Familycruzer11

I agree I prefer bed by door. On Sun, I think (?) this is the first time that the mini-suites have the alternating configurations. We are already booked for Jan 2025 on a B2B with a bed closer to the balcony on Sun in an S9 (too late to change it, believe it or not) , so wondering what that experience is like. I am likely to make a middle of the night run to the restroom and don't want to bump into furniture or an obstacle course. I know about the nighttime lights- we will cover them so as not to wake the other up - so this will be in the dark. If anyone on the Sun is in this type of room, appreciate hearing about your experience.

I am curious to know the experience in the mini suites on Sun with the different configuration options (bed closer to door, bed closer to balcony). We've always had bed closer to the door (think that has been the only option on other ships in mini suite) and wonder how it is with bed closer to balcony - specifically - navigating to the rest room in the middle of night, or any other nuances to consider. TIA

We sail on Sun in January 25 but have been eagerly awaiting the inaugural as if I were booked myself. Can’t wait for the reviews, hopefully Live From, and first hand feedback. Bon Voyage to all of you setting sail tomorrow and the coming weeks!

I have confirmed with my Princess Cruise Planner that there is no limit to how many AARP gift cards can be used. We use them A LOT with no issues.

Very cool. Thanks for the tips. Much appreciated! There is (was?) a restaurant by the locks that we dined at on a land vacation about 10 years ago or so. We watched the locks move and water go up and down and watched vessels pass. I am super excited about passing through on the ship. I haven’t seen anyone who has done it have any regret.

Appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and impressions of Island Princess. I've had some of my most enjoyable vacations on ships that have gotten terrible reviews, so I take them with a grain of saltwater.. ha ha.. We are looking at Island for a full transit NYC- LAX in fall 2025. We love the gym, so will have to cope with the dungeon I suppose, but I am sure we will manage. Does anyone know if they have the fitness classes as on the other ships? I saw in one of the above posts that while there is no IC, specialty coffees can still be found - hope that is true. Also hopeful that some of the new vegetarian and vegan menu offerings are (or will be) available on Island. Looking forward to reading reviews after the drydock later this year.

Looking at full transit on Island Princess - any recommendations regarding port or starboard balcony? (or any other recommendations in general?) TIA

Learn something new every day…. Thanks for sharing all the info, insights and journey. You probably are aware but just in case, the Cornell Lab app (Merlin Bird ID) is very cool and has packs for around the world. Great for identifying what you see by description, photo and even sound.

They market it as "a private area of The Sanctuary" - It is misleading in that the Sanctuary is Adults Only. We specifically booked a Signature Suite so we don't have to worry about racing to the Sanctuary for space on embarkation day. We don't go until Jan 2025 (and school in session), so looking forward to hearing what the experience will be.

Did they happen to mention how the Signature Suite area of the Sanctuary will work? Sanctuary = adults only and families could be in suites?

OH NO - so glad you are okay after your accident. That must have been terrifying. Hope the worst is behind you for COVID - we too came down with post Cruise in April. Do you have any recommendations for timing to get off the ship? On one hand - no rush, we will stay in Southampton (already booked Holiday Inn - lol). and on the other - lots to do on Isle of Wight. @leck57 We also love to walk, so weather and time permitting, hopefully we can do that. Do we need to buy tickets in advance to tour Osborne house?

@TenneSea thank you for this amazing and thorough review. Hope you are enjoying your land portion now. We board 6/1/24. Because of flight schedules, we plan to stay an extra day in Southampton before returning home (I would have preferred to arrive a day early the way you did but didn’t work out). What are your thoughts about disembarking, checking in/dropping bags (Holiday Inn?) and making the ferry to aisle of Wight to see Osborne House? we arrive in London a few days before embarkation to see family so will head down for embarkation early that morning. We disembark Saturday 6/15 but have a noon flight from LHR Sunday 6/16. Was hoping to squeeze in Isle of Wight Saturday after reading your review.

I am looking to book a 2:20 pm flight from LHR and use Princess Transfer. Does this look feasible? Would rather avoid a later return flight if possible.

Great advice and info. Thanks so much!

