Club class mini suites are they worth it

[indygirl99]

I think unless you are five years old, 5:30 is a bit early for anyone to have dinner. I wonder more dont complain about that.

 

 

I am not 5 years old and 5:30 is actually late eating for us.

 

The world does not revolve around the 9 to 5 person as much as they like to think it does.

[floridalover5623]

I think unless you are five years old, 5:30 is a bit early for anyone to have dinner. I wonder more dont complain about that.

 

 

I am not 5 years old and 5:30 is actually late eating for us.

 

The world does not revolve around the 9 to 5 person as much as they like to think it does.

I don't believe stoneharborlady has seen the lines that begin at 5 PM outside the DR. LOL:D

 

By 6 PM there handing out the beepers with who knows how long a wait?:rolleyes:

[stoneharborlady]

I don't believe stoneharborlady has seen the lines that begin at 5 PM outside the DR. LOL:D

 

By 6 PM there handing out the beepers with who knows how long a wait?:rolleyes:

 

 

Beepers for the MDR? I hope that you are kidding. Why? I have only cruised three times, but we just walked in to our seats in fixed traditional. Why would there be lines? I know there are lines in anytime, and beepers too.

Edited February 6, 2018 by stoneharborlady
Addition

[floridalover5623]

Beepers for the MDR? I hope that you are kidding. Why? I have only cruised three times, but we just walked in to our seats in fixed traditional. Why would there be lines? I know there are lines in anytime, and beepers too.

Beepers - used for anytime dining only.

[Potstech]

I think unless you are five years old, 5:30 is a bit early for anyone to have dinner. I wonder more dont complain about that.

We always eat right around 5:30 at home for various reasons. We are well passed the age of 5 yeas and wonder why you would make such a comment. Maybe our way of livng does not meet your standards but that is your problem not others.

So you have only cruised 3 times and are not aware of the use of beepers. Sounds like you need to get a wider experience on cruise ships before you make rude comments about people and their experiences that you know very little about

[PoohUnderstands]

We always eat right around 5:30 at home for various reasons. We are well passed the age of 5 yeas and wonder why you would make such a comment. Maybe our way of livng does not meet your standards but that is your problem not others.

So you have only cruised 3 times and are not aware of the use of beepers. Sounds like you need to get a wider experience on cruise ships before you make rude comments about people and their experiences that you know very little about

 

 

Come on guys, why are you taking Stoneharborlady's comment so personally? Let's give everyone a break here. I am up there in age and am finding that eating dinner earlier in the evening is edging down to the 4:30-5 area at home, but on a cruise ship where I eat a full breakfast, a full lunch at around 1, it is just too early to eat a full dinner at 5:30 or so.But I don't take offense on Stoneharborlady's comment. Could his/her agreement that 5:30 is too early to eat dinner be said in a better manner? Of course. But let's all maintain a sense of humor here. Potstech, he/she doesn't even know you!

 

Pooh

[CU64]

Thank you all for your feedback. We have an Emerald mini at rock bottom price with no flying 😎 & confirmed on early Traditional.

Therefore, we are reviewing the CC mini suites. After final payment, IF Princess offers a reasonable upsell, I may consider moving.... only then.

We actually like meeting new people at dinner & prefer eating with others which will probably make the decision to stay put.

 

I had Aqua Class on Celebrity, on a Med Cruise, which is their separate dining room & found it boring as we were always at table for 2 & the “healthier food” was not interesting or worth the money. I think Princess put CC

Mini suites as a competitive draw.

[2 to cruise]

My understand is that Club Class lunch is only available on sea days' date=' making the cost per meal even greater.[/quote']

 

The other dining rooms are only open on sea days also!!:rolleyes:

[goldenrod]

We just got off the Emerald in January after a 31 day cruise, we were in a full Suite so we had Club Class dining we loved the instant seating and the great service but the food overall on the Emerald was mediocre at best.

 

 

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[Eagle_and_hawk]

@az2sea, Thank you sooo much for your specific Coral info!!

We have a mid ship Caribe deck CC mini and are excited for our first Princess cruise.

I am trying to decide if I should move up to a full suite although the ones available are on the sides towards the aft of the ship. We have never been that far back and wonder about it in terms of engine noise, movement etc. Any thoughts??

 

I would agree with AZ2sea as we had did some club class dining a couple of times in September on the Coral, when we felt like going to the main dining room. We typically go with early traditional, however since we had the opportunity to try it on that cruise we did & liked it.

The double doored entrance to the dining room was divided with a rope, with CC on one side and regular anytime on the other.

 

 

The full suites towards the back are a nice & quiet place to be. We have stayed in D631 twice, once for a 10-day Panama Canal trip and also Alaska - Southbound. We didn't notice any vibration or engine noise, except a little when the side thrusters are used for docking, which can be early in the mornings. We are typically up and getting ready for the day by that time, enjoying coffee ont he balcony.

