Sun Princess - Original

[nasa1974]

Some passengers on the Sun spotted a waterspout on March 1st.

 

Had a problem with the link.  Maybe someone else can find it. Sorry.

Edited March 4 by nasa1974

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

I agree. The Sanctuary for non suite guests is really bad and the front is WAY better. So confused. 

[capriccio]

3 minutes ago, Sox Fan Cruiser said:

I agree. The Sanctuary for non suite guests is really bad and the front is WAY better. So confused. 

I would say that the front area is much, much better that the Signature Sanctuary.  It has shade, a variety of seating arrangements, and the lounges seem to have more space between each group of two.  Princess has really blown it with the Sun Sanctuary.  It will be interesting to see if they make changes on the Star. 

[vividharp]

26 minutes ago, dog said:

Yeah, I am done with this now. No reports from current passengers yet.

Several sources saying conflicting information. Waste of my time.

Yeah I can switch to a D1 and save $1000 USD for my cruise. Just might! Just have to go up a floor. No biggie. 

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

2 minutes ago, capriccio said:

I would say that the front area is much, much better that the Signature Sanctuary.  It has shade, a variety of seating arrangements, and the lounges seem to have more space between each group of two.  Princess has really blown it with the Sun Sanctuary.  It will be interesting to see if they make changes on the Star. 

Agreed!

[nasa1974]

10 minutes ago, Sox Fan Cruiser said:

I agree. The Sanctuary for non suite guests is really bad and the front is WAY better. So confused. 

I can afford the Seaview Terrace. Just might spend some time there. 🙂

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

When Celebrity revolutionized their fleet they created a Retreat area in full sun. Not good. When they built ships around the retreat, they have a pool and loungers and shade. 
 

I really don’t understand the people who built the Sun.  Have they never cruised before?

[Steelers36]

52 minutes ago, dog said:

Yeah, I am done with this now. No reports from current passengers yet.

Several sources saying conflicting information. Waste of my time.

I understand the confusion.  Eventually, an active member here will be in one of those and post.

 

Meanwhile, we do know there have been instances of incorrect information in the cruise booking process.

[CatMom72]

30 minutes ago, Sox Fan Cruiser said:

When Celebrity revolutionized their fleet they created a Retreat area in full sun. Not good. When they built ships around the retreat, they have a pool and loungers and shade. 
 

I really don’t understand the people who built the Sun.  Have they never cruised before?

I feel like they could make it significantly better by at least putting upgraded (padded) loungers in all areas of the Sanctuary.  That would not address the lack of shade, though.  I think they need to do something more significant structurally about that.  I am also concerned about the potential lack of capacity in the Signature Sun deck (suite only) portion. There are 80 suites.  I do not see 160 chairs there…

Edited March 4 by CatMom72

[JimmyVWine]

3 hours ago, cruisedoctor said:

Any photos or videos you may have seen with beautifully padded loungers, are only found on the Signature Sun Deck (which is only for full suite guests).

Just to clarify, is the Signature Sun Deck only for guests in FULL SUITES, or is it also accessible to guests in cabins that are not Suites, but are being sold as having Signature benefits?  If I book a Signature Mini-Suite, do I get in?

Edited March 4 by JimmyVWine

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, CatMom72 said:

I feel like they could make it significantly better by at least putting upgraded (padded) loungers in all areas of the Sanctuary.  That would not address the lack of shade, though.  I think they need to do something more significant structurally about that.  I am also concerned about the potential lack of capacity in the Signature Sun deck (suite only) portion. There are 80 suites.  I do not see 160 chairs there…

They never expect everyone to be there at once.

[KLM3164]

4 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

If I book a Signature Mini-Suite, do I get in?

From what I’ve read I believe you do get in as the Signature Suite (same size as mini-suite) is a S9 cabin. Any cabin that is in the category S gets access to the signature sun deck, signature lounge and signature restaurant.

[CatMom72]

27 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

They never expect everyone to be there at once.

It will be interesting to see how that works out when the Sun starts sailing in warmer weather.  Part of the appeal of the Sanctuary has always been having a DEDICATED CHAIR (i.e., not having to fight the Lido deck chair hogs). What is the point of having access to an exclusive area of the ship if there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to take advantage of it?  Seems pretty sketchy to me…

[dog]

3 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

I understand the confusion.  Eventually, an active member here will be in one of those and post.

