Sun princess--needs major overhaul

[golf2005]

There are 2 reviews of the Sun Princess which speaks of the poor condition of the ship. The latest is

by QueenK2 and her review does not bode well for cruisers of the Sun.

 

Does anyone know when the ship will be refurbished ?. We had planned on a cruise to Japan on the Sun but I think we'll wait until Princes takes care of the problems on the Sun.

[Pam in CA]

August 7th. Just touch-ups before she enters the Japanese market.

[ar1950]

There are 2 reviews of the Sun Princess which speaks of the poor condition of the ship. The latest is

by QueenK2 and her review does not bode well for cruisers of the Sun.

 

Considering what I have been reading in the review section compared to what people say in the message board I wouldn't put so much credibility in what you may read in the review section of CC. It seems a lot of people do reviews and never post another thing in any of the other of the forums. Look for more information in the message board before condemning the ship. It may be a better ship than you think it is based on the reviews. ;)

[windsor26]

We love the Sun and have booked here for Christmas This will be our 6th time on board (one of them for 76 days) a;ll ships have a few problems but for her age the Sun is a great ship - homely and small enough to meet people more than once on the cruise.:D

[Thorpe]

I'm going on her in November and have no worries about it at all. She is having a touch up in Singapore after leaving the Japanese market in August on her way back to Australia.

[Queenk2]

I just returned from the Sun. I wonder how YOU would feel having experienced this awful cruise! I have sailed over 60 times and have not written reviews like the one I posted. My room was so badly flooded,they replaced the carpet! As you can tell, I am a regular poster, so your assumption that people bash and run is unwarranted and totally off base! I wonder how accurate YOUR perceptions are and I take offense at your comments. If anyone wants accurate information, I will be happy to answer any questions you might have! My room was changed due to the fact that the air conditioning does not work in many of the cabins as well as in various parts of the ship! In spite of what you might think, I have a positive attitude and did not let this ferry boat ruin an otherwise wonderful trip! I did state that the itinerary was wonderful, but the ship is the worst I have ever been on including others on lesser lines. I am not comparing Princess to Oceania or Azamara, or even HAL, all of which I have sailed. I am talking about basic cruise necessities such as. A dry room, electricity when needed and toilets that flush regularly! All of which were not part of my experience on this ship! Perhaps you would enjoy being stuck in an atrium elevator...twice! Your judgmental attitude annoys me and is not based upon fact, but rather your wish to gloss over issues I have faced!

Karen

[Queenk2]

By the way I have pictures of the broken pipes and balcony threshold to further prove the validity of my claims. I am only cautioning those of you who are going to have second thoughts. . They are bringing on 1000 people to work on the issues we all faced on this cruise. I am not complaining about worn furniture, but rather mechanical issues.

[99Cruiser]

I'm going on her in November and have no worries about it at all. She is having a touch up in Singapore after leaving the Japanese market in August on her way back to Australia.

 

When in November are you going? I'll be on the 11th sailing out of Sydney.

[mm1251]

By the way I have pictures of the broken pipes and balcony threshold to further prove the validity of my claims. I am only cautioning those of you who are going to have second thoughts. . They are bringing on 1000 people to work on the issues we all faced on this cruise. I am not complaining about worn furniture, but rather mechanical issues.

 

I don't think ar1950 was calling you a liar. Look at their icon. Don't panic. I think they are just saying take reviews with a grain of salt.

 

Sounds like your Sun cruise sucked. Sorry about that and we do appreciate the information.

 

Try to mellow out a bit. :)

[Queenk2]

You are correct! I am really upset about this cruise and I felt that by posting about it, I would in fact spare others the aggrevation I faced! I did feel attacked and my intentions were just to help all of the posters who have helped me in the past.

[99Cruiser]

You are correct! I am really upset about this cruise and I felt that by posting about it, I would in fact spare others the aggrevation I faced! I did feel attacked and my intentions were just to help all of the posters who have helped me in the past.

 

I appreciate your comments. Unfortunately if we want to go to Australia the Sun is the only ship that is there that time of year.

 

How was the cruise staff and who was the CD?

[WpgCruise]

To Queenk2, thank you for the review. The snarky remarks from those not on the cruise demonstrate why some would prefer to post in the Review section and avoid the flashback of the boards.

 

We were on the Sun Princess when it was in the Caribbean and enjoyed it, but that was a few years ago and apparently some maintenance and repair along with upgrades is needed.

