Cabins not ready on boarding

[antsp]

Thanks...good to know that it's not routine. :)

 

don't forget RCCL has weird hours at its buffet, they very often close it during the day

[Astro Flyer]

don't forget RCCL has weird hours at its buffet, they very often close it during the day

That's been my experience but I cannot find my RCCL daily activities listings to "refresh" my memory. ;)

[caribill]

I say lighten up, most other cruiselines do not have the cabins ready for embarkation either. I don't see what the fuss is about, you are on the ship, lunch is served, the terminal chaos is behind you. CHILL.

 

 

Princess asks you to be out of your cabin by 8 AM so the cabin can be prepared for new passengers.

 

The other cruise lines that do not have cabins available when boarding starts let passengers stay in their cabins longer, in some cases until they actually disembark from the ship.

 

So the tradeoff that Princess passengers have been accustomed to is you can have your cabin ready at noon, but at the end of the cruise you should leave your cabin by 8.

 

That is what the fuss is about. Still leave you cabin early at the end of the cruise, but it will not be ready on embarkation day when boarding starts.

[chocolateduck]

on P&O you have to be out of your cabins by 8am as well but the cabins are not normally available til around 2pm

[crochetcruise]

I'll just make sure I have an evening top ready in my carry on with a change of make up, so I can go straight to lunch and then explore the ship when I board! If I can get hold of the current Princess Patter, it's something to read over lunch.

 

Crochetcruise :cool:

[SoCal Cruiser78]

...That is what the fuss is about. Still leave you cabin early at the end of the cruise, but it will not be ready on embarkation day when boarding starts.

 

I just hope this doesn't spread to the shorter coastal cruises on the Grand and Gem-class ships out of L.A. Many, if not most, passengers on these use carry-on luggage only, which will be dragged to the HC if cabins not ready at boarding :(.

Edited May 22, 2015 by SoCal Cruiser78

[Colo Cruiser]

on P&O you have to be out of your cabins by 8am

 

This is the same on Princess. Its only fair to Stewart to get a jump on the cleaning since they are already swamped. :(

[NoWhiners]

I'm also hoping this doesn't become a trend. Waiting to go to our cabin is one of the things we don't like about sailing on HAL.

 

This is interesting--when was your last HAL cruise? They have been doing "cabin ready when you board" for 2-3 years at least. They also let you stay in your cabin until disembarking, which is really nice. And we have always boarded HAL ships at 11 or so. Waiting until noon or later will be different for us--we booked our first Princess cruise for next March.

 

ML

[Astro Flyer]

I just hope this doesn't spread to the shorter coastal cruises on the Grand and Gem-class ships out of L.A. Many, if not most, passengers on these use carry-on luggage only, which will be dragged to the HC if cabins not ready at boarding :(.

I'm not being flippant so excuse my ignorance but what are "Gem-class ships" out of LA? :confused:

 

I thought it might be a typo however I cannot figure out that class of ship. :o

Edited May 22, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[Thrak]

I'm not being flippant so excuse my ignorance but what are "Gem-class ships" out of LA? :confused:

 

I thought it might be a typo however I cannot figure out that class of ship. :o

 

Gem class ships are basically Grand Class with the extra Riviera passenger deck added and a few other changes.

 

Diamond & Sapphire are named for "gems".

 

Many people include Crown, Emerald, and Ruby but I "think" that Princess actually classes those all as Crown Class.

 

Either way it's just a distinction for the evolution from the original Grand Class ships

Edited May 22, 2015 by Thrak

[Thrak]

Princess asks you to be out of your cabin by 8 AM so the cabin can be prepared for new passengers.

 

The other cruise lines that do not have cabins available when boarding starts let passengers stay in their cabins longer, in some cases until they actually disembark from the ship.

 

So the tradeoff that Princess passengers have been accustomed to is you can have your cabin ready at noon, but at the end of the cruise you should leave your cabin by 8.

 

That is what the fuss is about. Still leave you cabin early at the end of the cruise, but it will not be ready on embarkation day when boarding starts.

 

There are so many variables that I'll just wait until our next cruise before worrying about any possible change. I have enough to worry about in daily life without getting upset about some "possible" change to policy.

