"New" to Princess - a few questions

[TopofWorld]

Hi everyone. Just booked a 2024 cruise on Sun. 2nd time on Princess, but 1st time was in 2011 (an RCL cruiser but now trying other lines as well). And the brand new ship was too interesting to pass. So: 

1. Does Princess have the 2 standard dining times or is it like NCL Freestyle? This year we did the 15 day TA on NCL Epic and the waiting lines for the MDR were really long and not appreciated.

2. Checkin: is the checkin open this far ahead or is there a rule similar to NCL 21 day rule?

3. Checkin is only through the Medallion app, or can I do it through a PC as well?

4. Can a kind soul direct me to where the cruise financial info is located in the personalizer? I booked through a TA, got a 6 letter code, I can login and see everything but for the life of me, I am not able to find this info.

5. Wife and I do not drink that much at all, an occasional drink here and there. So the drink package is out. Any thoughts on the non-alcoholic package? It says fresh juice... are they really fresh? Also specialty coffees? Is Starbucks or any other major coffee company on board or does Princess handle the coffee costs? 

 

Looking forward to sailing on a brand new ship. Thank you all for your patience and help.

 

 

[snoozecrooze]

8 minutes ago, TopofWorld said:

1. Does Princess have the 2 standard dining times or is it like NCL Freestyle? This year we did the 15 day TA on NCL Epic and the waiting lines for the MDR were really long and not appreciated.

No standard dining times anymore post-COVID. You make dining room reservations in the Princess app, and you can choose between the 3 dining rooms at any time interval you want (every 15 minutes or so). You can establish a set dining time and table if you would like; you'll need to do that onboard with the manager of that dining room you visit, and they should be able to help you out there.

 

10 minutes ago, TopofWorld said:

2. Checkin: is the checkin open this far ahead or is there a rule similar to NCL 21 day rule?

3. Checkin is only through the Medallion app, or can I do it through a PC as well?

I am wholly unfamiliar with NCL so I cannot answer regarding to the 21 day rule, and I'm also never the first to really complete the check-in information on the app anyways, so I might not be able to help you out there. You do not have to use the Princess app to check-in, despite everybody and everything asking you to. There is a button somewhere on the Cruise Personalizer that allows you to fill out the necessary information online.

 

12 minutes ago, TopofWorld said:

Wife and I do not drink that much at all, an occasional drink here and there. So the drink package is out. Any thoughts on the non-alcoholic package? It says fresh juice... are they really fresh? Also specialty coffees? Is Starbucks or any other major coffee company on board or does Princess handle the coffee costs? 

The recently-launched "Juice Bar" on some ships promotes that they're fresh. From word-of-mouth (I have not tried them), they should be fresh, but YMMV (there is some discussion about it here on Cruise Critic). No Starbucks onboard. Coffee has been done just in-house for the most part, but Princess did recently announce its second go-around with Lavazza, so that should be onboard Sun when she debuts. But just to be clear, I don't think that means Lavazza will have its own shop -- just that Princess will be using their own baristas to serve you some Lavazza coffees.

[TopofWorld]

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions. The TA trip cost too much (airfare mostly - not the actual cruise) but the idea of sailing on a brand new ship was too enticing. 

[SuzieQ521]

26 minutes ago, TopofWorld said:

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions. The TA trip cost too much (airfare mostly - not the actual cruise) but the idea of sailing on a brand new ship was too enticing. 

I'm not sure if the Sun is Royal class but it should be similar. Coming off the Royal Princess a few weeks ago so some of this stuff is fresh on my mind.

 

Regarding the Juices, they are generally fresh. They make them in front of you in the blender (they did use whole fruits although a few canned items). Our juice bar was located in the buffet and only open until 2 pm.

Princess uses Lavazza coffee--imo, it depends on the Barista but I preferred the barista at the International café vs. the buffet (which tasted more watered down). I much preferred the taste of the Americanos with a bit of milk as I thought the lattes lacked much coffee flavor. But they do have a variety of flavors if you are into that like tiramisu, butter pecan, cookie dough syrups and more. Blended coffee drinks also.

 

Regarding dining rooms, there are 2 standard rooms where reservations are required (we did reservations weeks before on App) but the Royal also had a walk in/no reservations needed room (Symphony).

 

I believe check in times were available about 30 days out for our cruise? You pick your boarding time although no one at Port really checks. Then once you upload everything, you will be in the green lane and it will be much faster for you at the Port.