Thanks @Jeter02 for being so generous with your time to share your cruise with us. We board Sky in June 2024 and counting the days. We've been on Regal and Enchanted and loved them both. Each ship as its own vibe and we are always happy to be onboard one. Could you tell me more about the trains from London to Southampton? We will also visit family in London a few days before the trip. I saw trains that go from Waterloo to Southampton Airport Parkway - is that the one? What did you do to return to Heathrow? We were hoping to fly back to the states same day as disembarking. TIA and safe travels!

I had it done on Crown in April. Definitely tamed the frizzies and didn’t need a blow dryer except for Formal nights. Price was better than salon. Lasted 8 weeks. Worked out for me.

Another New Yorker here. Agree makes most sense to stay in Manhattan. Hotels are very expensive and likely be even worse in August. You can also look for AirBnB in NYC which can be in a great location and save some money (no one will make your bed though...). Taxis and Ubers work well, just leave extra time for traffic. There is a NYC taxi app called CURB that can be helpful. As we say in New York "are we in a rush, or do we have time to take a taxi?" Enjoy your cruise!!

Just to give an alternate perspective, we were also on a 15 day to Hawaii in April on Crown and completely enjoyed it and would book again in a heartbeat. We did not experience that 'overcrowded' feel and were able to get seats when/where we wanted. The food varied - averaged on good - some meals were great, some were a miss, which was never an issue because you could just get something else. We really enjoyed the activities on board (yes, a lot of sea days..) and most of all, the crew were very friendly and hospitable. As many have said, cruises are subjective, and we realized each cruise has it's own vibe too. It depends on your mindset, expectations and the experience you are looking for. For us, the Crown to Hawaii was a delight - even despite chaos with Maui tenders - Princess handed out water and cold towels, we met some cool folks on line, and all laughed about it later in Explorers with cocktails and a game show.

We did the classes daily on our 15 day cruise. Sign up is in the gym. There are early morning classes and afternoon classes. Spin, TRX, Pure Barre and Pilates alternate. Yoga six was daily as was stretch. Our instructors on the Crown, Hein and Jamie were excellent. You shouldn’t have a problem getting into the class you want.

They did do that for our 2022 Cruise - my husband would look at a dish and ask if it could be done vegan, and it would be, or some variation. They did not do that on the last cruise. Instead the restaurant manager would discuss what they planned for the following evening to make sure it was to his liking. There were a couple of times my husband asked for something else and they accommodated. We also made sure to tell the MDR if we had a specialty restaurant booked so they would not go to the trouble.

We always do this on embarkation day in MDR (we usually do Club Class/Reserve, but same idea) and 24-48 hours ahead of any specialty dining. If they have ample notice, they can accommodate very well. I know we put vegan in the profile, but it isn't enough - have to talk to Restaurant Manager and ask for same wait staff as possible for seating if you can. In the buffet, we never accept "i think it is vegan' from the serving staff- we ask them to make sure with the chef and they always do and the chef will confirm if something is indeed vegan. it would be nice if things were properly labeled vegan, vegetarian, etc -- not there yet I guess, but moving in the right direction with expanded and creative options.

We were on Crown in April. My husband is a vegan with other dietary requirements. We let the restaurant manager know in advance as well as any specialty dining we did. We were on a 15 day cruise, so while there were Indian dishes (which he likes) there were plenty of other creative and delicious options for him. There were even vegan options at the poolside grill and plenty at the buffet. Enjoy your cruise!

I am speculating on the Signature Sanctuary space and wondering if it will lend itself to a competition for loungers as that is counter intuitive to serenity… or if any Suite guest who wants one will get one

Does anyone have any information, insight, guesses about the S1 Signature Suites that have access to the Sanctuary? They are clearly regular "mini suites", with the perks being those that come with 'actual' Suites, and the Suite Area of the Sanctuary. Clearly one would not have a reserved lounger as they would have booking the Sanctuary but assume there would be space for all there.

Disembarked Crown on 4/29. We used electrical tape on the sensors (we found the auto lights very annoying), including closet. We brought two non surge protector extensions (some with USB) and plugged one at the desk and one behind from the second tv (mini suite). After that, we had all we needed for 15 days charged and ready - phones, 2 laptops, apple watch, bricks..