Live From The Sun!

Live from the Sun for all those getting ready to sail her.

Currently rough sea leaving FL,food as good as always,PC dining so far so good,ship in perfect shape,sailaway was great(thanks to Host Anne!),precautions for norovirus in effect,looking forward to a GREAT cruise.

We go to Princess Cays(!) and will try to continue to post to keep everyone informed.

PS...by the way for all those interested,I DID attend the muster drill and had a good time with drink in hand.

Internet is free for us so stay tuned for further updates.

cruiserforlife

Well it's 4:52 AM and this boats-a-rocking!I have never felt the sea's so rough in all my 6 cruises.I was hoping it'd smooth out once we got out at sea but so far that hasn't happen.I worry we won't be able to tender in to ports and we are heading to Princess Cays (yeah!) so that is a plus.I will keep everyone posted on that front.

Embarkation was again,one of the smoothest we've ever experienced.Princess does such a great job with this but this time it was exceptionally easy.

We arrived at the port at 11 and were eating our first of 300+ (!) meals in the Horizon Court by noon.Our luggage also arrived in record time,around 2:30.

Our room steward Virginia is from Mexico and is fantastic.I tipped her $20 when I first met her and I always thing this is a good idea,she is treating us well to say the least.

Sailaway was fantastic with all our cruise critic friends enjoying a drink together.

Dinner last night was PC dining and went without a hitch.We were seated right away when we arrived at 6:30 at a table for 4 with the plexiglass divider installed to separate it into two tables.We keep peaking around the sides to strike up a conversation with our "tablemates".Miguel our waiter (also from Mexico) was fantastic and we will try to reserve him for the remainder of our cruise.I tried to make a standing reservation for 7pm but was told I couldn't.I can make one every morning but seeing as how it is so flexible,I think we will just take our chances and walk up when we are ready to dine every evening.PC dining seems to be great and the service was quick unlike previous postings.

Food was fantastic and I have not noticed any drop off in quality for those who might be concerned.Everything was as good as it has always been on Princess for us.

The CD is Dan and he and Mandy the assistant CD are trying hard to please.

For those who are concerned about the "sewer" smell that has been mentioned in the past,we did smell something when we arrived but then again,they were also fueling the ship and that has been mentioned as a possible cause previously.No smells once we set sail.

Everything has been great so far except this movement...hopefully we will smooth out.I cannot understand why as reported before,it is so rough.

Will check in again since my wife's Elite status allows this to be free.

Ask away if you'd like and I will try to answer all questions.

CruiserForLife, enjoy your cruise. I sure hope the seas calm down for you soon. Just a question about PC dining. Is PC dining in the Horizon Cafe and what is the dress code for PC dining. What about formal nights, do you have to dress formal for PC? Just curious as this time I'm thinking about just going smart casual for the 10 days. Also, we are confirmed for 2nd seating dinner and am wondering if you can try PC to see how you like it if you do have a table for the dining room.

I look forward to the updates :)

psupa,

PC dining is in the HC as well but no smart casual dress is required.On the Sun,half of the HC is closed off to become Sterling's steakhouse because it is an older ship and alternative dining wasn't a concept when she was built.

They do expect you to abide by the Formal dining dress code when dining PC.There are 2 formal nights on our 10 day cruise.

If you have traditional dining,you can try PC but unfortunately,you cannot go back.If you do decide to try an alternative dining restaurant,be sure to tell your waiter ahead of time so that the rest of your tablemates won't have to wait for you to begin dinner.

have a great cruise.

psupa,

 

PC dining is in the HC as well but no smart casual dress is required.On the Sun,half of the HC is closed off to become Sterling's steakhouse because it is an older ship and alternative dining wasn't a concept when she was built.

 

QUOTE]

 

Thanks for taking the time to post. My DH and I are going to Alaska for a CruiseTour in early May on the Sun to celebrate our 25th Anniversary.

 

You mentioned they are closing half of the Horizon Court so that they will have a Sterling's steakhouse. When do they expect Sterling's to open?

 

Hope the seas have calmed down. Happy Cruising!

The CD is Dan and he and Mandy the assistant CD are trying hard to please.

If you want a nice chuckle, watch Dan's "Morning Zoo" as you are getting ready for your day's adventures. I always kept it on as I showered and dressed, and got a few good laughs out of it.

Sorry you're having rough seas. We had them pretty bad toward the end of our cruise on the 1-8 run of the Sun. Hopefully, they will calm down for you.

Thanks for taking us along on your cruise via these updates. I'll look forward to your reports.

Blue skies and smooth sailing ...

--rita

3888 (sounds like a bayliner model?)...the Horizon Court wraps around to both sides of the ship...and they "close" one side each night and turn it into a Sterlings.

Cruiseforlife....glad all is well there ...we are on the Sun's March 19th voyage and counting the days.

marc

The following page:

https://www.fnmoc.navy.mil/PUBLIC/WAM/all_natl.html

shows the wave heights in the Atlantic and Caribbean. As you can see, you're sailing in some rough water and will be for quite a while (couple days til you're further south). As you page down, you can see it will be like this or worse when you return.

Have fun! I always think it's kind of fun to have the "rough" water. (This isn't that bad. We've been in 20 foot+ seas on the Golden on a translatlantic!)

I see on the BridgeCam that the horizon is on a pretty good angle....the rollers are coming in from the port side, it seems.

According to Krooze-Cams it looks like the Sun missed Princess Cays today ...

Bummer :(

Srpilo

According to the Bridge Cam, the Sun Princess is enroute to Antigua. I think this itinerary is sailing in reverse order.

No, they have not missed Princess Cays....on this trip, they do the Cays on the last day of the cruise.

marc

Just checked the Bridge Cam again and the Star Princess is at Princess Cays. It looks pretty calm there.

