Back from Golden...The good and the bad...

[Bruin Steve]

We were on the Golden November 23 sailing out of LA...Three nights, Ensenada and back...Had a balcony cabin on Aloha deck. This is the second year in a row that we've taken the exact same cruise--Sunday through Wednesday just before Thanksgiving.

 

The GOOD:

1) You can't beat the price. At $269 pp, $65 in taxes and fees and a $100 pp onboard credit, you can't afford NOT to go. Total bill came out to $668. The OBC went to tips, the wine tasting shore excursion in Ensenada and a couple of drinks each. We spent $7.42 over that onboard. And we "carpooled" to the pier with my sister and brother-in-law, so $18 for parking each...So, the entire three nights came to a grand total of $693.42. Where else in Southern California can you get away for three nights and spend less than $700--including room, travel, food, drink and entertainment?

 

2) The food. Absolutely great. Not one bad meal. No lobster (except the Lobster Bisque), but everything else was top-notch...and very tasty.

 

3) Dining Room service. Once you got seated (I'll get to that later), the service was great. Waiters were attentive and very personable.

 

4) Wine tour excursion. We did the tour to LA Cetto and Dona Lupe. Very nice. Guides were great. Lots of fun. Very pleasant way to spend one's time in Ensenada (Of course, we've done this tour before). And they send everyone home with a free bottle of red wine from LA Cetto.

 

5) Embarkation and Disembarkation. Both went incredibly smooth and quick. Despite emails from Princess telling us to arrive at 2:00 pm, we knew enough to ignore them and showed up at around 11:30...and were on the ship before noon. Despite notices that the cabins would not be ready until 1:00, they were ready when we boarded. And it was great to be able to eat lunch in the main dining room rather than the buffet upon boarding--one thing Princess really gets right. For disembarkation, with just one small rolling carry-on each, we didn't check our bags...left the room by 8, had a nice sit-down breakfast, then walked off--with almost nothing in the way of a line, at about 9:15...

 

The BAD:

1) Anytime Dining. No way around this one: Princess does the worst job with this on the seas. Show up anytime other than 5:30 and you wait in a long line. Show up between 7:00-8:00 and they give you a beeper and tell you to go wait in a bar for up to an hour. We've cruised with several different cruise lines, multiple times on most. We consistently show up for dinner on RCCL and Celebrity at 7:00 to 7:15 and have NEVER had to wait for a table. NEVER. So, why Princess? For one, they don't ask for ID to ascertain you're actually booked in Anytime. People get assigned to Traditional, but show up to Anytime...so, the numbers don't work. Traditional dining rooms were half empty, anytime was jammed with long lines and beepers. Three quarters of the ship competing for less than half the dining room seats. Only on Princess.

 

1a) Anytime Reservations. So, they told us we could make reservations. NOT for the first night, but for nights 2 and 3. We just couldn't make them until the same day--after 8:00 am. Well, actually, we got conflicting information--some crew told us we couldn't. One person told us we could--and gave us the wrong number. So, day two, we called around 9:00 am and were told they had no reservations left--we should have called closer to 8:00 am. So, day three, I got up from breakfast a couple of minutes before 8 and found the phone in the dining room...and called at PRECISELY 8:00 am. I was put on hold...hold music for about 60 seconds--then disconnected. This happened FOUR times. I asked the Maître d' about this. He tried to call for us (there was another woman waiting as well. He was cut off twice but finally got through and handed the phone to me at 8:08. I was told, "sorry reservations at early times were already gone--only 8:00 and later were left!" We ended up having to eat at 5:30 every night just to avoid the lines and beepers. Not my idea of "Anytime".

