Inaugural cruises on new Princess ships - what’s it like?

[karatemom2]

We are considering taking the inaugural cruise on the Sun Princess next February. We have never done a maiden voyage and are wondering about the experience. For those who have done inaugural cruises with Princess, can you share your thoughts? Was it extra special and memorable? Were there extra perks or activities? Would you do it again? What are the pros and cons based on your experience? 
 

 

Edited July 1, 2023 by karatemom2

[Princessfan20]

We have done three on Royal Class ships and surprisingly there was nothing out of the ordinary that we were aware of or noticed.  We have been on other cruise lines with maiden sailings and there was quite a bit of special activities and we have even received a book of the event on one ship.

Edited July 2, 2023 by Princessfan20

[dides]

Agreed, we were on the Majestic and Sky inaugurals and there were no special gifts or mementos - just the excitement of being the first paying passengers. You might get to spot some Princess/Carnival corporate VIPs doing the rounds.  The ship usually has a preview/shakedown cruise beforehand to iron out any kinks. The only issues we had were minor for us (on Majestic) where they didn't have all the ingredients for the new restaurant/bar menus and no working launderettes.

 

 

Edited July 2, 2023 by dides

[Astro Flyer]

The only thing on Discovery’s inaugural cruise was a certificate and not much in the gift shop to purchase either.
 

The center of the Medallion was white with the SeaWitch the color of the Captain’s Circle level although those have been on the first season on other ships.

 

[SCX22]

The special events happen during the christening ceremony, not the inaugural cruise.  Those that attend that this event are upper management and VIPs. 

[skynight]

Been on one. Nothing really special about it except knowing you are the first passengers. I think I have a certificate some place. One thing I remember was that not everything, even some cabins, was  "brand new." Our cabin was one of the ones that was not used. Some areas were occupied by crew and contractors during the finishing of the interiors. 

[trvlwrld]

Absolutely nothing extra…except crew who haven’t figured out the ship yet…don’t ask for anything extra like hangers in the closet (those evidently weren’t scheduled to arrive until cruise #3😂). On a more positive note, the ship will be shiny and new and the beds will be great!

[Astro Flyer]

The temperature being at 84° was something new in our balcony cabin with the blackout drapes closed upon boarding Discovery’s inaugural cruise. 😉 We abandoned our cabin for cool public spaces & after dinner the temperature returned to normal for the remainder of our 14 days onboard.

 

[snoozecrooze]

This comment isn't about an inaugural cruise specifically but this is a thing I've gathered from reading regarding an overall inaugural season (though it could be wrong, so anyone can feel free to correct it)

 

You should simply expect more creaking and weird noises in your cabin or elsewhere, because according to some engineers, the rigid modules simply need time to adjust to the waxing and waning of the ship's hull out at sea. Not that older ships don't also have their unique creaks, although this is what I have gathered about newer vessels. Considering the numerous comments I have seen about Celebrity, Norwegian, and Princess's newest ships (not necessarily exclusive to just those 3) all having these "creaky" sentiments, I'm inclined to agree.

[phoebe2m]

We were on the Discovery's inaugural cruise last year. The food and service were not good (in our opinion) because everyone was new. Now this was soon after Covid so that may be a big part of the issues. Would we do another inaugural cruise? Yes. The ship is beautiful and everything was new. Entertainment was great! Itinerary and weather were great too! We made the best of it.  

[1emerald1]

17 hours ago, Astro Flyer said:

The only thing on Discovery’s inaugural cruise was a certificate and not much in the gift shop to purchase either.
 

The center of the Medallion was white with the SeaWitch the color of the Captain’s Circle level although those have been on the first season on other ships.

 

I think I beat you to the gift shop, got a Discovery specific coffee mug and two different styles of Discovery Inagural sweatshirts.  And a Princess coffee mug with the seawitch logo.

[LACruiser88]

Below you will find a link to a recent thread that is on topic...

 

 

 

[LeeW]

Second cruise of Caribbean Princess, the stage didn't worked so shows were altered.

 

Sky had huge VIP group so the Elite waiting area wasn't available and the Platinum lounge was jammed  full for an hour after normal boarding.  Don't try to get on early.

[waltd]

I would say expect the unexpected.  New ship, new crew so things are not always as smooth as you might expect.   Go with the flow and just enjoy the cruise.  you might even come back with some great stories.  

[I Fly]

I’m understanding from the title of this post and the initial question, is there anything special about taking an inaugural cruise.  We have taken two inaugural cruises and in terms of “special activities” or things like that, nothing really to speak of at all.  As mentioned, the naming ceremony and cruise associated with that cruise, might have more pomp and circumstance, but generally as there are many VIP’s on those cruises, sometimes the service isn’t as good for everyone else.  The potential for some issues can happen as the crew isn’t fine tuned at that point and still figuring out what works and what needs to be adjusted.  
Would I take an inaugural cruise again?  No!  Taking a cruise a month or two after all the kinks are worked out, is so much better.  You still have a brand new ship, but by that time, the cruising experience is much better than on the first revenue cruise.  But after saying all of that, if the excitement of taking the inaugural cruise is something you always wanted to do, there is still a wonderful feeling for being one of the first passengers to experience a new ship and even better a new class of ship.

[LACruiser88]

Having been on several inaugural cruises in the past, we now like to wait a year before trying a new ship.

[karatemom2]

Thanks for all of the great feedback. We have decided to hold off and take a later cruise. We were only interested in the first sailing if there was something truly special about it. Time wise it works better for us to wait a for a few weeks and go the following month.

 

Appreciate the comments!