New Sun Princess (Not My Princess)!?!?!

[Guest ldtr]

13 hours ago, caribill said:

 

If only it was true that the smaller ships in the fleet will still be around.

 

Since the Royal Princess (lower berth capacity 3560) debuted these smaller ships in the fleet left and thus are no longer around:

Ocean Princess (lower berth capacity 680)

Pacific Princess (lower berth capacity 680)

Dawn Princess (lower berth capacity 1990)

Sea Princess (lower berth capacity 1990)

former Sun Princess (lower berth capacity 2000)

Star Princess (lower berth capacity  2590)

Golden Princess (lower berth capacity 2590)

 

Only 4 ships with less than 3000 lower berth capacity remain in the Princess fleet. None with less than 2000 lower berth capacity.

Unfortunately, Princess will continue to move to larger ships.  It will continue to narrow its itineraries and move to shorter average cruise length.  Pretty clear that HAL is being positioned as the cruise line for the longer more exotic routes, with even their newer ships still being sub 3000. The main attraction that Princess has is that it is still doing some interesting routes in Europe and South America, and its total cost of cruising is pretty low.

 

Of course while Princess is moving to the 4500+ range others are moving to the 6000+ range.  The reality is that many of what used to be attractive ports to cruise to are now so overwhelmed with cruise ships and passengers that they are no longer attractive.  

 

Small ship sizes are pretty much the premium lines territory or even going to boutique local lines like Elixir in Greece.

[arizonaperson]

Maybe this is what will be on the new Sun Princess??

 Rollglider Track

The Concept

 

The Jump&Run is born from the desire to combine the best of two worlds – Active Entertainment and Thrill Rides. People are seeking physical activity – be it because they want to be fit or more recently because they’ve been sitting on the couch for too long. On the other hand, they are seeking thrill and excitement. The Rollglider  Jump&Run combines both for a thrilling yet physically challenging adventure race.

The goal of the Jump&Run is to challenge. The concept, inspired by video games, is to beat your opponent to the finish platform and of course to push yourself – to run faster, jump higher and conquer your fears.

To achieve this goal, the Jump&Run combines a dual-line racing Rollglider track with obstacles inspired by adventure courses. The ultimate goal is for every participant to get a taste of what it’s like to be a real-life video game hero.

 

 

 

The Thrill of Flying

The Rollglider combines free-falling with the feeling of flying for a thrilling aerial experience.  The dual-line allows for a shared pulse-spiking experience that has no-analog in the Amusement industry

Visitors can sip, soar and glide over other attractions and experience the FEC like never before.

 

 

 

 

The Thrill of Competition

Featuring obstacles inspired by challenge courses and a healthy dose of thrill, the Jump&Run is a one-of-a-kind competition that requires physical fitness and the will to push yourself beyond.

The concept proves to be appealing to young visitors as it draws inspiration from video games such as Super Mario and allows one to fully immerse into the idea of being a real-life superhero.

The gamification of the ride allows for scorekeeping and can play a part in loyalty programs by rewarding the most dedicated contestants.

 

 

 

 

The Benefits

 

Gamification stimulates visitors to compete and enhances the experience.

 

High-capacity dual-line attraction- perfect for group visits, birthdays, and team buildings.

 

A unique competition ride that combines the fear factor of flying with active entertainment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 24, 2022 by arizonaperson

[arizonaperson]

 

Maybe like what Carnival has on some of their ships??

ROPES COURSE

The chance to complete an awesome challenge, high above it all… now that's what you want in a good ropes course. An awesome ropes course, however, will let you do all that with a cool sea breeze and a view to match! Not sure that navigating a high-up-there challenge is for you? Did we mention that on this one you'll be safely strapped in, emboldening you to take on the kinds of challenges you may not normally feel up to? Here everyone — even kids — become thrill-seekers, testing their ability to make their way around the course, which features two levels of challenge, letting you increase or decrease the toughness as you go. So take to the sky!

 

 

 In the circle magazine issue two and three it talks about families. I know Princess currently has programs for children ,teens too.I think they’re trying to appeal to younger people to experience Princess for the first time and continue doing so,so they need things for younger people to do ,like rope courses /rollgliders etc. 

 So just because one Princess ship doesn’t fit beautiful for everyone ,there’s probably another one out there. While none of that ( the top deck adventure stuff)would appeal to me on the Sun Princess doesn’t mean I wouldn’t consider this ship when I cruise again. Right now I haven’t cruised since 2019. And obviously a person that has never cruised Princess would not get the circle magazine ,I do believe there’s promotional/social media posts about Princess welcoming families and all the exciting things that they have coming for kids to do .

Edited December 25, 2022 by arizonaperson

[Guest ldtr]

49 minutes ago, arizonaperson said:

Maybe this is what will be on the new Sun Princess??

