In 2019, before the onslaught of COVID-19 and the resulting shutdown of the cruise industry, Mrs. 7 Seas and I went on a Transatlantic sailing on Princess Cruise’s Sky Princess. The Sky Princess had just debuted in October of 2019 and had a few sailings in the Mediterranean before embarking on a two-week voyage in November. We spent a few days in Barcelona to take in the sights and sounds of that wonderful city. Mrs. 7 Seas and I booked a private city tour through Spain Day Tours (spaindaytours.com). When we booked it in 2019, the rates were 145 Euros per person. They also offer semi-private tours for 59 Euros per person, which was the same in 2019. In my opinion, the private tour is the way to go and the driver we had was wonderful and explained everything as we drove by and if we wanted to stop, was willing to pull over for pictures. Touring a city by car where you can ask the driver directly what things are and what the history is surrounding the places you are driving through is much better than the bus lead tours that most cruise lines offer. If you ever have a chance to visit Barcelona, make sure you visit La Sagrada Familia and Park Guell. These are both fantastic examples of Antoni Gaudi’s work and vision. One caution, though, is if you are even slightly claustrophobic, have a fear of heights, or aren’t in really good shape, think twice about touring either of the towers at La Sagrada Familia. While the Mrs and I did it, we may not have had we known better. Also, the food in Barcelona is fantastic. They are known for their tapas, which we enjoyed several of at Cerveceria Catalana. It was recommended by our tour guide. It was a popular place and we did have to wait a while for a table, but it was worth the wait.
The Sky Princess was the first Royal Class ship and also the first ship we sailed on that was built from the ground up with Princess MedallionClass in mind. MedallionClass is range of services that are based on a quarter-size token that Princess provides and the Princess MedallionClass app. The Medallion is a device that you can either receive prior to embarkation or at the port that allows for contact-less booking and purchases while on board the ship. It also allows for a more streamlined embarkation and disembarkation process as there is no need for a typical cruise card. Whenever you sail with Princess you receive a new Medallion prior to each sailing that reflects your Captain’s Club loyalty status by color and has your name, the name of the ship you are sailing on and the date of your sailing on it. Mrs. 7 Seas and I had sailed on Princess prior to them rolling out Princess MedallionClass and I have to say this was a definite step up.
We embarked in Barcelona on our 14-day Transatlantic cruise on November 17th. There were stops in Valencia, Malaga and Cadiz in Spain and Lisbon and Madeira/Funchal in Portugal. Those were all during the first 7 days which were followed by a relaxing 7 days of non-stop sea days. I will have to say that Mrs. 7 Seas was looking forward to the transatlantic portion of the cruise more than I was. Our previous cruises were filled with excursions, so I was thinking all those sea days were going to be boring. I can happily say I was wrong. There was plenty to do and it was very relaxing to not have to get up early in the morning for an excursion or have to rush after a visit ashore for a formal dining night. We eventually ended our cruise in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and were very sad to wish our floating vacation home good-bye.
Excursions
One of the excursions we booked was a Highlights of Valencia and a stop at Oceanografic, which is the largest aquarium in Europe. The variety of architecture and history in the city and mixture of sea life at the aquarium was amazing. There were many historical stops during the tour of Velencia. One of them was the Mercado Central de Velencia, which is one of the main works of the Valencian Art Nouveau. At Oceanografic, the architecture is more avant-garde. There were dolphin shows and many exhibits of animals in their “natural habitat”. There is a lot of walking involved, but it’s well worth it if you want to take in the stunning displays and the beautiful animals.
The next excursion was in Malaga. We opted for an easy-going city highlights tour that stopped at the Automobile and Fashion museum. Personally, I’d have to say the city tour was more impressive than the car museum. While the museum was filled with a variety of vehicles, the mixture of autos with fashion was not for me. Not to say others wouldn’t enjoy it, but its impact was missed on me. One thing that impressed me about Malaga were the gardens and parks. Parts of Malaga were filled with gorgeous areas to walk through that were beautifully manicured and just begged to be photographed.
Malaga was followed by Cadiz where we visited Andalusian stables and training facilities and a tour of a Sherry bodega. The stables and training grounds were magnificent to see. The horses are very noble looking and the training that they are put through is steeped in history. Words don’t do either justice. You just need to see them in person. The second half of our excursion was a tour of a Sherry bodega in the town of Jerez. While I, personally, don’t drink very often, the tour of the grounds was awesome and the explanation of the process that has been in place for decades was informative. Even though it was centered around a product I don’t partake of, it was a historic part of a country I’ve never been to, and I’ll never forget it.
From Cadiz, we sailed on to Lisbon, Portugal. As it turns out, we weren’t able to tour the city like we planned. We were able to spend a relaxing day on the fantastic ship and I was able to take these wonderful pictures.
Our last stop before crossing the Atlantic was in Madeira/Funchal, Portugal. This excursion was spent on a coach (bus) where we drove through various neighborhoods and climbed up hills on roads that didn’t look like they could support the bus, let alone other traffic. Our halfway point was at the top of our climb, where we spent some time taking in the sights of the valley we had just climbed out of and had a snack of tea and scones. The trip back to the ship was just as “exciting” as we often times looked out the windows of our bus and didn’t see road beneath us. Even with the trip up and back being a little scary, the views were worth it. Once again, the experience was awe inspiring and one I will never forget.
The Ship
As I said in the beginning, the Sky Princess had just started sailing in “The Med” for a few weeks prior to our Transatlantic sailing. The Sky Princess was one of the first ships built for Princess with the MedallionClass technology baked in. The MedallionClass experience is all based on Princess’s MedallionClass app where you can track all of the cruises that you are booked on and can set up all of your cruise documents, your payment method, any dining requirements, etc. The Sky Princess is the fourth Royal-Class ship in the Princess fleet and is 1,083 feet long and has 1,830 cabins for guests. By comparison, the previous class ship is the Grand-Class and they are 951 feet long and has 1,301 cabins for guests. The increased size of the Sky Princess is most evident in the Piazza that spans 3 decks and is very impressive when you first see it. The ship is where the MedallionClass app really comes alive as all the prep work you did prior to embarkation allows a seamless entry onto the ship. There’s no more stopping for security photos because you already did that. There’s no waiting to pick up your cruise card because they aren’t needed anymore since the Medallion and the app perform all the same functions. Also, once you are on the ship and settling in for your first drink or treat in one of the many public areas, you no longer have to get up to get your food or drink, nor do you have to wave down an employee. You just order on the app and with all the sensors built into the ship, they can find your Medallion that you are wearing and since your photo in the app is tied into it, they can find you and deliver your food to you directly. I’m a tech geek at heart, so seeing and knowing how this all worked from a technology standpoint was a real treat, no pun intended.
All in all, this was a great trip. At the time of this post, I see there is a mixture of transatlantic cruises, some that start in Fort Lauderdale and end up in Spain and some that are reversed. Personally, I prefer the excursions up front and the relaxation at the end. Otherwise, you feel like you are constantly “rushing” on the second half of the trip and then you need a vacation from your vacation. If you have any questions about our trip, feel free to post a comment. I have also included a virtual walkthrough of the Sky Princess and pictures from our trip below.
