Would you make this Club Class bid upgrade?

[cruzsnooze]

On 4/6/2023 at 2:44 PM, rbtan said:

I think you are way off!! Club Class is NOT $220 per day extra v/s a standard minisuite. Please give the facts to back that claim.

Oh yes it is and I posted it. Just look at the Diamond Princess sailing May 25 2024 

 

Mini-Suite from ^$3,248

Choose a luxurious Mini-Suite with balcony which is substantially larger than a Balcony stateroom. A Mini-Suite includes a separate sitting area with sofa bed, premium bathroom amenities and two flat-panel televisions. For families or groups needing a little extra space, Mini-Suites offer an appealing and affordable option.

Selectfrom ^$3,248* for Mini-Suite

Reserve Collection Mini-Suite

 - Upgrade from ^$110 per day

A premium stateroom category featuring our best located Mini-Suite staterooms, as well as the great amenities found in all Mini-Suites — plus premier dining benefits and luxurious perks. Each night, enjoy Club Class Dining, an exclusive dining area featuring expedited seating with no wait, expanded menu options, dedicated wait staff and tableside preparations. Other amenities include priority embarkation and disembarkation, a complimentary one-time wine set-up and so much more^{^}

 

 

Edited April 9, 2023 by cruzsnooze

[cruzsnooze]

46 minutes ago, stevenr597 said:

The question was whether the additional charge for Club Class should be regarded as a gratuity and if so, then the individual has the “right” to delete their automatic gratuity and not to tip at all.

 

Until proven otherwise I believe the extra fare for a reserve class includes the gratuity for the dining crew. I will REDUCE (never would eliminate because there are crew who need their tips in other areas ) my auto gratuity to take that into consideration. Nobody has to agree with me, it's my right to believe what I believe however if someone could prove that part or all of that $110 PP PD I'm paying goes to Princess and not the crew I could revise my thinking. 

   Since the dining crew in club class serve fewer people it seems logical that some of that extra fare goes to them or why would they work in an area for less salary. 

[mrmarklin]

The $110 PP PD is an upgrade from a balcony cabin to a Club level mini suite. Never having sailed in a balcony, I don’t know how much of an upgrade this is. Having Club for dining is worth something, ‘cause no waiting to eat. The room size and location are also considerations. $110 PD. Up to the individual. 
I don’t know if mini suite upgrades the suggested tipping to full Suite level, which is a couple of extra bucks per day. If it does, it would be included in the price. I guess you could claw that back if you hate your crew. But Princess gets the majority of the money, that’s for sure. 
 

On another note, we travel with a couple that deletes tips and supposedly gives the equivalent to the waiters , stewards, etc.  I hope they are honest in this regard, but even assuming they are, one forgets that there are many support staff on the ship that are invisible, not to mention the workers in the buffet, kitchen, laundry etc etc. I definitely tip over and above. 

[rbtan]

19 minutes ago, mrmarklin said:

The $110 PP PD is an upgrade from a balcony cabin to a Club level mini suite. Never having sailed in a balcony, I don’t know how much of an upgrade this is. Having Club for dining is worth something, ‘cause no waiting to eat. The room size and location are also considerations. $110 PD. Up to the individual. 
I don’t know if mini suite upgrades the suggested tipping to full Suite level, which is a couple of extra bucks per day. If it does, it would be included in the price. I guess you could claw that back if you hate your crew. But Princess gets the majority of the money, that’s for sure. 
 

On another note, we travel with a couple that deletes tips and supposedly gives the equivalent to the waiters , stewards, etc.  I hope they are honest in this regard, but even assuming they are, one forgets that there are many support staff on the ship that are invisible, not to mention the workers in the buffet, kitchen, laundry etc etc. I definitely tip over and above. 

  Good to see an angel among those who are not on this blog. Basically the minisuite is considerably larger than a Balcony cabin. 320 ft v/s about 250 ft. You get a larger bathroom with tub v/s shower. The Club Class(now called reserve) is the same size but with better locations, priority boarding & disembarkation, Canapes on request, little wait time for a table. More attentiveness by the staff(less pax overall)

 The staff who are(hopefully) tipped by your friends have to turn this in for a pool for the other staff. If you tip over the auto tip the staff who receive it are able to keep that. The increase of the auto tip for Club Class does go to those staff who take care of the Club Class pax. Best employees get the higher wages.

