cruisedoctor

@MsSoCalCruiser From the Princess Expert database available to Princess employees and travel agents.

PUBLISHED JAN 22, 2024 2:30 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE One worker at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy was seriously injured in an accident at the yard on Friday, January 19. Emergency services from Monfalcone in the Trieste region of eastern Italy responded to emergency calls Friday morning. Scaffolding and an enclosed hoist used to lift material to the cruise ship Mein Schiff Relax currently under construction in the shipyard had collapsed. The trade unions called for an immediate one-day work stoppage to raise awareness of the safety issues.

SEE POINTS 4, 5 & 7 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - Sun Princess Ship Delay Announcement 1. Why is Princess cancelling the inaugural Sun Princess voyage? What voyages are affected by the delay? Answer: Our dedicated teams have been working tirelessly in collaboration with our shipyard partners at Fincantieri to ensure the completion of the revolutionary Sun Princess. However, despite everyone’s best efforts, Fincantieri and Princess have mutually agreed to delay delivery of the ship which unfortunately requires us to cancel the inaugural cruise scheduled for February 8. 2. What are you doing for guests who were booked on this inaugural voyage? Answer: Guests who were booked on the inaugural voyage that has been cancelled will receive a full refund of the cruise fare and any optional onboard services that were purchased for the cruise, along with 50% future cruise credit (*FCC must be booked by November 30, 2024 and sailed by December 31, 2025). Bookings are being automatically cancelled and there is no need for guests to take any action. All refunds will be processed within three weeks to the original form of payment. Guests will also receive up to $200 per person for change fees related to air travel plans. Guests should use this link to provide documentation of their airfare change fees - http://princess.com/refund-request 3. Will travel agency commissions be protected? Answer: Yes, we will protect travel agency commissions. The delay was not caused by our travel agency partners, and they should be duly rewarded for their hard work and support, and it is only fair that we safeguard their commissions for the bookings they secured for this inaugural voyage. 4. Why are you just now announcing the delay so close to the original launch date? Why didn't you communicate this sooner? Answer: Princess Cruises has just received notification from the shipyard about the delay. The shift in date of the maiden voyage is due to unforeseen challenges and delays encountered at the shipyard, where our shipbuilding partners at Fincantieri faced unexpected challenges. They are working to resolve these issues and expedite final preparations. We share in our guests’ frustration and appreciate their patience. We apologize for this unfortunate delay. 5. When will the Sun Princess maiden voyage now take place? Answer: The only voyage that has been cancelled due to the delayed delivery of the ship is the cruise departing Barcelona on Feb 8. 6. Do guests booked on the cancelled voyage need to call in to get their refund? Answer: No. Booking will be automatically canceled and guests do not need to take any action to initiate the refund process. Refund will be processed within three weeks and credited back to the original form of payment, and FCCs will be automatically added to guest accounts. 7. Are any other voyages at risk? Answer: The current delivery delay only impacts the Feb 8 inaugural voyage.

SEE POINTS 4, 5 & 7 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - Sun Princess Ship Delay Announcement 1. Why is Princess cancelling the inaugural Sun Princess voyage? What voyages are affected by the delay? Answer: Our dedicated teams have been working tirelessly in collaboration with our shipyard partners at Fincantieri to ensure the completion of the revolutionary Sun Princess. However, despite everyone’s best efforts, Fincantieri and Princess have mutually agreed to delay delivery of the ship which unfortunately requires us to cancel the inaugural cruise scheduled for February 8. 2. What are you doing for guests who were booked on this inaugural voyage? Answer: Guests who were booked on the inaugural voyage that has been cancelled will receive a full refund of the cruise fare and any optional onboard services that were purchased for the cruise, along with 50% future cruise credit (*FCC must be booked by November 30, 2024 and sailed by December 31, 2025). Bookings are being automatically cancelled and there is no need for guests to take any action. All refunds will be processed within three weeks to the original form of payment. Guests will also receive up to $200 per person for change fees related to air travel plans. Guests should use this link to provide documentation of their airfare change fees - http://princess.com/refund-request 3. Will travel agency commissions be protected? Answer: Yes, we will protect travel agency commissions. The delay was not caused by our travel agency partners, and they should be duly rewarded for their hard work and support, and it is only fair that we safeguard their commissions for the bookings they secured for this inaugural voyage. 4. Why are you just now announcing the delay so close to the original launch date? Why didn't you communicate this sooner? Answer: Princess Cruises has just received notification from the shipyard about the delay. The shift in date of the maiden voyage is due to unforeseen challenges and delays encountered at the shipyard, where our shipbuilding partners at Fincantieri faced unexpected challenges. They are working to resolve these issues and expedite final preparations. We share in our guests’ frustration and appreciate their patience. We apologize for this unfortunate delay. 5. When will the Sun Princess maiden voyage now take place? Answer: The only voyage that has been cancelled due to the delayed delivery of the ship is the cruise departing Barcelona on Feb 8. 6. Do guests booked on the cancelled voyage need to call in to get their refund? Answer: No. Booking will be automatically canceled and guests do not need to take any action to initiate the refund process. Refund will be processed within three weeks and credited back to the original form of payment, and FCCs will be automatically added to guest accounts. 7. Are any other voyages at risk? Answer: The current delivery delay only impacts the Feb 8 inaugural voyage.

