Was It A Rumor - Sun Princess Dining Changes??

[555]

14 minutes ago, bstrauss3 said:

They don't care. They told investors they can't add capacity, they're going to push up rates as high as they can.  Right now, there's always somebody else to book those cabins.

Yep, that'll fix things or at least eliminate some of the congestion.

[keldaria]

On 9/28/2024 at 11:25 AM, Wishing on a star said:

 

Agree... (whether for Suites only or 'Sancltuary')   I don't know how many this space seats.

Love has not been a raving success.  Even when they dropped the price.

However, These things are all very 'contractual'.  Whether it be 2 years, 5 years, or more.

When Princess can get out of their contract with Britto, I very much imagine that this is what will happen.

Perhaps this is what they have in mind, and are working on.  

They are juggling to find space, temporarily.

 

Also, note...  Just as the close the Dome late afternoon, to get ready for evening, maybe they could close off these avenues to the Wakeview area before supper every evening.

 

No matter what happens, it is clear that there are huge problems that go all the way up to the very top, Princess corporate.  Uggghhhh.

It has been clear, with the Sun Princess, and on other things as well, that they simply do not know their back end from the other end.

 

 

Yeah, it depends on the specifics of the contract. I wasn’t even suggesting they cancel the contract but rather just shuffle the dining rooms around more which they should be able to do unless the contract guarantees them that specific space on the ship.
 

That said, they axed park 19 fairly swiftly so I wouldn’t be shocked by a rapid exit if it wasn’t working. On top of it, I doubt Britto wants the restaurant to be a drag on their reputation if it’s not working out so it also wouldn’t surprise me if there was a mutual exit where they both say “this isn’t working let’s move on”.

 

either way the signature restaurant really should occupy that space and would do wonders to help the ship within a ship concept.

[bstrauss3]

Since I was walking through, the temporary (?) home of Spellbound 

[Wishing on a star]

No info on what is happening to Spellbound?

Why is it not in its location that was designed just for it?

I am not sure how this can take up space in that Sanctuary Dining area when everything changes over soon.

[chamima]

34 minutes ago, Wishing on a star said:

No info on what is happening to Spellbound?

Why is it not in its location that was designed just for it?

I am not sure how this can take up space in that Sanctuary Dining area when everything changes over soon.

 

 

NOTHING they're doing with these changes makes sense! 😡

[bstrauss3]

I may be wrong. They always served dinner in that room. "Spellbound" is really more the after dinner bar.

[BURNSMN]

5 hours ago, bstrauss3 said:

I may be wrong. They always served dinner in that room. "Spellbound" is really more the after dinner bar.

Ate there tonight, dinner in special room at the back of Horizons Deck 8 then escorted to Spellbound door off of piazza on Deck 8 for bar and show experience.  Lasted from 8:30 meal time to end of experience at midnight.

 

 

 

 

 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

Just now, BURNSMN said:

Ate there tonight, dinner in special room at the back of Horizons Deck 8 then escorted to Spellbound door off of piazza on Deck 8 for bar and show experience.  Lasted from 8:30 meal time to end of experience at midnight.

 

 

 

 

 

How was it? 

[BURNSMN]

Food and drinks at meal were very good. Bar drinks in show lounge were excellent. Preshow magic in bar was very good. Actual magic show in Spellbound was excellent. Enjoyed the night.

 

 

[cruisedoctor]

I spoke with the hostess in the Signature Dining Room this morning.  Upon questioning, she indicated that they would be moving up to Deck 8 as soon as this cruise ends.  

 

Since the maiden voyage, they added an extremely large and detailed 3D ship model outside of the Reserve Dining Room.  The first day upon seeing the model I noticed it contained a very detailed Park 19, showing all the different activities that it was supposed to have.  That evening I asked the cruise director whether they were going to remove Park 19 from the model, as they were doing to the actual thing.  She said that’s a good suggestion.  When I past the model this morning, I started laughing, because Park 19 was no longer there.  Someone on board must be very good at model building, because there was a lot to remove, and you can’t tell it ever was there.  Just goes to show you, that Princess occasionally listens to passenger suggestions, and can act on them in a timely manner, when they want to. (See photo below of “updated: model.)

