"Club" Dining---Pure snobbery or a good idea?

[skynight]

Bad idea to separate passengers by class. Want to earn more revenue and sell out ships at higher fares, have club quality meals and service for all passengers. Word will spread quickly that Princess is the place to be.

[Mommypig]

They could just as easily call it First PRICE, Business PRICE and Second PRICE.

 

It is nothing to do with class just a term to designate the differences and all to do with the PRICE you pay.

 

Pay more, get more :)

 

 

This is exactly true. And since I would rather cruise more I prefer to pay less. So I could care less about "the suite life" or Celebrity's aqua class. Some people like to be pampered and don't care how much it costs. And that's fine. Maybe they are snobs, but maybe I am a snob of a different kind by my turning my nose up at the amenities I won't pay for.

[EZ2CY]

The more I think about this new Club Class dining merely being a sectioned off portion of the MDR with "upgraded" decor and a few added selections on the menu, the more I wonder WHY anyone would be willing to pay the price difference for a Club Class mini. Wouldn't it be a better experience all around to just dine in one of the speciality restaurants? What am I missing here?

 

If Club Class (hate the name by the way) came with meals in the specialty restaurants included or deeply discounted, maybe THAT would have been a better idea all around? :confused:

[deise17311]

I have mentioned this before (and gotten flamed for the trouble) but the idea of a "roped off" section of the regular dining room for the Club people will encourage any snobbery that might already exist. Of course all people who pay for higher priced cabins are not snobs, but there will be at least a few on every cruise. It's human nature. (Look at the black-card waving snobs we hear about all the time.) If the non-Club passengers can see the Club passengers receiving special treatment, and if any of the Club passengers make it known that they are the "special" ones, resentment will ensue. It would make more sense, IMO, to give the Club people their own private DR.

 

I know many of you did not see "The Cruise" recently broadcast on ITV (UK) TV, but there was a segment where a lady who was going to the Chef's table dinner in the special illuminated area of the Regal made a remark to the camera like "Look at them. They are out there and WE are in here." Sneering and laughing while she said it. That's the kind of thing I would expect to see from any Club passengers who are prone to that sort of attitude in the first place.

 

However, I will be safely in TD, so I guess I don't need to worry about it too much. :)

 

Easy solution - book club class - these conversation are so ridiculous - honestly we always go in suits and usually I am engaged in conversation with my table mates at dinner and not frantically scanning the dining room wondering if people know we are in a suite or looking for snobs - just have a vacation

[deise17311]

I am appalled at the "Club Class" dining idea. Not only is it a recipe to make anytime dining even more messed up than it already is; but is creating a caste system on a ship that has mass market appeal such a good idea?

 

Am I wrong? Do people think they need this for the extra money spent on suites and minis? Obviously Princess's motivation is cash...

 

I guess you don't go to broadway shows or musicals - you know the better seats are up front -

[PescadoAmarillo]

I personally would rather see Princess charge more and provide this type of service to all passengers.

A thousand times YES! This race to the bottom that Princess (and other) cruise lines are engaged in is a losing proposition. I have long said that I would much rather pay $50 per day per person more and not have photographers in my face at dinner, sales tables crowding the Piazza, coffee cards and soda packages and the relentless onboard upselling.

 

We are reading the term 'snob' bandied about constantly here on CC. I'm a snob if I want twice daily cabin service, I'm a snob if I wear my Elite card on a lanyard, I'm a snob if I choose to pay more for my cabin and associated perks. These things are not snobbery. Snobs think they are inherently better than others. Snobs are not people who value or do things differently than I do.

Edited May 22, 2016 by PescadoAmarillo

[CI66774]

Princess is in the business of making a profit for Carnival Corp.'s shareholders. The great thing is we all have a choice to pay for what we desire in a cruise. Some of us are delighted to be in a sideways inside because we sleep like babies (as opposed to the front-facing mini in Scandinavia - talk about sleep problems with daylight peeking through at all hours). Some of us prefer the Horizon Court food selection over the MDR because we have kids who salivate at the numerous options and who can't eat everything in the Crown Grill without blowing a zipper in one's skirt. Some prefer suites with added amenities and the formality/elegance of the MDR and/or specialty restaurants.

 

We're all different with different tastes willing to pay more or less for them. That's the beauty of choice. No one is forcing anyone to pay more. It's a choice based upon what we, as individuals, value.

 

I've cruised on Princess several times now because it represents a better overall value (e.g. stellar itineraries, good kid clubs, decent fares, etc.) than other lines when compared side-by-side. I don't knock anyone for wanting something different in terms of accommodations or dining. I value having a choice of different things, along with a lower/higher price. I just feel incredibly lucky I am able to cruise with some regularity. I wish my parents were still here to enjoy it with me!

