New Princess Sphere class ships?

[beg3yrs]

1 hour ago, SantaFeFan said:

And John Padgett looks like one of those late night cheap "only on television" product hucksters. 

 

The entire reveal production reminded me of my last root canal. 

And skinny jeans? Those are so pre-COVID ...

[JimmyVWine]

9 minutes ago, msmoger said:

 

Where are you seeing the deck plan?  I can't find it on the Princess website.

 

Thanks,

https://www.princess.com/deckPlans.do?shipCode=SU

 

[LACruiser88]

10 minutes ago, SantaFeFan said:

The Grand class' days are numbered, I'm afraid. 

The Grand class ships are on the way out just based on the age and condition of the ships.    

[cruisingrob21]

13 hours ago, cristine said:

Uggggg.

Another class of ships having to dock in ugly commercial industrial docks out in the middle of nowhere. Shuttling 4300 passengers.. Oh Yea..
..

 

 

If you enjoyed the Grand class ships, consider sailing on one of HAL's pinnacle class ships - they are a closer evolution to the grand class than the royal class is.  They are very nice and lately HAL's onboard product is looking more and more like PCL's used to 10 years ago.

[JimmyVWine]

32 minutes ago, Princessfan20 said:

 

We do not mind paying for additional and upgraded services.  We always fly FC so there is no reason we should not have access to that level of service on a cruise ship too.   Like the way Princess is innovating.

The difference between a FC flight and the class structure on a cruise ship is that the FC passengers on a plane do not get up out of their seats and occupy the Coach Class seats, make demands of the Coach Class flight attendants and use the Coach Class restroom. They stay in their lane.  On a ship, nothing stops the Signature and Reserve passengers from utilizing the basic amenities on the ship, and indeed they are encouraged to do so.  This puts downward pressure on those venues making it more difficult for those who must use them to in fact use them.  Looking at the numbers, the ship will sail with 4,300 passengers, 3,750 of whom are restricted to using three of the five pools on the ship.  Already that is more passengers sharing three pools than you have on a Royal Class ship.  Now assume that one-third of the Sig and Rsv passengers choose to lounge around those same three pools because they want to enjoy the steel drum band that is playing, or the Lionel Ritchie concert that is playing on MUTS.  You now have 3,950 people trying to use the space that is equivalent in size to the space on a Royal Class ship that had 3,500 people using it.  I am 100% in favor of a cruise line upgrading the experience for people willing to pay for the upgrade.  But I am 100% against a cruise line downgrading the experience for everyone else.  3,950 people competing for the "basic amenities" is a downgrade as compared to 3,500 people competing for the basic amenities.  No two ways about it.   

 

And the big unknown is which areas of the ship will be off limits to basic fare passengers.  Imagine if all of the empty space showing up at the aft of the ship is reserved for Sig and Rsv passengers.  Wouldn't it be a downgrade for the basic fare passengers if there is no place aft where one can sit, or stand and stare out at the ocean?  Now, it is unlikely that this will happen.  But suppose that 50% of that space is cut off for use by 13% of the passengers.  That is surely a downgrade. There is no equivalent when looking at FC flying. 

Edited September 16, 2022 by JimmyVWine

[CalTexCruiser]

I can't seem to find information on what the suite areas are like.  I assume there will be a restaurant dedicated to the suite passengers, but will there be a lounge and sundeck with pool similar to the Celebrity Retreat on the Edge class ships?

 

 

 

[SantaFeFan]

25 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

The Grand class ships are on the way out just based on the age and condition of the ships.    

 

And the smaller revenue they can generate with fewer up charge venues. Most cruise lines are not replacing those older ships with similar ships. They are replacing them with multiple class system ships that will draw more wealthy people to make it worth while to the bottom line. And almost every time, the experiences of the non-wealthy passengers are downgraded in the process.

Edited September 16, 2022 by SantaFeFan

[HBCcruiser]

32 minutes ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

Then why not cruise on luxury cruise lines instead of wanting the mainstream lines to carve out areas exclusively for you? It's fine for you because you can afford it. It's absolutely not fine for those of us who have to save for a cruise and will now be banned from more areas of a ship to satisfy you. 

I may be able to shed some light on that. We sail in the NCL Haven often. For those who do not know what the Haven is, it is a private upscale "ship within the ship" with a private bar, lounge, restaurant, pool, hot tub and sun decks. We prefer the NCL Haven over booking a smaller luxury cruise because we like to be able to enjoy the other amenities on the ship like clubs, entertainment venues, bars, specialty restaurants and activities. It is nice to enjoy the lively crowds and activities onboard but also have that private space when we want it. Hope this helps. 

[Geoffa30]

Disappointed to see the new cruises are not yet online to view. We’re Elite so could phone to book but really only want to see the details as we’ll be in South America with Viking during the three inaugural cruises.