 

 

Edited October 3 by cruisedoctor

[CalTexCruiser]

4 hours ago, cruisedoctor said:

I spoke with the hostess in the Signature Dining Room this morning.  Upon questioning, she indicated that they would be moving up to Deck 8 as soon as this cruise ends.  

 

 

 

Thanks for the update @cruisedoctor

 

Next time you speak to the hostess, could you ask what, if anything, they plan to do with the two walkways through the Sanctuary dining room to the Wakeview area.  Do they plan to close these walkways during dining hours (breakfast, lunch, dinner)?

 

Or will folks in swimming attire walking through the Sanctuary dining room be part of the daily evening entertainment?

[dog]

46 minutes ago, CalTexCruiser said:

 

Thanks for the update @cruisedoctor

 

Next time you speak to the hostess, could you ask what, if anything, they plan to do with the two walkways through the Sanctuary dining room to the Wakeview area.  Do they plan to close these walkways during dining hours (breakfast, lunch, dinner)?

 

Or will folks in swimming attire walking through the Sanctuary dining room be part of the daily evening entertainment?

Thanks.

 

i’d like to know that too. Getting grosser by the day.

 

[rhobbkf]

FYI: Had dinner at The Catch tonight.  They said that once they move to the Signature dining room next week, they will have the expanded Catch menu available on other ships.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

1 hour ago, rhobbkf said:

FYI: Had dinner at The Catch tonight.  They said that once they move to the Signature dining room next week, they will have the expanded Catch menu available on other ships.

Thank you, that’s wonderful news. 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

On 10/2/2024 at 11:55 AM, keldaria said:

Yeah, it depends on the specifics of the contract. I wasn’t even suggesting they cancel the contract but rather just shuffle the dining rooms around more which they should be able to do unless the contract guarantees them that specific space on the ship.
 

That said, they axed park 19 fairly swiftly so I wouldn’t be shocked by a rapid exit if it wasn’t working. On top of it, I doubt Britto wants the restaurant to be a drag on their reputation if it’s not working out so it also wouldn’t surprise me if there was a mutual exit where they both say “this isn’t working let’s move on”.

 

either way the signature restaurant really should occupy that space and would do wonders to help the ship within a ship concept.

I don’t think they really axed Park 19. Wasn’t there something wrong with the area so they did not accept it? 

[keldaria]

20 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

I don’t think they really axed Park 19. Wasn’t there something wrong with the area so they did not accept it? 

Correct but I have no doubt there was a cost associated with canceling the contract vs allowing them to continue to make corrections until a functional system was delivered. Princess made an active decision to move away from the park 19 approach. While it’s debatable if they could actually get the rollerglider working (which I assume they could’ve with enough time/testing) there is no doubt they could’ve accepted other pieces that they instead removed like the rope course. Princess probably reexamined their approach and decided that park 19 just wasn’t a fit for the customers they were catering to. That paired with the more active inspection, maintenance, staff training and required monitoring for its operation made it easy to axe the parts were expense heavy but expected to be lightly used.

[bstrauss3]

It might be less than we think. Generally, there is a payment upfront to start a project, progress payments, and the biggest chunk is upon delivery with a small holdback for break/fix issues. P has been clear that they did not accept delivery, so the question is how much was paid along the way?

[keldaria]

5 hours ago, bstrauss3 said:

It might be less than we think. Generally, there is a payment upfront to start a project, progress payments, and the biggest chunk is upon delivery with a small holdback for break/fix issues. P has been clear that they did not accept delivery, so the question is how much was paid along the way?

Contracts differ and it’s not always the case or typical for “the biggest chunk” to be due on delivery. Typically they are based on some form of percentage of completion with retainage being withheld like you state but even that isn’t necessary required and can differ significantly based on governing law for where the contract is executed under. Liquidated Damages for delays would also be a heavy factor which undoubtedly played a part here. The bulk payment on delivery is typically for items that are not custom and can be installed over a single billing period. 

