LIVE from the SUN Princess - 9 Mar 2024 - 10-Day Mediterranean - Second Voyage

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, phabric said:

On the Sky in Feb, I asked if we could use 1 casual credit at Alfredo’s for 2 people.  It seemed he was used to being asked. Each ship might be different, so ask when you check in to be seated.

But you didn't tell everyone what his answer was!  (I know you posted this before in some other thread).

[Osa J]

What's the "word on the ship" for which specialty restaurant is the best one?  I have a free voucher for 1 specialty restaurant and want to make it good!!

[phabric]

4 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

But you didn't tell everyone what his answer was!  (I know you posted this before in some other thread).

We did not have to swipe our Medallion.  He wrote down our cabin number and charged 1 credit to one of us.

 

We used 1 casual credit for 2 - we shared the salad, pizza and ordered 1 dessert but he gave us 2 desserts.

 

Another lunch, we again used 1 casual credit for 2.

 

[CanadianBurger]

42 minutes ago, dog said:

I thought there was to be a daily prime rib carving station in the Reserve & Signature restaurants. Only seen one passenger post there was not.

No prime rib cart anywhere, according to our headwaiter. 

[CanadianBurger]

37 minutes ago, Osa J said:

What's the "word on the ship" for which specialty restaurant is the best one?  I have a free voucher for 1 specialty restaurant and want to make it good!!

I’ve heard good things about Umai from other passengers. And it’s unique. 

[Globaler]

2 minutes ago, CanadianBurger said:

I’ve heard good things about Umai from other passengers. And it’s unique. 

I know it has two seatings but what is the capacity for one seating.

[Lastdance]

I have really been enjoying your review, especially all the details and photos.  I don’t do the Caribbean, so Europe is totally me!  I have never cruised with Princess, but feel it has a lot to offer families on this new ship, Sun Princess.  I usually cruise Celebrity, but am trying Oceania because of its itinerary and being a small ship.  Celebrity, after all these years, has taken a turn for very high pricing, along with shoreside issues that have left me disappointed.  IMHO, a little too much of a money-grab and not following its own rules due to so many changes and new-hires.  However,  Princess is a little too closed-in for me, but I see many reasons why it would be a great fit for others.  Every line has its pros and cons, but I do like your itinerary, even though I have been to all these place several times; Europe just has so much to offer.  The food photos look wonderful and you are in Europe, so what’s not to like!!!!!  This review was exactly what I was looking for, as I have a friend who only does Princess.  Her nickname is also...you guessed it!

 

Thank You!😀

Edited March 16 by Lastdance

[DaisyRose]

My cruise is not for more than a year.  I am disappointed that O'Malley's is only open for dinner, especially since I splurged for premier and have casual dining available to me.  I find that the dining room and buffet are always so crowded at lunch time on sea days.  Since it's only open for dinner, I would miss a nice dinner in the dining room for pub fare.  If anyone on board feels the same way as I do, wishing O'Malley's was open for lunch on sea days, would you please mention that on your post cruise survey?  If enough people mention it, maybe they will change it and open it for lunch on sea days.  Thanks so much!  And Thanks to Canadian Burger for a most wonderful Live From.  I've enjoyed all your posts and pictures!  Your pictures and commentary make me wish I was going on the ship tomorrow!  Don't know if I can wait another year and a half!

[kamelia]

4 hours ago, voljeep said:

can 2 people share the $14.99 casual meal, then add another starter?

 

4 hours ago, phabric said:

On the Sky in Feb, I asked if we could use 1 casual credit at Alfredo’s for 2 people.  It seemed he was used to being asked. Each ship might be different, so ask when you check in to be seated.

 

2 hours ago, phabric said:

We did not have to swipe our Medallion.  He wrote down our cabin number and charged 1 credit to one of us.

 

We used 1 casual credit for 2 - we shared the salad, pizza and ordered 1 dessert but he gave us 2 desserts.

 

Another lunch, we again used 1 casual credit for 2.

 

It does seem to vary by ship.  On Sapphire in January we were told that two people dining in Alfredo's would equal two casual credits, whether we ordered one to pizza to share or one pizza for each. 🤷‍♂️

[CruizinSusan70]

13 hours ago, Pixelskaya said:

45.00 + 18% gratuity for 6 cocktails is not a bad deal.

My problem with Spellbound is I don’t want to have dinner there in front of a magician, I just want to try the bar.

True, but if you have the Plus package your drinks are already included.  Regarding Spellbound, extremely disappointed it's got a dinner attached to it.  Drinks and show for 39 is what I was hoping.  352 for two after gratuity because dinner is factored in makes it a big no from us.

[CanadianBurger]

3 hours ago, dog said:

I thought there was to be a daily prime rib carving station in the Reserve & Signature restaurants. Only seen one passenger post there was not.

Well, apparently our headwaiter doesn’t know what’s up with the carving trolley, since it was on the Signature menu (in the app at least). 
 

 

[CruizinSusan70]

9 hours ago, chamima said:

 

So I remember the question being asked if the menus were the same in all three restaurants but i don't remember @CanadianBurger or anyone else answering it.

When you ask about all three restaurants are you meaning reserve, signature and main or deck 6, deck 7 and deck 8 of MDR?

[chamima]

15 minutes ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

When you ask about all three restaurants are you meaning reserve, signature and main or deck 6, deck 7 and deck 8 of MDR?

 

I meant Reserve, Signature and Main.

It seems Reserve and Main are pretty much the same menu so now just wondering about the Signature.

 

(And I have to say, while we like most things on Princess better, the dining situation on Celebrity really IS much better. The menus in MDR, Blu (Aqua class) and Luminae (suites) are totally different from each other.)

