Live From The Sun!

[MCManders99]

How's the casino?

[mlbcruiser]

We'll be on the Sun. on the March 19 sailing also. Glad to see your good reports. Never met a cruise I didn't like, but really WAS wondering about the "sewage smell". Glad to hear it's not a problem for you.

 

Those of you who have sailed the other mainstream, large lines w/the "open" design in the dining rooms (like RCCL, etc.), do you like the "closed off", more private feel of the Sun P. dining rooms? Personally, even after 18 cruises, we LIKE the little parades and to be able to look around and see the other diners. We sailed the Carnival Destiny once and could not see all around due to partitioned areas that we happened to be sitting behind and hope it's not that bad on the Sun P. Guess we are used to what we have sailed the most.

 

RE: the seas. Yeah, I guess falling out of bed would take a bit of the fun out of it! We were on the Tahitian Princess (lots smaller than the Sun P.) last Sept. On the way to & from Rarotonga in the Cook Is. we REALLY had some swells. Waves were pretty large (avg. about 12 ft. and sometimes more) and we had some "slamming" occassionally when the bow would go up in the air and "slam" back down onto the water as another wave came at it. Glasses and plates lifted off the table a few times. Some fell over. First time it happened, we were in the comedian's show and it seemed HE was somewhat rattled and kept wondering what had happened. The worst was on our way back, but really, it was rather fun. After hearing some recent reports (like that discovery ship those students were on - the Explorer) of wave action hitting some ships, I guess had I known that, I'd have been more nervous.

 

Hope the rest of your cruise goes very well! Thanks for posting! :)

[asctony]

Thank you very much for the info. I am really surprised at:

'There will be no Captains lunch on this cruise, he prefers cocktail party so I'm sure we'll be invited to that'

 

I have not heard of this Captain before. Is he new to Princess?

 

Not to sound to hard, but many times we have not seen the Captain at the luncheon. Many times we have sat with the First Officer.

 

In reality, the lunch is not really for the Captain, but for the most traveled cruisers. This will be a big disappointment.

 

Is this a cost cutting thing or does it come out of the Captain's private pocket? What about the people who don't like to drink?

 

As for the Captain Circle Hostess, they don't seem to last long. On our last cruise in December, Coral Princess, the CCH was also new. Maybe too much work and not enough Pay.

 

Happy Cruising!

[cruiserforlife]

rucruizin,

 

Haven't been into the gym and wouldn't know a elliptical trainer if it bit me in the butt!Will try to check it out for you if I get in there.I have heard mention a guest commented about the lack of machines and classes on this ship.I also talked with another passenger who commented that there are separate steamrooms.

 

Well,we are in Antiqua today and unfortunately,our Eli's Eco-Tour was cancelled due to 12' swells.We though of taking an alternative tour but instead,just did a little shopping and then came back to the ship to enjoy the pools but alas...they STILL weren't open!

 

Couldn't figure out why since we were at port and this is the absolute calmest it's ever going to be.A trp to the pursers office revealed nothing but may have lit a fire under someone's butt because by 11,the pools were finally open!

 

MC,

 

Haven't checked out the Casino since it's not really our bag but I hear the machines happily collecting guest's money as we walk past.

 

asctony.

 

I do believe the Captain is new to Princess but I'll have to check out our 1st. patter to confirm.

 

Dinner was great last night (couldn't make up my mind between the fettucine w/mussels or the butterfish) so I had them both...delicious!

We are being treated famously by everyone and have made a standing reservation with our new favorite waiter,Miguel from Mexico at 8 everynight...the soonest you can reserve a table.PC dining is turning out to be very accomodating so far.

 

Will check in later,ask away and I'll try to answer...short of knocking on anyone's doors!

 

WOOHOO!!! Now I finally feel like I'm on a cruise!

[CruisinChris]

Re: the Captain's most traveled party

 

The three times we've gone to the most traveled party we've had cocktail parties not lunches. I've enjoyed it and thought they put out a wonderful spread. Ice sculpture, canapes, shrimp, etc. Just lovely. And it is very nice to be able to chat with a variety of officers and fellow travelers. On the Sun at Christmas this party was actually held outside by the aft bar which was cordoned off to make it private. It was really nice. (SOme of the older ladies were distressed about getting their hair mussed).

