Kit6

9 minutes ago, voljeep said:

is this a reservation available, or just show up 30 minutes early - which would be no problem for us.   There's a bar right there, correct?

No reservations available, just show up. And yes, there’s a bar right inside the doors of the dome, you pass by it to go to the seating area. 

On 8/6/2024 at 4:39 AM, chamima said:

 

 

I'm happy to hear your family enjoyed the kids clubs!

 

Where was the Cirque show?

It was in the dome, an excellent venue for it. You’re so close to the performers, the acrobatics are really amazing. 

21 minutes ago, colsky said:

We're on the ship soon, and in our last e-mail from Princess a couple of weeks ago, after reminding us about shore excursions and mentioning ship entertainment and other things about the ship, there was at the end of the e-mail a "Park 19 Update" saying simply that "we regret to inform you that the Roller Glider, Coastal Climb and Ropes Course will not be opening."  That was the first official mention I have seen about the not opening, and that didn't expand to see "not opening ever" or "not opening on your cruise".  Just not opening full stop!

Thanks for sharing, good to know that they’re finally informing their passengers (even if it is just shortly before boarding 😊). Have a great cruise, even without park 19 there’s lots to love!

19 minutes ago, lstone19 said:

I was not trying to defend Princess, just point out that the traditional way of disseminating news was to issue a press release to the press, not to customers, given that some people cite the lack of direct dissemination to customers as a reason to doubt the veracity of it.

 

Ironically, we took a move over offer off a May cruise on Sun Princess. Perhaps if Princess had allowed customers to cancel due to not all amenities being available, Princess would not have needed to buy us off with a free cruise.

I totally get what you’re saying. Congrats on the free cruise! Obviously not your first choice but silver lining nonetheless. I hope you enjoy your cruise!

7 minutes ago, lstone19 said:

 

Why would you expect them to trumpet bad news with a big press release? In the old days before websites, information was disseminated by putting out a press release to the press. Which is what Princess appears to have been done. If it was bad news, it was done as quietly as possible and late in the day when I might be missed (but the company could still complain they issued the press release). What they did is no different than when a company releases bad financial results late on a Friday hoping it will be overshadowed by other things over the weekend.

Just in the interest of transparency. Even though I’m not in the group that will cancel or not book without park 19, I don’t think it’s right to heavily promote something & then go silent for months, then slowly tell some people but deny the information to others. In my opinion, this isn’t being discrete about bad news, it’s misleading the people that factor it in when choosing a cruise line/cruise ship. 

Just now, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

I've seen people in Facebook groups share screenshots of chat and email conversations directly with Princess where they give the same exact statement as we saw on those websites.

 

At this point, I'm very confident that it is true, no matter how unfortunate.

Oh really? Well that’s interesting, definitely seems legit.  It sure why I’ve gotten a different response with Princess website chats & through my travel agency. I’m glad that they are being more direct with it (finally). Now if only they’d put a big announcement in the front page of their website so we’d all know! 😂 I’m one of the rare beings not on any social media, just stumbled upon this website searching for answers on park 19 months ago - haven’t seen anything official myself so totally in the dark with it. 

31 minutes ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

They already announced Park 19 will never be opening, so all we're waiting for now is finding out what will go in its place!

I thought that wasn’t confirmed/that it was possibly not a legit email as it isn’t on their website and not all travel agents were notified? When I asked my travel agent about it about a month ago, she had checked with their agency’s Princess rep and was told it was still hopefully going to get whatever clearance needed to open. Not sure who I believe here, sure seems like a lot is being hidden or not disclosed. Just seems funny to me that Princess would announce the cancellation of park 19 in writing to someone while being completely evasive to everyone else. Not that any of this makes sense, lol. Like I said it’s impossible to know what the heck is actually going on 🤨. 

2 minutes ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

This is great to hear and very encouraging... Thank you! 

 

How early did you have to get there for Cirque?

 

I read someone say earlier that they got there 30 minutes early twice and it was completely full both times.

They had 2 different shows, we went to both (one at 830 & one at 10pm). You definitely need to be a half hour early but we found seats both times - one time was 3 of us & one time was all 6 of us. We went 30 minutes early both times, the time we went for the 830 show they actually had the doors closed for setting up so there was a line but we easily got in. They announced every few minutes to not save seats & ushers did actually help people find seats by kindly telling people to move close together (aka stop trying to save seats). 

