Suite Holders VIP Lounge - New

[Greenwhite]

We were waiting in the Sky Club at DTW when we got a call from Princess offering us access to the NEW Suite Lounge in Fort Lauderdale.  We used it prior to boarding the Caribbean Princess on March 22, 2023.   Th Suite Lounge is the "real deal" and we were very pleased to get an opportunity to experience it.  As soon as we arrived a Princess representative took charge of our luggage and we did not see it again until we were in our suite.  The lounge itself is very nice with comfortable chairs, snack type food, and soft drinks.  The staff were able to make reservations for activities on the ship--including the Sanctuary.  We were given a short ride to the port in a Mercedes van and expedited boarding of the ship.  It was a wonderful experience compared to the usual poor Princess boarding mess.  We will do it again without hesitation if offered.  We were told that they were rolling out the lounge as a "soft opening" by invitation only.  In the future there may be a charge--which we would pay without question given how poor the usual boarding situation is.   

[voljeep]

8 minutes ago, Greenwhite said:

We were waiting in the Sky Club at DTW when we got a call from Princess offering us access to the NEW Suite Lounge in Fort Lauderdale.  We used it prior to boarding the Caribbean Princess on March 22, 2023.   Th Suite Lounge is the "real deal" and we were very pleased to get an opportunity to experience it.  As soon as we arrived a Princess representative took charge of our luggage and we did not see it again until we were in our suite.  The lounge itself is very nice with comfortable chairs, snack type food, and soft drinks.  The staff were able to make reservations for activities on the ship--including the Sanctuary.  We were given a short ride to the port in a Mercedes van and expedited boarding of the ship.  It was a wonderful experience compared to the usual poor Princess boarding mess.  We will do it again without hesitation if offered.  We were told that they were rolling out the lounge as a "soft opening" by invitation only.  In the future there may be a charge--which we would pay without question given how poor the usual boarding situation is.   

if we ever again ... do they offer drinks (mimosa's, bloody marys, etc, or beer(s) for sale?  does the PLUS package cover that if they do?

[Greenwhite]

1 hour ago, voljeep said:

if we ever again ... do they offer drinks (mimosa's, bloody marys, etc, or beer(s) for sale?  does the PLUS package cover that if they do?

Hi VOLJEEP.  I am sorry to say that I can't answer your questions.  We did not have any alcoholic beverages and didn't see anyone else with any.  If there were any we didn't know about it and didn't ask.  Since this is just the beginning of this perk, it may be different in the future.

[voljeep]

24 minutes ago, Greenwhite said:

Hi VOLJEEP.  I am sorry to say that I can't answer your questions.  We did not have any alcoholic beverages and didn't see anyone else with any.  If there were any we didn't know about it and didn't ask.  Since this is just the beginning of this perk, it may be different in the future.

no problem - might not have a liquor license for that location anyway

[Happiest when cruising]

4 hours ago, Greenwhite said:

We were waiting in the Sky Club at DTW when we got a call from Princess offering us access to the NEW Suite Lounge in Fort Lauderdale.  We used it prior to boarding the Caribbean Princess on March 22, 2023.   Th Suite Lounge is the "real deal" and we were very pleased to get an opportunity to experience it.  As soon as we arrived a Princess representative took charge of our luggage and we did not see it again until we were in our suite.  The lounge itself is very nice with comfortable chairs, snack type food, and soft drinks.  The staff were able to make reservations for activities on the ship--including the Sanctuary.  We were given a short ride to the port in a Mercedes van and expedited boarding of the ship.  It was a wonderful experience compared to the usual poor Princess boarding mess.  We will do it again without hesitation if offered.  We were told that they were rolling out the lounge as a "soft opening" by invitation only.  In the future there may be a charge--which we would pay without question given how poor the usual boarding situation is.   

What time did it open? It would be great for those with an early flight arrival. What if you had driven to the port? Did you have to walk from the parking lot? 

