Wishing on a star

That is what I am thinking. The new dining reservations needs some work!!! Looks like we need to decide ASAP, and whatever the system does... deal with that later if we need to. I think I am ready to go ahead and upgrade to Premier. (which can make sense, with the amount per day on shorter cruises)

Olay, I am now in this boat, or on this ship.... (pun intended!!!) I wonder if I should start a new thread???? Because I have more than one question. We probably will want to book a Specialty Restaurant on the first night. I believe that the menu in the MDR is not the best. (Prime Rib now on last night) Right now we have PLUS... So for sure we would have to pay up front to reserve. 1. If we cancel before departure, will this, for sure, be a credit to our card? 2. I assume that, even if we decide to upgrade our package to Premier, any cancellation that is not before departure would be refunded as OBC. I don't know if we would have any use for more OBC!!! 3. For Suite guests, (and how many guests would that be on SUN!!!) do they also get a complimentary Specialty Dining on the first night? We might want a fairly early reservation (do not like to dine too late) to avoid any busy time. On our last short cruise, when boarding, when we saw the menu in the MDR, immediately went to move our reservation for Crown Grill up to that evening. They were able to get us in, but Crown Grill was packed, and it did not turn out to be a good experience. Do we want to book now, and then have to deal with refundable OBC??? Wait until onboard... maybe upgrade to Premier. Upgrade to Premier now???

Yes, the layout is a big personal preference. Either way!!! We have not taken the longer cruises with tons of sea days... We find that we spend very very little time on the sofa. I like the feel of the cabin opening up out towards the balcony, and not feeling more closed in... as the room is more narrow where the sofa is at. DH is usually the early riser... He can pull open the drapes, and I can already be able to look out and see what the weather and port situation is for the day, just by sitting up in bed!!!

As the prev. post mentions, there should be no problem with any number of 'extra people' on the Cabana Decks'.. I do not think they are adult only, so it seems that any children who are in these cabins could also be on the Cabana Decks. Hopefully not a big problem. Also, the bed/sofa configuration is alternating... This makes the cabins fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. Every other one will be 'bed by the entry' and every other one will be 'sofa by the entry'. I would choose a sofa by the entry. The bed will be inset in the widest part of the layout. This way, the cabin seems more open at the sliding door. The closets. sofa, and counters would all be together. It is easy to see when looking at deck plans. And, there are a lot of photos. You can also tell whether the bed faces forward or backward when sailing, by where the inset is the widest in the cabin. That will be the 'headboard'.

I am picky... I bring travel bottles of mine, that I know will work with my hair. Bar soap too... I can't use the cheap waxy stuff, or soap with fragrance, etc.

Wow.... Thank you for your thoughts! They do have the dry dock scheduled... But that isn't until March. Many months. Food can always be dependent on the Head Chef and staff, as well as the location. Hopefully that will not continue to be an issue. Sounds like they really need to do something about fresh air in the HollyWood area!!! That is a biggie.

Gracie.... The changes could be more than switching around restaurants. I have NO inside information. Nobody does, because Princess just does not put all of the info out there. They could change their minds, as we have seen, at the last moment. Just be aware that there could be real changes.

Thanks!!! Great job posting the photos!! For some reason, we were not seeing the pre-Oct 14 deck plans... When we pulled up the deck plans with your link, BOTH were showing the 'beginning Oct 14' deck plans!!! The old plans that we were able to find did show that the Reserve Cabana Minis are all of the ones on Deck 9. So, if this is correct, yes, No Reserve without the high glass!

I don't think that this will actually show the 'before Oct 14' deck plan???

Note: there are some OV rooms on the Sapphire that have a nicer layout, like a balcony room with a window where the balcony door would be. Not the port-hole over the bed. It can be hard to find them... Could check the cruise deck plan web-site. As mentioned... for fresh air, step out on the balcony. Doors being left open can cause problems with the air system in that section of the ship.

Thanks! We have a deposit on a similar cabin the first cabin at the front of the sphere. I have been hoping to see something like this.

We have been finding that in most cases, prices only go up. cruises we booked early have increased so much that no sale or perks could begin to make re-booking an option. Can you get a refundable deposit? Book the cabin you want now!