[rbtan]

1 hour ago, cruzsnooze said:

Oh yes it is and I posted it. Just look at the Diamond Princess sailing May 25 2024 

 

Mini-Suite from ^$3,248

Choose a luxurious Mini-Suite with balcony which is substantially larger than a Balcony stateroom. A Mini-Suite includes a separate sitting area with sofa bed, premium bathroom amenities and two flat-panel televisions. For families or groups needing a little extra space, Mini-Suites offer an appealing and affordable option.

Selectfrom ^$3,248* for Mini-Suite

Reserve Collection Mini-Suite

 - Upgrade from ^$110 per day

A premium stateroom category featuring our best located Mini-Suite staterooms, as well as the great amenities found in all Mini-Suites — plus premier dining benefits and luxurious perks. Each night, enjoy Club Class Dining, an exclusive dining area featuring expedited seating with no wait, expanded menu options, dedicated wait staff and tableside preparations. Other amenities include priority embarkation and disembarkation, a complimentary one-time wine set-up and so much more^{^}

 

 

I'm talking Per Person, not per couple. That should have been clear enough, but I guess not to everyone.

[cruzsnooze]

45 minutes ago, mrmarklin said:

The $110 PP PD is an upgrade from a balcony cabin to a Club level mini suite. Never having sailed in a balcony, I don’t know how much of an upgrade this is. Having Club for dining is worth something, ‘cause no waiting to eat. The room size and location are also considerations. $110 PD. Up to the individual. 

This is Mini suite VS mini suite club class, balcony cabin has nothing to do with this. When you make a booking and choose mini suite you get two choices, standard mini or club class. This $110 PP PD is the difference between mini's when booking. 

[mrmarklin]

15 hours ago, cruzsnooze said:

This is Mini suite VS mini suite club class, balcony cabin has nothing to do with this. When you make a booking and choose mini suite you get two choices, standard mini or club class. This $110 PP PD is the difference between mini's when booking. 

I looked this up. You are incorrect. 

[stevenr597]

16 hours ago, cruzsnooze said:

Until proven otherwise I believe the extra fare for a reserve class includes the gratuity for the dining crew. I will REDUCE (never would eliminate because there are crew who need their tips in other areas ) my auto gratuity to take that into consideration. Nobody has to agree with me, it's my right to believe what I believe however if someone could prove that part or all of that $110 PP PD I'm paying goes to Princess and not the crew I could revise my thinking. 

   Since the dining crew in club class serve fewer people it seems logical that some of that extra fare goes to them or why would they work in an area for less salary. 

Have to disagree with you.  The upcharge for Club Class goes to Princess and Carnival Corporation.  The gratuity that you either pay either automatically, or by a "tip" at the end of the cruise is independent of this upcharge.  

Certainly, it is one's personal decision as to whether they wish to tip the crew, especially the waiter, bus boys, and room steward which is indeed a significant part of their salary.

When one enters a restaurant, in most cases the tip or gratuity is voluntary.  One could argue that  if you go to a more expensive restaurant would you  decide that a tip is not required because the increase in prices automatically covers the tip?

[stevenr597]

15 hours ago, cruzsnooze said:

This is Mini suite VS mini suite club class, balcony cabin has nothing to do with this. When you make a booking and choose mini suite you get two choices, standard mini or club class. This $110 PP PD is the difference between mini's when booking. 

Part of the cost of the up-charge is due to the fact that the Mini-suite is in the central area of the ship, and these rooms have always been more costly. 

[rbtan]

27 minutes ago, stevenr597 said:

Have to disagree with you.  The upcharge for Club Class goes to Princess and Carnival Corporation.  The gratuity that you either pay either automatically, or by a "tip" at the end of the cruise is independent of this upcharge.  

Certainly, it is one's personal decision as to whether they wish to tip the crew, especially the waiter, bus boys, and room steward which is indeed a significant part of their salary.

When one enters a restaurant, in most cases the tip or gratuity is voluntary.  One could argue that  if you go to a more expensive restaurant would you  decide that a tip is not required because the increase in prices automatically covers the tip?

If anyone dines in the Miami are, you'll notice an added service charge of 17-20% this is the gratuity added automatically. This was done because of cheapass Spring breakers who frequently stiff the waiters at these venues.In Reserve the tip is between standard cabin & Suite tips. This is mainly because of the higher skill level of the staff. We've done everything from inside to full suites & the attention to detail is pretty obvious. The more "green" staff get lower wages(not drastically) as their skill level is not as high. It's done like this on most lines. The full Luxury lines pay much higher wages & don't need to add tips. We cruise mostly Oceania & we've seen a lot of pax from Princess who feel the standards have dropped on Princess. Food for example is MUCH better on Oceania. The fares are higher, but the cost of an inside on Oceania is about the same as a Reserve cabin on Princess.

