Sun Princess - Original

[lstone19]

We already had our upcoming Sun Princess cruise for late April booked when we were on another Princess cruise last August. There were enough things wrong with that cruise to make me comment on the survey "thank you for giving me a reason to give other cruise lines a try." Nothing about the Sun Princess roll out is giving me a reason to reconsider that statement. 

[Thrak]

3 hours ago, Cdude said:

John Padgett should be FIRED!!!

 

Sadly, it's far more likely that he will receive a huge bonus.

[GK95]

1 hour ago, rexdillinger said:

She did asked me if I would take down my posts, but I told her I wouldn’t take them unless she could say with certainty, that the February 28^th cruise would be sailing.

This part is very troubling to me. I've worked in Marketing and crisis management that surrounds it, and this is not the way to go. She shouldn't have even acknowledged that she saw your post on this public site. You weren't posting on their website. Even on a social media page, they don't own that and shouldn't be asking anyone to remove any legitimate, non-threatening comments, especially when the info posted came from their own team.

[Wishing on a star]

Yes, GK95,   I have posted about this and I agree....

This whole thing goes from bad to worse, to almost disturbing.

[nasa1974]

During my career I was also involved in very large and expensive projects and during the planning stage we always added extra time to the length of the project. Better to come in early than ask for more and more time. Sometimes unexpected issues come up, but that is why you attempt to give yourself more time on the project. Early in this thread the pictures that @dides was providing brought up discussions on whether or not the Sun would be completed in time.

My personal opinion is that Princess shortened the timeline to compete with the launching of the Icon. As they got closer to having passengers on board, they kept hoping they would finish on time. This is my opinion but to me it seems to fit. If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and walks like a duck it has to be a duck. It's pure speculation on my part but it looks like a duck.

[Host CJSKIDS]

@rexdillinger did the Rep at Princess ask you to take down your postings from this forum??!!!!

[nasa1974]

1 minute ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

@rexdillinger did the Rep at Princess ask you to take down your postings from this forum??!!!!

If she did, they are obviously reading cruise critic.

[rexdillinger]

4 minutes ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

@rexdillinger did the Rep at Princess ask you to take down your postings from this forum??!!!!

She asked me to take down my social media posts. She didn’t say which ones. I had also posted on Facebook and YouTube.

[SouKnoMe]

40 minutes ago, kathy49 said:

RCL did not need any damage control...it was for the most part a text book roll out of a ship with social media commentators giving great reviews as well as happy cruisers. When I hear friends that are travel agents say they are sometimes on hold for hours with Princess despite being a top producer for them I wonder what is going on with this company. Cost containment measures are now resulting in increased reports of staffing shortage and long waits on ships. Right now if I were looking to experience a very large new ship I would book the Icon.

So I have yet to travel on Princess. I came here after the many comparisons on the Celebrity boards caused me to check it out. I booked on Sun, and was really excited to follow the preparations. I experienced the issues with the app and my account, and one message to the executive office someone called and it was resolved quickly. It’s a minimal thing but it made me feel great. 
 

But to watch over the past month I keep cheering for the team, but the owner keeps fumbling. I know that there is a lot that goes into the build, and staffing of a ship. There are no guarantees of it coming in on time, but good communication is necessary. I now see advertisements for purchasing new cruises on all my social media pages. Reach out to those who are disappointed and are nervous that their vacations will be cancelled. If you need to push the dates, reschedule the customers now. Let them know, anxiety is not healthy. 

[Host CJSKIDS]

8 minutes ago, rexdillinger said:

She asked me to take down my social media posts. She didn’t say which ones. I had also posted on Facebook and YouTube.

Got it!  Thanks! 
 

Hoping you get to go on your next sailing. Sorry the first sailing was canceled. 

