jjack413

9 minutes ago, phuac said:

Mini Suites in the Aft are just "Mini Suites", not Sanctuary Mini Suites.

There are some in the middle of the ship that do not count as Sanctuary either.

Agree, really weird that there are 267 SQ FT Mini Suites and 304 SQ Ft ones.  Before, I thought all mini suites were listed at 304 sq ft.  

I’m in an aft mini with signature dining. That will probably soon change. That’s ok with me. I have no real desire to eat in the signature location but that was the option provided at the time. No need for Premier if it’s an up-charge. The mini sqft are smaller because they don’t have that cabana, but not 267 sqft . 

Attached below was added to the site when booking a mini-suite on The Sun. Regular mini suites are now listed as 267 sqft. I booked a mini on the Sun months ago and it was listed as 304 sqft. Another confusing part, I’m not in a signature mini but it allows me to book dining in the signature dining room. I have a feeling all this will change when I sail in 2025.
 

Mini-Suite 

• Sleeps up to 4 guests, 267 sqft
• Balcony with scenic views
• Luxury mattress/pillows, two TVs
• Spacious closet

2 hours ago, Nemanoxer said:

I will only go on 19 Oct 2024, hope this thread stays alive til then.

 

And I really hope someone will set up a list for simple minds like me to explain what my cabin category is allowed to do where in which part of the ship. For now, that sounds far more complicated than on Celebrity. But that might only be because I have never been on Princess before.

 

It will. This thread will only get more active during and after the first guest cruises. I’m cruising the Sun a year after you, so no worries it will continue on. It will be hard to keep up.

24 minutes ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Is the differentiation between the 3 different dining rooms going to be speed of service or dress code or something else?

The Horizons Dining Room elevates the traditional main dining experience with stunning wake views and natural light that highlight a decorative sculpture, stretching from deck 6 to deck 8. Horizons will serve guests multicourse meals from friendly waitstaff with each level having its own personality, offering different dining experiences and ranges in levels of formality. 

48 minutes ago, dides said:

I tend to agree - I remember the excitement of the new with the Royal in 2013 (and jumping on one of her 2 day preview cruises) but then came the balcony size complaints, lack of prom deck, initial lack of mid-ship stairs, squeezing everyone into that TV Studio. Sphere class won't be for everyone but hopefully enough positives in the end.

They didn’t lie. Those Royal class ships take some maneuvering with those elevators/stairs, dead ends, small balconies. I’m excited for a change. I’m so intrigued with the 3 story dining room. I know my beloved mini-suite is smaller making room for those cabana mini-suites but I will manage. I look forward to the reviews.

4 hours ago, Geoffa30 said:

 
It does seem weird but I’m hoping this means it’s publicly accessible space perhaps with a seat or two on each level. Although looking at this picture, there doesn’t seem to be much room for seating.

I don’t know if other Princess ships have two Aft lifts and staircases . Perhaps they needed room for the lifts. I just can’t wait until the cruisecritic community get access to that ship. We will get the scoop.

2 minutes ago, azbirdmom said:

 

Have you checked recently?  There's a 50% off sale happening and the fares are down quite a bit for some of the cruises I've been following.  So much for no more last minute discounts 😆

Exactly….and…I will keep watching. $400.00 is nothing to pass up.

On 11/3/2023 at 1:46 PM, Geoffa30 said:

Yes, she is back in dry dock. I saw a post on Instagram earlier confirming this.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CzLzu6XoGQO/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

On 10/18/2023 at 7:01 PM, jjack413 said:

Humm. Not sure how I feel about all of this Princess. Almost like a subtle intimidation tactic. Book now or else. Oh well, I’m booked Oct 2025 because I wanted on the new ship. I will still price check and report back if my cruise price drops. I wonder if this price match is for big box stores. 2025 prices are on the high end. I have 2 years of price checking ahead of me. 

I keep checking. My 2025 cruise dropped enough to have it adjusted. Check your fares for 2024, 2025.

4 hours ago, Geoffa30 said:

Yes, she is back in dry dock. I saw a post on Instagram earlier confirming this.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CzLzu6XoGQO/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Exciting. Can’t wait to see the interior completed. 

On 10/31/2023 at 2:54 AM, snoozecrooze said:

Yes to both. First question/answer was confirmed by the head of design a few months ago when prompted, citing the "desire for more livable space" (or something along those lines).

Showers with no curtains so that’s a plus. I also noticed the standard mini-suites have different layouts if the renderings are accurate on the website. I don’t think I’ve seen actual pictures of the interior.

3 hours ago, dides said:

The location will depend on the ship - on Sky and Discovery it's in the Pastry Shop, on Sapphire/Diamond it's Swirls, on Caribbean it's the Lido Deck Bar, on Emerald it's the Calypso Bar. I've seen opening times mentioned of 7am to 2pm but this may vary e.g. midday closure on port days.

 

 

We ordered juice from the menu posted above in the Horizon/ Buffett many times on the Discovery.  It closed early around 1pm. The juice was good to me but hubby who juices at home said it was just ok, too much pulp. The juices are pre-squeezed and stored in containers. So you are not getting freshly squeezed juice. They just mix it at the time it is ordered. Healthier option than the very sweet orange juices etc offered…

Humm. Not sure how I feel about all of this Princess. Almost like a subtle intimidation tactic. Book now or else. Oh well, I’m booked Oct 2025 because I wanted on the new ship. I will still price check and report back if my cruise price drops. I wonder if this price match is for big box stores. 2025 prices are on the high end. I have 2 years of price checking ahead of me. 

