Apparently, I was on the cruise across the Atlantic, as were you. I am an Elite cruiser with Princess and very loyal. Your review is the most accurate I have seen. For my wife, she disliked the small venues and the lack of a pickleball court. I was able to relax and people watch, while i enjoyed libations. I’d try it again, perhaps in the Caribbean. But, it is not my favorite ship.
Great, fair review. By the end I was thinking this ship feels like the company pulled a pre-built ship design off the shelf and labeled it Princess. I am baffled how many spaces are so poorly thought out. Side note - wooo binging the Good Wife. We’re on season 4 rewatching it again. So well written
This will likely go down as one of the clumsiest designed cruise ships in recent memory and I think there's a long list of reasons behind it - I'm sure it's a Carnival Corp platform that they had to begin with like you suggested. Park 19 is a multi-million dollar embarrasment on its own. I also think they made a lot of last minute design changes. I heard several crew members tell me that they had to scramble to add more crew cabins at the very last minute because they realized way too late that there weren't nearly enough! Apparently there are still hundreds of crew staying in guest cabins. Also agree on The Good Wife - I need to get a Paramount+ subscription so I can pick up where I left off on the ship (season 3).
Thank you! I'm booked on the Sun Princess for a transatlantic on March 9, 2025 from Ft Lauderdale to Southampton. Princess used to be my favorite line, but I was disappointed on my last cruises, to Hawaii and Alaska, and I expect to find disappointments on my upcoming trip, too. I just returned from a west-bound transatlantic on Holland American, spending a total of 30 days on the Nieuw Statendam. It was wonderful. I don't have the loyalty status on HAL that I do on Princess, but we shall see what I chose next time...
Thank you for sharing your experiences. I’ve also really enjoyed Holland America’s Pinnacle class ships and have reviews coming soon. Since your cruise on Sun is in still a few months away, more of the kinks should be worked out. That will also be after the ship’s 1 year anniversary, which some have said is when the warranty with the builder expires and Princess can start making meaningful modifications to the ship. Please report back if you can. Hope you have a great cruise.
I totally agree with you! We didn’t find anything special about Sanctuary collection. Most times the concierge staff were completely no help at all. Customer service was completely lacking, to say it kindly on Sun Princess. We hated our experience so badly, we will not be returning to a Sphere class ship. While on Sun Princess we canceled our Sanctuary Collection grand suite on our future cruise of Star Princess. The future cruise department never even bothered to to ask why.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I was floored when they basically told me to go elsewhere when I was at the Sanctuary Club. I'm sorry to hear the rest of the Sanctuary Collection experience wasn't any better.
I will be on it in January as well and this will be my second cruise. The first one I took was the Disney wish. I’m hoping I won’t be disappointed. Thank you so much for your review and honesty. This will be my first cruise.
Thanks, a well put together review, and just confirms that we won't be going on any of these class of Princess ships; reminds me (nightmarishly) of a recent 4 days on Virgin, NEVER again. Our previous 6 princess cruise ships have been the smaller older style (traditional cruising), which suits us to a tee, as does HAL.
Thank you for the review. We had a cruise scheduled for 2026 on Sun Princess, and cancelled it to do something else. We are going to stick with the Royal Class ships for Princess.
We did the same and booked the Enchanted for 30 days in Feb. 2026. BTW John Padgett is out, and Gus Antorcha is the new ceo. I wish him well👍 I wounder if the 3 ship in this class will focus on their customers and not so much on a basic income unit like Padgett? Enjoy your cruises.
The crowds aspect does remind me of NCL. I'm booked on the upcoming Star Princess. Now I'm not sure if I should keep it or just stick with the royal class of ships. Great review, by the way!
Thank you for the feedback. Here's the press release with the very minor tweaks they've announced on Star so far in case it's helpful for your decision (more seats in the Irish pub and Love by Britto - more non-smoking slot machines). These tweaks are so small I'm surprised it merited a press release - a sign I think of how desperate they are to show that they're responding to Sun feedback - even if they really aren't!) www.princess.com/en-us/news/news-releases/2024/10/first-look-star-princess-to-feature-expanded-non-smoking-casino-areas-and-enhanced-guest-experiences-for-2025-launch
Most of my cruises have been on HAL and Celebrity. Next year, we are scheduled for cruises on the Regal Princess and the Discovery Princess. We are more budget travelers and prefer older ships where the crew is more experienced and the product more tested. If I watched this video with all of the branding removed, I would have sworn that you were reviewing the Norwegian Epic, a failed concept ship. Its overcrowded venues and terrible layout are very similar. If I go on a cruise, I want to have a fair shot at actually hitting all of the shows that I want to attend. I also want to make sure that sitting down and enjoying dinner in the MDR or buffet is a relaxed experience, not a stressful one. Personally, I do not see how you could be on that ship for 40 days. I would have not made two weeks. For me, a lack of a full promenade on a ship this size is a major impediment as that is how I get my exercise. Great review. I wish more of the other producers would be more honest.