[VibeGuy]

9 hours ago, Happiest when cruising said:

What time did it open? It would be great for those with an early flight arrival. What if you had driven to the port? Did you have to walk from the parking lot? 

It’s not inside the port boundaries. 

[Happiest when cruising]

46 minutes ago, VibeGuy said:

It’s not inside the port boundaries. 

Yes, I realize that it is a short distance away. I was wondering if you park your car( if you drove), then how do you get the venue? I wondered what time it opened? Could you feasibly get off a red eye and go there? 

[milolii]

@GreenwhiteThanks for the report.  This is a great service. 

[caribill]

On 3/30/2023 at 3:34 PM, Guardsy said:

To add a bit more, even though it is repetitive, Jan Schwartz personal assistant just emailed me back from a day ago.  She confirmed everything my Princess planner assured me of and encouraged us to enjoy the benefits of the new lounge, and the speedy shuttle directly to the gangway.  
 

 

But it is not direct to the gangway.

 

You still have to go through security at the terminal. Even if this is faster, it is misleading to say it is direct from the off site to the gangway.

[Greenwhite]

17 hours ago, Happiest when cruising said:

What time did it open? It would be great for those with an early flight arrival. What if you had driven to the port? Did you have to walk from the parking lot? 

Hi Happiest when cruising.  When we received our telephone call about the Suite Lounge we were told the hours were 08:30 to 14:30.  We can't answer your questions about driving/walking because we took an Uber to the lounge.  My impression is that if you are in a suite and are arriving on the day of the cruise you could Uber/Lyft/taxi directly from the airport to the lounge.  Before we cause problems for anyone, we would like to make a couple of things clear:  The Suite Lounge benefit is just being "rolled out", so there will probably be changes going forward.  Because Princess is doing a "soft start", admission to the Lounge was by "Invitation Only"  They did have a list of who had been invited.  I have no idea what they would do if people showed up uninvited.

[Steelers36]

On 3/28/2023 at 8:42 PM, tngman said:

......................they will offer perks for suite guests like excursion booking, Sanctuary booking,............................

Interesting.  I have been wondering about this for some time as folks have discussed and debated advance reservations.  IDK how many Suite bookers also go for Sanctuary, but when both B2B'ers (naturally) and Suite guests have a jump on everyone, it's going to be really tough for the Caribbean cruises to get a decent lounger.  That said, when I see the 4-and-5-figure prices charged for a Suite, I cannot exactly begrudge them an additional perk or two.  Absent this perk, an Elite like me who may have booked an Inside cabin, can board ahead and with the Suites and beat them to the Sanctuary. 

 

OTOH, this off-site lounge would only be useful to those Suite guests who arrive prior to general boarding.  When boarding opens, those of us in the early group will be on board and at the Sanctuary in minutes, so a Suite guest arriving at this off-site location is going to be impacted (unless they have blocked off a lot of loungers - and for how long?).  Also, how will the Sanctuary on-board communicate with the off-site spot and vice-versa to keep the paper map up-to-date?  

 

I wouldn't be surprised if some things have not been totally thought out.

 

[Steelers36]

23 hours ago, Greenwhite said:

The staff were able to make reservations for activities on the ship--including the Sanctuary.

Did you partake?  I am curious to know how this is being carried out because the Sanctuary process has been a manual one from voyage-to-voyage, with a paper map of lounger locations and then various highlighter colors used to designate full voyage, full-day, half-day, etc, along with a note of the guest's cabin number.  At point of opening the lounge, several loungers will already be booked from B2B'ers on the prior voyage.  Also, once general boarding has started, guests will arrive at the Sanctuary within minutes, looking to book loungers.  I am wondering how the off-site location advises Sanctuary mgr/lead what loungers have been booked by Suite guests by the time general boarding begins.  Did they block off some set number of loungers for the off-site?  If so, when do they release them?  This lounge only seems useful for guests who arrive prior to general boarding (in terms of Sanctuary and other things that can only be booked on board).  Seems like Suite guests there would get a jump on on-board SD reservations as well. 