 

 

We have also stayed in the very front, in a Mini-suite on Baja deck. There was a little more movement up there since it was also a Panama Canal trip. I actually like the movement, especially at night, so it was also not a bad place to be unless prone to motion sickness.

[smeck]

Just got back from the Caribbean Princess had Club Class Mini and loved it. Enjoyed having breakfast in about thirty minutes and dinner never longer than a hour. Makes planning so much easier. The wait staff was very good and welcoming during each meal.. I wouldn’t hesitate to book a club class Mini again.

[1emerald1]

We just got off the Emerald in January after a 31 day cruise, we were in a full Suite so we had Club Class dining we loved the instant seating and the great service but the food overall on the Emerald was mediocre at best.

 

 

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Do you think the food was mediocre due to lack of seasoning? I'm wondering if the length of the cruise plays a part, as longer cruises tend to attract older passengers who may have dietary restrictions. Who was the Executive Chef? Thanks, I am interested because I have a 15 day Hawaiian cruise on the Emerald and your comments concern me.

[dolphin44]

12 day Emerald RT Alaska out of LA. Have favorite mini on Emerald but it does create some vibrations. Considering going to Dolphin for interest in new location ...is extra 2 K worth that “expanded menu?” & different environment?

 

Practical side says no; but then we starting to like more

From the cruise ship, & the reviews on Emerald have been less than exciting.

 

Feedback appreciated.

Barbara

 

Just upgraded to club class for a 14 day starting 18 March for $200pp. This was an offer from Princess. Don't pay the 2K, wait and see if upgrades are offered.

[reiddg]

12 day Emerald RT Alaska out of LA. Have favorite mini on Emerald but it does create some vibrations. Considering going to Dolphin for interest in new location ...is extra 2 K worth that “expanded menu?” & different environment?

 

Practical side says no; but then we starting to like more

From the cruise ship, & the reviews on Emerald have been less than exciting.

 

Feedback appreciated.

Barbara

 

We just finished the 15 day Panama Canal transit on the Coral Princess and it was our first Club Class experience. We've been in mini-suites prior to Club Class and were anxious to try it. Overall, I would say it is definitely NOT worth the extra money.

 

Stateroom: The location was Dolphin midships. We usually choose Caribe or Dolphin midships and you can still get non-Club Class mini-suites either aft-mid or forward-mid, which is fine with us.

 

Beds: We've always found the Princess beds to be very comfortable and the Club Class bed felt no different.

Welcome Setup: We each received a glass of champagne and two mini-bottles, 1 red and 1 white. I would have preferred the complimentary bar setup available with mini-suites.

 

Dining Room: We always arrived for dinner around 7:30 pm and never waited for a seat. The first night, there were only a few tables available in Club Class and we waited 15-20 minutes for each course. However, on the less busy nights, service was fine. It's all about managing the capacity properly. Breakfast was never, ever busy and service was very good, except for disembarkation day. It wasn't busy but we waited a long time for our entrees.

 

Menu: The only difference in the Club Class menu was the dish the Maitre'D prepared. It was in the Club Class section but wasn't tableside as advertised. No big deal, just pointing out the differences.

The Maitre'd was very, very nice. However, he wasn't the best cook. On the first night, his dish was Steak Dianne. As soon as I walked in the dining room, I could smell the burned garlic (I'm a cook). I watched him prepare the dish and could see the pan smoking as he sauteed garlic - ouch. I decided to try it to see if the burned garlic flavor came through. It did not but the sauce was broken and somewhat oily and the steak was a poor cut of ribeye (should have been NY strip). It was not good. I did not have the remaining specialty Club Class dishes because in looking at them, they looked awful. The Peach Melba dessert offered one evening was actually soggy. The remainder of the food was the same as the main dining room and with the exception of the lobster tail and prawn one night, was very good.

 

IMHO, the items unique to Club Class are not worth the money being charged. We're looking at a 14 day Caribbean cruise in January 2019 and are not going to pay the extra $900/pp for Club Class.

[OCruisers]

We pay for the location of the CC Mini-Suites which have always cost more.

Love that it now includes CC Dining! :hearteyes:

[stoneharborlady]

We always eat right around 5:30 at home for various reasons. We are well passed the age of 5 yeas and wonder why you would make such a comment. Maybe our way of livng does not meet your standards but that is your problem not others.