I’m booked on the Sun in 2025. I plan to resist the urge to bid for upgrade (no promises) but the location of some of the upgraded mini suites are near elevators and not in the best locations. The buffet is on the lower floors too. I can’t wait until the first reviews in 2024.

30 minutes ago, JeffM1 said:

So we are 1 week out from our CA coast cruise on the Discovery.  Ship appears to be virtually sold out.  We are in a mini suite and I placed two bids for cabins above ours about a month ago, and as of today I have heard nothing.  My bids still show as pending, and all cabin types above ours are still available to bid on, up to and including the Sky Suite.  Each day I check a couple of times (OK maybe more) and still nothing.  Pretty sure when the cruise is over I will still be checking and I will have to go to Princess Bidding Rehab to get clean!

I was on a sold out cruise on Discovery. I booked a mini suite over a year prior to the cruise. So I was ok either way because I picked my preferred location. My cruise was on the 20th, was notified on the 19th that my bids were not accepted. I’m a compulsive checker. Little advice…..no need to check. You will get an email at the same time you are accepted or denied. Some of those locations for Reserved Mini’s were not the best for me. Higher traffic patterns near elevators that always had people jammed up waiting. I am on an almost sold out cruise for 2025 on the Sun. Not my preferred location so I will bid again and check all the time 😃.

4 hours ago, memoak said:

Some people consider things like lobster or prime rib to be spectacular.  For me the best dishes are things like the duck appetizer and some of the seafood dishes

Agreed. MDR was or is underwhelming. I’m not a foodie either, so my standards are low.

They substituted cocktail shrimp instead of crab in the artichoke dip. I started eating like a toddler, fries, bread and pseudo butter, their soups are still really good. My husband enjoyed the lamb and the Turkey.

18 hours ago, kstrittm said:

Discovery will be transitioning from Seattle to Los Angeles in early October.  Her first cruise from there is October 7.  The menu will possibly be different from the Alaska menus currently in place...

I’m currently on the Discovery and correct  some items on the  menu are specific to Alaska. They had an Alaska blueberry cobbler. The other items are similar to all other cruises just smaller portions mentioned in other post. 

I received an email with tracking link that my medallions are on the way. Moving around several days in the California USPS. My cruise is Sept 17th. Delivery scheduled for Wednesday.

7 hours ago, Hlitner said:

With Princess we like to keep 1 or 2 Future Cruise deposits on our account.  It is not necessary to actually choose a cruise until a later date (used to have 2 years.  The advantage is having a low deposit and extra OBC.  If you do not use the deposit within the required time the money is refunded.

 

Since we book through various discount cruise agencies we get the OBCs from that future cruise deposit (for both DW and myself) plus the OBCs from our cruise agency (can sometimes be 7-10% of the cruise price) and often other OBC from a Princess promotion.  Add our veterans OBC (up ti $250) and shareholder credit (up to $250) and our OBC can total well over $1000.

 

Hank

PS.  Rumors say Princess will no longer allow piggybacking the veterans and shareholder credits although we were able to get both for an upcoming Dec cruise.

About Future Cruise Deposit

You can purchase a Future Cruise Deposit (FCD) on board as part of our Future Cruise Deposit Program.

The Future Cruise Deposit is a reduced, fully refundable deposit of $100 per person that secures a booking until final payment and gives you up to $150 Onboard Credit!

You’ll have up to a year to book your cruise with your preferred Travel Advisor or Cruise Vacation Planner or directly through Princess. If you don’t book during that time, we’ll automatically refund the FCD to the credit card used to purchase the deposit.

1 minute ago, jjack413 said:

Check that link you sent…Looks like an increase.

Ooh I see. That is what they determine as the daily value….Time to log off now

3 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said:

$60 and $80 still. Changed  Feb 2023, I believe.  

Check that link you sent…Looks like an increase.

1 minute ago, PacnGoNow said:

I think the ad

 

i think this is another mistake by their proofreader when they post these on the website OR if there was a change, they did not update the beverage T&C.

 

https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/food-and-dining/beverages/

 

Did the cost go up recently for the Plus and Premier?

I missed that conversation or just chose to be in denial. 

1 minute ago, azbirdmom said:

Let’s hope so. There has been enough trauma over changes lately!

I think it’s a change. It wasn’t there before.

Terms and Conditions

• Alcoholic drinks are limited to 15 beverages per 24-hour period (6 a.m. to 6 a.m.). Alcoholic drinks requested above the daily limits are at the discretion of the shipboard management and crew and charged at regular menu prices.
• Non-alcoholic drinks do NOT have this limitation, nor do they count toward this maximum.
• Items selected that exceed the $15.00 USD or $22.00 AUD price are charged according to the difference in price.

1 minute ago, azbirdmom said:

We have the newer Plus package and under packages in the Medallion app the latest benefits now appear

 

 

Yes there was an update last night. They also removed arrival times . I selected early boarding before the announced Aug 1st change. It’s all wiped out now.

1 minute ago, jjack413 said:

My thought is your boarding times have not been released for your Oct sailing. Times opened up around the 60 day mark for my September cruise. I got the same “no groups available”. I checked daily closer to 60 days.

You have only 5 days before the August 1 switch over to no boarding times required. So I doubt you will get times if their system is updated as planned.

2 hours ago, nasa1974 said:

Thanks 36. Maybe I could have been clearer. For my October sailing it has the 3 arrival/boarding time slots and if you select one it gives you the "no groups available". So, the app isn't letting me select an arrival/boarding time. Which according to all the posts Princess has done away with or will starting August 1st. 

My thought is your boarding times have not been released for your Oct sailing. Times opened up around the 60 day mark for my September cruise. I got the same “no groups available”. I checked daily closer to 60 days.