 

You can check in on a PC (web version of Medallion app) although it's not very user friendly imo; App makes it easier. 

 

The biggest difference from when you last sailed is use of the Medallion for everything. You can get it shipped ahead of time (and they give you a lanyard or you can purchase a watch or bracelet to hold it) or pick it up at the Port although that will take more time. The medallion is your room key, way to scan in and out at Port, and also the way you order things like drinks. It also has a GPS tracker which was nifty because on the App, you can locate a shipmate anywhere on the ship (which I guess could be good or bad! ).

 

Have a great cruise!

Edited June 9, 2023 by SuzieQ521

[ldubs]

25 minutes ago, TopofWorld said:

Hi everyone. Just booked a 2024 cruise on Sun. 2nd time on Princess, but 1st time was in 2011 (an RCL cruiser but now trying other lines as well). And the brand new ship was too interesting to pass. So: 

1. Does Princess have the 2 standard dining times or is it like NCL Freestyle? This year we did the 15 day TA on NCL Epic and the waiting lines for the MDR were really long and not appreciated.

2. Checkin: is the checkin open this far ahead or is there a rule similar to NCL 21 day rule?

3. Checkin is only through the Medallion app, or can I do it through a PC as well?

4. Can a kind soul direct me to where the cruise financial info is located in the personalizer? I booked through a TA, got a 6 letter code, I can login and see everything but for the life of me, I am not able to find this info.

5. Wife and I do not drink that much at all, an occasional drink here and there. So the drink package is out. Any thoughts on the non-alcoholic package? It says fresh juice... are they really fresh? Also specialty coffees? Is Starbucks or any other major coffee company on board or does Princess handle the coffee costs? 

 

Looking forward to sailing on a brand new ship. Thank you all for your patience and help.

 

 

 

1) Already answered

 

2) As you complete the required info your medallion will indicate you are in the "green lane", meaning you are ready to board.  I cannot recall what the timeline is for this.  

 

3) While the medallion app cannot be downloaded to a PC, you can login and input your booking info on your PC.  If you booked thru a TA, I'm not sure why you would need to do this.  

 

4) Sorry, can't help

 

5) The brewed coffee at the international cafe is pretty decent.  Cost of brewed coffee and soda on the cruise we just disembarked was under $3.  I didn't try any fancy coffees.  Who knows, the Sun, being a new ship, might have entirely different offerings.  

 

 

 

[Fortunate 2 travel]

13 minutes ago, SuzieQ521 said:

I'm not sure if the Sun is Royal class but it should be similar. Coming off the Royal Princess a few weeks ago so some of this stuff is fresh on my mind.

 

Regarding the Juices, they are generally fresh. They make them in front of you in the blender (they did use whole fruits although a few canned items). Our juice bar was located in the buffet and only open until 2 pm.

Princess uses Lavazza coffee--imo, it depends on the Barista but I preferred the barista at the International café vs. the buffet (which tasted more watered down). I much preferred the taste of the Americanos with a bit of milk as I thought the lattes lacked much coffee flavor. But they do have a variety of flavors if you are into that like tiramisu, butter pecan, cookie dough syrups and more. Blended coffee drinks also.

 

Regarding dining rooms, there are 2 standard rooms where reservations are required (we did reservations weeks before on App) but the Royal also had a walk in/no reservations needed room (Symphony).

 

I believe check in times were available about 30 days out for our cruise? You pick your boarding time although no one at Port really checks. Then once you upload everything, you will be in the green lane and it will be much faster for you at the Port.

 

You can check in on a PC (web version of Medallion app) although it's not very user friendly imo; App makes it easier. 

 

The biggest difference from when you last sailed is use of the Medallion for everything. You can get it shipped ahead of time (and they give you a lanyard or you can purchase a watch or bracelet to hold it) or pick it up at the Port although that will take more time. The medallion is your room key, way to scan in and out at Port, and also the way you order things like drinks. It also has a GPS tracker which was nifty because on the App, you can locate a shipmate anywhere on the ship (which I guess could be good or bad! ).

 

Have a great cruise!

The Sun Princess is a whole new class of ship.  There are some very good YouTube videos showing renderings.  Very different from any other Princess ship.

[Lady Arwen]

24 minutes ago, SuzieQ521 said:

I'm not sure if the Sun is Royal class but it should be similar. Coming off the Royal Princess a few weeks ago so some of this stuff is fresh on my mind.

