chisoxfan

Appreciate the feedback but still in a quandry when Princess (two) people say '90 days in advance' I can read the writing on the wall here as I told the rep..... I will follow their lead and 90 days before will look to book Spellbound and dining..... sorry sir everything is booked..... Oh we are sorry you did not have better info.... I don't think I should have to spend every day trying to make some simple reservations. As Platinum and staying in suite (not pulling rank because I did not even know I was Platinum) all I was seeking was definitive info on when I can book and yes my expectation is that I should have an opportunity to do so prior to the general booking time.

Sorry, don't buy the 'old guy' doesn't get it. Hear this always when tech fails (which it often does) I don't love tech but understand it as well as any user should be expected to (don't get me started). We aren't fans of the E Class but have booked HAL precisley because of good LOUD live music.....BB Kings /Rolling Stone....bring it on. Just don't need loud bad music as we experienced on two E Class cruises. JMHO

Post piqued my interest. Is there any reason for YC passenger to visit Aurea sundeck area.... on Seascape is it adjacent and perhaps more loungers?

The same can be said for specialty dining of course ie. you have paid for meals. It is what it is. At least Princess does not appear to add a gratuity to the experience as most cruise lines do with specialty dining.

Obviously we are all free to spend our money in the way we see fit. Coming off of Ascent some specialty restaurants were 129-179 pp plus gratuity. Not my value cup of tea. Spellbound, with a small venue with (what looks) to be very unique drinks, on-going entertainment, dinner, and an intimate show, doesn't seem so outrageous in price. I personally question the value propositions of art auctions, on-board jewelers, and most spa services but they are cruise ship staples because they make money and remain popular.

Just curious..... has anyone ever been contacted by X as a result of comments or scores given on a survey?

We knew this venue was 149 and I agree that this really stretches the pricing boundary (we just got off X Ascent and there were several specialty dining options that were over 100 pp).Because it is so unique will probably try it once..... reminds me perhaps of the ice bar 'fad' which we first experienced on Epic many years ago... once and done in that case.

It wasn't clear (to me) in your earlier post that you had made reservations for dining on Sun. If that is the case the fact that I cannot do this speaking directly to Princess (and a supervisor) is even more confusing. We can agree that Princess has mucked up this Sun intoduction.

Just got off the phone with Princess. Was not trying to reinvent the wheel but simply reserve some specialty dining. I found I was a Platinum so should have option to do this well in advance (had waited patiently on app to try and do this). I was told that Sun dining (and I assume Spellbound) could only be made 90 days out (platinum, elite or suite) - no logical reason for this just 'sorry for the confusion'. At this point nothing Princess comes up with for the Sun would surprise me.

Well apparently everything Sun remains a mystery. I called Princess and spoke to a manager and while I (as a Platinum) can book specialty dining in advance on every other ship in the fleet this does not hold true for the Sun (nobody seems to know why) . So you can book 90 days in advance. Very frustrated to waste my time on this. I was looking at Princess suite on Sphere class as an alternative to X and MSC but there already (a few months later) are so many changes and confusion I may just give up on them.

Thanks for that. I am Platinum but nothing shows up in my app.....I guess I can reach out to my box store TA which used to be easy but now a bit frustrating.

When would it be normal to book specialty dining and Spellbound? We have the newest Princess app installed (nothing yet)and will be staying in a Sanctuary suite.Cruise is in Jan. 25. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Agreement here, bizarre entrance to Eden, while it is great to try 'new things' ship space is valuable and could be used to much better effect. While on the subject we did not get Eden at all. There is an interesting space on second level looking out aft but when you enter Eden during evening you don't see it and regardless access is a bit challenging (live music was terrible in my opinion.... a violin and guitar combo just doesn't cut it). So a huge waste of space IMHO. Although we stayed in Retreat we will not do Edge class again. We though S class ships were the best design at sea but like all of us they are getting old so not lining up for these either. Other lines have perhaps been more innovative to our tastes moving forward.

I would agree with your logic particularly since you are on an S class ship. Our main (only) reason for booking Retreat was also the pool and sundeck on E class. On S class it just doesn't offer as much particularly on warm weather cruises or those with intense itineraries. Just curious as to why you would not book AQ as this was our go to on S class (subject to pricing of course). We are doing something similar next Jan. ie we will be in suite on Sun Princess go to a balacony on HAL (with Orange Club) and then go to YC. We certainly aren't 'dreading our balcony room on HAL. X Retreat has lost it's luster for us due to pricing and inconsistencies in product.

I cannot believe how botched up this 'introduction' to what are now Sanctuary cabins has been. I guess some of us who booked previously can take solace in the 50% overnight price increaase that took place. That said, we were excited about and applauded Princess for the long term prospect of offering more reasonable pricing in a dedicated area which now seems dashed. We will watch with interest (and perhaps some trepidation) as the reviews from the new Sanctuary filter in.

Frankly after two Retreat cruises outlined above we booked another YC on MSC. I reviewed current YC benefits to refresh my recollection of last cruise(s). So you have a butler who stocks your mini bar daily, escorts you to theater shows (there was a reserved section on X but nothing special). Escorted boarding on embarkation (X had an OK lounge area but otherwise you are on your own), dedicated area on private island (did not go to X PI but understand there is nothing special for suite guests). Access to Thermal suites for YC. At no time in X Retreat did I feel 'special' ie. there was no apparent advantage in booking excursions or specialty dining. On Apex there were some very appreciated service people who we thought displayed the Retreat norm only to find out on Ascent that maybe this standard was not to be expected X wide. For my money the YC experience provided so much more value than Retreat. Interested to see how Princess executes their Sanctuary experience on the Sun.