[TracieABD]

OK- here goes--- I am actually pro- Club Class- and here is why:

There is a specific demographic in the cruising subset that are people who work and have little opportunity to vacation. My husband and I fall into that category. Therefore, at this time in our lives, we prefer to look for experiences that offer certain amenities- most of them service-based. We are willing to pay for these amenities, knowing it may be a long time until we can travel together again. This is not something we flaunt. It is just something we do.

 

We are starting to close in on retirement. I am quite certain our priorities will shift when that time comes. We will look for ways to maximize our travel dollars so we can spend as many days "on the road" or at sea as possible. At that time, I will probably look back at our days in specific cabins fondly- knowing that I am getting a lot more bang for my buck by booking a different cabin for a much longer period of time.

 

If you think that make me a snob- then you don't know my heart.

[EZ2CY]

 

If you think that make me a snob- then you don't know my heart.

 

I don't actually. My "beef" as it were is with the way Princess is marketing and handling the new dining perks for certain Mini Suites, NOT with anyone staying in a suite of any level.

 

A "snob" to me is someone treating others with disdain because they feel they are beneath them in some fashion. Generally not anyone on these boards. Although there may be some here. I'm still a newbie.

[EZ2CY]

I don't actually.

 

Shoot. :eek: Before anyone jumps on that, I meant that I don't actually think you are a snob."

[CruisinChris]

Everybody is assuming that Club Class will be in one of the AT dining rooms. I actually doubt that. I suspect they will create the space in the Traditional DR. It's less chaotic there and will be easier for them to control things and key the atmosphere low key and quiet. Additionally, they indicated that there would be a "separate entrance" so nobody's cutting in line in front of anyone or anything like that. I doubt it will be "cordoned off" but more likely discreetly separated. Plus, if it's in the Traditional DR, most people can't even find the dining room, so it will be hidden from the majority, who won't even know it's there.;)

[EZ2CY]

Everybody is assuming that Club Class will be in one of the AT dining rooms. I actually doubt that. I suspect they will create the space in the Traditional DR. It's less chaotic there and will be easier for them to control things and key the atmosphere low key and quiet. Additionally' date=' they indicated that there would be a "separate entrance" so nobody's cutting in line in front of anyone or anything like that. I doubt it will be "cordoned off" but more likely discreetly separated. Plus, if it's in the Traditional DR, most people can't even find the dining room, so it will be hidden from the majority, who won't even know it's there.;)[/quote']

 

Interesting point. I went back to the Princess site to see why so many of us assume it's the ATD section that will be affected. Here's what the site says...

 

"An exclusive area of the Main Dining Room."

"Club Class Dining will be open for dinner each night, as well as for breakfast and lunch on sea days."

 

I didn't think the Traditional Dining area was open for breakfast or lunch so I did assume they meant the ATD dining room. However, maybe that will change with the Club Class dining??

[TracieABD]

I don't actually. My "beef" as it were is with the way Princess is marketing and handling the new dining perks for certain Mini Suites, NOT with anyone staying in a suite of any level.

 

A "snob" to me is someone treating others with disdain because they feel they are beneath them in some fashion. Generally not anyone on these boards. Although there may be some here. I'm still a newbie.

 

I get that. No worries. I have been on these boards a fairly long time. I try to be kind, even-tempered, and fair. I also am not a fan of those who exhibit "keyboard courage", so I often give out my email address- which is tracie@carolina.rr.com.

 

:)

[Murphey]

Excellent point about using the Traditional dining room for breakfast and lunch. The problem with using it at dinner is that there is no "separate" entrance as there are in the AT rooms.

[Host Anne]

Hi everyone ~ I read through this thread with interest since much of what Princess is doing has already been done over at Celebrity.

 

Celebrity has taken a area of their main dining room (not their ATD space) and "walled it off" to create a completely separate room with a separate entrance and a separate name for the room. If this room was designed into the ship from the outset when it was built, I wouldn't have a problem with it. My issue on the ships where Celebrity has carved this new room out of the existing main dining is that it really ruins the look and feel of the main dining room. I'd wouldn't want to to be seated up against the wall of this new room. I'll see if I can find a photo so I can better explain. They did a similar think up in their Sky lounge at the top of the ship where they cut a chunk of it off (it looks really odd now) so they could add some additional suites to the one side of the ship.

 

When designed into the ship during original construction, these separate areas for suite (or Club) guests are fine. If people want to spend extra money for extra perks, I have no problem with it.

 

My dislike of of these kinds of things is that they try to implement them in existing ships where inevitably they are taking things away from areas a non-suite guests have previously enjoyed for a long time (Micheal's on Celebrity ships for example).