 Rollglider Track

The Concept

 

The Jump&Run is born from the desire to combine the best of two worlds – Active Entertainment and Thrill Rides. People are seeking physical activity – be it because they want to be fit or more recently because they’ve been sitting on the couch for too long. On the other hand, they are seeking thrill and excitement. The Rollglider  Jump&Run combines both for a thrilling yet physically challenging adventure race.

The goal of the Jump&Run is to challenge. The concept, inspired by video games, is to beat your opponent to the finish platform and of course to push yourself – to run faster, jump higher and conquer your fears.

To achieve this goal, the Jump&Run combines a dual-line racing Rollglider track with obstacles inspired by adventure courses. The ultimate goal is for every participant to get a taste of what it’s like to be a real-life video game hero.

 

 

 

The Thrill of Flying

The Rollglider combines free-falling with the feeling of flying for a thrilling aerial experience.  The dual-line allows for a shared pulse-spiking experience that has no-analog in the Amusement industry

Visitors can sip, soar and glide over other attractions and experience the FEC like never before.

 

 

 

 

The Thrill of Competition

Featuring obstacles inspired by challenge courses and a healthy dose of thrill, the Jump&Run is a one-of-a-kind competition that requires physical fitness and the will to push yourself beyond.

The concept proves to be appealing to young visitors as it draws inspiration from video games such as Super Mario and allows one to fully immerse into the idea of being a real-life superhero.

The gamification of the ride allows for scorekeeping and can play a part in loyalty programs by rewarding the most dedicated contestants.

 

 

 

 

The Benefits

 

Gamification stimulates visitors to compete and enhances the experience.

 

High-capacity dual-line attraction- perfect for group visits, birthdays, and team buildings.

 

A unique competition ride that combines the fear factor of flying with active entertainment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My understanding is that the Sun would have the Sky Ride (bicycle like pedal powered) not roller glider.  More like what Carnival has on the Carnival Horizon.  Which is something even older folks that like bicycling would enjoy.

 

However the early deck plans showed both Sky ride and the Ropes Course, as did the early pictorial representations.  They seem to be missing with areas where they would be located merely stating not defined.

 

While clearly Princess wants to appeal to younger demographics, the Sun seems to be focusing on the ship within a ship approach with separate dining/lounges/pools for suites then really going after families.

Edited December 25, 2022 by ldtr

[arizonaperson]

3 minutes ago, ldtr said:

My understanding is that the Sun would have the Sky Ride (bicycle like pedal powered) not roller glider.  More like what Carnival has on the Carnival Horizon type ships.  Which is something even older folks that like bicycling would enjoy.

I guess time will tell . Not going to be setting sail for awhile.

[dog]

Definitely after a different demographic.

[CruizinSusan70]

1 hour ago, dog said:

Definitely after a different demographic.

There's going to be more emphasis on the ship within a ship concept than  going after families because of two new attractions. 

[Jeter02]

On 12/24/2022 at 8:24 PM, ldtr said:

My understanding is that the Sun would have the Sky Ride (bicycle like pedal powered) not roller glider.  More like what Carnival has on the Carnival Horizon.  Which is something even older folks that like bicycling would enjoy.

 

However the early deck plans showed both Sky ride and the Ropes Course, as did the early pictorial representations.  They seem to be missing with areas where they would be located merely stating not defined.

 

While clearly Princess wants to appeal to younger demographics, the Sun seems to be focusing on the ship within a ship approach with separate dining/lounges/pools for suites then really going after families.

Still don't believe in these attractions. If anyone recalls the sky and Enchanted try implementing a escape room which they spent a lot of money to do and unfortunately when the pandemic hit and what the restart did with social distancing still and mask wearing where That no longer exists and those escape rooms have never been put to use once since he ships were built. Quite a shame. Just saying a lot of this stuff is a waste of money to be adding on as it really doesn't fit the bill of what princesses typically after. Which is why I agree with others with princesses trying to reach a demographic that I don't think it will be known for I say leave that to carnival Royal Caribbean and MSC. Would be nice if princess just stuck to their true identity of what they do best and what they do well not trying to act like these other cruise lines

Edited December 26, 2022 by Jeter02

[Musky Ike]

On 12/24/2022 at 7:07 PM, dog said:

Definitely after a different demographic.

Or a wider variety of demographics.

[CruizinSusan70]

5 hours ago, Jeter02 said:

 Would be nice if princess just stuck to their true identity of what they do best and what they do well not trying to act like these other cruise lines

In order to fill up the two Sphere Class ships, Princess needs to expand upon their current business model and they have decided to take a few pages from their competition.  The one area is the ship within a ship concept, which has done well for NCL with the Haven, MSC with the Yacht Club, Celebrity with the Retreat and RCI with the Star Class.   The second area would be to have something else for families and that's where the ropes course and sky ride come into play.   It also appeals to the demographic that Princess already has, unlike a wave rider, rock climbing wall or water park which would be skewed towards a younger crowd.

