Wishing on a star

The meaning of new words evolves... Language evolves. WOKE has a much broader meaning today. That is the the way I would use it. I am very aware of how this word is defined and used today. People are free to their thoughts and opinions on these kinds of topics. Some good, some not so good. Note: I have never thought to apply that word to Princess.... WOKE?Hhhhmmm?????? On this same note... Yes, the only constant is change. I have NO problem with that!!!! (don't lump me in with the 'old folks' who long for the days when cruising was a very different thing.) It is some of the particular changes and the HOW and the WHY that concern me. As mentioned in my earlier post. And, please do NOT portray and sell me something and then deliver something that it definitely is not.

I am trying to figure out what the 'story' was with two guys/persons lying on the floor. How did that fit the narrative. Or was it just their contribution to some kind of dance routine/performance. (and, that still does not explain no shirts) Just trying to gauge the whole thing, as some persons def. of raunchy might be more sensitive than others. NO judgement. : ) Not shooting the messenger!!! I do believe, from all the recent feedback (not boarding again until later this year) that Princess is going thru an identity issue. But, my bigger concern ( MUCH bigger ) is how this corporation seems to be operating, or the failures in operating, from the very top down. All the way up to the top. Look at all of the changes over the last few years. Look at the roll-out of this new ship. We have. always enjoyed Princess, at a comfortable price point... But slowly and surely, like incrementally increasing the temperature to boil something in a pot without it jumping out... Or, another analogy would be death by a thousand tiny cuts. Princess has been doing away the the things that we have loved about Princess. In all areas... Food, Ambiance, Adult areas, etc... etc... etc... (While also being fair and noting that the food quality of most items and meals last time we were on Regal was very very good!) Perhaps loyalist and cheerleaders adjust and do not see these things as I am seeing them... Sometimes people are slow to see what they do not want to see. But, did somebody just mention jumping ship????

'... where they will end up.' That might not be too difficult to foresee, when one looks at the direction they have been headed.

I have used the term 'Identity issues'... To have a ship 'branded' and promoted as a multi-generation family and adult cruise line, and the Sun has NEITHER an open kids area or an open adults only area. It is clear that all of these things go all the way up to the very top..... We will be boarding the Sun... have had this reservation and had been looking forward to a new Princess ship for a long long time. But, I will be going into this with realistic expectations, and do not foresee booking again. And, I have noted several incidents of these chair-side injuries.

Welcome onboard!!! We have been considering booking Specialty Dining for the first night, as this menu does seem to be, well, not the greatest. I notice that the early show in the theater is 7:30. Not 8:00. On our next cruise, we could not get an early reservation for supper on the first night, so this would make an early show possible. Like you said... Lots of options onboard!!!

A couple thoughts... The week you are sailing should be really good!!! We have sailed during this timeframe, by design. Either families are sailing over Thanksgiving, or much closer to the Christmas holiday. So, a good week! Most all Christmas decorations will be up. You might get a simple claw/clip keychain holder for your medallion. then, you can clip that to a lanyard, wristband, clothing/belt-loop, a chain that you already have, etc. Would not cost much, and give you all options for keeping your medallion handy! If you plan to make good use of all of the non-alcoholic perks on the Plus package, yes, I think it would be quite possible to 'break even'. And, just gives the all inclusive feel and freedom from thinking about all of the little charges every day. International Cafe is wonderful... Take good advantage of the specialty coffees! Alfredo's/Gigi's is also really good. It looks like you have booked a lower category level Balcony Cabin. BD. It you were to consider any other options, or just good info for other newbies... Here are a few balcony stateroom tips. 1. The Balcony cabins, as mentioned, are small. I actually love the walk-in open closet area, which means no cabinets with doors that open up into the narrow cabin interior walkways. It is great. But, if you want a nice sized cabin, consider a Deluxe Balcony cabin. The cabin space is a bit bigger, with room for a small two-seater sofa. Regular Balcony cabins do not have any seating except the desk/vanity chair. I would always recommend at least the Deluxe balcony if possible. If any are available, they probably won't show up unless you put in three or more guests. (just the way it is with Princess????). It will just show Reserve or Guaranty. There is a workaround if you are traveling as two guests. 2. Check out the deck plans carefully. There are Premium Balcony and Premium Deluxe Balcony cabins that have larger/deeper balconies. Look on Deck 9. The balconies on most standard and Deluxe balconies on this ship are very small/narrow. It is possible that there are Balcony cabins that have the deeper balconies that do not have the Premium Category. So, no extra cost. (Dolphin Deck, Deck 9 D701-D710) I notice that these are often booked up, and you might not see any available. 3. There are Balcony and Deluxe Balcony cabins, located mid-ship on the bump-out, that would give you more space on your balcony. Many have angled balconies. A few are even-strait non-angled balcony rail. This would give you a great mid-ship location. If there are any of these left available on Deck 8, these are sold for a bit less as 'obstructed'. (You might have to look under the Interior cabins, not Balcony cabins where this category will be shown.). There is no real obstruction on these bump-out cabins, just that there is that open public deck area just below.