Okay, I think I found some old deck plans for the SUN... It seems to indicate that all the Cabana Mini-Suites on Deck 9. (which would have the high glass) were Reserve Cabana Mini-Suites. The ones on Deck 10 and on the Sphere do not show 'Reserve'. Maybe this will help??? Assuming that this is the way they are currently categorized???

No, they are not... which makes you wonder what they are up to. You can act like you are booking a cruise that departs before Oct. 14, but that does not show you everything you need to know.... only what might be offered for cabin selection. I tried the other big cruise ship deck plan site... No. luck there either.

Sounds like there are Reserve Cabana Deck Minis on Deck nine.... Thanks to Princess, this is all just TOO confusing!

The double high glass is throughout the entire distance of Deck 9. So, whether you overlook that exclusive Cabana Deck or just your own balcony, yes there will be the blue tinted glass. Since Princess has changed up the SUN to eliminate 'RESERVE' and bring in the new SANCTUARY CLUB CLASS, I would have to go look and see what the specifics on the Reserve Cabana Mini-Suites are. I am not seeing a version of Deck Plans for 'until Oct 14'. Maybe some experts here know more... Is there such a thing as a Reserve Cabana Mini. A quick check only shows Cabana Mini, and Cabana Deck Deck Mini... There are Reserve Mini-Suites, but they would not be the Cabana Mini... the usual Mini-Suite. (larger interior, but no cabana)

Is there a Dry Dock scheduled for Discovery??? I also believe that there will be no more Harmony, and restaurants will be switched around. I think there could be real changes. But, until that day, all is speculation.

I hope I am getting this all correctly. There are currently TWO categories of Cabana Mini Suites. The ones on Deck 9, with the full glass, are called Cabana Deck Mini Suites. They have access to those Port and Starboard exclusive Decks. Cabana Mini Suites (without including the word DECK) will not be on Deck 9. These will have regular, open, balconies. They will not have access to those exclusive decks. You can look for these on the Sphere, and on Deck 10. (which will be just above that full glass, looking over and thru the top of it.) If you bid on a Cabana Mini Suite, you would be bidding for one that is not on Deck 9, NOTE: while they are called Cabana Mini Suites, they are actually the same interior cabin as a Deluxe Balcony. The added space that they consider them as larger, like a Mini sSuite, is the cabana area. Hope this helps!

Wow, thanks!!! Did you have your reservations linked for dining? Had you all requested the same dining time and a large table? I see the photos of those hot-dogs (from the pool deck...). and I hate to say, they do not look good to me. I used to love getting the wurst... Too bad that is gone. The photo that looks kind of like a crab cake... was that the Chicken Croquette? I am thinking that uncrowded show in the theater might be because it is first night, boarding day, for many, with so many being travel worn and tired? Happy cruising!!!

So, on these Royal Class ships, you have do the Hokey Pokey and do down the AFT elevators/stairs to have lunch in the MDR??? Seriously? I wonder if most ships still have the Souffle on the menu. That would be the first Souffle of the cruise. The last one I had, Italian night on Regal, was heavenly! Although some seem to report that the Souffle they were served was underwhelming?

If you are Elite, or Platinum... take advantage of the priority boarding. Get there early and be standing and ready when staff indicates you may head into the ship. If you are not Platinum or Elite, then this can make a difference. Suites and Special Guests will also board first. Good Luck!!!

Excellent! Enjoy those windows and views! We cut little sections of a styrofoam pool noodle and put the table legs into that to make the table from our cabin taller. For white color, maybe packing material or something for crafts? With your table being foldable, with the legs at an angle, cut at a similar angle. =========== \ / \ / / \ / \ //// \\\\ < ------ bottom of legs pressed into the styrofoam. (lightweight for packing, but be careful of tipping over)

You could book both, until we have a better idea on how the Star will be coming along??? Prices only seem to go up. If you book on the one big Agencies 3 Day Sale, the deposit is non-refundable. But I think that fully refundable deposits are still offered by Princess. Decisions... Décisions !!!

On newer ships, those true AFT wake-view balconies are deluxe balconies, with the little two-seat mini-sofa. Too bad there are none of these on Sapphire!

I believe that those cabins beside the Retreat Pool have slightly larger/deeper balconies too. I actually hate that they did this to the adult area on the ship.... All for the addition of a few small standard balconies. Ugggghhhh.... I think they charge more for these, too. Not the same price as other forward higher-deck cabins.