 

Regarding the Juices, they are generally fresh. They make them in front of you in the blender (they did use whole fruits although a few canned items). Our juice bar was located in the buffet and only open until 2 pm.

Princess uses Lavazza coffee--imo, it depends on the Barista but I preferred the barista at the International café vs. the buffet (which tasted more watered down). I much preferred the taste of the Americanos with a bit of milk as I thought the lattes lacked much coffee flavor. But they do have a variety of flavors if you are into that like tiramisu, butter pecan, cookie dough syrups and more. Blended coffee drinks also.

 

Regarding dining rooms, there are 2 standard rooms where reservations are required (we did reservations weeks before on App) but the Royal also had a walk in/no reservations needed room (Symphony).

 

I believe check in times were available about 30 days out for our cruise? You pick your boarding time although no one at Port really checks. Then once you upload everything, you will be in the green lane and it will be much faster for you at the Port.

 

You can check in on a PC (web version of Medallion app) although it's not very user friendly imo; App makes it easier. 

 

The biggest difference from when you last sailed is use of the Medallion for everything. You can get it shipped ahead of time (and they give you a lanyard or you can purchase a watch or bracelet to hold it) or pick it up at the Port although that will take more time. The medallion is your room key, way to scan in and out at Port, and also the way you order things like drinks. It also has a GPS tracker which was nifty because on the App, you can locate a shipmate anywhere on the ship (which I guess could be good or bad! ).

 

Have a great cruise!

Sun Princess is the first Sphere Class ship to followed by Star Princess.  An entirely new class of Princess ships and nothing like Royal class ships.

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, SuzieQ521 said:

I'm not sure if the Sun is Royal class but it should be similar. Coming off the Royal Princess a few weeks ago so some of this stuff is fresh on my mind.

 

Regarding the Juices, they are generally fresh. They make them in front of you in the blender (they did use whole fruits although a few canned items). Our juice bar was located in the buffet and only open until 2 pm.

Princess uses Lavazza coffee--imo, it depends on the Barista but I preferred the barista at the International café vs. the buffet (which tasted more watered down). I much preferred the taste of the Americanos with a bit of milk as I thought the lattes lacked much coffee flavor. But they do have a variety of flavors if you are into that like tiramisu, butter pecan, cookie dough syrups and more. Blended coffee drinks also.

 

Regarding dining rooms, there are 2 standard rooms where reservations are required (we did reservations weeks before on App) but the Royal also had a walk in/no reservations needed room (Symphony).

 

I believe check in times were available about 30 days out for our cruise? You pick your boarding time although no one at Port really checks. Then once you upload everything, you will be in the green lane and it will be much faster for you at the Port.

 

You can check in on a PC (web version of Medallion app) although it's not very user friendly imo; App makes it easier. 

 

The biggest difference from when you last sailed is use of the Medallion for everything. You can get it shipped ahead of time (and they give you a lanyard or you can purchase a watch or bracelet to hold it) or pick it up at the Port although that will take more time. The medallion is your room key, way to scan in and out at Port, and also the way you order things like drinks. It also has a GPS tracker which was nifty because on the App, you can locate a shipmate anywhere on the ship (which I guess could be good or bad! ).

 

Have a great cruise!

The Sun class is a totally different design with considerable changes from the Grand or Royal class.  For example the Buffet is on deck 9 not up on Lido.  It has separate dining rooms for suites and other high end rooms and well as separate lounges.  Very little in common with Royal class other than the names of the venues.

 

 

[snoozecrooze]

2 hours ago, TopofWorld said:

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions. The TA trip cost too much (airfare mostly - not the actual cruise) but the idea of sailing on a brand new ship was too enticing. 

Hi, I had to come back and inform you that I misspoke in my first response with regards to your first question about the dining. Everything I stated in my response is how Princess's current dining reservation system works.

 

I totally blanked on the fact that Sun Princess will no longer have 3 separate dining rooms (something they have on all of their ships right now). Sun Princess will have just one main dining room called the Horizons Dining Room and we don't yet how they will (or won't) modify the reservation system in accordance with the new design. 

 

Also, it depends on the stateroom you booked. Did you book a Reserve Collection room? Or a suite? Each of those categories comes with their own dining room, while everyone else will be situated in the single MDR. I am not familiar with how the new Reserve Collection and Signature dining rooms will operate.

 

All of the information I have stated can be viewed via the public deck plans here.

