Help me - I am so mad - Carribbean Princess

[newcruiserny]

Hi Guys,

So I just booked a thanksgiving cruise on Carribbean Princess Nov 27th for Four nights.  I am a new cruiser to every cruise line.  I purchased the Princess Premier package for $90 a day ($360) because it said unlimited dining.

 

Now that I have paid and log into the app, it only shows 2 restaurants Crown Grill and Sabatini's Italian, which is not even the worst part.

I am unable to make any reservations to either one as no time slots are showing up on ANY of the days. 

 

Did I just get ripped off from Princess?  I am so mad.  I called them and the agent said the same thing that there were no time slots showing on her system and that I would need to do this when I board the ship.  Is this really how it works?  I need to wait until I get there and pray for a time slot?

 

Please help me if anybody knows what I should do or who I should speak with.  I feel totally helpless right now.

Edited October 11 by newcruiserny

[Retired-N-Happy]

First of all, take a deep breath.  Yes, there is a two fold reason for the situation you're currently in.  First of all, not all of the inventory is available ahead of time.  A certain percentage is held for on board booking and since you're cruising on the Caribbean, it's one of the older ships in the fleet and only has the two specialty options on board.

 

I am currently in the same situation but on the newest ship in the fleet, the Sun which has three times as many specialty options.  We're cruising on 10/26 and options have been sold out for months.  We'll find out once we get on board what will be available.  We have another Sun booking in January and we have 13/14 nights locked in for specialty dining.  

 

[newcruiserny]

37 minutes ago, Retired-N-Happy said:

First of all, take a deep breath.  Yes, there is a two fold reason for the situation you're currently in.  First of all, not all of the inventory is available ahead of time.  A certain percentage is held for on board booking and since you're cruising on the Caribbean, it's one of the older ships in the fleet and only has the two specialty options on board.

 

I am currently in the same situation but on the newest ship in the fleet, the Sun which has three times as many specialty options.  We're cruising on 10/26 and options have been sold out for months.  We'll find out once we get on board what will be available.  We have another Sun booking in January and we have 13/14 nights locked in for specialty dining.  

 

Is there any possibility that I will go on the ship and never eat any specialty dining?  I would be crushed as that is the only reason I purchased Princess Premier

[Treasure Hunter]

Don’t be sad. You will get something on board. In any case the MDR food is really good. And it’s the Caribbean with beautiful weather. You will still h r a good time

[newcruiserny]

10 minutes ago, Treasure Hunter said:

Don’t be sad. You will get something on board. In any case the MDR food is really good. And it’s the Caribbean with beautiful weather. You will still h r a good time

what do you mean don't be sad?  I paid $90 per day to eat.  Imagine buying a car and not getting the car

[Treasure Hunter]

Do you drink alcohol at all? We don’t and just buy whatever dinners we want. Can you get a refund? Call and ask. Just trying to cheer you up. 

[Retired-N-Happy]

14 minutes ago, Treasure Hunter said:

Don’t be sad. You will get something on board. In any case the MDR food is really good. And it’s the Caribbean with beautiful weather. You will still h r a good time

That's not helping the OP and her anxiety.  She dropped 360 as an upgrade for Premier and is expecting to have four meals at the limited specialty options on board.

[avonlady6390]

I suggest soon after boarding go to each of the restaurants and make reservations maybe since it's only a 4 night cruise spend 2 or 3 nights in specialty dining and one night in casual dining which is planks a bbq and steamers a seafood those two are in the back of the buffet restaurant on the Lido deck and rotate each night you can make reservations for those as well.  I also suggest taking a look at the deck plan for the Carribean princess you can find on Princess.com to familiarize yourself before boarding.

[Retired-N-Happy]

5 minutes ago, newcruiserny said:

what do you mean don't be sad?  I paid $90 per day to eat.  Imagine buying a car and not getting the car

Once again, it's all OK.  You should be able to get reservations once you get on board.  Now, if for some reason you don't, then ask to downgrade to Plus and get the 120 as refundable OBC. 

[newcruiserny]

Thank you so much.  Sorry guys if I over reacted.  I just wanted to eat.  I mean it is Thanksgiving week. 

 

I will definitely listen to you and go to the restaurants when I board the ship and try to get reservations.