 

2) The Credit Card snafu. On the last night of the cruise, late at night, settled in to see a show in the Vista Lounge, we tried to order drinks. The Bar Waiter took my card, then returned to tell me my card wasn't working for some unknown reason. So, he took my wife's card, then came back again with the same result. I was forced to leave the show and head down to the Purser's desk to find out what the matter was. I was told that my credit card was rejected. I asked what credit card they were showing (This was all starting to make some sense)...A couple of months before the cruise, there was a "security breach" that Capital One responded to by issuing everyone new cards with new numbers. But I had anticipated this issue by going on to the Princess website and changing the credit card number. However, somehow, the ship's computer was still showing the original credit card. But why didn't this come up earlier in the cruise? At check-in? (I can't recall if they asked for my card at check-in--most cruise lines do). First day? Whatever the case, the guest relations person I was dealing with insisted that we should have gotten a letter to our cabin. NO, we didn't. Could they produce a copy of this mysterious notice letter? Of course not. I was just a tad upset. I was missing the show, my wife wasn't getting her drink. I was asked to just give her my credit card--but, of course, like most cruisers, I don't carry my wallet while on the ship, that's back in the safe in the cabin. I was obviously angry--but I do NOT curse or use foul language--I never have, it's just not me, and I certainly did nothing of the kind here. But, for some reason, the purser at the next station, "Stephen", broke into the conversation and started yelling at me, loudly, berating and criticizing me...in front of all of the other guests and all. Unreal. Finally, the original purser told me she would re-authorize the account, but I had to return, as soon as possible, with a new credit card. I went back to the lounge, told my wife she could order a drink, then I went back to my cabin (clear other end of the ship) and got my credit card and returned to the Purser's desk. It being late on the last night of the cruise, I again had to wait on a long line behind lots of folks settling their bills, to present a purser with my credit card. I was told that they could only officially re-open my account if I first paid off the now-balance of $7.42 first.

 

Anyway, instead of enjoying my last night on this short three night cruise, I spent most of my time on line at the Guest Relations desk, being hassled and berated by ship's crew and waiting on long lines--over $7.42 in charges. I understand that the ship doesn't like to be owed money without having a valid credit card in place as security...but, here, I DID actually give them the valid card number well before the cruise...and, they had every opportunity to notify me of an issue before late on the last night...and had the audacity to make up the "we sent a notice letter to your cabin" excuse--when they clearly didn't. Princess--treat your passengers like guests, not like criminals...

 

3) The showroom. This is a problem we've noticed on all Princess ships--the Showroom is far too small in scale for the number of passengers onboard. If these sites are correct...

 

http://archives.starbulletin.com/2002/03/31/travel/story3.html

 

http://www.dandgmedia.com/ships/golden-princess

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyng883/sets/72157594427771930/comments/

 

...it seats only 748 passengers for a show. The ship sails with over 3,000 passengers onboard. The result is that there is clearly nowhere near the needed seating, even with two shows a night. On a three night cruise with only one port stop, people actually want to go to the shows. We showed up TWENTY MINUTES before the curtain on the second night for the magician's 8:15 show and there was already not an available seat in the house--not even a handicapped seat for my sister who was just coming off back surgery immediately prior to the cruise. We only got "lucky" in that there was a group of 18 hearing impaired people onboard and someone had blocked off a large group of seats in the front corner for them--and, when some didn't show just a couple of minutes prior to show time, they conceded us the last two seats in the first two rows.

 

4) Cabins. We've cruised Princess a few time and knew what to expect. My sister and brother-in-law were only on their second Princess cruise (their first was to Alaska many years ago). They walked into their cabin and were shocked: "This is TINY"...They were more accustomed to Royal Caribbean and Celebrity--where the "standard" cabin has a sitting room area with a sofa and a coffee table. Yet, here they were in the alleged 190 square foot balcony cabin with only room for a bed and a chair. Huh? The issue is the configuration, not the size. Princess places the bathroom and closet off of a hallway--wasted space--which takes away a large number of square footage from the cabin. In order to get a similar cabin design to Celebrity/RCCL--with the sitting area--you need to move up to a Minisuite. OTOH, the Princess closet is larger--and with more shelf space. Of course, all of that extra storage room means absolutely nothing on a three-night cruise (really means little on a seven night cruise as well).