Thank you for your feedback and for sharing your perspective. Regal and Discovery are both great ships so I’m sure you’ll enjoy your cruises on them next year!
Great video. Hopefully they have the issues worked out when I get on in February. Did upgrade to the Premiere package to make sure I had a show seat (as well as unlimited drinks and specialty dinners). Have the Enchanted Princess in May so at least I'll get the true Princess experience there,
Thank you! Sounds like you're all set! Make sure you reserve the teppanyaki restaurant at least once on Sun! Definitely one of the highlights of my time on the ship. And Enchanted...one of my fav Princess ships.
Crazy they still can’t get it right after so many months. Wish we would have chose differently for the holidays. Especially since the Sun cost more to sail on.
I'm sure you'll still have a great cruise. Knowing Sun's strengths and weaknesses beforehand will help avoid disappointment while on board. Cabins are nice - and there are some great restaurants. And when you need a break from crowds - Love by Britto has large and very cozy mostly shaded terraces on both sides that were always empty during the day when I was on board - something you can't even get in the premium Sanctuary Club sun deck.
Regarding the trade-off of the shower curtains for shower doors… I’m in the minority here. Because the bathroom was so tight, I had to really suck it in to get out of the shower and onto the bathmat. I heard that some bigger guys actually had to have the bathroom door open just to be able to get out of the shower.
While I am glad I tried her out it just wasn't for me. I'm Princess loyal,but they really missed the mark with her. In my personal opinion they really sacrificed the elegance and the space Princess is known for. I'm not even going to try the Star when it comes out and stick with the royal class instead.
We love the older Princess ships. What happened to the lovely palace like atrium, Wheelhouse Bar, Explorers Lounge, Club Fusion and other venues found on older Grand and Royal ships. Princess are redesigning their ships so they end up like every other cruise line. Put the love back into the love boat!
I think after watching this I won’t book on this ship and I was looking at it for 2026. It’s wild that they’d release this ship and it wasn’t even it completely done.
If the itinerary and price works then it’s worth considering but Sun would definitely Not be my first choice for any cruise and I wouldn’t pay a premium to go back on.
I'm curious. Which of rhe Princess ships is your favorite? We sailed on rhe Sun Princess back in May. We felt it was too big for our taste. And for many of the reasons you mentioned, we won't go back. It was our first Princess cruise. There were several people that told us they didn't like this new design. In October, we sailed the Majestic Princess out of Los Angeles. We were very disappointed. The rooms were small and musty. The casino was way too small and overcrowded. The food wasn't very good and the wine was horrible. The service was the worst I'd ever experienced. We sat for 30 minutes in Alfredo's waiting to have our order taken. In November we sailed on HAL Niew Statendam and loved it, as we loved the Koningsdam a year ago. We're willing to give Princess another try since we have 2 balcony comps from the casino. We just don't know which one.
Sorry to hear about your experiences on Sun and Majestic. These are actually my 2 least favorite ships. I’ve enjoyed my experiences on almost every other Princess ship I’ve sailed on (Caribbean, Ruby and Enchanted). I’ve also really enjoyed my experiences on Holland America’s Pinnacle class ships. If you’re looking for ships with some traditional charm, I would go for Grand class ships like Caribbean. If you prefer more modern ships then I would definitely go with Enchanted or Discovery. See my reviews here: ruclips.net/video/V6lFyiTH5uc/видео.html and ruclips.net/video/sBpW0T4k6V8/видео.html
Thanks for the video. I can see that this ship is not for me. I am surprised at the poor service and lack of customer care. On the much maligned Carnival, I had great service on a beautiful ship (Carnival Venezia, NYC to Caribbean.)
I think the Sun has updated elegance. The designers are trying to include what the thirty somethings like and what the baby boomers like. I think they found it. You have to update. If I sold my house, the new owners would tear out my white appliances, dark wood custom cabinets, and formica counter tops. All the things I love. They would replace it with cookie cutter white, gray, and stainless steel. Oh no. Get my point?