[Treasure Hunter]

They also do a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner in both the MDR and the buffet. And truly the difference in quality of the food is not that much between the specialty restaurants and the MDR on the Caribbean Princess. The only exceptional restaurant in the fleet is Catch by Rudi ( the Enchanted). We have been on 38 Princess cruises ( 4 inThe last year). It’s a great idea to go directly to the restaurants that you are interested and politely beg with a smile. You will get something because they always hold some room for boarding day.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

Keep checking the app for time slots. Our Sun Princess cruise showed no availability and then one day more times became available. Good luck and enjoy! 

[nasa1974]

Now remember that Princess Premier also covers a lot more stuff than just specialty dining. Once on board go to the specialty restaurants and book your reservation. Relax and enjoy your cruise.

 

• Unlimited MedallionNet WiFi - the best WiFi at sea - for up to four-devices
• New “Premier” Beverage Package – top-shelf spirits and cocktails up to $18 with bar service charge included, new selection of wines by the glass, 25 percent off bottles of wine, specialty coffees, smoothies, and bottled water
• Two specialty dining meals per person including popular restaurants like Crown Grill and Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria
• Digital downloads of all photos taken by professional staff onboard, plus three prints of any size up to 8 x 10
• Entry into new Princess Prizes on board promotion
• Daily Crew Appreciation

[Arizona Wildcat]

You are mostly paying for drinks, tips and wifi.  You will likely find times either before boarding or on board.  If wanting to eat is your only goal then Princess Plus is not the best way to  get there IMO.

[Retired-N-Happy]

7 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

 If wanting to eat is your only goal then Princess Plus is not the best way to  get there IMO.

The OP mentioned in the first paragraph of their posting that they purchased Premier, not Plus for a four day Thanksgiving cruise and was lamenting the fact that there was no availability on the app for either the Crown Grill or Sabatini's.

[cr8tiv1]

You have 4 nights to eat evening meals.  Premier will give you unlimited Crown Grill and Sabatini's on the Caribbean (that's it!).   You will also get 2 casual meals at Planks and Steamers (alternating nights).  Then there is Thanksgiving dinner in the MDR.

 

I understand your frustrations with not being able to book a reservation.  This is a (mal)function of the app.  As a suite passenger, I have only been able to book my complimentary dinner only once.  The rest of the times, I've had to do this onboard.  I also understand your concerns about not getting a table or a time that will satisfy your wants.  Hopefully you will get to try out all the restaurants.

 

As for the ability to cancel.  You can not do it once on board.  The disclaimer says up to 3 days before embarkation.

 

Did you purchase Premier for ALL of the benefits or to focus on specialty dining?  The Caribbean Princess does not have many restaurants to choose from.  You will have no trouble getting the restaurant of your choice the first night.  It may be more challenging the rest of the evenings if you want an early seating.  

 

2 hours ago, Treasure Hunter said:

Do you drink alcohol at all? We don’t and just buy whatever dinners we want. Can you get a refund? Call and ask. Just trying to cheer you up. 

 

2 hours ago, Retired-N-Happy said:

Once again, it's all OK.  You should be able to get reservations once you get on board.  Now, if for some reason you don't, then ask to downgrade to Plus and get the 120 as refundable OBC. 

 

[dog]

4 hours ago, newcruiserny said:

Hi Guys,

So I just booked a thanksgiving cruise on Carribbean Princess Nov 27th for Four nights.  I am a new cruiser to every cruise line.  I purchased the Princess Premier package for $90 a day ($360) because it said unlimited dining.

 

Now that I have paid and log into the app, it only shows 2 restaurants Crown Grill and Sabatini's Italian, which is not even the worst part.

I am unable to make any reservations to either one as no time slots are showing up on ANY of the days. 

 

Did I just get ripped off from Princess?  I am so mad.  I called them and the agent said the same thing that there were no time slots showing on her system and that I would need to do this when I board the ship.  Is this really how it works?  I need to wait until I get there and pray for a time slot?

 

Please help me if anybody knows what I should do or who I should speak with.  I feel totally helpless right now.

4 nights

$90 per day

that is the New Premier

 

Unlimited Specialty

Unlimited casual

etc

 

Call dining line or go to 2 Specialty restaurants as soon as you board. You should be able to make reservations. Maybe later then you would like.

Keep trying on app- they have been adding spots pre cruise.it should not require you to pay to reserve.

 

Edited October 11 by dog

[reedprincess]

On CB, you have two specialty: Crown and Sabatini's..Crown is a steakhouse, Sabatini's, an Italian options.

They do hold slots for onboard reservations..