 

Meanwhile, we do know there have been instances of incorrect information in the cruise booking process.

see post #3638 and those above that.

 

I’m done rehashing what I was told in person by cruise staff & posting what I see online about D0-aft. 15603 etc.

 

I booked this cabin long ago at less then $1600 CAD pp.  Today this cabin is over $2300 CAD pp.

 

I like the curved, larger balcony and lounge chairs. Location is near elevators and I don’t mind.

I won’t spend much time in Sanctuary or Sun deck. 
I intend on trying out the new Specialty restaurants during my 4 cruises on Sun & Star. So, My one booking is a D0- aft & others are in full signature suites.

 

Yes, Steelers I agree bookings and Princess staff are OFTEN incorrect.

 

mini suites are not full suites.

[dog]

On 2/28/2024 at 12:22 PM, Boreal said:

I have a short video on youtube, please lower the volume somehow my videos have suddenly very loud sound after upload 

 

no mention of benefits but I didn’t try to enter all areas. 
 

if you want some closer pictures of something specific just ask. 

Wonderful video! Thank you!

How are you liking the cabin, ship, etc?

[TRLD]

7 hours ago, capriccio said:

I would say that the front area is much, much better that the Signature Sanctuary.  It has shade, a variety of seating arrangements, and the lounges seem to have more space between each group of two.  Princess has really blown it with the Sun Sanctuary.  It will be interesting to see if they make changes on the Star. 

Or it may be the first step in getting rid of the Sanctuary as a separate purchase option.

 

The Sun is the lines first real move into a class system, something like Celebrity has done for years. If it is successful, then like Celebrity did,I would expect Princess to retrofit the concept into the existing Royal Class ships. A separate signature dining room would be easy to do. The separate sun deck a bit more difficult, unless they were to convert the existing sanctuaries to signature sun decks.

Edited March 4 by TRLD

[PacnGoNow]

10 hours ago, cruisedoctor said:

There has been much back-and-forth about what the Sanctuary on the Sun looks like, and will look like.  Well what you currently see…is the finished product.  This photo taken this morning shows exactly what you can expect if you purchase space in The Sanctuary.  There are no areas of shade to speak of.  The loungers in the sanctuary are exactly the same ones found everywhere else on the pool deck, except they have those blue head pillows.  Any photos or videos you may have seen with beautifully padded loungers, are only found on the Signature Sun Deck (which is only for full suite guests).

For comparison above is a photo of the lounge chairs found on the regular pool deck.

 

HINT:  If you can’t afford a suite, and want a really luxurious FREE outdoor seating you will find a limited amount far forward on the Seaview Terrace:

Or, for really luxurious FREE indoor seating, that can be found in The Dome.

 

Seems the Sanctuary will not the money maker they had hoped for.

 

They could at least use padded loungers and allow some spacing.  SMH

 

[cruisedoctor]

Snuck into The Arena early this morning.  Obvious progress being made, in that the electronic screens are now operational.  While it was reported in an earlier post, that Padgett said The Arena would be ready for the next sailing, they said something similar about the ship and then cancelled the 2/18 sailing.  I certainly hope at least some of the shows will be available to those on the next sailing.  I’ll have to wait to see them on the September Transatlantic.

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

6 hours ago, CatMom72 said:

It will be interesting to see how that works out when the Sun starts sailing in warmer weather.  Part of the appeal of the Sanctuary has always been having a DEDICATED CHAIR (i.e., not having to fight the Lido deck chair hogs). What is the point of having access to an exclusive area of the ship if there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to take advantage of it?  Seems pretty sketchy to me…

Celebrity has The Retreat where suites are allowed and no one has a dedicated deck chair. It works fine. Sometimes it’s very crowded but most of the time we got a seat where we wanted. 

[capriccio]

9 minutes ago, Sox Fan Cruiser said:

Celebrity has The Retreat where suites are allowed and no one has a dedicated deck chair. It works fine. Sometimes it’s very crowded but most of the time we got a seat where we wanted. 