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, c-boy said:

thank you for the plan.  for now, it appears no self serve laundry on the new design.

 

1 hour ago, dreaminofcruisin said:

 

Oh no!

That's one of the best things about Princess for longer cruises!

 

I wouldn't lose sleep just yet since nothing other than cabins appears to be labeled when I took a quick look at the decks.

[JimmyVWine]

13 hours ago, longhorn2004 said:

Wow, the third Princess ship to be call the Sun Princess.  Please tell me one of the sister ships will be called the Pacific Princess.

Actually, I am hoping just the opposite, though I am betting that you will be right and I will be wrong.  To me, the Pacific Princess will always be a small ship where the crew knew you by name and the passengers got to know one another as well.  Calling one of these leviathans "Pacific Princess" just doesn't seem right to me.  Sort of like if Fiat built the equivalent of a Navigator and gave it the "Mini 500" badge.  

[HBCcruiser]

23 minutes ago, CalTexCruiser said:

I can't seem to find information on what the suite areas are like.  I assume there will be a restaurant dedicated to the suite passengers, but will there be a lounge and sundeck with pool similar to the Celebrity Retreat on the Edge class ships?

 

 

 

Based on what I have read Yes and No. My guess (looking at the limited deck plans) is that the restaurant/bar/lounge area will be located on one of the upper decks above the majority of the Signature Suites (see aft decks 14-17).

  https://www.princess.com/deckPlans.do?shipCode=SU

 

The Sun Deck sounds different from the Retreat. The info states; "Introducing the Signature Collection, exclusively on Sun Princess®. In addition to premium stateroom amenities, Signature Collection Suites include access to the Signature Restaurant, Signature Lounge and private Signature Sun Deck, a private area of the Sanctuary. 

https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/ships/su-sun-princess/

If the Sanctuary is aft rather than forward, then the Sun Deck will be close to the Signature Suites. This is ALL SPECULATION until the final deck plans are released. 

Edited September 16, 2022 by HBCcruiser
links added

[caribill]

I read that the number of handicap accessible cabins has yet to be determined.

 

If that is true, it means the entire cabin layout is not finalized. I do not see how Princess can sell cruises when the cabin types are not fully known yet.

 

I hope this is not like what happened with a previous Princess new build (I do not remember which one). After selling a number of cabins, they renumbered some of them and people ended up losing locations they had specifically wanted when, for example, a rear facing cabin number (with a large balcony) was reassigned to a cabin on the side of the ship (with a minuscule balcony). The existing reservations stayed with the cabin number, not with the original location.

[Wishing on a star]

FLAlaska,  I love that the itinerary has both Rome and Athens.  

Are you able to tell if any other itineraries less than two weeks have both.

We have actually never been to Europe, so these two major port cities are a plus.

Thanks!

[jwattle]

1 hour ago, c-boy said:

thank you for the plan.  for now, it appears no self serve laundry on the new design.

I noticed that none of the public areas have filled in yet, so there is still hope for the laundromats 🙂

 

[Wishing on a star]

I believe I read that the Signature Sun Deck will be an exclusive part of the Sanctuary.  So, a hopefully larger Sanctuary area, divided in two???  Don't take away our Sanctuary!!!!

I also see the Wake Club mentioned, with NO details.  But I would think and hope that this is a similar situation on the Wakeview bar and deck area.  perhaps slightly larger, with an exclusive section for those in 'Signature Suites'.  I could see this exclusive  'haven like' deck area wrapping around one end corner of the Aft of the ship.  

The DOME looks, well... interesting.   The description says indoor/outdoor pool.  maybe a retractable area???  I haven't looked, but I am thinking that there is the row of cabins on both Port and Starboard side. But, above these will be the highest 'terrace' of the dome, with smaller tables and chairs if it is not wide enough for loungers. Maybe Jacuzzis?

[CalTexCruiser]

11 minutes ago, HBCcruiser said:

Based on what I have read Yes and No. My guess (looking at the limited deck plans) is that the restaurant/bar/lounge area will be located on one of the upper decks above the majority of the Signature Suites (see aft decks 14-17).

  https://www.princess.com/deckPlans.do?shipCode=SU

 

The Sun Deck sounds different from the Retreat. The info states; "Introducing the Signature Collection, exclusively on Sun Princess®. In addition to premium stateroom amenities, Signature Collection Suites include access to the Signature Restaurant, Signature Lounge and private Signature Sun Deck, a private area of the Sanctuary. 

https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/ships/su-sun-princess/

If the Sanctuary is aft rather than forward, then the Sun Deck will be close to the Signature Suites. This is ALL SPECULATION until the final deck plans are released. 

 

Thanks.  I also wonder if the suites will have butlers.

 

Princess is going to have to up its game to match suite offerings from the likes of Celebrity and NCL.

