Nemanoxer

7 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Just an observation, no complaints per se.  This is the latest thread that begins with a question about bundle package values and evolves into debate.  After a lengthy absence from here, I see another thing that has not changed at all.  I do hope when I continue down the topic list on page one I will no longer see a dress thread.  🤪

After having spent some months in the Sun Princess group on Facebook, I learned that there is no enforced dress code there. It´s on paper, but not enforced ever.

Being a working class kid, I hated dressing up. It took me decades and especially my first cruise with Celebrity in 2012 to understand why dress codes were there and why now I would want them to be strictly enfored.

But while I evolved, the world seemingly retrogressed in the name of progress of liberty and free choice. So, now we have the right to sit in a tuxedo next to a guy in undies. 

PERSONAL COMMENT NOT INTENDED TO START THE BILLIONTH DRESS CODE DISCUSSION 😇😉

Again thanks very much to help me decide about PLUS. 

I do miss little things. 

Most of all, I miss food quality. Started cruising in 2012 on Celebrity Equinox, the food there was better than in most restaurants on land. That is long gone.

Also miss the personal touch in MDRs. Those guys on that cruise knew all my preferences at day 2 and prepared my part of the table just the way they had observed on days 1 and 2. Not to mention the whole staff at the table knew my name.

I miss the cabin steward to be more of a personal butler. The guy on my first cruise even came to my cabin to help my adjust my rental tuxedo because I never had worn one and did not know how to wear it correctly. Not to mention he took his time for a minutes long chat almost every day.

I guess that is the second part I mist the most. Personal feel.

Thank you all.

I finally booked PLUS due to now knowing that one Virgin Colada costs insane 15 $ plus service charge. I usually have one if not two per day, which would already be 60 $ including daily gratuities for CA cabin. Service charges not even included (as they are in PLUS as per my understanding)..

Second valid argument for me is the "do I really want to think about saving 10 $ each day when on vacation?". I think I don´t. 

So, now I am interested  🙂

If yes - how did you like it?

Sorry for not interacting with the last posts, CC did not inform me about further replies.

I will be going solo. And again, I can´t stand having WiFi whilst on board, so that will not be on my summary.

So, after the latest info on the mocktail pricing, I would already pay 47 $ per day for gratuities and two mocktails. That makes this decision kinda easy 🫢

On 7/31/2024 at 1:42 AM, reedprincess said:

Not on Sun. Everything, including drinks, are more expensive on Sun..

 

The prices I quoted, while estimates, are based off menus aboard..  Mocktails are definitely not $5 , they're running $10-15usd on Sun..

Drinks that are $12 or $13 on older ships are $15-17 on Sun, etc. 

 

 Just one menu, for example:

 

15 $ for a mocktail? 
Seriously?
 

Wow, this cruise line really wants to get rid of customers.

Thanks for this insight, helps me quite a lot.

Thank y´all for your replies.

Guess my habits really make this decision a 50/50 one.

On Celebrity, I usually go with the package that holds nothing but extra coffee specialties and non-alc drinks of any kind. That used to go under 30 $ per day, and I was happy with that. I paid gratuities as lumpsum at some point. Any extras usually ended up somewhere at about 100 $ in total.

For the production shows, I know that will be a bit of ruining my overall experience. On Celebrity, I usually show up 30 minutes early, before doors open. But Sun Princess group on Facebook makes clear this does not work on Sun Princess. One shall be there at least an whole hour early or even earlier than that. This pretty damn sucks for someone who is addicted to production shows on cruises.

Hi there.

My first ever Princess cruise is coming up on Sun Princess on 19th October 2024. It´s a 7 days cruise in CA category (Cabana Mini Suite).

I hardly ever drink alcolhol. I don´t want personal WiFi. I never hit the Spa nor the Gym. Usually no room service needed for me. OceanNow seems kind of irrelevant for me personally.

I do drink one or two Virgin Coladas per day and the same amount of Lavazza specialty coffees. I want my Pellegrino water, usually a bottle per dinner in MDR. I like Sodas from the can, two or three during the day. Juices happen next to never. I might fall for a premium dessert every one or two days. 

Usually, I stay away from specialty restaurants and what Princess call Casual Dining Meals and am happy with poolside Pizza and poolside Burgers (if good). Don´t care about photos or casino. Production show reservations would be sweet, however that would be PREMIER and too expensive anyway.

So...

If you were me, would you still book PLUS?

Gratuities are not a problem for me.

As a result from this thread, I guess the differences between a basic tariff at Princess and at Celebrity are quite irrelevant.

So, I cannot make that an important factor in deciding whether I shall stick with the Sun. Time and reviews will tell.

3 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

I think a couple of other factors are that the first few voyages of a new ship will likely be rough around the edges, and a lot of people are very focused on finding fault with what is the newest ship, not to mention a departure from the Princess template.   Long sentence, but I'm too lazy to fix it.  😃

The template thing is one of the factors why I booked. Princess always seemed a biiiiiiiiiiit too oldschool for me where Celebrity's Edge Class was a biiiiiiiit too fancy. Which is why I stayed with Solstice class for a long time.