 

You also have unlimited casual dining..and CB is only one of two restaurants in the fleet with Planks and Steamers, aka BBQ and Seafood... They're both pretty darn good - and only dinner.... You can make reservations only aboard...

There's also Vines, with a very good charcuterie option...  Delish with that afternoon wine...

 

They do hold specialty spots for onboard reservations - not everything is fully booked in advance..

 

It's unfortunate you didn't research what specialty dining was aboard, it does sound like you were surprised to find there's only two options.....   

 

Hopefully, the other aspects of the package also help with your enjoyment with the unlimited drinks, unlimited photos, Princess Prizes, unlimited premium desserts and exercise classes, unlimited casual dining, reserved seating for production shows (super handy on short packed cruises!!), and so forth ..

 

I hope you enjoy..

[dockman]

So op will get to spend first few hours of cruise running around trying to get a reservation ...and what if the only times avail are 5 pm or 9 pm and op does not want to eat that early or that late?

I would try and cancel that package, get a refund, and eat in lido or mdr rather than have all that aggravation.  I am old fashioned in that I like to have my schedule lined up prior to boarding so i can enjoy my cruise without getting irritated if you get a big runaround onboard.

[leck57]

7 hours ago, newcruiserny said:

Thank you so much.  Sorry guys if I over reacted.  I just wanted to eat.  I mean it is Thanksgiving week. 

 

I will definitely listen to you and go to the restaurants when I board the ship and try to get reservations.

 

I notice you have just booked this cruise. Sometimes it takes the App a couple of days to catch up (it shouldn't but it has for me on occasions) so I would keep checking. Have you also tried booking via your Personalizer on Princess.com as some people have had better luck there.

[Cruz4Sun]

4 hours ago, dog said:

4 nights

$90 per day

that is the New Premier

 

Unlimited Specialty

Unlimited casual

etc

 

Call dining line or go to 2 Specialty restaurants as soon as you board. You should be able to make reservations. Maybe later then you would like.

Keep trying on app- they have been adding spots pre cruise.it should not require you to pay to reserve.

 

I was on the Caribbean Princess recently and here's what worked for me.  I got to the ship early and boarded before noon.  I went up to a house phone located in the buffet on the lido deck (the cabin was not available yet) and called the dine line.  This number should be printed on the paper they give you when boarding, but if not then ask a server in the buffet to get it for you.  We enjoyed the Crown Grill, Planks and Steamers.

 

[DallasGuy75219]

36 minutes ago, dockman said:

So op will get to spend first few hours of cruise running around trying to get a reservation ...and what if the only times avail are 5 pm or 9 pm and op does not want to eat that early or that late?

The Premier package doesn't guarantee your first choice of restaurant and dining time.  Everyone can't eat in the steakhouse at 7 pm every night. 

 

Princess is supposedly limiting the number of Premier packages sold on each sailing so that specialty dining isn't oversold.  But if OP isn't flexible about which restaurants they eat at, when they eat, and possibly waiting to reserve until onboard, they should be booking dining a la carte rather than buying the Premier package primarily or only for the specialty dining.

[Spudd]

Personally, I like the main dining room, which is included. Since you have never cruised before, I'm not sure if you were aware of that. You don't need the premier package to be able to have a nice meal every night. You could also eat in the main dining room some nights and specialty on others, and just pay as you go for the specialty. 

 

I feel for me the Plus package at $60/day is the best value because I will definitely pay tips and wifi, and then the drinks are only costing me just over $20/day which is super reasonable if you drink alcohol. I don't feel a need to eat in the specialty restaurants - the main dining room is lovely and the food is great.

 

You can cancel or modify the package you purchased up until 3 days before you sail, so you're not locked into your decision right now. Take some time and research the menus on board in all the dining venues, then choose what you think is best for you.

[dreaminofcruisin]

5 hours ago, reedprincess said:

 

There's also Vines, with a very good charcuterie option...  Delish with that afternoon wine...

 

 

 

I don't know about the CB, but on the Royal, the charcuterie wasn't available until 5 pm.

😒

[cruise_critical]

8 hours ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

Keep checking the app for time slots. Our Sun Princess cruise showed no availability and then one day more times became available. Good luck and enjoy! 

This. I also had my cruise not show ANY time slot for any of the specialty restaurants few weeks ago. Then upon checking few days later, every slot showed as vacant. So it may actually not be fully reserved but just the system playing funny business.