So does the MSC Yacht Club.  In our 2 experiences (Meraviglia 2020 and Seascape 2023) there was never an issue getting lounges and a handful of cabanas were first come, first served (but did tend to get hogged).  There is a dedicated pool, hot tubs, bar and, as an additional bonus, a grill serving breakfast and lunch with snacks in between. 

 

If Princess is trying to appeal to those cruisers wanting to experience the 'ship within a ship' concept, they have a long ways to go. In the past, pre-Covid and pre-retirement times (when we really needed a break) we would book Princess suites but even then it was obvious that the benefits weren't all that great (loved breakfast in Sabatinis best).  They seem to be taking baby steps trying to catch up with the competition.

 

For now we are keeping our booking for January 2025 in an S9, the Sanctuary mini-suite, that is costing almost exactly the same as our December 2023 Yacht Club suite (same layout as a Princess mini).  I hope my waning enthusiasm will change as more reports come in and as Princess tweaks the already identified problems and issues.

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

3 minutes ago, capriccio said:

So does the MSC Yacht Club.  In our 2 experiences (Meraviglia 2020 and Seascape 2023) there was never an issue getting lounges and a handful of cabanas were first come, first served (but did tend to get hogged).  There is a dedicated pool, hot tubs, bar and, as an additional bonus, a grill serving breakfast and lunch with snacks in between. 

 

If Princess is trying to appeal to those cruisers wanting to experience the 'ship within a ship' concept, they have a long ways to go. In the past, pre-Covid and pre-retirement times (when we really needed a break) we would book Princess suites but even then it was obvious that the benefits weren't all that great (loved breakfast in Sabatinis best).  They seem to be taking baby steps trying to catch up with the competition.

 

For now we are keeping our booking for January 2025 in an S9, the Sanctuary mini-suite, that is costing almost exactly the same as our December 2023 Yacht Club suite (same layout as a Princess mini).  I hope my waning enthusiasm will change as more reports come in and as Princess tweaks the already identified problems and issues.

Agreed!  As someone who is only booking suites now, Princess has a LONG way to go to provide “ suite acceptable” service. Celebrity knows how to do it and is upping the game on her Edge class ships. Even the suite cabins are a joke compared to other cruise lines. 

[Fortunate 2 travel]

7 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

Just to clarify, is the Signature Sun Deck only for guests in FULL SUITES, or is it also accessible to guests in cabins that are not Suites, but are being sold as having Signature benefits?  If I book a Signature Mini-Suite, do I get in?

DH and I booked a S9 which includes all Signature benefits.  It is the same size as a mini suite, but a higher price.  We booked this category specifically for the Signature side of the Sanctuary.  The booking confirmation states “with Signature Suite amenities “.  We have a S2 booked on the Sun for 2025 which states the same.   I’m beyond disappointed with the look of the Sanctuary .  What we loved on previous sailings is that you had your chairs reserved, I don’t see how this will be possible given the number of loungers in that section.  Also, where is the shade?  

[dides]

Some menus for Lido Grill, Lido Tacos and Lido Greens - credit Jackie C on FB.

 

 

 

[chamima]

12 hours ago, cruisedoctor said:

There has been much back-and-forth about what the Sanctuary on the Sun looks like, and will look like.  Well what you currently see…is the finished product.  This photo taken this morning shows exactly what you can expect if you purchase space in The Sanctuary.  There are no areas of shade to speak of.  The loungers in the sanctuary are exactly the same ones found everywhere else on the pool deck, except they have those blue head pillows.  Any photos or videos you may have seen with beautifully padded loungers, are only found on the Signature Sun Deck (which is only for full suite guests)

For comparison above is a photo of the lounge chairs found on the regular pool deck.

 

HINT:  If you can’t afford a suite, and want a really luxurious FREE outdoor seating you will find a limited amount far forward on the Seaview Terrace:

Or, for really luxurious FREE indoor seating, that can be found in The Dome.

 

 

 

@cruisedoctor - Do those blue panels provide any shade or are they just windbreakers?

[Esprit]

10 hours ago, nasa1974 said:

I can afford the Seaview Terrace. Just might spend some time there. 🙂

So glad my DB cabin is not far away from the Sea View Terrace & bar, and two floors below. I'll just tell the wife this area is the renamed Sanctuary on the Sun and save myself a fortune 😂 

Edited March 4 by Esprit