Wishing on a star

Esprit... 'Certainty' is definitely the exact opposite of the reasons why most would be eager to book an inaugural. Just sayin.... We are all here just discussing the differences and new offerings. Some we might love and be excited about, and some, not so much. Different strokes!

Thank you dudes... I have heard all of this, about the ' pop-ups ' the Catch by Rudi and the Butchers Block. I hope these are offered and are very good!!! I am hoping that this Inaugural Cruise works out well, and that you are so nice to post!!! Ombud.... I am looking forward to the deeper balconies on Deck 10 ! Those standard balconies are small! I also notice that there is a change of the deck chairs on the new ship. Not those blue, high back, sling chairs we always see. They are lower back, more like a regular chair with a separate seat and back... Each one with a foot rest.

Count me in with those who has no shame in moving unaccompanied 'stuff'. After seeing that nobody actually returns after any length of time.

We have always had cabins, bed facing forward, and seat or loveseat by the balcony... thought we would do the same on the SUN. But, after seeing some recent images, with that jigsaw cutout.. I think it looks like this closes in the slider and view out the balcony. We are now requesting to switch from port to starboard, to get a forward facing bed by the balcony... (looking forward to a deeper balcony on deck 10) Yes, first world problems!! I am also looking at the dining on the Sun.. And the additional dining they are offering (other than the usual MDR, Sabatini's, Crown Grill) are Teppanyaki, and O'Malleys Pub. Sadly for me, these would not be my favorites! No seafood specialty or French or more unique/exciting option. BTDT with Crown Grill and Sabatini's And, what are the details on the new LOVE dining? Where and when and how will that be? I have been so looking forward to the new ship! But, some of the choices that Princess is offering, like the Spellbound thing, just aren't super appealing to me. Does it look like Good Spirits will be kind of isolated or enclosed? What do you all think!

If you have not cruised yet... I do not know, but I believe the current info says VIP. $50.00 - $200. I know that renting an umbrella for the regular pool loungers seems to be $22.00. So, I would imagine that the $50.00 option is for an umbrella and one or two padded loungers in that VIP section. Perhaps they also offer packages that include unlimited drinks, etc.??? Here is a current video that shows a sign of all the pricing on rentals, at about the 3:15 min mark. Information seems hard to find.

Yes... the first place that you might see this is to pull up your cruise online. I do not know how the new App is working! Good luck with your GTY Deluxe Balcony!!! Just FYI... once you get your room assignment, if there are any other cabins with the exact same category that might be in a better location, you can do a switch.

I can not confirm... but, yes, it does seem that waterslides are $5.00. I do not think that they are included, as they used to be. The sign shown at the beginning of the video seems to be current.

I have posted on this topic before here on CC... And will make the same comments again. First... on Princess, food quality can vary WIDELY.... Depends on the ship, perhaps the location and supplies, and especially the Executive Chef and heads of dining and beverage. 1. There is NO consistency.... I am not just saying this... I have also heard and read this many times... Sometimes with photos that clearly show some is MUCH better than others. Of note... I have been looking at the new Celebrity Ascent... and there are a few detailed dining reviews out there. One even mentions that, as of recently, the consistency of the food and quality when comparing this cruise with their other recent cruises. For Princess, I saw one set of comparison photos, for example, that showed the beef medallions... one was beautiful, medium cooked, tender looking meat, with larger cuts of veggies and a nice looking au jus... The other looked like a small, well done, cut of cheap steak, hardly any veggies.. and a strange 'broken' gravy. 2. I have been on cruises with some bad food... I am neither a Princess cheerleader or critic. Just stating the obvious. The post above that mentioned that the food seemed too salty.... That was one of the huge problems I had on one cruise (REGAL, a few years ago) where there were some things that were SO salty that they really were not edible. Something about a, well, not-so-good, Executive Chef is that, IMHO, they often lean heavy on the salt, to cover for other shortcomings in quality and flavor/seasonings.... (You can always tell when a new kid is on fires at a fast food when they are just covered in salt!!!) Yes, sometimes, some of the food can be, well, bad. 3. Our worst experience on our last cruise, as mentioned by one person above, was our worst dining experience onboard. So, even the Specialty Restaurants can be affected by these issues mentioned. Everything else was really good! 4. When I see complaints that come from a Princess newbie, I also wonder if lack of familiarity and knowing what Princess does well, and what they do not do as well, could be a factor.

They could really shift around these cabins, as people bid and upgrade, etc... If there are some that are not covered or less covered, then pay attention to that. ( I do not know about all of these on Discovery) If your bid is accepted, of course you can do an equal category move if you prefer a different one that shows available.

About that interior cabin.... NOTICE that the square footage is 'average cabin size'. This one def. seems to be unique. The actual square footage is probably larger.

Looks like somebody in tech linked the wrong diagram!!!!! C'mon Princess....