 

All of that being said, the main variable is the cancellation language and grounds for which they can “reject delivery” and cancel the contract. Those terms get very specific and companies don’t tend to like the idea that a client can order a custom product, have them build it to near completion on their dime then have the client reject it and force them to remove it for a minimal cost to the client. Especially if only a single item in the contract was seemingly problematic. Considering it was swiftly decided and removed tells me it was at least mutually accepted since a legal dispute likely would’ve occurred that slowed that process down.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

On 9/28/2024 at 4:17 PM, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

Sounds like I need to watch a video vs just reading the menu. 

 

I'll do that... Thanks. 

A YouTuber posted a great video of this restaurant today… “The BEST STEAK Restaurant on a Cruise Ship: Dario Cecchini Cruise”.

 

His video shows exactly what it is like and the beef does look amazing. 

[cruisedoctor]

Last night, just before it got dark, I snuck up to Deck 19, to see how much of Park 19 is still there.   As you can see in this photo, other than this main major structure everything related to the roller-glider has been cut into little pieces.  All of the rails, stanchions, the 2 dry slides are no where to be seen.  My guess is that this major structure needs to be disassembled using a crane, so possibly that will happen in Ft. Lauderdale.  I love the stairway going to nowhere.

 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

5 minutes ago, cruisedoctor said:

Last night, just before it got dark, I snuck up to Deck 19, to see how much of Park 19 is still there.   As you can see in this photo, other than this main major structure everything related to the roller-glider has been cut into little pieces.  All of the rails, stanchions, the 2 dry slides are no where to be seen.  My guess is that this major structure needs to be disassembled using a crane, so possibly that will happen in Ft. Lauderdale.  I love the stairway going to nowhere.

 

The stairs remind me of the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California that was built by Sarah Winchester. There were stairs in that house, leading to nowhere. 
 

Thank you for sharing. I will be on the Sun Princess beginning October 19th so I hope things are finished by then.

Edited October 5 by MsSoCalCruiser

[cruisedoctor]

On 10/3/2024 at 2:49 PM, CalTexCruiser said:

 

Thanks for the update @cruisedoctor

 

Next time you speak to the hostess, could you ask what, if anything, they plan to do with the two walkways through the Sanctuary dining room to the Wakeview area.  Do they plan to close these walkways during dining hours (breakfast, lunch, dinner)?

 

Or will folks in swimming attire walking through the Sanctuary dining room be part of the daily evening entertainment?

@CalTexCruiser  I spoke with the manager of the Deck 8 Horizon Dining Room the other day, and asked what other changes are going to be made before the Sanctuary Dining takes over this area, other than the new chandeliers and table cloths on the tables.  I was told they handn’t any idea.  They only find out after some contractors come in and do something.  I’m pretty sure that only top management knows what changes are in the works, and they make sure no one else says anything.

[cruisedoctor]

In case you hadn’t saw or heard this anywhere else.  Princess just pulled the plug on the “Vallora The Pirate Quest” production show.  Since the original cast will be leaving the ship when we reach Ft. Lauderdale, we were the last passengers to see it.  I and many passengers actually thought this was the best of the 3 production shows we’ve seen so far.  I was told that the show was just going to be “re-tooled”, so as to be able to make use of all the expensive sets, costumes and electronic visuals.  The cast was sad to hear about this, because it was their favorite to perform.  I guess this must have been in the works for awhile, because the new cast members (singers and dancers) were not trained to do Vallora.  Since this new cast, will be on board for the next 6 months (starting on October 9th), the earliest some form of Vallora would return, is after this new cast get replaced.

 

I asked if this means that only the other current 3 production shows would be used in some form of rotation.  I was told that, and they will likely have more individual acts, while they are in the Caribbean, as it is much easier to get them to and from the ship.

 

On another note:

 

Passengers are really complaining about how impossible it is to get in to see the Cirque shows up in The Dome.  People are coming and getting into line 2 or more hours prior to show time in order to get a good seat.  The dirty little secret, is while there may be seating for 250 people, half of those are seated where you can only see what is going on when the performers are up in the air.  When they are performing on the stage or on the ground floor, half of the passengers are seated behind other passengers and can’t see past them.