 

I suppose a Suite guest arriving at the port at say 12pm would have an enhanced experience arriving at the off-site facility due to the luggage handling from that point and a priority escort service onto the ship.  Even though the masses have streamed on board, no need to dally about the terminal check-in process.  I suppose the ideal timing for Suite guest at the off-site is from opening of off-site up until the waiting masses have cleared the terminal and guests are just flowing through check-in and onto the ship.

 

[Greenwhite]

Hi Steelers36.  Yes, we did indeed partake.  Like everyone else we were aware of the "mad dash to the Sanctuary" routine and did not intend to participate.  However, after we were seated and offered refreshments we were also offered the opportunity to make onboard reservations.  We were very surprised to learn that we could make reservations for the Sanctuary and did so.  A representative at the Lounge immediately contacted the ship and made the reservation for us.  This happened before boarding began.  I can only comment on our experience.  We did not board the ship immediately when boarding began.  After we got on the ship and had lunch we went to the Sanctuary.  They were aware of our reservations and showed us our loungers. Some loungers had already been taken, so we did not get "first choice".  So, if you want a specific lounger, you might need to get to the Sanctuary before everyone else.  In our case it didn't matter to us. 

[Guardsy]

I just started a new topic on this subject.  Ask away!

[Happiest when cruising]

7 hours ago, Greenwhite said:

Hi Happiest when cruising.  When we received our telephone call about the Suite Lounge we were told the hours were 08:30 to 14:30.  We can't answer your questions about driving/walking because we took an Uber to the lounge.  My impression is that if you are in a suite and are arriving on the day of the cruise you could Uber/Lyft/taxi directly from the airport to the lounge.  Before we cause problems for anyone, we would like to make a couple of things clear:  The Suite Lounge benefit is just being "rolled out", so there will probably be changes going forward.  Because Princess is doing a "soft start", admission to the Lounge was by "Invitation Only"  They did have a list of who had been invited.  I have no idea what they would do if people showed up uninvited.

Thanks so much and I totally understand that things will change based on any feedback they get, and the interest level of passengers. 

[Steelers36]

9 hours ago, Greenwhite said:

Hi Steelers36.  Yes, we did indeed partake.  Like everyone else we were aware of the "mad dash to the Sanctuary" routine and did not intend to participate.  However, after we were seated and offered refreshments we were also offered the opportunity to make onboard reservations.  We were very surprised to learn that we could make reservations for the Sanctuary and did so.  A representative at the Lounge immediately contacted the ship and made the reservation for us.  This happened before boarding began.  I can only comment on our experience.  We did not board the ship immediately when boarding began.  After we got on the ship and had lunch we went to the Sanctuary.  They were aware of our reservations and showed us our loungers. Some loungers had already been taken, so we did not get "first choice".  So, if you want a specific lounger, you might need to get to the Sanctuary before everyone else.  In our case it didn't matter to us. 

Thanks for the details.  So, someone called the ship presumably, or texted.  Were you asked if you wanted sun or shade or anything at all about the location?  Presumably you were asked for which days, or part-days, or if full voyage?  

 

I imagine the ones taken were mostly from guests on a B2B who would have booked at least the day before your check-in, or possibly another Suite guest or two at the lounge site ahead of you.  Even if the very first guest to walk the bridge onto the ship, several chairs may already be gone due to B2B guests and nothing to be done about that.

 

IF (very big if) I was in that Suite lounge, I have enough of a picture of Sanctuary layouts in my head that I could at least put in some general location request that would suit.

 

I suppose one could make the early res from the lounge and then request to shuttle over prior to general boarding and be escorted upstairs to be ready to board in time and then could always head to Sanctuary as you did (but soonest) and see if chairs booked were okay or swap for something else available. 

