Rude people at International Cafe. Help us Princess!

[mek]

The beautiful and large Crown Grill was opened for cards and other games.

 

As for those who do not understand that Princess is selling coffee, tea, and drinks in the Piazza, what can I say. Do you really think Princess expects people who buy these things to have no place to sit? Actually, they probably expect most passengers to behave with consideration.

 

Using your reasoning, I have less right to sit in the Princess Theater or Explorers Lounge during shows because my husband and I don't drink, than someone who does? We should be "polite" and give up our seats to people with drinks in their hands? What a joke.

Edited July 7, 2016 by mek

[OCruisers]

Often, we had rather use a table at Vines even when the IC has open tables. :)

[elliair]

As you say the Horizon is mainly there for eating where the Piazza is there for drinks, eating & entertainment combined.

If a table in that area is that important she should have arrived earlier in the day & camped out as the others have done. Problem solved.

 

LOL! That isn't going to happen with the OP, they want instant gratification! Even going to Happy Hour 30 minutes early just to get a seat bores me to death. After the first glass of wine though it was worth the sit.:D

[Reader0108598]

What I do see at the IC at the tables are people who are immobile. They usually have a walker or a wheelchair/scooter. They are sitting and enjoying what's going on around them. They paid their fare like the rest of us.

 

Your comment is spot on.

 

This is what I was trying to say a few posts back,but again not as well as my fellow CC members :)

[RDC1]

I agree with Loreni. I experienced something similar on Golden a couple of months ago, except the table-hogs weren't playing cards, they were usually reading or knitting, and usually solo. Not just at two-top tables, but at larger ones, and when asked if they minded if we shared the table they always said the other seats were "taken" but I rarely saw anyone join them.

 

In a 21 day cruise, with about 50% sea days, we managed to get a table near the International Cafe twice, and one of those times was for lunch on a port day. We usually had to drink our coffee standing.

 

There really does need to be a cafe-only section of seating, with patrons encouraged to move on once they have finished their beverages. If this happened at a land-based cafe they would soon go out of business but selfish cruisers expect that the whole ship is there just for them.

 

To my surprise we had much less trouble at Cafe Bacia on Celebrity Solstice. Apart from one or two, most people enjoyed their drinks then moved on.

 

Princess does need to address this problem in some way. Signage, waiters pointedly asking to take their orders at regular intervals, cafe/bar manager politely requesting them to move to somewhere else? Perhaps Princess needs more than one cafe so that the table hogs are spread out more?

 

A couple of differences. Cafe Bacia is located on the side of the ship and is not in one of the primary entertainment areas. There is very little offered there in the way of food. Only a couple of very light snacks. The main service mode in Cafe Bacia is by the waitresses taking orders. They seem to discourage walk up to the counter orders. They may take them but they often act like they don't like them. It is very clearly a coffee shop and a coffee shop only.

 

I have, however, also seen people sit there as well for a lengthy amount of time.

 

Technically there are only 2 or 3 tables right by the IC, the majority of the tables are at the bar. Which is often used like tables at any other bar area. The rest surround the center atrium entertainment area. Bottom line the tables are multipurpose.

Edited July 7, 2016 by RDC1

[Reader0108598]

I can answer that. She started another thread thanking Princess for showing her that she can downgrade from mini suites to inside cabins and like it. She states that now that she doesn't have a balcony she finds a public place on the ship to enjoy looking out the windows. So, she is pissed that now that she doesn't have a balcony she deserves to find a great place around the ship to enjoy her cruise since she isn't enjoying staying in her inside cabin.

 

Thank you for that clarification, notentirelynormal :)

[OzKiwiJJ]

The ship is there for them and you too. Everyone paid their fare and everyone has access to all these venues on the ship. If someone is playing a particular slot machine for hours and let's say YOU want to play it too. No way is a Princess crew member going to tell someone who is sitting there losing to move on. They would tell you to find another machine just like they would tell you to find another place to sit. It matters not if you paid for coffee or a sweet treat, the ones sitting and playing cards are having a good time. Why spoil it for them just so you can sit where they are? We sit in Vines and have a glass of ice water. There's plenty of tables available there. I guess we're not sitters, we keep moving--we stay happy that way. BTW, Princess isn't going to add more cafes - maybe more bars but not cafes.

 

The point is that there isn't another place to sit near the cafe.

 

I'm not asking for a permanent table at the cafe, I just want somewhere to sit comfortably for 15 minutes while I drink my coffee. The issue is that people are treating the cafe seating, which should turnover very regularly to be fair to all cruisers, as a lounge.

 

Actually Golden didn't seem to have as much seating on other levels of the Atrium as other ships (too many shops?) and that probably exacerbated the problem. At the Patisserie on Dawn, we never had a problem getting a place to sit to enjoy our coffee, but there were similar issues on Sun which also has an IC. I assume that having more food available in an IC brings more patrons to the cafe and then table hogs become more of an issue. However at the times we tended to get coffees (late morning), very few people were ordering food, most were ordering coffee or tea.