Hopefully Princess announces and/or does something about park 19 soon - the neither here nor there if it all is the core of what’s firing people up on both sides for & against it. They need to get it running or take it down. Clearly, not everyone will be pleased no matter which way they go (clearly evidenced on these forums 😬) but at least everyone could make a choice knowing of park 19 was running, going to be running in the future, or demolished. 

On 8/4/2024 at 9:03 AM, vjmatty said:

I should clarify that I do hope something is done with it but I can’t fathom what given all the wind reported up there.

I find that the top deck of a cruise ship is always windy - not much they can do about that, pick something & let people decide if they’re okay with the wind or not. On Disney cruise, mini golf on the top deck can be “interesting”, often so windy we didn’t need to hit the ball or a shot would go from great to disastrous or vice versa, lol. And we still enjoyed that. It was definitely windy up on deck 19 on the Sun Princess but we still enjoyed the hammocks & games like giant connect 4 & giant jenga plus they had a few putting competitions up there using a little mat. 

On 8/3/2024 at 8:04 PM, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

We booked the Sun specifically because it had Park 19.

 

Not because we thought it would provide lasting entertainment, but because it was a fun thing for our kids to experience in addition to everything else.

 

We're still excited to experience the Sun Princess and will share how great it is for families on our YouTube channel and Facebook so even more families experience just how great Princess is!

I’m sure your kids will still have loads of fun (like ours did)! Ours did mention that it looked fun, wished it was open, whenever we were up on deck 19 playing or hanging out but it wasn’t upsetting to them, just a comment. The kids clubs have energetic employees, lots of activities (for those that wish to go) and there’s also lots of family areas & activities to enjoy. This was our first Princess cruise & we were impressed with the variety of activities/game shows/shows. The Piazza turned out to be a great central & open location for a lot of the entertainment- from game shows to dance lessons. The comments before about a lot of seating where you can’t see down to the center is true (puzzling that the design engineers didn’t identify that) but you can find lots of great areas to view things. Check out the Cirque shows if you hey a chance to - absolutely amazing, especially in a cruise ship venue! 

On 7/31/2024 at 4:36 PM, jennybenny said:

I understand what you are saying, but I have not heard of anyone getting any compensation for it not being available. I could see some people complaining, and maybe getting something, but personally I don't have the kind of negative energy to do that. 

If they gave everyone $25 credit for it not being available, what would do to the bottom line?  Some people would be happy because they hadn't planned on using it anyway, but then those that were relying on it would want FAR MORE. There is no making anyone happy and I don't see Princess doing anything compensation wise. 

I agree. Frustrating - yes, legal right to compensation - I don’t think so (not a lawyer but I’m guessing big corporations have lawyers that make sure they’re not on the hook for that kinda thing). There’s no guarantee that certain parts will be open, Princess has providing almost zip communication, certainly nothing on proposed opening dates. We were hoping it would be open for our current cruise but nothing indicated it would be months ago (in fact all signs pointed to it not being open), well within the window we could cancel without penalty. It was our choice to sail anyway, as it is all of those that booked & didn’t cancel. 
 

side note: last week seemed much quieter on the ship than this week, definitely way more kids this week & more passengers overall. Made it quite clear that the lineups would’ve been VERY long for park 19 so might not be the nonstop bliss many think it would be. It looks like it would be fun but you’d definitely wait longer in line than the course would take you to do, by far. 

21 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

Punished... You mean like the airlines do when they give perks to frequent flyers? Many types of businesses give extra perks for loyalty. I don't see that as "punishing" anybody. It's supposed to be "rewarding" some folks. I can't afford to fly first class nor can I afford to fly frequently and book luxury hotels. I don't feel I'm being "punished" because I can't just slip on into a nice airport lounge. I haven't earned the privilege. Likewise I'm not being "punished" because I don't get the military OBC. I haven't earned that privilege. Too many people want everything to be "fair" these days. Perhaps we should all get a trophy for sailing.