[sunviking90]

5 hours ago, TopofWorld said:

Hi everyone. Just booked a 2024 cruise on Sun. 2nd time on Princess, but 1st time was in 2011 (an RCL cruiser but now trying other lines as well). And the brand new ship was too interesting to pass. So: 

4. Can a kind soul direct me to where the cruise financial info is located in the personalizer? I booked through a TA, got a 6 letter code, I can login and see everything but for the life of me, I am not able to find this info.help.

 

 

I don’t think this has been answered so I’ll try: if you click on payments in your personalizer, that is where the financials would show if you booked through Princess. Because you booked through an agency, it doesn’t, but you should have received an invoice from your agent.

Any OBC you may have will show up on this page however, at the bottom.

[TopofWorld]

Thank you all so very much for trying to help out. Truly, a wonderful group. I finally figured out that the only source for financial information (deposits, final payment etc) is through my agent.

I have booked a premium Deluxe Balcony aft on deck 15. So the MDR it is, and most probably the Chef's table (BTW not offered on NCL).  For us, cruising is a luxury since travelling to and from the departure port involves significant airfare costs. So no suite, and for specialty dining, it all depends on the package, if any, price.

FWIW, my initial feeling is that Princess is considerably lower priced than NCL (drinks, water, specialty dining). A happy camper here. Take care all.

[CruizinSusan70]

8 hours ago, SuzieQ521 said:

I'm not sure if the Sun is Royal class but it should be similar. 

The Sun as well as it's sister ship the Star are both Sphere Class ships.  They will be about 175 K tons and are built on the same platform as the  Excel Class ship of Carnival (Mardi Gras, Celebration, Jubilee) as well as other Carnival Corporation ships from Costa and Aida.

The Sun will be premiering next February in Europe and will be in the states in October of 2024 starting with a 5 day sailing and then continuing with 7/14 day sailings through March of 2025.  The Star debuts in August of 2025 in Europe and will start in the states in November of 2025.

[Steelers36]

10 hours ago, TopofWorld said:

5. Wife and I do not drink that much at all, an occasional drink here and there. So the drink package is out. Any thoughts on the non-alcoholic package? It says fresh juice... are they really fresh? Also specialty coffees? Is Starbucks or any other major coffee company on board or does Princess handle the coffee costs? 

You are new to Princess.  Therefore, if you intend to purchase internet service (Medallion Net), it will cost you $15/day for a single device.  You might get one package and share the login, or both get it.  Crew Appreciation is $16/pp/day.  Assuming you want the internet, you have $31/pp/day there and if you added on the Zero Alcohol package for $30 (plus another 18%), you are well over $60/pp/day.

 

Toss away the internet - or at least for one of you - and you still come reasonably close to $60/day.

 

My point is that if any guest is considering the Zero Alcohol package and might actually enjoy some wine or a cocktail once in a while, you may as well book the Plus Cruise Fare option ($60/pp/day) and either save money, or only need the occasional libation to justify the choice. 

 

[Steelers36]

7 hours ago, snoozecrooze said:

I totally blanked on the fact that Sun Princess will no longer have 3 separate dining rooms (something they have on all of their ships right now). Sun Princess will have just one main dining room called the Horizons Dining Room and we don't yet how they will (or won't) modify the reservation system in accordance with the new design. 

I would add for the OP's benefit (they ought to study the deck plans on Princess.com) that the new DR design on Sun Class ships is technically a single DR, but spans three levels.  Obviously, it has to have the passenger capacity of Royal Class separate DR's - and then some for likely additional passengers.  We don't know how they will utilize the three levels, but I would expect they will organize walk-ups to be directed to a certain entrance and those with reservations and pre-arranged TD-style seating to be on other levels or areas.

[trinitygirl]

Regarding the check in point; you fill in all the data on the app as soon as you like and get in to the Green Lane.  The last step is to book an arrival time at the port.  There is some debate over exactly when this is, but I can report that for our Aug 5 embarkation date in Rome, check in opened last week - 59 days prior to embarkation.  

[TopofWorld]

Thank you. Your logic intrigued me, so it is back to calculations. FWIW, I do enjoy drinking, but my heart doctor does not really approve... he is no fun at all :-) 

A clarification please... your math on the Plus makes sense, but does not the rule that all guests need to get it apply? In other cruises we took all same-cabin guests had to get the drink package. So, essentially it is 2 persons * 60pppd = 60*7*2=840usd. 

And the stupid question: this is a 7 night cruise, so is it 8 days or 7 days????

