Sun Princess - Original

[dides]

Video showing more of the Signature Lounge and Signature Restaurant - and a quick glimpse of a long MDR line at 7:30pm

 

 

[mrell345]

21 hours ago, startedwithamouse said:

I expect to see Eleven walking with Papa down that tunnel

Does that balcony come with garage door opener?

[AtlantaCruiser72]

5 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

Love the gangway button.  How many times have we gotten in an elevator and debated which deck the gangway was on that day?

 

I wonder where the elevator takes you if you mash the gangway button on a sea day?????  LOL

 

Somehow I have visons of "this" happening!

[h20skibum]

24 minutes ago, dides said:

and a quick glimpse of a long MDR line at 7:30pm

Is that line at 6, 7, or 8?  Isn’t deck 6 traditional, set dining, 7 My time with reservations, and 8 walk up?

 

Has anyone posted how any of those are working, or if they were able to book on the app?

[CruizinSusan70]

On 2/28/2024 at 5:28 AM, StevenW said:

 

Hmmm. I still can't book the MDR for my 8Jun cruise; so perhaps they've only opened up MDR reservations through until 31May at this stage.

 

I thought that unless you had Elite status you couldn't make MDR reservations until after final payment. Have you done this yet?

[CruizinSusan70]

On 2/28/2024 at 8:48 AM, cynbar said:

I just looked at the Deck 8 American Diner menu, which apparently doesn't change all cruise. Yikes. I might enjoy that style of food occasionally, but not on a regular basis. Is Deck 8 the one that is only walk up? We were thinking of going that route, but not if we're faced with American diner food on a regular basis. 

You always have the choice of doing deck 6, which I believe is 530 or 800 old fashioned set seating or any time dining with or without reservations on deck 7.

[beg3yrs]

1 hour ago, Jemnibabe02 said:

Seeing no stairs in the piazza any longer, I guess that means the elevator to get from one floor to the other for the piazza???

Stairs are in the aft end of the Piazza on the port and starboard sides. Most Piazza photos I've seen are looking forward.

[PescadoAmarillo]

4 hours ago, watsongt said:

I currently have sphere cabin on 15 booked for August. Hoping since its higher on the sphere, the balconies won't be as deep. 

Not a sentiment often seen on Cruise Critic. Innovation points for the Sun!

[CatMom72]

58 minutes ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

I thought that unless you had Elite status you couldn't make MDR reservations until after final payment. Have you done this yet?

I am Elite and paid in full.  I still can’t book any restaurants for my June cruise.

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

5 minutes ago, CatMom72 said:

I am Elite and paid in full.  I still can’t book any restaurants for my June cruise.

Your Elite status means nothing. Booking dinner reservations is about how close you are to sailing. New ship with completely new dinning venues means it’s not the same process. 

[CatMom72]

6 minutes ago, Sox Fan Cruiser said:

Your Elite status means nothing. Booking dinner reservations is about how close you are to sailing. New ship with completely new dinning venues means it’s not the same process. 

Agree.  I was correcting the previous poster’s assumption that being Elite or paid in full makes a difference in terms of ability to make reservations.  It doesn’t…at least not in this case.

[StevenW]

1 hour ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

I thought that unless you had Elite status you couldn't make MDR reservations until after final payment. Have you done this yet?

 

I'm Elite, and I paid the full balance about a month ago.

Based on what others have said, I believe the Sun Princess MDR bookings are being treated differently to the rest of the fleet, until the Sun settles into a routine.

Hopefully I'll be able to make those bookings from Mar8th (3mths out from my Jun8th sailing)

[Ellipooh]

I kinda like the window seat/reading nook shown on the OV cabin 

 

I absolutely love the cabanas in the Sanctuary, I could easily spend the week there and never move, but still haven’t seen pricing. The rest of the Sanctuary is quite … underwhelming. So much that I probably would forgo entirely and spend that money on a nicer cabin. 

 

I’m going to miss the spiral staircases in the Piazza just from a practical standpoint, to move between the decks. 
 

The lounges in the Sphere are lovely, but I can’t imagine the chaos that will likely occur each morning as folks stake their claims. 

[StevenW]

3 hours ago, Jemnibabe02 said:

Seeing no stairs in the piazza any longer, I guess that means the elevator to get from one floor to the other for the piazza???

 

(my duplicate comment removed)

Edited March 1 by StevenW

[StevenW]

On 2/29/2024 at 11:51 AM, CDNCruiser55 said:

Is it just me or do others have concerns that Princess ruined the Piazza, something that helped define them as classic and yet casual cruise line. From the videos and pictures I have seen the traditional circular Princess stairs are gone. The whole Piazza is a circular and uniform lacking any classic style and they have added massive flat panel screens. The new tiered seating on the upper levels does provide more seating area to view the Piazza shows but it is pretty bland bench seating lacking any sort of elegance of a traditional Princess Piazza. It doesn't look welcoming or relaxing at all. Hope it is different in person.

Pictures from and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8mJVJRy-gI&t=28s and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bp_4zTeOpc

 

 

 

 

 

 

I respectfully disagree. I think the enlarged piazza is a wonderful improvement !

