Deck Names, not Numbers. Why?

[AE_Collector]

Look left at my avatar. Now let’s talk phone numbers that until the early 60’s we’re letters and numbers. The original reason was that phone numbers were easier to remember with a name that was abbreviated usually to the first two letters and 4 or 5 digits. It all was converted to 7 digits between 1962-64 as they began to run out of letter combinations that worked for new phone exchanges.

[wowzz]

So, when a member of staff asks you your cabin number, and you are in, say, cabin 123 on Aloha, how many  say A123 and how many say Aloha 123 ?

I must admit I have never considered using the name of my deck, I have always just used the initial letter. Perhaps I am in a minority.    

[Thrak]

25 minutes ago, AE_Collector said:

Look left at my avatar. Now let’s talk phone numbers that until the early 60’s we’re letters and numbers. The original reason was that phone numbers were easier to remember with a name that was abbreviated usually to the first two letters and 4 or 5 digits. It all was converted to 7 digits between 1962-64 as they began to run out of letter combinations that worked for new phone exchanges.

 

When I was young our phone number was in the Fireside exchange. The number was Fireside 2-9194 or FI2-9194. Most people in this area have no idea that the reason many phone numbers here start with 34 (343-xxxx, 345-xxxx) start with 34 because those are the numbers on the dial (or touch pad) that correspond to FI.  3 has the letter F associated with it and 4 has the letter I associated.

 

[Thrak]

23 minutes ago, wowzz said:

So, when a member of staff asks you your cabin number, and you are in, say, cabin 123 on Aloha, how many  say A123 and how many say Aloha 123 ?

I must admit I have never considered using the name of my deck, I have always just used the initial letter. Perhaps I am in a minority.    

 

Like you, we use the letter designation when asked for our cabin number as in C714.

[SCX22]

27 minutes ago, wowzz said:

So, when a member of staff asks you your cabin number, and you are in, say, cabin 123 on Aloha, how many  say A123 and how many say Aloha 123 ?

I must admit I have never considered using the name of my deck, I have always just used the initial letter. Perhaps I am in a minority.    

I ways state the full deck name when I'm ordering.  I say Baja 123, not B123.  Emerald, Dolphin, Caribe, and Baja, all have the long e sound when saying the letter abbreviation (E, D, C, B).  It creates less confusion with the waiter/bartender, especially if you're ordering with a band playing in the background.

[Joy Bunny]

1 hour ago, AE_Collector said:

Look left at my avatar. Now let’s talk phone numbers that until the early 60’s we’re letters and numbers. The original reason was that phone numbers were easier to remember with a name that was abbreviated usually to the first two letters and 4 or 5 digits. It all was converted to 7 digits between 1962-64 as they began to run out of letter combinations that worked for new phone exchanges.

 

Your photo of that rotary phone reminds me of watching some elementary school age kids trying to figure out how to use a rotary phone in a hands-on electronics museum in my area. They would push the white area inside the holes trying to get a touch tone. It was cute that they had so little experience with a device so different than the modern phone that rotating the dial never occurred to them.

 

 

[sunviking90]

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

So, when a member of staff asks you your cabin number, and you are in, say, cabin 123 on Aloha, how many  say A123 and how many say Aloha 123 ?

I must admit I have never considered using the name of my deck, I have always just used the initial letter. Perhaps I am in a minority.    

I always use the full name. I think it’s clearer. “B” can be misheard as “D”, etc. 

[sunviking90]

7 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Next time, go on the new Sun as it appears to only use deck numbers.

Another reason not to go on her.

[tutumomickey]

Always use deck name also. Helps with clarification

[paradiselivin1]

Majestic also uses numbers only. I am so accustomed to hearing "Deck 12..Aloha" that when they just announce the number I say "Aloha.." or whatever. Too many Princess cruises....

[Thrak]

Reading these posts I believe I will, in the future, revise how I state my cabin number when asked. Simply using the letter name may be why I have been charged for other people's drinks from time to time. Many thanks for changing my view on this.

[Renmar]

34 minutes ago, Thrak said:

Reading these posts I believe I will, in the future, revise how I state my cabin number when asked. Simply using the letter name may be why I have been charged for other people's drinks from time to time. Many thanks for changing my view on this.

Darn, I thought I had something going here 🤔🍷🍹

 

Theo

[damiross]

10 hours ago, D C said:

Having been a Celebrity cruiser for a decade before taking our first Princess cruise on the Regal in Jan, I'm totally befuddled by what appears to be an apparent insistence on using deck names and not numbers.   

 

Deck numbers are BOOOOOOOORING.  

 

 

[cruisingrob21]

If one wants to really go down a rabbit hole, there are issues with the letter+### on retrofitted ships like the island.  The only princess ship with cabins on the promenade deck leads to some awkward cabin numbers like "Pr720" so as to not confuse with P720 on plaza deck.

 

Going even further...some older RCCL ships (the Song of America and Majesty of the Seas class ships) had a "tween" deck or half deck.  Since most public areas were in the aft half of the ship with higher ceilings, the front half with cabins had some extra room to make up, hence a half deck.

 

Fun fact.  On grand and royal class Princess ships, there are more actual steps between deck 7 and 8 than 8 and 9, 9 and 10, etc...

 

[ldubs]

11 hours ago, mowogo said:

Spoken, and remember that numbers (and even numerals) are different in different languages.  Proper names gives a universal name for each deck regardless of language.  Princess may present as a primarily English language cruise line, among the crew there are tons of different native languages.  