Back in 2014, I was on the 2nd sailing of the Quantum of The Seas (1st ship in that class). There was a film crew on board shooting footage for TV commercials about the ship, the entire 10 days of the cruise. It was like being on a Hollywood movie set, watching them set-up shots, then filming them over and over till the director was happy. After a few days of following them around, some of the crew got to know me, and were willing to answer questions I had. They said it would likely be about a month before the commercials would hit the air. Possibly, Princess has been waiting for the Sun to be finished, in order to get real footage of the interiors and exteriors for their marketing campaign. Oh, remember we've already bought their new product, so we aren't the target demographic for the marketing campaign.

Only for some of the early sailings.

Yes, they are. The Catch By Rudi $39pp +18% gratuity; The Butchers Block by Dario $49pp + 18% gratuity.

We have heard Richard Parker (The Princess expert of all things Sun.) say in many of the shipyard videos, that the Sphere Class has been in the works for 6 or 7 years. This is just conjecture on my part, but I believe that real estate on deck 19, was originally allocated to the tried-and-true basketball court and mini-golf course, like on previous ships. The reason for my belief, is that during the "reveal" Zoom meeting for Park 19, the question was asked why there wasn't going to be a basketball/pickleball court. The response was "they hadn't figured that out yet". Really! Six months till sailing, a nearly completed ship, and you're just now trying to figure out where to put something with such a huge footprint as a basketball/pickleball court! I believe that in the not to distant past, someone at "mother Carnival Corporation" decided that they needed to have a greater differentiation between the Princess and Holland America brands. Where Princess would become THE alternative for passengers and families looking for a more upscale cruise experience, somewhere midway between Carnival's family-centric "Fun Ships" and Holland America's staid and laid-back "Classic Cruising". So, Princess executives were given the job to make this happen. Their problem was how to accomplish this, without alienating the majority of their loyal passenger base, who were happy with the way things were. So, like most executives who want to cover their a--es, they do focus group testing, and use the results as an excuse if things go badly. I can picture the New-Build Department receiving a memo from on-high, telling them they need to somehow modify that new ship, that has been in the works for years now, at this last minute (so to speak), to somehow make it a family-friendly hybrid. And, by the way, in doing so, don't screw up any of the current aspects that our current loyalists love. The New-Build Dept. looked at their mostly finished baby, and realized that they had just been thrown under the bus, with a near impossible task. They probably looked at one another asking, "where can we put something that will appease our bosses, while being mostly out of sight from our current loyalists". The answer being that out-of-the-way area up on deck 19. So, someone was tasked with making a list of every top-deck family-based activity, currently available on every Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian ship. With that list in hand, they ruled out anything that wasn't possible from an engineering standpoint at that late date; as well as anything that wouldn't be cost effective (to keep the bean counters happy). Whatever remained on the list was sent to focus group testing. The results of which, became the mish-mosh, after-thought known as Park 19. I'll go out on a limb, and predict that if that area isn't well received, under-utilized, or it becomes too off-putting, it will be replaced at the last minute, with something else on the Star. I'm also looking forward to seeing where they finally shoehorned in that overlooked basketball/pickleball court. Aaron Janis, MCC

@Sox Fan Cruiser While there are no water slides on the Sun Princess, there will be two "dry slides". These dry slides start at "The Lookout" on deck 21 (see red arrows below) and deliver you back down to deck 19. These are your grandparent's version of RCL's Ultimate Abyss. 😉 During the initial Zoom presentation by the Sales Department, a comment was made, that during the development phase of this area, that Princess' "elder executive leadership" had a lot of fun trying out the mock-up of these slides.

@dides Thanks for the sea trial video. All the ship yard videos that we have seen up to now, of the top deck forward of the dome, looked as it though it would be open to the sky (like an open top deck). From this video, it seems that that entire area, is almost entirely covered with a windscreen. Interesting!

@Maycruser Here is a annotated photo of the ship. I've circled 14643 which is on the opposite side of the ship from 14642. I would venture to say that your main view will be out to the side of the ship. You may get some aft view, but only if you stand right at the rail and look aft.

This is an excerpt from a November 2023 Princess Press Release. "The three dining levels will serve guests multicourse meals from friendly wait staff and each have their own personalities, offer different dining experiences and range in levels of formality, including the Horizons Diner on Deck 8 offering breakfast, lunch and dinner favorites all day long."

