Geoffa30

6 hours ago, photopro2 said:

I am sure you are right. 

What price is the Ilha de Deus catamaran sail in Recife showing. It is currently marked as included on the Viking ocean website!

That port isn't on this itinerary. From my scouring of CC for excursions help just now, I think you're doing this itinerary but staying on afterwards back to Europe. Perhaps it's on that leg? Sorry I cannot help.

The only upgraded included excursion included on the itinerary is the Bluff Cove one I mentioned.

We’re on the South America and Chilean Fjords cruise on 26 January 2024. The excursions were loaded on to MVJ yesterday. In the Falklands, the penguins of Bluff Cove excursion was listed twice - once as included and again at £169 (we’re in the U.K.). No doubt the included will be booked by those in the higher room categories before our lowly DV and we’ll pay for the privilege.

Second time lucky?

We were on the Saturn’s 30 August sailing to Greenland and managed both ports, Qaqatorq and Nanortalik. Whilst it was great to get to see Greenland, the two ports were lacking in interest at least for us. The best part of the experience was the amazing scenic sailing through Prins Christians Sund. Seemingly Viking does not advertise this as part of the itinerary because they cannot be certain it will be possible to sail the route because of ice etc. It was truly spectacular. 
 

I’m including some pictures of the Greenland ports and the scenic sail. Hopefully they all appear - unfortunately many came out as blank squares so I’ve removed them from this post.

We sailed on Sky Princess in June having sailed three times prior - the inaugural Med season, one of the first post Covid short cruises and in early 2022. We felt this latest cruise was one of the best cruises we have been on - being in Norway helped as it’s such an amazing destination - the cruise honestly felt like a return to pre Covid days. 

45 minutes ago, LindaS272 said:

Torshavn is not open for pre-dinner drinks. You must be thinking of Explorer’s Lounge. And why would you want to have pre-dinner drinks in a nightclub on a cruise ship with no windows? Particularly during the midnight sun at sailaway when there is so much gorgeous scenery?

 

I don’t have a Daily to hand, but I think Torshavn is active after the evening show because the band plays for that and then goes to Torshavn.

Thanks for the clarification - seems Viking needs to update the website 🤷‍♂️

Thanks for the continued updates Clay. Certainly looks like you’re enjoying your trip. Another question if you don’t mind - what are Torshavn’s hours of operation please? I’ve read late night only but the Viking website mentions it’s ideal for pre-dinner drinks. Trying to make a decision on whether to buy the drinks package.

12 hours ago, downsmead said:

We usually have the SS package but on our last cruise decided against it. We found our bar bill was nowhere near the price of the SS package for the two of us!

Thanks for the heads up. That’s what we originally thought but having seen the Torshavn menu Clay has posted, we wouldn’t need too many of the listed cocktails to exceed the £280 per person. Going to do some calculations before making the final decision.

Thanks for posting this Clay. Interesting to see the correct prices - the sample menu on Viking’s website (at least in the U.K.) shows prices of 15-30% lower so, on that basis, we had decided not to buy the drinks package for our August cruise. Now debating whether we should reconsider. 

What are the odds of this being the thread with the most pages ever on the Cruise Critic’s Princess board? On Facebook, my feed is just post after post about it too. 

1 hour ago, dlh015 said:

That might indeed be the reason for the big pop in price today...

That’s possibly due to Royal Caribbean’s knockout earnings? 

8 hours ago, RoperDK said:

I'm interested in this, too.  I am also interested in the suite lounge and suite restaurant.  Will the restaurant offer upgraded food options or just be an additional space to serve MDR food.  Will the suite lounge offer snacks and drinks all day or just be a quiet private space?  I am more interested in a Celebrity Retreat or Royal Sky Class level experience.  I would have expected more details by now.  The ship is cruising next year.   

I certainly hope the restaurant offers upgraded food options. If they fail to do so, their enhanced suite offering won’t compete with the likes of Celebrity etc. Like you, I would have expected more details by now but Princess doesn’t seem to be as good as other lines at promoting their new ships or building up anticipation.

50 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

I visited guest services shorty after embarking and signed up for it. They were offered several days/times. Galley tours were also offered.  At our Meet & Greet, someone asked about it and they set one up just for CC also. 

Excellent, thanks. Will hopefully get the opportunity when we’re onboard.

Loving the updates so far. Really setting us up for our Saturn cruise at the end of August.

