mrmarklin

On 5/16/2024 at 9:17 PM, arizonaperson said:

@Jemnibabe02 here’s a menu posted. Not sure if it’s current or not. Perhaps someone that is currently onboard will post an updated one if this is not.

This is current. I was there two days ago. 

On 5/16/2024 at 2:28 PM, Esprit said:

Hi @bnickle

 

Would you be able to tell me where I can get a fresh squeezed orange juice in the mornings please?

 

I hope you are enjoying your cruise. I can see you are in Genoa today, but doesn't look very sunny!

 

 

AFAIK you can’t. I’m Suite, and not even Signature restaurant has this. Big disappointment. 

3 hours ago, ILUVHOCKEY said:

Just an update and FYI. Love by Britto is still not open.  They did do a test run yesterday on our sea day.  But talking to our cabin Stewart he let us know it might still be a while.

 

This was disappointing to us since it was one of venues we hope to get in on.

According to the restaurant manager in the Signature Restaurant it should be up and running next week. Cost: $149.00. 
Can’t wait to try it. 

On 5/9/2024 at 3:41 PM, bnickle said:

It’s just an amazing place. One thing about European dining is that they are not concerned with turning tables at restaurants. Meals are important and meant to be shared, enjoyed, and relaxing. It’s a whole vibe that we have truly enjoyed. Sitting outside a bistro, sharing a tapa or two, sipping some sangria and people watching has become Greg’s favorite thing to do. 

Totally true. We are on the same cruise as you are and arrived in Barcelona the 10th. 
That evening, went to a Tapas place that was fully reserved. But the guy let us in anyway, because he knew we would not “camp” there all evening on a Friday.  We did arrive at 8:30. Which is early in Spain. 

        This  a.m I had my first breakfast in the Signature dining room. I won’t say it was bad, but NO FRESH ORANGE JUICE. This has always been available for suite passengers, but so far, not on Sun Princess. 
 

The menu is extensive, and I’ll keep you posted. 
 

Oh yeah, and Mimosas are $9 as well. Before Covid, they were free IIRC. 
 

Gibraltar was great and I got some great shots of the Apes due to the fact a tourist was feeding them (£4,000 fine).  Weather was wonderful. 
Back on board, late lunch at Alfredo’s.  Really is the best pizza on the ocean. Pizza crust was perfect. We compared the cost of that lunch to what it would be back home. For the four of us it would have easily pushed $200. Only $60 with Princess. 
 

Here’s some inside info:  Signature and Reserve restaurants are moving, presumably with the Sanctuary change. I found out a little more, but I’m going to keep my source secret, and you in suspense a bit longer. 

Mother’s Day special was whole Lobster for an extra $20. It was well worth it. A fairly large lobster, claws and all. My wife ordered it. I had Duck a la Orange. 
 

BTW, the room was packed!
 

Dessert was Black Forest cake. My personal favorite. 

4 hours ago, dides said:

Thanks for the live updates!  On the Sanctuary, are you saying that they have already removed the option for non-Suite passengers to buy day passes? Thought it would have been something they aligned with the October change to Sanctuary Class (we are boarding again in September before the change and will hope to also enjoy the suite life!)

 

AFAIK day passes are available. Since we’re Suite, I didn’t ask. Just observed that on a warm afternoon I saw around 25% occupancy. 

4 hours ago, Ombud said:

PLEASE come back and let us know apx % actually have formal attire on

Went to Signature dining room. I would say only around 50% of the men had jacket ties on.  The women in general, were dressed a little better.  Saw only one Tux!

This cruise originated in Barcelona, so I expected better. But over half the passengers are Americans. Also a good chunk from NZ and Australia. 

Ah….the Suite life. Lunch in Signature restaurant was sublime on this, our first day. I had fried calamari and it was among the best I’ve ever had.  There are four in our group. One ha d Poke Salmon. Lobster roll was available and I had that as well. 
 

great snack at buffet, one of my favorites. Cherry crumble. 
 

We went up to Sanctuary, only for Suites at this time. Very few people there and all were enjoying themselves with Bento boxes and drinks, etc.  They seemed to monitoring the elevators there scrupulously. It will be interesting when all the 200+ Sanctuary cabins come on board. 
 

Made reservations to the magic show in signature lounge a couple of days, after we return from Milan. 
 

It’s first formal night, and we thought we could get out of it by reserving at the Catch. But no, the Concierge said that formal also applies in the Specialty restaurants. We hate Buffett for dinner so dress up for us🥴……

Just boarded today. I’ll make comments as time goes on and will try to answer questions.  
We are Suite passengers with a suite literally across the hall from the Signature lounge

Drinks were ready and waiting there and considering we arrived on ship around 2:30 today in Barcelona there were exactly no hassles boarding.  If I have one minor complaint about the Lounge it would be that the appetizers were niggardly. Luckily we had a plate of canapés  in our room upon arrival. 

Walked about the ship a bit, observed Sailaway and took a few pics of the port. If I can figure out how to do pics, I will post some. 
After a complimentary dinner at Sabatinis I’m tired and going to bed. Sabatinis has lost the Oslo Bucco, but was otherwise excellent. 

On 5/6/2024 at 1:08 PM, 555 said:

You've got to eat the free meals first.😉

 

 

 

We never seem to miss the ships lunch even on port days. 

Why spend money on land when there's perfectly good food on the ship when you get back. 