 

It's too bad the ship was not up to standard as indeed it must be frustrating to board expecting a great experience only to be disappointed.

[Queenk2]

Some of the staff were wonderful! Angus head purser was very nice as we're a few of the desk staff, notably Ronson Lee. The head of food and beverage was also quite nice. However, there were two people on the staff that were terrible. Marit, Angus's assistant was rude to many people on board and actually lied to both me and others. In addition, the head housekeeper, Pablo was also unaccommodating and quite rude. He actually told me he preferred the room warm! I explained that since he wasn't paying for , or staying in the room, it should mirror my preferences rather than his. Most of the entertainment staff were on loan from Disney and will only be on board for the summer. The entertainment was limited. There was an absolutely terrific Japanese pianist who was very talented! The production shows were unprofessional and the equipment...computer ...broke down so that the last show could not run. All in all the ship is a mechanical nightmare, affecting every aspect of this cruise. On most evenings, the casino was closed. Some of the slots were inoperable, and there was one table open for a few evenings. The ship was very quiet, but the itinerary was very busy and many people did not go to the dining room. The ship was not full by any means,and the dining room was almost always empty. I cannot say if it was due to the food because taste is subjective if that were the only ship in Australia, I personally would not go. This was my 18th princess cruise and possibly my last! As many on the ship stated, if this were their first Princess cruise, there wouldn't be a repeat.

Karen

[JimmyVWine]

...I wouldn't put so much credibility in what you may read in the review section of CC. It seems a lot of people do reviews and never post another thing in any of the other of the forums. Look for more information in the message board before condemning the ship.

 

Interesting. I come at this from the exact opposite direction. People with thousands of posts about their beloved cruise line are far more likely to be wearing rose-colored glasses than people who do not populate the boards regularly. If you are looking for bias, look no further than the bulletin board. I don't think that people who post one-off reviews are as suspect in their motives or critiques as you might think. (And Queen2k isn't exactly a board newbie, so even if you did want to give more weight to the revues of board regulars, it is impossible to discount her review.)

[NearEnough]

We sailed on the Sun in December, around New Zealand. I had no complaints. There were a few minor niggles as you get on any cruise and I too have cruised extensively. Burst pipes happen on the best of ships - have been on two so far where this has happened with one whole deck flooded. Have also been on ships that have broken down mid ocean but these things aren't the norm. These things happen. Moving cabins on the Sun is often very difficult as it usually sails out of Brisbane, the only cruise ship to do so, and it is, most often, full. I'm not saying you didn't have a lot of problems but perhaps it isn't the norm for this ship. I certainly wouldn't have any hesitation in sailing on the Sun again, as a matter of fact I look forward to it.

[Queenk2]

Jimmy thank you for your post. Since I post on many boards,simply because I sail on many lines, I try to be objective. There are things to like on all the ships. I simply cannot expect any one ship, line or company to be perfect. Even on this ship, there were positives a as I have tried to say, but this ship is a mechanical disaster.

Near enough, perhaps we have different standards,but all I required was a cool room where the lights and toilets worked. I am sure there were many rooms that were operational, however the two rooms I had were not. I don't know if I mentioned this, but I had sailed on the Sun on a previous occasion and had no complaints. I am sure that if I had not experienced this cruise, I would go on this ship again. The true point is that I paid a dear price for a vacation that was a very uncomfortable one and from MY experience this ship is way past her prime.

[pablo222]

They are bringing on 1000 people to work on the issues we all faced on this cruise. I am not complaining about worn furniture, but rather mechanical issues.

 

This sounds like more than a 'minor touch up' as was previously

'reported' in this thread.

[Queenk2]

Pablo, I agree!

[ar1950]

I just returned from the Sun. I wonder how YOU would feel having experienced this awful cruise! I have sailed over 60 times and have not written reviews like the one I posted. My room was so badly flooded,they replaced the carpet! As you can tell, I am a regular poster, so your assumption that people bash and run is unwarranted and totally off base! I wonder how accurate YOUR perceptions are and I take offense at your comments. If anyone wants accurate information, I will be happy to answer any questions you might have! My room was changed due to the fact that the air conditioning does not work in many of the cabins as well as in various parts of the ship! In spite of what you might think, I have a positive attitude and did not let this ferry boat ruin an otherwise wonderful trip! I did state that the itinerary was wonderful, but the ship is the worst I have ever been on including others on lesser lines. I am not comparing Princess to Oceania or Azamara, or even HAL, all of which I have sailed. I am talking about basic cruise necessities such as. A dry room, electricity when needed and toilets that flush regularly! All of which were not part of my experience on this ship! Perhaps you would enjoy being stuck in an atrium elevator...twice! Your judgmental attitude annoys me and is not based upon fact, but rather your wish to gloss over issues I have faced!