[SouKnoMe]

33 minutes ago, dides said:

Just dropping by with a bit more ship news -  spotted this interesting reel showing a lot more of the Piazza with the crew handover celebrations

 

38 minutes ago, dides said:

Just dropping by with a bit more ship news -  spotted this interesting reel showing a lot more of the Piazza with the crew handover celebrations

Oh wait, they’re having big fun while customers are in angst?😒

[LACruiser88]

Hopefully, the Sun will be ready when we cruise on her in October of 2025!  🤣

[nasa1974]

15 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

Hopefully, the Sun will be ready when we cruise on her in October of 2025!  🤣

Doing a B2B out of Ft. Lauderdale 10/14/24 & 10/19/24. Not worried. Although this could be her official inaugural cruise.  😂😂

[lstone19]

1 hour ago, karatemom2 said:

It is frankly amazing how tone deaf Princess is being on the impact of this last minute disruption. I happened to look at the Princess Instagram page that features the "exciting" announcement of delivery of the new ship. Of course, many people are commenting on their disappointment about their cruise being canceled. Crickets in terms of any response to these comments.

 

But anyone responding with excitement is getting a gushing reply from the Princess content moderator. It's quite a stunning way to manage your social media presence in the face of crisis. Like the people who have been severely disenfranchised and inconvenienced simply do not exist!

 

My guess is they've decided that the relatively small number of us affected by what is going on with Sun Princess is worth ignoring so they can continue to market to the rest of the potential passenger pool. Outside of those of us directly affected or left wondering, nobody cares and it's getting very little play in the media (which is not at all surprising).

 

Compare that to an airline which has melted down due to an inability to recover from weather. It quickly becomes big news in the affected area which is sometimes systemwide. To continue rah-rah marketing in the face of being page 1 news for the wrong reasons would just turn up the heat.

 

So they've decided they don't care about those of us booked on Sun Princess. We're expendable compared to what they believe they can attract in new or repeat business by continuing the marketing effort. So after our cruise happens (or not), why should I care about Princess. As I said in an earlier post, just another reason to try another cruise line.

[BEAV]

2 hours ago, rexdillinger said:

She did asked me if I would take down my posts, but I told her I wouldn’t take them unless she could say with certainty, that the February 28^th cruise would be sailing.

 

 “The cruise is scheduled to sail as planned,” was her response. 

 

When I pressed her, she said she could not guarantee that it would sail, which put me right back into the situation I had been in with the February 18^th cruise: a hope and a prayer that the Sun would sail. 

Of course the Feb 28 is “scheduled to sail”!  
 

I’ve got a Hilton hotel room booked tomorrow night.  I’m “scheduled” to stay. That is until I decide whether or not to cancel! 
 

Welcome back to the starting point in your dilemma. 🙄

[Fortunate 2 travel]

16 minutes ago, BEAV said:

Of course the Feb 28 is “scheduled to sail”!  
 

I’ve got a Hilton hotel room booked tomorrow night.  I’m “scheduled” to stay. That is until I decide whether or not to cancel! 
 

Welcome back to the starting point in your dilemma. 🙄

She was also “scheduled “ to sail February 8 and 18 until she wasn’t.

[Vinnyv20032003]

Considering how little information has been released by Princess as to the technical issues being worked on.. you really have to wonder how ready the ship will be for paying guests if it were to sail Feb 28 or sometime in March?

 

We all know it takes some time for a new ship to sail at full capacity with all planned venues operating at 100%. If these upcoming sailings are booked full (I hope they were at least smart enough to not book them full), the cruise experience for these first paying guests may not be the best despite being on a brand new ship. And this will come after all the anxiety of what we have been dealing with.

If these upcoming “inaugural” sailings are booked to near full capacity, Princess, in advance, would be smart to offer voluntary cancellation packages to guests. With the proper compensation of course.

 

Oh wait, I said “Princess, in advance, would be smart..”

 

[SouKnoMe]

18 minutes ago, lstone19 said:

 

My guess is they've decided that the relatively small number of us affected by what is going on with Sun Princess is worth ignoring so they can continue to market to the rest of the potential passenger pool. Outside of those of us directly affected or left wondering, nobody cares and it's getting very little play in the media (which is not at all surprising).

 

Compare that to an airline which has melted down due to an inability to recover from weather. It quickly becomes big news in the affected area which is sometimes systemwide. To continue rah-rah marketing in the face of being page 1 news for the wrong reasons would just turn up the heat.