 

Answers?:

 

On #4, little they can do on existing ships. We all just have to live with it. And, of course, there are worse issues than having to deal with cramped space and no sofa.

 

On #3, sort of hard to remedy that on existing ships as well. Perhaps add a third show, though that may be difficult. They do claim to have a "no saving seats" policy, but we all know that is impractical. People do legitimately save seats to allow their spouse to go to the rest room--or other issues like that...and no one wants to get into arguments with someone saving seats for their family. Only real answer is to show up 45 minutes to an hour early for a show. I guess there's another reason to rush through dinner at 5:30.

 

On #2, it's understandable in part--that they need the card...Not understandable that they couldn't have handled it better--with some prior check and notice...and certainly not understandable that they would make up the "letter to the cabin" thing...or that a Guest Relations officer would yell at and argue with a guest. Princess, train your people in these jobs to say things like "I can understand why you are angry" and "I apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused you" and "Let's see what we can do to quickly fix the problem and allow you to enjoy your time with us". Really, it's not that hard. Oh, and believe it or not, when I came back with the card, there was another crew member at the desk shouting at another passenger over a different issue that this guest was unhappy with. Oh, another hint, Princess: When you do have a case with an extremely disgruntled passenger, consider having a nearby office you can ask them to step into to discuss it in private--out of earshot of all of the other passengers.

 

On #1, that one is VERY fixable. Go study how other lines work it. REQUIRE that people without an Anytime assignment CANNOT show up at the Anytime Dining Room and get seated. EVER. Allow enough seating in Anytime to accommodate the numbers assigned (Of course, there is a small problem in that Princess ships are designed with three or four smaller, separate dining rooms rather than one big one--it takes away the flexibility and it is not easy to lead Anytime diners from Deck 6 to Deck 5 for seating or from one part of the ship to another). Or either do away with Traditional (or Anytime) entirely. If you do away with Traditional, develop some sort of system (posted around the ship or accessible on free internet) telling people where the table availability is (or what the wait time is in each dining venue) at any particular time. Royal Caribbean actually has such a system for specialty and alternate dining on its Oasis-class ships. But, really, just enforcing Anytime status would go a long way towards resolving the issues--so long as you've allotted the adequate number of tables for the number of Anytime diners allowed.

 

OVERALL:

Hey, for the money, it is a nice cruise. Clearly head and shoulders above Carnival--which is the only competition right now in the Los Angeles short cruise market. But, yes, there are some MAJOR problems...OTOH, it's not like we paid top dollar, so, I guess the old maxim "You get what you pay for" is pretty much on the mark here. But, would I go if the prices were higher? Perhaps. Would I cruise with Princess if Celebrity or Royal Caribbean or Oceania were in the same market? Probably not. I like my cruises uncrowded, stress-free and comfortable. This one is merely "okay"...Not terrible, but lacking in many areas. Worth the money, sure...and beats the current competition--but in this market only. I wish they were better...

[paul929207]

Thanks for the comments

[shredie]

Sorry you had problems, but, as you say, these little cruises are worth the money. I've done a few this year and have more booked for next year. I agree with you about the theater and the magic show. We had pretty much the same experience--they were turning people away a half hour before the scheduled show. (The the show itself I didn't think was up to the hype--but that may have been just me.) I never do Anytime, always Traditional. You are right that the TD dining rooms are half full. It's a problem for people there if their assigned table mates never show up and they are left sitting alone at a table for eight (happened to us once.) Oh well, I guess it turned out to be a coveted table for two. :) One maybe unexpected bonus was that Skywalker's was not crowded during PES lounge. I think these little cruises attract more new cruisers rather than the veterans (all those greedy people trying to become Elite, haha. ;)) Perhaps the influx of new cruisers contributes to the frustration at passenger services, but, as you say, there is no excuse for becoming hostile toward a passenger. One added blessing for me is that I have come to appreciate the Golden more. She was traditionally my least favorite ship in the fleet, but I've now warmed to her. We have a two-week voyage on her next month, so this is a good thing. ;)

[Bruin Steve]

I agree with you about the theater and the magic show. We had pretty much the same experience--they were turning people away a half hour before the scheduled show. (The the show itself I didn't think was up to the hype--but that may have been just me.)

