Sun Princess

[dides]

Hope you don't mind if add some thoughts on our recent "media cruise" on Sun Princess here.

 

We are now home after our 6 day experience on Sun Princess. Princess UK kindly arranged the cruise part of the trip and we paid for the flights, hotels and transfers.

 

Embarkation

We flew in the day before and stayed at the Hilton Rome Airport hotel (nice!) and booked a private transfer via CivitavecchiaPort.org. The driver didn't speak much English but as we approached Civitavecchia, he pointed out a massive ship sitting on the sea in the distance and that was enough! Finally! 

We were dropped off at 9:50am, tipped a porter to take our cases so we could head straight into the security line and go up to the check-in area. We were Blue lane (as from the UK) but there were no lines that early and we collected our medallions and took a seat for about half an hour until general boarding was announced - we were on the ship by 11.

 

Our Stateroom
We had a Deluxe Balcony cabin - 15251, not far from the forward elevators. Handy for Dome, Lido Deck, Arena, Good Spirits, O'Malley's, Princess Live! and Guest Services.  Not so handy for The Eatery, any of the MDR locations, the Wake View Terrace and The Sanctuary. Didn't like having to walk through the busy Cabana deck corridors on deck 9 to get to International Cafe or a smoky Casino on deck 8 for Crooners. Getting back from The Sanctuary and the Wake View Terrace takes some thought too!

 

The cabin itself was lovely. Great storage, upgraded charging facilities, huge sofa, comfy bed, good air-con.
Annoyances were minor:

• Motion activated lights in front of the bedside tables. Even when you moved the bed covers off and on. Our workaround was to lean the long thin cushions from the sofa against the tables at night.
• Not easy to watch the TV while sat on the sofa - no tilt on the screen.
• We couldn't find a switch near the bed that would turn off the wardrobe and balcony curtain lights so had to go traipsing back to the main door switches. Maybe our switches near the bed were faulty. We just didn't put them on again!

 

The bathroom.  Well, it was great to have a shower door and upgraded products but I am a fluffy cruiser and it was just too narrow. You can manage but it just felt so confined, sitting on the toilet and doing everything you needed to do at the sink at the same time. And having to open the shower door outwards into the room so you can get in - you have to be a contortionist. Just enough room in the shower itself but don't drop anything!
Also, no rails to hang the bath towels!. My other half couldn't find them folded and hidden under the sink unit.  I have a feeling the mini-suite bathroom would be better for us.  But then a big shower was one of the main reasons we booked suites on Royal Class and the initial inaugural!

 

The balcony was deeper than Royal Class. The chair was too narrow for me to sit on but my other half did his regular before bed drink and contemplation session each night and said he missed the balcony lighting.  

We also looked directly down onto the Cabana deck and balconies - I do wish you could look down to the sea but that's obviously not part of the design for this class.

 

Food
We didn't manage to eat everywhere and we only have 2 meals a day anyway. Was meant to do the MDR one evening but my other half had caught the sun so we ordered in. Walked through The Eatery a few times and it was always busy but didn't eat there.

 

• Americana on deck 8 - ate there for brunch one morning.  It was packed! Basic comfort food.
• International Cafe - picked up some breakfast items a couple of mornings with some coffee/hot chocolate. Very busy. 
• Room Service - did the OceanNow delivery one evening. Quick and hot enough. Same for Door Hanger breakfast.
• Lido Deck - Loved the new taco options. My other half had the burger from the grill a couple of times and really rated it!
• The Promenade - that rustic pizza is the best pizza on the ship!
• Alfredo's - pizza was yummy but preferred the old desserts.
• O'Malley's - Onion Ring stack was not as impressive as the pictures! Fish and Chips was grim with the batter all floppy - I left half of it.
• Butcher's Cut by Dario - fun experience and to be seated on a shared table. Wouldn't do this again though - we are medium/well done filet steak eaters and didn't really appreciate the different cuts. Great cake at the end though!
• Crown Grill - we enjoyed our filet steak as usual. Nice to have a separate restaurant. 
• Umai Hot Pot - wasn't really our thing. I couldn't reach the pots so my other half had to do all the work and he is too much of a fussy eater for this.  I had to put a timer on my phone to make sure his chicken had enough time to cook! They also didn't offer us any drinks so that didn't help.

 

Entertainment

• The Dome and Arena were still being used for dress rehearsals during our 6 days. They had some other acts on in the Arena but not our thing. We did like some of the new seating options in the Arena though like the bench seats.
• They had comedians doing half hour slots in Princess Live! for a few evenings which was great but then they just repeated the same set 3 times each night!
• We did a couple of quizzes in Princess Live! and watched some karaoke and game shows.  It's more self contained than Sky/Enchanted/Discovery so a better venue design. Drink service was good but it could still get packed.
• We watched a few events in the Piazza like Line Dancing but you don't get a whole view of the floor when sitting on the seats on the higher decks.   And if there's a big act on, everyone cannibalises the chairs from Crooners and other surrounding venues to add even more seating!
• We got to experience the cocktail and magic part of Spellbound as part of a media group and are completed converted - the best cocktails on the ship, superb service and mind-bending magic!
• O'Malley's had a great atmosphere especially with the musical acts.

