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A cruise worth considering: the Sun Princess 10-night Southern Caribbean (long)
Instead of depositing yet another "food's good, cabins are tiny" cruise
review into cyberspace, I feel compelled to embellish this one with a soft sales pitch. Why? The "wow" factor alone sells Voyager-class ships, and exotic itineraries and celebrity chefs fill others. Someone's gotta gush about the hidden delights of the Grand Dames plying the Caribbean seas and Alaskan coast under the radar of cruise shoppers bombarded with touts of rock climbing walls, cirque-like entertainment and fluffy pillow top mattresses. So I'm sharing this "insider's secret:" The Sun Princess' 10-night voyage to the Southern Caribbean is a winner. This cruise offers the enviable combination of a 4-star cruise experience at a great price plus the bonus of three extra days, which not only extend the itinerary to ports new to many cruisers, but also make a noticeable difference in one's attainment of "vacation relaxation"-you know, that state you've reached just when they kick you off a 7-night cruise. Here's a little review and a little hype. Our family of five aged from 12 to 75 cruised 10 nights on the Sun Princess to the Southern Caribbean for Christmas 2005. This was our 14th cruise, 6th holiday cruise and 3rd Princess cruise. We've cruised on all mass market lines except Disney. Review in a nutshell: This cruise exceeded expectations! We were most impressed with Princess' thoughtful and well-executed celebration of Christmas in every way, the consistently good dining room food, the top-notch production shows and all-around exemplary customer service. We had the best ever waiter.or tied for best with another Princess waiter. The port line-up was terrific. We were least impressed with the buffet menu and food quality and the feature entertainment. Why the Sun's 10-nighter to the Southern Caribbean is a great value: At ten years old and lacking the bells and whistles of the latest, greatest cruise ships, the Sun can't command the prices her younger, whiz-bang competitors extract. Thus, if all you're looking for is some pampering at sea and fun in the sun, the Sun's a bargain, especially when you compare her rate for 10 nights visiting some new ports vs. the price tags on the multitudes of 7-night options going the same old places. To the point, the Sun Princess is aging gracefully. Aside from expected signs of wear and tear, she has been well-maintained and remains very attractive in Princess' signature Tuscan-inspired style. The Sun really shows her age in ways known only to cruisers who've sailed the newer megaships, e.g., the Sun's cabins, shower stalls, and balconies are tiny; the specialty restaurant is awkwardly carved out the Horizon Court buffet; to make room for an Internet cafe, the library and card/game room have been combined; and there's a small gym and spa with limited equipment and amenities (the silver lining of which is that the dry sauna and wet steam rooms located in gender-separated dressing rooms are available at no additional charge instead of being fee-based features of the expansive spas most late model ships offer). From a big picture perspective of her aging, the Sun currently sails without bow thrusters, which means tugs assist in port, but passengers are not impacted in any way. However, although it didn't occur during our voyage, the Sun has also suffered more worrisome intermittent generator problems causing missed/abbreviated ports on affected voyages (the last time being in October 2005 as best as I can deduce from cruise reports-you can get up-to-the-minute news on the "Live from the Sun" thread that's been going for more than a year on the Princess boards at Cruise Critic). Some speculate the Sun will be pulled for a dry dock to address these mechanical problems and perhaps get some interior touch-ups; others think she'll limp along 'til a rumored 2007 transfer from the fleet. Bottom line: If you're a traveler who can roll with the punches of a possible itinerary change and aren't bothered by the Sun's "old ship" limitations, you're sure to get maximum "bang for the buck" from a cruise on the Sun Princess. The topical review: Here's our summary "grades" of Princess' performance on the Sun, YMMV: Treatment of Christmas A+ Embarkation A (Port Everglades F) Cabins B/Stateroom Service B Food B/Dining Service A+ Entertainment B Miscellaneous Onboard Experiences A Disembarkation A (Port Everglades F) For those who are already booked on a Sun Princess cruise or who might be interested in giving her a try, a few more details follow. Note, because the things Princess did to commemorate Christmas are unique to one cruise a year, I am submitting a separate post for archives researchers entitled, "Christmas and Hanukkah 2005 on Princess." If you just want to know what we did during our port stops in Princess Cays, St. Thomas, Dominica, Barbados, Isla Margarita and Curacao, I've also separately submitted, "Port Day Reviews of 6 Southern Caribbean Ports." Embarkation: The Port of Everglades cruise terminal