Sun Princess - Original

[lstone19]

16 minutes ago, MacMadame said:

 Personally, I think canceling with 4-5 days' notice is really bad and I understand those people being even more upset than the ones who got canceled on with more notice who I can also see being upset that they are no longer going on the "inaugural" cruise.

 

Of course, some times things really do happen at the last minute even resulting in day of departure cancellations (e.g. Norway boiler explosion). Having worked for an airline, I’ve seen flights cancelled when I was already in the gate area waiting to board. Or in one case, we were on a plane that diverted with a problem (and for the someone who made a comment earlier, yes it was a Boeing airplane and it was the plane’s first revenue flight but the problem was not a Boeing area of responsibility. And FWIW, I’ve also what should have been an Airbus first revenue flight but that one never made it away from the gate due to a problem. So my best luck has twice been with non-revenue flights before the plane’s first revenue flight). We were then given a replacement plane that had been close to starting to board for another flight. You could almost feel the dagger stares as we walked off our original plane over to the adjacent gate and on to that plane with the board at the gate still showing that plane’s original flight with Cancelled underneath and all its passengers still there.

[Cdude]

50 minutes ago, lstone19 said:

Of course, some times things really do happen at the last minute even resulting in day of departure cancellations (e.g. Norway boiler explosion). Having worked for an airline, I’ve seen flights cancelled when I was already in the gate area waiting to board. Or in one case, we were on a plane that diverted with a problem (and for the someone who made a comment earlier, yes it was a Boeing airplane and it was the plane’s first revenue flight but the problem was not a Boeing area of responsibility. And FWIW, I’ve also what should have been an Airbus first revenue flight but that one never made it away from the gate due to a problem. So my best luck has twice been with non-revenue flights before the plane’s first revenue flight). We were then given a replacement plane that had been close to starting to board for another flight. You could almost feel the dagger stares as we walked off our original plane over to the adjacent gate and on to that plane with the board at the gate still showing that plane’s original flight with Cancelled underneath and all its passengers still there.

A flight cancellation is not apples-to-apples.  Most major carriers are responsible for putting you on an alternative flight, even on another carrier, within a period of time. That’s not how it works here. Princess cancels and you are SOL! Let’s not even get into compensation for lost time trying to manage through this. Time is money. What’s your time worth? I’ve already lost thousands:(

[MacMadame]

1 hour ago, lstone19 said:

Of course, some times things really do happen at the last minute 

Yes, they do.

 

But Princess knew they weren't getting the ship when they had originally planned so they knew the entire schedule had changed. They had the choice to just cancel the 2nd "inaugural" cruise when they canceled the first one and if they did get everything ready in time after all, they could have used the extra time to do a shake-out trip.

 

Or a host of other choices. Princess chose to wait until the last minute to pull the plug and that's on them. 🤷‍♂️

[Hobby3333]

1 hour ago, New2cruise2022 said:

They are going to put the Sun out on the water. They will never provide the transparency you want. And they shouldn’t have to. We don’t need to know how the sausage is made. We either like the sausage or we don’t. 

Guess we have to agree to disagree.   I do want to know how the sausage is made and what’s in it.   If I am paying over 10k for a trip I believe that I should know how the sausage is made.   

[New2cruise2022]

40 minutes ago, Hobby3333 said:

Guess we have to agree to disagree.   I do want to know how the sausage is made and what’s in it.   If I am paying over 10k for a trip I believe that I should know how the sausage is made.   

I stated it wrong. It isn’t whether we want to see how it’s made, or not. It is whether Princess is inclined to show you how it’s made. There is much more downside risk saying something versus saying nothing. I appreciate that you want to know, and I would too. But being realistic, Princess isn’t going to pull back the curtain.

They are going to wait a few weeks until the news is flooded with beautiful pictures of a brand spanking new ship and the controversy over delayed and cancelled will disappear from most people’s interest. Even if not yours.  

[New2cruise2022]

1 hour ago, MacMadame said:

But Princess knew they weren't getting the ship when they had originally planned so they knew the entire schedule had changed.

Princess knew. No one knows what Princess knew. No one will probably ever know what they knew. No one will get a play-by-play or a timeline of the days and hours leading up to the cancellation announcement. 
 