Am loving your updates! We'll be on the Sun May 6th for a short 3 nights, and am so looking forward to it! Your information is greatly appreciated!!! Thanks!

Well we are on the ship and on vacation but there's not much to do since the weather isn't the greatest.All the pools are closed and those activities cancelled.

We are eating well however!

Our room steward has mentioned to us that the last three sailings have experienced rough seas...tsunami aftermath?

I'm sure many people are not sleeping well because everyone is inside,sleeping while waiting for inside activities to begin like the famous art auction...free champagne!

We are making the best of it (hey,I could be at work!) and hopefully calmer seas are right around the corner.

Will check in again soon...not much else to do at this point.

Thank God for free internet!

I'm enjoying reading your posts during your cruise. Sorry to hear about the motion of the ocean, but...it sounds like you're making the best of the situation. I hope you stocked up on Bonine before you left Florida.

We'll be on the 2/27 cruise, so are hoping the seas have settled some by then. I hope you've warned Dan about the large group of internet posters he'll soon have on board! Not that we'd give him a rough way to go or anything....

Keep those updates coming our way.

CruiserForLife, enjoy your cruise. I sure hope the seas calm down for you soon. Just a question about PC dining. Is PC dining in the Horizon Cafe and what is the dress code for PC dining. What about formal nights, do you have to dress formal for PC? .

The Sun-class ships have two main dining rooms, one for Anytime and one for Traditional. You are expected to observe the evening dress code for the dining rooms. If you want to dress down, you can always go the Horizon Court or the Trattoria pizza place if they still have that. You'll have more than one choice if you want to skip the dining room on formal night.

Lucky you Cruiser!

Thanks for letting us know how everything is going.

Keep a steady foot and enjoy the cruise...

Cruiserforlife..glad I found this post. Our very good friends are this sailing....and we almost booked it also so..I'm jealous!

Anyway..I'll be able to share their cruise experience day by day through you!

What deck are you on? I think they are on Baha......somewhat forward...

Enjoy your cruise..hope your weather improves! I love the motion of the ocean so I know I'd love every minute of it if I were there!

we just returned from the 1/18 sailing of the sun....we, too, had rough seas until we were in the caribbean and then it seemed to calm down.

princess cays was beautiful...tons of new chaises..we thoroughly enjoyed it.

we only had one kind of bad weather day, and that was also our first day at sea...after that it was great, other than intermittent showers in st. lucia...

have fun!!

nancy

mkk,

We too are on Baja deck,stateroom 605.

We have a fun group here especially our new found cruisecritic friends.Host Anne sent everyone a survey form to fill out beforehand with pictures of our fellow CC cruisers... a great idea!We were able to spot everyone right away and it made the whole experience much better.

After talking to the pursers desk,I have learned the last few cruises have also experienced rough seas but as we head south,it has smoothed out.I like the motion of the ocean as well as the next guy but falling out of bed is no fun.My wife who has done 25+ cruises commented she has never experienced the ocean this rough in the Caribbean.

It is sort of fun to watch everyone stumble around and the waves are currently 4.5-7.5 feet so I guess it is getting better.

Went to the art auction and tonight is our first formal night with the Captains Gala and we are looking forward to that.We sent all our clothes out for free pressing yesterday and expect it back before 5 tonight.

The pools are still closed but the hot tubs are open.

We really love the Sun and her sister ships we have sailed.Anyone who is getting ready to sail her should do so without any worries so don't always believe what you read because things are just fine here.

Luckily neither my wife of I get seasick so no precautions were needed.

Will check in again soon because tommorw is another sea day before we get to Antiqua.

Ask any questions you'd like and I'll be happy to try to answer them.

ps.One note:I am Gold and was using my cruisecard for computer access.The pursers desk told me I should be using my wife's Elite card to avoid charges but it isn't spelled out anywhere I've ever read.Keep that in mind if you are not Elite but someone in your room is.

The following page:

 

https://www.fnmoc.navy.mil/PUBLIC/WAM/all_natl.html

 

shows the wave heights in the Atlantic and Caribbean. As you can see' date=' you're sailing in some rough water and will be for quite a while (couple days til you're further south). As you page down, you can see it will be like this or worse when you return.

 

Have fun! I always think it's kind of fun to have the "rough" water. (This isn't that bad. We've been in 20 foot+ seas on the Golden on a translatlantic!)[/quote']

 

Thanks for posting this site Chris, it reveals a lot and will be helpful in seeing what we will be facing during our cruise.

 

It is always interesting to see how many people think that going on a Caribbean cruise is going to be a smooth ride. They don't realize that a lot of the Eastern Caribbean routes are actually on the Atlantic side which has a better chance of heavier seas.

 

For the last 3 years we have witnessed a more frequent occurance of wind and heavy seas in the Caribbean regardless of the route which is unusual for this time of the year.

 

Someone mentioned the after effects of the Tsunami and I wonder if there is some validity in that. It could be like a big bath tub with the waves going around the earth bumping into stuff and going back another way. Nah...

 

Anyway, have fun on your upcoming cruise and we'll be looking for your comments when you return.

Thanks for your posts...

Our friends are Gold members and I'm sure she will not make much of an attempt at the internet this week...last I knew too $$ and takes too long.

How slow is your connection?

Have a wonderful first formal night! DH and I look forward to dressing up...part of what makes cruising so special.

We were on the Sun last year (03) at Thanksgiving..had a great cruise!

Anyway..have fun tonight ..look forward to more posts!

Thanks for the posts. I am sailing the sun for my first cruise in May in ALaska and after reading some posts, I was alittle worried. I am glad everything is great! Keep us posted.

Hopefully the seas are calming for you.