Italian, classic steakhouse and seafood if you want more specialty nights.
The Dome shows and the Sanctuary
The Dome is the ship’s signature space: a geodesic glass structure at the very top, inspired by Santorini’s terraces, that works as an indoor-outdoor pool retreat by day and transforms into a theater for Cirque Éloize acrobatic shows by night. Those performances are a highlight of the ship, and because the room is intimate compared with the main Princess Theater, the good sightlines and prime showtimes are exactly what fills first. Book your Dome show as soon as you can see it in the app. The Sanctuary Collection is the other early-booking priority if quiet is what you want — an adults-only retreat with a private sun deck, pool and exclusive dining. On a hot Mediterranean itinerary, that shaded, calmer space is a genuine luxury, and access is finite.
Shore excursions in the marquee ports
The timed-ticket sites in the big ports are the classic sellout trap. The Colosseum and the Vatican in Rome, the Acropolis in Athens, Pompeii near Naples — these run on timed entry and the slots vanish, whether you book a ship excursion or arrange things independently. If a specific site is the reason you are sailing this itinerary, secure it early rather than gambling on walk-up availability. Ship excursions have one real advantage in the Mediterranean: the ship waits for its own tours, so if you are on a long, traffic-prone run into Rome or Athens, a Princess-operated tour protects you from missing all-aboard. For a full port-by-port breakdown, our Santorini, Mykonos and Athens ports guide goes deeper on what to prebook where.
Get the most from the Ocean Medallion and Dine My Way
MedallionClass is the core Princess difference, and it rewards a little setup at home. Every guest wears an Ocean Medallion, a quarter-sized wearable that unlocks your stateroom hands-free, speeds boarding, lets you locate your travel companions across the ship, and handles touchless payments. Do the groundwork before you leave: download the Princess app, complete the OceanReady check-in, add a payment method, and order your Medallion so it either arrives at home or waits for you at the port. Guests who finish OceanReady early routinely walk on faster, because much of the paperwork is already done.
OceanNow, Dine My Way and JourneyView
Once aboard, the Medallion runs quietly in the background and three features do most of the heavy lifting. OceanNow lets you order food and drinks to wherever you happen to be — a lounger by the Terrace pool, a seat in the Piazza, your balcony as you sail out of a port. Dine My Way is how you handle dinner: reserve flexible times each evening or keep a traditional set seating in one of the three main dining rooms, your call. JourneyView lays out the day’s events so you can plan around shows, tours and meals. New to Princess? Our MedallionClass first-timer walkthrough covers the setup step by step.
A few practical Dine My Way habits pay off. Set your preferred dining time early in the app rather than waiting until you are hungry on night one — the popular 7 to 8 p.m. window is the first to tighten. If you are a couple who likes a table for two, request it in advance; those are the scarcest configuration. And use OceanNow strategically on sea days and long tender waits: ordering a drink to your lounger beats queuing at a bar when half the ship is poolside. On a port-heavy Mediterranean run you will spend less time in your cabin than you expect, so front-load your dining plans for the evenings you will actually be aboard and relaxed.
Find the quiet spots and the best views
A ship carrying around 4,300 guests has crowds at predictable times and places, and the trick is knowing where they are not. Sun Princess was designed to feel light, airy and connected to the sea, which means there are more genuinely pleasant places to sit than on older ships — you just have to find them before everyone else does.
The Sphere and the Piazza
The Piazza is the reimagined three-deck atrium hub, and its standout is the Sphere: an outward, glass-walled suspended feature that opens up expansive ocean views right from the heart of the ship, paired with a movable LED screen for live entertainment. It is one of the best places aboard to sit with a coffee and watch the sea go by, and it is at its calmest in the mornings and during port calls when much of the ship is ashore. The 24-hour International Café sits right by the Piazza, so you can grab a snack and settle in. If you want to understand how radically the atrium changed in this class, our Sphere Class ship guide explains the design.
