Sun Princess for Families: Is the cruise ship Family-Friendly?

As a busy Mum and family cruise convert, Travelista Editor Jessica Ruth Gibson guides us through Sun Princess for families and explains why it’s the most family friendly Princess cruise ship so far.

Whilst other cruise lines offer an overall more ‘child-centric’ experience with water slides, zip-lines and wave simulators, Princess Cruises offers so many child-friendly touches, inclusive measures and thoughtful attention to detail that parents will absolutely love. Along with brand-new kids, tweens and teens clubs for ages 3 to 19, Sun Princess is definitely the most family-friendly cruise ship of the Princess Cruises fleets. So if you’re looking for more an elevated and traditional cruise experience that still lots of child-friendly features, experiences and facilities, a Sun Princess family cruise could be for you.

I was lucky enough to cruise on Sun Princess in May 2024 and also took my (at the time) three year old son on a Mediterranean cruise with Princess. I’ve experienced first-hand how welcome children, family and parents are made to feel on a Sun Princess cruise and I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

Article last updated April 2025

This article has been sponsored by Princess Cruises.

Introducing Sun Princess: The Best Princess Cruise Ship For Families

Sun Princess for Families at a glance

As an initial overview, family friendly aspects of a Sun Princess cruise include; 

• Sky Deck Sports Court with ping pong, shuffleboard
• Family tracking through the Medallion Class app
• Kid’s menus, highchairs and booster seats in the main a la carte restaurants
• Opportunities to meet Stanley Bear, the ship’s costume character and Princess Cruises’ mascot 
• Access to all pools on the lido deck at any time of day
• Family friendly staterooms – where a family of 4 can sleep comfortably in one stateroom
• Mini-suites have room curtain dividers to create separate spaces for adults and children 
• Movies Under the Stars featuring a variety of child-friendly films 
• Live theatre shows in the Princess Arena 
• A daily programme of gameshows and challenges in Princess Live! 

Best Sun Princess Family Areas and Facilities

Sky Deck Sports Court and Track

Youth and Teen Centres

Sun Princess also features two new stand alone and inclusive youth and teen centres, as well as a dedicated kid’s club. Access to all of the clubs is available to guests at no extra cost, providing a brilliant, safe and engaging child-care option to parents and a place of independence for kids at any age. The clubs are categories as follows: 

• Firefly Park – Firefly Park is Sun Princess’ kid’s club, catering for little ones from 6 months to 7 years old. In a series of age appropriate rooms, youngsters and their families can explore, play and learn. Parents are welcome to ‘stay and play’, or they can drop kids off for a fantastic programme of art projects, themed parties and games. Be sure to pick up a programme from the kid’s club after embarkation.
  
• Neon Grove – The new Neon Grove is exclusively created for ‘tweens’, for ages between 8 and 12 to hangout, socialise and have fun away from parents.
  
• The Underground – Located adjacent to Neon Grove on deck 18 is The Underground, a hangout exclusively for teens aged between 13 and 19 years old. Both spaces feature a colourful lounge area, gaming facilities, air hockey, foosball and skeeball. There are also programme activities for all age groups including movie nights, competitions, dance parties and scavenger hunts.

Late Night Babysitting Service

Children aged 3 to 12 can also be dropped off at Firefly Park for an evening babysitting service from 10pm to 1am which is charged at 5 dollars per hour (subject to change). Within this time they are taken for dinner as a group, so this is a great option for parents who want to plan a child-free date night such as a visit to one of the ship’s speciality restaurants. 

Lido Pools

Children are allowed in all of the main lido pools without restriction. However, there is also an adult-only pool and deck area within The Sanctuary and the Signature Sun Deck. This is a great option for adults travelling without children or for parents looking for a bit of quiet time ‘off duty’.

Princess Arena

The kids will be thoroughly entertained by the nightly entertainment programme in the Princess Arena. Every night brings a new production, combining phenomenal talent in singing, dancing, acting and entertainment. There are two shows every night and the 8pm show time is ideal for families with younger children. 

Best Restaurants for Families on Sun Princess

The best restaurants for families on Sun Princess would definitely include Horizons dining room (a la carte), Alfredo’s Pizzeria (a la carte with the possibility to enjoy just the one course) and World Fresh Market Place (the Sun Princess buffet). Kids will also love the Gelateria in the Piazza as well as Lido Slice, Lido Tacos and Lido Grill up on the Lido deck.

Children are well catered for on a Princess cruise, even in the Horizons dining room, the inclusive a la carte restaurants, which offer a build-your-own style kids menu. Here children can eat a fresh and balanced 3 course meal every evening, with a great amount of flexibility and choice. 

Highchairs and booster seats are also available in Horizons.Children will also receive crayons and an activity sheet on the reverse of the kid’s menu; a lovely touch and example of the thoughtful details you’ll notice throughout a Princess cruise.

Top Tip: Kids are also very welcome to dine in the speciality restaurants such as Crown Grill and Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria. However, it’s worth mentioning that these restaurants are intended to be a slow dining experience across up to 5 courses so if you’re cruising with young kids, consider their age and attention span before booking this as a family experience. Optimistically we gave it a try but wasn’t suitable for my 3 year old son.

Check out our Sun Princess food diary, based on our cruise experience in May 2024.

Sun Princess Family Cabins

For families of four and under, there is a wide selection of Sun Princess family cabins and Princess Cruises offer substantial savings on your third and fourth guests. For families of 5 or above, there’s also the option to have two connecting staterooms or a two-bed family suite with room for up to eight guests. These offer a larger living area, a balcony and two bathrooms including a full-sized bath. 

We love that Sun Princess’s mini suites have been thoughtfully designed for families, with a thick curtain-style room divider that can be pulled across to create two separate spaces for adults and children. This means that parents can still relax with the lights on and watch a film whilst the children sleep. The sofa in the lounge area is converted to either a single or a double bed (depending on how many children you have) and this is effortlessly set up for you every night by your steward complete with bedding. 

Best Princess Cruise Ship For Families

Children are welcome on all Princess Cruises ships. I have visited the kid’s club on both Regal Princess and Enchanted Princess, both of which are also fantastic.Whether you’re brand new to cruising or it’s your preferred way to travel, a Sun Princess family cruise is a brilliant option for a safe, unique, stylish and convenient way to travel with kids.

Read more about advice and tips about cruising with kids in our dedicated cruise section.