[CanadianBurger]

The food at O’Malley’s was outstanding. I’ve missed the Scotch Egg from the pub lunch in recent years, and it was every bit as good as I remember. The steak and Guinness pie was hearty and flavorful, and the fish and chips were also wonderful. The fish was nice and crispy. The Irish Onion Soup was leagues above the abomination served in the dining room, with one exception. The cheese appeared to be American. Real cheddar would have made it perfect. I heartily recommend the food. 
 

That said, the service was a hot mess. A waiter came at 5:25 to take our food order. Five minutes later a second waiter came to do the same. Maybe I’m used to the speed of the pub lunch, but the soup and scotch egg took almost half an hour to arrive. 20 minutes later, a waiter asked what we’d like for dessert. We hadn’t got our mains yet, and we had already ordered dessert at the beginning. An hour after ordering, we asked what was up. One waiter asked what we ordered, and another came to apologize. It wasn’t just us; I saw two other tables give up and leave before getting mains. We then got asked a third time what we wanted for dessert. While waiting for it, a different waiter asked us for the fourth time what our dessert order was. 
 

It’s a good thing the excellent quality of the food was enough to redeem the poor service. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

[cynbar]

CB (also my initials, by the way), inquiring minds want to know, and this will be easy to check. Don't know if you've seen the other thread, but does your cabin have a retractible clothesline in the shower? Packing for these longer European jaunts is something of a challenge! Thanks in advance for checking, by the way, and thank you once again for taking time out of your vacation to do this thread for us.

Edited March 16 by cynbar
Autocorrect got me again

[CanadianBurger]

The show tonight in The Arena was the comedian Goronwy Thom. This was, without a doubt, the best comedic act I’ve seen in years. He had the entire theatre in stitches for a solid fifty minutes. Lots of audience participation and physical gags. Not just a guy with a mike telling jokes. He’s got another show tomorrow in the Piazza and I’ll be sure to attend. 

[CruizinSusan70]

5 hours ago, phabric said:

On the Sky in Feb, I asked if we could use 1 casual credit at Alfredo’s for 2 people.  It seemed he was used to being asked. Each ship might be different, so ask when you check in to be seated.

I will add that if they do indeed allow you to use a plus credit, any extra additions will be subjected to the additional 18% gratuity.  

[CanadianBurger]

2 minutes ago, cynbar said:

CB (also my initials, by the way), inquiring minds want to know, and this will be easy to check. Don't know if you've seen the other thread, but does your cabin have a retractible clothesline in the shower? Packing for these longer European jaunts is something of a challenge! Thanks in advance for checking, by the way, and thank you once again for taking time out of your vacation to do this thread for us.

Yes, it absolutely does! And it’s long enough to be useful!

 

[dides]

deleted - duplicate

Edited March 16 by dides

[Globaler]

If you have had any meat options in the MDR - how has the quality of beef been?

[CruizinSusan70]

1 hour ago, DaisyRose said:

My cruise is not for more than a year.  I am disappointed that O'Malley's is only open for dinner, especially since I splurged for premier and have casual dining available to me.  I find that the dining room and buffet are always so crowded at lunch time on sea days.  Since it's only open for dinner, I would miss a nice dinner in the dining room for pub fare.  If anyone on board feels the same way as I do, wishing O'Malley's was open for lunch on sea days, would you please mention that on your post cruise survey?  If enough people mention it, maybe they will change it and open it for lunch on sea days.  Thanks so much!  And Thanks to Canadian Burger for a most wonderful Live From.  I've enjoyed all your posts and pictures!  Your pictures and commentary make me wish I was going on the ship tomorrow!  Don't know if I can wait another year and a half!

Much can possibly change over the next 18 months.  You do have another included option for lunch on sea days and that would be the American Diner on deck 8.

[CruizinSusan70]

44 minutes ago, chamima said:

 

I meant Reserve, Signature and Main.

It seems Reserve and Main are pretty much the same menu so now just wondering about the Signature.

 

(And I have to say, while we like most things on Princess better, the dining situation on Celebrity really IS much better. The menus in MDR, Blu (Aqua class) and Luminae (suites) are totally different from each other.)

Yes, but you're looking at the comparison from the point of view of those that stay in suites.  If you look at it from the point of view of those staying on board in inside, Oceanview and regular balconies, which is a much larger quantity of cruisers, it's a whole different comparison.  The Sphere Class does have the three different types of dining on decks 6, 7 & 8.  On Celebrity's Edge Class, traditional dining has been eliminated and they don't have anything comparable to the American Diner.

As usual, one's perspective is skewed upon the type of accomodations that you're staying in.

[CanadianBurger]

Rant time…

 

If you’re taking video in a show, LEARN HOW TO TURN THE FLASH OFF! We don’t need your phone’s light shining at everybody. It’s not lighting up anything 50 feet away anyway. Especially in The Arena where you’re directly across from other people. Some lady in the front row tonight had it on. Enough people started complaining that the comedian worked it into his act and tried to take the phone away from her. THREE times. 
 

…rant over. 

[CanadianBurger]

Reserve menu tonight. I asked why no filet tonight when it’s always been on the favorites. Waiter seemed surprised it wasn’t there, and said that if I wanted it, I could have it. 
 

I was still full from O’Malley’s, and just had the spaghetti. It was excellent. 
 

 

 

 

 

[CanadianBurger]

Wow! 800 posts! Biggest Live I’ve ever done. My maiden 7-day on the Majestic only had 323. Wonder if we can hit a thousand…

Edited March 16 by CanadianBurger