Live From The Sun!

[chrysalis]

we will do our part to keep this going. We have a while to wait, but are doing B2B in March/07.

[las313]

Great report. We and another couple will be on the Sun for a southern caribean cruise on 12/10. We sailed previously on the Grand Princess but we really enjoy the smaller ships. Thanks again

Louise in FLA

[Hapinowagain]

Now that the Sun is headed back to the Caribbean, it seems that our cruise is getting closer. :cool:

[cruisesusie]

I'm on the Sun now - headed to Fort Lauderdale. I thought I would add a few of my impressions so far. We've been on several Princess cruises - on the Golden, Grand and Island. We eat in Horizon Court for most of our meals and have always enjoyed the food there. I hate to say this, but Horizon Court on the Sun is a BIG disappointment. The food doesn't look appetizing and the selection is poor. Last night there wasn't one thing that we wanted so we ended up at the Pizza restaurant. They have pizza and pasta, salad, soup and all of it is very good. We haven't tried the dining room yet, but we may be doing that soon. We prefer Horizon Court because its quick -

Maybe someone else will comment on the food there. If we do go, I'll report on the food.

 

On a more positive note, the balcony furniture was replaced yesterday. The uncomfortable chairs were replaced with large chairs - very comfy. The tables, however, are now short - wouldn't work if you wanted to use it for a meal.

 

If anyone has questions, I'll be happy to answer them. We don't go to the shows, but hopefully someone else can comment.

 

Susan

[Carolyn R]

Did anyone else get the new Princess promo brochure that shows the Sun going from Seattle to Syndey next Sept 2007 (30 days) then coming back from Sydney to SF in April 2008 (31 days)?

[waunabcruizin]

Carolyn R - I haven't seen the brochure, but we are booked on the Sun Sydney-SFO April 2008 cruise.......and boy, are we excited. There is a fantastic roll call going on, both for April '08 and the one headed to Sydney in September '07. This will be our first time on the Sun Princess, though we are booked on the Dawn Princess to Mexico in January so we'll get a 'sort of' preview.

 

We have a balcony for both cruises. I can't even imagine what it will be like to sail from Sydney to New Zealand to Fiji, American Samoa, French Polynesia, Hawaii and San Francisco for 31 days!:eek: CAN'T WAIT!!

 

Carol (and Linda). :D

[ncruiser]

I'm on the Sun now - headed to Fort Lauderdale. I thought I would add a few of my impressions so far. We've been on several Princess cruises - on the Golden, Grand and Island. We eat in Horizon Court for most of our meals and have always enjoyed the food there. I hate to say this, but Horizon Court on the Sun is a BIG disappointment. The food doesn't look appetizing and the selection is poor. Last night there wasn't one thing that we wanted so we ended up at the Pizza restaurant. They have pizza and pasta, salad, soup and all of it is very good. We haven't tried the dining room yet, but we may be doing that soon. We prefer Horizon Court because its quick -

Maybe someone else will comment on the food there. If we do go, I'll report on the food.

 

On a more positive note, the balcony furniture was replaced yesterday. The uncomfortable chairs were replaced with large chairs - very comfy. The tables, however, are now short - wouldn't work if you wanted to use it for a meal.

 

If anyone has questions, I'll be happy to answer them. We don't go to the shows, but hopefully someone else can comment.

 

Susan

We were on the Sun in June on route to Alaska. The cruise was so smooth you'd think you were not even moving. The interior room small but fine as we were not there very much at all. We enjoyed the shows and all the programs offered.

We also thought the food in the Horizon was awful. My husband many nights could not find anything to eat. It did not even look good.

We also have been on the Grand and remember the food...not as bad but not the choices like the Holland America has in the Vista class. We have not chosen Princess for our next cruise.

[LiveWell]

Carolyn R.

 

Hi there. Doesn't it sound like a wonderful cruise?

 

My DH and I are in the midst of booking this trip at the moment, but we are adding on the 7 - night Alaskan voyage beforehand.

 

My question to all the experienced Sun Princess travellers is -

Have you done the Alaska or South Pacific voyage and if so, do you have a preferred side and deck on the ship? As it is a long trip, 37 nights, my DH is envisaging sitting on the balcony many an evening watching the sunset. For this reason he is looking at a starboard cabin, but I like the hustle and bustle of coming in to port, so portside for me.

 

It took no time at all to decide on the cruise, but the cabin is proving that it's not always a good idea to have a choice.

Any suggestions please! :o

 

(Special hello to "Just Cruisin")

[augie]

It's high time this thread had a new post! :p

 

I'll be boarding the Sun in seven days and I'm going out of my skull crazy with anticipation!

 

Does the internet on board not work anywhere between San Francisco and Ft. Lauderdale??? :mad:

 

I hope they're taking good care of my, er, our baby!

