Sun Princess Showing Age, Wear and Tear

[psupa]

My TA emailed and said we have been upgraded to a BA and do I want to take it. Since we had a BC Qty. and I only booked 5 days ago, I think I'll take the upgrade to the BA on Riviera. Looking at the layout, it sure looks to be convenient to the Horizon Court and pool area. I'm looking forward to cruising on the Sun Princess. We have sailed on the Golden and Caribbean Princess, but I'm looking forward to a smaller ship. As far as comments about the Sun looking worn, the ship is 10 years old so it will show signs of wear. That doesn't bother me in the least.

[Opinions]

Are we not supposed to notice that it's swm54's first post?

 

What difference does it make that it's a first post...Because one has many posts doesn't make them more or less knowledgeable about cruising...We all had our first post at one time...

[chrysalis]

SMW54...what I said was "can be had".....if someone books an inside cabin, with the recently offered $100pp credit, the 10 day cruise can be had for just over $80/day plus tips.

 

 

marc

[Coral]

I sailed on the Sun Princess almost 2 years ago - I was expecting a ship showing some signs of age. When I got on the ship - she looked practically new, I couldn't believe it. When I spoke to some crew, they told me the ship had been dry docked right after the Alaskan season (3 months earlier).

 

I wouldn't worry if the ship is showing some worn areas - once she comes back from dry dock, she will look brand new.

[bdjam]

I sailed on Sun Princess in March 2004 and there was no rust, no chipped marble anywhere and no signs of wear and tear. They were replacing cabin hallway carpets when I was on board and the only difference I could see from the old and the new was a slight fading of the old. And I was particularly looking for signs of aging.

 

I can’t understand how she would become such a mess in only a few months…

[cruiserforlife]

psupa,

 

We too have a BC gty on the Sun and would be pleased with a BA upgrade.

 

I'm hoping our Elite status will help but I'm not sure...

[shay1]

We too were on the 10/23/04 Sun Princess.

 

We too were upset with the quality of Princess. The public rooms were fine. Elevators were always slow and seemed to pass your floor by. Took the stairs most of the time because of the slowness of the elevators. Good way to keep those pounds off :)

 

Our cabin linens were the worst we have had on any cruise line. The sheets for the first few nights were so thin, no hem on the top it looked as though someone had ripped the hem right off. The towels were very thin. All of these should have been thrown out or used as cleaning rags. Toilet had black greasey stripes running down the inside did not look the best. Carpet was new in our cabin and halls.

 

As the cruise went on we did get sheets with hems and once in a while we did get a newer looking bath and hand towels.

 

We were on deck 8 at the bow of the ship inside cabin #203. You could feel the motion of the ship almost the whole trip. I guess you could say we were rocked to sleep :). This is a noisy cabin when you are docking (just wanted to warn anyone who likes to sleep in).

 

On deck 9 mid ship to aft there was an awful sewar smell on the whole trip (since we used this route going to the gym).

 

We used the Personal Choice dinning (first time for us). We really liked it, had no problem with getting a table at the following hours 6pm, 6:30 and 7pm. What we did find was service was not the best with the exception of "station 8" waiter Caesar and asst. Elena they were just Great very personable and friendly. We had some wait staff that were not friendly or personable they would just hand you your menu and take your order. Most people (we talked with) were complaining about this and slow service in the dinning rooms.

 

Others we met on the ship had "first seating" and they said the service was not good in that dinning room either. Food some days were good other days was ok.

 

In the Pizzeria they had the best service they were all so personable and friendly. Enjoyed the food here afternoon & evening.

 

Used the Buffet for breakfast & lunch, was not happy with the way this is layed out most of the time it was a zoo trying to get through IMO it is a poor set up. Used the grill for lunch a couple of times enjoyed the chickend sandwich.

 

We used the Princess Love Boat Express (Bus) to take us to the ship. Now we have taken the bus to the cruise ships in Ft. Lauderdale and Miami before and had no problems!

 

Not this time through. Princess all I can say is it was an adventure. The driver did not leave on time from our pick up since he did not have 6 to 8 people on his list. So he had to get a supervisor out before he would let them board (even thought they had paper work, tickets etc to show they were booked).

 

Then at our break stop there were 3 other buses (same company owned as the one we were on Cruise Connection) one had a flat tire and was in the process of changing while we were there (thank goodness these buses leave early so you have plenty of time to reach the ship).

 

After we got back on the road our bus driver gets a phone call that we need to make another stop so they can get one of his tires for the bus back at the break site it turns out that bus had 3 flat tires. So they sent a truck to pick up one of our bus tires. This took a while to retreive the tire and get us back on our way (no big deal).