So you have only cruised 3 times and are not aware of the use of beepers. Sounds like you need to get a wider experience on cruise ships before you make rude comments about people and their experiences that you know very little about

 

My comment was not intended to be rude, but more a remark on the practice of Princess changing your dinner seating time once you are onboard. When you are hungry and in the practice of taking your meals at a certain time is your business, and has nothing to do with standards. When people are used to having their meals is not my business. But I do think it wrong, if you have signed up for 6:00 seating, for them to change it to 5:30 later. They should make that intent clear from the beginning. Also, since I have had traditional fixed dining on all my cruises, no, I have never experienced being handed a beeper in the dining room. I am however, aware of the practice in Anytime dining, which would be part of the reason I would avoid it.

Edited February 7, 2018 by stoneharborlady

[memoak]

I would have preferred the complimentary bar setup available with mini-suite - quote from reiddg

 

There is no free bar setup for mini-suites - only for full suites or elite passengers in any cabin catagory

[goldenrod]

Do you think the food was mediocre due to lack of seasoning? I'm wondering if the length of the cruise plays a part, as longer cruises tend to attract older passengers who may have dietary restrictions. Who was the Executive Chef? Thanks, I am interested because I have a 15 day Hawaiian cruise on the Emerald and your comments concern me.

 

 

 

Don’t know who the executive chef was and we have no dietary restrictions. The food was just not good the couple of times we had lobster it was like rubber over cooked and dry. Prime rib cooked ok but tuff and many dinners were poorly prepared, breakfast in the Crown grill for Suite guests was great. But overall I would only give the lunches a 6 and dinners a 5 out of 10. And we are Elite with Princess and we have had much better food on other Princess cruises.

 

 

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[reiddg]

I would have preferred the complimentary bar setup available with mini-suite - quote from reiddg

 

There is no free bar setup for mini-suites - only for full suites or elite passengers in any cabin catagory

 

I was surprised to see your post because in our January 2017 cruise, we were in a mini-suite and the cabin steward said we could get two bar setups, one for the mini-suite and one for being elite (we're new elites). I called and they did it. On the most recent cruise, I called and requested the same thing and they said ok. They called back and said we couldn't get the setup for being in the mini-suite because we were in Club Class and received the wine/champagne instead. We did get the setup for being elite.

 

After I saw your post, I called Princess and explained what happened and they said the cabin steward was misinformed and room service shouldn't have given us second setup on the January 2017 cruise.

 

Thanks for the info and we'll remember that for future cruises. I learn something new all the time on this board.

Edited February 8, 2018 by reiddg

[memoak]

I was surprised to see your post because in our January 2017 cruise, we were in a mini-suite and the cabin steward said we could get two bar setups, one for the mini-suite and one for being elite (we're new elites). I called and they did it. On the most recent cruise, I called and requested the same thing and they said ok. They called back and said we couldn't get the setup for being in the mini-suite because we were in Club Class and received the wine/champagne instead. We did get the setup for being elite.

 

After I saw your post, I called Princess and explained what happened and they said the cabin steward was misinformed and room service shouldn't have given us second setup on the January 2017 cruise.

 

Thanks for the info and we'll remember that for future cruises. I learn something new all the time on this board.

 

The 2nd bar setup is for full suites only not mini suites

[peety3]

Beepers for the MDR? I hope that you are kidding. Why? I have only cruised three times, but we just walked in to our seats in fixed traditional. Why would there be lines? I know there are lines in anytime, and beepers too.

That's the whole point here: on most Princess ships, there are three MDRs. One is TD all night long, one is ATD all night long, and the third is TD for first seating, then switches to ATD afterward. As such, only 1/3 of the overall MDR capacity is available for ATD until 7:00. Therefore, as soon as those tables fill up, there's no more ATD capacity until some of those people eat their dinner and leave, or when the third MDR converts to ATD. That has created a pattern of long waits: if there are 26 waiter stations, each serving 20 pax, we're talking 520 seats, so if they're ALL FULL, the only thing that can get people in is if some people get out. That could be some 5:30 "we're here right when the doors open, know what we want, eat fast, and get the heck out" people by perhaps 6:15-6:30, but more likely it's when the 5:45 people get done with a 1h15m dinner service and mosey on out, which translates to 7:00.

 

To me, the only thing Princess could do is to somehow split that third MDR into doing a partial TD, partial ATD service, and it just so happens that's what Club Class is. As I understand it, it's in the same MDR that does TD for first seating then ATD, decreasing the TD capacity and increasing the ATD capacity. Princess already uses the aft MDR (which has 32 stations instead of the 26 stations in the midship MDRs, at least on the Grand and similar ships) for TD to slightly skew the balance above 1/3 (more like 40% TD after 7:00, I think about 65% for 5:30).

[reiddg]

I think unless you are five years old, 5:30 is a bit early for anyone to have dinner. I wonder more dont complain about that.

 

 

 

I agree - We can’t eat that early either but it’s funny, we just got off the Coral and every time we walked by the TD around 4:15-4:30, there was already a LONG line waiting to eat.

 

 

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