snoozecrooze

Lots of discussion already in many threads on this forum. Search "Club Class" or "Reserve Collection" (its new name) in the searchbox. To me, it also depends on the ship you will be on. Sun and Star have a new exclusive Reserve Collection dining room and that may or may not be something you would like.

Just a minor PSA- Princess and HAL stand to be just some of the winners from Celebrity's abrupt cancelation of the Beyond's summer 2024 itineraries in Europe so I'd recommend anybody who's been targeting (but not yet committed to) a Sun Princess sailing during peak season to watch them closely.

All information and discussion can be found here in this thread from April:

All of them are released already. Sun, Caribbean, Island, Regal, and Sky. If it's a specific cabin you're looking for, check regularly online and/or with your TA/CVP.

Love your style of rundown! Sending you all of the fun and relaxing vibes onboard!

Every time the head designer person has spoken about it in the seminars about the ship, he's mentioned that it was meant to allow for more al fresco dining by dovetailing the buffet with the outdoor promenade (deck 9). Leaked deck plans also indicate a little "Eat Street" section out there, which means a few additional dining options or outlets (for pay or free, we don't know yet). I'm imagining a small-scale version of what NCL has done with "The Waterfront" or what Carnival has done with the "Lanai" -- both are similar walkable outside concepts with al fresco areas for eateries. Of course, there are probably logistical reasons that the designer guy is also likely not telling us about. The MSC Seaside/Seaview are the most recent vessels to "debut" this lower buffet concept. That ship was also built by Fincantieri and they share a pretty similar silhouette, so I'm pretty sure they also share a few bones in the design here and there, as much as the designer guy insists that the Sphere-class is built all-new from the ground up.

If you can find better prices online and see that those tour groups' times still mean you won't miss the ship in port when it comes time to leave port, then you should definitely pursue the independent tour vendors. It is in those business's interests to bring their customers back to the ship in time (but always double check!)

"Currently not available" is basically code for sold out (or working to accommodate bid-ups/guarantees). Nothing of such scale of importance is really implicitly announced like so through the booking portal on a Sunday.

I think wallyj covered everything. I'll just add in a few little things. 1) You can probably start checking the app potentially about 2-3 weeks before your cruise if you're seriously curious. There is no need to reserve anything or check in for any onboard activity on the app, so you don't really have to check the app, but if you're curious, then you can probably start checking perhaps daily by that time. 2) We have great technical experts onboard this forum, though until they join this thread, I think this article explains it pretty well. 3) Princess will not have the same crowds as those you'd find on the Allure but I have to be honest with you -- if your sailing is full, you're still going to contend with crowds. The buffet (known as the World Fresh Marketplace) is going to be much smaller than you think. But there are lots of different seating options (the buffet was completely redone in 2017, IIRC) so just be patient if you eat breakfast at peak times -- make sure to check the aft section of the buffet for seats too; there are many modern seating options. Dining rooms still have lots of two-top tables basically stacked one on top of each other, but that's only going to bother you if attendance is high, especially at peak times -- eat either really early or much later to avoid these situations. Theater will get packed for production shows, so go really early to find your preferred seats or just attend the later show (usually, but not always, has less attendance). But I gave you all of the core warnings -- if you're flexible and learn your alternatives, you'll definitely have many ways to enjoy and relax on your cruise as you navigate around these usual inconveniences. 4) wallyj nailed it, but also know that the International Cafe on deck 5 has free snacks 24/7 (coffees/teas available for order as well), so if you just want to nosh on some pie or a sandwich while lounging, you can also do just that. 5) and 6) wallyj also nailed it here. No more pressure at all to dress too formal these days and Princess has even taken it one step further with the "dress to impress" wording (not on all ships right now) or "white and gold" theme thing (this one is still intermittent and honestly mostly ignored). Just avoid wearing shorts and caps to keep it safe and you'll be OK.

Just sending you all the good vibes as you fly across the pond and embark on your cruise! I love this itinerary and love seeing others try it out too (was very giddy to see ParoDeeJay, Tony, and Don all get on as well). Have lots of fun!

As has been said, the maitre'd or manager of that specific dining room should be your go-to person. I'm thinking that if you want to have something guaranteed, you might pre-schedule your nights and then meet with that go-to person at the very first night to set everything up beforehand. Or perhaps just visit the dining room the night before.