The cabana mini-suites on deck 9 are all designated 'Reserve', with access to Reserve benefits. The cabana mini-suites on higher decks, on the mid-ship sphere bump out are cabana mini-suites... but it seems that these do not include the 'Reserve' benefits. The ones with the Reserve benefits do have a higher fare.

I cannot answer your question, but it seems that the deck plans are pretty much to scale. The longest 'length' seems to be the same as most others. But maybe 1.3 or 1.4 times the width. This means the layout could be similar to other balcony cabins. more room to navigate around the bed. This does not seem to be enough space for a couch... It will be interesting to see it when people board the ship! A place that you might first see photos is cruise deck plans web-site. While I would love the extra space, being that far forward would run it out for me!

Sorry!!! Double posted???

Is this something that is often done? If this is possible, how much of a walk is it? Thanks for any info !!!

Is this something that is often done? If this is possible, how much of a walk is it? Thanks for any info !!!

Could it be about sailing and /or wind issues??? Those that are not inset, overlooking the exclusive cabana deck, will be overlooking the sea... But, do appear to have full height blue glass. I am with those who do not think I would want that enclosed cabana area between me and the sunshine and balcony. Traveling with 3 or 4 in the cabin, it would give that much needed space. We will have to wait and see how it all looks IRL, and how the doors in and out of that cabana area work. It won't be long!!!!

ERIC. Can you tell us more about how crowded it is with three ships in port? There will be two large ships when we will be there. NANA.... The chairs that were rented, I believe, are in that one area.. I wonder if it is a little less busy there. And, aren't they padded... And perhaps have increased level of service? I think we might rent an umbrella. I see a recent sign that said $22. And if we drive instead of fly, I can bring my nice thick exercise/yoga mat... it makes a perfect pool lounge topper! None of the beaches around this area appeal to me... When you have Grace Bay Beach, Grand Cayman, Destin FL, etc... the darker sand, less clear water in this area, and less upscale/professional vibe, just don't do it for me. We might head off the ship as early as possible, hope to find a spot in Amber Cove... And then plan to go back onboard and enjoy a quieter port-day onboard that afternoon.

Above..... you said...." I do have to agree about the buffet. I really did not like the lunch buffet most days. A couple of days I skipped lunch, a couple of days I went to the dining room, and a couple of days I ordered in a sandwich from room service. Pizza and tacos (Salty Dog grill had Street tacos) were good, and the rest of the time I picked through what I could find in the buffet. Last sea day was sushi, finally. Breakfast was almost worse, too - no real toast, no freshly fried eggs, and the supplies for the omelets kept getting lower and lower as the cruise went on. " All people do have different levels of expectations and tastes... But, what you just described, IMHO, is simply NOT acceptable to me. I do not know what the OP had for lunch and suppers onboard. But, I do believe their post. I have been on a couple of Princess Cruises with BAD food. Service is also 'one of those things' If you lucked out, then GREAT!!!! We have had excellent room stewards and waitstaff that we returned to... And we have also had 'bad'. Seriously, we should have gotten up on one occasion and spoken to the Maitre d' and changed to a different table and area all together. These things DO happen.... The OP here asked... "Does Princess even have a corporate culinary program that ensures consistence across their entire fleet? If they do, they are failing. One ship's mistakes affect how their entire brand is perceived." The answer is YES... But, to the OP... If there is one thing that Princess might be known for, it might be inconsistency. We have had poor food, and great food! And, will also say this... for those of us who are more familiar, we know what dishes that Princess does well... ( that PIZZA! ) And what to avoid. Choosing blind, could end up being poor choices. I will say this, about the staffing issue... There are a lot of new staff... many current staff are now boarding the new SUN Princess. If you saw issues with staff with less than adequate English and training... I wonder if that might be an issue, at this particular time?

There is only one thing about double booking... If there is a promo code offer that is unique, and once it is applied to a booking, it can't be applied again. In that one case, when we and our TA both put a booking (hold) on a cruise.. They then told us that the special OBC offer that we had, was now 'used' and couldn't be applied.

Ohhh my! I didn't know that 'Hold' was gone !

I do not think there should be any problem.... But, the way to know for sure is to either call Princess or your TA,.. You can go online and act like you are booking a different cabin... Easy to put it on hold... If that works you should be good to go. I believe I remember that we have had a cruise on hold, then our TA made a booking, and both were showing in our Princess account. But, things can change!

I see that the band X-cite will be onboard the SUN. But, we will not be able to sail until October... And it looks like they will either take some time off or change ships when she arrives at FLL.... Wish we had not decided to cancel Europe this Spring!

Thank you SO much!!!

We are looking to book one of these cabins for next year. It seems odd that they are priced differently (less) than other balcony cabins in this area. Do any of you here have any idea why this might be? I would think that these would actually be more desirable, due to the balcony. I know that THRAK might be in one of these this Spring.... But, maybe somebody here has seen these cabins?