[Reader0108598]

Using your reasoning, I have less right to sit in the Princess Theater or Explorers Lounge during shows because my husband and I don't drink, than someone who does? We should be "polite" and give up our seats to people with drinks in their hands? What a joke.

 

 

 

Also mek

 

No going to the pool ,unless you order drinks!

Okay you can go, but ,you give up your pool side seats ,for those that order drinks.

Edited July 7, 2016 by Reader0108598

[OzKiwiJJ]

I can answer that. She started another thread thanking Princess for showing her that she can downgrade from mini suites to inside cabins and like it. She states that now that she doesn't have a balcony she finds a public place on the ship to enjoy looking out the windows. So, she is pissed that now that she doesn't have a balcony she deserves to find a great place around the ship to enjoy her cruise since she isn't enjoying staying in her inside cabin.

 

I suggest you get your quote correct before making snarky comments about someone.

 

She actually said "I just go the the promenade deck and enjoy a nice teak steamer chair and a better view of the sea".

 

That is totally different than occupying a chair or table in a busy area that serves food and beverages.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Is everyone, including people who can't stand a long time have to stand, so once in a while people (at their whim) can find a table when they get food from the IC?

 

 

I have a bad knee so why should I have to stand to drink my coffee when apparently able-bodied people hog tables to play cards, read or knit?

[Reader0108598]

I have a bad knee so why should I have to stand to drink my coffee when apparently able-bodied people hog tables to play cards, read or knit?

 

There in lies the problem! Apparently able-bodied....

 

Your knees bother you? I cannot breathe well (COPD),who gets to sit?

 

You would not see my disability ,however I could be drop dead tierd!

 

Someone with COPD could appear fine, and have an exacerbation.

 

Let's give each other the benefit of the doubt .

Edited July 7, 2016 by Reader0108598

[OzKiwiJJ]

There in lies the problem! Apparently able-bodied....

 

Your knees bothers you? I cannot breathe well (COPD),who gets to sit?

 

You would not see my disability !

 

You don't see mine either, except that I may move more slowly than expected at times.

 

And that is my point - we should both be able to sit to enjoy our coffees and maybe a snack. And I'm sure that you, like me, would be more than happy to sit elsewhere around the ship when not having coffee.

Edited July 7, 2016 by OzKiwiJJ

[notentirelynormal]

Check out this thread. It explains everything

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2375541

[mek]

I have a bad knee so why should I have to stand to drink my coffee when apparently able-bodied people hog tables to play cards, read or knit?

 

Seriously? I have two bad knees and need a hip replacement, my husband is disabled and uses a transport chair. Neither of us would ever expect able-bodied people to move for us. It's nice if someone offers a chair, but no way do we think either of us is more deserving of a seat than someone else. If you can make it down to the IC, then you can walk somewhere else to sit and drink your coffee.

[jasbo49]

As far as I can tell, there are no tables specifically for the IC. The atrium tables seem to morph from mostly empty, to a few coffee drinkers, then crowded, then empty, then handling a dozen activities throughout the day and night. So I don't know what tables card players are supposed to be banned from. If the OP told us what ship they were talking about, it might help me understand better.

 

I personally would not sit at a Piazza table just reading when there were people walking around looking for a place to sip their coffee or eat their IC treats. But I find this a much more pervasive problem at Horizon Court tables.

 

After reading most but not all of this thread, I can only say some people seem to get out of bed on the wrong side most of the time.

 

Jim

[Loreni]

I can answer that. She started another thread thanking Princess for showing her that she can downgrade from mini suites to inside cabins and like it. She states that now that she doesn't have a balcony she finds a public place on the ship to enjoy looking out the windows. So, she is pissed that now that she doesn't have a balcony she deserves to find a great place around the ship to enjoy her cruise since she isn't enjoying staying in her inside cabin.

 

This is not correct, you did not read carefully. I do spend much of my time on the promenade deck outside and I like it. I would have stuck with the mini-suite, if I could tolerate the furniture.

 

Now, it is disingenuous to pretend that Princess does not expect to generate revenue from the IC. It is not easy to do so, when those people willing to buy coffee and tea cannot find a chair because others are camping out with their cards and thermoses.

 

I suspect some people think everything should be included for free. Maybe they think they are teaching Princess a lesson by sitting at a table for hours and buying nothing. Maybe they also think they are teaching a lesson to elitist snobs who belong on Cunard (you know, those folks who are willing to spend 2 dollars for a pot of tea or cup of coffee, if only they could find a table).

 

Be careful what you wish for. If you cut off enough revenue streams by driving people out of the IC or by playing board games in bars during shows, how might Princess respond? Well, I guess they could lower cruise prices and throw in more freebies. Or they could raise prices and privatize even more of the ship.

 

Based on min-suite plus, I wonder which direction they will go. I have heard rumors that comfortable balcony furniture will be provided for mini-suite plus. If this turns out to be true, if the mini suite plus dining is significantly better, and maybe if they throw in a cafe where I have a reasonable expectation of getting a seat, we'll give it try!