Karen

 

Queenk2, I’m sorry that you took my comments personally. I hadn’t even read your review when I made my first post on this thread. I was only speaking in general as to the review section. It always seems that the reviews on any given ship and itinerary vary greatly; everything from the ship was a derelict garbage scow on a toxic sea to a great luxury liner on the best sailing possible to everything in between. And these comments are about the same ship, the same itinerary and often the exact same sailing date. Everyone’s experience is different. It does sound like you had some serious issues on your cruise and I don’t really blame you for your opinion of the ship. That said, I would also say that with around 2,000 or so passengers there is always a good possibility that something bad is going to happen to at least a few passengers. I’m not saying that this negates your experience and opinion, only that things can and do happen. It is very unfortunate that it happened to you on this cruise (and I would say the same thing to anyone else that would have had a bad experience, it is not what you want on your vacation). All I am saying is that things can and do go wrong whether on a ship or even in the finest land accommodations. We were staying in an upscale condo in Hawaii a few years ago and midway thru the stay our unit was flooded by broken pipes from the unit above us. We were not happy, but, we wouldn’t condemn the entire facility because of what happened to us. Hopefully, we all will have better experiences on our next vacation, whether by land or by sea.

 

Interesting. I come at this from the exact opposite direction. People with thousands of posts about their beloved cruise line are far more likely to be wearing rose-colored glasses than people who do not populate the boards regularly. If you are looking for bias, look no further than the bulletin board. I don't think that people who post one-off reviews are as suspect in their motives or critiques as you might think. (And Queen2k isn't exactly a board newbie, so even if you did want to give more weight to the revues of board regulars, it is impossible to discount her review.)

 

JimmyVWine, see above. Also, if people post in this section and have a bad experience others can ask questions and find out a little more information and, I think, get a better overview of any issues. My humble opinion only.

 

Peace all, and may your sailings all be smooth and without glitches. We have plenty of those in our daily lives. :cool:

[Queenk2]

Ar1950,

Honestly the problems on this ship extend further than an individual cabin or two. The air conditioning for the public areas is not working and the elevators are broken. The plumbing also has issues. The staff is completely disgruntled and openly discusses wanting to leave because the crew quarters are unbearably hot. This is not a simple glitch that affected a few staterooms! It is an old ship which requires a major overhaul! Perhaps they can straighten things out in August. I sincerely hope so for all fellow cruisers as well as the people who have to serve us! Happy Sails to all !

Karen

[ar1950]

Ar1950,

Honestly the problems on this ship extend further than an individual cabin or two. The air conditioning for the public areas is not working and the elevators are broken. The plumbing also has issues. The staff is completely disgruntled and openly discusses wanting to leave because the crew quarters are unbearably hot. This is not a simple glitch that affected a few staterooms! It is an old ship which requires a major overhaul! Perhaps they can straighten things out in August. I sincerely hope so for all fellow cruisers as well as the people who have to serve us! Happy Sails to all !

Karen

 

There you go. Now there is a discussion that would not have happened with only a review in the review section. Again, sorry it was a bad cruise, no one wants their vacation ruined. Every vacation needs to be a treasure. Glad we got more information. Thank you. :D

[cjknox]

I don't know about you guys but I'm eager to see the pictures.

 

Too bad you had a bad cruise and I hope the problems get rectified soon so that other people vacations are not ruined!

[Thorpe]

When in November are you going? I'll be on the 11th sailing out of Sydney.

same cruise....up to QLD and back, am looking forward to it :)

[Queenk2]

In spite of the issues we had a great vacation. People need to adapt. We ate our meals mostly in the horizon court, did not dress for dinner. Since the ship was quite warm we treated the vacation as informal. We sent many articles of clothing to the laundry. This was a very port intensive vacation and we were off the ship from very early in the am until evening . So the ship was really just a place to sleep. The activities you would do in the Caribbean were less important here. Honestly if we were using the ship more, it might have been a disaster. The played the same movies on multiple occasions .....little variety in activities. Trivia 3 times a day at sea. I would post pictures, but I am in the process of dealing with Princess now and need to save them for the powers that be. I will post later after things have been resolved!