cynbar

To answer question 4 ---- yes, you pay twice the bid if accepted, not four times. It's also twice the bid for a solo cruiser, in case anyone reading this wonders.

You can dine together but they will miss out on the elevated dining for suite passengers. Princess has never (as a general policy, anyway) allowed suite passengers to bring traveling companions in a lower level cabin into the suite dining with them. They will have to "downgrade" to eat with you.

It's 6 weeks before our Sun cruise and we still can't make dining reservations, which is contributing to all the concern. Apparently no reservations are available yet for cruises after May. It just all seems so confusing and unnecessary. All the other Princess ships can make reservations after final payment, or earlier for Elite and Platinum. But thank you everyone for the input.We may not know much more until we board, sadly.

But I thought deck 6 was for the traditional , early and late seatings? Can we just turn up there anytime and expect to be seated? Or, can we turn up there shortly before one of the 2 start times and get a table? Can any posters here chime in on whether they have tried this and how it went? I hesitate to sign up for one of the fixed seatings because we do want to try 2-3 of the specialty restaurants and maybe O'Malley's too. But we are traveling with a 9 year old who may not do well with long lines, congested waiting areas, etc. Do they still give you a beeper so you can at least walk around while waiting? We have done anytime dining with Princess before and it was never a problem, but the Sun sounds different in many ways.

Boston is a great city with so much history, great restaurants and lots to do, you're missing a great opportunity if you don't come a day or two before. But whenever you arrive, be careful to plan extra time (sometimes a lot of extra time) for traffic delays. The Sumner Tunnel is one of the main routes from East Boston/Logan Airport into the city. Plan is for it to be closed for construction for the summer of 2024. This causes a lot of congestion for the Ted Williams Tunnel,the other route. I was caught up in that a couple times last year when returning to Logan, it's not pretty. Just allow extra time, pack your patience and you'll be fine.

Thanks for taking the time to write, we sail June 15th. Do you have any input on lines to get into the MDR for dinner? Someone posted on FB today (with pictures) about incredibly long lines about 7:30, even for those with reservations. It has us a little worried, especially since we can't make any reservations at all yet. We have absolutely no interest in the diner food available on deck 8, and that takes up a third of the MDR space. I'd love to know if those lines are the norm --- any info you have on this will be much appreciated. Standing in a long line for dinner every night is not my idea of a relaxing vacation. Really looking forward to the Sun despite the issues we keep hearing about, 2 months after launching.

Are you on Sun Princess? We are on the 6/15 cruise and are also unable to make any reservations. I understand from these boards that no one sailing after May has had them open up. I agree, very frustrating. And think of the logjam if multiple cruises open up on the same day. I hope we get this straightened out before embarkation day or it will be a free for all, not a relaxing or pleasant way to start a vacation. Yes, is is frustrating, especially because the other Princess ships seem to allow dining reservations after final payment. I am Platinum with Princess and that hasn't helped at all (other ships allow Platinum and Elite to reserve dining earlier.)

I would never take a chance on this ---- renew now, you have plenty of time, the long waits that occurred after the pandemic are a thing of the past (I know, I recently renewed mine.) What an awful thought, to be refused boarding at the pier, and think of the impact on anyone traveling with you. Don't waste any more time wondering or asking others their opinions ---- just do it.

I agree that things happen and ports are sometimes missed, but in the past it has generally been due to unforeseen events such as weather, port workers strikes, etc. The Sun this season has 2 ports switched last minute for reasons that should have been known in advance ---- Santorini on days with too many ships, Kotor (perhaps) because the Sun is too large for the narrow channel. We are still scheduled to call on Kotor on our June 15 Sun cruise, but I'm not too hopeful. These two ports just seem like poor planning on Princess' part. It's also unfair if they did know this in advance but still advertised the ports, only switching them at the very last minute. I won't be devastated if Kotor is changed to Bar, but I will be disappointed in Princess.

Looks like there is a lot of variety from one ship to the next. I admit I have never seen Fish&Chips on an always available menu, but I'd like to run into it on one of my cruises! The Lamb Rogan looks like a nice alternative also. Hope we see more of this creativity going forward.

Thank you all, as always you are a wealth of information. Wi-fi calling seems the way to go, especially since I'll already be paying for internet. My iPhone is enabled for Wi-fi calling and I have noted to make sure it is in airplane mode. Do I also need to turn off cellular or roaming or anything else?

