The shining star
Dave Monk is dazzled by the Sun and all its amazing tricks and treats…
Amazing and astonishing. Two words the mindreading magician might have picked up from my subconscious after he – heavens knows how – correctly guessed the playing card I chose at random from simply looking at a spread pack.
The apparent telepathy of Woody Aragón even extended to saying which card was in the mind of someone that an audience member phoned at home hundreds of miles away.
Spellbound, a show on new ship Sun Princess, is far removed from the big stage productions that cruise lines are known for.
Small groups of passengers are led through a nondescript black door into a hidden bar filled with Victorian artefacts, where sleight-of-hand wizards are already displaying their skills while waiters serve themed cocktails.
Finally, you are called into a 30-seat venue where the guest conjuror or illusionist picks people at random to help out. No stooges here – one volunteer was my friend, and Woody repeated the same trick on me in the bar afterwards.
I was among the few given a sneak media preview of the $149-a-head (around £120) after-dinner experience as the largest ship in the
Princess Cruises fleet sailed through the Greek islands.
Spellbound isn’t the only eyecatching thing on board. The 4,300-passenger giant has at its centre a nine-deck glass sphere that lets in lots of natural light. The lowest three levels inside the bubble form a central piazza, which hosts musicians and dance parties and is surrounded by bars, cafes and restaurants. At the top and front of the ship is a big transparent dome. A chill-out zone by day with a 36ft-high colour-changing waterfall and pool that extends to the outside deck, the area will host aerial acts and contortionists in evening shows. The third main entertainment venue is the Arena, a theatre in the round where I and hundreds of others watched a talented singer in what felt like a cosy nightclub. A ship’s main dining room tends to be in the depths but on Sun Princess the Horizons restaurant, where I ate the first night, spans three floors overlooking the wake.
The next evening I tried out a new venue, Butcher’s Block, which features prime cuts supplied by one of Europe’s top producers, Dario Cecchini. Like a gladiatorial battle, each joint is held up and displayed before being ceremoniously cut and distributed to diners.
Even as a keen carnivore, I was soon in meat overload. For me, a single fillet in the line’s traditional steakhouse, Crown Grill, with sides including mushrooms, asparagus and spinach, was a better balance later in the week.
Fish-lovers will love The Cut By Rudi – inspired by the food of chef Rudi Sodamin – where I tucked into garlic prawns, surf and turf, and a Chantilly cream dessert.
Another night I went to
Sabatini’s for a wonderful Italian meal and even squeezed in a lunch at Princess Cruises’ first teppanyaki restaurant, where cooks sing, joke and juggle spatulas as they prepare dishes in front of you.
All the food was great – but by the end of the cruise, it wasn’t only the ship that had a large spherical bulge in the middle.
Of course, there are also plenty of bars spread around the 21 decks, including new Irish pub O’malley’s, popular haunt Crooners and cocktail spot Good Spirits, though my favourite hangout was on the open-air Sea View Terrace.
Though I’ve sailed with Princess before, this was the first time I really tried out the full abilities of the Ocean Medallion, a badge that holds information on your name and location. I used it to order a snack on my phone which was delivered to my sun lounger within 20 minutes.
The device also unlocks your cabin
door as you approach, so there’s no fumbling for a key card if you’re carrying coffees. You can even link up with friends to be able to find each other on the ship. In contrast to this modern technology, our voyage connected us to ancient civilisations. Departing from Athens with its Acropolis, we called first at Kusadasi in Turkey, gateway to the Roman city of Ephesus.
In an itinerary change from Santorini we docked at Chania on Crete, where many passengers headed to the palace of Knossos.
After a sea day we crossed to Italy, where Naples gives the chance to visit the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum, before our final call of Civitavecchia, the port for Rome.
Having visited Sun Princess twice while it was being built, it was lovely to see this beauty sailing at last, though construction delays meant that the Sea Breeze glider ride – part of a three-deck family activity zone – and some production shows were not yet operating when I was on board.
But once everything’s up and running, this Sun will put lots of other ships in the shade.
‘‘ Wizards display their skills while waiters serve themed cocktails