leaves a lot to be desired. First, be warned, delays in embarkation and disembarkation are apparently common here, some due to ship fault, others due to port fault. In our case, it was the port's fault. Second, there is no seating area inside the terminal, which means the lines of embarking passengers build and build outside the building when there are delays. We had stayed at the near-port Marina Marriott (nice enough property), which features a free port shuttle (but no airport shuttle-no biggie, the taxi ride is short and cheap). We took the 12:30p shuttle to the port, checked out the lines and agreed "no way," entrusted our luggage to the care of the port luggage handlers and returned to hang out in the hotel lobby and walk to the nearby drug store for last minute impulse purchases. We tried again at 2:30p (our Princess docs had suggested boarding after 2p to avoid lines) and encountered the same snarl as before, but we knew there was no turning back this time. The problem was, we had a wheelchair passenger with respiratory problems who simply could not handle hours of heat and humidity waiting in the line that snaked a looooong way (4 city blocks' worth) outside the terminal. Fortunately, on polite request for indoor accommodation, we were afforded "front of the line" treatment. I am sure those folks who had been waiting on their feet forever were not happy, but on being whisked inside straight to the shortest check-in line, we were processed within 5 minutes (thanks to pre-cruise online registration and a very efficient and cheerful check-in agent). Cabins: We had two balconies and one inside on the Caribe deck. We had a similar configuration on a prior cruise on the Sun's sister ship, the Dawn Princess. These are some of the tiniest cabins at sea! Yet, we so marvel at the ingenious cabin configuration for placement of furniture, cabin amenities and storage spaces, after the initial shock, we find size doesn't really matter. Although I will say, the balcony is just too compact for optimal enjoyment-there's no room for loungers, just two chairs and a small table. About those balconies, I am no engineer, so it is hard for me to explain, except that most new ships feature balconies that "hang off" the side of the ship; in contrast, the Sun-class balconies are created by an opening in the metal side of the ship such that your balcony area is actually taking up square footage of the ship's interior. The inset variety is sheltered from the elements-a boon when you're taking an Alaskan cruise, which is where we first experienced them on the Dawn. In the Caribbean, you feel like a half-baked sardine squinting out of the rolled-back lid of a can that's been left out in the sun. We enjoyed our morning coffee and evening cocktail out there, but for lolly-gagging in the sun, we moved to the pool decks. I might seriously consider a mini-suite for a tropical cruise on a ship with the inset style of balcony. Stateroom Service: Our steward performed his job adequately but with an attitude. He started the cruise off on the wrong foot with us by openly grousing about having to re-do some of the beds (changing "pushed together" to twins and vice versa--apparently, our requests as to each of the three cabins had been jumbled). It was aggravating that he parked the service cart between our stateroom doors every day/night while he was working his stretch of cabins, particularly when he could see that we had difficulty maneuvering the wheelchair in/out around it. Not that we particularly missed them, but we didn't get one towel animal out of the guy. We've never had such a "miss" experience with a cabin attendant-maybe he was suffering the holiday blues? Needless to say, he got the recommended auto tip and no more.his loss, the casino's gain. Food, Glorious Food: Princess' strength in the food department is, of course, her Italian cuisine. For lunch, there's a pasta del giorno in the dining room and a "made to order" pasta bar in the buffet. At dinner, there is always something with Italian flair on the menu, and if you want to pre-order a pasta or other Italian dish, your waiter and maitre d' will be happy to arrange it. The rest of the dining room food is mostly very good-I can't say we had any dish so outstanding I remember it to this day, but I also don't recall any major disappointments. There's not enough ethnic diversity or creative use of herbs and spices to suit our more adventuresome palates, but all in all, the food was consistently above average, the entrée/sides pairings were nice and the presentation was attractive. The variety of delicious chilled soups deserves special mention, as does the quality of the desserts, which had improved since our last Princess sailing. We were also impressed with the quality of the beef on this sailing-Princess did not attempt to cut costs at the butcher shop. The daily menus were so nicely constructed, we were quite happy to remain in the dining room each evening. Normally, we try the specialty restaurant at least once; however, we enjoyed our nightly food and service so much, we didn't feel moved to try "Sterling's Steakhouse," especially considering it's inelegantly fashioned out of a section of the buffet. Verdi's, the onboard pizza parlor, serves terrific pizza, but the ambiance is only so-so because people use it as a cut-through-it's like sitting at a sidewalk café alongside a commuter highway. We wondered why the lunch menu didn't feature the salads and pastas Verdi's serves at dinner and also why they don't deliver? The joy of a longer cruise is feeling relaxed enough to enjoy a lazy afternoon of movies in the cabin.a pizza would've made the experience complete. Dining Service: Princess has always shined on us in this category, and on the Sun, we met our very best-or at least tied for best-waiter in 14 cruises: Hristo from Bulgaria, who was ably assisted by Ramona from Romania. Breakfast and lunch service in the dining room was above average. Entertainment: We will always think RCI has the best entertainment, but Princess did a surprisingly good job for our tastes this cruise. In particular, the orchestra, singers and dancers were among the most talented performers we've seen at sea, and the lead male and female soloists were outstanding. We give high marks to each of the four production shows: Piano Man (featuring selections made famous by Billy Joel, Neil Sedaka, Elton John, etc.); C'est Magnifique (a French musical revue); Tribute (Beach Boys, Beatles); and Curtain Up (Broadway). In the "just okay" category were the house dance band, the CD (John Cleford) and the highlight guest performers. We like hanging out in the piano bar on cruisers, and while the Sun's "Kemble" is a great entertainer, he demands to be the center of attention rather than a facilitator. We played a lot of trivia and came home with a lot of Princess plastic! We'd never before attended the guest talent show. It was painful to sit through...talented people must be too busy participating in Christmas entertainment back home to cruise. Miscellaneous Onboard Experiences: Princess offers coffee cards! The coffee card was $22 or $24 plus 15% gratuity (I can't recall the exact price) and good for 18 specialty coffees (usually priced at $1.50 or $2.00 if bought alone). You can use the card in the dining room, in bars/lounges and in the coffee bar in the atrium. I loved getting my doppio espressos, but we did feel the quality of the regular coffee all over the ship had improved over the days when we thought only the dining room coffee was worth drinking. Princess has a soda card, of course, but no wine package as some other lines offer. . Ceramics at Sea was a fun activity well-suited to a longer cruise (for kiln time). . Princess offers "fill a bag" $15 laundry service-handy on a longer cruise. . The toilet paper and facial tissue are cheap, cheap, cheap.thin, rough and gray. Boo on Princess for cost-cutting on something that is so noticeable. . The Patter is so cluttered and illogically organized-I remember thinking the last time we cruised Princess that I'd love to get my hands on it and do a complete makeover! Dining room times are not listed anywhere-you have to consult some other resource to find out if you are on time or too late for breakfast or lunch. The "back on board" time is not printed on the port brochures-we didn't realize this until mid-afternoon in port and our party couldn't agree on the announced deadline. In fact, there were some pax who missed the boat in at least two ports this trip. I know it saves a lot of money to produce a stock port brochure; however, I think it would be easy to customize it for each cruise by applying a brightly colored sticker with the "back on board" time, or even have the stickers and/or magic markers at the exit when you get off. . Speaking of communications, there's no NYTimes digest-you have to rely on CNN or newspapers in port. . Like most lines, Princess has gone on the offense against Norovirus outbreaks. Among the prophylactic measures used this cruise were hand sanitizer stops at the buffet and entrance to the dining room; employee-served buffet food for the first 3-4 days of the cruise (presumably, the health situation seemed stable enough to let us do it ourselves at that point); and signs in all public restrooms encouraging hand washing. . The gym was small and only equipped with the basics. We had to wait for preferred machines and free weights at busy workout times. There are a nice variety of free and paid exercise classes daily. We loved the fact that the wet steam and dry sauna rooms were free. . We are non-smokers who would be bothered by excessive smoke, and we didn't have any problems with smoke anywhere. . Although you could always order a cocktail if you wanted one, liquor sales weren't pushed--not around the pool, not during dinner, not before shows. . Princess went on the aggressive with "kid control" on this holiday cruise, which naturally attracted many families. Special staffers hired just for the Christmas and New Year's cruises wore bright yellow polos labeled "Youth Security" and roamed the ship at all hours keeping the young people in line. . The pax demographics for this Christmas cruise were