[seattlec5]

Gem class ships are basically Grand Class with the extra Riviera passenger deck added and a few other changes.

 

Diamond & Sapphire are named for "gems".

 

Many people include Crown, Emerald, and Ruby but I "think" that Princess actually classes those all as Crown Class.

 

Either way it's just a distinction for the evolution from the original Grand Class ships

 

The Diamond and Sapphire do not have the extra deck. They have the same number of passenger decks as the original Grand ships (Grand, Golden, Star). The extra deck started with the Crown Princess modified design.

[Colo Cruiser]

The extra deck started with the Crown Princess modified design.

 

 

No it started with the CB. ;)

[Astro Flyer]

Gem class ships are basically Grand Class with the extra Riviera passenger deck added and a few other changes.

 

Diamond & Sapphire are named for "gems".

 

Many people include Crown, Emerald, and Ruby but I "think" that Princess actually classes those all as Crown Class.

 

Either way it's just a distinction for the evolution from the original Grand Class ships

 

The Diamond and Sapphire do not have the extra deck. They have the same number of passenger decks as the original Grand ships (Grand, Golden, Star). The extra deck started with the Crown Princess modified design.

No it started with the CB. ;)

Thanks for answering my question & for the corrections...I should have been able to figure that out however I had never heard that term used. :o

[seattlec5]

No it started with the CB. ;)

 

Indeed, right you are. I always seem to forget about her, even though I've cruised on her multiple times. She was kind of a transitional design and a bit unique, but still a fine ship, even with the extra deck.

[Loonbeam]

One thing I realized about the original topic.

 

It's no secret that Princess over time has increased the cabin coverage per steward. I would suspect that normally this is not a problem (except maybe for the steward's work/rest time) but it does limit the ability to adapt to disruptions like inspections, which may increase the frequency of delayed cabin availability.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

I'm not being flippant so excuse my ignorance but what are "Gem-class ships" out of LA? :confused:

 

I thought it might be a typo however I cannot figure out that class of ship. :o

 

Sorry for any confusion. As Thrak indicated, there is some uncertainty over Princess ship classes. I couldn't find any official mention of classes on Princess' site, but Wikipedia (FWIW) shows no mention of Gem or Crown-classes at all, with the Crown Princess as well as the gem-named ships all listed as being part of the Grand class, even those built in Japan. So perhaps the terms Gem and Crown-class are just unofficial distinctions used inconsistently by passengers :confused:?

Edited May 22, 2015 by SoCal Cruiser78
clarity

[RickEk]

The official list:

 

Sun-Class

Sun Princess

Dawn Princess

Sea Princess

 

Coral-Class

Coral Princess

Island Princess

 

Grand-Class

Grand Princess

Golden Princess

Star Princess

 

Gem Class

Sapphire Princess

Diamond Princess

 

Caribbean-Class

Caribbean Princess

Crown Princess

Emerald Princess

Ruby Princess

 

Royal-Class

Royal Princess

Regal Princess

 

Small Ships

Pacific Princess

Ocean Princess

[cruisehappy001]

I'm not being flippant so excuse my ignorance but what are "Gem-class ships" out of LA? :confused:

 

I thought it might be a typo however I cannot figure out that class of ship. :o

 

I had read a long time ago that the Gem class designation had to do with the ships built in Japan, the Diamond and Sapphire...

 

Happy Cruising!

 

Mark

 

Edit found this great explanation on Wikipedia:

 

The Grand class is a class of cruise ships. Ships in the class are operated by the cruise lines Princess Cruises or P&O Cruises. The class consists of several series (subclasses) of sister ships, most of which were built by Fincantieri in Monfalcone and Trieste, northern Italy. The first vessel of the original Grand class, the Grand Princess, entered service in 1998.

 

Ships of the later subclasses are based on the Grand class, but have modifications such as additional decks and varied placement of major amenities such as the nightclub and restaurants. The 'Skywalkers' nightclub is a signature element of Princess Cruises' ships in the Grand class and derived classes. The nightclub either overhangs the stern of the ship (Grand and Caribbean classes) or is located just aft of the funnel (Gem and Crown classes).