This is what happened when Princess tried to save money, by replacing the captain and bridge crew of the Sun Princess, with their new "Autonomous Piloting System", which was developed by the same team currently designing the new Princess App. 😉

Just got off latest travel agent only Princess Webinar. I pre-submitted questions about the Sun's start of service and dining reservations. Those were ignored. During the webinar, in the "Chat" area, I asked if the Sun is on schedule to begin sailing on February 8th. Here was their reply: so that is good news. At two different times I also put in a request asking for someone to give a thorough explanation about the differences between the 3 levels of the main dining room on the Sun, and when we could expect to be able to start making dining reservations. Both of those question/posts when ignored. Princess seems to have a habit of just ignoring things they don't want to talk about...hoping the questioner would just go away. Aaron Janis, MCC

Checked again this morning, and everything has gone back to being waitlisted. This is definitely inventory management related, probably trying to limit the number of passengers on these first 3 sailings.

Some progress is being made. The proper color of medallion and status level is now showing on the next voyage in the new app (as opposed to a blue & white one for everyone). And, the proper "onboard packages" for your next sailing are showing. Now they need to give us the ability to see all our future cruises, not just the next one.

I spoke with a member of the "Partner Support Team" (They are the last resort problem solvers for travel agents.) this evening. Asked about the status of the ability to begin making dining reservations on the Sun. The response I received was "We are hoping to have it ready before the first sailing...but it might not be ready...and the passengers on the initial sailings may need to wait, and make them once they board the ship". Those of you who are following stateroom availability on the first 3 sailings, may have noticed that for the past day or so, every category of stateroom on those sailings mysteriously went to "waitlist". I wouldn't panic about that, as it looks like inventory management is doing "their thing". This evening I noticed that almost everything on the 2/18/24 sailing opened up again. Since I'm going to be on the 2/18 and 2/28 sailings, I was curious to see just what the available inventory looks like on that 2/18/24 sailing (since it is now reopened again). Here is a table I made for that sailing. At this moment there are 639 staterooms available. Aaron Janis, MCC

Was told during a sales meeting, run by Princess for travel agents, that Love By Britto will be categorized as a Experiential Dining venue, like 360 (not a "specialty" venue). Therefore, the cover charge would NOT be covered under the Princess Premier Plan. Decision not yet made, if it would be complimentary for suite guests.

I’m currently on the Sky Princess. My stateroom attendant’s contract was ending today. While I was saying good bye to him, he mentioned that a number of crew members were also leaving the ship today, as they are being transferred mid-contract to the Sun Princess. They are being flown directly to Europe at this time. My guess is that they wouldn’t be crewing the ship at this time, if it weren’t going to begin sailing on February 8th. So, I’m taking this as a positive sign for those of us on the Sun’s February sailings. Finger crossed!

I believe so. According to the "Princess Customer Support Knowledge Base" only the 360 Experience is being exempt. *At this time, the service charge will not be charged for the 360 Experience. And, their wording "At this time", makes me believe that it too will be fair game soon.

Unfortunately, I can't. As this comes from a Princess website only available to travel agents/agencies.

UPDATE TO MY ORIGINAL POSTING The following appeared yesterday in Princess' "Customer Support Knowledge Base" regarding the new 18% Service charge. (Looks like someone at Princess has been following this thread and decided to address some of our concerns.) (1) Guests sailing in Australia with AUD currency will not see an 18% service charge. However, there will be an increase in price on select food and beverage items and experiences. (2) *At this time, the service charge will not be charged for the 360 Experience. (3) This will be rolling out Fleetwide, based on Turnaround Day, beginning December 1, 2023. (4) Guest who have prepaid/pre reserved pre cruise or have a special service voucher before December 1st will not be charged the 18% service charge (5) Guest who have prepaid/pre reserved pre cruise or have a special service voucher after December 1st will be charged the 18% service charge onboard

Here is what the sanctuary will look like on the Sun. The Sanctuar Of course, there’s The Sanctuary, our retreat just for adults. If you’re one of our Signature guests, you’ll have an exclusive area of The Sanctuary to enjoy: the Signature Sun Deck. Signature Sun Deck Signature Sun Deck is a private area of The Sanctuary reserved for Signature Collection Suite guests. (The pool is shared)

IMPORTANT HINT: If you haven't already done so, book any shore excursion that relates to seeing penguins as fare out from the sailing date as possible...and certainly before getting to the ship. When we did this cruise on Princess years ago, many people were disappointed when all the penguin excursions were sold out pre-cruise, and NOT available for anyone wanting to book one when then boarded the ship.

I've booked flights on United and American Airlines through EZAir, using their associated credit cards, and did NOT get my usual free luggage benefit. When asked, those airlines told me that they have no idea what credit card I used to pay Princess, because the funds for the flight came from a Princess bank account.