[SantaFeFan]

34 minutes ago, HBCcruiser said:

I may be able to shed some light on that. We sail in the NCL Haven often. For those who do not know what the Haven is, it is a private upscale "ship within the ship" with a private bar, lounge, restaurant, pool, hot tub and sun decks. We prefer the NCL Haven over booking a smaller luxury cruise because we like to be able to enjoy the other amenities on the ship like clubs, entertainment venues, bars, specialty restaurants and activities. It is nice to enjoy the lively crowds and activities onboard but also have that private space when we want it. Hope this helps. 

 

And that is the problem. I can't afford to cruise on luxury ships with the amenities that you describe. But, when exclusive areas are added to new ships that I cannot afford to enjoy, while at the same time competing for the other amenities that both you and I can enjoy, that often lessens the quality of my experience to satisfy your enhanced experience. I have experienced this on Celebrity, for example, where the last of the Solstice class ships, which are all nearly the same size as the first, have had larger and larger areas carved out for high paying passengers, diminishing the public deck space those of us who can't pay several thousands of dollars more are left with. That you also use those spaces gives you much more of the ship to enjoy than I can. 

 

It's the ever worsening trend of income inequity we have been seeing for the last few decades: the richer get richer and have more made available to them, while the rest of us see our wages stagnate and have less and less available to us.

 

I know this will fall on deaf ears of those who can afford the suite amenities that are becoming more and more the standard on even mainline cruse lines, and I will be judged as a unreasonable complainer, jealous of the wealthy. After all, who wouldn't support more amenities if they can afford them. But the fact is that not everyone can afford that. 

Edited September 16, 2022 by SantaFeFan

[Wishing on a star]

The addition of pay Ala-carte or exclusive dining doesn't bother me at all.  As long as it doesn't take away from current open venues like Alfredo's/Gigi's.  Hopefully that is a non-issue. I actually wish that Princess had some venues with more character and vibe than they have had.  Like some of the places on Carnival/RCL etc.

[firefighter4u]

instead of building new ships, they should focus on staffing the ones they have and provide better entertainment on board.. IMO.

[Wishing on a star]

I agee with both the above.  It is he 'expense' to average passengers,  the ratio of accessible area.  If a ship offers BOTH,  then hey, doesn't bother me.   But when you just do not even have enough enjoyable open public area left for the average general passenger.  Then comes the problem.

[JimmyVWine]

1 minute ago, SantaFeFan said:

But, when exclusive areas are added to new ships that I cannot enjoy, while at the same time competing for the other amenities that both you and I can enjoy, that often lessens the quality of my experience to satisfy your enhanced experience. I have experienced this on Celebrity, for example, where the newer Solstice class ships, which are all nearly the same size, have had larger and larger areas carved out for high paying passengers, diminishing the public deck space those of us who don't can't pay several thousands of dollars more are left with.

This is exactly the right "math".  Providing luxury should be a zero sum game.  Upgrade some people while keeping other people level to where they were.  But when a restaurant decides that it now wants to serve A5 Wagyu steak, it should be free to do so for those who want to pay for it.  But when the restaurant takes the regular ribeye off the menu in order to add the more expensive cut, the general public suffers the consequence.  Or, if the restaurant used to stock 20 regular ribeyes a night and then cuts that back to 5 to make room in the fridge for the Wagyu, that too causes the general public to suffer the consequences. 

[capriccio]

19 minutes ago, caribill said:

I hope this is not like what happened with a previous Princess new build (I do not remember which one). After selling a number of cabins, they renumbered some of them and people ended up losing locations they had specifically wanted when, for example, a rear facing cabin number (with a large balcony) was reassigned to a cabin on the side of the ship (with a minuscule balcony). The existing reservations stayed with the cabin number, not with the original location.

I think that was the current Royal Princess since it was first in that class.  I remember a discussion about the corner suites and the contiguous cabins on the sides of the ship well after Princess had sold both types of cabins off of the what then turned out to be 'proposed' deck plans.

[PTMary]

2 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

This is exactly the right "math".  Providing luxury should be a zero sum game.  Upgrade some people while keeping other people level to where they were.  But when a restaurant decides that it now wants to serve A5 Wagyu steak, it should be free to do so for those who want to pay for it.  But when the restaurant takes the regular ribeye off the menu in order to add the more expensive cut, the general public suffers the consequence.  Or, if the restaurant used to stock 20 regular ribeyes a night and then cuts that back to 5 to make room in the fridge for the Wagyu, that too causes the general public to suffer the consequences. 

 

Or when the quality of the meals in the MDR is lowered to encourage more business in the upcharge specialty restaurants. We have seen this on all mainstream cruise lines in the last decade or so. 

[scooter6139]

It's a small wish, but looking at the cabin deckplans, it doesn't appear that any show that hated shower curtain in the head, but rather full glass enclosures. 

 

Please let it be so.