[dan40]

It's high time this thread had a new post! :p

 

I'll be boarding the Sun in seven days and I'm going out of my skull crazy with anticipation!

 

Does the internet on board not work anywhere between San Francisco and Ft. Lauderdale??? :mad:

 

I hope they're taking good care of my, er, our baby!

 

 

Augie,

 

Getting a little possessive are we? :D

 

Dan

[cruiserforlife]

Looking forward to some "live" postings from the Sun...;)

[earljr]

Augie -- We are doing a b2b starting 10/21 so would appreciate any observations you may want to pass on.

 

thanx -- Earl

[cruisesusie]

I'm on the Sun now - I posted a few pages ago. I'll give some of my impressions (some will be a repeat of what I said before for those who missed the other post).

 

First the food - Horizon Court is a big disappointment. We've been on other Princess ships and enjoyed Horizon Court. The selection is poor and the food that they have isn't appetizing. We usually eat all our meals there, but this time we had to go to the dining room a few times b/c there wasn't one thing we liked at the buffet. The food in the dining room on the few nights we ate there was good. The pizza restaurant is also good. We did the champagne balcony breakfast and enjoyed it a lot. I would recommend it.

 

We don't go to the entertainment so maybe someone else can comment.

 

All the staff is very helpful and friendly - no problems there. On sea days, they offer a lot of activities - something for everyone. I particularly enjoyed the lectures.

 

The weather has been good - just one evening of a little rocking.

 

I'm sure I forgot some things. If anyone has questions, please ask and I'll answer.

 

One other thing, the breakfast in Horizon Court is fine. If anyone is looking for eggs benedict, they don't have them - you have to go to the dining room for them, which I did. Unfortunately, they weren't good. At times, lunch at H/C is ok, other times, not good at all.

 

Susan

[letsgoplaces]

Hi cruisesusie we are leaving with loads of friends and family on Dec 10th on the Sun Princess for a 10 day in the Southern Caribbean. We are all wondering if the inside rooms have had any bedding updates. The bedspreads look so dated from the photos. Have actually thought about bringing my own fluffy comforter and sheets in a space bag to make the bed on ship more comfortable. Wondered if you had seen the inside rooms or have any knowledge of any bedding upgrades. Thanks for any help and hope you're having a wonderful time!

[cruisesusie]

letsgoplaces,

 

All the bedding has been updated. The sheets are extremely soft. They provide a fluffy duvet and very comfortable pillows. However, the duvet can get very warm in the hot climates. When we left Seattle it was cool and we left our balcony door open and the cover was perfect. When we reached the warmer weather I asked for a thin blanket because the duvet was too warm. Also, the air conditioner goes off and on all night so it can get very warm in the room.

 

Another thing I forgot to mention - Sterling Steakhouse was fantastic. We've eaten there twice and plan on one more visit. The food is delicious - definitely worth the extra 15.00 pp.

 

Susan

[las313]

We are also on the Sun for 12/10. Have you checked out the roll call? We have a good group started.

Louise in FLA

[letsgoplaces]

Thank you cruisesusie so nice to know that! and las313 I am just about to post on the roll call and introduce myself and the others! we're all looking forward to this trip and seeing the Sun Princess. Thanks again cruisesusie It's nice knowing the bedding has been upgraded a bit, makes the room a cozier place to retreat to. And I was just thinking about the Sterling Steakhouse and wondering ....thanks for answering that question too!

Elana

[akaalj]

I was on the Sun in March and also was not happy with the buffet. We always ate in the dining room but checked out the buffet all the time. Maybe they will read these posts and make some improvements. The selections always seemed to be the same.

[burrma]

Tried to find this on the web but couldn't. Could you please give me more particulars where to find them and or their cost.

Also I would like your opinion on the rough seas. Even though the seas are rough, would they be better (less rockier) on a newer ship with newer stablizers?

I also would like to know what the cost of the Soda card is for 10 day cruise.

I was on Sun Princess 3 years ago and takign a group of 52 people on it again Jan. 29. Hope they aren't disappointed as many of them went on Caribbean Princess last year with me. It's an awesone ship.

Thanks for your reply and also enjoy reading your logs.

[burrma]

Tried to find this delivery company on the web but couldn't. Could you please give me more particulars where to find them and or their cost.

Also I would like your opinion on the rough seas. Even though the seas are rough, would they be better (less rockier) on a newer ship with newer stablizers?

I also would like to know what the cost of the Soda card is for 10 day cruise.

I was on Sun Princess 3 years ago and takign a group of 52 people on it again Jan. 29. Hope they aren't disappointed as many of them went on Caribbean Princess last year with me. It's an awesome ship.

Thanks for your reply and also enjoy reading your logs.

[burrma]

We'll be on the Sun P. in March and I'm so happy to hear of those of you really enjoying this ship. After reading about smells and other complaints, it's good to see that's not the "norm". Thanks to you all for posting.