We were on recent Apex and Ascent Sky Suite Cruises. We liked the cabins very much particularly the bed facing balcony and dual sink bathroom with nice sized shower, low tub arrangment. The Retreat pool was OK on both ships.. Ascent had two levels with a larger pool and 2 hot tubs vs 1 but the seating areas in shade were actually less inviting and filled up on our Carib cruise. Bar and small menu dining there also. Overall a nice place. Lounge on Apex had outdoor area which we prefered to more antiseptic Ascent. Luminae was a mixed bag. Service on Apex was outstanding and the hard working hostess did everything to accomodate desired tables. On the Ascent not so much. Tables for two were really small and close together- while the dining rooms were similar the Ascent seemed more constrained in 'good tables'. Food for us was OK-good and I enjoyed well prepared Escargot every night which was a treat. We never met a butler on our 10 day Apex cruise and had no more interaction with our cabin attendant than we would have in any cruise cabin on any line. A head butler introduced himself with attendant on first day of Ascent and handed us cards.... a good start and we had breakfast in the cabin the next AM where the head butler actually helped arrange the food. Great I thought... but that was absolutley the last time I saw any 'butler'. So in 17 days or Retreat cruising we had only one morning service where a butler was involved. It isn't a big deal except when I read some posts extolling butler services provided. For me the Retreat 'failure' was in the inconsitency of the experience(s). The other issue of course is value. We paid probablly 50-60% of the published rate (roughly equivalent to MSC YC)and at that price I would do it again. The Edge class ships are very nice. As many have pointed out, much better values exist with premium and semi premium lines but we really want to stay with larger newer ships. So X is off our radar currently and our next cruises are Princess Sun suites and MSC YC (and slumming on one HAL balcony). While MSC has understandably raised prices they have laudably maintained their benefits and service levels. X seemingly is fixated on 'cheapening' theirs while extracting more $$$ (drink packages and specialty dining coming immediately to mind). JMHO

Sure you would be fine. I would likely opt for this arrangement even vs. connecting room /balcony. To me a max bang for the buck family cruise vacation. Your kids are probably perfect age for this... old enough to have some 'controlled' autonomy. If you want to make yourself feel good about vacation cost look at corresponding options on X or NCL for their dedicated suite areas.

I would suggest at least considering the YC. As you probably know you would have your own pool, restaurant, and lounge (nightly entertainment). Premium drinks would be included and you would have stocked frig. Maybe an inside for kids and balcony for you across the hall? Sorry, maybe not an answer to your questions but just a suggestion.

We thought Fine Cut on Ascent was very good but felt Rooftop was the best experience. That said X has become excessive with their specialty dining prices... if I can pay for a comparable experience on land for similar dollars I would prefer that. Based on X pricing I would probably opt only for Rooftop and be 'satisfied'. We were in Retreat and had a bunch of OBC and still could not be tempted to try the 'higher end' ie. Daniel Boulud (we have eaten at his other props) dining experiences on Ascent as we just did not feel it worthwhile. JMHO

You win. That big metal structure with a circle cut out in front of your 'porthole veranda' isn't an obstruction. Surprised X doesn't call it an infinite porthole. My point was that it was never a 'traditional' balcony like we have all been familair with. Like the IV some will like it and some will hate it and it is a matter of personal preference. Peace and happy cruising.

Deck plans show DPV's as obstructed on their key. Deck Plan Key Obstructed View

If DPV is a balcony why does X call it a deluxe porthole view and obstructed. Those of us who have cruised for years know what a balcony is. I still have never seen a mini-suite on an Edge class ship. SV's are the only true balconies on Edge ships (besides Retreat) and they are limited, popular, and expensive (maybe a comentary on IV's). There are 36 SV's on Edge vs. 1400+ cabins. For the ones who liked AQ no balconies exist on Edge class with 130AQ on S class ships. You can label cabins how you wish ie (see Inflation reduction act) but most cruisers can understand what constitutes a balcony.

If X has 'mini suites' that is news to me. Obviously there are very limited real balconies on X Edge class ships (aft and Retreat only) and good luck finding one of those. We used to like AQ on X but don't want to book this on Edge Class because they are now IV. Everyone is different but we are gravitating to newer ships so for us X has really limited our options for a true balcony and while it is a nice product Retreat greatly disappoints us in value offered. We loved S ships on X and these were innovative but for us they may be getting long in the tooth.

Hate to pick on a ship but have to agree. We were on Carib Princess for a Panama Canal Cruise some years ago. The ship was old then, crew very disorganized, and the ship had a propulsion issue causing a change of ports. We were Princess fans prior to that and our bad experience prompted us to try MSC YC which was a positive eye opener. We were also X fans but the lack of balconies and cost of Retreat on Edge class made us look again at our options. So going full circle we tried Princess (Enchanted) and had a generally positive experience. Will try a suite on Princess Sun in early 25. The general product (X vs. Princess) is similar ie. entertainment, food, crew but of course all of these things can be tempered by the ship itself. IMHO Princess has done some innovative things with Medallion and drink packages where X has failed with lack of balconies on new ships, pricing, and adding non-refundable deposits. Hoping the Sphere class will be a step forward for Princess unlike the Edge class which for us was a sideways move.