Sun Princess - Why such negative reviews?

[MonikaJ42]

We are booked on the October 19th sailing. I have been checking reviews and most are very negative and I can't understand why?

Its a new ship so I get there would be some hiccups but the Icon is new and it has rave reviews hence why RCCL prices are ridiculous right now.

 

Any comments? 

 

Regardless I'm looking forward to the cruise.  Its going to be my first Princess cruise in over 15+ years!

[Wishing on a star]

Are you referring to earlier reviews, with so much of the ship not operating.  Not ready for Prime Time?  Yes, there were a LOT of 'hiccups'...  

 

Or you reading more recent reviews that seem to be negative about the over-all experience/food/service?

[MonikaJ42]

I’m referring to the recent reviews.  More negative than positive.  Complaints from the decor of the ship to the food etc.  

Edited July 11 by MonikaJ42

[Globaler]

20 minutes ago, MonikaJ42 said:

I’m referring to the recent reviews.  More negative than positive.  Complaints from the decor of the ship to the food etc.  

We were on the Sun 6/8-6/22. The ship is an acquired taste. The ship is new, the color scheme is rather generic which turns some people off, the food has not really been up to Princess standards. You walk through hallways to get from one end of the ship to the other at times. Many of the bar venues are small and not really inviting. The entertainment areas are small but they have multiple venues. So it’s different and management has some adjustments to make. I feel sure the management team will make changes and the ship will be wonderful. It had a rough start - it was delayed and several ports were canceled on us. So over time I think the reviews will get better.

The piazza, the dining rooms and the pool areas are amazing. All said, we had a good time and will continue sailing Princess.

[Globaler]

I wrote a complete review of our sailing - search my posts and you will find it.

[Esprit]

We board the Sun in 29 days time and have read many reviews.

I'm honestly not bothered by them. Just looking forward to getting away from the crap weather here in the UK and exploring a brand new class of ship for two weeks in the baking Mediterranean heat.

[harrypotter01]

I sail a lot on Disney Cruise Line and I'm in a lot of message boards about them. When the new Wish came out it was absolutely slaughtered by Disney fans.  After waiting so long for it - they hated it.  Of course some was legitimate but most of it was just that it was so different from all of the previous Disney ships.  The change was startling and it didn't have the same feel. I had vowed to never step foot on it because I read so many terrible reviews. Fast forward and my mom, sister and I went on a girls trip and that was the only one that worked for us.  We sailed on the Wish and I was blown away with how amazing and beautiful it was. I was soooo glad we picked it. We didn't want to leave. I didn't understand the reviews at all. 

 

Even though I always knew that you need to try it for yourself - it REALLY reinforced how different your experience may be from others. 

[JGmf]

5 minutes ago, harrypotter01 said:

I sail a lot on Disney Cruise Line and I'm in a lot of message boards about them. When the new Wish came out it was absolutely slaughtered by Disney fans.  After waiting so long for it - they hated it.

 

Same thing happened with NCL's Prima.  I sailed on it knowing the bad reviews....and had a great time.  It was/remains different from prior ships in design and amenities, so the regular cruisers had a tough time dealing with it.

[startedwithamouse]

13 hours ago, MonikaJ42 said:

I’m referring to the recent reviews.  More negative than positive.  Complaints from the decor of the ship to the food etc.  

Most guests who are happy with a product will never leave a review.

 

Many negative reviews are monetized for clicks. 

[JimmyVWine]

Huge Caveat--I have not yet been on the ship.  Two months from now, I will be.  But based on what I have read, seen on YouTube and seen posted here, I think much of it boils down to the negative reaction to a few specific design and operation decisions that PCL made, some of which are fixable and others that are not.

 

• The Buffet Location.  Odd placement on the ship as many people (myself included) tend the use the buffet on other ships as an extension of the pool deck area.  In all our days on board Princess ships, I think we have eaten dinner one time in the buffet because we were too exhausted from our day on shore to shower and change for dinner in the MDR.  99% of our buffet usage is for B or L and we like to be up top, near the open pool decks for that.  This isn't fixable (at least on Sun.  Future builds could move the buffet off of Deck 9.

 

• The Buffet Operation.   Same food every day.  I think people prefer the rotational aspect of the food being offered.  I know that I certainly do.  And many have not gotten used to being served at the buffet, which requires walking around a lot more from station to station to get what you want, each time getting into a new line instead of just sliding down the row of adjacent stations.  Some people have come to really like this.  Others, not so much.  Much of this is fixable, especially the decision to serve the same food every day.  They can fix that with the snap of a finger.