I totally understand. It wasn’t the aesthetic that I had an issue with - it was the size and design of the venues and how they all came together (or didn’t). No doubt there are a few really nicely appointed spaces. I thought they did a great job of making Sabatini’s feel like an elevated restaurant without any real windows.
We spent 21 nights on Sun Princess and have to say as loyal Princess cruisers Sun is by far the worst ship we have ever sailed on she looks beautiful but thats where it ends the main pool area is way to small for a ship that size crowded all day and not once were we able to get a deck chair there as people were claiming them as early as 6 in the morning also hardly ever had Movies under the stars instead loud thumping music all day long inside its so crowded everywhere and none of the bars really have there own space its all open plan with ques of people walking past all the time while you are trying to have a drink the atrium is just loud music all the time so much so it can be heard in other parts of the ship people with cabins near by complained they couldnt sleep because of it The ship feels like Princess trying to be a Carnival fun ship its a crowded party ship in reality
Wow, you're expereince does not reflect our experience, whatsoever. While we only spent 14 days on her, we like it so much we booked another two weeks for next year.
Care to elaborate-?! I shared a detailed 30 minute review so it would be helpful for others if you provided more detail on what you mean if your experience differed from mine.
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Apparently, I was on the cruise across the Atlantic, as were you. I am an Elite cruiser with Princess and very loyal. Your review is the most accurate I have seen. For my wife, she disliked the small venues and the lack of a pickleball court. I was able to relax and people watch, while i enjoyed libations. I’d try it again, perhaps in the Caribbean. But, it is not my favorite ship.
People watching with libations is always fun! Thank you for the feedback and for sharing your experience.
wow, thanks for your review! this will keep my expectation in check for sure.
I’m glad it was helpful. I hope you enjoy your cruise!
Great, fair review. By the end I was thinking this ship feels like the company pulled a pre-built ship design off the shelf and labeled it Princess. I am baffled how many spaces are so poorly thought out.
Side note - wooo binging the Good Wife. We’re on season 4 rewatching it again. So well written
This will likely go down as one of the clumsiest designed cruise ships in recent memory and I think there's a long list of reasons behind it - I'm sure it's a Carnival Corp platform that they had to begin with like you suggested. Park 19 is a multi-million dollar embarrasment on its own. I also think they made a lot of last minute design changes. I heard several crew members tell me that they had to scramble to add more crew cabins at the very last minute because they realized way too late that there weren't nearly enough! Apparently there are still hundreds of crew staying in guest cabins.
Also agree on The Good Wife - I need to get a Paramount+ subscription so I can pick up where I left off on the ship (season 3).
Thank you! I'm booked on the Sun Princess for a transatlantic on March 9, 2025 from Ft Lauderdale to Southampton. Princess used to be my favorite line, but I was disappointed on my last cruises, to Hawaii and Alaska, and I expect to find disappointments on my upcoming trip, too. I just returned from a west-bound transatlantic on Holland American, spending a total of 30 days on the Nieuw Statendam. It was wonderful. I don't have the loyalty status on HAL that I do on Princess, but we shall see what I chose next time...
Thank you for sharing your experiences. I’ve also really enjoyed Holland America’s Pinnacle class ships and have reviews coming soon. Since your cruise on Sun is in still a few months away, more of the kinks should be worked out. That will also be after the ship’s 1 year anniversary, which some have said is when the warranty with the builder expires and Princess can start making meaningful modifications to the ship. Please report back if you can. Hope you have a great cruise.
I totally agree with you! We didn’t find anything special about Sanctuary collection. Most times the concierge staff were completely no help at all. Customer service was completely lacking, to say it kindly on Sun Princess. We hated our experience so badly, we will not be returning to a Sphere class ship. While on Sun Princess we canceled our Sanctuary Collection grand suite on our future cruise of Star Princess. The future cruise department never even bothered to to ask why.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I was floored when they basically told me to go elsewhere when I was at the Sanctuary Club. I'm sorry to hear the rest of the Sanctuary Collection experience wasn't any better.
Our first PRINCESS cruise is this month, and we appreciate all your videos!
Thank you so much! Very exciting! Hope you enjoy your cruise! Which ship?
@TheChillCruiser Caribbean Princess... the oldest !
@@AngieLangdon She's an oldie but a goodie! I enjoyed both of my cruises on Caribbean. Let me know how it goes!
Great video!
Thank you Mark!
Thank you for the thorough review. I'll be on the Sun in January.
Thank you Brian! January is my favorite time to cruise!