 

Relaxation

• We really loved the new outdoor spaces like the Sea View Terrace, the Wake View Terrace and The Sanctuary!  We are not sunbathers but do enjoy sitting on comfy seating in the shade, looking at a view and being served drinks! We used to book cabanas on the Royal Class but don't think we will be spending $499 on one in Sphere class.  But we would happily sit in a shaded area and be served by Marc and his team in The Sanctuary.
• We didn't get to enjoy the Dome much because it was closed off when we popped up there on port days. 
• For drinks and chatting, we enjoyed Good Spirits and Crooners bars.  The Wheelhouse Bar was a weird one on either side of the thoroughfare to the MDRs and it had board game trolleys during the day. 
• We noticed a lack of bar wait staff on the Lido Deck near the food outlets. We had to resort to Lemonade from the soft-drinks self-serve dispenser and used OceanNow for delivery another time.

 

Technology

• The App was a little glitchy onboard - we watched our muster video while sat in the Piazza but it couldn't tell us our Muster location so we had to ask the crew.  
• We couldn't cancel one of our dining reservations using the app so had to call Dine Line. 
• We used OceanNow around 4 times and it only failed to deliver drinks the first time (we were sat up near Go Princess in the Piazza). 
• Wi-fi was good, regularly got 4 mbps down and up to 2 mbps up.
• Crew Call chat was very efficient and saved us queuing at Guest Services.  
• Note that wanted to print our return flight boarding passes (I know - old skool) and since there is no Internet Cafe, we were advised to go to Guest Services where they forwarded the emails to their email account to print off.

 

Would we cruise on Sun Princess again?  Yes! The crew were a happy crew, the service was great and reminded us that we still love Princess. Plus we still have new things to try. Once everything is up and running and given the right itinerary...

 

Edited April 6 by dides

[Esprit]

Thank you for your balanced and well written review.

We will be on deck 15 in a DB cabin forward this August so acknowledge the lengthy walk to the MDR’s, but glad to know we are close to the sea view terrace and Lido eateries.

[nasa1974]

@dides  Thank you for taking the time to write a review. Glad you were able to experience the Sun after the initial cancelation. 

Looking forward to my B2B in October out of Fort Lauderdale. I hope we see more information as the weeks move along. 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

13 hours ago, dides said:

Thanks!. We heard it mentioned a few times while on the ship so something was going around.  I was hit with a  long cough back in January which was horrible so hoping it will clear up!  

Ugh, feel better soon! Could it be Covid? I caught Covid on my last two cruises. 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

@dides How bad were the corridors on deck nine? We have a cabin in that area and I’m wondering if we should move. 😳

[dides]

1 hour ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

@dides How bad were the corridors on deck nine? We have a cabin in that area and I’m wondering if we should move. 😳

We only walked that way a few times but always had to make way for people coming in the other direction. You would be better getting feedback from someone with a Reserve Cabana between the fwd elevator bank and the Piazza. 

[AliceS]

On 3/16/2024 at 2:10 AM, Cdude said:

Anyone with an upcoming sailing, I suggest packing light clothes for onboard. This ship is very warm. We left the casino early because it was just too damn hot. It’s nice opening our balcony door and getting cool, fresh air. I would pay extra for a balcony for that reason alone.

I’ve read about smoke in the casino…..do they permit smoking everywhere there?  That would be a deal breaker for me.

[555]

2 hours ago, AliceS said:

I’ve read about smoke in the casino…..do they permit smoking everywhere there?  That would be a deal breaker for me.

I've heard that there is a non smoking section.

I've also heard that there's a problem with smoke being sucked in the ship from smokers outdoors and many people have been complaining. I hope it's not as bad as some people make it out to be. I can avoid the casino but would hate it to be smoky in the hallways. Again this is only hearsay and I'm saying tuned for more info. 

[AliceS]

4 hours ago, 555 said:

I've heard that there is a non smoking section.

I've also heard that there's a problem with smoke being sucked in the ship from smokers outdoors and many people have been complaining. I hope it's not as bad as some people make it out to be. I can avoid the casino but would hate it to be smoky in the hallways. Again this is only hearsay and I'm saying tuned for more info. 

Thanks….hoping for smoking to be limited.   I have options to sail and casino with no smoke, thank you, Celebrity.

[DaisyRose]

I have the premier package that includes milkshakes.  Does anyone know if there is anywhere on the Sun Princess where you can get a milkshake?  Thanks.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

8 hours ago, 555 said:

I've heard that there is a non smoking section.

