New Princess Sphere class ships?

[danceswithphones]

I last sailed in an OS on the Sky after two sailings in a PH on the Celebrity Constellation. OS didn't have a dining table and wasn't really set up for in-room dining. I missed the butler. Cushions wouldn't stay on the couch so we picnicked in the floor. You get what you pay for so I sail on the Celebrity Beyond, in an 'upper suite', in November. Pricey but I love the 'ship within a ship' concept. I won't be a bother to the non-Retreat guests. 

[HleeCruiser]

On 9/15/2022 at 12:56 AM, ekka49 said:

We have sailed on all the Sun Class ships, while they were in the Princess fleet.

We are now lucky to have the Coral Princess in Australia. 

We have 6 cruises booked on the Coral Princess.

We sailed on the original Sun Princess in mid-80's.  It was 17,000 tons.  Pretty beat up at the time but the food and service were head and shoulders above current offerings.  Formal night was just that - formal with gloved wait staff and French service.  Tableside prep every night.  Truly an experience not found on Princess today.  PS Everyone dressed formally.  Either a tux or dark suit and tie for the gents and cocktail dresses for the ladies.  Some wore long gowns.  I miss the old days.

 

[sloopsailor]

17 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

This is exactly the right "math".  Providing luxury should be a zero sum game.  Upgrade some people while keeping other people level to where they were.  But when a restaurant decides that it now wants to serve A5 Wagyu steak, it should be free to do so for those who want to pay for it.  But when the restaurant takes the regular ribeye off the menu in order to add the more expensive cut, the general public suffers the consequence.  Or, if the restaurant used to stock 20 regular ribeyes a night and then cuts that back to 5 to make room in the fridge for the Wagyu, that too causes the general public to suffer the consequences. 

 

One of the reasons my wife and I got hooked on cruising were the public areas with front facing views, especially enjoyable when transiting a narrow waterway like the Stockholm Archipelago, or leaving Amsterdam, or passing under a famous bridge like the Golden Gate, or even the Panama Canal. Having both outdoor decks and indoor lounge viewing was a major plus for us, as we could enjoy the view regardless of weather. 

 

With many of the newer ships, those forward looking views are reserved for suite guests or up-charge Sanctuary like areas. This is more of the money grab being done to satisfy the wealthier passengers at the disadvantage of the regulars passengers. A trend we don't appreciate at all. It's like the epidemic of "Lexus Lanes" being constructed in our state - regular motorway lanes once used by everyone being converted to expensive toll lanes that wealthier people can more easily afford. 

 

Edited September 16, 2022 by sloopsailor

[Cruise frenzy]

20 minutes ago, firefighter4u said:

instead of building new ships, they should focus on staffing the ones they have and provide better entertainment on board.. IMO.

I agree with you 100%.  We look forward to cruising, then 3 weeks before the cruise, it’s cancelled — reason is lack of crew.  Then, we wait for more cancellations as the holidays approach.  Adequately staff the ships now in operation before building new ships.

[HBCcruiser]

27 minutes ago, CalTexCruiser said:

 

Thanks.  I also wonder if the suites will have butlers.

 

Princess is going to have to up its game to match suite offerings from the likes of Celebrity and NCL.

I agree. Especially if the prices are similar.

[c-boy]

21 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

This is exactly the right "math".  Providing luxury should be a zero sum game.  Upgrade some people while keeping other people level to where they were.  But when a restaurant decides that it now wants to serve A5 Wagyu steak, it should be free to do so for those who want to pay for it.  But when the restaurant takes the regular ribeye off the menu in order to add the more expensive cut, the general public suffers the consequence.  Or, if the restaurant used to stock 20 regular ribeyes a night and then cuts that back to 5 to make room in the fridge for the Wagyu, that too causes the general public to suffer the consequences. 

I'm having difficulty grasping how 3% will have an effect on ribeye inventory 🤣

[clueless2]

The past is the future.  The future is the past.

Edited September 16, 2022 by clueless2

[danceswithphones]

4 minutes ago, clueless2 said:

The past is the future.  The future is the past.

Could be worse...

On Celebrity, the Retreat may only be accessed by the suite holders.

On the Beyond, that includes all of Deck 17. 

[SantaFeFan]

2 hours ago, 5:00_Somewhere said:

It does seem to share a few features that are at least somewhat similar to the P&O Iona: the "inset" and "bump out" cabin layout on the sides of the ship; the "bump out" for in the center of the ship, including the atrium; the covered "conservatory" (though in a different location); the general openness and glass in the atrium; and the cabana balcony cabins.

 

 

The photo of Iona shows a glass covered area similar to the "dome" that was pretty heavily touted in the reveal, even with words to the effect that the Sun Princess was the first. 

Edited September 16, 2022 by SantaFeFan

[FLAlaska]

This ship has supposedly 21 decks. Great take a deck and dedicate it to those that want to pay for it. But don't take away the other decks for everyone else.  I have no issue with additions, its when they take away from one to give to only those that will pay that it bothers me.

 

But this seems to be happening everyhwere, from cruise ships to Disney to airplanes....

[Steelers36]

That had to be the lamest, most amateurish thing I have seen Princess do.  Jan must have been ready to throw up (I know I was).  I may have seen the hostess on another video, but she was just OTT ridiculous like she was huckstering something.  They showed NOTHING until the short video.  For me it was a lot of fluff hullabaloo without any real substance to get invested in.  I assume it was an audience of mostly south FL TA's???

 

Whatever..........  

[HBCcruiser]

7 minutes ago, danceswithphones said:

Could be worse...