Edited July 7, 2016 by Loreni

[shredie]

Maybe the answer is to move all the balcony chairs into the IC. :p;):D

[Reader0108598]

You don't see mine either, except that I may move more slowly than expected at times.

 

And that is my point - we should both be able to sit to enjoy our coffees and maybe a snack. And I'm sure that you, like me, would be more than happy to sit elsewhere around the ship when not having coffee.

 

 

We agree to a point ,but I would never expect anyone to move for me. I have lost almost 60 percent of my lung capacity, last time I checked :( ( you would not know it by looking at me)

 

Although there are times that I am so exhausted ,I will stay where I am for hours ......

 

I will tell you what I told a friend ,Please go get your knees fixed! If I could fix my lungs, I would in a heartbeat...lol

 

Bottom line ,we all need to respect our fellow cruisers ,we have no idea what is going on with them.

 

Peace Reader

Edited July 7, 2016 by Reader0108598

[Loreni]

Maybe the answer is to move all the balcony chairs into the IC. :p;):D

 

I could actually get onboard with this :D. I only spend about a half hour in the IC at a time and I can easily put up with the balcony chairs that long!

[jasbo49]

Maybe the answer is to move all the balcony chairs into the IC. :p;):D

 

Bingo.

[elliair]

The point is that there isn't another place to sit near the cafe.

 

I'm not asking for a permanent table at the cafe, I just want somewhere to sit comfortably for 15 minutes while I drink my coffee. The issue is that people are treating the cafe seating, which should turnover very regularly to be fair to all cruisers, as a lounge.

 

Actually Golden didn't seem to have as much seating on other levels of the Atrium as other ships (too many shops?) and that probably exacerbated the problem. At the Patisserie on Dawn, we never had a problem getting a place to sit to enjoy our coffee, but there were similar issues on Sun which also has an IC. I assume that having more food available in an IC brings more patrons to the cafe and then table hogs become more of an issue. However at the times we tended to get coffees (late morning), very few people were ordering food, most were ordering coffee or tea.

 

Not too far from the IC is the Wheelhouse Lounge. You can go there and sit where it is quiet. There's tables close by the window on the Promenade deck in front of the Wheelhouse Lounge. Or, you can head to the aft of the ship on Deck 7 and find all kinds of seating there. I've never been hard pressed to find some place to sit, you just have to know where to look. Ports days are better than sea days in finding a place to sit. However, on port days people are coming back on board and are starved. So,they'll head to the closest venue which is the IC for a quick snack. Patience grasshopper.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Seriously? I have two bad knees and need a hip replacement, my husband is disabled and uses a transport chair. Neither of us would ever expect able-bodied people to move for us. It's nice if someone offers a chair, but no way do we think either of us is more deserving of a seat than someone else. If you can make it down to the IC, then you can walk somewhere else to sit and drink your coffee.

 

I don't expect able-bodied people who are also enjoying coffee etc to move for me. I have never said that.

 

What I, and others like the OP, are objecting to are people who hog table space, in an area used primarily as a cafe, when those people do not need those tables for coffee etc. In other words, people who are using cafe tables as a lounge.

 

Also on some ships there aren't a lot of somewhere elses to go to, especially when carrying a full cup of coffee. And please don't suggest getting takeway coffee. The reason I go to the IC for coffee is so I can drink it out of a decent cup/glass, not out of a cardboard container.

[Potstech]

You don't see mine either, except that I may move more slowly than expected at times.

 

And that is my point - we should both be able to sit to enjoy our coffees and maybe a snack. And I'm sure that you, like me, would be more than happy to sit elsewhere around the ship when not having coffee.

 

So if they do not see your bad knees how are they to know you have them. As the insulting continues by calling people campers, hoggers and other names it just goes to show how inconsiderate othets are. To bad they can not be as considerate to othets as they demand othets benro rhem. Apparently they think their fares entitle them to something that others must, I repeat must, give rhem. And that is where the problem is and they are wrong according to the provider. Time to get over it.

[Denversail]

I think Princess should line up all the thermoses and blow them up. Problem solved.. No more cheap selfish people drinking items that weren't purchased and sitting in the entitled persons seat.

 

It always amazes me how impacted people are by others actions when they are just going about their day minding their own business. I think you have described the wrong individuals as selfish. Look deep.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[elliair]

We agree to a point ,but I would never expect anyone to move for me. I have lost 60 percent of my lung capacity, last time I checked :( ( you would not know it by looking at me)

 

I will tell you what I told a friend ,Please go get your knees fixed! If I could fix my lungs I would in a heartbeat...lol

 

Bottom line ,we all need to respect our fellow cruisers ,we have no idea what is going on with them.

 

Peace Reader

 

I hear you! DH has massive blood clots on his lungs. He's been out of the hospital for a week now and feeling much better. BUT, where did they come from? I got him walking a mile day and he's improving each day. I do feel for you, and you should not give up your seat just because someone else wants your seat....because they believe that they are entitled to it. He had a knee replaced also, so I fully understand. I'll send good thoughts your way. Elliaire