Sun Princess - Original

[Wishing on a star]

I could swear that I heard/read that Crown Grill would have beef (some cut or another) from the Butcher's Block available.

But, now maybe it is just a special experiential dining event????

It will be interesting to see if this happens.

Somebody remind me...  Is the Butcher's Block operating now?

A petite woman like me can only consume so much beef...  So, the beef-extravaganza Butcher's Block is probably not for me.

 

After our last visit to CG..  on Regal, months ago...  Where I, and another person here who posted an actual photo of the bad steak... were very disappointed,  I will not be inclined to go back if there is not a better quality of beef available.

Edited March 4 by Wishing on a star

[jwattle]

8 minutes ago, Wishing on a star said:

I could swear that I heard/read that Crown Grill would have beef (some cut or another) from the Butcher's Block available.

But, now maybe it is just a special experiential dining event????

It will be interesting to see if this happens.

Somebody remind me...  Is the Butcher's Block operating now?

A petite woman like me can only consume so much beef...  So, the beef-extravaganza Butcher's Block is probably not for me.

 

After our last visit to CG..  on Regal, months ago...  Where I, and another person here who posted an actual photo of the bad steak... were very disappointed,  I will not be inclined to go back if there is not a better quality of beef available.

Butcher's Block is operating per CruiseDoctor

[Hobby3333]

1 hour ago, RoperDK said:

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears that the Signature and Reserve dining rooms have the same menus?  Also, the only real difference between these dining rooms and the MDR is primarily the rolling prime rib cart?  I would expect the Signature dining room to be on the same level as Laminae on Celebrity or Coastal Kitchen on Royal.  That is a major disappointment to me.  

When we sail HAL will always do Club Orange.   Not because the menu is that different but the level of service that we always received and not to mention a quieter atmosphere.   I have not cruised Princess yet but will sail her in July.   I am hoping Reserve dining will be equal to Club Orange.  Never a wait and that is important.   If it is at least equal I will be satisfied.  

[Pixelskaya]

2 hours ago, CatMom72 said:

Also, there will be no need to fight the MDR mobs; that alone is a huge benefit for me.

Ok time to open that Suite Life thread so you can vent there.

Sincerely,

The MDR mobs

[Pixelskaya]

1 hour ago, JimmyVWine said:

I'm [more than] a bit confused.  The chef (or is he a butcher?) who is heading up this partnership is Italian, with a famous butcher shop in Tuscany.  The Crown Grill is going to get a Chef's Dinner featuring a Florentine Steak from said chef/butcher.  But the Butcher's Block menu says at the bottom that all of the meat sourced for that restaurant comes from Spain. So is Princess tapping into this butcher's famous offerings at Butcher's Block, or is the chef/butcher merely adding his name to the operation?

That’s how we roll; nobody expects the Spanish beefquisition 😎🇪🇸

[JimmyVWine]

Just now, Pixelskaya said:

That’s how we roll; nobody expects the Spanish beefquisition 😎🇪🇸

Not complaining! I would expect it to be excellent.  Just confused as to why it is so important to associate with this Tuscan dude when the meat hails from Spain.  Now, if Butcher's Block could just load up on some Salamancan Jamon Iberico and a selection of Mencia wines, I'd be there every night!

[EDVM96]

2 hours ago, capriccio said:

Given that the ship's capacity is 4,300 (and that is assuming only 2 passengers per cabin so the number could increase considerably if the 3 and 4 passenger cabins were counted as such) more than half the passengers will miss the production shows and guest entertainers that are offered only twice on a single night.  I wonder if the show schedules will change.

This current cruise is sold out at around 3,7xx pax. Not the maximum number of beds limit the pax, its usually the number of seats in the lifeboats. So 4,300 is only theoretical.
 

And there are enough cruisers who just don't go to production shows.

I think capacity 1,000 is fine. Well let's see...

Edited March 4 by EDVM96

[kathy49]

3 hours ago, gah_cruise said:

Does anyone know of any vlogs and reviews that are posted of the inaugural cruise of the Sun Princess?
I can only find short snippets so far.

I think you will see more of the YT type of tours starting March 9 and March 14..they have invited some YT influencers to sail for 5 nights on each of those departures.

