Park 19 on the Sun Princess

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

19 minutes ago, LittleTinker said:

Were they my kids theyd be told "go find something to do" but as they werent mine, and I had strict instructions from one of their Mothers not to let them outside by themselves, I was left trying to keep them occupied without compromising my own break.
 

I can't speak for others - but I can say that nothing about this conversation from my side was directed at you.

 

I see lots of parents making comments like this and it just doesn't align with my personal parenting style.

 

Who knows which is right and which is wrong - we only get one chance to raise our kids and I'm just hoping I do a good enough job to raise responsible, kind young adults!

[Kit6]

2 hours ago, CalTexCruiser said:

I am confused by all this back and forth about slides.

 

Bottom line, is there or is there not a slide on the Sun?  And more importantly, will I be able to slide down this purported slide on my upcoming cruise next May?

From what I’ve read - once you proceed through the ropes course, at the top there is a quick slide to get back down to the starting point. So the only was to use the slide is to climb up through the ropes course. The slide itself is not a big thing, just a fun way to get back down from the top of the ropes course. Until park 19 is open, you won’t be able to get to the slide at all. 

[Shaver John]

Not trying to ruffle any feathers, but does anyone know if or when Princess may be opening even part of Park 19. I know it is not the biggest deal in the cruising experience, but since we are paying a premium to be on the ship with all the perks of Premier, and being in a suite and on one of the first sailings in the USA we really would like to at least understand what the problem is with Park 19. If it all makes sense then that is fine, but if Princess would just explain what the issues are we would have a better understanding of what to expect, if anything. If the venue will not be opening in the present form or if the venue will be replaced with something even better and someone at Princess would let us know we could make other plans to enjoy that part of the ship. I know it may be silly but we do plan ahead about the food and restaurants we will be enjoying, so why not the entertainment also.

[Esprit]

Park 19 will likely get the required certification to open once it gets to the USA.

[JimmyVWine]

5 minutes ago, Esprit said:

Park 19 will likely get the required certification to open once it gets to the USA.

I find it head-scratching that the adventure activity hardware will have an easier time getting safety certified while porting in the United States than it did in Europe.  I thought that the U.S. was the overly cautious, overly regulated, overly safety-helmeted, "nanny-state."  I am not questioning your prediction, but if it comes true, this would seem to be a "first."  

[Esprit]

Without wishing to cause offence, it seems to me on this side of the pond that if the there is the slightest possibility of suing a corporation for a silly accident then the US Lawyers will jump at the opportunity.

When I was a kid we did stupid things and ignored rules/advice. Corporations can’t use that at a defence with ambulance chasing lawyers 

 

[Kit6]

The complete absence of communication is at the core of the problem for sure. Even though I’m not in the “this will make or break our vacation” group, it is more than a little frustrating to have absolutely zero communication. If it is indeed a situation that will not be rectified until fall when the ship enters the US, that should have been passed on to passengers months ago when they must have found out that was a requirement to open park 19. At least give those of you that would have canceled/gone with another cruise line the opportunity to do so. And how would they go years from initial planning to building the ship to getting the ship cleared to sail and no one at Princess researched this very important aspect of getting it safety certified? I’ll be on the Sun Princess with my family mid summer so I’ll be sure to update if I have any updates. 

[GK95]

On 6/20/2024 at 12:30 PM, CalTexCruiser said:

I am confused by all this back and forth about slides.

 

Bottom line, is there or is there not a slide on the Sun?  And more importantly, will I be able to slide down this purported slide on my upcoming cruise next May?

There are 2 slides on either side on deck 19. Large metal ones that come from the top of Park19 where the aerial obstacle course is. They are not water slides; just basic slides that you’d see in a playground but gigantic sized.

 

They are not currently in operation (just got off Sun Princess today) and no one can (or will?) say when Park19 will open.

Edited June 22 by GK95

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

3 minutes ago, GK95 said:

There are 2 slides On either side on deck 19. Large metal ones that come from the top of Park19 where the aerial obstacle course is. They are not water slides; just basic slides that you’d see in a playground but gigantic sized.

They are not currently in operation (just got off Sun Princess today) and no one can (or will?) say when Park19 will open.

I appreciate you clearing that up for us, thank you. 

 

Are we on the same page now @irishgirl?

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

39 minutes ago, GK95 said:

There are 2 slides on either side on deck 19. Large metal ones that come from the top of Park19 where the aerial obstacle course is. They are not water slides; just basic slides that you’d see in a playground but gigantic sized.

 

They are not currently in operation (just got off Sun Princess today) and no one can (or will?) say when Park19 will open.