 

Glad to hear the pools are open again. It's a huge bummer they were closed for so long. We're on on the next cruise. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for calmer seas. It's interesting, though. We were on over Christmas and had similar seas but they kept the pools open (I was surprised actually). They did have tons of security people posted above the pools keeping on eye out but they kept them open. In heavy seas like that the pools can be dangerous, as the water tends to not stay in the pool.

 

Keep us posted!

[cruiserforlife]

'Chris,

 

Remind me if I've heard this story before but the latest bit of bad news is that the Captain came on the intercom and informed me we can't shove off to Barbados just yet because there is a "mechanical problem" which means we are kinda stuck here.We were scheduled to leave at 3pm (25 mins. ago) and judging by the tone of his voice,it sounded serious.

 

We are scheduled in Barbados tomorrow and we have a ship-planned Jolly Roger excursion planned...I hope they get it rectified soon.

[mkk]

Thanks for keeping us all posted...Hope your mechanical problems are minor and short-lived!

Sorry you didn't get your excursion today..weather is unpredictable this time of year!

Boy..I'll bet our friends on board are cranky..dear friends but he tends to be cranky anyway! :)

If I can remember my geography correctly, Barbados is pretty close to Antigua..so even a delay of several hours should not affect your arrival too much..Cruise ships spend LOTS of time lollygagging 11-15 miles off shore at about 10 knots in the middle of the night til time to dock at their next port.

If you can depart, the worst that will happen is Captain will have to really book it to get there...=(more rockin' and rollin' :) )

DH is a Captain (I'm talking small fishing boat here) and I know when we are "in a hurry" to get back to shore..depending on the wind..it can be a rough ride!

Good luck...any time onboard ship is better than on land!!!

[Host Anne]

Hello all .... it's been over two hours and we're waiting for the next update on the mechanical difficulties. Unfortunately, Barbados is quite a distance from Antigua and I'm guessing if we aren't out of here in the next several hours, they will likely not make the trip to Barbados (which would disappoint me a great deal because I have some tiles that I'm supposed to pick up there at Earthworks -- if we don't make it, I may have to enlist someone on a future cruise to pick them up for me :o !

 

We were on the cancelled excursion with John this morning as well and we opted to do the island tour and beach stop that Eli's arranged for us. It was nice -- $20 per person and we got to spend some time with other Cruise Critic passengers. Our driver was good and some of the scenery was spectacular.

 

I think there are about six or seven treadmills and six or seven elliptical machines in the gym (although they are differe ellipitcal machines than home....they do not have the arm handles that swing back and forth -- just legs if that makes any sense). We've been in the gym twice. No problem getting a machine of any kind.

 

I second John's comment on dinner....they've been very good. The pool grill had some challenges today with long lines and not the best food (which was odd since the burgers on Sunday were great). We went into the Horizon Court and did the buffet. Always something good to choose from there.

 

On the sewage smell....it's noticable every so often in certain parts of the ship but nothing overwhelming, not in our cabin or hallway, and not something that I haven't experienced on previous cruises. In other words, I don't think it's serious.

 

Hope they give us an update soon. Back to the sun!

[CruisinChris]

Geez Louise! Just when you think things are looking up!! Good thing they got water in the pools. IF you get the scoop on what's wrong, let us know. Seems strange to have a mechanical problem so suddenly that would keep you in port. Hmm.

 

If you get a chance take a peek down at the excursion desk and see if the trip to Jost Van Dyck from St Thomas is still scheduled to run. They've been cancelling it a lot lately, and I've booked it for our cruise (which will hopefully still happen!! YIKES)

 

Ok. I can't even think about this. We'll keep our eye on the cams and hope to see you moving on soon!

[cruiserforlife]

'Chris,

 

It's 5:25 our time and it looks like we'll be taking up permanent residence in Antiqua!

 

The captain just came on the intercom to tell us they have a problem with a holding tank(?) that will keep us here until 10 or midnight at the latest.They are letting people go back off the ship if they want.

 

Good news is the pools and bars are still open and the beer is cold!

 

Will update you further as we get word.

[cruiserforlife]

Mandy,our assistant CD just informed us we will be sailing at midnight and that all passengers must be back on board by 11:30.

 

Barbados is certainly out (no Jolly Roger booze cruise for us) and hopefully they get it fixed correctly the 1st. time (Mr Goodwrench,where are you?) so we'll get to our next destination.

 

Everyone seems in good spirits though...

