Sun Princess

[schack74]

There are many mixed reviews of the condition of this ship. Does anyone know when and/or if it's scheduled for drydock or refurbishing? I'm thinking of this ship next year but don't want to be disappointed after sailing the newer ships like the Island, Star, etc. I know Princess keeps their ships in great condition but she is 10 years old.

[serene sea]

The Sun was a first Princess ship for me but not for the group that I was with. All of them, who have been on more than ten cruises with Princess and other lines (including many other passengers on board) had nothing but complaints saying this was their worst Princess cruise ever compared to the grand class. Evidently, the quality of Princess levels was non-existent and it also packed in a different type of crowd.

 

Theater/lounges are small, you had to arrive at least 45min earlier. Food and service was hit or miss. Overall the ship felt crowded. We had many sick passengers on board which seems to be the case on the Sun every other week. Terrible experience however I look forward to another chance at Princess, undoubtedly another ship.

[juliepaule]

Hi Serena nad Schack

 

We are booked on the Sun Princess April 7 for the 10 days cruise out of Ft Lauderdale. We chose it only because the ports of call were some that we had not seen. The cost to fly from Toronto to San Juan was much higher and Celebrity appears to be using this port now. That is our first choice along with Royal caribbean

 

I, like you have cruised on other cruise ship and we are aware of the good food, cabins, and atmosphere.

 

So tell me what did we get ourselves into. The problems with the Sun appears to be never ending. I am seriously thinking of calling my TA and review our situation.... The Sun has had many problems this year.

 

Mmmmmm still thinking about cancelling and rebooking....

 

What do you think?

 

Julie

[LMCAT123]

You might contact Princess Customer Service and ask when the ship is scheduled for drydock. If they know they will tell you.

 

I cannot believe that the Sun Princess that I was on 7 months ago would have deterioriated to the level some posters seem to feel it has. The ship was in pristine condition. OK, it's not a brand new ship, but it was in great shape. As for people getting sick, that seems to happen on all cruise lines. Many people get sick from various reasons while on any kind of vacation, not just cruises (different schedules, different food, too much liquor, time zone differences, weather differences, staying up too late or a combination of any of these will often cause gastro-intestinal distress).

 

Not sure what the reference a "different kind of crowd" refers to but we certainly had a nice mix of people/ages/income brackets/nationalities/etc. I am kind of put off by remarks such as that.

 

Whether food service was hit or miss is also interesting. We had nothing but fantastic service and very good food (ok, not gourmet, but very good). Yes, you can have a "bad" waiter and/or food you do not like, but you can request another table and/or another meal. How many inattentive/bad waiters have you encountered in restuarants over the years ? I know we have run into a few :-) It happens to everyone now and then.

 

I would not cancel my trip based on what a few people have to say about not liking the Sun. I think the positive postings outweight the negative (plus it seems to me most people enjoy complaining anyway). I find it rather interesting that people feel that if a ship is not "new" then it must be bad. Are their houses brand-new? All the clothes in their closets? Their cars? ... very interesting to me.

 

Go and enjoy yourself - if you plan on having a good trip, you will. The ports of call on the Sun 10-day itinerary are great.

[LisaH]

What is a "different type of crowd"?

 

I suppose that could be us as we have been on the Sun Princess twice. Most recently in February of this year and we had a fantastic time. Our mini-suite was beautiful and we thought the ship was in great shape. As a matter of fact, we sailed her in her second year and the only difference I could really tell was the cushions on the pool deck could probably use replacement...

 

It is a great ship and you will have a great time. With that said though, if you want a brand spanking new ship with all the new bells and whistles you should rebook. It is a very elegant ship. One of our favorite features is the wrap-around promenade deck.

[Toto2Kansas]

I think that what is being read in some reviews are the facts that the Sun Class ships are so totally different then the newer Grand Class vessels that some people just are not finding the type of cruise experience that they were looking for. The Sun Class ships are much different as they do not offer all of the bells and whistles that the newer and larger ships offer. With lack of research, maybe some do not realize that the smaller ships are older and do not have the space to offer the newer amenities. But the repairs and upkeep to these vessels are ongoing and we have always found them clean, and bright and as nice as the newer ships in the fleet.