 

[lstone19]

1 hour ago, Cdude said:

A flight cancellation is not apples-to-apples.  Most major carriers are responsible for putting you on an alternative flight, even on another carrier, within a period of time. That’s not how it works here. Princess cancels and you are SOL! Let’s not even get into compensation for lost time trying to manage through this. Time is money. What’s your time worth? I’ve already lost thousands:(

No disagreement about the difference post-cancellation. But my point is that a cancellation can occur at the last minute when five minutes earlier, all looked good. And it doesn’t mean the carrier, be it a cruise line or an airline, was being dishonest in saying all was well up until that moment.

[TRLD]

4 hours ago, lstone19 said:

Of course, some times things really do happen at the last minute even resulting in day of departure cancellations (e.g. Norway boiler explosion). Having worked for an airline, I’ve seen flights cancelled when I was already in the gate area waiting to board. Or in one case, we were on a plane that diverted with a problem (and for the someone who made a comment earlier, yes it was a Boeing airplane and it was the plane’s first revenue flight but the problem was not a Boeing area of responsibility. And FWIW, I’ve also what should have been an Airbus first revenue flight but that one never made it away from the gate due to a problem. So my best luck has twice been with non-revenue flights before the plane’s first revenue flight). We were then given a replacement plane that had been close to starting to board for another flight. You could almost feel the dagger stares as we walked off our original plane over to the adjacent gate and on to that plane with the board at the gate still showing that plane’s original flight with Cancelled underneath and all its passengers still there.

The Boeing comment was more about their recent track record on getting certificates on new aircraft models. Being years past the original planned date when they were supposed to be available to their customers.

[Osa J]

I am scheduled to take the 20 day March 19th cruise on the Sun - I was able to book Main Dining Room reservations for the first 10 days, maybe 2-3 weeks ago but no reservations are or have been available for the remaining 10 days.  I did the Princess chat, and called and spoke with someone and they couldn’t figure it out, said it must be a glitch in the app and started a trouble ticket, and said they’d call me back.  That was about 2 weeks ago (I didn’t realize at the time that the inaugural voyage had just been cancelled).  Never heard back from them.  Haven’t followed up on this as I’ve just recently discovered cruise critic and saw other people talking about the dining.

 

My only question/fear about the cancellations is:  do they actually know already that they will need to cancel more future cruises but are trying to eliminate the disaster fallout of 20,000 people all calling customer service at once?  Maybe they are doing it in waves to help with overwhelming the phones and customer service reps?  Easier for them and their damage control while also allowing for the idea that they ARE taking the passengers “feelings” about it into consideration - doing things this way, all the people that need to reschedule will go in order (so that way I, a March 19th cruiser am not trying to call Princess at the same time a Feb 8 cruiser calls in?). Each cruise deals with their cancellation when it happens, and Princess has 10 Days until the next round.  
 

Just thinking out loud…

[TRLD]

3 hours ago, MacMadame said:

Yes, they do.

 

But Princess knew they weren't getting the ship when they had originally planned so they knew the entire schedule had changed. They had the choice to just cancel the 2nd "inaugural" cruise when they canceled the first one and if they did get everything ready in time after all, they could have used the extra time to do a shake-out trip.

 

Or a host of other choices. Princess chose to wait until the last minute to pull the plug and that's on them. 🤷‍♂️

Actually the news reports are pretty clear that they expected to make the second one. They accepted the ship, they were planning to sail from the yard to the port with a large number of contractors on board. That clearly indicates that had a plan to make that cruise. What we do not know is what happened around the acceptance date that made them change their plan, continue the work in the yard and scratch the second cruise. Pretty clear that their plan changed at the same time as they notified the passengers. Could have been anything from materials needed not available, to some work taking longer, workers not being available to stay on board, etc Exactly what we will most likely never know except for comments from crew during the first cruise.

[Princess Chatterer]

With zero knowledge on my part could plumbing be the problem?

[MacMadame]

19 minutes ago, TRLD said:

Actually the news reports are pretty clear that they expected to make the second one.