 

There's no question it's about building more revenue. That's the name of the game. But as lines continue to cater more and more to higher paying suite/club guests, I've definitely seen a decline in what the non-suite guests (a majority of those sailing) are receiving in the way of service, food quality, etc. That's when we have to decide where we really want to spend our vacation dollars. It's hard to leave a line we've loved for years but when we aren't happy any longer with what we are getting, we might just have to do that.

[fishywood]

Everybody is assuming that Club Class will be in one of the AT dining rooms. I actually doubt that. I suspect they will create the space in the Traditional DR. It's less chaotic there and will be easier for them to control things and key the atmosphere low key and quiet. Additionally' date=' they indicated that there would be a "separate entrance" so nobody's cutting in line in front of anyone or anything like that. I doubt it will be "cordoned off" but more likely discreetly separated. Plus, if it's in the Traditional DR, most people can't even find the dining room, so it will be hidden from the majority, who won't even know it's there.;)[/quote']

 

Why on earth would Princess want to hide it from the majority? Once this rolls out I guarantee there will be aggressive "book Club Class for your next cruise" promotions onboard.

 

The fact that the TD dining room is "hidden" at the bottom the aft staircase makes it extremely unlikely it can be used for the mixed purpose of the two traditional seatings plus Club Class diners coming and going throughout the evening. The lobby is far too tiny on the original Grand-class ships to sort the passengers out between two dining room entrances. And on those ships the issue of only two of the four aft elevators going to Deck 6 would be made even worse.

 

No doubt in my mind the door to Club Class will be centrally located and prominently displayed. It would be super easy to create a new entrance to the Deck 6 midship dining room using the emergency exit doors on the starboard side. So no conflict at all with those in the standard queue. The remaining non-Club portion of that DR would be where breakfast, lunch on sea days, and afternoon tea are offered. And where the extra-early 5:15 dinner seating would go as well. The aft MDR will remain the domain of Traditional Dining; far too impractical to use it regularly for breakfast and lunch.

Edited May 22, 2016 by fishywood

[shredie]

Excellent point about using the Traditional dining room for breakfast and lunch. The problem with using it at dinner is that there is no "separate" entrance as there are in the AT rooms.

 

Yes, it's hard to tell what they mean. There could be a separate entrance on some of the Grand class TD rooms. There is a door that leads from the lobby into a side corridor in the dining room, but it's not very "exclusive." The dinky lobby in some of the ships would be a problem. A potential problem with using part of the TD is that early TD always fills up and they need an overflow TD space in one of the ATD rooms. That will just make more crowding in ATD. I don't know how late TD would be impacted, but it would be a problem if they need to convert one of the ATD rooms to an overflow late TD dining area, too.

 

By using the term "class," which is the traditional way of designating price structures in travel, it calls up notions of "higher class" vs. "lower class," and the connotation of that is what leads (I think inevitably) to terms like "snob." There's not much we can do about that since it's just the historical nature of the language. However, I personally do not care if someone wants to pay more for a service. I can't seem to make that point around here. By suggesting (with illustrations) that some people might see snobbery in all of this, I am not saying that I personally do. Kindly stop flaming me for pointing out the obvious.

Edited May 22, 2016 by shredie

[Susieq0102]

I don't like it either. In fact, I don't like the whole class distinction used for any reason.

 

September will be the first cruise for my DH and me. We really splurged and reserved a suite to celebrate 43 years of marriage. It would make us uncomfortable to eat in a separate dining area. It just has a superior air of superiority for certain groups of people. That is not who we are!!

[RDC1]

Hi everyone ~ I read through this thread with interest since much of what Princess is doing has already been done over at Celebrity.

 

Celebrity has taken a area of their main dining room (not their ATD space) and "walled it off" to create a completely separate room with a separate entrance and a separate name for the room. If this room was designed into the ship from the outset when it was built, I wouldn't have a problem with it. My issue on the ships where Celebrity has carved this new room out of the existing main dining is that it really ruins the look and feel of the main dining room. I'd wouldn't want to to be seated up against the wall of this new room. I'll see if I can find a photo so I can better explain. They did a similar think up in their Sky lounge at the top of the ship where they cut a chunk of it off (it looks really odd now) so they could add some additional suites to the one side of the ship.

 

When designed into the ship during original construction, these separate areas for suite (or Club) guests are fine. If people want to spend extra money for extra perks, I have no problem with it.

 

My dislike of of these kinds of things is that they try to implement them in existing ships where inevitably they are taking things away from areas a non-suite guests have previously enjoyed for a long time (Micheal's on Celebrity ships for example).

 

There's no question it's about building more revenue. That's the name of the game. But as lines continue to cater more and more to higher paying suite/club guests, I've definitely seen a decline in what the non-suite guests (a majority of those sailing) are receiving in the way of service, food quality, etc. That's when we have to decide where we really want to spend our vacation dollars. It's hard to leave a line we've loved for years but when we aren't happy any longer with what we are getting, we might just have to do that.