A dining room will be open. Easy enough to see if it is one of those that are there near the Piazza. If not, ask around, or head down to the Aft dining room on Deck 6. (Have to get there by the Aft elevator.) I have not seen that one being the one open. And don't know why they would change. If they are trying to 'hide' the fact that a dining room is available, then this be one way to help do that!

It is BOTH.... They want a bit more money from you, AND they want to be able to rebook your cabin at the current fare. (or even later at a Drop and Go fare) These computer algorithms and revenue specialists are not just 'whatever'. They know what they are doing, and whether it will increase the fare revenue of that sailing. They want your money, even if the current fare for the cabin they are offering is more than what they would get by offering you the upgrade. I am thinking that lower category cabins are booked up faster than some of the higher categories. While some of the higher categories stay available. They are going to fill more cabins if they move guest up into those categories and then their vacated cabins are booked by those who are not early bookers. Then, of course, there is the Bidding System that they have in place. If the upgrade looks good to you at a decent price... go for it. Don't try to second guess it or understand the Corporate details. Either way, enjoy the cruise!

Thanks!!! Yes, it seems to be something like you describe. But maybe some confusion or IT problem. It was so confusing, and kind of bugged me, not knowing why they didn't want to take a customer's money for an upsell !!! (kind of getting a run-around) We are going to stay just like we are, with the PLUS package. No biggie... First world problem!!!

Update: No matter what has been going on at Princess with this Premier Package thing, it seems that the problem that I am having here might be a more specific problem to our booking... Like maybe an IT thing after all. Premier seems to be showing available with no problem online. Leave it to me to be the one to hit upon something like this!!!!! I am the problem child!!!!!! Anyhow, most people probably would probably not see this problem. Ugggghhhh!!!!!

I am also remembering the issue where you could pull up a cruise, and it would only show PLUS. Like it might have been an IT problem. But, now it seems that cruises are showing both PLUS and PREMIER. If they had reached the limit or cap on Premier, then it shouldn't be showing Premier as an option when going in like you are making a new booking. Seems like something is going on with all of this?

I went and looked up dates for the changes when PLUS went to $60. per day. I believe this was effective Dec 2022. We booked last year in 2023. Any major changes since we booked???? I don't know? None of this makes since.

Thanks for the info and the code! Yes, I know this is what should be... That is what one would assume... But my TA, who is now management/supervisory, is going by the info she received when she forwarded this to somebody, who called Princess. I would mention the Agency... but of course can not here on CC. And, on my second Chat with Princess... the agent also mentioned some 'language' where this could not be upgraded. (Promos... changes to Plus and Premier since we booked... on and on.) I don't know what the issue is... But there are ten different stories out there. This should not be the case. But, believe me... This has been my experience.

Arrive late, for the Traditional dining seating time???? Okay.... something is off here people!