I’m pretty sure I would get stuck in that thing!!  🤪

[CalTexCruiser]

1 hour ago, GK95 said:

They are not currently in operation (just got off Sun Princess today) and no one can (or will?) say when Park19 will open.

 

That definitely looks like a slide.

 

And I really hope to go down that thing.  Never been on a ship with a slide.

 

Edited June 22 by CalTexCruiser

[irishgirl]

I was under the impression the poster was thinking there were slides like on Royal Caribbean or Carnival.  The slides on the Sun are just a slide to get you off the ropes course, nothing special.  
 

Princess has always been the cruise line for the older cruiser, they haven’t had much for kids in the past.  With the introduction of the Sun Princess, they are trying to get more families on board.  But, I think many are going to be disappointed with what Princess has to offer kids.
 

My last 3 cruises with Princess there were 2 teenagers on one cruise, 3 children on the second cruise and less than 10 children on the third cruise.  

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

12 minutes ago, irishgirl said:

I was under the impression the poster was thinking there were slides like on Royal Caribbean or Carnival.  The slides on the Sun are just a slide to get you off the ropes course, nothing special.  
 

Princess has always been the cruise line for the older cruiser, they haven’t had much for kids in the past.  With the introduction of the Sun Princess, they are trying to get more families on board.  But, I think many are going to be disappointed with what Princess has to offer kids.
 

My last 3 cruises with Princess there were 2 teenagers on one cruise, 3 children on the second cruise and less than 10 children on the third cruise.  

Another way to say that could have just been, "I was wrong," but I know that's not easy for some of us to admit at times. 

 

I agree the slides are nothing special, but you very definitely said there are no slides (you even told me the picture of a slide I posted earlier was not a slide), but in actuality, there are two slides. 

 

With that said - I think whether this is a success or not will be evident based on whenever the Sun's sister ship is brought to market... If it continues to have these family-friendly attractions, then that's a sign that this was a success for them. 

 

There are many families, like my own, who enjoy the less crowded, premium cruise lines who would love a more family-friendly option and I think Princess knows that, which is why they've built the Sun Princess the way they have... It's a middle ground between the theme parks of Royal/Carnival and the much slower paced cruises of HAL.

 

Time will tell as to whether this is a success, but from what I've read in other FB groups, there are going to be a lot more families like us on this ship than you probably realize. A lot of multi-generation families cruising together and families like us who want to avoid the chaos of the busier ships. 

 

With that said - I'd venture to guess the kids on the Sun Princess will be much more well-behaved than they are on the other ships.

[555]

39 minutes ago, irishgirl said:

I was under the impression the poster was thinking there were slides like on Royal Caribbean or Carnival.  The slides on the Sun are just a slide to get you off the ropes course, nothing special.  
 

Princess has always been the cruise line for the older cruiser, they haven’t had much for kids in the past.  With the introduction of the Sun Princess, they are trying to get more families on board.  But, I think many are going to be disappointed with what Princess has to offer kids.
 

My last 3 cruises with Princess there were 2 teenagers on one cruise, 3 children on the second cruise and less than 10 children on the third cruise.  

Cruise at Christmas time & you'll get your wish. 

[irishgirl]

I don’t know why you’re under the impression I don’t like cruising with kids, I never stated that.  Sure, I was wrong about a slide, I was just stating that Princess has never been a cruise line that catered to families.  But they’re trying to change that demographic.  Just like Celebrity did when they started trying to appeal to families with children.  I was treated like crap on Celebrity when they changed their demographic because I was one of the younger people on the ship and I wasn’t dressed the way other passengers thought I should be dressed.  I never sailed Celebrity again.

 

I just think some have expectations that this ship is going to have lots for kids to do and they’re going to be disappointed.

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

57 minutes ago, irishgirl said:

I don’t know why you’re under the impression I don’t like cruising with kids, I never stated that.  Sure, I was wrong about a slide, I was just stating that Princess has never been a cruise line that catered to families.  But they’re trying to change that demographic.  Just like Celebrity did when they started trying to appeal to families with children.  I was treated like crap on Celebrity when they changed their demographic because I was one of the younger people on the ship and I wasn’t dressed the way other passengers thought I should be dressed.  I never sailed Celebrity again.

 

I just think some have expectations that this ship is going to have lots for kids to do and they’re going to be disappointed.

I can't speak for all kids, but any ship with kids clubs and good food has been enough for my kids so I'm confident they will have a great time. 

 

We will give an honest assessment of just how kid-friendly the Sun Princess is on our YouTube channel following the cruise... I'm quite curious myself to see what we think!