 

Since you brought it up, I'll talk a little about the magic show...

I pretty much agree with you--definitely NOT up to the hype.

 

The show was "Hawley Magic"...and the act was, apparently, on "America's Got Talent". Even though we watch AGT, we really didn't recall this guy...

 

I thought the show was absolutely pedestrian. Very standard magic "tricks": Lady goes into a box, flaming arrows stabbed through holes in side of box, box opened, no lady...and all the similar tricks...I know exactly how they work, I've seen them countless times. Zero originality.

 

What made it even less entertaining was that there was no talking, no repartee, no audience involvement. They pretty much went trick by trick without explanation, segues or humor...

 

I have seen magic acts that were even bad at the tricks, but, because the magician showed personality and humor, the acts actually felt, overall, good and entertaining...This one was 45 minutes of "filler".

 

OTOH, there was a comedian onboard--who we saw perform second night in the Vista Lounge--Derrick Cameron--who was quite entertaining. They should have switched the shows around, as far as I am concerned. Cameron also played late Tuesday night. I would have liked to have seen that show. Unfortunately, I was busy at the Guest Relations Desk!

Edited November 29, 2014 by Bruin Steve

[Cruisin' Chick]

That's a shame about the credit card situation. We have always had the check-in clerk ask for the credit card to use on board. Which is good because I'm the one who fills in the cruise personalizer for us and I often just put in my number.

 

Since I'm a die-hard fan of traditional dining, I think the solution would be to require anyone at the anytime door to show their cruise card to indicate that they are signed up for anytime (if someone has made the switch, a sticker can be placed on their card if new ones can't be issued). But really, TAs and Princess booking clerks need to remind anyone requesting traditional that they won't be allowed in that type of dining. If we don't make our seating (extremely rare), we happily go to the Horizon.

 

If anytime diners seem to want to dine at basically the same time, that's another matter.

[Bruin Steve]

We have always had the check-in clerk ask for the credit card to use on board.

 

You know, that is my experience on close to 40 cruises now--they always ask for the card at check-in. I just don't recall, exactly, them doing that this time--though, if it had happened, we obviously would have given them the correct card as we no longer have the discontinued one... Whether the card number was supposed to be on file based on what I typed into the website...or if it should have been on file because they took the card at check-in, either way, having the wrong number would have been Princess' fault...And not figuring this out until late on the last night...and not sending us any kind of notification...was definitely Princess' fault...

[ar1950]

You know, that is my experience on close to 40 cruises now--they always ask for the card at check-in. I just don't recall, exactly, them doing that this time--....................

 

After not cruising for a few years, we were a little surprised last November when the only thing they said at check-in was "do you want to use the same credit card that you registered on line?". And after two additional cruises (the last one on the Golden 4 weeks ago) the same has happened. Never needed to show a credit card.

 

I can see how the screw-up that you experienced could have happened and agree that it wasn't handled well at all. I will now ask which card number they have on file before just saying yes, use that one. No one wants a hassle like you had to experience.

[cvpends]

You know, that is my experience on close to 40 cruises now--they always ask for the card at check-in. I just don't recall, exactly, them doing that this time--though, if it had happened, we obviously would have given them the correct card as we no longer have the discontinued one... Whether the card number was supposed to be on file based on what I typed into the website...or if it should have been on file because they took the card at check-in, either way, having the wrong number would have been Princess' fault...And not figuring this out until late on the last night...and not sending us any kind of notification...was definitely Princess' fault...

You are correct, they did not ask for a card at check-in this time. Your situation was a lesson for us all, especially in this era if credit security breaches. I have been sent many new cards in the last few years for reasons similar to yours.