 

• The size and placement of the entertainment venues.  I think that Princess was assuming that if they had more venues, people would spread out and use each one equally, so they didn't need to build really big spaces.  Put a comedian in one, put aerialists in another, a production show in another, a dance band in another and a marriage game show in yet another.  Seems like a good idea...until 80% of the ship all want to see the aerialists, or the production show.  They have no way of accommodating that unless they go to a system where you get a ticket for a specific night for the most popular shows.  I suppose that this might work, but it would be a big change and would surely cause complaints.  Also, while most ships have now morphed the Piazza into a mixed use space of relaxation and entertainment, Sun has gone all in on the idea of it being an entertainment space.  Grabbing an espresso and a pastry at the International Cafe in the middle of the afternoon and listening to a string duo while seated in the Piazza is a pretty fantastic way to spend an hour, in my opinion.  They removed this option on Sun.  It will be up to us to find a suitable alternative, and I imagine that we will.  Perhaps other people reviewing the ship are a bit too rigid to find the workaround.  This is fixable if they decide to relocate the International Cafe away from its ridiculous positioning at the entrance to the buffet and bring it down to Deck 7 where it belongs.

 

• The conversion of the Sanctuary to a "ship within a ship" venue.  I am sure that I am overgeneralizing here, but on other ships the Sanctuary is a place where people who have booked less expensive cabins, (especially Inside cabins) can go to upgrade their experience.  Combine an Inside cabin or an Obstructed OV cabin with reserved deck space in the Sanctuary and you have a pretty good mix of cost and luxury.  The Sanctuary served as the balcony for many people who did not book a cabin that had one.  Of course people in other categories bought space in the Sanctuary as well, but it has always been an option for everyone on board.  Now it is reserved only for the people who already have spacious cabins with balconies.  The people with the smallest, most cloistered cabins cannot buy their way out of their claustrophobia.  This seems like a bad idea to me, and I think to others as well.

 

• Ghost Town 19.  Was supposed to be Park 19.  Enough said.

 

• And as others have mentioned, the "hiccups" of launching before the ship was ready for prime time.  Some of these missteps were not hiccups.  They were Princess throwing up on their shoes.  It's hard to live down a bad first impression.

 

All that said, the reviews of Royal were just as bad when it launched, and while I have not checked, it probably remains the lowest rated Royal Class Ship.  But lessons were learned and the Royal Class ships that followed have become some of the favorites among Princess loyalists.  Part of that is due to the continued aging of the Grand Class ships.  But much of it is attributed to lessons learned and changes made. Maybe we will see that happen with Sun and its progeny.    

    

[MsSoCalCruiser]

13 hours ago, Globaler said:

I wrote a complete review of our sailing - search my posts and you will find it.

I can’t locate your review, so could you possibly share a link?

[FLAlaska]

We also have to remember that are thousands and thousands of people who have sailed on the Sun. I try not to base my opinions on just a few reviews. Ive read many positive ones as well but most people love to post negative ones.  I try to read what I can and withhold judgement, especially on new builds.

 

ANd for the record, there are a few things that concern me about the Sun. First, contrary to many, I hate buffets that serve me for various reasons. I also see the hours for the buffet aren't as expansive.  Second , no included adults only area anymore with the Sanctuary. Third, to get a suite now you have to pay ridiculous prices that include things I didnt want and Last, the issues Ive heard with noise coming from the piazza affecting different venues.  But I am looking forward to giving it try. We are all creatures of habit and change can be difficult LOL

[Globaler]

2 hours ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

I can’t locate your review, so could you possibly share a link?

I think that worked

[Globaler]

1 minute ago, Globaler said:

I think that worked

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3016480-sun-princess-68-622-2024-reviews/

 

[memoak]

Too big for me and too much ship within a ship concept. Some of us old folks still like the smaller older ships. Most of our cruises are on the Grand class ladies 

[karatemom2]

18 minutes ago, memoak said:

Too big for me and too much ship within a ship concept. Some of us old folks still like the smaller older ships. Most of our cruises are on the Grand class ladies 

Agree. We don’t really love the Royal class ships as much as others, although we have come to like the Sky, mostly due to its Southampton base, great itineraries, wonderful food and service, and the forward balcony cabins. There are still enough traditional Princess aspects to keep us at least feeling like we are “home”. However, the Grand class ships are and will always be our favorites - the best designs and sizes. After our last 4 consecutive trips being on Royal class ships, we are so thrilled to be on the Ruby in a couple of months and I think we are going to choose the Emerald over the Sky for our Southampton cruise next summer. We have absolutely zero interest in the Sun or Star. 

