Astro Flyer

@MsSoCalCruiser Like voljeep, in 2018 we had to cancel our 2 week Norway cruise days before flying to LHR due to a covered medical reason. The Princess Platinum insurance’s claim process was easy & all refundable costs (air, tours, taxes/fees, etc) were quickly refunded to our c/c and within a month received a check for our non-refundable cruise fare. There are times when life gets in the way of joy & thankfully by having insurance he costs are refunded. Hopefully you’ll return to full health soon even though the disappointment will linger…ours continues to this day because we have not rebooked that itinerary.

I took this photo in October 2021 on Majestic

Apple iOS update:

Thanks for the update…I did search online & only found that she was the HAG president but will remember it in the future. @LACruiser88 Thanks for this info: Jan Swartz is no longer with the Holland America Group, she is now Executive Vice President of Strategic Operations for Carnival Corporation. This moved happened last year. I'm not sure who took over her position??? 🤷‍♂️

PCL, HAL, Seabourn & P&O Australia (closing soon) are all part of the Holland America Group with Jan Swartz as president so based on your experiences those might be her decisions.

I agree but doubt if they’ll ever issue a press release about a negative experience…their lips are sealed. 🤐

Hopefully this isn’t old news…I just read an article that quoted Princess stating on 7/19 that some of the Park 19 attractions are suspended indefinitely & likely permanently. Based on their statement these attractions were not properly constructed. Rollglider The Net Coastal Climb 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," Princess said in the statement. "We are actively evaluating these areas for future recreational opportunities to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all our guests," the line added. “Princess Cruises on Friday announced that the Rollglider ride atop the recently unveiled Sun Princess will remain closed indefinitely. The line suggested the ride, which has never operated, would eventually be replaced by something else. Ditto for two other attractions that were built atop the ship but never opened: a ropes course called The Net and a climbing attraction called Coastal Climb. https://thepointsguy.com/news/princess-cruises-rollglider-attraction-closed/

I just read an article that quoted Princess stating that some of the Park 19 attractions are suspended indefinitely & likely permanently. Based on their statement these attractions were not properly constructed. Rollglider The Net Coastal Climb 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," Princess said in the statement. "We are actively evaluating these areas for future recreational opportunities to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all our guests," the line added. “Princess Cruises on Friday announced that the Rollglider ride atop the recently unveiled Sun Princess will remain closed indefinitely. The line suggested the ride, which has never operated, would eventually be replaced by something else. Ditto for two other attractions that were built atop the ship but never opened: a ropes course called The Net and a climbing attraction called Coastal Climb. https://thepointsguy.com/news/princess-cruises-rollglider-attraction-closed/

The 5 day limit was discovered about 3-4 weeks ago and 10 days ago noted it was 21 pre & post cruise days…in the UK the shorter 5 days limit was never implemented. Passengers were being told to call them for the 21 day limit which would require a lengthy conversation to find the best flight & price options. That procedure was not beneficial to passengers nor to Princess for searching & booking EZair flights.

We have enjoyed many UBDs and most recently in April on Discovery anchored off Cabo San Lucas…no cutbacks & just as good as previously including pre pandemic. I was surprised to learn that you could book it on the busy first day. It’s been our experience that times were at 6:00 and 8:00 but they’ll make it earlier if that works best for you. We’ve enjoyed it on larger (9’x9’) and smaller (9’x4’) balconies…even once inside due to inclement weather conditions. Here are a few photos of our most recent UBD 😋

Only their yield management algorithm truly knows the reason why you received the offer to make a bid. My guess is there are more minisuites available & they want to entice you to fill them by your bid instead of lowering the price to sell the minisuites to others. And with few balconies available, the law of supply & demand might result in someone else paying more than you did for your balcony cabin. In both situations, their goal is to generate more income for Princess.

Princess, and reportedly other CCL cruise lines, have increased the number of pre & post cruise days for EZair reservations to be the same as in the UK…21 days pre & 21 days post cruise.