 

In my experience on other princess ships, whenever some event/performance is on in the piazza, dozens of passengers gather around the balustrade/balconies around the piazza watching. There is only limited amount of standing space around these balconies (including with some of that perimeter space taken up by those traditional staircases), so often people are two-people deep watching the performance. I'm often standing behind someone to watch.

 

And not everyone wants/can stand up to watch the performance/event, and there is traditionally very limited seating space around the area. I welcome the new tiered bench seating to rest / listen / watch!

 

I welcome this enlarged piazza, creating a larger performance space, and for more varied acts, and with this much larger viewing area around the larger perimeter. (plus the new views out to sea from some areas of the piazza perimeter)

[Geoffa30]

6 hours ago, dides said:

Video showing more of the Signature Lounge and Signature Restaurant - and a quick glimpse of a long MDR line at 7:30pm

 

 

Thanks for sharing. Still no confirmation on whether the menu is the same. I did see a Filet Mignon on the one that was posted higher up in the thread. The breakfast menu certainly looked extensive too so I’m holding out hope that it is better at least.

 

[Geoffa30]

Anyone feel that the double height glass wall on the ‘promenade’ deck is to stop people ‘falling’ overboard? With all other decks with the lower rail, there appears to be another deck below so if someone were to fall, this would be onto the deck rather than the water.

[LittleTinker]

13 hours ago, GK95 said:

 

It is! Here's the blurb from the press release: 
 

Royal Afternoon Tea with Royal Chef Darren McGrady

Chef Darren McGrady, personal chef to Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana, Prince William and Harry, plus serving five U.S. presidents - leads a sophisticated Royal Afternoon Tea with Sun Princess guests in the Good Spirits at Sea Lounge. Chef McGrady shares his experiences and stories via visual media, interacting with the live host while guests enjoy a spot of tea and the traditional fixings of scones with clotted cream and jam, tea sandwiches, cookies and pastries. Tea pairings include Earl Grey and English Breakfast, along with more exotic varieties like Lapsang Souchong, Assam and Matcha, and guests may request a glass of bubbly for an added charge. Priced at $30 per person, Royal Afternoon Tea is offered on select sea days and can be reserved in advance.

Afternoon tea is always a delight but unfortunately, on ships, you never get proper cake.
And cookies? Never part of afternoon tea!

 

[mofurd]

18 hours ago, PensFan1028 said:

We are on the 5/25 sailing out of Athens and can't wait!

 

Me too! A few others are in the roll call thread as well.  See you there! 

[dog]

14 hours ago, jwattle said:

I'm noticing a trend: many of the people NOT on the ship are wailing and gnashing their teeth about the things on the ship that they haven't even seen in person, but the people who ARE on the ship seem delighted with the ship. WEIRD! 😂

Cheers to those on the ship!!🥂

Oh, but you have not read the fb posts of those on the Sun now. It is both, I am afraid.

Gerrilyn who is a fb friend just met John P. At the International Cafe this morning. He reads her posts, as well.

Feedback should be given - both positive & negative, I believe.

[petez]

Hi,

 

Any photos of an actual Mini Suite ?

 

Thanks

[h20skibum]

7 hours ago, StevenW said:

 

I'm Elite, and I paid the full balance about a month ago.

Based on what others have said, I believe the Sun Princess MDR bookings are being treated differently to the rest of the fleet, until the Sun settles into a routine.

Hopefully I'll be able to make those bookings from Mar8th (3mths out from my Jun8th sailing)

According to this excerpt from a Princess press release, it appears you can only book if you are on the first three sailings.  

———————-

 

Sun Princess guests sailing on the first three cruises can now book dining reservations in Horizons Dining Room, Sabatini’s, Crown Grill, Kai Sushi by Makoto, The Butcher’s Block by Dario, The Catch by Rudi, Umai Teppanyaki and Umai Hot Pot. In the coming weeks, all guests sailing on upcoming Sun Princess voyages will be able to book additional dining experiences.

 

“With its unrivaled blend of creativity, quality, choice, and expertise, Sun Princess will set a new standard for food and beverage excellence,” said John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises. “Food and drink excellence is synonymous with experience excellence aboard Princess ships.”

 

Delectable dishes are found throughout the magnificent new ship, with an astonishing selection of 30 new and signature dining and lounge options offering everything savory journeys and entertaining eats to sumptuous sips and satisfying snacks. Not to be outshined, Sun Princess elevates the main dining room experience with a three-story Horizons restaurant boasting stunning aft views that serve as the perfect backdrop for unforgettable dining moments. The restaurant gives guests the ultimate flexibility when it comes to their dining preferences by offering three dining options - traditional seating with two dedicated dining times nightly (Deck 6), reservations and open seating (Deck 7) or anytime dining/no reservations (deck 8).

[Pixelskaya]

Have any pics or videos of the gym been posted? 🏋🏻‍♀️

[555]

Is there a MT luncheon on this cruise? 

[HiramDylan]

Fincantieri Company workers in the Dome still finishing off the ship.

 

Edited March 1 by HiramDylan