A new Princess class seemed like it might eventually be right there.

This cruise, actually, was planned for the ship @roxievegas - and for trying a new cruise line that is head to head with Celebrity.

As mentioned before, I was so dissatisfied with Celebrity that the announcement of a new Princess ship class finally caught me for Princess. BUT in the meantime I went on my supposed-to-be last Celebrity cruise with the Edge, and "sadly" that was over average. It´s too loud and not as relaxing as their older ships, but apart from that they won me back over. I suppose Sun Princess is more cozy and relaxing (?!?!?!?).

And now, Princess also seem to jump the gun with the Sun. 

First world problems, I know.

Forgot to mention I have never cruised Princess or any other Carnival line, so no bonuses for me.

Package prices still do not look like they would make sense for me. I hardly do anything that costs extra. Just some sodas, specialty coffees maybe.

Good morning fellow cruisers.

During Celebrity´s lowest performing, I decided to give Princess a try. I thought they will give their very best when starting a new ship class, so I am booked on Sun Princess in October 2024.

The majority of the yet available reviews very much make me doubt my decision, and I am thinking about getting rid off my Princess booking and go back to Celebrity.

I booked the Standard tariff, no Plus, no Extra Plus, no beverage package or anything like that. I hardly drink alcohol nor do I book specialty restaurants.

Can you please let me know what extra cost I will have to expect on Sun Princess other than shore excursions and beverage packages? Where does Princess differ from Celebrity in side charges?

If reviews do not improve soon, I guess I will mainly base my decision on this factor. So, your input will be very appreciated, thank you. 

Generally speaking, the procedure of "I hate everything about this and that cruise line but I will book them anyway, no matter the cost" will lead exactly nowhere.

Stop booking what you don´t like, or deal with the flaws.

On 3/14/2024 at 1:25 AM, Sox Fan Cruiser said:

I have never found anything more uninteresting (to say it nicely) than the silent disco. Please Princess, don’t do this. When I go dancing, the best part is that all of us are dancing to the same collective beat. But enjoy. Worst thing on an X cruise 😜

I also do not appreciate that for me, but it is REALLY HUGE wherever it is offered.

One important question besides everything else:

How is the food? 

It looks good on the photos, but sadly that does not necessarily mean much anymore.

I am really, really curious how my first Princess cruise on the Sun will compare to Celebrity.

I loved the Equinox til she started getting neglected. She is cozy and homesy, somewhat more oldschool. My last trip was on Edge, and I finally got used to that concept and its liveliness. I started to like it after all resistance.

Now I see all the pictures from Sun, and she appears to be more cozy and homesy again. 

This will be a hard seven monthts of waiting to find out.

1 hour ago, vjmatty said:

Still cheaper than $1800-$3500 on Royal Caribbean’s private island.  

Believing that people pay that on cruise lines other than Silversea, Regent etc. is giving me chills. 

Nothing I can imagine getting from Princess or let´s say Celebrity could ever justify that.

I understand that the few days of vacation that most US employees get, make those days their holy grail - but still...

During Covid, Silversea offered me 12 days (or was it even 14?) on Silver Moon in their highest category as a solo traveler with 5 ports for about 3700 $ - and not per day.

Nuts.

6 minutes ago, Milly1966 said:

Oh my goodness...yes it does open like this! I wonder how long it would have taken ne to figure that out....duh! Thank you!!

Glad I chose a boring trip.

Will spend much time there instead of tourist trap harbor shops.

Did i already miss photos of a CA cabin located in the Sphere?

Would be interested in how the balcony looks.

4 minutes ago, FLAlaska said:

From the deck plans, C1 are the ones located on the actual cabana deck, C2 are regular minisuite balcony but you have access to the deck.  All on Deck 9

Yeah. I am on deck 12 now. No Reserve Collection gadgets, but at least free views. And I can see the cabana deck from above.

My question was how to identify the Reserve Collection mini-suites. But I guess I figured that out now, I would have needed to book C1 or C2. Not CA.

Oh 😨

Does anyone understand which cabana mini-suites are entitled for the Reserve Collection?

I am finding it funny how, talking about an industry that is able to sell people a thing like Icon OTS as vacation, large portions of cruise folks believe that one, ten, a hundred or a thousand complaints from private persons matter to members of that industry at all.

Let me compare this to my job. I work for one of the top 5 biggest logistics providers in the world. Like cruise lines moving hundreds of passengers each day, we move a seven to eight digit count of shipments every day. I mean per day on a daily basis.

If General Motors or Apple or Tesla file a complaint with us, everybody gets moving and moves mountains. But if John Doe´s Bricklayer & Sons from Nowhere Valley files a complain... Well, someone will take care some given day. But if John Doe decides he never wants to work with us again, he is forgotten the next day.

And I strongly believe it´s the same thing with global players like Carnival and RCL. They know John Doe will come back some day, no matter what they did to him before. 

We are John Doe.