I've only had one experience with that but it was on top of the art gallery so we knew what to expect (no noise) and got what we expected. The thing is that none of us can really tell you what will happen on the Sun because she'll be a new ship and also a new class of ship, so it's too hard to tell. But to be safe, just choose a room above and below other cabins.

I'm pretty sure those 5 days will be for exactly that. Lots of media onboard, TA stuff, etc. It can't be a cruise to nowhere because that's illegal in the US but it'll probably go to the Cays and back, plus miscellaneous extended time in Fort Lauderdale.

Watch the safety video on your stateroom TV or on your smartphone via the Princess app. Then scan the Medallion at your muster station. Done. Functions the same as the cruise card but with more functionality (like unlocking the door as you physically approach it). If you're not going to use a smartphone, just treat the medallion like the card. If you will use a smartphone, download the Princess app and familiarize yourself with all its features. Yes. I believe you can get a drink like that on any cruise...? Either way, the bartenders should be able to help you out.

Nah, it's just because she simply posted the photo in the post right before mine.

I've been in those pullman beds before and I think they're fine. Not as soft or plush as the regular mattresses in the room, but I'm also used to firmer surfaces in general. YMMV.

Skywalkers on deck 17. Aft of the ship on the outside in the "Oasis" on deck 16. Any other lounge in the public areas not used during the day in the middle decks. Lots of casual spaces in general. Deck plan for Diamond is here: https://www.princess.com/deckPlans.do?shipCode=DI

Hi @taznremmy, is there confirmation that everyone else for the Emerald on our communal table of names is correct? Thanks and hope you're having a great cruise!

I did some quick sleuthing for you. The ones that leapt out to me are the balconies just on the edge of the Sphere (just one aft or forward of the "premium deluxe" balconies). Examples are 10402 and 10436. In addition, there are also the very forward sections on decks 11 and 12 featuring regular deluxe balcony cabins with larger balconies. Meanwhile, deck 14 has four of those larger ones up front but also eight larger balconies in the midsection, like mentioned on deck 10 (as opposed to just four on deck 10-12). Deck 15 just has those eight midsection ones. And deck 16 has 12 of those.

Strongly agree that it must be part of the galley, if you look at it logically. There are similarly huge "empty" areas on existing ships in the aft connected to dining areas, such as Discovery (shown below):

Right here: Cove balconies are on deck 6. Cove balconies are not new to the Carnival Corporation family and are currently most prominently seen on Carnival (Dream-class, Vista-class, Excel-class). The concept is as such because your balcony is like a "hole in the hull" instead of it being like one among a row of glass like you see on other typical ship balconies. They're not dissimilar to how ship balconies used to be like on many older vessels, but here, cove balconies are also specifically located under what are usually the main public decks, so they're much closer to the water, thus the architectural design.

No, those are the line of balconies under the bottom of the sphere -- the "black squares", if you will.

To be honest, yes, you really do, but that's if you care about your seat choice. Some line up at least an hour early and it's really easy to see why, because the attendance is really high for the production shows and the theater capacity just doesn't really cut it. There is more than one production show onboard and I do want to let you know that weather or technical issues can affect the entertainment schedule in the theater, so please prepare for that possibility as I don't want you to be crushed. The rest of the nights that they do not have a production show in the theater, they will usually have a guest comedian, magician, or vocalist/instrumentalist.

For the sake of being pedantic, the "reserve wake-view reserved area" you're referring to seems to be the "Signature Sun Deck" (just so that it's not confused with the public Wake View Terrace on deck 8). The Sanctuary pool and the Signature Sun Deck pool will be shared. Not sure if they're going to make it explicitly adults-only (perhaps I'm not remembering) because children living in Signature suites theoretically fit the criteria for entry to the "Sun Deck". There is no other strictly adults-only pool though, according to the head designer. My inkling is that this may eventually change, whether it's with Sun a few months after she debuts or for Star from the get-go (like how some of the largest criticisms for Royal were quickly addressed with edits on the Regal)

...I'm honestly with you, and, perhaps we are the minority, I suppose. But the night lights have been very effective for us and I'm sure Princess realized they were having one too many nighttime falls and wanted to do something about it. I agree with the gist of the overall argument in that it's not customizable enough, but I think these sensored night lights do more good than not. The aggression with which people have in their hatred for these lights really baffles me.