 

10 hours ago, Neonsport said:

Never stopped to think about it, but that makes a lot of sense.  Seems like numbers would make more sense but that's only when looking at the number it self (Deck 8, 9, 10, etc.).  When it came to pronouncing the number, 8 could end up being Eight, Ocho, Acht, Hachi, etc.  That could get confusing real quick.

 

 

I get what you guys are saying but still, to me, it is clear where deck 7 is in relation to 5.  I have no idea where Baja is in relation to Aloha or Riviera.  Doesn't matter in what language I say 8, it is always after 7 and before 9.   

[caribill]

7 hours ago, paradiselivin1 said:

Majestic also uses numbers only.

Princess web site deck plans shows names for the decks on the Majestic.

[Skai]

3 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

 

I get what you guys are saying but still, to me, it is clear where deck 7 is in relation to 5.  I have no idea where Baja is in relation to Aloha or Riviera.  Doesn't matter in what language I say 8, it is always after 7 and before 9.   

 

Sure.

 

Baja is below Aloha and above Caribe.

 

Duh...🤪

[Roberto256]

20 hours ago, D C said:

Having been a Celebrity cruiser for a decade before taking our first Princess cruise on the Regal in Jan, I'm totally befuddled by what appears to be an apparent insistence on using deck names and not numbers. 

In the old days, the elevators used to announce the decks.   The names gave them something to say.

But, that is long gone.

 

"Mind the doors!!!"

[Bwana Tom]

I've always thought they should use the U.S. Navy way of numbering. The Navy uses actual addresses to each space of their ships. Or at least they use to use them. It's been over a half a century since I served. For example: a compartment address would look something like 03-256-01. And address like this would mean this address would be located on the 03 deck; 256 would likely be about mid ship because the spaces are numbered in order; and the 01 would indicate it was on the port side of the ship. Upon boarding they would provide you with the usual little pocket fold-out ship map that could also include the addresses of the bars, restaurants, shops, etc. Then you could simply walk directly to that area and address. 

I know my wife and I always get confused about the location of the shops, offices, etc. on deck 6 and 7 on Princess. Addresses like this would surely eliminate that problem, at least for us.

And I always dislike how they eliminated the color coding between the starboard side and the port side on many of the ships. It was an easy way to locate which side of the ship your stateroom is located on as you exited the elevators. 

 

[lx200gps]

11 hours ago, Thrak said:

Reading these posts I believe I will, in the future, revise how I state my cabin number when asked. Simply using the letter name may be why I have been charged for other people's drinks from time to time. Many thanks for changing my view on this.

That why pilots have been the phonetic alphabet for hundreds of years ;o) Alpha, Bravo, Charlie etc instead of A, B C etc.., it's built in to the psyche of every pilot from day one of our training.  FWIW, on the Sky a few weeks ago, a number of times I overheard a waiter asking a guest for their cabin number, only to be answered with "312", or "724". The poor waiter, for the hundredth time that day, patiently asked the guest what deck they were on.

[beg3yrs]

8 hours ago, cruisingrob21 said:

.....

Fun fact.  On grand and royal class Princess ships, there are more actual steps between deck 7 and 8 than 8 and 9, 9 and 10, etc...

 

 

Not sure if this applies to other ships but on the Sapphire Princess, the number of steps between 7 and 8 is different from the forward stairs to the aft stairs.

 

Is this ship crooked?

[tutumomickey]

45 minutes ago, Roberto256 said:

In the old days, the elevators used to announce the decks.   The names gave them something to say.

But, that is long gone.

 

"Mind the doors!!!"

Elevators on the Discovery in June still anouncing deck names. Everyone would start singing on 'Fiesta'

[D C]

18 hours ago, mtnesterz said:

Lido means public open pool.  Promenade means a public waterfront walkway. Sports, Sky, pretty easy. Baja, to come down. Dolphin, a mooring place. Aloha, hello and goodby. Words are more descriptive and helpful than solely numbering decks, but no one pays attention.

 

A UK-specific definition of lido (not the same as Italian), an obscure Spanish definition of Baha, a maritime definition of Dolphin which is a point on shore vs the ship (and how does that mean 'deck 9'?), Aloha might make some sense for an embarkation deck, but not for deck 12 full of staterooms.  As reference names, those are nothing short of positively horrible.  

[caribill]

1 hour ago, lx200gps said:

 FWIW, on the Sky a few weeks ago, a number of times I overheard a waiter asking a guest for their cabin number, only to be answered with "312", or "724". The poor waiter, for the hundredth time that day, patiently asked the guest what deck they were on.

 

Which shows how useful the Medallion is to the staff for identifying who is placing an order.

[D C]

1 hour ago, lx200gps said:

That why pilots have been the phonetic alphabet for hundreds of years ;o) Alpha, Bravo, Charlie etc instead of A, B C etc.., it's built in to the psyche of every pilot from day one of our training.  FWIW, on the Sky a few weeks ago, a number of times I overheard a waiter asking a guest for their cabin number, only to be answered with "312", or "724". The poor waiter, for the hundredth time that day, patiently asked the guest what deck they were on.

I noticed that happening all the time at the bars, which made me wonder why they would duplicate room numbers like they do.  It has to lead to so much confusion by staff.  8-263, 9-263, or 10-263 would be much easier than "C", "D", or "E" which are similar-sounding prefixes. 

 

 

 

My original question was more in regards to guests/posters referring to decks by name and not number, more so than Princess' use of names.