cruisequeen4ever

It’s definitely cool for those who live and transfer between those cities, but is it earth shattering? IMHO, no. I don’t think it warrants as much hype as they gave it.

We too were on the Sky last month for its transatlantic, and I have to say the internet was faster than aboard any other ship we’ve sailed on. It was about 3.5 MBPS in the middle of the Atlantic.

You really need a handicap accessible stateroom with a scooter. I saw several who had booked regular width door staterooms and couldn’t get their scooters through as a result. I know it’s tough to get an accessible stateroom, since they’re so limited.

The Bering Sea Crab Fisherman Tour you’re doing in Ketchikan is fantastic!

I don’t know how this type of situation is being handled post-Covid, but on an overnight we did years ago in Europe, the tenders ran til something like 11 PM or 1 AM and then stopped til early morning. You were allowed to stay off ship all night, but you had no way of getting back on til they started running again the next morning.

Having just been on the Sky, which is mainly self-serve but does have a rotating action station, this was the best of both worlds. I would go to the action station, place my order, and then I would go gather up all of the self-serve food, and by the time I was done, the action item was usually ready. That alone shows you how much faster self-serve is that I could fill one or two plates of food on my own in the time it takes for one item to be prepped for me. Yes, I know that the Sun has already available items that they just hand to you, but it still begs the issue of how do you carry all of those little bowls and plates to your table at once?? I had this issue with a few grab and go small plates on the Sky. It would have been much easier for me to put two deviled eggs onto my plate than have two small plates with one on each of them in addition to my regular plate. My stance is that the hybrid is ideal. Have mainly self-serve, and offer a daily rotating action station like the Sky does.

I was excited about the concept of the cabana staterooms. Having now seen the reality, I’m not interested. I want to be right at the sea when I go out on my balcony. I want privacy on that balcony. I don’t want everyone staring down at me while I read. I don’t want people walking by my stateroom looking in; nor do I want to have to close my curtains to prevent that. The TV “room” with an uncomfortable looking patio loveseat seems worthless. If they had just made each person’s area jut fully out to the outer railing, all of the issues would be solved.

I always emphasize a small amount, and it never happens. It’s so much better and faster for me to use tongs or a spoon to grab one tiny amount for a few bites and move on to the next item in the blink of an eye. I have been cruising for 34 years; I know crew aim to serve. They just can’t imagine one wanting “that” small of an amount with the stereotype of cruisers. The point is that a buffet allows one to choose his/her exact amounts and in a quick timeframe. The new design on the Sun accomplishes neither IMO.

I am extremely germ conscious, but I do love buffets. I wash my hands before dishing and then again before eating. Yes, I am absolutely disgusted and horrified by the unhygienic behavior of others, so this new concept helps with that, but it really does detract from the buffet concept. On the Enchanted, they had a gourmet salad bar concept like what the Sun appears to be doing. I had to wait every time, either for the server to return or for the people in front of me to tell the server ingredient by ingredient, which was a painfully long and slow process. In addition, I’d say just a little of each item, and what would result was a gigantic salad, way more than I could eat for a side salad.

Ok, so some have reported shorter lines. I am almost never in a line on any of Princess’s newer ships to get food. In the pics shared today, people are standing in lines.

Am I seeing this correctly that the buffet on the Sun is not self-serve?? So you could end up with 10 small bowls and plates to somehow transport to your table?? And have a long line to get food at each themed station?? I really hope I’m wrong!

I’m thrilled to hear of your victory over cancer and your return to the wonderful world of cruising! If you ever need one in the future, electric mobility scooters provide such wonderful freedom to be able to be independent and enjoy life despite limited mobility. I can’t wait to read your live from!

Thank you all!

Does the new app allow you to chat with your cabin mate onboard? My friend just sailed and said it didn’t look like you can anymore.

That was a really helpful comparison and account of your experience; thank you for sharing. I’d try it if they offered longer itineraries.