We sailed the Sun Princess Dec 29 from Costa Rica, and it was just awful. Very little a/c in public and private rooms..seems when in port they closed it altogether, the guest even got a petition going in the gym ....service by staff who barely spoke and understood English....requests at mealtime never met and room service extremely limited in their selection.(they could not supply oil and vinegar for my salad, only regular salad dressing)..the Horizon dining room in the evening had the same menu throughout the 10 days....during the breakfast and lunch buffet you were requested to vacate your seat promptly upon finishing your meal-IMAGINE!!...attendants were only there to clean, so when they saw you manoeuvering your plates and drinks to find a table, they just stood by and watched....there was a bouncer outside the disco to card the 18 yr olds to make sure they were 18 and not 17 1/2 (this on a vacation vessel!!)...altho it is true the purser at the front desk told me this was an 'adult' cruise...(wish their brochure said so, then I would have taken another liner)....at Domenica a terrible septic tank stench reaked havoc on the ship and the smell remained in the carpeting etc for the balance of the cruise - but if you asked any of the staff, they didn't have an anwer to what the problem was, just shrugged....my dinnertime request of sugar free mousse was never adhered to so on day 4 I stopped asking for it, even though I arranged it day 1 with the Head Waiter....people complained of having to pay for ice cream at the ice cream parlor altho I did not have that treat...the pizza on the other hand was scrumptious....all in all I had an uncomfortable experience on a ship that says it is Grand Class cruising...this was certainly not so give me NCL or RCL anytime, but Princess can keep her ships..there will be no repeat cruises for this family, and the pity is that my teens have now been discouraged to sail again which is a pity since this was their first experience on a cruise

<BR>Good grief Natalie, how could a cruise be so bad on a ship that is only 5 1/2 years old. <BR> <BR>Granted the food is only average on Princess but atleast you liked the pizza, I hated it! <BR> <BR>About time they started carding in the disco. I wish all ships would do this. If you ever saw what goes on after hours on ships with drunken children you would be apalled (or maybe not). Even 18 year-olds are not mature enough to handle liquor. <BR> <BR>Sugar free mousse? Give me a break. You better stay away from cruising or any vacation for that matter. <BR> <BR>Paul <BR> <BR>

What's with the attack, Paul? She was expressing an opinion. It was much more valuable than your reply!

Paul, <BR> <BR>Are you for real?! There are no drunken kids on the Princess line in Disco's since the drinking age is 21 and they have very tight control....As for sugar free desserts, is it your opinion that diabetics should not travel. If you have any travel knowledge of cruise ships, then you must know that they do cater to dietary meal requirements, including Kosher and Muslim if that be required....As for carding kids in the disco, if you read my original piece properly, I said that they carded the 17 yr old who was with her 18,19,and 20 yr old friends she met on the ship....obviously she is very mature or they are too immature, at any event the ideal that they would not let the younger one in without using judgement was the issue - not drunken 18 yr olds!!!

<BR>Natalie, rules are rules they are not made to be broken. You think wrong. <BR> <BR>Security are not police. You would be astounded at the number of drunken teenagers on all these mass-market cruises milling about after hours. They have special transportation back to the cabins .. it's called a wheelchair. I can tell you stories that will make your hair stand on end. Parents do not care. I know, I talk to everyone. <BR> <BR>Of course they have special dietary menus but you must order them in advance. You should have told your travel agent to do this ..... in advance. The cruise line must order your food in advance from their supplier. <BR> <BR>They do not make up a dessert sauce, they buy it! They feed thousands of passengers. I do not think one can take sugar out of a sauce. Why couldn't you just choose one of the hundreds of other desserts? <BR> <BR>You would have a better chance of a cruise line catering to your whims by cruising Silversea, Seabourne, Crystal or Radisson. They would go out and purchase your special desert at the first port. I have seen this happen. But these cruises are the price of a small automobile. <BR> <BR>I have been on 67 cruises and I am a pretty darn good travel agent. Cruising is a terrific reasonable vacation. I can not understand what you expected and I still can not understand how you ran into all those difficulties unless you were looking for them. <BR> <BR>Sorry to offend you but I believe you are being a tad unreasonable and you should settle down. <BR> <BR>Paul <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Paul, I think you need tutoring for comprehension. Where do I talk about sugar free sauces? What is a sugar free sauce? <BR> <BR>I know from past sailings and from this sailing that there is indeed a sugar free dessert on every meal menu....the mousse is made from a mix and is in almost every sugar free dessert with added things like puff pastry, or sugar free cakes, or sugar free pie crusts...all this makes for a sugar free dessert....ALL I ASKED FOR WAS THE MOUSSE ALONE IN A DISH...what is difficult about that and why should it have to be requested in advance of sailing, if the head waiter agreed to it while on board. THAT IS MY POINT....HE AGREED TO HAVE IT FOR ME AND DID NOT COMPLY....as for drunken teenagers you should have seen the drunken adults on that ship....what does being a teenager have to do with drunkeness...what I wanted was for the doorman to have common sense in letting the 17 yr old show that she could be as mature as her 18,19 + 20 yr old shipboard friends and allow her in to the disco instead of alienating her. <BR> <BR>Please do not misunderstand my reply, but you are a very frustrating travel agent.....