 

Then our driver turned off the Interstate before reaching Alligator Alley. We were all asking him where he was going that this was not the right direction. Well it seems he had no clue where he was going (we finally got him turned around) and back on the Interstate that runs into Alligator Alley. We made it to the port still early enough to enjoy the ship around noon.

 

Trip back was really an adventure waited quite a while for the bus to turn up (driver on the way to ship did not give out stickers for return trip) made it a little confusing for the people to direct you to the right area. After we made our break stop and was back on the road we had to pull off the road (no flat tire) bus was over heating (coolant was leaking out). Had to wait for another bus to stop and they tried to fix could not, so we had to unload all the luggage on to the other bus (not easy to roll luggage in the grass DH helped). It gets real hot sitting on a bus without A/C. We finally made it home.

 

Embarkation was not the smoothest we have seen on other cruises (we had no trouble) but a lot of people were in the line to board the ship and had not even check in (area was not set up well) to wide open not enough people to direct the crowds.

 

Disembarkation was not good at all! Our color was next to the last and by the time we got to the terminal to pick up luggage it was a zoo. They had our luggage placed at the end in an area you would think was where people had already check out of. People all lined up with their retreived luggage to go through and turn in their custom ticket you had to try to cross through them to retreive your luggage then cross through them again to try to find the end of this line that was wrapping all around. Thank goodness for rolling luggage :). Felt bad for some that did not have (porters were available) wish the guy a head of us would have used them. He had to move one suit case at a time and come back for the other one.

 

Were we dissapointed? Yes, especially in the fact that we did not go to St. Lucia. Princess was aware of this change we were told 3 days before we cruised yet they did not inform anyone. This was the reason for selecting this cruise for my DH birthday, we had arrangements to be picked up at the ship for an all day dive adventure at one of the resorts we wanted to check out from our last trip to St. Lucia. Since this had been on their itinerary from the beginning it did not seem right that Princess would be turned away. It makes you wonder what other cruise lines were allowed to stop their?

 

Yes we did have a good cruise met some real nice people, had great weather and it sure beats not being on a cruise!

 

Sorry for the long post.

[kryos]

We cruised on Sun Princess 28 Sep to 13 Oct, yes we smelled "something." It was FRESH BAKED BREAD every afternoon in the aft part of the ship, the ovens must be in that area. It was wonderful!!!

Ummmmmm .... yummy!

 

I'm sailing on the Sun in January ... first Princess cruise.

 

I knew it was an older ship, and the prices reflected that. I got a cheaper rate on a ten-day sailing than I could have gotten on the Caribbean Princess for a seven-day one. I like the itinerary the Sun will be doing and I like the price I'm paying to cruise on her.

 

That said, I realize that the price break is because she is an older ship, and as long as they feed me well, keep me entertained, and make sure my bed is made everyday, I can be happy as a clam despite these little "blemishes." After all, I'm not the one who has to repair them! :)

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[ldoc31]

We are on the Dec. 12th sailing and didn't get a cheap rate or an upgrade so is it ok if I expect a little more from my first Princess cruise?

[Ethel5]

Again, I was on the same cruise and I didn't have ratty linen or poor service. We had first seating with the best servers. Friends of ours were on the same cruise in A 206 and they didn't feel much movement-except for one night. Rule #1-The ship moves and the bow of the ship will get a lot of movement.

 

I took the same Love Boat Express and the driver from Tampa wasn't late leaving. The had a supervisor with him for a while because he was new and that's probably why he took the wrong exit for Alligator Alley. The We did have to turn around and give our spare tire to another stranded bus. On the return trip, we were the stranded bus due to coolant leakage-something the bus driver has no control over. It delayed us for 45 minutes.

 

Embarcation was simple and we were on the ship in 10 minutes. Debarcation was as usual. If you are using the shuttle, you are called last. This is because the bus isn't there yet and it's better to wait on an A/C ship than in the hot sun. The baggage area wasn't a mess-just the usual. Lines develop due to customs and immigration.

[antsp]

we were on this trip not a problem anywhere as far as we could see, only slow thing on the ship were the elevators the buttons did not link so you had to press each one,, how terrible??? disembarkation no problems only that we had to listen to the people in front of us moaning about the delay, customs on election day what do you want, some people are never happy and should stay at home...

[Ethel5]

ANTSP-isn't it funny how we had a great cruise and others didn't? I often wonder what people expect when paying less than $900 for a 10 night cruise and all the services you get with it. I don't mean that you should expect shoddy service or bad food etc-just lighten up will ya. Some people see lemonade and some see sour lemons, I guess.

 

we were on this trip not a problem anywhere as far as we could see, only slow thing on the ship were the elevators the buttons did not link so you had to press each one,, how terrible??? disembarkation no problems only that we had to listen to the people in front of us moaning about the delay, customs on election day what do you want, some people are never happy and should stay at home...