Clay - how did the bridge tour come about if you don’t mind me asking? Is this something Viking offers widely to guests?

19 hours ago, Coral said:

I would rank Coral Princess my first choice and Sapphire my 2nd choice. Caribbean Princess would be my last choice.

 

The Coral Princess has outdoor viewing areas on the forward and aft area (outside for glaciers, etc..). It does lack Skywalker's (I don't go up there for viewing on these ships - just for quiet time). I will go up there for reading, etc.... It also has a covered pool.

 

Benefits of Sapphire would be Skywalker's, wider promenade deck, pizzeria restaurant, covered pool area.

 

I like the covered pool area because it spaces people out when it is cold/raining. On the Caribbean Princess (and other ships that lack a covered pool) - when it is cold and rainy, it seems more crowded inside. It also has 500 more passengers than Sapphire Princess (so it is more crowded). 

 

I would go with Sapphire or Coral Princess. I prefer smaller ships, thus Coral Princess would be a great choice.

Thank you for this input Coral - and thank you for always being the early bird in posting all the new cruise info - always appreciated.

Interesting to see Coral Princess sailing in Alaska as have wanted to try the ship for a while. Do others feel it’s a good ship for Alaska? Or would Caribbean Princess or Sapphire Princess be better given they both have Skywalkers and it appears Coral is missing a similar observation type lounge.

When we were on Sky Princess in June, the seats only seemed to be reserved for the production shows. We didn’t have a problem with this as there weren’t that many reserved and we didn’t necessarily consider them to be in the best location. Our issue was the attitude of the staff monitoring who sat in the seats. For example, we had already sat down behind the reserved section. I went to Take Six to get a drink and when I returned to the theatre, I received short thrift from a staff member on the stairs when I asked to pass. I had to ask three times - politely - before I could pass and this was met with attitude and a look that could kill. Perhaps they had previously dealt with problems from other passengers but that shouldn’t mean everyone is treated with the same contempt. Of course, those with the premier package were welcomed with open arms.

The Sun Princess page on the Princess website has been updated with various new renderings and some further info. Certainly looks like it’s shaping up to be quite the ship.

1 minute ago, mlmbar said:

What a nightmare! 

Your signature suggests you’ve sailed many of the Royal Caribbean amusement park ships and you think this addition to Sun and Star Princess is a nightmare. Why?

16 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

Old folks hate change and the hate coming from them regarding this change is expected.  It's a small area on big ship, and passengers can avoid the area if they so choose.  Princess has to do something to cater to a new audience.  The now oldies that put Princess on the map are disappearing and Princess is trying to garner a new demographic to replace them.

 

Hear hear. Princess needs to move forward and adapt to changing demographics. The old guard who loved the original Love Boat won’t be around forever. This area isn’t something I’d use but it won’t stop me sailing on the ship. Roll on October 2024 and our first TA.

More info courtesy of Ship Monk.

https://shipmonk.co.uk/2023/05/12/princess-cruises-brings-back-star-princess-as-the-name-of-its-second-sphere-class-ship/

2025 European cruises going on sail very soon.

Well it looks as though I guessed right. The next Sphere Class ship is Star Princess and sets sail in Summer 2025. Let the countdown begin.

https://youtu.be/4BBuWGShu40

Have been on Sky Princess a number of times now and it has always been difficult to find a seat in the evening. Must be because of using the whole of deck six of the Piazza for the photo gallery and shops. This dry dock was a missed opportunity to rectify the issue. I’m thinking our next cruise in June will be the last time we sail Sky Princess. Not ideal as the ship seems to be the go to ship for Southampton sailings. Would much prefer the Enchanted. Here’s hoping the Sky gets swapped for one of the new Sphere Class ships once both are sailing.

8 hours ago, Jeter02 said:

If anyone doesn't mind sharing a screenshot of what the internet speed test is reading at I would greatly appreciate it. Or better yet if you know star link has officially been added on board? Thank you and advance!

Someone posted the attached photo on a social media group. It confirms the ship has Starlink. Obviously Princess has bought the poor man’s version as it’s only showing 2.67mbps. Still better than what was offered before the change though.

12 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

Vines is still here.

 

sabattinis is still where it was.

 

catch is up on deck 7 where sur La mer was. I’ll get some pictures.

Thanks for the update. Does the photo gallery still take up the whole of one half of deck six of the Piazza?