Behind The Magic — Bridge Tour and Environmental Tour | Sun Princess Mediterranean Cruise

The Sun Princess team lifts the curtain on the innovations that make this ship run leaner and greener.

Day 3 brings us to Bar, Montenegro — the first of four ports-of-call on our 7-Day voyage. Before a quick shore visit today, the Princess Cruises team has invited us for a Behind-The-Scenes Look at the ship’s Bridge, as well as an Environmental Tour to learn what happens with all the waste generated onboard.

Arrival Into Bar, Montenegro

Sun Princess made her approach into the harbour of Bar at around 6:30 AM. After picking up the local Harbour Pilot, the bridge team brought Sun Princess alongside in the relatively tight harbour with skill and precision.

At 177,882 Gross Tons and 345 metres in length, Sun Princess is also the largest passenger ship to ever call at Bar, Montenegro.

Sun Princess Bridge Tour

After breakfast, we gathered at Deck 15 forward for the Bridge Tour.

Captain Paolo Arrigo taking a question from a guest.

We went through some of the technical aspects of the ship, from propulsion to handling. Captain Paolo Arrigo shared that Sun Princess is the first Princess ship to utilise the ABB Azipod for propulsion — made up of a pod with a propeller, suspended under the ship’s hull, with the ability to rotate 360-degrees.

This means that the thrust from the propulsion system can be sent any given direction, as needed, allowing for more precise maneuvers in tricky ports like Bar.

The bridge team made up a short informative display to summarise the technical information.

We were also shown the Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS), with the Captain putting the morning’s approach into Bar on replay. The circle in the middle represents the turning circle within the port — a.k.a. the amount of allowable space Sun Princess has, to make an approximately 130-degree swing to her port side. As you can see, there is just enough space to execute the manoeuver.

We were also shown the Starboard Side Bridge Wing. From here, the officers can see down the entire length of the ship, as they bring her into port.

From here, the officers can see down the ship’s side as they manoeuvre her into port.

The same controls are found on the centre console and port side bridge wing.

There were also other memorabilia on display at the Bridge, such as:

The *Sun* used during the ship’s christening.

Environmental Tour

Sun Princess isn’t just the largest member of the Princess Cruises fleet. She is also one of the most environmentally-friendly, being the first ship in Princess Cruises to run on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). But fuel isn’t where the green initiatives end.

The Princess team has kindly invited us behind-the-scenes to see some of those green initiatives at work, like how they reduce food waste by using bio-digesters. While certain food waste can be discharged overboard, the decomposition process actually consumes the ocean’s oxygen, which is also needed by other marine life. Hence, the best way was break down the waste onboard. The end result is a slurry that is safe to discharge overboard, once the ship is a certain distance away from land.

The bio-digestion process uses enzymes and heat to break down the waste, similar to digestion of food in a human being.

These items are collected as they contain batteries.

What We did in Bar

Bar is a small resort town in Montenegro, located about an hour's drive away from the main city of Kotor. We booked a shore transfer with the Sun Princess, which dropped us off at the entrance to Bar Old Town.

Dinner: The Butcher’s Block by Dario

The Butcher’s Block by Dario is a family-style specialty restaurant specialising in beef. The meals here comprise of multiple cuts of beef, cooked to perfection. This specialty dining option was created in partnership with Dario Cecchini,

Passed down eight generations from father to son, and with more than 48 years of experience, Dario Cecchini is recognized around the world for his butcher shop and restaurants located in the Tuscan village of Panzano, Italy. Featured on Netflix’s popular “Chef’s Table,” Cecchini is known for taking care and responsibility for the animals and bringing respect back to butchering by using all the cuts of meat, featuring his grandmother’s recipes that he fell in love with as a boy.

Production Showtime: Fiera

. This’s evening’s production show was at the Princess Arena on Deck 7 forward

Unlike a traditional theatre, guests in the Princess Arena can sit in the round, giving the entertainment team brand new angles to present the show from. The venue can seat more than 900 guests at any one time.

See More Here:

Check out more of our day at our Facebook Page, in the embedded post below!

BEHIND THE MAGIC - BRIDGE TOUR & ENVIRONMENTAL TOUR | SUN PRINCESS MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE Day 3 brings us to #Bar,...
Posted by Singapore Cruise Society on Tuesday 28 May 2024

See more of our voyage in the links here:

SUN PRINCESS 7-NIGHT MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE (ONE-WAY FROM ATHENS, GREECE TO BARCELONA, SPAIN)