 

So, you really need to be in the first 50 to 100 people let in, so as to get the best seats that allow you to see the entire show.  And, those are the people who have been waiting the longest.  I spoke with one of the cruise director’s staff members, who has been here since February.  He mentioned that for a while they tried a ticket system, a few days prior to a showing.  However, people were then lining up 2 to 3 hours before the tickets were to be given out, to be sure to get one.  So that was no better, and they gave up on that idea.  

 

Having these shows in this very small venue was just another very bad idea, that hadn’t been thought out. All they are doing is alienating and making passengers angry.  They would be better off to cancel all these Dome shows, and take a loss on whatever they have to pay the Eloise people to out of the contract.  Without the shows passengers could then use The Dome all the time, unlike now, where the Dome closes to passengers, in the afternoons on the days of the shows, in order that the troupe can practice.  Another cause of passenger aggravation.

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

32 minutes ago, cruisedoctor said:

In case you hadn’t saw or heard this anywhere else.  Princess just pulled the plug on the “Vallora The Pirate Quest” production show.  Since the original cast will be leaving the ship when we reach Ft. Lauderdale, we were the last passengers to see it.  I and many passengers actually thought this was the best of the 3 production shows we’ve seen so far.  I was told that the show was just going to be “re-tooled”, so as to be able to make use of all the expensive sets, costumes and electronic visuals.  The cast was sad to hear about this, because it was their favorite to perform.  I guess this must have been in the works for awhile, because the new cast members (singers and dancers) were not trained to do Vallora.  Since this new cast, will be on board for the next 6 months (starting on October 9th), the earliest some form of Vallora would return, is after this new cast get replaced.

 

I asked if this means that only the other current 3 production shows would be used in some form of rotation.  I was told that, and they will likely have more individual acts, while they are in the Caribbean, as it is much easier to get them to and from the ship.

 

On another note:

 

Passengers are really complaining about how impossible it is to get in to see the Cirque shows up in The Dome.  People are coming and getting into line 2 or more hours prior to show time in order to get a good seat.  The dirty little secret, is while there may be seating for 250 people, half of those are seated where you can only see what is going on when the performers are up in the air.  When they are performing on the stage or on the ground floor, half of the passengers are seated behind other passengers and can’t see past them.

 

So, you really need to be in the first 50 to 100 people let in, so as to get the best seats that allow you to see the entire show.  And, those are the people who have been waiting the longest.  I spoke with one of the cruise director’s staff members, who has been here since February.  He mentioned that for a while they tried a ticket system, a few days prior to a showing.  However, people were then lining up 2 to 3 hours before the tickets were to be given out, to be sure to get one.  So that was no better, and they gave up on that idea.  

 

Having these shows in this very small venue was just another very bad idea, that hadn’t been thought out. All they are doing is alienating and making passengers angry.  They would be better off to cancel all these Dome shows, and take a loss on whatever they have to pay the Eloise people to out of the contract.  Without the shows passengers could then use The Dome all the time, unlike now, where the Dome closes to passengers, in the afternoons on the days of the shows, in order that the troupe can practice.  Another cause of passenger aggravation.

 

Do we really need to get to the Dome shows 2 hours early?

 

I was planning to get there an hour early and I thought that was crazy...2 hours just seems like a huge waste. 

 

The more I read about things, the more it seems like this is going to be the worst cruise we'll ever take. 

 

 

If we do decide to get there 2 hours early... Where should we sit to be sure we can see everything?

[chamima]

1 hour ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

 

Do we really need to get to the Dome shows 2 hours early?

 

I was planning to get there an hour early and I thought that was crazy...2 hours just seems like a huge waste. 

 

The more I read about things, the more it seems like this is going to be the worst cruise we'll ever take. 

 

 

If we do decide to get there 2 hours early... Where should we sit to be sure we can see everything?

 

 

Every tier has a front row and a back row. Make sure you sit in the front row.

The You Tube guy said to make sure to see the Captain's Welcome Party in the Piazza - that the performers from the Dome put on a great show there and you won't have to get there 2 hours early.

 

I also am getting very discouraged about this cruise. We are taking our grandchildren and were looking forward to it but now I'm just very apprehensive.