[CruisinChris]

I'm really sorry that you're going to miss Barbados. Have you been there before? What's their plan, then? St. Kitts is practically next door. Bet you'll be sailing loops tomorrow! (Hope it's calmer).

 

Well, Antigua isn't the greatest place to have the extended stay. Oh, well. Go have a cold one for me and enjoy the sunset!

[mkk]

Wow!! I know my friends on board will be upset.....they originally booked last year because they wanted to go to Barbados and had never been..:(

Wouldn't bother us much...we just enjoy the adventure of cruising and collecting experiences..something else to remember that particular cruise by..

Maybe you'll get a shipboard credit out of it? :)

Make the best of it and enjoy!

DH and I spent the afternoon feeding fallen tree branches into our chipper/shredder..would much rather have been on a ship!! :)

Oh..and I looked it up (I'm such a nerd) Barbados is 273 nm from Antigua..would take you 14 hrs at 21 knots (Sun Princess' top speed) to get there..further than I thought!

[cozzello]

Just out of curiousity Host Anne where on the ship is the sewer odor? We are in cabin 438 on the Aloha Deck for our Alaska cruise. Thanks for the info as there are five cabins going and we are the only past cruisers I will feel responsible. I hope that you are sailing soon and get maybe the afternoon in Barbados, it is one of our favorite ports.

[cruiserforlife]

Evening everyone,

 

The captain just informed us we are shoving off on schedule tonight at midnight (so much for a peaceful sleep!) and skipping Barbados altogether.

We are sailing directly to St.Maarten, and then exchanging Tortola (oh boy...rumcakes!) for Barbados.

 

You need a scorecard to tell the players guys so I'm not certain at this point how the rest of the cruise will follow but hey,it sure beats shoving trees into a chipper,doesn't it?

 

mkk,

 

I was thinking shipboard credit too but we'll have to see how that plays out.

 

A word about the food:

 

I'll have to say as worried as I was before this cruise with everything I've read seems to be without merit.The food and service in the dining room (PC mind you)has been nothing short of spectacular.We made a standing reservation for 8pm the rest of the cruise and that works just fine.If you try to walk-up,you'll generally be seated within 5-10 minutes unless you decide to go during primetime.The food has been great,just as good if not better than I remember it to be and it was always a great product.

 

Tonight was French night and the escargots were as good as in any land-based restaurant I've ever had them in.The Filet of Turbot was absolutely fantastic as was my wife's Lobster Fettucine.It just flatout amazes me how they can cook fish so perfectly moist and tender when they are doing it for such a mass audience.The Liver Pate was also incredible,just super.

The Butterfish I had last night was equally outstanding.

Again,hats off to the staff for the professional service and great presentation.

 

I among other's had a pretty fierce letter-writing campaign a few months back to Princess outlining all the problems & concerns that had been posted previously.I'd like to believe that this got through to someone because there has been absolutely no letdown in quality in the dining rooms.

 

Just the same as we've always remembered it to be.

 

The Horizon Court is another matter.The selection-in my mind-has been severely reduced and the quality seems to have suffered as well.I find myself eating less meals there and remembering the good old days of the HC.

Verdi's Pizzeria was absolutely delicious yesterday (pizza & calzone) and this pizza is as good as it gets at sea.

 

Will check-in later...stay tuned for further updates.

[MCManders99]

Good to hear you are enjoying the food. Keep us updated.

[gvre]

Cruiseforlife,

 

Ahhh...Tortola! We were there last year and dove the RMS Rhone wreck...it was great and we're going back in November. We drank "pain killers" at Pusser's Bar afterwards and had a marvelous day.:D We've also been to Virgin Gorda which is in visual distance and we visited "the baths" were we had another wonderful time.

I think you are going to enjoy this change in ports.

 

Thanks for all of your posts...we will be on the Sun in 66 days and we can't wait!

 

Debbie

[mkk]

Cruiser...had to check-in once more before turning in for the night..

So glad to hear good reports about the food.

Frankly, when we sailed her last year neither DH nor I were impressed with the food... It was okay.. but nothing really outstanding..sounds like the menu has changed and the quality improved. I am of the opinion that every ship can have an "off" week though and that would never deter me from sailing again.

Sorry to hear about Barbados...but LOVED Tortola when we were there..I wouldn't mind that as a substitution! (Of course..I am looking at this from the perspective of spending another day on land with a mountain of mulch).

Smooth sailing and have a great day tomorrow!