The wake-view pool aft and the calmer decks
Sun Princess has several pools — the Sea Breeze and Terrace pools plus a wake-view pool aft — and they do not fill evenly. The main pool areas are busiest on sea days from late morning; the wake-view pool aft tends to be the more peaceful choice, with the hypnotic view of the ship’s trail behind you. On a hot Mediterranean afternoon that aft pool, or the shaded seating around it, is often where you will find a lounger when the midship decks are full. The Dome, when it is in daytime pool-retreat mode, is another airy hideaway. And on port mornings the whole ship thins out dramatically once the tours leave, so if you fancy a quiet swim, staying aboard for the first hour or two of a call is a smart, underused move.
Movies Under the Stars
Movies Under the Stars is the giant poolside LED screen and a long-running Princess signature. Warm Mediterranean evenings are made for it — a film under a clear sky after a long day ashore is one of the simplest pleasures aboard. Come a little early for the good loungers on a popular title, bring a light layer because the breeze picks up once the sun is down, and check JourneyView for what is showing each night. It is free, it is relaxed, and it is a nice counterweight to a night of specialty dining and shows.
Spend smart: packages and payments
The biggest money question on a Princess cruise is whether to buy a package or pay as you go, and the honest answer is that it depends on how you actually cruise. Wi-Fi is a paid plan and is often bundled into packages; gratuities are either added daily or prepaid; and drinks, specialty dining and some extras can be rolled into a fare bundle or bought individually. Prices change, so confirm the current figures in the Princess app rather than trusting any number you read online. What does not change is the logic below.
| If you… | Then a package tends to… |
|---|---|
| Order several drinks a day and want Wi-Fi | Usually pay off — bundling beats per-item pricing |
| Barely drink and rarely go online | Rarely pay off — pay as you go instead |
| Plan multiple specialty dinners | Be worth pricing against a dining bundle |
| Are a light, occasional spender | Cost more than simply using OceanNow as needed |
Onboard payments run on the Medallion against a US dollar account, so there is no cash or card to fumble aboard — but that ease also makes it easy to overspend. Check your folio in the app every couple of days so nothing surprises you at the end. Ashore in the Mediterranean you will use the euro across Italy, Greece, Montenegro and Spain, so carry a little local cash for taxis, tenders’ onward transport, cafés and small shops that do not love cards. One more spending tip: decide before you sail which one or two splurges genuinely matter to you — a Love by Britto dinner, a private Rome tour, a Sanctuary day — and let the rest be simple. Trying to do every paid extra on a port-intensive week is how budgets and energy both run dry.
Plan the hot, port-intensive days
Sun Princess’s Mediterranean and Greek Isles season is warm to hot, with strong midday sun and pleasant evenings, and the itineraries are dense — seven to fourteen nights out of Rome (Civitavecchia), Athens (Piraeus) and Barcelona, calling at ports like Naples, Messina, Kotor, Corfu, Mykonos and Santorini. The heat and the pace are the two things first-timers underestimate. Pace yourself, hydrate, and do not try to conquer every ancient site in every port. For the full seasonal picture, our Mediterranean and Greek Isles guide maps out the typical routes.
Rome (Civitavecchia)
The single most important Rome fact is that the port is not the city — Civitavecchia is a transfer or train ride away, so plan the logistics before you plan the sightseeing. The Colosseum, the Vatican, the Roman Forum and the great fountains and piazzas all reward a timed, early start before the afternoon heat peaks. Book Colosseum and Vatican entry ahead, and decide honestly whether you want a self-guided train day or the security of a ship tour that guarantees the ship waits for you. Wear real walking shoes; Rome is cobbles and distance.
Athens (Piraeus)
Athens is also a transfer from the port at Piraeus, and the Acropolis and Parthenon are the draw, along with the Plaka district below and the city’s museums. The Acropolis gets punishingly hot and crowded by midday, so aim for the earliest sensible entry and carry water and sun protection. Timed tickets here sell out too. If ancient history is your priority for the whole cruise, Athens is the day to spend on a proper guided visit rather than winging it.
Santorini
Santorini is the day that needs the most planning, because it is a tender port with a genuine bottleneck. From the old port you reach the cliff-top towns of Fira and Oia by cable car, by the climb, or by the donkey path, and the cable car queues build fast when several ships are in. Allow real time for the up-and-down, book any tour that includes efficient transport up to the caldera rim, and know that the famous sunset in Oia is glorious but crowded — weigh it against your all-aboard time. The blue-domed churches, the caldera views and the cliff towns are the reward; the logistics are the price, so go in with a plan.