as expected--a nice mix of the older crowd a 10-nighter from Florida usually draws and extended families from great-grandparents down to their great-grandbabies. Most folks were in good spirits, and it was one of the best-dressed crowds we've ever seen at sea, with a very high percentage of tuxes in sight on the three formal nights. I am sure the fact that it was Christmas had a lot to do with the positive degree of compliance with the formal wear guidelines. Bridge tour lagniappe! We were invited to join the captain on the bridge for sailaway from Curacao on Christmas afternoon. It was our first visit to a ship's bridge, and it was a pretty exciting experience for a bunch of hicks from Texas, LOL. It was fascinating to see all of the sophisticated, mostly computer-operated equipment-and yet, there was a young man standing watch with binoculars, as well. Disembarkation: The ship arrived on time, and disembarkation seemed to run smoothly. We enjoyed breakfast in the dining room and then transferred to the theatre to await our color-coded call to get off the ship. Back inside the Port Everglades cruise terminal where we'd had a bumpy start, we discovered the luggage was not organized by our assigned color tag, but simply out there.. We walked row upon row looking for our bags. Next time, I'd strongly consider carrying my own bags off-that situation was ripe for luggage mix-up or theft. Then, there was insufficient signage and staff to guide the crowd trying to navigate the bottleneck to the various queues for private car pick-up, bus transfer and taxi. While we shuffled along with the herd trying to spy a taxi stand, numerous free-lancing "shuttle" operators pounced. They were almost as annoyingly aggressive as some of the vendors we encountered on the islands. It was tempting to take an immediate ride with them, but they wanted $40+ for what was a $15 cab ride to the airport. Finally, we found what we thought was "the" taxi stand way down the sidewalk. We got in line. After standing and watching for a while, we realized there was a taxi stand farther down the sidewalk-nearer to the driveway entrance-where the cabs were stopping. Only the occasional cab bypassed that stand and came to the stand nearer to the terminal doors. So, we moved our party and luggage again to wait in that line and finally bid a happy adieu to Port Everglades. Diana Ball near Houston, TX |
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A cruise worth considering: the Sun Princess 10-night Southern Caribbean (long)
I love the Sun Class Princess ships. My second favorite class of ship,
after Millie Class. It's a shame that they don't have the bow thrusters working though... the ship has them. Must be the corporate bean counters not allocating enough money to get them operational. I loved the design of the interiors on the Sun Class... and it has the BEST pizzerias on any ship I've been on. I have no desire to ever go on Grand Princess or one of her sisters again... but would go on a Sun class ship in a heartbeat. --Tom "D Ball" wrote in message ... Instead of depositing yet another "food's good, cabins are tiny" cruise review into cyberspace, I feel compelled to embellish this one with a soft sales pitch. Why? The "wow" factor alone sells Voyager-class ships, and exotic itineraries and celebrity chefs fill others. Someone's gotta gush about the hidden delights of the Grand Dames plying the Caribbean seas and Alaskan coast under the radar of cruise shoppers bombarded with touts of rock climbing walls, cirque-like entertainment and fluffy pillow top mattresses. So I'm sharing this "insider's secret:" The Sun Princess' 10-night voyage to the Southern Caribbean is a winner. This cruise offers the enviable combination of a 4-star cruise experience at a great price plus the bonus of three extra days, which not only extend the itinerary to ports new to many cruisers, but also make a noticeable difference in one's attainment of "vacation relaxation"-you know, that state you've reached just when they kick you off a 7-night cruise. |
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A cruise worth considering: the Sun Princess 10-night SouthernCaribbean (long)
Good job Diana! I love this line:
In the Caribbean, you feel like a half-baked sardine squinting out of the rolled-back lid of a can that's been left out in the sun. Jeff |
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A cruise worth considering: the Sun Princess 10-night Southern Caribbean (long)
In article , Tom K
wrote: I loved the design of the interiors on the Sun Class... and it has the BEST pizzerias on any ship I've been on. I have no desire to ever go on Grand Princess or one of her sisters again... but would go on a Sun class ship in a heartbeat. Uh. You have two cruises booked on a Grand Princess sister. -- Charles |
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A cruise worth considering: the Sun Princess 10-night Southern Caribbean (long)
