Sun Princess 2007-08 season - anyone booked?

[bobsydney]

Hi Aussie cruisers

 

Wondering whether anyone has made bookings for the Sun Princess' Australian season in 2007-08? Haven't seen much mention of this ship on CC yet.

 

We've booked for the 10 Feb cruise to NZ along with another couple.

 

Also wondering whether anybody knows whether it will be operating as a P&O ship while here, as Pacific Princess (which it is replacing) has? Hope it will be rather than as a Princess ship (and therefore operating in US$) like Diamond Princess, Sapphire Princess.

 

Cheers

Bob

[lolliepollie81]

Hi Aussie cruisers

 

Wondering whether anyone has made bookings for the Sun Princess' Australian season in 2007-08? Haven't seen much mention of this ship on CC yet.

 

We've booked for the 10 Feb cruise to NZ along with another couple.

 

Also wondering whether anybody knows whether it will be operating as a P&O ship while here, as Pacific Princess (which it is replacing) has? Hope it will be rather than as a Princess ship (and therefore operating in US$) like Diamond Princess, Sapphire Princess.

 

Cheers

Bob

Hi Bob, I am very interested in cruising the sun princess but have not found any info as yet. As far as im aware the ship will be operating under p&o and using aussie dollars.

[NARELLE]

We are booked for Sydney to San Francisco 32 days leaving 7th April 2008. Booked in June the day it was released in the States. Have a very good T/A in Vic who got an excellent deal for us. All friends that made the journey on the Diamond from Sydney to San Francisco this past April gone have all booked again. They had a faboulous time. We couldn't go with them as we had just come off the Pacific Sun in January.

Sorry to tell you but I am certain it will remain a Princess ship using US$.

 

it is not widely advertised at the moment. The 2 princess ships are going back to USA at the same time

Sun Princess 7th April 2008

Diamond PRincess 14th April 2008.

 

Sun holds approx 2000 passengers and Diamond 2700 passengers.

Sapphire and Diamond are sister ships and I very much preferred this class but the deal on the Sun was too good to refuse and we are sailing with all Cruise Critic friends we have met through the Roll Call.

 

narelle

[davoni]

We are booked on Sun Princess for Dec 19 2007 cruise. The ship is doing an Australian season as did the Pacific Princess and currency onboard will be in Australian dollars. Info about Sun Princess is available on P&O website.:)

 

Sun Rises on Premium Cruising for Australians

Date: 10 May 2006

Princess Cruises will meet the growing demand for premium cruising from Australia by deploying superliner Sun Princess from Sydney for the summer of 2007-08.

 

Built at a cost of A$400 million in 1995, the 77,000-ton ship will be tailored for Australians during a summer season of round-trip cruises from Sydney, including two circumnavigations of Australia and four of New Zealand.

 

Sailing the South Pacific between November 2007 and April 2008, Sun Princess will replace the popular 30,200-ton Pacific Princess, which has successfully pioneered premium cruising for Australians since 2002.

 

Announcing the deployment of Sun Princess, Princess Cruises Australia Managing Director Gavin Smith said the 1950-passenger Sun Princess would offer almost three times as many beds as the 670-passenger boutique liner, Pacific Princess.

 

“The amazing popularity of the award-winning Pacific Princess as Australia’s upmarket ocean liner demonstrated there is a growing market for affordable premium cruise holidays from Australia, so we’ve matched that with a much bigger ship,” Mr Smith said.

 

Sun Princess will be tailored for the needs and tastes of Australian passengers with Australian entertainment and onboard currency in Australian dollars. However she will retain signature Princess characteristics including 410 cabins with private balconies. She will also introduce ‘Anytime Dining’, where passengers can eat with whom they want and when they want at a choice of dining venues.

Designed to give a small-ship feel but with big-ship facilities, Sun Princess will offer Australians a teak wrap-around promenade deck with grand liner-style steamer deck chairs, a glass-walled health spa and gym overlooking the ocean, panoramic glass-walled elevators, a grand four-storey atrium, eight restaurants and cafes, four pools, five whirlpool spas, seven deluxe lounges and bars, two children’s clubs, nightclub, golf simulator and a sports court.