Pivoting like this will upset many of the classic Princess cruiser crowd, but it's needed in order to try to alleviate the billions of dollars in debt that Carnival Corporation currently has.

[Ombud]

On 12/17/2022 at 11:30 AM, ldtr said:

it also appears that international cafe pretty much shares seating with the buffet.

I've decided that I will stick to Grand & Royal class ships. Fortunately with 2 new ones out during pandemic I should be fine for the foreseeable future. I hate buffets because of the food horders. Can't stomach a piazza replaced by the casino (and I frequent both). Segregated dining .... yeah, not on my Princess (or wherever I choose to go)

[Wishing on a star]

Again,  I think that there is a lot to still be worked out.

I see a lot of negativity that might not really turn out to be an issue.

Yes, it is very different to have the Buffet on the lower deck, and not up on Lido.  So, I am not sure how that would work out for me.    I am not the type of person who has to have a pool and a huge buffet simultaneously!

And, while the IC and the Buffet are close together.   I guess I don't see the problem there.

The current IC in the piazza does not have any specific dining seating area.   So, what is the problem if there is some crossover in where people choose to sit???

Yes, they are close,  but I am wondering if the actual access to the IC is there at the public area, and thus would have to go down the hall or walkway to the entry to the Buffet.   I really don't see these as being truly one single extended thing.   Yes, one could do similarly to it is now, and partake of their coffee or breakfast or lunch or snacks from the IC there in the public area, or walk around down to the seating at the Buffet  (which should have more outdoor seating on both sides.  Or, take stuff back to their room.   Any way you slice it up,  it adds to the convenience to have both in the same proximity. 

 

I am excited about some of the good things that the new ship might hold.

I am going to reserve any judgement or complaint until we know a lot more than we do now.

 

[Guest ldtr]

54 minutes ago, Wishing on a star said:

Again,  I think that there is a lot to still be worked out.

I see a lot of negativity that might not really turn out to be an issue.

Yes, it is very different to have the Buffet on the lower deck, and not up on Lido.  So, I am not sure how that would work out for me.    I am not the type of person who has to have a pool and a huge buffet simultaneously!

And, while the IC and the Buffet are close together.   I guess I don't see the problem there.

The current IC in the piazza does not have any specific dining seating area.   So, what is the problem if there is some crossover in where people choose to sit???

Yes, they are close,  but I am wondering if the actual access to the IC is there at the public area, and thus would have to go down the hall or walkway to the entry to the Buffet.   I really don't see these as being truly one single extended thing.   Yes, one could do similarly to it is now, and partake of their coffee or breakfast or lunch or snacks from the IC there in the public area, or walk around down to the seating at the Buffet  (which should have more outdoor seating on both sides.  Or, take stuff back to their room.   Any way you slice it up,  it adds to the convenience to have both in the same proximity. 

 

I am excited about some of the good things that the new ship might hold.

I am going to reserve any judgement or complaint until we know a lot more than we do now.

 

A couple of issues. The location of the buffett and other dining venues on current ships help spread out people during meal time. Even with them spread out with the buffet having access to outdoor seating on Lido, and the IC having access to seating throughout the Piazza you still have periods of crowding where finding a seat difficult. With the deck plan on the Sun instead of people being spread out they are concentrated on deck 9. Plus a portion of the space allocated appears to be outdoor space along the sides of the ship. That could be problematic during sea days. Especially on a cruise in colder areas. According to the deck plans that outdoor space could be a fair portion of the seating.

 

The other ships built on the same platform use the more conventional layout of buffet on the Lido deck. It appears that Princess has chosen to relocate the buffet to allow the upper decks to be used for the higher end ship within a ship suites.

 

 

[Ombud]

@Wishing on a star since you're asking .... I have gone to the buffet twice post pandemic. I can't understand food horders. Yes that's what they look like as they put more food than any reasonable person needs in 48 hrs pushing, shoving, reaching over others, never mind that it's just 1 meal. Both times I found it so overwhelming I left. 

 

At least the Royal class ships have a long LONG timeline left:

Royal 2013

Regal 2014

Majestic 2017

Sky 2019

Enchanted 2020

Discovery 2021

[Wishing on a star]

Ohhhh, I agree that craziness, espescially during the busy times can be a mess!

it is the location, and the so called 'shared seating',  that I was mentioning.

 

Last time we ever did the buffet was one time, on formal night, when we decided to skip the MDR and didn't have other reservations.  We do not usually go there either.  You know, it was like 'dead' up there.  It was incredible!  We didn't have to be around one other person at the counters, or seated in our area.  

In fact, the ED and the CD and whomever else also had one whole seating section there to themselves, without worrying about a bunch of passengers around to interrupt or disturb them.

