capriccio

5 minutes ago, TRLD said:

As far as I have tried to find any example of the Sun completing a call on a tender port without success.

 

@Sox Fan Cruiser has first hand experience

1 hour ago, Sox Fan Cruiser said:

Yeah, Princess has been pulling out of Santorini because of the cable cars.  It's a mess when there are a few ships in port.  We were the only ship in port and things started to get tense with the people waiting in line.

 

But will STILL have never gotten and explanation for why they are skipping Kotor.  Very frustrating.

@Sox Fan Cruiser We were posting at the same time.  I was looking up the name of your great thread

9 minutes ago, Mark_K said:

Yes, my insurance covers overseas medical.  I read somewhere that your odds of needing a helicopter evacuation are something like once in every 10,000 cruises. I decided to take my chances.

It is not just for an evacuation from the ship since that is usually handled by the nearest country's coast guard.  It is for evacuation back to your home from hospitals anywhere in the world.  Obviously it doesn't happen frequently but when it does it can be more costly than medical charges.  Do some research here about medical evacuations here on Cruise Critic.   Put MedJet Assist in the search field and chose Everywhere.  You will get lots of information.  We use it and it is available on a trip basis or an annual policy.

1 hour ago, amurray88 said:

 My question was relating to if what is said on the website is played out on reality. 👌

Reality on one cruise on one ship at a specific time is just a single data point. We know enforcement can vary from ship to ship depending upon the current management.  But if it is in the T&Cs and is violated and you get called on it you don't have a leg to stand on.

3 hours ago, Mark_K said:

My SIL, the insurance agent, tells me you shouldn’t buy insurance if you can afford the loss.  I wouldn’t be cruising if I couldn’t afford it.

Does your medical insurance include overseas coverage and do you have medical evacuation coverage?  Those expenses are the big ones that many couldn't afford the loss. 

Just now, MacMadame said:

Given that the price of cruises go up over time, it's hard to say how much of that difference is for Premier and how much is the normal raising of prices that always happens, though.

That price difference is between January and April!  There is nothing ‘normal’ about a $2700 increase in less than 100 days.

8 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

The question is, will they give up their habit of booking Suites and drop down in protest or switch to another line?  Guests like me are certainly not chomping at the bit to fill ay void and snap up those expensive Suites.

For us the answer is, assuming we don’t cancel before final payment due to crowded conditions, this will be one and done with Princess suites.  We’ve had 2 great cruises in MSC’s Yacht club for the same price as this booking with more perks.  We will continue to sail Princess in our usual mini suites when sailing with my siblings and on special itineraries.

16 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

I have two main observations/questions on this matter since Suite accommodations are not in our future (save for a freak Powerball or or Mega Millions win).

 

Several posters have mentioned how much the Suites and Minis included in the new Sanctuary badging have jumped in price.  On a pure math front, PCL has bundled in the Premier Cruise Fare package at $80/day.  They have also bundled in Sanctuary access (Sun/Star) which is $100/day.

 

Did the prices of these cabins jump more than $180/day?  Not withstanding perceived value of these new forced inclusions, any price increase beyond $180/day seems like gouging and not in line with the increased value-add.

 

IDK the interest of Suite and Mini guests for the Premier plan versus the Plus plan, but my impression from posts is several book it, but many don't see the added value of $20/day over the Plus.  I also wonder how many Suite guests have interest in Sanctuary since you get loungers and spacious balconies with Suites.  I am not sure I have read a high correlation here, so not sure if those guests who prefer to book Suites really want to be forced into the bundled extras.

Those of us who already have reservations in the Signature Suites are already paying for the Sanctuary (actually the formerly named Sun Deck that is now part of the Sanctuary Club).

Here's the difference for my S9 cabin between my

• booking made in January for two with the Plus package web price: Signature category S9 (deck 15): $2629 plus $153 taxes and fees per person (total = $5564)  (My TA charged $5164)
• booking for two today with the Premier package web price: Signature category S9 (deck 15):  $3979 plus $153 taxes and fees per person (total = $8264)

A difference of $2700 with the only additional benefit being $20 per day/per person ($280) for the Premier package is highway robbery.  Especially when it seems the Sanctuary and Restaurants may be much more crowded than originally planned.