But they were wrong. My point is that they should have given themselves extra time even if they all believed without a shadow of a doubt that the ship would be ready. Saying the second sailing would go was risky. Canceling it right off the bat would have given them time to do a better job of getting the ship ready and a buffer in case things went wrong (as they did).

 

Also, I have been involved in work that didn't make a schedule and often the people doing the work knew very well that the schedule was stupid and wouldn't work. But either they aren't willing to say so to their boss or their boss isn't listening or they were listening but weren't willing to say so to their boss.

 

This situation reeks of that happening. 

[nasa1974]

10 hours ago, lstone19 said:

 

Probably a little less. I make it a little under 1,000 nautical miles from Monfalcone to Civitavecchia. At 20 knots (I expect the ship can do a little better - most cruise ships seem to have a top speed of 21 to 22 knots), that's a little under 50 hours (2 days, 2 hours). Add a little time for undocking and docking. So long as it sails by 4:00a on the 26th, it can be in Rome by 6:00am on the 28th.

I doubt she will do maximum speed until there are a few miles/hours on her engines.

[nasa1974]

5 hours ago, dides said:

We have placeholder bookings for the September TA and US inaugural but my project at work may prevent us from going. Though Princess UK PR have invited bloggers and vloggers for a day/evening visit when she stays overnight in Southampton.  Not exactly making up for our lost inaugural though! 

 

 

 

I'm on the 10/14 cruise. Hope you can make it. 

 

Marty

[CruizinSusan70]

On 2/17/2024 at 4:19 AM, Cdude said:

Thanks for the lecture lady! Not that it’s any of your business, but I have been on plenty of both. I expected a few minor inconveniences and hiccups, hence the attractive rate I received, but not a cancellation on her 4th voyage. While that hasn’t happened yet, it certainly seems a real possibility.

 

I’m sure you’ll have a witty reply in defense of Princess. In the meantime, I just booked Celebrity Apex for later this year. Bye Princess!

Here's some enlightenment.  Princess will not miss you at all.  You'll be replaced by someone else.  The bean counters know you're replaceable. 

 

I never would defend Princess but at the same time it's very naive to think that this is the first time that this has happened.  Every mainstream cruise line has had a delay with one of their ships coming out, including your new cruise line of choice, Celebrity.

[insidecabin]

3 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Here's some enlightenment.  Princess will not miss you at all.  You'll be replaced by someone else.  The bean counters know you're replaceable. 

 

I never would defend Princess but at the same time it's very naive to think that this is the first time that this has happened.  Every mainstream cruise line has had a delay with one of their ships coming out, including your new cruise line of choice, Celebrity.

A point I made earlier, if you are going to take the moral "never again" high ground you should apply it across all cruise lines.

[Cdude]

1 hour ago, insidecabin said:

A point I made earlier, if you are going to take the moral "never again" high ground you should apply it across all cruise lines.

I agree! I said goodbye to AT&T over 20 years ago and I have been just fine with Verizon. Tried many banks over the years and landed with Chase. Been with them too for well over 20 years. 
 

You and several others here think brand image doesn’t mean anything in a competitive industry. That’s what’s naive! It violates a basic economic tenent.

[dides]

Another illuminated picture from the shipyard:

[New2cruise2022]

45 minutes ago, dides said:

Another illuminated picture from the shipyard:

The Sun has a really nice looking back end. 😍

[SouKnoMe]

Now if she could move that AFT! 😂😂😂😂

[insidecabin]

2 hours ago, Cdude said:

I agree! I said goodbye to AT&T over 20 years ago and I have been just fine with Verizon. Tried many banks over the years and landed with Chase. Been with them too for well over 20 years. 
 

You and several others here think brand image doesn’t mean anything in a competitive industry. That’s what’s naive! It violates a basic economic tenent.

Image is a starting point smart people look beyond the image at the reality when choosing new products or services and review their current ones regularly.

 

Brand image changes quickly in the cruise industry and is seen very differently by different groups.

 

As many have said this current Princess mess will be long forgotten in a few months, in the big picture of world cruise passengers most will be oblivious of this little blip and those that do will not be bothered, the few thousand directly effected most will take it on the chin as they know it happens.