I will be on it in January as well and this will be my second cruise. The first one I took was the Disney wish. I’m hoping I won’t be disappointed. Thank you so much for your review and honesty. This will be my first cruise.
Thanks, a well put together review, and just confirms that we won't be going on any of these class of Princess ships; reminds me (nightmarishly) of a recent 4 days on Virgin, NEVER again. Our previous 6 princess cruise ships have been the smaller older style (traditional cruising), which suits us to a tee, as does HAL.
Thank you for the feedback and for sharing your perspective!
Thank you for the review. We had a cruise scheduled for 2026 on Sun Princess, and cancelled it to do something else. We are going to stick with the Royal Class ships for Princess.
Good plan!
We did the same and booked the Enchanted for 30 days in Feb. 2026. BTW John Padgett is out, and Gus Antorcha is the new ceo. I wish him well👍 I wounder if the 3 ship in this class will focus on their customers and not so much on a basic income unit like Padgett? Enjoy your cruises.
@ Thank you - you as well!
The crowds aspect does remind me of NCL. I'm booked on the upcoming Star Princess. Now I'm not sure if I should keep it or just stick with the royal class of ships.
Great review, by the way!
Thank you for the feedback. Here's the press release with the very minor tweaks they've announced on Star so far in case it's helpful for your decision (more seats in the Irish pub and Love by Britto - more non-smoking slot machines). These tweaks are so small I'm surprised it merited a press release - a sign I think of how desperate they are to show that they're responding to Sun feedback - even if they really aren't!) www.princess.com/en-us/news/news-releases/2024/10/first-look-star-princess-to-feature-expanded-non-smoking-casino-areas-and-enhanced-guest-experiences-for-2025-launch
I want quiet intimate music venues and hope the medallion improves before February!
Looks like they have sorted out the Medallions - folks who have shared their more recent experiences in the comments haven't had any issues.
Try HAL next time, especially on the smaller ships. 2500 passengers is usually my max.
Most of my cruises have been on HAL and Celebrity. Next year, we are scheduled for cruises on the Regal Princess and the Discovery Princess. We are more budget travelers and prefer older ships where the crew is more experienced and the product more tested.
If I watched this video with all of the branding removed, I would have sworn that you were reviewing the Norwegian Epic, a failed concept ship. Its overcrowded venues and terrible layout are very similar. If I go on a cruise, I want to have a fair shot at actually hitting all of the shows that I want to attend. I also want to make sure that sitting down and enjoying dinner in the MDR or buffet is a relaxed experience, not a stressful one. Personally, I do not see how you could be on that ship for 40 days. I would have not made two weeks.
For me, a lack of a full promenade on a ship this size is a major impediment as that is how I get my exercise.
Great review. I wish more of the other producers would be more honest.
Thank you for your feedback and for sharing your perspective. Regal and Discovery are both great ships so I’m sure you’ll enjoy your cruises on them next year!
@@TheChillCruiser Agreed. Regal is my favorite Princess ship, but Discovery is a very close second.
Great info. Thank you
Thank you for the feedback!
Great video. Hopefully they have the issues worked out when I get on in February. Did upgrade to the Premiere package to make sure I had a show seat (as well as unlimited drinks and specialty dinners). Have the Enchanted Princess in May so at least I'll get the true Princess experience there,
Thank you! Sounds like you're all set! Make sure you reserve the teppanyaki restaurant at least once on Sun! Definitely one of the highlights of my time on the ship. And Enchanted...one of my fav Princess ships.
I have a b2b booked in February which is my first Princess cruise. I hope I’m not disappointed
Very exciting! Hope you have a great time - and enjoy the Caribbean!
Crazy they still can’t get it right after so many months. Wish we would have chose differently for the holidays. Especially since the Sun cost more to sail on.
I'm sure you'll still have a great cruise. Knowing Sun's strengths and weaknesses beforehand will help avoid disappointment while on board. Cabins are nice - and there are some great restaurants. And when you need a break from crowds - Love by Britto has large and very cozy mostly shaded terraces on both sides that were always empty during the day when I was on board - something you can't even get in the premium Sanctuary Club sun deck.
Regarding the trade-off of the shower curtains for shower doors… I’m in the minority here. Because the bathroom was so tight, I had to really suck it in to get out of the shower and onto the bathmat. I heard that some bigger guys actually had to have the bathroom door open just to be able to get out of the shower.
You're right! With the door, it does feel a bit awkward and tight when you're getting out of the shower. It took me a few days to get used to it.