I can't compare the cruise lines. But I will start out here and try to help. Majestic is the one Princess ship that is different than all other Princess ships in this class. There is no Sanctuary adult area. On Majestic, this area is all fully enclosed... (non-retractable roof) and is called the Hollywood Pool and Conservatory. And, has not been adult-only. You are cruising right before a major dry-dock, where they will certainly change the dining venues around, and there will no longer be a Harmony. I am not sure if they might change these restaurants before the dry-dock??? or do it all at that time. I am not sure how possible Spring Break will affect this European Cruise. Except for Spring Break, Summer, Holidays, Princess cruises are usually more adult and less geared for kids, as compared to Royal Caribbean. You might be happy with the Plus Package. The wine selection included in Plus is not impressive. If you like better wine, and the special cocktails that would cost a bit more, you might consider Premier. Premier will also include Two specialty dining, unlimited visits to the casual dining onboard. (they now have a $14.99 upcharge for a full meal, or you can just order and pay ala carte.)

There is no real difference in choice. All of these dining venues (traditional, reserve a time, anytime) offer the exact same menu. It isn't like you have to always in the steakhouse, and you can't choose the Italian or the Seafood restaurant. They are the same 'restaurant'.

It doesn't sound like this used to be any issue. But... Okay, this is very confusing... But, something might be going on here with Princess. We contacted our TA, who passed this off to somebody who called Princess. No luck. Some kind of language about changes with Premier, we booked before changes... etc. I tried Princess Chat. No surprise, I have Screen-Shots and Chat transcript that show we have upgraded... But no upgrade ever showed up. I tried Princess Chat, again... This time they told me to give them a few minutes.. and came back with a 'NO'... But, this time they tried to pass it off as something to do with our Agency or Promo or 'whatever'. And, it is a TA booking... yada yada yada... Then there is the thought that, maybe, they might now be trying a cap on the number of Premier packages, perhaps due to availability of Specialty dining. So, I double checked, acted like I was booking this cruise online... it definitely offers to add Premier... no problem. Premier shows up as an option. (Save on what our are going to do anyway) Final take-away.... something might be going on here. More confusions and craziness. If anyone is booking a cruise, or has a booking, especially thru a TA, and not directly with Princess... You might want to think about going ahead and booking Premier if you might be interested at all. Go ahead and add it to your booking, and you won't have to be concerned about all of this.

Yes, line items also still show PLUS. (which is okay if I know that this is just the IT glitch) Just wish I could figure out what was going on? Confusing!

We sailed on Ruby when she was new! A lot of good things about the Ruby. But, I am one who appreciates a ship/resort that is newer and fresher. We love Regal. Princess began to lose us when they started making changes after the Regal. Seems the SUN has lost the 'vibe'.... some of the good things we liked. Instead of 'Princess', just from what we are seeing, it seems to scream huge, corporate, type of thing going on. We will be boarding the SUN... Have had this reservation for a long time. But, right now, with NO adult only area, NO functioning kid/family area. This is non-starter.

I believe she said that she is referring to an M1 Mini-Suite. This is NOT a Cabana Deck Mini or a Sanctuary Mini. I do not believe that it could be on Deck 9 (with the double high blue glass), as these are Cabana Deck Mini-Suites. She mentioned a sun-deck???? But I am not for sure what she was referring to, as the Cabana Deck sun deck is only for those Cabana Minis on Deck 9. (with the double high blue glass) And, Sanctuary class Mini-Suites go into effect after October 14. If this is a RESERVE Mini-SUITE, then this must be sailing before Oct. 14. Reserve category will no longer exists after that. (except for prior bookings that are 'grandfathered in'.

Thanks Wally! Just double checked the Travel Summary. (where it says 'print travel summary'). Still just shows PLUS. I will def. have to look more into this today! Adding PLUS should not be a problem at all. But, about upgrading to Premier when onboard. Of course, they seem to hold a number of reservations at the Specialty Restaurants until boarding. But, has anyone heard of Princess limiting new PREMIER upgrades, possibly because the Specialties are booked up?