 

Now, it was Beef Wellington night, and there was a beautiful Wellington there at the carving station.  Went ahead and got our starters, so things wouldn't be getting cold.  Went back a few minutes later, and it was GONE.  Maybe to meet orders in the MDRs.   Replaced by a beef roast.   But, that is a whole other story!!!

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, Wishing on a star said:

Ohhhh, I agree that craziness, espescially during the busy times can be a mess!

it is the location, and the so called 'shared seating',  that I was mentioning.

 

Last time we ever did the buffet was one time, on formal night, when we decided to skip the MDR and didn't have other reservations.  We do not usually go there either.  You know, it was like 'dead' up there.  It was incredible!  We didn't have to be around one other person at the counters, or seated in our area.  

In fact, the ED and the CD and whomever else also had one whole seating section there to themselves, without worrying about a bunch of passengers around to interrupt or disturb them.

 

Now, it was Beef Wellington night, and there was a beautiful Wellington there at the carving station.  Went ahead and got our starters, so things wouldn't be getting cold.  Went back a few minutes later, and it was GONE.  Maybe to meet orders in the MDRs.   Replaced by a beef roast.   But, that is a whole other story!!!

 

 

On the Crown last week one could hardly find an open table during the day and at night one had to go to the back area or the closed side to find seats.

 

More space on earlier cruise this year more available seating, but those cruises were running about 60% capacity compared to the Crown being near 100% capacity.

[Jeter02]

21 hours ago, ldtr said:

A couple of issues. The location of the buffett and other dining venues on current ships help spread out people during meal time. Even with them spread out with the buffet having access to outdoor seating on Lido, and the IC having access to seating throughout the Piazza you still have periods of crowding where finding a seat difficult. With the deck plan on the Sun instead of people being spread out they are concentrated on deck 9. Plus a portion of the space allocated appears to be outdoor space along the sides of the ship. That could be problematic during sea days. Especially on a cruise in colder areas. According to the deck plans that outdoor space could be a fair portion of the seating.

 

The other ships built on the same platform use the more conventional layout of buffet on the Lido deck. It appears that Princess has chosen to relocate the buffet to allow the upper decks to be used for the higher end ship within a ship suites.

 

 

What will be interesting is after the sun comes out and when they're getting ready to release the second sphere class ship what changes they'll to make after the first one is fully operating and in business. It was fun watching that with all the Royal classships as each one would come out you could see the smaller big changes that they've made and tweaked to improve layout and design.

[CruizinSusan70]

7 hours ago, Jeter02 said:

What will be interesting is after the sun comes out and when they're getting ready to release the second sphere class ship what changes they'll to make after the first one is fully operating and in business. It was fun watching that with all the Royal classships as each one would come out you could see the smaller big changes that they've made and tweaked to improve layout and design.

Since the Sun is coming out in February of 2024, even if it's sister ship doesn't come out till late in 2025, the schematics will be already be in place, construction will already have begun and any variances would have to be minute, right?

[Guest ldtr]

27 minutes ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Since the Sun is coming out in February of 2024, even if it's sister ship doesn't come out till late in 2025, the schematics will be already be in place, construction will already have begun and any variances would have to be minute, right?

Not really they made a couple of fairly substantial changes between the Royal and the Regal which followed the Royal by about 9 months.

Edited December 28, 2022 by ldtr

[nasa1974]

At least they show Crooners on the Sun. The tried to replace Crooners with Take Five on the Royal class. Big stink on that.

[CruizinSusan70]

32 minutes ago, ldtr said:

Not really they made a couple of fairly substantial changes between the Royal and the Regal which followed the Royal by about 9 months.

The improvements between the Celebration, which debuted 16 months after the Mardi Gras have been applauded by multiple reviewers that have sailed on both.  We'll see first hand when we sail on the Celebration next week.

It's nice when tweaks can take place between builds in order to improve on a prior mistake.

[dog]

3 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

The improvements between the Celebration, which debuted 16 months after the Mardi Gras have been applauded by multiple reviewers that have sailed on both.  We'll see first hand when we sail on the Celebration next week.

It's nice when tweaks can take place between builds in order to improve on a prior mistake.

Are these PRINCESS ships?

[caribill]

31 minutes ago, dog said:

Are these PRINCESS ships?

 

Carnival ships

[Jeter02]

9 hours ago, ldtr said:

Not really they made a couple of fairly substantial changes between the Royal and the Regal which followed the Royal by about 9 months.

Same for the Sky and Enchanted 

[Jeter02]

9 hours ago, nasa1974 said:

At least they show Crooners on the Sun. The tried to replace Crooners with Take Five on the Royal class. Big stink on that.

However Take 5 is nicer than Club 6. I personally prefer that extra venue with live music than having a club scene, that does not necessarily draw the biggest crowd.