I see both sides, just trying to acknowledge both. Not meant to offend, I understand that these programs are very important to some. I put “punished” in quotations meant to indicate it was a little off/not the best word. Not used to how offended people get by little posts or an opinion different from their own, I’m not on any social media, jumped on here just for “fun” 😜. I’m really completely fine with loyalty perks, special sections for those who pay extra for suites, etc. Makes sense to have the different options, just wanted to say that I also understand that some families who may save up to do one of these cruises in their lifetimes also might enjoy those areas & is also be okay with supporting that. 

I get what sone of you are saying about rewarding loyalty however, on the other side - I think it is nice to make things open & accessible for all too. Many can’t afford a yearly luxury cruise, some want to try different cruises or vacations, not fair to be “punished” for that. I see both sides, nice to have some perks too for those that continue to give their money to one cruise line. 

Alfredo’s & O’Malleys are both included in the plus package, 2 meals per sailing. 

So we went into the 16+ area at the front of the ship, it is indeed 16+, no charge. They were very nice about it, but did confirm the age restriction. You can go into the dome but not the front part or into that pool (only a small part of the pool is before the dividing wall/doors). We enjoyed a show in the dome as a family, all are welcome there. It’s just the front half of that area including pool that is 16+. Not a big deal for us at all, lots of pools & seating outside that area, but some may not like that. 

7 hours ago, colsky said:

We're on the Sun next month.  My 2 kids are 12 and 14 and are pretty quiet as kids go. They cost us the same adult price as we paid for this cruise and the dome/sea view area being 16 plus has never been mentioned until recently. So I think Princess has a bit of a nerve if they try and enforce this on us!

Not sure if it’s being enforced, we didn’t personally try as only one of my 4 would be old enough. If we venture in, which we likely will over the next week or so, I’ll be sure to post about it. 

7 hours ago, FLAlaska said:

Im not bothered by not having Park 19. Truth be told, I didn't like the idea.  However, that said,  its just another fail in a long list of deploying this ship. From delays in starting, to original booking, to changing booking structure and upsetting people , to delayed restaurants, shows, etc.  Its like they are just winging it. They need to get their act together.

I totally get that. As a plus though - maybe it’s good that they are being flexible, shifting as need be based on guest feedback, instead of rigidly sticking to original plans with new concepts for them that aren’t as successful as they hoped they’d be. 🤷🏻‍♀️

On the Sun Princess now. While it is a bummer to look at a ropes course you can’t go on (it looks like it would be fun), I gotta say we are finding that there is lots to do. Many activities from morning to very late at night - crafts, games, dance instruction, etc. Lots of kids activities too, options for anyone, including hanging out as a family in lido deck. While there is no sport court, there is an area with a sport court floor that has giant connect 4 & cornhole, fun to enjoy as a family, plenty of comfy seating all around the area. They also do different group games there, we did a team putting challenge (like beer pong but on a putting green), anybody who wanted to join chose a side & played. Lots of fun to be had if you choose to jump in. 
 

Regarding the dome pool - that area is clearly marked 16 plus. But if a disappointment as my kids wanted to swim around there but not a huge deal, other pools to choose from. The wakeview pool is awesome, never more than 1/2 full as it’s a bit shady at the back of the ship but still plenty warm enough to swim. 
 

The ship is very clean, food is good (dining room service is slow but fine), staff is wonderful throughout. My family of 6 (including two teens & two young kids) are having a fantastic time. As I said, it’s a shame the whole park 19 thing is such a mess but there’s so many other fun things to do, if you don’t obsess with park 19 disappointment. 

8 minutes ago, colsky said:

https://cruisebusiness.com/index.php/news-section/more-news-category/10838-princess-cruises-statement-on-sun-princess-park19

 

Princess Cruises has announced the following statement:

"We regret to announce that Princess is unable to accept delivery of the RollGlider, Coastal Climb, and Ropes Course features within Park19 aboard Sun Princess and those experiences will not be opening. We are actively evaluating these areas for future recreational opportunities to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all our guests."

 

published today I think

 

 

Wow, thanks for sharing this. What a mess, not what I expected but it’s about time Princess actually put out a statement about it instead of hiding. Embarrassing for Princess, expensive mistake that took the better part of a year to realize. 

I agree that it’s poor form to not have an adult only area including in regular cruise fare. Even though I’ve personally never used that area in previous cruises, I think it’s very important to offer a kid free space on any cruise ship for those that just want a different vibe/occasional break from having kids all about. To charge (and charge quite a lot) to have a day pass to an adult area is poor customer service. 
 