 

You have captured it very well. I used to sail Celebrity most of the time, but as they made these changes the MDR got smaller, the tables more crowded together, the noise level higher. The sting quartets moved from Michael's to less attractive venues. Add in the tendency to increase rates by including the drink packages and it made it clear that it was less attractive for me and my travel dollars. At that time I moved to Princess.

 

As you stated I don't care what they add to those that want to pay more, as long as in doing so they don't negatively impact what I am getting for my money.

 

People try and equate it to paying more for first class on an airplane. Not quite the same. More like taking some of the space in the gate waiting area and deciding that only first class folks can set there and not those in coach. Making the rest of the gate area less comfortable. Adding food options in first class on the plane does not impact me, having a separate lounge away from the gate does not either. But if you start taking things away then it becomes not just a matter of those paying more getting more, but also one of those paying less getting less then they do now.

 

We will have to see how Princess implements it and if it does negatively impact the non-Club class passengers as it has on Celebrity. Also if this is the only move or the first of many down the slippery slope that Celebrity has started down already.

Edited May 22, 2016 by RDC1

[Host Jazzbeau]

You have captured it very well. I used to sail Celebrity most of the time, but as they made these changes the MDR got smaller, the tables more crowded together, the noise level higher. The sting quartets moved from Michael's to less attractive venues. Add in the tendency to increase rates by including the drink packages and it made it clear that it was less attractive for me and my travel dollars. At that time I moved to Princess.

 

As you stated I don't care what they add to those that want to pay more, as long as in doing so they don't negatively impact what I am getting for my money.

 

People try and equate it to paying more for first class on an airplane. Not quite the same. More like taking some of the space in the gate waiting area and deciding that only first class folks can set there and not those in coach. Making the rest of the gate area less comfortable. Adding food options in first class on the plane does not impact me, having a separate lounge away from the gate does not either. But if you start taking things away then it becomes not just a matter of those paying more getting more, but also one of those paying less getting less then they do now.

 

We will have to see how Princess implements it and if it does negatively impact the non-Club class passengers as it has on Celebrity. Also if this is the only move or the first of many down the slippery slope that Celebrity has started down already.

 

Actually I think the airline analogy is too apt. Not about First or Business class, but Economy Plus: those seats have the legroom that everybody used to get, but to make that section roomier they squeezed even more room out of the regular Coach section. [Note also that airlines do use the word "class" to denote these plusher areas.]

[dtb55]

OK- here goes--- I am actually pro- Club Class- and here is why:

 

There is a specific demographic in the cruising subset that are people who work and have little opportunity to vacation. My husband and I fall into that category. Therefore, at this time in our lives, we prefer to look for experiences that offer certain amenities- most of them service-based. We are willing to pay for these amenities, knowing it may be a long time until we can travel together again. This is not something we flaunt. It is just something we do.

 

 

 

We are starting to close in on retirement. I am quite certain our priorities will shift when that time comes. We will look for ways to maximize our travel dollars so we can spend as many days "on the road" or at sea as possible. At that time, I will probably look back at our days in specific cabins fondly- knowing that I am getting a lot more bang for my buck by booking a different cabin for a much longer period of time.

 

 

 

If you think that make me a snob- then you don't know my heart.

 

 

[emoji106]🏻[emoji106]🏻[emoji106]🏻

[RDC1]

Actually I think the airline analogy is too apt. Not about First or Business class, but Economy Plus: those seats have the legroom that everybody used to get, but to make that section roomier they squeezed even more room out of the regular Coach section. [Note also that airlines do use the word "class" to denote these plusher areas.]

 

Except in most cases coach was already at minimum and the airlines removed seats to create economy plus. They have been a relatively recent change made well af tee the airlines had reduced spacing in economy.

[Pushka]

So why do they call it "First Class," Business Class," "Second Class," etc. if the term "class system" is not relevant?

 

 

Purely an historical artefact. Nothing more.

 

You cant 'buy' your way into a higher class when it is used in the traditional meaning of the word and which is being alluded to in this thread Trying to make this decision sound like it is a snobbery thing is getting ridiculous.

Edited May 22, 2016 by Pushka

[notentirelynormal]

Which cabins are Club Class Minis?

[BumperII]

Which cabins are Club Class Minis?

Good Question, I hope someone can answer it.

 

We are booked in a mini suite RT Alaska, Vancouver - Anchorage-Vancouver on the Coral Princess sailing August 20. We have done this same cruise about a dozen times on different ships.

 

Now I'm afraid I missed out on something. We were in our first mini on the Island Princess a couple years ago. We never did make it to the MDR, most nights we were either in the Horizon Court or a speciality restaurant.

 

In case you have heard reports that the riff raff are booking mini suites.....

 

It was us.:D