[cvpends]

We had the same experience on this cruise with seating in the theater. This jogs my memory about something: a while back Princess shortened their shows, with the claim that they could then offer three a night so more passengers could watch them. For several cruises after that I recall three shows. Now it seems like we are back to two. Is this now the policy?

[Pam in CA]

Thanks for the review. I agree that Princess does a lousy job with Anytime. Always has, likely always will.

 

As for the cabin layout, that's a matter of personal preference. For me, the closet area is not wasted space as I like having that large open area and the door to the bathroom off of the closet rather than in the hallway. Tiniest cabin I've ever had was on Celebrity. Awful. I paid a small fortune for a "nice" balcony cabin. Yes, it had a couch and table but they were unusable unless you pushed the desk chair completely under the desk. If you were using the desk, the table had to be pushed so it was partially covering the couch. The cabin was so narrow that from the end of the bed to the wall was 11", the length of a piece of paper. No mini-frig, no WiFi, etc. :(

[SoCal Cruiser78]

Thanks for the review. I wanted to be on that cruise, but had other commitments.

 

I was on a 4-nighter last September on the Golden, and had a different type of credit card issue. At boarding they just asked if I want to use the CC # on file, with no problem there as my # had not changed.

 

What they did do onboard, my bank said, was put a hold on my CC every day of the cruise for far more than I had charged, so it is odd that they waited until the last day to notify you about your situation. In addition, the holds (totaling well over $1K) did not drop off my account after the cruise. I checked with my bank, and they said Princess did not properly release them, so I had to get ahold of someone at Princess in Santa Clarita finally do it. Arrgh.

 

I also agree with you about ATD. I did it for the first time last cruise. I was also told no reservations, period, for ATD that cruise. It worked out okay for me, solo this trip, as I like to eat early and got there around 5:30 to beat the lines and get a seat for the shows. If you like to eat later, forget it. I don't think I will do ATD again. I'll just book traditional, and go to the HC or an upcharge venue if I want to eat at a different time one night.

 

The cabins on Princess do seem small, layout or not. I generally have no problem with an inside on HAL or Celebrity, but on Princess I insist on an OV or better to feel less closed in.

 

I agree with you about being a good value. I'm booked for another shortie on the Golden in the spring, my first time in a Caribe balcony, with traditional dining.

[shepp]

Sorry to disagree, but I've done Anytime for five cruises now. I usually go down around 7:45 or 8:00, my usual dining time, and the only time I had a really appreciable wait was on New Year's Eve. And that includes lots of requests for two-tops. I'm thinking that maybe the super-short cruises attract pax who are less likely to go for Traditional, and that swamps ATD?

Edited November 29, 2014 by shepp

[shredie]

I'm thinking that maybe the super-short cruises attract pax who are less likely to go for Traditional, and that swamps ATD?

 

That is exactly right. Another problem is that some of the newbies don't realize they have been assigned Traditional in the first place. I have met a few on various cruises who said they thought TD was a fee restaurant, too. Some think TD and ATD are interchangeable, not either/or. The solution is to check the cards at the door and direct people accordingly.

[msmoger]

Sorry to disagree, but I've done Anytime for five cruises now. I usually go down around 7:45 or 8:00, my usual dining time, and the only time I had a really appreciable wait was on New Year's Eve. And that includes lots of requests for two-tops. I'm thinking that maybe the super-short cruises attract pax who are less likely to go for Traditional, and that swamps ATD?

 

I have to agree with Shepp. We've done ATD on 7 out of our 8 Princess cruises and have never had a long wait. I will admit we probably eat later than most folks (8:00 to 8:30), but even with a pager the wait has never been longer than 15 minutes. I also think the nature of this cruise probably contributed to the problems.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Wow, I like easy and hassle free on vacation and for a short trip would hate to spend precious time at Passenger Services as you did...what a drag!

 

That winery tour escursion in Ensenada was fun...saw it recommended on CC and have recommended it to others in turn..what a great value!