Another irresponsible parent! If the age restriction was 18 and your kid was 17, SHE WAS TOO YOUNG TO GO IN! Why are you teaching your kid that rules aren't meant to be enforced? And the idea that kids one or two years older are old enough to supervise a 17 year old is laughable. <BR> <BR>You are giving all parents a bad name, dear.

<BR>Nathalie - I cannot believe that you are blaming a cruise line FOR ENFORCING THEIR RULES!!!! A 17 year old is NOT ALLOWED in any bar or club anywhere in the USA where liquor is served - IT IS ILLEGAL!!!!! It is parents like you who think their little angels can do no wrong that spoil cruise vacations for the rest of us! <BR>As for the dietary request - did talk to the maire'd after the head waiter did not accomomdate your request? Did you contact Princess Customer Service after the cruise to make them aware of the situation. Did you also let your travel agent know in advance WHEN BOOKING that you required a special diet? Where is YOUR responsibility in your actions?

<BR>FYI: The drinking age on cruise ships is 21. <BR> <BR>They will be carded at the bar if they attempt to purchase liquor. <BR> <BR>It is a fine idea to card at the entrance since kids, once they are in the bar area, will find some adult that will buy them drinks ....... and we all know what happens to sweet young "mature" girls after that. <BR> <BR>Paul

Sorry Paul, but you must just be lucky. <BR>I had similar problems on a Carnival tour. <BR> <BR>Sorry Natalie, I've sailed Princess many times and have had great times each time. <BR> <BR>I'm beginning to think that individual captains and crews have more to do with a ship's service than the cruise line that runs the boat.

Having sailed on several cruise lines including Princess,I would like to say that I honestly wish ALL lines would enforce the rules.Not all teens are rowdy,loud and or rude.I have seen some so-called adults who were in desperate need of some common sense manners! <BR>On the other hand, I have seen a few parents who bring their kids on a cruise, turn them loose to run wild and spoil everyone elses vacation!It seems that some have the idea that'I paid for the trip,therefore we/they can do as we/they please and no one better say anything! <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

<BR> <BR>Natalie, you should be glad you were on a cruise ship that tried to enforce the rules and maintain some order! <BR>We just returned from the Carnival Victory,full capacity!There were ,it seemed, several hundred kids of all ages running wild! Honestly,I would be hard pressed to say who conducted themselves worse, the kids or so-called parents!If there were any rules or regulatios, they were apparently left behind in Miami!Be thankful you were on a cruise line that at least tried! <BR>Princess is a fine cruise line,but maybe it's not your 'cup of tea'. <BR>Happy Sails!

Sorry you did not have a good time. After taking multiple cruises, we have found that we like the Princess Line much better than others. Our experiences with Princess have been great. Food preparation and service has been better than some other cruise and overall staff were always very helpful. It does sound like you need another cruise line that provides more of a party atmosphere.

To Prince or not to Princess??? <BR> <BR>We have sailed on six (6) cruise lines and so far -- Princess seems to do the best job. We have sailed the Sun and the Ocean. Both were outstanding! <BR> <BR>The only meal I would pass on was the buffalo. <BR> <BR>On the Ocean -- I met two individuals that seemed to find fault with everything. I talked with them off and on all week. But I think they would have complained about the Titanic... <BR> <BR>Drinking -- the cruise line that did not enforce drinking age was Commodore out of New Orleans. We went in June (four years ago) and there were some 250 senior highs, many had been signed up as adults. Their sponsors sat the the bar drinking and buying drinks for their kids. Some friends went with us -- and they did not have one full nights sleep because of noise in the rooms next to them and in the hall. Some dozen youth were thrown off the ship and had to get back by some other way. <BR> <BR>Lesson -- learned...be careful in June; could find youth celebrating.... <BR> <BR>Anew