16 hours ago, nasa1974 said:

Do they still offer the trike excursion (3-wheel motorcycles)?  It's been a few years since we did this, but it was fantastic. I don't believe it was offered through Princess. I think it was called Trike Tours Aruba. I would have to dig through some old posts. We drove all over Aruba. We also stopped at the lighthouse. There was a group of us, and we followed a tour guide.

 

 

 

We had a great time on that excursion in 2016.  We have a similar picture.  For that Christmas our son gave us t-shirts with the picture and "Born to Be Wild." 

They are still in business:  https://trikes-aruba.com/

15 minutes ago, hpeabody said:

customerrelations@princesscruises.com is what I have.

That's what I used successfully last summer.

The best place to start research on excursions is in the appropriate Ports of Call board.  For these ports go to https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/456-caribbean/  for the islands and https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/54-panama-canal/  for the Canal ports.  On the latter board you will need to use the search function by port (upper right corner).  Good luck with your research,

21 minutes ago, dlca1 said:

Is there any feedback from those who have sailed on Sun Princess about noise level for deck 6 balcony rooms that are underneath the unlabeled space between Crown Grill and OMalley's (Deck 7)

 

I'm usually really careful about studying the deck map.  I rushed to grab the last two adjacent balconies and forgot to look around. I'm now worried because my wife is a light sleeper and gets grumpy if her sleep is disturbed by noise.

 

A good question (which I don't have the answer to) since that configuration looks like it is either a shared kitchen area or two distinct kitchens without the details in the diagram.  Another example of a large white space is between the Reserve and Signature Restaurants that has been identified as a shared kitchen.  If that is true in this case, neither Crown Grill nor O'Malley's serve breakfast so I would suspect little, if any, early morning noises.  I'm not sure what time dinner service ends in both restaurants and what you would consider too late.

We have always received PQPs on EZ Air United flights.  We've also been on the free upgrade list each time.  The best upgrade was made at the gate at Heathrow to business class om 2019.

Don't forget to share the cruising experience info with her.  The Alaska Cruises page on the website is a good start:  https://www.princess.com/en-us/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises

Make sure she scrolls down to the bottom of the page for the links to the Alaska Onboard Experiences and, especially, the North to Alaska Program link (https://www.princess.com/en-us/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises/north-to-alaska-cruise-activities).

1 minute ago, voljeep said:

what percentage is acceptable?

 

You don't build a church capacity for Easter Sunday ...

Which is exactly why I said a percentage, not all.  Given that I am not a cruise line venue designer I wouldn't know.  I just worry that the Princess designers don't know either.

1 minute ago, reiddg said:

It says in the Sanctuary Collection description that access to the Sanctuary Club is included.  For this deal, the only thing in the Collection that is not included is the Premier package

I've seen some comments here on CC that the Lounge access is still restricted to the original 80 cabins in the Signature Collection but I haven't seen a direct quote on that.  Having looked at the pictures of that lounge, I have my doubts that it was even big enough to old a sizeable percentage of the Signature Collection passengers.

10 minutes ago, galveston gal said:

I have not seen anywhere that the Reserve mini-suites under the old system are allowed access to the Sanctuary.  I think that would be wonderful if it was true.  Hoping someone has this information.

Look at the old numbers of cabins that made up the Signature Collection:

The Signature Collection Suites breakdown (total = 80)
SO - Signature Sky Suite - 4
S2 - Signature Owner's Suite - 10

S4 - Signature Penthouse Suite - 36

S9 - Signature Suite - 30 (which have a mini-suite layout)

and the new numbers making up the new and improved Sanctuary Collection (total = 219) : 

"The new Sanctuary Collection aboard Sun Princess includes three levels of stateroom types – Signature Collection Suites (80), Mini Suites (123), and Premium Deluxe Balconies (16)"

Some reserve minis were "promoted".

4 minutes ago, CalTexCruiser said:

 

On the other Princess ships, the number of people allowed into the Sanctuary is determined by the number of loungers/cabanas available, so there is never an overcrowding issue.