I sure hope this lack of communication from Princess is just due to new ship, new app, new website format, etc and will iron out. Wouldn’t be hard to have an auto email notification system for updates on park 19 and itinerary changes. We’ve had 2 ports change & only noticed when we received a credit on our credit card for excursion cancelations.  Yes, itineraries can change but to not let customers know about the change, especially when you also auto cancel booked excursions, is awful customer service. We’ve gotten a couple auto emails to remind us to complete online checkins (even though we already had, clearly just rolled out to every single reservation) but zero other than that. Disappointing. And can’t help but be nervous about the quality of our upcoming cruise. We’ve never had a cruise we didn’t love as a family so I’m still hopeful this will be the same, just hoping we don’t regret trying a new cruise line (new to us). 

45 minutes ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

I can't speak for all kids, but any ship with kids clubs and good food has been enough for my kids so I'm confident they will have a great time. 

 

We will give an honest assessment of just how kid-friendly the Sun Princess is on our YouTube channel following the cruise... I'm quite curious myself to see what we think!

I feel the same, pool & good food and I think we’ll be happy. My kids have always enjoyed some time in kids clubs so that’ll be fun to check out, but even if it’s way below Disney cruise kids club fun, I think we’ll be okay. They’ve never spent a lot of time there, even on DCL. 
 

When approximately are you sailing on Sun Princess? This summer?

The complete absence of communication is at the core of the problem for sure. Even though I’m not in the “this will make or break our vacation” group, it is more than a little frustrating to have absolutely zero communication. If it is indeed a situation that will not be rectified until fall when the ship enters the US, that should have been passed on to passengers months ago when they must have found out that was a requirement to open park 19. At least give those of you that would have canceled/gone with another cruise line the opportunity to do so. And how would they go years from initial planning to building the ship to getting the ship cleared to sail and no one at Princess researched this very important aspect of getting it safety certified? I’ll be on the Sun Princess with my family mid summer so I’ll be sure to update if I have any updates. 

2 hours ago, CalTexCruiser said:

I am confused by all this back and forth about slides.

 

Bottom line, is there or is there not a slide on the Sun?  And more importantly, will I be able to slide down this purported slide on my upcoming cruise next May?

From what I’ve read - once you proceed through the ropes course, at the top there is a quick slide to get back down to the starting point. So the only was to use the slide is to climb up through the ropes course. The slide itself is not a big thing, just a fun way to get back down from the top of the ropes course. Until park 19 is open, you won’t be able to get to the slide at all. 

18 minutes ago, LittleTinker said:

I took a teenager and 2 preteens. Well, the 12 year old was 13 the day we left......15, 13 and 11.

There were not many kids onboard so on many days, the machines were turned off in the kids club,
Most of the time during the day they did not want to go to the kids club as they said it was boring, and the activities they did were babyish.
The teen walked out of the teen club and said there was nothing to do.

The contrast was Sapphire Princess which they LOVED and I couldnt tear them away.

There was little in the way of entertainment for the kids to join in with. There was a scavenger hunt on one day but it only lasted 20 minutes.

There are 3 pool options.
The dome pool we never saw open as they close it when they have rehearsals for the shows.
(this is the pool that when it IS open, adults complain about kids in because there excited voices boom through the dome disturbing people)
The Lido is the deepest pool and is crowded.
The Wake View Pool is lovely, but be careful of the protruding grates. My 3 all cut their feet and legs several times.....as did others.  I was told the pool was going to be closed to repair it but I dont think they have done that as yet.

I think a lot of it was because of the ports. As so many people left the ship, there just wasnt anything laid on for them on the ship. Nothing going on in the kids club is what did it, I think so little opportunity to make any friends.

They spent the afternoon one day in the salon getting pampered with mani/pedis etc
One went to Spellbound  (was not worth it)
Every evening they watched Movies Under the Stars
and the rest of the time, they swam

On Sapphire there were many activities they could join in with, such as darts competition, quizzes and games, etc

They have never been on any other cruiseline

 

Thank you for your feedback, I appreciate your input. Hopefully there are more activities for kids to participate in this summer when likely many more kids on board. If not we’ll make the most of what we have - sunshine & family time on the ship.