"Charles" wrote in message d... In article , Tom K wrote: I loved the design of the interiors on the Sun Class... and it has the BEST pizzerias on any ship I've been on. I have no desire to ever go on Grand Princess or one of her sisters again... but would go on a Sun class ship in a heartbeat. Uh. You have two cruises booked on a Grand Princess sister. Yeah... I know... but I didn't pick the ship for either... and I ain't exactly happy about it... or about going to Turks & Caicos from Bermuda during peak hurricane season. You know there's gotta be at least a 50% chance that the itinerary of the SGC will get changed some way... --Tom |
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A cruise worth considering: the Sun Princess 10-night SouthernCaribbean (long)
Tom K wrote:
I love the Sun Class Princess ships. My second favorite class of ship, after Millie Class. (snip) I have no desire to ever go on Grand Princess or one of her sisters again... but would go on a Sun class ship in a heartbeat. I'm with you, Tom. Have cruised Princess twice: Sea Princess and Grand Princess. LOVED the Sea, not crazy about the Grand. Diana, thanks for the excellent review. I very much agree with your take on the relative value of an older ship. After our recent experience on the Rhapsody, I am even more inclined to search out such ships and itineraries. I'm happy to leave the newest thrill rides to other cruisers, and only hope that means more availability -- and lower prices -- for the rest of us. ~ Peri |
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A cruise worth considering: the Sun Princess 10-night Southern Caribbean (long)
"Lee Lindquist" wrote in message ... On Sun, 19 Feb 2006 23:34:22 -0500, Charles wrote: In article , Tom K wrote: I loved the design of the interiors on the Sun Class... and it has the BEST pizzerias on any ship I've been on. I have no desire to ever go on Grand Princess or one of her sisters again... but would go on a Sun class ship in a heartbeat. Uh. You have two cruises booked on a Grand Princess sister. Now that's funny. -- - Lee Go ahead... rub it in.... --Tom |
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A cruise worth considering: the Sun Princess 10-night Southern...
DIANA BALL:
Agree with you about the "SUN PRINCESS" we also did the 10 day southern caribbean,and the only fault we found with the ship was there were not enough lounges on the promenade deck,almost all of them were broken. We do love PRINCESS (.a cruise lover.) |
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A cruise worth considering: the Sun Princess 10-night Southern Caribbean (long)
"D Ball" wrote in message ... So I'm sharing this "insider's secret:" The Sun Princess' 10-night voyage to the Southern Caribbean is a winner. This cruise offers the enviable combination of a 4-star cruise experience at a great price plus the bonus of three extra days, which not only extend the itinerary to ports new to many cruisers, but also make a noticeable difference in one's attainment of "vacation relaxation"-you know, that state you've reached just when they kick you off a 7-night cruise. Diana, what an interesting review! Thank you for going into such detail about your Christmas voyage on the Sun Princess. We sailed on her in 1996 to the Western Caribbean..I have a dear friend who is a widow and she and a friend of hers plan to take her this April on the very same itinerary as the one that you took...I'll forward her a copy of your review. I have often wondered what it would be like taking a cruise at Christmas time; you clearly made it sound as a magical experience with your descriptions of the decorations, festivities and religious services. Very tempting if I were not so *set* in keeping our family Christmas traditions dating back for over 50 years! Perhaps, if I could get our entire family to go, I might be very tempted! I really enjoyed reading your review and felt as if I were seeing everything through your eyes as I read it...Took me long enough....I've been busy doing my two on the MSC Opera and the Celebrity Infinity and I finally am catching up on my private e-mails and RTC postings while gone. So what adventure is next for you? Any cruises planned? --Jean |
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A cruise worth considering: the Sun Princess 10-night SouthernCaribbean (long)
D Ball wrote: So I'm sharing this "insider's secret:" The Sun Princess' 10-night voyage to the Southern Caribbean is a winner. This cruise offers the enviable combination of a 4-star cruise experience at a great price plus the bonus of three extra days, which not only extend the itinerary to ports new to many cruisers, but also make a noticeable difference in one's attainment of "vacation relaxation"-you know, that state you've reached just when they kick you off a 7-night cruise. Diana, I finally found the time to read your review and it is well done as always. It has bee awhile since we have done a Princess cruise, I think the last one was the original Pacific Princess. We are currently booked on the new Crown Princess and I hope that at some point we will find the time to do a Sun Class ship, they have always intrigued us. thanks, sue |
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