While I am glad I tried her out it just wasn't for me. I'm Princess loyal,but they really missed the mark with her. In my personal opinion they really sacrificed the elegance and the space Princess is known for. I'm not even going to try the Star when it comes out and stick with the royal class instead.
Thank you for sharing your experience Melanie! I totally agree - Sphere class is not for me!
We love the older Princess ships. What happened to the lovely palace like atrium, Wheelhouse Bar, Explorers Lounge, Club Fusion and other venues found on older Grand and Royal ships. Princess are redesigning their ships so they end up like every other cruise line. Put the love back into the love boat!
I think after watching this I won’t book on this ship and I was looking at it for 2026. It’s wild that they’d release this ship and it wasn’t even it completely done.
If the itinerary and price works then it’s worth considering but Sun would definitely
Not be my first choice for any cruise and I wouldn’t pay a premium to go back on.
I'm curious. Which of rhe Princess ships is your favorite? We sailed on rhe Sun Princess back in May. We felt it was too big for our taste. And for many of the reasons you mentioned, we won't go back. It was our first Princess cruise. There were several people that told us they didn't like this new design. In October, we sailed the Majestic Princess out of Los Angeles. We were very disappointed. The rooms were small and musty. The casino was way too small and overcrowded. The food wasn't very good and the wine was horrible. The service was the worst I'd ever experienced. We sat for 30 minutes in Alfredo's waiting to have our order taken. In November we sailed on HAL Niew Statendam and loved it, as we loved the Koningsdam a year ago. We're willing to give Princess another try since we have 2 balcony comps from the casino. We just don't know which one.
Sorry to hear about your experiences on Sun and Majestic. These are actually my 2 least favorite ships. I’ve enjoyed my experiences on almost every other Princess ship I’ve sailed on (Caribbean, Ruby and Enchanted). I’ve also really enjoyed my experiences on Holland America’s Pinnacle class ships. If you’re looking for ships with some traditional charm, I would go for Grand class ships like Caribbean. If you prefer more modern ships then I would definitely go with Enchanted or Discovery. See my reviews here: ruclips.net/video/V6lFyiTH5uc/видео.html and
ruclips.net/video/sBpW0T4k6V8/видео.html
Thanks for the video. I can see that this ship is not for me. I am surprised at the poor service and lack of customer care. On the much maligned Carnival, I had great service on a beautiful ship (Carnival Venezia, NYC to Caribbean.)
I was surprised as well! I agree - service is usually very good on Carnival.
I think the Sun has updated elegance. The designers are trying to include what the thirty somethings like and what the baby boomers like. I think they found it. You have to update. If I sold my house, the new owners would tear out my white appliances, dark wood custom cabinets, and formica counter tops. All the things I love. They would replace it with cookie cutter white, gray, and stainless steel. Oh no. Get my point?
I totally understand. It wasn’t the aesthetic that I had an issue with - it was the size and design of the venues and how they all came together (or didn’t). No doubt there are a few really nicely appointed spaces. I thought they did a great job of making Sabatini’s feel like an elevated restaurant without any real windows.
Princess needs to get a grip and pay attention-too late to jump ship from the Sun early next year-never again and the sanctuary is No Deal!
That theater is gross size,hate the seats and ‘the pool’ is a joke. Glad to have group private parties as an option!
Going on the sun in a year, January 2026. So hopefully it gets better by then
Crossing my fingers! That gives them lots of time to fix things.
We spent 21 nights on Sun Princess and have to say as loyal Princess cruisers Sun is by far the worst ship we have ever sailed on she looks beautiful but thats where it ends the main pool area is way to small for a ship that size crowded all day and not once were we able to get a deck chair there as people were claiming them as early as 6 in the morning also hardly ever had Movies under the stars instead loud thumping music all day long inside its so crowded everywhere and none of the bars really have there own space its all open plan with ques of people walking past all the time while you are trying to have a drink the atrium is just loud music all the time so much so it can be heard in other parts of the ship people with cabins near by complained they couldnt sleep because of it The ship feels like Princess trying to be a Carnival fun ship its a crowded party ship in reality
Thank you for sharing your experience. I'm sorry it was so disappointing. Princess really needs to pick a lane.
Wow, you're expereince does not reflect our experience, whatsoever. While we only spent 14 days on her, we like it so much we booked another two weeks for next year.
Care to elaborate-?! I shared a detailed 30 minute review so it would be helpful for others if you provided more detail on what you mean if your experience differed from mine.