The primary thrust of brand is to attract new passengers even fewer of those will be bothered by a couple of cancellations.

 

For Princess image the Sun issues will do less damage than the continuous increase and new charges to try to justify the excessive cost of the Plus and Premium.

The charge to activate OceanNow a fundamental feature of Medallion class cruising was a sign of desperation.

 

One could put a case that ultimately the buck stops with Carnival corp management, the "I am done"  people should drop all carnival brands for their failures on any brand if they drop one brand.

 

 

For Princess the planned timing was bad as Sun was due too close to the Icon and even if Sun was successful it would have been overshadowed by Icon.

When looking at the rate for my cabin range Icon was seriously premium, Sun was  just a bit premium.

Clearly the interest/demand was with Icon.

 

RCI have pull another publicity win with the RTW  Red Sea diversion putting itinerary change to a vote.

 

Wonder how many would return if they offered get the Premier package and your cruise is free?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SouKnoMe]

I think I’m finally bold enough to ask this question. Used the information in this thread, (thanks @dides), prior to booking my first Princess cruise.  I’m still learning the differences between the plus/premiere and suite perks. 
 

The cabin that I choose is the Reserve Mini-Suite. From what I’ve read I will have access to the cabana lounge on 9 right? And the separate entrance to the dining room on 7 right?

 

And can you explain how the decks will be named? I thought they would just be numbered, but I read in a post that they might not be. 
 

Thank you. 

[New2cruise2022]

54 minutes ago, SouKnoMe said:

I think I’m finally bold enough to ask this question. Used the information in this thread, (thanks @dides), prior to booking my first Princess cruise.  I’m still learning the differences between the plus/premiere and suite perks. 
 

The cabin that I choose is the Reserve Mini-Suite. From what I’ve read I will have access to the cabana lounge on 9 right? And the separate entrance to the dining room on 7 right?

 

And can you explain how the decks will be named? I thought they would just be numbered, but I read in a post that they might not be. 
 

Thank you. 

I don’t know the answer to your question but it sounds like you’ve booked an amazing stateroom. I’ve never been personally able to justify cost to value in the reserve mini suite … until the Sun. I’m very interested to see what “extras” are included with this stateroom. 

[dides]

Just now, SouKnoMe said:

I think I’m finally bold enough to ask this question. Used the information in this thread, (thanks @dides), prior to booking my first Princess cruise.  I’m still learning the differences between the plus/premiere and suite perks. 
 

The cabin that I choose is the Reserve Mini-Suite. From what I’ve read I will have access to the cabana lounge on 9 right? And the separate entrance to the dining room on 7 right?

 

And can you explain how the decks will be named? I thought they would just be numbered, but I read in a post that they might not be. 

If you choose any Reserve stateroom on Sun Princess then you will be to access the separate Reserve Collection Dining Room on Deck 7.

 

However you would need to book a Reserve Cabana stateroom on deck 9 to access the Cabana deck. They are either side and set back from the Cabana deck. If you don't want a stateroom that looks directly onto the deck then be careful if booking a guarantee that you don't lumped into that category.

 

Not seen anything about deck names yet - we have to wait til the first cruise I think.

Edited February 19 by dides

[FLAlaska]

1 hour ago, SouKnoMe said:

I think I’m finally bold enough to ask this question. Used the information in this thread, (thanks @dides), prior to booking my first Princess cruise.  I’m still learning the differences between the plus/premiere and suite perks. 
 

The cabin that I choose is the Reserve Mini-Suite. From what I’ve read I will have access to the cabana lounge on 9 right? And the separate entrance to the dining room on 7 right?

 

And can you explain how the decks will be named? I thought they would just be numbered, but I read in a post that they might not be. 
 

Thank you. 

Im not sure about a cabana lounge. I understand there are cabana reserve mini suits and reserve mini suites. You do have a separate dining but can't answer about the lounge

 

There is an outdoor cabana deck, but you would need to be booked into a cabana mini suite  to access it.

 

As far as the decks, until now, Princess names their decks but I have read that the Sun might only be numbered.

 

The mini suite is separate than the full suite,s however. The suites do have a dedicated lounge and other perks.

Edited February 19 by FLAlaska