  On Oceania you get: No photographers/No endless announcements about crappy garbage art auctions/Endless Gold by the inch & other rather worthless jewelry/NO extra cost restaurants..These are included unless you do a wine tasting/All water & soft drinks are free/Illy Coffee is free at the Barista.A staff/pax ratio close to 1 to 1.

 With Princess you get: Great staff(about the best we see anywhere)/Great excursions(among the best of any line) /Better overall entertainment/more varied itineraries. It's simply you get more if you pay more.

[stevenr597]

6 minutes ago, rbtan said:

If anyone dines in the Miami are, you'll notice an added service charge of 17-20% this is the gratuity added automatically. This was done because of cheapass Spring breakers who frequently stiff the waiters at these venues.In Reserve the tip is between standard cabin & Suite tips. This is mainly because of the higher skill level of the staff. We've done everything from inside to full suites & the attention to detail is pretty obvious. The more "green" staff get lower wages(not drastically) as their skill level is not as high. It's done like this on most lines. The full Luxury lines pay much higher wages & don't need to add tips. We cruise mostly Oceania & we've seen a lot of pax from Princess who feel the standards have dropped on Princess. Food for example is MUCH better on Oceania. The fares are higher, but the cost of an inside on Oceania is about the same as a Reserve cabin on Princess.

  On Oceania you get: No photographers/No endless announcements about crappy garbage art auctions/Endless Gold by the inch & other rather worthless jewelry/NO extra cost restaurants..These are included unless you do a wine tasting/All water & soft drinks are free/Illy Coffee is free at the Barista.A staff/pax ratio close to 1 to 1.

 With Princess you get: Great staff(about the best we see anywhere)/Great excursions(among the best of any line) /Better overall entertainment/more varied itineraries. It's simply you get more if you pay more.

In Miami as well as in other restaurants in Florida they are beginning to adopt the European Custom of automatically adding a tip.  They have done this at the Breaker's Hotel in Palm Beach.  

The Up-charge for a room should be separate for any gratuity, unless the cruise line specifies it is included.

I have noticed some decrease in the quality of the cruise for the past several years which was accelerated by the Pandemic.  We have experienced this on Princess, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity.  In fact, we were disappointed with a recent cruise we took on Celebrity Reflection. 

In respect to Oceania we have never cruised that line, but I have talked to individuals who state that the quality has also declined.  

We did cruise Azamara several years ago and it was one of our best trips we ever made; but since then, Azamara has been sold to a private venture group and Travel Agents have suggested that we wait and see until this works out.

I personally believe that Princess still has the "best bang for the money", but that is my opinion. 

[rbtan]

6 hours ago, stevenr597 said:

In Miami as well as in other restaurants in Florida they are beginning to adopt the European Custom of automatically adding a tip.  They have done this at the Breaker's Hotel in Palm Beach.  

The Up-charge for a room should be separate for any gratuity, unless the cruise line specifies it is included.

I have noticed some decrease in the quality of the cruise for the past several years which was accelerated by the Pandemic.  We have experienced this on Princess, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity.  In fact, we were disappointed with a recent cruise we took on Celebrity Reflection. 

In respect to Oceania we have never cruised that line, but I have talked to individuals who state that the quality has also declined.  

We did cruise Azamara several years ago and it was one of our best trips we ever made; but since then, Azamara has been sold to a private venture group and Travel Agents have suggested that we wait and see until this works out.

I personally believe that Princess still has the "best bang for the money", but that is my opinion. 

  Quality of food on Oceania is still pretty much the same, however, portion sizes have gotten smaller on certain dishes. Rack of Lamb was so small, we thought it might have been Rack of Rabbit.

  One thing we did notice (and really disliked)was skipping of ports & using this "Save the Seas" load of crap to in reality save money on fuel at the expense of the cruise. They go fast when going down into the Caribbean, but then would arrive at ports at 11:00 to nearly noon. Nothing like losing half a day! We have a cruise booked next Jan. on the new Vista & my spouse just booked a Reserve cabin on the Sky for later next Jan. We can't take both & will decide the best option as we get into the fall.We do like the extra attention to detail in Reserve/Club Class. We just wish that like the Luminae rest. on the Celebrity ships, Princess would up their game on the higher accommodations. This is the one thing we feel where Princess can lag behind its competitors.

  With the exception of Princess's rather bland (downright poor at times food) the rest of their trips are as you said declined the least.