 

When comparing to Celebrity, there are 158 suites in total on the Celebrity Apex.  So the Retreat sundeck on the Apex would be shared by a smaller quantity of cabins (61 less cabins) than on the Princess Sun. 

 

I don't know the difference in square footage between the Apex Retreat and the Sun Sanctuary sundeck, but there will definitely be more people now in the Sun Sanctuary sundeck than in Celebrity's Retreat sundeck.

 

And I often find the Celebrity Retreat sundeck to be quite crowded, especially during sea days.  That does not bode well for the Sun Sanctuary sundeck on a warm weather sailing.

 

 

 

 

 

For comparison purposes the MSC Meraviglia has about 100 cabins and the newer MSC Seascape has 131.  Their pool sections also have a full bar, an expansive grill serving breakfast and lunch, and multiple hot tubs.  Neither were busy the weeks we were on our 2 Caribbean cruises but I’ve heard they can be crowded, like all ships, during holiday periods.

6 minutes ago, happy cruzin said:

Do we know how many additional cabins now have access to the Sanctuary - in addition to the 80 that were Signature Suites?

From the Sun Princess thread, this is a quote from yesterday’s press release:

The new Sanctuary Collection aboard Sun Princess includes three levels of stateroom types – Signature Collection Suites (80), Mini Suites (123), and Premium Deluxe Balconies (16)

I think there are fewer than 20 S9 cabins so this seems more than a doubling of the number of cabins in the Sanctuary Collection.

4 minutes ago, dog said:

Thanks- were there any changes to the restaurants yet?

Not yet.

6 minutes ago, happy cruzin said:

Grrrr……😡

Now there will be a daily race to get lounge chairs in the sun (since it seems like there is no shade).

3 minutes ago, MTNest93 said:

@capriccio With the yesterday's announcement about the Sanctuary Collection, it now clearly shows on the Princess website that the Sanctuary is 16+.

Exclusive access to the Sanctuary Club

This tranquil top-deck space is reserved exclusively for adults (ages 16+). Spend the day in total bliss as you relax poolside with a craft cocktail. Order some bites and beverages from a custom menu, even find your flow with wellness classes. Here, it’s Zen time any time. Especially when you reserve a private cabana.

Thank you.  I noticed that which doesn't personally impact us on the upcoming cruise but does mean that we will not be reserving multiple Sanctuary cabins on Princess when traveling with our kids and granddaughters.  Just one more plus in the MSC Yacht Club column (on our 2 cruises the few children in the YC were extremely well behaved).

13 minutes ago, happy cruzin said:

I hope not! When we booked there were to be exclusive, dedicated suite spaces. 

Maybe with the extra cabins now included - it stays separated and they do not intend to sell Sanctuary "day passes" like they do on other ships??  🤞🤞

The Sun Deck no longer exists as a separate venue on the new deck plans.  The entire area is now the Sanctuary Club.

6 minutes ago, chisoxfan said:

Not trying to overreact as things will likely change but I went from X Retreat to Princess Sphere class to now?........ MSC YC seems to be the last remaining survivor for cruisers who want a reasonably priced inclusive suite experience on a large cruise ship.

 

 

I can speak to a comparison with MSC’s Yacht Club and there is no comparison based on all my readings to date. All YC cabins have butlers and stewards, on their builds within the last 5 years or so all YC venues and cabins are co-located in a private area, plus their private island (designed from the ground up by them) is gorgeous and includes a dedicated YC area with a restaurant.

Since this is a new class of ship you would think Princess might have sent secret shoppers/cruisers on other lines with the ship within a ship concept to report back on what works like cabin sizes, service-many have butlers, drink inclusions, lounge, pool, restaurants, etc. and, most importantly, fares and what doesn’t.

1 minute ago, At Sea At Peace said:

 

There are those in the Yacht Club that constantly go to the Concierge desk and ask for a replacement card or wristband under the representations that they lost such - on the waterslide, in the pool or hot tub or on an excursion, etc.  Seriously.  🎲

Wow.  I guess I'm totally naive.  That would never have occurred to me!

44 minutes ago, cruisebeachgirl703 said:

Any idea why this is operating procedure of YC staff?

I don't understand why the YC wristband isn't required when visiting YC specific venues.  That is an easy and unobtrusive form of identification.