[nymshowdown]

3 hours ago, capriccio said:

Given that the ship's capacity is 4,300 (and that is assuming only 2 passengers per cabin so the number could increase considerably if the 3 and 4 passenger cabins were counted as such) more than half the passengers will miss the production shows and guest entertainers that are offered only twice on a single night.  I wonder if the show schedules will change.

Curious if they'll use The Dome for more than the few custom shows for the space, kind of how the Vista Lounge sometime has comedians/other performances. Also, really hope they use that space for the late night DJ. The other ships in the fleet that lack Skywalkers/Club 6 use The Piazza and it's a horrible venue for that 

[Chad_O]

5 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

I'm [more than] a bit confused.  The chef (or is he a butcher?) who is heading up this partnership is Italian, with a famous butcher shop in Tuscany.  The Crown Grill is going to get a Chef's Dinner featuring a Florentine Steak from said chef/butcher.  But the Butcher's Block menu says at the bottom that all of the meat sourced for that restaurant comes from Spain. So is Princess tapping into this butcher's famous offerings at Butcher's Block, or is the chef/butcher merely adding his name to the operation?

Dario is a butcher in Tuscany. He has been featured in many magazines and books. In one, (Heat by Anthony Bourdain maybe) he discussed raising his cattle herd in Italy but land cost and pasturage made it difficult so he moved it to Spain. The cows are put down in Spain and then trucked to Tuscany daily to be butchered. I don't see how any of his herd can be served onboard so it will be a partial experience but still very good I bet.n

[CatMom72]

5 hours ago, Wishing on a star said:

I could swear that I heard/read that Crown Grill would have beef (some cut or another) from the Butcher's Block available.

The original press release said that Crown Grill would offer Chef Cecchini’s specialty, bistecca fiorentina (Florentine steak).

[nasa1974]

8 hours ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

I have started a thread about the staterooms on the Sun and pinned it to the top.

Thank you.

[CaptainKirk]

9 hours ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

I have started a thread about the staterooms on the Sun and pinned it to the top.

thanks.

Edited March 5 by CaptainKirk

[JimmyVWine]

2 hours ago, Chad_O said:

Dario is a butcher in Tuscany. He has been featured in many magazines and books. In one, (Heat by Anthony Bourdain maybe) he discussed raising his cattle herd in Italy but land cost and pasturage made it difficult so he moved it to Spain. The cows are put down in Spain and then trucked to Tuscany daily to be butchered. I don't see how any of his herd can be served onboard so it will be a partial experience but still very good I bet.n

Thanks. I suppose his beef could be loaded on in both Barcelona and Rome. 

[dides]

Some different pizza and dessert offerings from Alfredo's on Sun Princess. (I wonder if they will still have pineapple available):

 

 

 

Edited March 5 by dides

[StevenW]

15 hours ago, Astro Flyer said:

For a ship that holds 700 more people than Royal-class ships the Arena appears to have fewer seats. It’ll be interesting to read about passengers experiences with finding seats when the Arena opens for performances.

 

 

I swear I read a reference here/somewhere several months ago, that the Sun Princess would run the production show 3 times per night in the Arena, at 6.30pm, 8.30pm, and 10.30pm.

 

If true, then this schedule (plus the other venues around the ship (eg the Dome) would be how Princess plan to cater for the nightly demand for entertainment. We'll have to wait and see.

[SouKnoMe]

13 hours ago, fpsphil said:

Reserve dining takes the stress out of the MDR... is it worth it if not getting a special/unique cabin... no but its a nice plus especially since on the Royal class we only book M6s

I find my preference is for specialty dining over MDR. And from the pictures shown so far I haven’t been impressed. This still does not address the fact that with the extra cost of the room and packages there’s no deck accommodations for this category “reserve”. What’s so special about it other than a no wait bland looking dining room. 
 

Please remember this will be my first experience with Princess and I’m just trying to understand what I’ve purchased. Thanks 

[Meldrum]

40 minutes ago, SouKnoMe said:

I find my preference is for specialty dining over MDR. And from the pictures shown so far I haven’t been impressed. This still does not address the fact that with the extra cost of the room and packages there’s no deck accommodations for this category “reserve”. What’s so special about it other than a no wait bland looking dining room. 
 