MK

[rucruizin]

Anne, thanks for the info on the equipment. Are there showers and changing rooms? I know exactly what you mean about the ellipticals...bummer. It'll still do the trick.

 

Wow, you guys seem to be having a rough go of it. Your attitudes are great though and I'm sure you'll still have a great cruise.

 

I'm curious about something...mostly you have mentioned that you've had fishy type things for dinner. Try as I might I just don't like fish. I always order some while on the cruise and try it just in case my tastes have changed, so far no luck, I still don't like it...any of it. Shrimp occasionally and crab legs once in a while. I can't even choke down lobster. Are there mostly fish items on the menu. On our last cruise with Princess I remember I wasn't impressed with the food, I don't remember why specifically. Out of the 7 days, I think I ordered the fettuccini, chicken breast, and standby Caesar salad at least 3 nights...didn't eat those either.

 

I'm really not as picky about food as I might sound, I love meat and vegetables. I like to try new things all the time. Fish and pasta are just on my list of..."I wouldn't be sad if I never had to eat them again."

 

Can you tell me some of the other things they have on the dinner menu.

 

We have been to Tortola once and had a nice time. Be careful if you're walking around the streets. My husband got laid out on the hood of a Land Rover. Driver wasn't looking and scared the poopey out of both of them...no one was hurt.

[asctony]

Go to this site for menus:

http://www.nobbync.com/menus.html

Happy Cruising!!

[cruiserforlife]

rucruzin,

 

I just mention the fish because I try to eat light if I can but never manage to do so.I have just always been impressed with the fish selections in the dining room that I always am willing to try something new because it has always been so good in the past.I first tried Tilapia on the ship several years ago and now we have it all the time at home.

That Turbot might have been the single best piece of fish I have ever eaten outside of shellfish.

The rest of the menu always changes each night as you know and there always is a pasta,meat,and seafood selection among other nightly specials to choose from based on whatever the theme is along with the "always available" selections you mentioned.

 

By the way,in trying to best my personal record of 13 Lobster Tails on a cruiseship,I have already primed my waiter Miguel that I love Lobster!He knows about the personal record and said he would bring me 15 if I wanted.

I think my record is safe because as I get older,I can't put it away like I used to but I will give it the 'ol college try.Lobster day has historically been a day when I exercise almost all day (run,walk,swim,shoot hoops,etc) and eat very lightly so that I can pack in as much of those delicious creatures as possible so we'll see...stay tuned to see if I can do it.

 

mkk,

 

I too believe ships can have "off-weeks" when it comes to food.

I realize food is very subjective but my background is food & wine and I will have to tell you,if it wasn't as good as I remembered it to be,I would certainly say so.As I mentioned,all those reports I read previously on the food quality having slipped are either correct or we have just picked a fantastic week.I would say that is not the case,that the food quality,presentation,and service are up to the same high quality I've always remembered them to be.

Perhaps they had slipped but I have to state again,no one in my estimation,will be dissapointed with the overall dining experience in the dining rooms and we are doing PC no less!

 

I also have tried the beef dishes which I've previously shyed away from in the past because of a certain "liver" flavor I seem always to detect.While I am still not a great lover of beef on a cruiseship,I can state that I have not detected any off-flavors in the beef I've consumed so far.

 

My only other comparison was with RCL last year.Although the service & the entertainment were 1st. class,the food in the dining room was very bland,not prepared well (overcooked) and always lacked the proper seasoning.We were very dissapointed with the food and I can truly say that I never found anything I could say was good the entire cruise.Perhaps they were having the bad week?

 

Just my opinion for what it's worth.

 

Today,we are in St.Maarten along with at least 4-5 other ships,the QM2 included.Kinda fun to watch but dissapointing to several veteran cruisers I spoke with based on the sheer numbers of pax on the island currently.

 

It must be wall-to-wall.

 

We did have a Jolly Roger tour planned through the ship in Barbados and I am looking forward to Tortola...I have heard great things about it and maybe we'll be the only ship there and have the island all to ourselves.

 

Check-in with you all later,

 

CFL

[CruisinChris]

Always excitement! So, are you guys totally skipping St. Kitts too? On Tortola we loved Cane Garden Bay beach. The beach was great and there are some really neat beach bar/restaurants there too. That will be a fun day. St. Maarten is my favorite, though.

 

Well keep us posted as things continue to develop. Any idea if the problem is totally corrected?