Edited November 29, 2014 by sunsetbeachgal

[Woobstr112G]

OP;

 

Thanks for taking the time you posted your comments. I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise.....:):):)

 

Bob

[KarateMan]

3) The showroom. This is a problem we've noticed on all Princess ships--the Showroom is far too small in scale for the number of passengers onboard. If these sites are correct...

 

http://archives.starbulletin.com/2002/03/31/travel/story3.html

 

http://www.dandgmedia.com/ships/golden-princess

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lyng883/sets/72157594427771930/comments/

 

...it seats only 748 passengers for a show. The ship sails with over 3,000 passengers onboard. The result is that there is clearly nowhere near the needed seating, even with two shows a night. On a three night cruise with only one port stop, people actually want to go to the shows. We showed up TWENTY MINUTES before the curtain on the second night for the magician's 8:15 show and there was already not an available seat in the house--not even a handicapped seat for my sister who was just coming off back surgery immediately prior to the cruise. We only got "lucky" in that there was a group of 18 hearing impaired people onboard and someone had blocked off a large group of seats in the front corner for them--and, when some didn't show just a couple of minutes prior to show time, they conceded us the last two seats in the first two rows...

 

The issue I take with this part is that you have given the incorrect information about the number of passengers on the ship.

 

Golden Princess can only take around 2,600. It is the Crown, Emerald, Ruby and Caribbean that have an extra deck on top which enable them to carry well over 3,300 passengers.

 

The complaint about the theatre would be more fitting for those ships.

 

Also out of all the ships I have sailed on the size is pretty standard and you cannot get much bigger on many other ships. Then again the Golden Princess at 109,000 tons is of no comparison to ships like the Oasis at around 220,000tons.

[cvpends]

The issue I take with this part is that you have given the incorrect information about the number of passengers on the ship.

 

Golden Princess can only take around 2,600. It is the Crown, Emerald, Ruby and Caribbean that have an extra deck on top which enable them to carry well over 3,300 passengers.

 

The complaint about the theatre would be more fitting for those ships.

 

Also out of all the ships I have sailed on the size is pretty standard and you cannot get much bigger on many other ships. Then again the Golden Princess at 109,000 tons is of no comparison to ships like the Oasis at around 220,000tons.

Even if the numbers are off the complaint is valid WRT Golden: we arrived 30 minutes before that same magic show and it was already full. We had to stand along the side for those 30 minutes plus the entire show time.

[crackupforlaughs]

We had the same credit card fiasco on our relo one-nighter this past Sept.on the Golden. My credit card had been breached, but I changed it to the new number on the cruise personalizer. I ALSO gave the new card at check-in.

 

Alas, on a one-night cruise, and during prime entertainment time, our drinks were rejected (in front of others who we just met:eek:), and I had to go to the purser's desk to find out what was going on.

 

He (forgot name) told me I had to deal with the credit card company - that they were not honoring the card. Yada, yada, yada... almost an hour later it turns out that Princess has the wrong card number, ie., the breached one!

 

So, despite having changed it on the personalizer and verifying it at check-in, the new number didn't make it onto the folio and I spent over an hour of our 17 hour cruise on the phone for no reason with the credit card company. Granted, once the guest relations guy found out, he was apologetic, but really...?

 

It was a great cruise, though, and we introduced friends to Princess through it (they loved it, but having gone on Disney, NCL, HAL and RC, for some reason they found the configuration of the ship hard to navigate...?)

[KarateMan]

Even if the numbers are off the complaint is valid WRT Golden: we arrived 30 minutes before that same magic show and it was already full. We had to stand along the side for those 30 minutes plus the entire show time.

 

So you mean to tell me you think Princess should have built a bigger theatre sacrificing other passenger deck space for events that only occur for a total duration of 90 minutes (3x 30 minute shows) and then have a massive empty theatre not being used the rest of the time. I personally think it is a fairly decent size considering the size of the ship.

[avalon1025]

Thanks for the review. I agree that Princess does a lousy job with Anytime. Always has, likely always will.