 

“Sun Princess will offer the same level of luxury and intimacy as Pacific Princess but with a more expansive range of features that only larger ships can provide, including multiple choices in entertainment and dining, more pools, large kids’ clubs and an abundance of much sought-after balcony cabins,” Mr Smith said.

 

“This is very exciting news for Australian cruising. When she debuts here next year, Sun Princess will pamper Australians keen to sail the South Seas in style at an affordable cost.”

 

Sun Princess will offer 10 cruises from Sydney in the summer of 2007-08 including two round-Australia cruises, four voyages to New Zealand, three to the South Pacific islands and one to Tasmania and Victoria.

 

Bookings for Sun Princess will open in late May and can be made via travel agents or by contacting Princess Cruises on 13 24 69.

 

The 2006-07 summer program for Pacific Princess will be her farewell program, in what will be her fifth season cruising from Australia.

[bobsydney]

Good to see that onboard pricing will be in $A rather than $US for the Oz season.

 

Lolliepollie, we booked through Cruise Mart back in June when details were first released. Their website has details of all the cruises - see www.cruisemart.com.au/pri1075 for the NZ cruises.

 

Narelle, noticed the active roll call for your cruise, the only one so far for the 07-08 Sydney season. Would loved to have booked Syd/SF but don't have enough leave for a 32 day cruise, so the NZ cruise, which we haven't done before, is the best we can do at this stage.

 

Bob

[NARELLE]

Bob

We are on Sapphire New Zealand for january. Sailing Auckland-Sydney. We are taking the kids with us. It was actually cheaper than Pacific Sun south pacific we just did in January. Last one with the kids as a family. Son is 17 and Daughter 14.

yes our SUNSETS roll call is very active. Most of them sailed on Diamond to SAn Francisco this April just gone. They had a ball. We met a lot of friends when we did Sydney to Bangkok on Sapphire last year. Their passion and knowledge is invaluable. Unfortunatelyu roll calls for individual cruises has not taken off in Australia yet like it has in the States.

 

narelle

[khicks1101]

Hi Aussie cruisers

 

Wondering whether anyone has made bookings for the Sun Princess' Australian season in 2007-08? Haven't seen much mention of this ship on CC yet.

 

We've booked for the 10 Feb cruise to NZ along with another couple.

 

Also wondering whether anybody knows whether it will be operating as a P&O ship while here, as Pacific Princess (which it is replacing) has? Hope it will be rather than as a Princess ship (and therefore operating in US$) like Diamond Princess, Sapphire Princess.

 

Cheers

Bob

 

We are booked on the Sun Princess on 28 December 2007 doing the Tropical Isles tour. It is in fact operating as a P&O ship and costs are in Aussie dollars.

 

I can't wait, anyone else going on this trip?

[Druke I]

Yank here - seriously considering booking the Circumnavigation of Australia, Mar 08, or one of the 14 night New Zealand cruises, RT from Sydney.

 

Sun is a very nice ship, and I prefer that class to Sapphire or Diamond Princess, and others of the Grand and modified Grand class.

 

We are told it will be operating as a P&O (Aus) ship rather than Princess, and that Princess Captain's Circle perks will NOT apply.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

We are told it will be operating as a P&O (Aus) ship rather than Princess, and that Princess Captain's Circle perks will NOT apply.

 

While in Australia that is correct.It will still be a Princess ship on its voyages to and from Australia.

If you are thinking of the circumnavigation cruise it would pay to get in early and book a cabin on the port side,then you will see land all the way around.

[Druke I]

Still thinking about Sun Princess' circumnavigation of Australia, Mar 08. Tried to talk sis-in-law and her hubby into going with us. She said that Oceania Cruise Line has spoiled her, and she is not sure if she can "come down" to Princess again.

 

Gawd - has she become a snob? Her hubby would like to go - so perhaps he can talk her into it. I must admit, we sure did enjoy Oceania, and we will be off with them in just three more sleeps - 25 nights, Istanbul to Singapore, via the Suez and Indian Ocean.

 

We shall see - lots of time to think about it.