"Family, Fun, and the Sun Princess: A Caribbean Cruise Recap

 

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After an unforgettable week aboard the Sun Princess, one thing’s for sure—this ship is a total game-changer for Princess Cruises! 🚢✨ From its sleek, modern design to the endless food and entertainment options, there’s so much new and exciting stuff to love onboard. I will miss waking up every morning with a cup of coffee on the balcony.

Let’s talk about The Sphere and The Dome—these spaces are seriously cool. Whether you’re chilling out or catching a show, they’ve got a vibe all their own. I especially loved the Dome for relaxing indoors—no wind, no noise, just pure zen. 

Now, foodies, listen up: Tepanyaki was hands-down my favorite. So fun, so delicious. But the American Diner gets major points too—we ordered root beer floats like kids again, and yes, a robot actually delivered our food. How fun is that?! 🍦

Some folks mentioned the layout of a few public spaces isn’t their fave, but honestly? Most people seemed happy overall. And here’s a big win: The Eatery (aka the buffet) and the International Café are now on the same deck! 🎉 No more dragging your morning coffee upstairs—thank you, Princess!

Food, as always, was top-notch. Good Spirits is kind of hidden away now, which is a bummer—I missed having it right off the Piazza. And while Crooners is still near the Piazza, I actually prefer the cozier, tucked-away feel it has on other ships. Just a personal vibe thing.

One of my absolute favorite upgrades? The smart elevators. You punch in where you’re going, and they assign you a car—no more elevator sprints when you hear a ding. Genius! 

Also loving the new taco bar and salad bar on the pool deck—perfect casual bites between sunshine and splashes.

Bottom line: this cruise was fantastic, and I’d totally recommend it to anyone. Whether you’re a seasoned cruiser or a first-timer, the Sun Princess is bringing fresh energy and fun to the seas! 🌊🌞🍹

Day 3 Cozumel Playa Del Carmen:Playa Del Fun: River Rides, Coatis & Mango Margaritas!

 Xcaret Park Excursion

There are so many amazing shore excursions to choose from—it’s almost overwhelming! But once again, I went with one of my sister’s solid recommendations. This time, it was just me and my daughter doing the excursion, since my sister’s scooter wasn’t up for the adventure.

Once we docked in Cozumel, we hopped on a 45-minute ferry over to Playa del Carmen—which was a rocky ride over. We headed to this massive eco-park that has, quite honestly, way too much to do in one day. It's not theme rides but more exploratory. 

Thankfully, the park’s paths are color-coded, so it’s pretty easy to follow the painted lines and find your way around.

First up: the 45-60 minute river float. They suited us up with life vests, took all our stuff, locked it up, and magically sent it to the other end of the ride (super efficient, kind of like cruise ship magic).

You get a wristband with a barcode you can scan at photo spots throughout the ride. Except... no one told us how to use it, so we just awkwardly watched others at first. I thought my wristband was broken until I realized—oops—I just wasn’t holding it close enough to the scanner. Once I figured it out? Selfie. City. It's such a fun idea—scan, pose, smile as many times as you want. 

📸 Hot tip #1: The photo package is $45 at the end of the day, but you can buy it online in advance for $39.
📱 Hot tip #2: Bring a waterproof phone case if you want to snap your own pics along the river.

You get to choose between two rivers: the Mayan river or the underground one. We went Mayan style—cenotes, lush greenery, and these adorable little creatures called Coatis hanging out in the trees. We had no clue what a Coati was, but we were instantly obsessed. 

After all the floating fun, we found a beachfront restaurant with the most amazing view. As if the fresh fish tacos and mango margaritas weren’t already perfection, we had Gila monsters doing an impromptu show literally inches from our table. Yep—lunch with lizards. Iconic.

Perfect weather, cold drinks, ocean breeze, and just enough wild moments to make it unforgettable. Cheers to that! 🍹🌊🦎

After that, we went full explorer mode—wandering through the aquarium, sea turtle pool, butterfly pavilion, aviary, and even the puma exhibit (yes, real pumas just chilling like majestic jungle cats do). Every turn was another "OMG look at that!" moment.

By the end of the day, we were completely wiped out in the best way possible. I swear my feet were staging a protest, but my heart was happy. And get this—I only saw about half the park! There’s seriously so much more to do, I could’ve easily spent another full day there and still not covered it all.

They even have snorkeling, which I really wanted to try, but I ran out of time (and energy, let’s be honest). Next time, Playa del Carmen... you better be ready for round two! 🐢🦋🐦🐆🌴💦