 

The Gem class of ships is based primarily on the Grand class, but modifies the placement of the Skywalkers nightclub to be just aft of the funnel and also modifies the number of restaurants. The two Gem class ships were built by Mitsubishi in Nagasaki, Japan in 2004.

 

The Caribbean class is the third version of the design and has one additional deck. As in the original Grand class design, the Skywalkers nightclub is suspended on the stern. Caribbean class vessels also pioneered in the introduction of 'Movies Under the Stars', a cruise ship poolside theater, which was later added to other Princess ships.

 

The Crown class is the fourth Princess Cruises version of the Grand class. Crown class ships have returned the placement of the nightclub adjacent to the funnel. Crown class ships also feature 'Movies Under the Stars' like the Caribbean class.

 

The Ventura class has 19 decks like the Crown class. These ships all owned and operated by P&O Cruises and are marketed as Grand class, although they were given the Ventura class designation because they are not owned by Princess and are totally modified internally and externally. The first ship, MV Ventura, features the 'Cirque Ventura', the world's first circus school at sea. Ventura is also the largest ship in the Grand class. The second Ventura class ship is MS Azura, launched in March 2010. Azura has a modified stern and features amenities designed for the general public as compared to Ventura, which is more family oriented.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand-class_cruise_ship

Edited May 22, 2015 by cruisehappy001

[Astro Flyer]

Thanks RickEK, cruisehappy101 & SoCal Cruiser78 for the info.

 

No matter what the official name is for a ship's class as long as I can call it home for as long as possible then I am happy. :D

Edited May 22, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[Tony1878]

I don't know what people are complaining about.

Think about how many cabins have to be cleaned within a very short space of time, if they were not up to standard, you would be the first to complain.

Princess also give set times for embarkation, how many times do we read that passengers take no notice, i'll bet some of these people are the first to complain that the cabin isn't ready.

Get a life....if it's not ready, go and get a coffee, something stronger, go and explore, leave the crew to do their job without pressure and long faces, the ship isn't leaving without you.

[AE_Collector]

I agree. All the ships crew do an amazing job 7 days a week, week after week after month non stop. Turn around day is the worst day for many of them. We can't recall a cabin stewart who wasn't bubbling over with enthusiasm to meet us when we first arrived at our cabin and I can't imagine that they wouldn't let you stow your carry on stuff before heading off for lunch and other exploring.

 

Not worth ruining your day over a cabin that isnt quite ready to go when you first arrive.

 

Terry

[SoCal Cruiser78]

I don't know what people are complaining about.

Think about how many cabins have to be cleaned within a very short space of time, if they were not up to standard, you would be the first to complain...

 

I think people are complaining about a change from the recent past, with cabins not being ready, in some cases, upon boarding on Princess.

 

HAL, last I knew, still allows pax to remain in their cabins until disembarkation, yet has cabins ready shortly after that for embarking passengers.

 

My guess would be that Princess has cutback more than HAL in this area. One other possibility is that HAL stewards I have had in the past seemed to have more experience with the line than those on Princess, in general, so that may be a factor also.

[KruzPrincess]

I want to clarify my previous post. I sailed on the Crown Princess in April and I was given a notice that asked us to refrain from going to out cabins until 1pm. This was NOT the standard staggered boarding notice that we often receive. I was given a sheet of paper when I checked in. To everyone who says it sounds like there is no change, I want to clarify that this is a change. I kept the notice and here is the verbiage:

 

Princess Cruises

 

Dear Passenger:

 

We are pleased to welcome you onboard, however, we have not be (sic) able to fully prepare your stateroom for embarkation. We kindly ask that you do not proceed to your stateroom until after 1:00pm. In the meantime enjoy discovering the vessel or make use of one of our dining areas for dinner or a snack as listed below:

 

(list of open dining venues)

 

All efforts are being made to have your stateroom ready by 1:00pm, with your

Stateroom Steward available to welcome you onboard and assist throughout the cruise.

 

Please note that there is no luggage holing area so we kindly request that you keep your hand luggage with you until your staterooms are available.

 

Wishing you an excellent cruise onboard Crown Princess.

 

Passenger Services

[SoCal Cruiser78]

...No matter what the official name is for a ship's class as long as I can call it home for as long as possible then I am happy. :D

 

I agree :).