For me being in a foreign port and being able to sample what the locals eat, is one major reasons I travel. Tapas in Spain, fois gras in France, etc etc are what make travel worth it. Silly to eat on the ship when one doesn’t have to.  This may not apply to certain US ports if you’re American, but c’mon man!

On 5/5/2024 at 4:09 PM, PATRLR said:

Same cut is not surprising to me.  Did you have it at both venues?  If so, were the equal quality?  I'd expect the quality in Crown Grille to be noticeably better than what they serve in the MDR.

Exact same cut. Both venues. Frankly, I’m used to a thick cut of Ribeye. These were about 1/2” thick. 

On 5/5/2024 at 4:37 PM, memoak said:

The Pacific Princess was sold in 2021. There was never a Crown Grille on the ship in my knowledge the steakhouse was called the Sterling Steakhouse. I sailed that ship many times and never saw a rib eye steak offered in the MDR even in what was then called club class

Maybe it was the Sterling Steakhouse. Other wise, the facts are what I stated. The voyage was pre 2021. Quite a nice trip. Went to Murmansk and saw the nuclear icebreaker. 

The meat on CG is very mediocre. 
 

At home we buy Prime grade beef and either smoke it or grill it to medium rare. Only the very top of the line restaurants are comparable. And sorry, CG is not one of them. 
 

On the other hand, CG is a lot cheaper than a top of the line steakhouse.  Seriously, multiples. 

I think that on the Royal class ships a few excursions and cabanas are held back for Suite passengers. On one cruise I was able to obtain an excursion from the Concierge in the Lounge that was “sold out” on the website. 

At the Crown Grill I ordered the Ribeye steak a few years ago on the Pacific Princess. The next night it was on the menu in MDR. Same exact cut. Haven’t been to the Crown Grill since. And won’t. 

It’s quite surprising to me that Princess is having so many problems adjusting to a Class system. After all, Cunard , its sister line, is discriminatory all the way. They’re both owned by the same umbrella corporation.  Three classes on Cunard ships, Britannia, Princess Grill and the pinnacle, Queens Grill. Princess and Queen each have separate dining rooms, with the masses in the large MDRs. 
 

The Sun already has separate dining rooms for the Classes, and can control access everywhere on the ship with the medallion. 
This new Sanctuary thing dilutes any exclusivity, other than the Suite Lounge. 
 

Incomprehensible. 

2 hours ago, CalTexCruiser said:

Has anyone already booked in a full suite prior to this change emailed their CVP or higher ups at Princess to ask what "upgrade" is provided to full suite bookings with the Sanctuary Collection?

 

 

No upgrade at all.  As a Suite passenger, I feel "screwed".  there is actually a dilution of benefits, in that more people will be eating in the Signature dining room, and our exclusive area on top of the ship in the Sanctuary portion is given over to hoi polloi as well.  The only thing left is the Signature Lounge.  Certainly don't want a bunch of peasant types in there.;-)

Seriously, it's a step back.  I'm sailing in May, hopefully, none of the changes will be made by then.  And they will honor the target date of October.  Yeah, they had the nerve to send me news about the (non) upgrade!!!!

Cunard, here I come.  (Queen's Grill)   Thank the Lord, the Class System is alive and well in the UK.  Our own Tea Lounge, too.

If you want to have a gripe session I'll be in cabin 15639 next to the Signature Lounge>:-)

13 hours ago, call_your_mother said:

 

Thanks!  We will probably give it a try anyway since we don't have many dinner choices. I've tried Panda Express once and don't remember if I liked it or not, guess that says a lot!  

 

 

Panda Express uses only fresh ingredients. You will find it better than many Chinese restaurants. Particularly if you don’t live in an area with many Asians. 

6 hours ago, dog said:

So on fb, someone on May - SUN got the Upgrade notice. 

I received upgrade notice. I’m in a full Suite. Seems the Concierge Lounge is still Suite only. 
 

This new policy will stop the “race” to the Sanctuary, as one must buy the appropriate cabin to have access to these amenities. 

9 hours ago, Teddy560 said:

Thank you . I wasn’t able to use the search dates for roll call on my phone. I will try using a laptop tmrw. Just not sure why list 2pm if it can’t be guaranteed. 

Because of traffic in the UK, nothing can be guaranteed.  When we did this last year, our flight was around 5:30. I believe Princess advises that if your flight is before a certain time, you shouldn’t take the tour. 

10 minutes ago, 20165 said:

Thats interesting, we didnt know that.  So there is a separate queue for suite guests?

thx

 

Yes, a separate queue for Suites.  The best part of the Suite life, is not waiting in line. 

If the concierge has been helpful, and they usually bend over backwards, I tip 50 $ or € at the end of the cruise. Currency depending on where I am. 

15 hours ago, dides said:

Video showing how Umai Hot Pot works. 

 

 

 

Obviously not a typical experience - what would happen with multiple people on the same table sharing broths and mixing up vegetarian/seafood/meat?

Very typical. One pot per couple, however. Or family group. The broth is on boil, which did not seem adequately demonstrated. 

If the Sun is anything like Cunard lines as to food, the Reserve will have MDR menu plus one extra dish and the Signature will have Reserve menu plus one extra dish. This is what Cunard does with MDR, Princess Grill and highest level, Queen’s Grill. Also, In Queen’s Grill, they will cook to order if requested a day in advance. We ordered Chicken Tikka Marsala in this way one time. 
 

Cunard is a part of the Carnival Cruise line family. 🙂