[Perky1]

17 hours ago, TopofWorld said:

 

4. Can a kind soul direct me to where the cruise financial info is located in the personalizer? I booked through a TA, got a 6 letter code, I can login and see everything but for the life of me, I am not able to find this info.

 

 

 

Because you are booked with a TA, I am pretty sure you cannot see any financial info.  All has to go thru your TA.

[Jersey42]

5 hours ago, TopofWorld said:

A clarification please... your math on the Plus makes sense, but does not the rule that all guests need to get it apply? In other cruises we took all same-cabin guests had to get the drink package. So, essentially it is 2 persons * 60pppd = 60*7*2=840usd. 

And the stupid question: this is a 7 night cruise, so is it 8 days or 7 days????

With two passengers in a stateroom, both need to get Plus, so your math is correct.  Yes it is 7 days. 

The 3rd or 4th passengers can optionally purchase Plus.

[TopofWorld]

Thank you.

[Luv2cruz1000]

20 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

You are new to Princess.  Therefore, if you intend to purchase internet service (Medallion Net), it will cost you $15/day for a single device.  You might get one package and share the login, or both get it.  Crew Appreciation is $16/pp/day.  Assuming you want the internet, you have $31/pp/day there and if you added on the Zero Alcohol package for $30 (plus another 18%), you are well over $60/pp/day.

Also new to Princess. Do they ever offer deals on the Princess plus? ( either before you cruise or on boarding day)

Not sure that we will use it enough.

[Steelers36]

11 minutes ago, Luv2cruz1000 said:

Also new to Princess. Do they ever offer deals on the Princess plus? ( either before you cruise or on boarding day)

Not sure that we will use it enough.

I wouldn't wait around for Princess to offer a discount off the Plus/Premier pricing.  You can get a discount from some TA's, however.

[CruizinSusan70]

5 minutes ago, Luv2cruz1000 said:

Also new to Princess. Do they ever offer deals on the Princess plus? ( either before you cruise or on boarding day)

Not sure that we will use it enough.

No.  It originally came out at 40 per day, had about 6 months or so at 50 per day and is now 60 per day and the premier is 80 a day.

At 60 per day, you first factor out the 16 per day for gratuities.  So now it's 44 for WiFi and drinks.  Even if you drink two alcoholic drinks per day, after factoring in the 18% tip and waters, sodas, coffees and WiFi, you come out ahead.  But if you don't care about the peripheral stuff and only have the occasional drink, then pass on it.  But, it's the best value compared to all of their competition since the drinks package alone is 60+ on Celebrity, Royal, NCL, and Carnival.

[capriccio]

8 hours ago, Luv2cruz1000 said:

Also new to Princess. Do they ever offer deals on the Princess plus? ( either before you cruise or on boarding day)

Not sure that we will use it enough.

As far as I know, there has never been a deal offered in the US.  Recently (maybe currently) there was a 50% off deal in the UK.  That's the only one I've ever seen.  So if you're in the UK check that out.

[MissP22]

On 6/10/2023 at 4:16 AM, TopofWorld said:

Thank you. Your logic intrigued me, so it is back to calculations. FWIW, I do enjoy drinking, but my heart doctor does not really approve... he is no fun at all 🙂

A clarification please... your math on the Plus makes sense, but does not the rule that all guests need to get it apply? In other cruises we took all same-cabin guests had to get the drink package. So, essentially it is 2 persons * 60pppd = 60*7*2=840usd. 

And the stupid question: this is a 7 night cruise, so is it 8 days or 7 days????

Don't forget on day 7 you're leaving the ship and hardly have a chance to use your drink package. 

[capriccio]

2 hours ago, MissP22 said:

Don't forget on day 7 you're leaving the ship and hardly have a chance to use your drink package. 

Day 7 is your last full day on the ship.  Day: 1 is 3/4 of a day (embarkation).  Day 8 is disembarkation.  For example, using a Saturday to Saturday itinerary:

 

Day 1 /Night 1 (Saturday): embarkation.  Bars open at boarding time (11 am).

Day 2/Night 2 (Sunday):  full day

Day 3/Night 3: (Monday): full day

Day 4/Night 4: (Tuesday): full day

Day 5/Night 5: Wednesday: full day

Day 6/Night 6: Thursday: full day

Day 7/Night 7: Friday: full day

Day 8:  Saturday: disembarkation.  You still may be able to get a drink right before disembarkation (have never tried) but the beverage package's 15 alcoholic drink limit is calculated on a 6 am to 6 am schedule.

 

Edited June 11, 2023 by capriccio