I thought it might be simpler to start a new thread, instead of piggyback on the other recent one. We were not able to do this upgrade either online or thru the APP. It just keeps saying: You have PRINCESS PLUS. No obvious way to upgrade. I called our TA, who is finally back in the office, and she had passed this on, as she is now in Management. They responded that there is NO way to do this, without increasing our FARE, a LOT. Like a reface or something???? What!!!! Went on Priincess Chat, and the agent immediately offered to do the upgrade. I confirmed that the amount would be $20. per day, added to our balance due. The agent said they would make a note on the booking. All seems good. But, I am now wondering how long this will take to show up. So far, our booking still says Princess PLUS. Princess can be so frustrating!

Are you referring to earlier reviews, with so much of the ship not operating. Not ready for Prime Time? Yes, there were a LOT of 'hiccups'... Or you reading more recent reviews that seem to be negative about the over-all experience/food/service?

It sounds like you understand all of these differences! So, yes, this comes down to how much the larger mini-suite and the Reserve Dining Room might mean for you. There are some upgraded menu items in Reserve. The M1 Mini-Suite will have more room. I believe it has a slightly larger bathroom? Of course, you can look at the deck plans and videos, if you have not. These Mini-Suites seem to have the standard (fairly small) balcony. If you have a specific deluxe balcony that has one of the few deeper balconies. That could be a factor. But probably is not. As mentioned, Mini-Suites used to be a nice upgrade from Balconies because the other ships did not have a sofa in balcony cabins. Mini-Suites on other ships also have a small tub/shower combo, instead of the very small shower with that shower curtain. Mini-suites on other ships have a full height dining table on the balcony. No table on standard or deluxe balconies. But, on the Sun, Deluxe Balconies have the sofa. The bathrooms are similar... (no tub/shower) and the balconies are also similar. So, not as much of a no-brainer. Yes, if you do not have RESERVE dining, you can reserve your dining in the Main Dining Room. Either on Deck 6 - for Traditional early or late seating. Or on Deck 7 of the dining room for pre-reservations at any time, or walk-in. (could involve a real wait at peak times) If you do not go with RESERVE, and want to have some reservations in the Main Dining Room for your choice of dining times, like same time/table/area/staff almost every night, you would want to have this set up in your dining reservations. (on the APP). Yes, people have had some luck getting a table they like, and asking to return there thru the cruise. We did this on our last cruise.

You are asking very good questions! Okay, you mention RESERVE... So, I am assuming you are sailing this summer, before Oct 14th. (big changes at that time) If this is true, make sure you know what you are getting. RESERVE does usually refer to that dining room. So, this can be a perk. (but, on the SUN Princess, the two bottom levels of the three level dining room are VERY nice, with the huge AFT-wake-view windows. If you can manage to snag a table in that area. Go immediately upon boarding to the dining room, and let them know it is your Honeymoon!!!) Do you have your dining reservations made? Are you requesting a separate/private table for two? You mention the Sun Deck... So, by this, I am assuming that you are referring to the Cabana Deck, on both sides of the ship, on Deck 9. ( NOT the Sanctuary Club Area, AFT, up on the top deck. Which is for Suite guests, and some loungers are available for daily reservation/rental ) Cabana Mini-Suites THAT ARE ON DECK 9 have access to the exclusive Cabana Deck area. On both sides... (Nice seating, Hot tub...). There are Mini-Suites and also Cabana Mini-Suites on other decks. Know that these Cabana Mini Suites are actually the same cabin area and layout as your Deluxe Balcony... They are calling these Mini Suites because of the addition of the 'cabana area' between your cabin and your actual balcony. (see deck plans, photos, videos) All of these cabins on Deck 9 are like this. The ones that are located on the exclusive Cabana Deck are directly ON the Cabana Deck, so perhaps not as much privacy. Others can be just outside of your balcony on the Cabana Deck. Again, check deck plans, photos, videos. All of these Cabana Mini-Suites on Deck 9 do not have the standard height balcony glass and railing. There is double-high blue glass. This would be nice for any wind, but does change your view. No leaning over the rail... Yes, all of this can be very confusing!!! Even if one is not a new cruiser! Make sure you know the exact type of cabin. (cabana mini-suite, or regular mini-suite with RESERVE, etc) If there are things that you are still not sure about, then ask again, and the experts will be glad to help!