I've also heard that there's a problem with smoke being sucked in the ship from smokers outdoors and many people have been complaining. I hope it's not as bad as some people make it out to be. I can avoid the casino but would hate it to be smoky in the hallways. Again this is only hearsay and I'm saying tuned for more info. 

This is the first that I’ve heard this. Which decks, please?

Edited April 8 by MsSoCalCruiser

[555]

11 hours ago, DaisyRose said:

I have the premier package that includes milkshakes.  Does anyone know if there is anywhere on the Sun Princess where you can get a milkshake?  Thanks.

I haven't read anything about milkshakes on the Sun, yet.

[levonfan]

Is the Park 19 area open yet?? My daughter is asking will be on June 1

[dides]

Award-winning actress and performer Hannah Waddingham will serve as the godmother for Sun Princess during naming festivities April 23 at the Port of Barcelona.

 

 

[vjmatty]

48 minutes ago, dides said:

Award-winning actress and performer Hannah Waddingham will serve as the godmother for Sun Princess during naming festivities April 23 at the Port of Barcelona.

 

 

Rebecca!!!

 

 

Edited April 8 by vjmatty

[duchess7]

On 3/11/2024 at 7:20 PM, dides said:

Captain said it was because they were still finalising the shoreside tendering operation so hopefully just for the current cruise.

I am sailing in June and Santorini was replaced by Crete!😒

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

On 4/8/2024 at 2:55 PM, levonfan said:

Is the Park 19 area open yet?? My daughter is asking will be on June 1

Nothing yet. 

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

4 hours ago, duchess7 said:

I am sailing in June and Santorini was replaced by Crete!😒

We are still going to Santorini as of today. No change has been announced. Yet. We are supposed to arrive in a couple of days. 

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

On 3/25/2024 at 9:14 PM, Jgmc998 said:

I am sailing on the April 17th cruise and am curious as to the current status of the production shows in the arena and the Dome.  Thanks.

There are shows in the Arena now and there will be the “pirate show” some night which is the big production event. We don’t go to shows so can’t comment on them. We have been invited to “Blue” the cirque show in the Dome on the last two nights of our cruise as a “dress rehearsal” so my guess is they will be ready for your cruise. 

[Wishing on a star]

Of course I have no inside information, but I am hearing and thinking that Santorini really just overshot when allowing too many ships to arrive on some days.

I think they had tried a policy where it was restricted to 8000 passengers per day.

But, there is no way they are going by that now.

Anyhow, with the tendering and the lift, and all of the other limitations, I think it is Santorini, who has originally allowed the Sun (the latest to schedule ports) to schedule these stops...  and now they are seeing that it just is not logistically possible.   There is simply no way that they can move that many thousand people on and off the Island, the roads, the sites, etc.

It seems that only certain dates are being canceled.

I wonder if a look at the Port Schedule would give some good info and answers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 13 by Wishing on a star

[Wishing on a star]

I remember that on one of the these threads about the Sun Princess, somebody had posted a picture, from inside the Atrium, where you could see the balcony of that first cabin on deck 9, right there, with little privacy.  So I thought I would forward this.

Here, somebody has posted a video of 9358, which on the starboard side is 9361.

This shows what it is like being on that balcony, right next to the Atrium.

I also notice that the door out to the balcony seems to be a single swing-out door, and not a slider.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksNsN2dOYWg

 

Edited April 13 by Wishing on a star

[dides]

Video interview by Insider Travel Report with Corinne the CD talking about current and upcoming entertainment featured on Sun Princess

 

 

And another interview with Craig Street, the Captain:

 

 

Edited April 18 by dides

[capriccio]

On 4/13/2024 at 12:50 PM, Wishing on a star said:

I remember that on one of the these threads about the Sun Princess, somebody had posted a picture, from inside the Atrium, where you could see the balcony of that first cabin on deck 9, right there, with little privacy.  So I thought I would forward this.

Here, somebody has posted a video of 9358, which on the starboard side is 9361.

This shows what it is like being on that balcony, right next to the Atrium.

I also notice that the door out to the balcony seems to be a single swing-out door, and not a slider.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksNsN2dOYWg

 

 

A plus that I noticed is that the balcony chairs have high backs and recline.  The pictures of the S9 Signature Suite (mini-suite layout) chairs we have reserved for next January have low backs (the top of the chair hits in the middle of your back) and don't recline!

[Mjkny]

4 minutes ago, capriccio said:

 

A plus that I noticed is that the balcony chairs have high backs and recline.  The pictures of the S9 Signature Suite (mini-suite layout) chairs we have reserved for next January have low backs (the top of the chair hits in the middle of your back) and don't recline!

You could probably get them swapped

[capriccio]

20 minutes ago, Mjkny said:

You could probably get them swapped

Assuming we keep the booking (I'm waiting to hear more positive information after the Sun has been sailing for a few months before I need to make final payment), that is at the top if my list when we meet our steward.