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And the Concierge Lounge will be more crowded too but at least you booked at a much lower fare I presume. Our S9 fare for a 1 week cruise for 2 passengers increased from under $5000 including the Plus package to $8300 with the Premium package included. if we decide to keep the booking, it will be one and done at those fares.

We booked an S9 (signature suite/mini-suite layout) 3 months ago. When I checked our travel summary this afternoon, note the added line at the bottom. We still have the Plus package but they added a Sanctuary Class Indicator. Plus Beverage Package + Juice Bar 1 $514.43 $514.43 MedallionNet 1-device WiFi 1 $104.93 $104.93 Fitness Classes (2 Classes) 1 $55.09 $55.09 Premium Desserts (2 per day) 1 $73.22 $73.22 DND - Free Medallion Shipping 1 $7.00 $7.00 Crew Appreciation Included 1 $126.00 $126.00 SANCTUARY CLASS INDICATOR 1 $0.00 $0.00

I know recent postings by passengers have said they had no issue with immediate seating in the Signature restaurant while there are long lines in the Reserve restaurant. Maybe that was an impetus for these changes? I just assumed when a company is designing a new totally new ship class they would either determine how much space they had for the areas (lounge, sun deck, restaurant in this case) dedicated to the new 'ship within a ship' concept Padgett is crowing about. Then determined how many passengers could be accommodated and design the cabins. OR determine how many suite cabins they want and design the specialized areas to accommodate those passengers. Instead it seems that none of this was considered. The sun deck as designed would never accommodate all (or whatever percentage used in their calculations) suite passengers so they moved quickly to designate the Sanctuary for suite passengers too. Looking at the pictures of the lounge I wondered about its original capacity. The new Signature designation looks like it is doubling the number of passengers.

I hope you are right but on the new Signature Collection web page (https://www.princess.com/en-us/ships-and-experience/onboard-experience/sanctuary-collection) it states Your own private restaurant Reserved exclusively for Sanctuary CollectionSM guests. Enjoy a custom chef’s menu and dedicated waitstaff and dining room. No reservations needed and no waiting — elevated dining is ready whenever you are.

True and don't forget the additional passengers in the Signature Restaurant.

The pricing has gone up incredibly. We have an S9 booked with the plus package for two for just less than $5000. As of today, it is over $8000 with the addition of the premium package and more crowded venues. Luckily we have months to go before final payment. We have done the MSC Yacht Club twice and their perks (including unlimited premium booze) and spaces designed to accommodate the number of cabins remains our favorite for service and value. We may still take the Sun cruise but I can't see doing any repeats in a suite.

See post #377 about today's announcement about the Signature Collection that answers some of what we are seeing.

I don't notice any more cabins when picking a category, just a renaming of the Penthouse Suites to Vista Suites and the Owners Suites to Grand Suites but the deck plans have a message to chose if for travel before or after October 14th and, if choosing the latter, they aren't accessible right now and . The new price for S9 suites is about $4000 per person. We are paying less than $5000 for two with the Plus package in January. This is what surprises me at https://www.princess.com/en-us/ships-and-experience/ships/su-sun-princess and could account for some of the increase but not all. Princess Premier Included But wait, there’s more. Get exclusive benefits with a Sanctuary room purchase, including complimentary Wi-Fi, Crew Appreciation, Premier beverages, specialty dining, and more. Treat yourself to a luxurious vacation and create unforgettable memories. Added: Welcome to Cruise Critic!

Santorini is beautiful but even on our first visit (vacation for 5 days in 1998) it was obvious to me that the port would reach its breaking point sooner or later. Actually I'm amazed that it was 25 years later.

The city of Seattle offers a free transfer from the ship to the airport. Check out https://www.portseattle.org/page/port-valet-enjoy-seattle-luggage-free I'm sure there must be reviews on the West Coast Departures board: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/315-west-coast-departures/

But Sun Princess suites have a designated section contiguous to and aft of the Sanctuary called the Signature Sun Deck. I don't think I've read anything definitive about whether kid suite passengers can use it. I do recall reading that adult suite passengers can use the Sanctuary.

Great. We even added an extra day at the end instead of having to rush to the airport. Everything worked out perfectly. Sounds like you are planning a wonderful vacation.

IIRC bookings for round trip flights open 330 days before the return flight.

Last year we booked EZ-Air tickets to Australia departing the US on 3/18 and embarking on our cruise on 4/2 without any problems.

In this recent review South Florida shuttles and Jiffy Jeff are recommended for car seats. With the older child, you might invest in an inflatable booster seat that is meets federal safety standards and is easy to transport. That's what we've used when our 4 years old and up granddaughters come to visit. https://a.co/d/chYnMU6

Welcome to Cruise Critic. There is an abundance of information on this site but it can take a while to figure out how to access it all. The secret is to start on the home page and then drill down by category into the various boards and sub-forums. If you haven't figured out @njhorseman's advice yet here are the links: Africa (and Middle East) Ports of Call Board: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/19-africa-amp-middle-east/ Regent Board: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/106-regent-seven-seas-cruises/

As other have recommended, compare Princess prices with booking yourself. Two North American Homeports boards can help you: West Coast Departures: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/315-west-coast-departures/ Florida Departures: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/533-florida-departures/ There is a much wider variety of hotels to chose from in Fort Lauderdale compared to San Pedro. Given that the Fort Lauderdale airport and Port Everglades are almost contiguous (only separated by a highway) hotels in the 17th Street area are within minutes of both the airport and port. The Florida Departures board is full of questions, answers and recommendations on Fort Lauderdale hotels and transportation.

Google maps says .7 mile and 16 minutes. While I think there are sidewalks, there is no shade and that is quite the walk in Florida heat and humidity with luggage. Have you asked on your cruise line forum if anyone has been in a similar situation and did they provide a shuttle?

I could have written the same thing. We sailed on her in January 2022 and July 2023.

Assuming we keep the booking (I'm waiting to hear more positive information after the Sun has been sailing for a few months before I need to make final payment), that is at the top if my list when we meet our steward.

Many public schools schedule spring vacation the week before or after Easter which is April 20th next year. Our daughter teaches in Fairfax County, Va and their 2025 spring break is the week of April 14.

A plus that I noticed is that the balcony chairs have high backs and recline. The pictures of the S9 Signature Suite (mini-suite layout) chairs we have reserved for next January have low backs (the top of the chair hits in the middle of your back) and don't recline!

You need to remember that some people are more apt to take the effort to complain than praise. Social media has given a much wider audience to the complainers.

Since all your fellow passengers who parked at pier 18 are in the same boat so to speak, possibly your cruise line will run a shuttle. Princess has done that before. Just ask at Guest Services a few days before disembarkation.

Luggage drop off is right outside Terminal 2 and the entrance to the terminal is right there with a few benches passengers can wait on for the driver to return. The Heron parking garage entrance is only a few yards away (follow the signs). Use the parking garage elevators back to ground level or, if parked on the higher decks, you can use the crossover to the terminal on deck 5 and then take the elevator down (opens to the outside of the building) and go around the corner to meet your party. Once inside all the check-in processing is on the ground floor but ship embarkation requires taking an elevator or escalator up to the second floor. From there to the ship (which would be on the far right side in the picture below) is the usual covered gangway. The luggage drop off is on the left under the garage structure and the drive to the garage is through that area. The area in the middle is where the entrance lines form and has some benches. One of the elevators from/to the deck 5 is on the far right. Hope this helps.