 

Personally, we love these sized ships and would choose them over the newer Grand Class anyday. We have sailed on the Sun, Dawn and Sea and each was in great shape and offered a quality cruising experience.

 

Those looking for the new glitz and things to do would probably not be impressed by the smaller ships. But as far as we are concerned, the smaller ships offer so much more and can not be compared to an amusement park that some lines offer, which we are not looking for.

[LisaH]

Very well said and I agree. We liked the Sun Class of ships for their understated elegance and the biggest mini-suites around. The bar at the back of the ship is awesome...

[jmrfamily]

I have been on the Grand, Star, and Sun Princess in the past 4 years. I am going on the Sun again in March for 10 days. I did not see any issues on the Sun that I have not seen on the two Grand class ships also. All ships will seem crowded at times. All ships have some bad service on occasion. However, none of the ships seemed rundown or old. The Sun is smaller so it does not have the same amenities as the Grand class ships, but, I certainly did not feel that meant there was anything wrong with the ship - it is just smaller.

Sit back, relax and enjoy the fact that it does not take as long to get where you want to go on this nicely maintained, good quality, smaller ship.

[coiran]

We were on the Sun Princess in October - the service, both from the room stewards and dining room staff was excellent, as was the food quality. On a 1 to 10 scale I would rate it 11. The ship is in very good condition - they were in process of removing all of the teak handrails for stripping and refinishing - they looked like new when done. The thrusters were still out at that time but it didn't have any effect on the itinerary.

The sun class ships never have a crowded feeling. The public areas, other than the show lounges, seem larger than those on the Grand class ships which all, IMHO, have a crowded feeling.

The Sun class ships are the best in the Princess fleet - don't hesitate booking a cruise on the Sun.

Ron

[bdjam]

See my signature – I have sailed Sun Princess many times and each time the standard of quality has been high. I wouldn’t keep going back to the ship if it weren’t. I haven’t been on the ship in a while but as a previous poster mentioned, for the ship to drop to the level some of the posters indicate, Princess would have had to stop all maintenance on the ship since I was on board.

And a 10 year old ship is NOT old. It’s about one-third through its expected lifespan. I think we've been spoiled by all of the brand new ships coming out every year. Personally, I like the older ships as their crews are more apt to be well versed in the running of them. And the issues that have been noted about Sun Princess - thrusters, people getting sick - happen on all ships, new or old.

[mii]

Ditto on what Toto2Kansas said. I have been on the Sun Princess and love that size of ship. In fact all of the Sun Class plus the Coral and Island are the best of the fleet as far as I am concerned.

 

Marilyn

[Coral]

Ditto on what Toto2Kansas said. I have been on the Sun Princess and love that size of ship. In fact all of the Sun Class plus the Coral and Island are the best of the fleet as far as I am concerned.

 

Marilyn

 

I agree with Marilyn and Toto.

 

I much prefer the Sun class (and Coral class) to the Grand class ships and would choose the Sun (or Dawn or Sea) over Grand, Golden, Star anyday.

 

I spent 2 weeks on the Sun Princess this summer and I thought the interior was in great shape. It was just as good as the interior on the Golden Princess was in October when I was on that ship.

[BigTimeCruiser]

I agree with Marilyn and Toto.

 

I much prefer the Sun class (and Coral class) to the Grand class ships and would choose the Sun (or Dawn or Sea) over Grand, Golden, Star anyday.

 

I spent 2 weeks on the Sun Princess this summer and I thought the interior was in great shape. It was just as good as the interior on the Golden Princess was in October when I was on that ship.

 

We were on the Sun in May and October of this year and agree with the quoted comments. However, on the October cruise the food wasn't as good as it was in May--mainly in the Horizon Court. Don't know why, but hopefully things have improved since then.

[DesrtDrmr]

I always get a kick out of reading questions about OLD ships...........especially when I read one about the Star last year! :)

(It's a good thing those folks don't live around here. I was very upset when my "new" washing machine went on the fritz last year...............until I realized that my "new" washing machine was fourteen years old!!!)