On Celebrity, the Retreat may only be accessed by the suite holders.

On the Beyond, that includes all of Deck 17. 

Or the new NCL Prima where most of the ship's aft is dedicated to the Haven Suites. This includes having private restricted elevators and deck areas. https://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/prima

[SantaFeFan]

8 minutes ago, FLAlaska said:

This ship has supposedly 21 decks. Great take a deck and dedicate it to those that want to pay for it. But don't take away the other decks for everyone else.  I have no issue with additions, its when they take away from one to give to only those that will pay that it bothers me.

 

But this seems to be happening everyhwere, from cruise ships to Disney to airplanes....

 

In my area we now have restaurants with desirable views that charge extra for a table in that "exclusive" section. 

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, c-boy said:

I did hear a statement that there are twenty (nine) different dining venues. I'm good with the new approach taken. Curious about final deck plans.

No disrespect, but if a guest normally books suite accommodation, I would think they'd be in heaven over this new ship, as long as don't mind paying even more compared to other ships in the fleet.  I think it's the 87% that are wondering about what their experience might be like.

[CineGraphic]

2 hours ago, c-boy said:

I did hear a statement that there are twenty (nine) different dining venues.

 

Think Food Court, and it's not as impressive.

[danceswithphones]

2 minutes ago, HBCcruiser said:

CL Prima where most of the ship's aft is dedicated to the Haven Suites.

Princess is playing catch-up. On Celebrity, the Retreat suites sell out first and the 'upper level' (Royal Suite and above) go the quickest. We are in an Edge Villa on the Beyond for November. 

[c-boy]

1 minute ago, Steelers36 said:

No disrespect, but if a guest normally books suite accommodation, I would think they'd be in heaven over this new ship, as long as don't mind paying even more compared to other ships in the fleet.  I think it's the 87% that are wondering about what their experience might be like.

I'm thinkin' they'll be catered to as 87% are a majority paying for operations of the ship 

[c-boy]

2 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

 

Think Food Court, and it's not as impressive.

aww come on ! it's too early,  we don't know what we're gonna get.  

[HBCcruiser]

According to this article the ship WILL still have Crooners and Alfredo's. 😄

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/28273-next-princess-ship-set-to-be-named-sun-princess-debut-spring-2024.html

[5:00_Somewhere]

1 hour ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

The photo of Iona shows a glass covered area similar to the "dome" that was pretty heavily touted in the reveal, even with words to the effect that the Sun Princess was the first. 

Yes, the ships' features are not identical by any means, but I do see some definite similarities, which does make some sense from a design and innovation cost perspective. They'll always "spin" things to emphasize purported "firsts". 

[5:00_Somewhere]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

That had to be the lamest, most amateurish thing I have seen Princess do.  Jan must have been ready to throw up (I know I was).  I may have seen the hostess on another video, but she was just OTT ridiculous like she was huckstering something.  They showed NOTHING until the short video.  For me it was a lot of fluff hullabaloo without any real substance to get invested in.  I assume it was an audience of mostly south FL TA's???

 

Whatever..........  

 

I agree. Very lame, and the balloon at the end .... 🙄

Edited September 16, 2022 by 5:00_Somewhere

[cruisingrob21]

1 hour ago, Geoffa30 said:

Disappointed to see the new cruises are not yet online to view. We’re Elite so could phone to book but really only want to see the details as we’ll be in South America with Viking during the three inaugural cruises.

Yeah TA's can see the voyages but since the deck plans were up, but now removed, its hard to give guidance about which cabin to book.

 

Princess could have saved a lot of money by putting all the publicity money into web videos.  That's how most were watching it anyway.

[vjmatty]

Let’s hope having 21 decks means the restricted areas will truly be an addition and won’t be at the expense of public areas for us commoners lol

[cruzsnooze]

There's a golden Rule....................He with the Gold Rules

That's what Princess is doing and for revenue.

I agree that if you don't like the price structure and it's a bit high for a mass market line look to a smaller more inclusive line.

 Some features of this new class sound like they're c trying to compete with NCL's Haven.

If the high end cabins don't have a reserved area seating for the shows I won't bother sailing on this new ship. 

[JimmyVWine]

38 minutes ago, c-boy said:

I'm having difficulty grasping how 3% will have an effect on ribeye inventory 🤣

Not that difficult of a concept.  Take the Sanctuary as an example.  There will be a "Signature" area within the Sanctuary.  We don't yet know how that will work.  But let's assume that among typical Sanctuary bookers, there is a consensus that certain lounger locations are preferred, and that there are 50 such loungers.  People scramble on departure day, falling all over themselves to get one of these 50.  And if they can't get one of these, there are 30 more that are solid second choice.  Not as good, but they'll do.  The remaining loungers are better than nothing, but not all that special.  Now suppose that the 3% (60 cabins, for a total of roughly 120 people) are allocated all of the 80 best loungers described above as part of their special section.  BOOM!  Your ribeye inventory is now affected.  Your usual Sanctuary booker who locks in a space during B2B cruises, and those who scramble up to the Sun Deck on departure day all of a sudden become #121+ in line as there are 120 "virtual" people ahead of them each and every time.  Their days of getting the plum loungers is over.  The very simple and predictable result of increasing demand without increasing supply, and then allocating the existing supply in an inequitable manner.  (Inequitable in terms of "effort to obtain" and past procedure, as opposed to inequitable based on $$$.)  At some point, giving someone a large balcony, and giving them teak furniture, and then on top of that giving them a plum location in the Sanctuary is going to have an impact downstream.  It has to.