 

So they've decided they don't care about those of us booked on Sun Princess. We're expendable compared to what they believe they can attract in new or repeat business by continuing the marketing effort. So after our cruise happens (or not), why should I care about Princess. As I said in an earlier post, just another reason to try another cruise line.

Wait I’m not comparing, but are you talking about SW? Oh I was stuck in that madness year before last. The lack of communication while I was trying to figure out what was happening, and how to get home was maddening. I will say that they refunded ALL of my expenses, which included hotel, rentals, replacement airfare, Uber, food everything!  But I still can’t book a flight. My trust doesn’t go that far. 
 

So I understand the frustration, and I’m hopeful but if things don’t get better…. 🚢

 

 

[cltnccruisers]

Never been a fan of ANYTHING 1.0.  Sun strikes me as a very radical departure from previous ships. We are booked with some family on Sun October 19, 2024.  Seems a long way off, but I think I'll start scoping out possible alternatives. 

[memoak]

31 minutes ago, BEAV said:

Of course the Feb 28 is “scheduled to sail”!  
 

I’ve got a Hilton hotel room booked tomorrow night.  I’m “scheduled” to stay. That is until I decide whether or not to cancel! 
 

Welcome back to the starting point in your dilemma. 🙄

Your hotel room for tomorrow could be canceled by the hotel due to fire, flood or other issues

[rewke]

4 hours ago, Vinnyv20032003 said:

...

For many, this is a trip of a lifetime. Deciding to travel from the USA to Europe may be a once in a lifetime thing, and it is a big decision for many to make. The amount of planning, coordination is tremendous. It's not a matter of do you want to do the waverunners or the beach cabana at Princess Cay. There are not many other viable cruise itinerary options Feb - April in that region. And many people will not be as comfortable traveling Europe via another means. The level of inconvenience here is significant.

...

100% this.

 

Princess quite literally blew up our honeymoon, and with only 4 days notice at that (we were on the Feb 18th sailing). We lost weeks of careful vacation planning, preparation (taking time off work, getting things in order, etc), and not to mention a once in a lifetime opportunity to happily start our lives together as a married couple.. and instead we are left with a massive headache. We already flew to Europe and have no idea what we are going to do. Last minute cancellations like this have very real and serious consequences.

 

What an absolute nightmare...

[karatemom2]

2 minutes ago, rewke said:

100% this.

 

Princess quite literally blew up our honeymoon, and with only 4 days notice at that (we were on the Feb 18th sailing). We lost weeks of careful vacation planning, preparation (taking time off work, getting things in order, etc), and not to mention a once in a lifetime opportunity to happily start our lives together as a married couple.. and instead we are left with a massive headache. We already flew to Europe and have no idea what we are going to do. Last minute cancellations like this have very real and serious consequences.

 

What an absolute nightmare...

 

Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. What a terrible disappointment this must be. My daughter and her new husband did a honeymoon cruise in the Med on Enchanted last August and I can only imagine how stressed and upset they would have been in similar circumstances. It sounds like you are already in Europe, so I hope you are able to come up with some alternate plans and make the most of your time there together and salvage the trip. No matter what, I hope that you are able to come up with a Plan B make some wonderful memories and not let this unfortunate turn of events detract from starting your lives together. Congratulations on your marriage!!

[dashulak]

To celebrate our 30th anniversary in June 2020, we booked a Mediterranean cruise.  Along comes COVID and boom, cruise cancelled.  

 

We rebooked our long-delayed Med Cruise in Spring 2023 aboard the Sun Princess.  We were careful to allow a few sailings between the inaugural cruise and our cruise (March 19) so that Princess had time to work out any kinks with the ship or service.

 

Now, I'm not sure if I'm more worried about our cruise getting cancelled or sailing aboard a ship that has issues or provides a mediocre experience.  Unfortunately, we're all in the same boat!  

[BEAV]

11 minutes ago, memoak said:

Your hotel room for tomorrow could be canceled by the hotel due to fire, flood or other issues

Absolutely.

 

But until any one of those (or other) scenarios transpire, I’m “scheduled” to stay. 

[Nemanoxer]

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.