The Sun Princess was the biggest cruise ships around when she was new. It is not THAT much smaller than the Island and the Coral. I think it's a lovely ship, and we are looking forward to sailing on the Sun, again, next year.

[schack74]

Thanks for the input. I sailed the Sea and Dawn and loved them. I've also sailed the Star & Golden and loved them also, as well as the Island. The itinerary on the Sun has islands we haven't been to and I'm probably going to book now with more positive feedback than bad.

[bdjam]

Thanks for the input. I sailed the Sea and Dawn and loved them. I've also sailed the Star & Golden and loved them also, as well as the Island. The itinerary on the Sun has islands we haven't been to and I'm probably going to book now with more positive feedback than bad.

If you’ve already sailed Sea and Dawn, then you know what to expect. I think you’ll find that Princess maintains its hardware equally and Sun Princess will hold the same standard as the other two ships…

[cruiserforlife]

...many informed Sun cruisers there...some of which are sailing "live" and are posting daily.

 

The Sun is in excellent shape for a 10 yr. old ship...and bdjam just enlightened us that that is not old for a cruiseship.Princess does a great job of upkeep and their ships are maintained night & day. It is very hard to find any wear anywhere.

 

Take all reviews with a grain of salt...go straight to the source and ask the people who are cruising NOW what they think.

[juliepaule]

Hi all,

After reading all the comments, I must realize that any cruise ship must have some wee ups and down. I think one needs to go with a possitive approach and enjoy each day as it is. We can not compare the bigger ships with the Sun. I have enjoyed the smaller ships because of the atmosphere. So Sun here we come.

 

Julie

[pklopp]

Julie - I'm with you - an open mind is a wonderful thing - I love these threads, but get too hung up sometimes on some of the reviews I see. I worried until the day I boarded the Zuiderdam in Sept. and had a great time! DH really liked the bathroom on the Z, but I have told him not to expect that on the Sun - buy, hey, how much time do you really need in a shower as long as it has hot water!! We chose the Sun for the itinerary and are really looking forward to celebrating our 30th anniversary.

Peggy

[cruiserforlife]

Julie - I'm with you - an open mind is a wonderful thing - I love these threads, but get too hung up sometimes on some of the reviews I see. I worried until the day I boarded the Zuiderdam in Sept. and had a great time! DH really liked the bathroom on the Z, but I have told him not to expect that on the Sun - buy, hey, how much time do you really need in a shower as long as it has hot water!! We chose the Sun for the itinerary and are really looking forward to celebrating our 30th anniversary.

Peggy

 

While the Sun is smaller,it's fan base prefer the word "cozy"...:o

You won't be in that shower very long anyway...it'll take time away from that great itineary!;)

 

Have a great cruise!

[coiran]

We have found that the showers on the Sun (standard rooms) are larger than the showers on the Grand class ships.

Ron

[cruisen JJ]

We just got off the Sun Princess November 18th. She was in excellent shape. In fact, we were on the Zuiderdam in February and I think she is showing a lot more wear and she's a much newer ship. Service on the Sun was some of the best I've had. Food in the dining room was excellent. I'm not a buffet person so won't comment on the Horizon Court.

[pklopp]

Thanks, JJ, for your input - I know it is not fair to compare ships or cruises, so I'm trying not to - anytime I am away from this desk, but particularly on a cruise with a balcony, beer, good bed, slots, etc., I am very happy!! Still would like to surprise DH with a tux rental for our vow renewals (which is also going to be a surprise) - 30 years for that man to be spent with me is an extraordinary accomplishment!!

Peggy

[LisaH]

I notice you have been on Carnival as well as HAL and Princess. We have always been hesitant to take a Carnival cruise but with some of their new ships - who knows. How do they compare?

 

THANKS and have a great time on the Sun...

[Floflegs]

Just back , on 28th, from a cruise on the Sun. We had a marvellous time and had no complaints. Service overall was excellent and we thought the ship was in great condition and they were constantly working on decks, railings etc while in port. Don't go with looking for faults but go ready to have a fab time!:)