paulatsea

Nov 7-25 refurb I believe. Be interesting to see what is done.

Absurd ! Might as well just have 2 restaurants bookable and one walk up

Some sort of rolling update I suppose based on date/ship perhaps - what I find odd also is that the web app and the main app don’t seem to point to the same reservations database - very weird design. This is from the “dining reservations” thread: “ Hi, We are on Sky September 2025 and April 2026. I’m Platinum so can book dining now. On the app all I could see was Soleil with multiple slots. I checked next day and it was only showing 17.30 and 19.50 although on my web version it still showed many time slots for Soleil. I have never seen anything for the other dining rooms. I have just rang Princess and she has told me that Soleil is the traditional early/late sittings and she has booked it for me and it now shows my reservations on my app. I asked why Soleil still showed many booking times for Soleil and she said the web has not been updated yet.”

Yep - someone on a similar thread has said she just spoken to princess and was told that soleil is the fixed dining venue, and that the web app has not been updated yet - so it’s out of sync with the main app ! I have yet to nail down which one is the walk up ?

Thanks Sarah - nice one. Some clarity ! Did she say which was the walk up one ?

That would be helpful - thanks - and have a good cruise.

Ok - mine is different - just checked again and Soleil has multiple slots for me- I am not fully paid so maybe this is the issue - I am using the web app as cannot book on the app yet. Or maybe it’s the dates ? Weird.

that would make sense - but I am on sky in October and don’t see the same ! I see Soleil with multiple slots !!

yes I agree - I understood one restaurant would be walk up and so no reservable. One is reservable for multiple times. One is reservable for 2 x fixed times. Estrella is not shown as bookable. Both Cielo and Soleil are bookable for multiple slots. ?

On sky I can make bookings for both soleil and cielo at various times - 20 minute slots. nothing for estrella - so I assume estella is the walk up ? soleil and cielo both look like book a slot rather than one being the the 2 slot fixed dining ? this is via the web app as I can’t book on the main app as not fully paid and not a vip.

On sky I can make bookings for both soleil and cielo at various times 20 minute slots. nothing for estrella - so I assume estella is the walk up ? soleil and cielo both look like book a slot rather than one being the the 2 slot fixed dining ? this is via the web app as I can’t book on the main app as not fully paid and not a vip.

It worked !!! Managed to book.

Yes - well I do anyway ! This is what I get on the App:

I didn’t use Estrella last cruise - I thought it was very similar to Soleil ? Interested to know why you prefer Estrella ?

I get this :

We have always done excursions with P&O and Marella and Fred Olsen - especially if it’s somewhere new to us - as they are usually very good and a reasonable price - as well as doing our own thing if we feel like it. We found Marella was the best for excursions in terms of organisation and quality. I’m just curious as to why princess charge so much and whether anyone has done any with them.

Not many - always a few morons - and they should removed. Works well on other lines.

Did you do any excursions ? Prices seem crazy to me - that’s my only criticism of princess.

Is this caused by the dining changes ? I haven’t paid my balance yet so cannot even attempt to book dining. Does anyone know which restaurants are doing which dining option on sky princess ? Changes are effective from September 14 onwards according to email I received(UK) ? Is that the same for you in the US ? I think the 3 dining options is a good idea - P&O do similar but it does result in big queues for the anytime no reservations restaurant - so implementation may be troublesome. good luck 🤞

We went on sky princess for our first princess cruise - Scandinavian sampler - earlier this year - 5 nights from Southampton. I loved the ship and the plus package - everything included - drinks including special coffees / tips / room service / WiFi / 2 x dining at any of the casual dining venues which are normally extra cost - so no bill at the end. Very good App and medallion technology. Great service. Good food. Cabin was excellent and very well noise insulated. Boarding was very fast - no waiting - straight onboard by 11:30 am ! Very clean and well run and the price was good I thought considering what was included with our plus package and the standard of the ship. Argree re excursion costs - at least double that which we normally pay - so we did our own thing. We have used Marella explorer 2 ship several times - but I always get some illness either onboard or from the flight - or the transfer bus. There always seem to be lots people coughing which I didn’t find on princess. The service and staff on Marella has always been excellent but we found explorer 2 a bit shabby - I don’t know if the dry dock has improved things. Good value for money I think with all inclusive - and very well run excursions at a good price. We have booked another sky princess for October. I would go on Marella again but not on explorer 2 - the transatlantic adults only ones on voyager and discovery sound good and I am waiting for the 2016 release. Overall I would say princess is a higher standard. Interesting thread - thanks for starting it dronnygirl.

Chris - did you get this resolved ? Yes - also a small limit mitigates against it getting stolen or fraud. Small limit card to take on holidays or going out. Bigger limit to use at home online/phone etc. Did you get this resolved Chris ?

Best to use a credit card - gives you time to fix any issues before you have to pay from your bank account. Also - I think someone mentioned in another thread that the authorisations work differently on credit cards and there is less chance of this happening ? Not 100% sure I am remembering this correctly ?

Great trip . So how do you do the P&O insurance ?

Go on Princess instead !! seriously - if I was a US citizen I couldn’t be bothered with all the hassle - sounds like it’s not made easy for you. good luck anyway - and best wishes from me in the UK.

I used parking4cruises last month for a princess cruise and agree. They were better and cheaper than CPS - no queue and short term car park easily walkable to the terminal. I tried them because CPS was full and I could not get a reservation.