 

As for the cabin layout, that's a matter of personal preference. For me, the closet area is not wasted space as I like having that large open area and the door to the bathroom off of the closet rather than in the hallway. Tiniest cabin I've ever had was on Celebrity. Awful. I paid a small fortune for a "nice" balcony cabin. Yes, it had a couch and table but they were unusable unless you pushed the desk chair completely under the desk. If you were using the desk, the table had to be pushed so it was partially covering the couch. The cabin was so narrow that from the end of the bed to the wall was 11", the length of a piece of paper. No mini-frig, no WiFi, etc. :(

 

Funny, every cabin I've had on celebrity was larger than a Princess equivalent, with perfect wifi

Edited November 30, 2014 by avalon1025

[cvpends]

So you mean to tell me you think Princess should have built a bigger theatre sacrificing other passenger deck space for events that only occur for a total duration of 90 minutes (3x 30 minute shows) and then have a massive empty theatre not being used the rest of the time. I personally think it is a fairly decent size considering the size of the ship.

 

No, I did not tell you that I think that nor did I imply it, but thank you for trying to read my mind :D I think a solution would be to indeed have those three shows a night that you mention. They used to do that but now they seem to have cut back to two, for the last few cruises I've been on. Also, since we are talking facts, it is simply not true that the Princess Theater is empty besides that 90 minutes a day. I have seen it used for movies, naturalist talks, cooking demonstrations, dance lessons, lectures, talks/tours with the singers and dancers, shopping talks, port talks, gemstone shows, etc., depending on the itinerary -- and it is also used by the performers for their rehearsals, which seems like a perfectly valid and important use of that "massive empty theater."

[pablo222]

The issue I take with this part is that you have given the incorrect information about the number of passengers on the ship.

 

Golden Princess can only take around 2,600..

 

Golden Princess -- 2600 lower berths; 3082 all berths

 

My experience with holiday cruises has been that kids

take up seats in the show lounge, just like adults.

(And, certainly have a right to)

 

Sorry, KM.

[KarateMan]

No, I did not tell you that I think that nor did I imply it, but thank you for trying to read my mind :D I think a solution would be to indeed have those three shows a night that you mention. They used to do that but now they seem to have cut back to two, for the last few cruises I've been on. Also, since we are talking facts, it is simply not true that the Princess Theater is empty besides that 90 minutes a day. I have seen it used for movies, naturalist talks, cooking demonstrations, dance lessons, lectures, talks/tours with the singers and dancers, shopping talks, port talks, gemstone shows, etc., depending on the itinerary -- and it is also used by the performers for their rehearsals, which seems like a perfectly valid and important use of that "massive empty theater."

 

Three shows seems reasonable.

 

I for one would hate back row seats in that theatre so expanding it would probably not win them any fans. Even with the first quoted number of seats there is no way three shows would cater to all passengers.

 

I suspect the idea around the theatre size was the realisation that they also have the mid-ship and aft show lounges to run shows simultaneously.

 

Perhaps the sense of contracting known popular performers to three shows an evening would be idea.

 

Of my observations of the ship I know its theatre size is very generous compared to some ships. Check out how big the theatre is on the Sun class.

[Coral]

I usually choose Traditional Dining. When in Traditional dining, the dining room is almost always full, each night. Unless we are in port over dinner time.

 

I then come back from my cruise and read CC when people often say "Traditional dining was empty and everyone went to the Anytime dining rooms" on the same cruise I was on.

 

Did the OP actually go down to see if Traditional Dining room was empty? Is it possible that the majority of people who had Anytime Dining actually showed up at the same time, which would cause the bottleneck the OP talked about. Most Head Waiters will admit that most people prefer to dine at 7 which obviously causes problems in Anytime dining when it comes to reservations as you can't seat people at those tables at 6 or 8, only 5:30 and 9 if you take reservations at 7. Thus, they often don't for that time.

Edited November 30, 2014 by Coral