[Kit6]

45 minutes ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

I can't speak for all kids, but any ship with kids clubs and good food has been enough for my kids so I'm confident they will have a great time. 

 

We will give an honest assessment of just how kid-friendly the Sun Princess is on our YouTube channel following the cruise... I'm quite curious myself to see what we think!

I feel the same, pool & good food and I think we’ll be happy. My kids have always enjoyed some time in kids clubs so that’ll be fun to check out, but even if it’s way below Disney cruise kids club fun, I think we’ll be okay. They’ve never spent a lot of time there, even on DCL. 
 

When approximately are you sailing on Sun Princess? This summer?

[cruisequeen4ever]

Personally, the only allure to me of the new Sun and Star is Park 19. I’m in my 40s and am a diehard fan of Princess, but I adore ziplining and slides. 

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

3 hours ago, Kit6 said:

I feel the same, pool & good food and I think we’ll be happy. My kids have always enjoyed some time in kids clubs so that’ll be fun to check out, but even if it’s way below Disney cruise kids club fun, I think we’ll be okay. They’ve never spent a lot of time there, even on DCL. 
 

When approximately are you sailing on Sun Princess? This summer?

No, unfortunately we won't be on the Sun Princess until Thanksgiving (though hopefully that gives Princess enough time to get Park 19 open).

 

I hope y'all have an amazing time whenever you sail!

[vjmatty]

20 hours ago, irishgirl said:

I was under the impression the poster was thinking there were slides like on Royal Caribbean or Carnival.  The slides on the Sun are just a slide to get you off the ropes course, nothing special.  
 

Princess has always been the cruise line for the older cruiser, they haven’t had much for kids in the past.  With the introduction of the Sun Princess, they are trying to get more families on board.  But, I think many are going to be disappointed with what Princess has to offer kids.
 

My last 3 cruises with Princess there were 2 teenagers on one cruise, 3 children on the second cruise and less than 10 children on the third cruise.  

CCL is a huge corporation that already has other lines and ships that are more family/kids focused. I’m not sure why they need to move Princess in that direction as well, since Princess has always been more about the destination and less about the ship itself. You don’t see RCCL turning Celebrity into a kids line or NCL changing Oceana.

 

But if you’re going to insist on changing one of your lines to be more kids oriented, at least get your act together ahead of time and know what you’re doing. 

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

20 minutes ago, vjmatty said:

CCL is a huge corporation that already has other lines and ships that are more family/kids focused. I’m not sure why they need to move Princess in that direction as well, since Princess has always been more about the destination and less about the ship itself. You don’t see RCCL turning Celebrity into a kids line or NCL changing Oceana.

 

But if you’re going to insist on changing one of your lines to be more kids oriented, at least get your act together ahead of time and know what you’re doing. 

If I had to guess, it's because there's a profitable segment of Millennial family cruisers (like us) that have no interest in sailing on Carnival that they would like to attract. 

 

Millennial families are the highest spending demographic of vacationers and Carnival may have cornered the market on the ones who want a party, but for those of us who want a more premium experience, they don't have anything to offer.

 

They can safely pursue us with Princess knowing they still have HAL for the retirees. 

[Esprit]

I guess I’m of the baby boomer generation. Good luck to the millennials with all their money to spend.

i just hope they don’t turn into the “entitled” self centred brigade🤞

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

13 minutes ago, Esprit said:

I guess I’m of the baby boomer generation. Good luck to the millennials with all their money to spend.

i just hope they don’t turn into the “entitled” self centred brigade🤞

My post wasn't intended to come off as a brag or entitled. It's strange to me that you even went there with your reply.

 

CCL is a for-profit business and they have a responsibility to their shareholders to show them a return on their investment. 

 

Carnival has done a good job of capturing the bottom end of the market, but they don't currently have an offering for higher spending families (and multigenerational families traveling together). The suites on Carnival don't even include butlers or suite lounges/exclusive restaurants. 

 

It's a much easier pivot to offer those things with Princess (and their new Sanctuary amenities) than it would be to try and recreate who Carnival is. 

 

If they lose some retirees in the process, there's a good chance they go to HAL so they aren't really losing them at all (especially if they combine loyalty programs the way Royal/Celebrity recently did).

Edited June 23 by FamilyAtSea.travel

[Esprit]

1 minute ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

My post wasn't intended to come off as a brag or entitled. It's strange to me that you even went there with your reply.

Of course you didn’t.

[LittleTinker]

16 minutes ago, Esprit said:

I guess I’m of the baby boomer generation. Good luck to the millennials with all their money to spend.

i just hope they don’t turn into the “entitled” self centred brigade🤞

They already have!  😉