[ldoc31]

We paid a good bit more than $900 for our up-coming cruise on the Sun. You have to remember that only a small percentage of the passengers booked that category. We have sailed with Celebrity and RCCL and wanted to give Princess a try. I'm sure we'll have a wonderful time, but I really didn't think this was a cut-rate cruise as some have suggested. Whether you pay 900 or 1800 shouldn't determine the condition of the ship.

[Ethel5]

I can only restate that I found nothing wrong with the ship. My balcony was freshly painted and the cabin was in good repair. I had linen without holes andin good condition. The companionways were newly carpeted and I didn't find any cracks in the marble. The Horizon Court had new carpeting but the cane chairs were a little dated but not shabby. The theater was newly renovated. The service I got from both cabin stewards and dining staff was wonderful. So, what's to complain about???

[005flyer]

We were on the Sun last year, and do not plan on sailing on that ship again. Food was so-so, but our real complaint was the SMELL. We had the awful sewage smell in our cabin at least 3 times a day (usually lasted about 30 minutes each time). We also noticed the smell in some common areas. Worst thing was when we went to the purser's desk to talk about it, they said they had never heard of that problem before even though the person in front of me and the 2 people behind me were complaining about the same thing.

 

Oh well - we love Princess and have been on 3 more cruises since our trip on the Sun. We'll just avoid that ship in the future.

[spongerob]

[quote name='ldoc31']We are on the Dec. 12th sailing and didn't get a cheap rate or an upgrade so is it ok if I expect a little more from my first Princess cruise?[/QUOTE]
No one can really tell you how to set your expectations. I think it's easy to fall into the trap of setting your expectations way too high, or far too low. In both cases you are likely to be disappointed. Nothing is ever perfect, and if you go looking for trouble you are likely to find it. Try to be as open-minded as possible (a difficult task, I'll admit) and enjoy yourself.

[ldoc31]

I'm sure we will have a wonderful time on our cruise. My expectations are not out there in never never land. We have enjoyed every ship we have sailed on.

[obnurse]

I agree. We sailed Carnival Inspiration in July, first cruise for our kids. The ship was older and had a few issues, but we had a blast. Seeing the experience through the eyes of our 12 & 18 yr olds was so much fun. I wouldn't trade that cruise for anything. However, I still appreciate honest reviews whether they're good or bad. Thanks to everyone who posts!

[cruiserforlife]

I agree,a cruise is what you make of it and after all folks,it's a VACATION which is always better than work!

If you go in with an open mind and in a great mood,how can it not be fantastic vaction?

...As has already been stated,"Don't sweat the small stuff".

[KruzPrincess]

I love the Sun Class ships. I've sailed on the Sun, Sea and Ocean. I'm happy to be going back on the Sun Princess in December. These are great ships. Yes, they are older, but I've always had a wonderful time with great service. I trust that will be the case on my next cruise. It was great going on the new Island Princess in the spring, but I'm just as anxious for my Sun Princess cruise. I've heard from people who have been on the ship recently and said it was great.

[RDR]

[quote name='BJS']Thanks for the "heads up" about the Sun's condition. With so many Princess ships to cruise on for the same itineraries in many cases it does help to have the type of post you made.

The response you got was not just because you were a first time poster. I got a similar response when I posted about the condition of the Royal Princess last year (it was not my first post and I had sailed multiple times with Princess). The response was like why would I post anything negative about their "perfect" ship. I also wanted others to know what we saw so they could have that information when deciding which ship to book.[/QUOTE]

I posted previously on the deteroriating condition on the Sun also as we just had been on it for 15 days in October 2004. I concur with this poster on the conditions such as plumbing problems, etc. We enjoyed the cruise and the service but the ship does need some refurbishing.

[DesrtDrmr]

Psupa- we, too, booked a BC cabin and were upgraded to a BA on the Riviera Deck. We LOVED it!!! It's a terrific location, close to everything, yet quiet. We would book the same cabin again if we cruise on a Sun Class ship again.
We were on the ship last November, and everything looked fine, except there was some problem with the carpet in the hallway. They replaced it during our cruise, and all was fine.

[geocruiser]

To DesrtDrmr & any one else who has had a cabin on Riviera Deck.



We are going to be on the Sun this Dec. What can you tell me about cabin 325 on Riviers Deck?

Thank you,

Geo

[DesrtDrmr]

Hi Geo,
We had R351, right next to the doors to the pool. It looks like your cabin is closer to the bridge, and just a little farther from the pool and the Horizon Court. You'll love it! :)

[geocruiser]

DesrtDrmr,

Thanks for the info. I have another questions. How much closet and dresser space is there?
Thanks,

Geo