[memoak]

30 minutes ago, karatemom2 said:

Agree. We don’t really love the Royal class ships as much as others, although we have come to like the Sky, mostly due to its Southampton base, great itineraries, wonderful food and service, and the forward balcony cabins. There are still enough traditional Princess aspects to keep us at least feeling like we are “home”. However, the Grand class ships are and will always be our favorites - the best designs and sizes. After our last 4 consecutive trips being on Royal class ships, we are so thrilled to be on the Ruby in a couple of months and I think we are going to choose the Emerald over the Sky for our Southampton cruise next summer. We have absolutely zero interest in the Sun or Star. 

I will be boarding the Grand in just over 2 weeks for 14 days   The last 3 trips were on the Emerald, Ruby and Crown. 

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

We sailed in April and loved it. Don’t worry about what other people are saying. Go and enjoy yourself!  

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

29 minutes ago, memoak said:

I will be boarding the Grand in just over 2 weeks for 14 days   The last 3 trips were on the Emerald, Ruby and Crown. 

We booked a cruise on the Ruby for 2026 solely because we miss that ship. We loved that old girl!

Edited July 12 by Sox Fan Cruiser

[Wishing on a star]

We sailed on Ruby when she was new!  A lot of good things about the Ruby.

But, I am one who appreciates a ship/resort that is newer and fresher.

We love Regal.   

Princess began to lose us when they started making changes after the Regal.

Seems the SUN has lost the 'vibe'....  some of the good things we liked.

Instead of 'Princess', just from what we are seeing, it seems to scream huge, corporate, type of thing going on. 

We will be boarding the SUN...  Have had this reservation for a long time.

But, right now, with NO adult only area, NO functioning kid/family area.

This is non-starter.

[LittleTinker]

Its a strange one, I will say that.

After being home a few weeks now, Im left wondering whether I DID like it or not despite the many things I didnt like about it.
Its like a 'bad boy'  boyfriend....I know I shouldnt but theres this compulsion.

Anyway....I thought I was going to hate the buffet being served to me but I actually didnt find it bad at all, and there were virtually no queues. 
The food IS the same every day but there are SOOOOOOO many options, you would definitely be able to have something different every day on a 3 week cruise.
I actually thought the food was very nice.....in fact the worst meal I had was in Spellbound and that was awful.

The placement of it away from  the pool deck was fine....and stopped all the disgusting beer bellied men from wandering in,
My only gripe with the buffet was the plates are not warmed....so walking around to get various options can result in cold food.

The cabins were lovely....really really nice and loads of room. Lovely new bathrooms with lots of space and new glass doors.
The only issue was the nightlight in the bedside cupboard.....it will come on if anything falls on the floor such as the edge of the duvet but Ive since found out you can ask the steward to turn it off.

Venues ARE too small. Standing room only too many times in Princess Live and the theatre shows are only for those who want to wait. I didnt see a single one.

And walking to some places is just odd but not a major big deal.

I didnt much like the decor....too beige...too plain....too  meh!

And I was sorry to see there was no adults only pool.

The thing I hated most about the Sun was the awful awful Piazza. It was just dreadfully noisy.....cheesey.......badly designed.......not enough seating anyway.
It is a much nicer place to be on other ships.


 

Edited July 12 by LittleTinker

[waltd]

One thing I've learned after 28 years of crusing.  The only review that is important is mine. Go and make your own discoveries.   

Every time a new class of ship comes out, regardless of cruise line, there are those that don't like change.   A year from now those same people will be on to some other class of ship.   Go and enjoy.  When you get back let us know what you thought.

 

[Shaver John]

Thank you spot much for starting this thread.  I have been wondering the same thing for a while now, and just too scarred to start this. I know some folks will blast this thread and I just can't be on the line for folks who say nasty things about people just asking questions that they do not like. We had a reservation for Oct. on a suite on the Sun Princess, and just cancelled this morning. We have been so disappointed how much Princess has changed the suite experience and it  seems to be lowered by a lot but the prices now are more than ever. We had Premiere and the suite and air and everything ready, but in all fairness as this would have  been over our 70th cruise on Princess we just could not decide this would be for us. We do hope all you on the ship will have a wonderful time, and we do hope that Sun Princess will become one of the favorites, but just for now we don't seem to feel without Park 19, a separate dining room for suites for breakfast and an adult area for suites as planned we will wait until this all settles down and at least now someone can book our room and have a great cruise.

[Kay S]

3 hours ago, waltd said:

One thing I've learned after 28 years of crusing.  The only review that is important is mine. Go and make your own discoveries.   

 

 

Good advice.  I probably won't be going on the new Sphere ships because I don't like the really big ships, but I also won't be finding fault with the features on the new ships (even though I haven't been on one.)  Go enjoy yourself.

[js10]

My recent review was not negative.  I tried to honestly point out positive and negative aspects of our experience on a Med. Sun cruise.  Far more positive than negative!