 

First, to the person concerned about his suit wrinkling: There are a couple of products on the market that you can spray on wrinkles that work pretty well. The one I've found to be the best is sold at AAA Auto Club travel stores and comes in a navy blue can about 4" high. It says "Wrinkle Remover" on it. That stuff has saved my life re: wrinkled clothing a couple of times. You spray it on the clothing and smooth the wrinkles out. For really bad wrinkles, you might have to spray them and smooth a couple of times. Doesn't harm the fabric, either and dries very, very quickly - in just a min. or two usually.

 

RE: the caribbean night deck party. 9:30!?! Yikes! :eek: My gosh, many people aren't even finished eating dinner by then! The best we've seen have been on RCCL and NCL. Both USED to have waiters doing the limbo w/drinks on their foreheads; conga lines; waiters doing tricks w/their drink trays, spinning them, throwing them, etc. But more and more we notice that the

"entertainment" portion of this type of party only has the bar waiter or crew "shows" SOMETIMES, whereas it USED to be every cruise. But the 9:30 thing is really making me worried that the cruisers on this ship tend to be the "REALLY early to bed" types and probably most are over 60 (and I'm not that far from that myself) but I sure hope there's a good mix of ages over spring break in March. We'll have some young adults and first timers w/us. I've seen some deck parties start as early as maybe 11:00 p.m., but 9:30?! :confused:

 

RE: Kathleen and the refund: We were in St. Thos. in Nov. of '03. Weather was pretty crummy in most of our ports. We had booked a sailing in St. Thos. w/a private sailboat that had a gourmet lunch, etc. Only held 6 people. Upon arrival in St. Thos. we were sweating bricks. It had rained in the a.m. and was very grey and somewhat cool w/an on again, off again, light drizzle. No way did we want to spend the $200 for us to take the excursion. We phoned the lady operating it and she was VERY understanding. She stated conditions weren't that good (though seas were not rough) so she could understand it. Wondered if we knew 2 others who had booked w/her so she could tell them the excursion was cancelled. Unfortunately, we didn't. But we WILL book w/her some other time since she had our credit card number but graciously did NOT charge us. She seemed like a real class act. Turned out that the day warmed up a bit and we had a little bit of sun. We just went to Cinnamon Bay and had an decent time. At least weren't out $200, thankfully!

 

Immigration in St. Thos: This time we were on a Royal Carib. ship about 2 Marches ago. There was a 20-something girl and her boyfriend in front of us in line. When the immigration official came to them, they explained that she had forgotten her birth certificate. I was appalled when the agent just blew it off and she didn't have to produce one! This was AFTER 9/11 and I'm sure it doesn't happen often, but . . . ! I sure wouldn't take the chance of being allowed to disembark myself.

 

Hope all of you on the Sun P. right now are having great weather and a wonderful time!

Could you give me theeee email address of the person in St. Thomas where you booked the private sailboat ride for 6?

Thanks

[PescadoAmarillo]

To anyone still on the Sun...please write up your concerns about the Horizon Court and submit them while you're still on the ship. We were on B2B cruises on the Sun in Dec 03 (our first Princess cruises), and I thought the food was pretty bad, but on my subsequent Princess cruises (not on the Sun) the food was much better. In fact, the Horizon Court on the Sea last December was pretty darn good. So it can be done! We'll be on the Sun again in January for B2B cruises, and I would love to enjoy better food at the buffet.

 

I echo the question about soda cards...we both get one, and will get one for both cruises. I'm figuring about $4/day/ person...is that right?

 

Would also like to know if the bedding has been upgraded in the inside cabins? What a treat that would be!

 

Thanks very much!

What pier are you at in St. Thomas? Are you going through immigration there (I'm not sure which of the two itineraries you're on)?

 

Also, who is the current cruise director, and is he/she good?

[NorCal123]

letsgoplaces,

 

If you are cruising on the Sun Princess to the Southern Caribbean on 12/10/06, please join the rest of us CC passengers on our Roll-Call at

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=312955

 

Stop by to say Hi!! :)

__________________

[islandersx4]

Burma, I am not sure if this is the tour you're looking for, but check out Rumbabacharters.com , gourmet lunch, drinks and limited to 6 people. Hope this helps, we've booked with them for our December excursion.

[cruisesusie]

Pescasoamarillo - Inside cabins have the upgraded bedding. The cruise director is Neil Roberts - since we don't go to any of the shows, I can't comment on him. I'll check out the cost of the soda card and let you know. You asked about St. Thomas - this is the repositioning cruise - we stopped in Cabo, Acapulco, Puntarenas, Aruba and San Diego. I was on a cruise in June and St. Thomas was one of our ports - we had to go through immigration and it was a real pain - we had to get up very early and stand in line for hours - hopefully they've changed the procedure. If you have any questions, let me know.

 

Susan