Celebrity pizzas with ingredients such as honey & preserves…I am skeptical although hopefully I am wrong. Sun’s specialty restaurants with celebrity names have resulted in higher prices. Princess has a track record of failed celebrity restaurants such as Share, the French bistro and the Chinese restaurant on Majestic. The most successful specialty restaurants were created under the guidance of their past executive chef Alfredo Marzi and recently The Catch by Rudi (Sodamin). Both are in house chef’s who know how to create good food at sea which is much different than from land based restaurants. To me the only Princess celebrity chef who was a big success was Norman Love & his desserts. 😋

Since the restart they have been at 7:30 and 9:30 however they could vary slightly.

For April 2025 on Royal was able to reserve Allegro in 20 minute times on 7/1 and could have also reserved Concerto for TD. Checked again today & only Reservable in Allegro was available which means Concerto is either fully booked or it is a system glitch.

No nightlights…we bring small green square LED lights…one in the bathroom’s shaver socket & one for the desk.

In 2009 we sailed from Sydney around NZ & the South Pacific ending in LA…for us NZ was the highlight of that cruise. This time we’re cruising around Oz & a few days later from Auckland to LA. Unfortunately there are no stops in NZ and only in American Samoa, Papeete, Moorea & Honolulu. Hopefully we can replicate your drive around NZ…sounds like a wonderful experience.

Opps! ☺️ Kiwi wines! 🍷

After watching PE video reviews, we decided that ANZ is our best option from LAX to Brisbane…seats, service, food & Aussie wine appear to be best for us. We’re only flying one-way and cruising back to LA for an even more comfortable journey than on any flight.

Sorry but I have not experienced your situation but my guess is that it would have to be two one-way flights…one for each cruise. Another EZair limitation I’ve discovered for our Spring 2025 cruises 2 days apart. We can book a o/w from the US to Australia but cannot book an OZ to NZ flight…only from the US to NZ is available. Some have posted that it might be possible by calling EZair although they wrote that EZair might not be any cheaper. Although even at the same price the EZair change/cancel options would make it worthwhile for us.

That’s generally been my experience too when booking international flights from/to the US on US based carriers. Many of the non-US carriers charge for seat assignments when flying coach with the only exception I’ve experienced is for a recent Air New Zealand booking.

I would recommend not signing in to your Cruise Personalizer and to check flight options & prices that are currently available. As I recall, it is not possible to change one flight without canceling & rebooking. By following the above you would know the choices if necessary to cancel & rebook. By checking one-way fares you’ll know the airfare for each flight which in my experience has been a combination of both for a roundtrip. EZair rules have changed including now limiting flights to arrive 5 days or less pre & post cruise. Also when booking a one-way outbound flight it cannot be done until 330 days prior to a return flight even when not booking one.

If it were me like when sailing another time to the Mexican Riviera, the ship is my primary destination and I would prefer Regal over Caribbean. That’s merely my opinion & others will feel differently…good luck on making the best decision for yourself.

They would not force you to have all of the standard menu for the UBD. They go to great lengths to provide a meal for your satisfaction. We’ve enjoyed at least 6 UBDs and they were always willing to accommodate within reason to provide the meal you desire. They won’t force you to have food that you do not desire to have delivered. Like in the MDR, portions have become slightly less but we still usually end up placing our dessert in the fridge for another time. We prefer red wine over champagne & have been able to get a full bottle of red wine that cost the same as the half bottle of champagne. Call the Room Service line while onboard & explain your situation & your preferences and they’ll honor it to reduce the amount of food. The waitstaff is in the hallway until a course is nearly done to order the next course to have freshly prepared food. Everything has been perfect so would recommend giving the UBD another try & to receive the amount of food you desire…it’s our favorite Princess dining experience.

We only did the UBB once but have enjoyed the UBD several times so if your husband didn’t like the UBD he likely won’t enjoy the UBB. While it was too much food for us, all plates of covered food were delivered at the same time so the service was much different. I’ve never been in a suite to experience the suite breakfast but whether you prefer eating breakfast in your suite or in the suite dining room is your decision.