Packing and pacing for the heat
Pack light, breathable clothing, strong sun protection, and comfortable walking shoes for ancient sites and cobbled towns, plus modest cover for shoulders and knees at churches and monasteries. A passport is required for these international sailings, and if your voyage includes Turkey you should check visa rules; non-US citizens should verify their own requirements. The winning rhythm is to mix marquee tours — Rome, Pompeii, the Acropolis — with relaxed island and beach days in places like Mykonos, Santorini and Corfu, rather than stacking hard-charging tours back to back. Let a sea day or a lazy beach day be a genuine rest, and you will still have energy for the last port.
Choosing the right cabin
Cabin choice on a Mediterranean sailing is a slightly different calculation than on a scenic cruise, because port-heavy days mean you spend less waking time in the room. A balcony is still lovely for warm evenings and scenic sail-ins, but it is not the must-have it would be on an Alaska voyage. For value, an Interior or a sheltered Balcony does the job. For the best all-round experience, a midship Balcony on the mid-decks gives you light, space and the steadiest ride. At the top sits a Sanctuary Collection suite with retreat access. On the deck plan, steer clear of cabins directly under the pool deck, the buffet or The Dome for noise, rooms near nightlife venues, forward high-deck rooms if anyone is prone to motion, and lower-deck balconies with obstructed or lifeboat-blocked views. Our what-to-expect overview walks through the cabin categories in more detail.
Get the complete Sun Princess playbook
Want every tip like these in one place? “The Ultimate Guide to Sailing on Sun Princess” is part of the Ultimate Ship Guides series by Leo Sotropa, with clear action steps in every chapter so you board knowing exactly what to book, where to sit, and how to spend your days.
Frequently asked questions
What should I book before sailing on Sun Princess?
Prioritize the things that sell out: specialty dining like Love by Britto and The Butcher’s Block by Dario, your Cirque Éloize show in The Dome, Sanctuary Collection access if you want the adults-only retreat, and timed-entry shore tours in Rome, Athens and Santorini. Reserve these in the Princess app as soon as they open for your voyage, and confirm the latest availability there.
How does the Ocean Medallion work?
The Ocean Medallion is a quarter-sized wearable that unlocks your stateroom hands-free, speeds boarding, locates your travel companions, and handles touchless payments against a US dollar account. Set it up before you sail by downloading the Princess app, completing OceanReady check-in, adding a payment method, and ordering your Medallion so everything works from the moment you arrive.
What is Dine My Way?
Dine My Way is the Princess dining system run through the Medallion and app. You can reserve flexible dining times each evening in one of the three main dining rooms or keep a traditional set seating, whichever you prefer. Set your preferred time early, because the popular evening slots tighten first, and request a table for two in advance if that is what you want.
Should I buy a package or pay as I go?
It depends on your habits. If you order several drinks a day and want Wi-Fi, a bundle usually pays off; if you barely drink and rarely go online, paying per item is cheaper. Price any dining package against the specialty nights you actually plan. Prices change often, so compare the current options in the Princess app before you commit.
Where are the quietest spots on Sun Princess?
The Sphere in the Piazza is calmest in the mornings and during port calls, the wake-view pool aft is more peaceful than the midship pools, and The Dome in daytime pool-retreat mode is an airy hideaway. On port mornings the whole ship empties once tours leave, so the first couple of hours of a call are ideal for a quiet swim if you stay aboard.
How do I handle the hot, busy port days?
Start early to beat the midday heat, book timed-entry sites like the Colosseum, the Vatican and the Acropolis ahead, and remember that Rome, Athens and Santorini all involve transfers or tenders that eat time. Alternate demanding tour days with relaxed beach or sea days, hydrate constantly, and wear proper walking shoes and sun protection.
Which cabin should I choose for a Mediterranean cruise?
For value, an Interior or a sheltered Balcony works well. For the best all-round comfort, choose a midship Balcony on the mid-decks for light, space and the steadiest ride. A Sanctuary Collection suite is the top choice. Avoid cabins under the pool deck, buffet or The Dome, forward high-deck rooms if you are prone to motion, and lower balconies with obstructed views — confirm on the deck plan.
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