[Host Anne]

Hi guys ~ we're anchored in St. Maarten alongside the Queen Mary 2 (if John told you that already, I apologize). Wow, she's big! We've been here many times so we've spent a very relaxing day at the pool. We're going to take a quick tender ride in to town just to walk a little. We are not skipping St. Kitts. We will be there tomorrow as planned. Tortola (which is replacing Barbados) will be our stop on Thursday (which was originally St. Maarten)....are you still with me? So, the only real port change is Tortola for Barbados. If I didn't have pottery to pick up at Earthworks in Bardados, I wouldn't have minded at all. We love Tortola and would actually probably prefer it as a port. Now the pottery will have to be shipped....oh well....such is life!

 

RU ~ yes, there are mens & womens changing rooms and saunas in the gym area. Actually the spa and the gym area share these. And I really like the aft pool which is just outside the gym and accessible from the locker room areas. There are three hot tubs back here as well. It's a great spot to get away from the crowds at the main pool.

 

Sewer smell tends to be in two locations when we walk the promenade deck. Aft near the Vista lounge and forward, just before you go inside the bow of the boat if you are walking laps. Haven't noticed it anywhere else. I'll check when we do our next walk and let you know if it's still there (we haven't walked today).

 

As for the food and menus -- I think the food has been very, very good and the menus options excellent. I've had been or pasta most nights. In my opinion, Princess does pasta better than anyone else (pizza too for that matter). I tend to order the pasta of the evening as my appetizer (Princess used to have a pasta course before the main course years ago) and then order my entree. I've either had beef or pork for my entrees and all have been outstanding. There have been no complaints at our dinner table on any of the dinner meals (we're late traditional at a table for ten). I had the French Onion soup last night and it was probably the best I've ever had on a ship. So, to us, the food's been great. That goes for desserts too.

 

Gotta run...DH is waiting to go ashore. I'll check back in later!

 

;)

[rucruizin]

Thank You both so much for taking the time to share your cruise with us...LIVE. You're awesome and have been troopers answering all of our many questions.

 

Even if you were'nt willing to knock on someone's cabin door for me...LOL! this has been the most informative thread for me of all of them.

 

One more question...this will be our first time as a "past passenger." I'm kind of confused about things I've heard. Do they have a little past guest party? Is that what everyone has been talking about with the most traveled, or most sea days, or whatever?

[patti o]

Hi Cruiseforlife,

 

We just completed a back-to-back cruise(s) on the Sun Princess, from 12/29-1/8 and 1/8-1/18. Of the 20 days, 16 of them were very rough including gale-force winds. Sure hope your cruise is better. Yes, we like the rolling of the sea also, but after nearly 20 days of being knocked around, we were eager to stand (and sleep) on solid ground again.

 

Our first port was St. Vincent, which we should have cancelled, in my opinion, because we were over four hours late in arriving (got there at 4:30 pm) because of the rough weather/sea conditions. When we arrived, nothing nadda zippo was open, not a vendor, a shop.....nothing! But since it was our first port following three full days of very rough conditions, everyone was glad just to walk around or sit on something that wasn't moving. Disappointed in nothing open though.

 

Our second cruise segment was when the Sun had the virus hit, on day #2. Princess handled it extremely well, in our opinion. I spoke with a member of the medical staff toward the end of that second cruise who stated they had traced the virus back to a passenger who brought it on the first day and admitted that he had lied on the required health form. Said he didn't want to miss his cruise, but in the meantime, infected a bunch of people and it started to spread FAST! But Princess did a great job and confined it to 89 passengers/5 crew, which isn't bad out of 2,100 passengers/900 crew and nine days left on the cruise for more to get it.

 

All of the anti-virus, sanitation, etc precautions were implemented on our second day. It wasn't that bad to deal with, really (except for all the sick passengers; but just a minor inconvenience and slowdown here and there.

 

We, too, are Elite category (thank gawd for free internet!) and agree with your wife that in our past 25 cruises (22 on Princess/Sitmar) this back-to-back was the roughest we have ever felt, and that includes one of our Panama cruises where we "skirted" a hurricane in the Pacific....with a really rough few days....and then "skirted" another hurricane in the Caribbean many days later!

 

Will we cruise again! OF COURSE!!!! And we love Princess! It just got old bouncing around after 20 days.

 

Keep the updates coming along; enjoy "reliving" our 20 days through your posts.