Please remember this will be my first experience with Princess and I’m just trying to understand what I’ve purchased. Thanks 

The Reserve restaurant does indeed look a bit austere in daylight, but the atmosphere can be a lot different and more pleasant in the evening, with warm and appropriate lighting. Most importantly, this restaurant will be calmer, more intimate and quieter than the main restaurant. If, in addition, the service is more attentive and the menu choice is more extensive, then it is worth an upgrade to a Silver collection mini suite for us.

[colsky]

4 hours ago, dides said:

Some different pizza and dessert offerings from Alfredo's on Sun Princess. (I wonder if they will still have pineapple available):

 

Thanks, looks good!

 

Does anyone know if the set meal cover charge (we have the premier package) includes the special pizzas, or just the cheaper ones?

[CalTexCruiser]

2 hours ago, SouKnoMe said:

I find my preference is for specialty dining over MDR. And from the pictures shown so far I haven’t been impressed. This still does not address the fact that with the extra cost of the room and packages there’s no deck accommodations for this category “reserve”. What’s so special about it other than a no wait bland looking dining room. 
 

Please remember this will be my first experience with Princess and I’m just trying to understand what I’ve purchased. Thanks 

 

The only real benefit of Reserve class is the dining room (and better room location).  

 

If you prefer specialty dining, then Reserve class makes less sense.

 

I would pay for a Reserve class mini-suite if it is around $10 pp per day extra; otherwise, I'll pass.  YMMV.

 

If you want special deck accommodations, then book the S9 signature suites (sized the same as mini-suites).

 

 

[Steelers36]

38 minutes ago, colsky said:

 

Thanks, looks good!

 

Does anyone know if the set meal cover charge (we have the premier package) includes the special pizzas, or just the cheaper ones?

The special pizzas are an upcharge for all.  I don't see why Sun would be any different than other ships.

[Boreal]

On 3/3/2024 at 1:41 PM, Cdude said:

Can someone on board please tell us how the temperature is on board? It’s going to be in the 60’s as a high next week, so I was not planning on taking shorts. If the boat is warm, I will revisit that plan.

 

TIA!

I found it almost to warm on the first days but that may be because i was in Civitavechia for two days with temperatures around 12(Celsius). Now i am comfortable in t-shirt and thin pants. 

[Steelers36]

14 hours ago, EDVM96 said:

This current cruise is sold out at around 3,7xx pax. Not the maximum number of beds limit the pax, its usually the number of seats in the lifeboats. So 4,300 is only theoretical.
 

And there are enough cruisers who just don't go to production shows.

I think capacity 1,000 is fine. Well let's see...

The regular capacity is 4,300 (nbr of staterooms x 2).  It is not a theoretical number.  They will have lifeboat capacity for that number plus crew.  What becomes optional is the number of extra passengers added to cabins that can handle extras when possible.

[TRLD]

20 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

The regular capacity is 4,300 (nbr of staterooms x 2).  It is not a theoretical number.  They will have lifeboat capacity for that number plus crew.  What becomes optional is the number of extra passengers added to cabins that can handle extras when possible.

normal capacity 4320, full capacity is 5189.

 

The biggest issue with additional passengers is that life boat capacity is by zone. It is possible, and sometimes occurs where a given zone is maxed out, even though the ship is not a full capacity in total, preventing additional passengers in that zone.

 

The lifeboat capacity is not enough for passengers and crew. Probably enough for normal passengers. However a lot of the ships life saving capacity is in inflatable rafts. If a ship ever had to be fully evacuated highly likely some passengers and the majority of the crew would be in rafts.

 

Cruise ships must have enough lifeboats to provide 37.5% of passenger and crew capacity on each side for a total of 75%. The remaining 25% go into rafts.

Edited March 5 by TRLD

[Steelers36]

12 minutes ago, TRLD said:

normal capacity 4320, full capacity is 5189.

 

The biggest issue with additional passengers is that life boat capacity is by zone. It is possible, and sometimes occurs where a given zone is maxed out, even though the ship is not a full capacity in total, preventing additional passengers in that zone.

Where are you getting the handful of extra cabins from?

 

Guests 4,300     Crew 1,600                           Inaugural Cruise 2024

Guest Cabins: 2150

Number of Decks: 21

Tonnage: 175,500

Length: 1133 feet

Edited March 5 by Steelers36