 

Bottom line is for me, it is another situation where some other number of chairs are going to be spoken for before I can get to Sanctuary as an Elite boarder.  Takes me back to my Platinum days when I never knew if I would have success until I arrived and saw the situation. 

 

Thanks again for some insight.

 

PS - Glad I saw your note as I noticed this thread had some new posts.  Here is how to tag any CC Poster and ensure they get an email notice someone mentioned them:

 

1. Type the "@" symbol.

2. Immediately begin to type their CC Handle like this:  @St...

3. Don't speed type I would say.  As you type letters, a drop down list of match CC Handles appears.

4. As you type more letters, the list shortens.

5. Soon you will see the one you want and next step is important.

6. Click on the desired CC Handle and this happens:  @Steelers36

(The handle name is completed for you and is highlighted in BLUE.

7. You can now hit a period or spacebar and continue typing your sentence.  Once you post, anyone indicated in blue highlight gets notified that you mentioned them.

 

Hope you had a great cruise.

[JimmyVWine]

On 4/8/2023 at 11:42 AM, Greenwhite said:

It was a wonderful experience compared to the usual poor Princess boarding mess. 

Thanks for the report. But I do have to take issue with your comment about regular boarding. With the introduction of the Medallions, the boarding process has taken a big turn for the better for those who cannot partake in the new lounge. 

[rhobbkf]

Does anyone know if they are still testing this suite lounge?  We leave in 3 weeks and haven't heard anything about it from Princess.  Thanks!

[JimmyVWine]

6 minutes ago, rhobbkf said:

Does anyone know if they are still testing this suite lounge?  We leave in 3 weeks and haven't heard anything about it from Princess.  Thanks!

I doubt that they have stopped using it.  But it has been mentioned that entry has been based on invitations and is not generally available.  And the invitations seem to have arrived just before departure. 

 

The OP got a call 4 days before departure.

"The young man who called had all of our cruise info for our cruise that leaves this Saturday."

Edited April 21, 2023 by JimmyVWine

[suzyed]

The only time we got to ride in a pretty Mercedes Van by Princess is when they were transporting us from Miami to our home in Florida....we were on the stranded Coral Princess when covid broke.  So while we were grateful for the ride it was not the same nice experience outlined here!

[rhobbkf]

1 hour ago, JimmyVWine said:

I doubt that they have stopped using it.  But it has been mentioned that entry has been based on invitations and is not generally available.  And the invitations seem to have arrived just before departure. 

 

The OP got a call 4 days before departure.

"The young man who called had all of our cruise info for our cruise that leaves this Saturday."

It's been a few weeks since the last post, so I wondered if anyone else had experienced the lounge.

[JimmyVWine]

9 minutes ago, rhobbkf said:

It's been a few weeks since the last post, so I wondered if anyone else had experienced the lounge.

The number of Port Everglades departures over the past two weeks can be counted on a couple of fingers.  Honestly, there probably haven't been more than 100 people in the lounge in the past couple of weeks and the odds of any of them posting here is probably pretty small, especially if they are currently on their cruises.  

[34TigerLily]

We were in this lounge in Fort Lauderdale before our April 22 cruise that was only the 5th week it was open.  It is for suite and reserve class passengers and it is located in the Princess corporate building  1600 SE 17th Street.  They had bagels, cream cheese, lox and all the trimmings, cold cuts, cheeses, fruit, good pastries, coffee, soda, water, etc.  They checked you in in the lounge so when they transported you to the port they were able to escort us directly through the security line and onto the ship.  It was a great experience.  

Edited May 7, 2023 by 34TigerLily

[cr8tiv1]

Is it still by invitation only?  How would you know otherwise?  What time can you arrive?

 

Thanks

[flutprop]

On 5/7/2023 at 10:34 AM, 34TigerLily said:

  It is for suite and reserve class passengers and it is located in the Princess corporate building  1600 SE 17th Street.  

 

What are reserve class passengers?