I also have ATT cellular and have been pondering my options for my June 15 cruise. I already have the International Day Plan, it kicks in when I am in a foreign country and costs $10/day for full service. I'm traveling with my daughter and her family, so it's a benefit to have easy access to them as well as people back home. To get full service while at sea, I will need to add their Sea Pass program . If I don't get it, I will have connection to everyone through email but no texting. How do all of you keep in touch with your fellow cruisers while at sea if you don't buy a cruise connection plan from your carrier?

Oh my. We're scheduled for Kotor on our June cruise and I've been looking forward to it. Not much offered in the way of excursions in Bar, I hope that changes if it becomes a regular stop. For those of you on the next cruise, please report back on whether there is anything to do close to the port (or tender drop off, would this be a tender port also?).

I think what some of us want to know is when are "blocks" of cabins returned to Princess from TA's, thus increasing the inventory and making the success of an upgrade bid more likely? Another thread said this happens about 30 days before sailing, but info here says at about the time of final payment. And also, in general (understanding this varies somewhat), is it likely to be a good amount of cabins in total? Just trying to understand how the system works.

Did I read somewhere that slices of fancy cakes are included? Were they at the International Cafe? Or is this just something I imagined (or hoped for, since one of those elaborate sundaes would probably be enough for the whole cruise) ?

Does anyone have suggestions for food/restaurants near the Acropolis? We'll be staying for 2 nights before our June cruise on Sun Princess, and are hoping to try some authentic Greek table service places as well as more casual grab and go. We're booked at Electra Palace. Thanks in advance for any tips.

I'll be on the Sun in June and continue to hope that they will add some casual dining options. Perhaps a pop up here and there? It doesn't seem like nearly enough to have just Alfredo's and O'Malleys, especially on such a large ship and with so many buying the packages. Princess, hope you're listening!

Unless the Sun is very different, it's not a dedicated lounge available all day. It's more like a daily cocktail party for a couple hours in the pre-dinner time frame. The appetizers are generally good and change daily. Drinks are not free (unless you have a package) but there are daily featured drinks at reduced prices. It's nicely done and a good chance to meet other loyal Princess cruisers. I'll be on the Sun in June, saw it listed on one of the Patters which have been posted but I don't recall which lounge they were using for the party. I'm sure someone else will chime in on that.

We are a family of 4 and have booked a private guide for our tour of Pompeii. The guide has suggested we take the train from the port in Naples. Can anyone give us some guidance and feedback for doing this? Will it be hard to navigate for cruisers who don't speak a word of Italian? Are the stations easy to find, easy to navigate? Would this add a lot of extra walking to our day, since I know we'll cover a lot of ground at the site? Any and all advice will be appreciated, this is a totally new undertaking for us.

Yes, since my original post I have seen the Patters that clearly show O'Malley's serves food over the dinner hours only. The lack of causal dining options on Sun Princess is just astounding to me. I can only hope that other options or pop-ups may be added before our June cruise.

CB (also my initials, by the way), inquiring minds want to know, and this will be easy to check. Don't know if you've seen the other thread, but does your cabin have a retractible clothesline in the shower? Packing for these longer European jaunts is something of a challenge! Thanks in advance for checking, by the way, and thank you once again for taking time out of your vacation to do this thread for us.

Does anyone know when Ocean Now is available on embarkation day? And, while I'm at it, is it available at all on disembarkation morning? In both cases, seems like it would be a great way to avoid the usual crowded venues. We'll be on Sun Princess in June, if that matters.

CanadianBurger, I am going to join in and thank you for taking the time to do this for us while you're on vacation! It is so appreciated by those of us with upcoming Sun voyages (my family and I will be on her in June.) But I do have a small request or suggestion ---- can we tone down the Sanctuary,discussion, or maybe move it to its own thread? It has really hijacked this thread, and I think all the questions have been asked and answered many times. Most recent comments are just criticisms of the planning and the design, over and over again. The whole discussion is of little interest to many if not most of us. What about more info on the food, the specialty restaurants, the activities, the specialty and casual restaurants, etc? I'm sure there is much more of interest on this ship than just the Sanctuary.

Just be aware that fixed dining is not like it was in the past. With so many dining options, it's rare for cruisers to eat in the MDR every night. If you book fixed dining, you may find yourself sitting all alone at a big table, which feels awkward. A better idea might be to go to the anytime MDR, ask for a shared table , and be prepared to wait a few minutes for one to form. The hostess should be able to give you a beeper so you don't have to stand at the entrance while waiting.

We have booked a private tour of Pompeii for our June cruise on Sun Princess, but it doesn't include transportation. What are our options for getting there from the ship's pier in Naples? Taxi, Uber, public transit? Easy to navigate is preferred. We will be 3 adults and a 9 year old. Thanks in advance for any leads.