Help me - I am so mad - Carribbean Princess

[Hlitner]

22 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

This is spot on.

Except I mentioned HAL instead of Princess :).  We do cruise both lines, but Princess is where the alternative dining reservations can be an issue.  HAL has less of a problem, although it can sometimes be a challenge to get reservations in their alternative venue.  

 

For our next Princess cruise, we only booked the Plus package.  We will watch the various CC reviews and posts to see if the new "unlimited" dining perk (for Premiere) creates an even worse situation with dining reservations.  

[Iamcruzin]

8 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Except I mentioned HAL instead of Princess :).  We do cruise both lines, but Princess is where the alternative dining reservations can be an issue.  HAL has less of a problem, although it can sometimes be a challenge to get reservations in their alternative venue.  

 

For our next Princess cruise, we only booked the Plus package.  We will watch the various CC reviews and posts to see if the new "unlimited" dining perk (for Premiere) creates an even worse situation with dining reservations.  

I wouldn't buy the Premiere package for a Grand Class ship. We enjoyed the old Sabatini but the Crown Grill was just so so.  We are also over it having pictures taken and we certainly don't need to run 4 devices with internet at one time. Being a diabetic leaves out unlimited desserts and although I go to the fitness center on embarkation day, that's only so if the doctor asks if I went to the gym I can say yes. The exercise class is a no show for me.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

13 hours ago, 1KBAP said:

They seem to hold more seats then there are Premier Package holders.  I have zero problems getting a seat 10-15 minutes before showtime.  5-minutes before, they release the leftover seats to everyone and they fill them.

 

I have yet to see anyone on a Premier Package unable to get a seat before the turnover time.

 

It is not conceivable that 50% buy a Premier Package. 

Someone had posted that Premier Package passengers showed up to the arena on the Sun Princess really early and all of the Premier Package seats were already taken. I guess I will know what it’s like next week. I may upgrade to Premier but haven’t decided yet. 

[memoak]

1 hour ago, 555 said:

That's great, but I want a guarantee that if I book the Premier package I'll be assured I would be eating in a Specialty restaurant every night. 

Otherwise, I just don't see any advantage of the Premier package at all. ie- unlimited alcohol, desserts & reserved seating are all a big waste for us.

I think you may have to find another cruise line although I doubt any line can give you that kind of guarantee 

[Retired-N-Happy]

45 minutes ago, memoak said:

I think you may have to find another cruise line although I doubt any line can give you that kind of guarantee 

It's just a matter of reserving well enough in advance that book ahead slots are still available.  We are on the Sun in January and a few months back I was able to get MDR as well as specialty reservations with no problem.  It's another story for our 10/26 Sun sailing.  In the same situation as 555 is.  I couldn't get a single reservation lined up early for either the MDR or for specialty dining.

[memoak]

53 minutes ago, Retired-N-Happy said:

It's just a matter of reserving well enough in advance that book ahead slots are still available.  We are on the Sun in January and a few months back I was able to get MDR as well as specialty reservations with no problem.  It's another story for our 10/26 Sun sailing.  In the same situation as 555 is.  I couldn't get a single reservation lined up early for either the MDR or for specialty dining.

Good thing I stay away from the Sun. On all my cruises since the pandemic Royal or Grand class I have been able to get bookings for all specialty restaurants on board and on the morning that I want to dine. 8:00 no problem anywhere 

[Retired-N-Happy]

42 minutes ago, memoak said:

Good thing I stay away from the Sun. On all my cruises since the pandemic Royal or Grand class I have been able to get bookings for all specialty restaurants on board and on the morning that I want to dine. 8:00 no problem anywhere 

I will assume that it won't be too much of a problem to get reservations once we get onboard.  The problem we had as well as poster 555 was trying to get any reservations at all about 3-4 months ahead of time for anything either in specialty or in the MDR, unless we wanted a shared table late.

[paddingtonbear]

3 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 With the new Premier, if you book in advance online, there is a $10/person charge if you cancel less than 24 hours before your reservation, so I didn't want to book too many dinners and risk getting charged if we end up wanting to do something different.

 

It isn't just if you book on line with Premier if you book SD on the ship and cancel less than 24 hours before your reservation or if you do not show up you also get charged $10pp.

 

I think this is a good idea.  It should stop people booking SD every night and not turning up.  Although $10pp for some people will be a pittance and they won't worry about it. 

[memoak]

10 minutes ago, Retired-N-Happy said:

I will assume that it won't be too much of a problem to get reservations once we get onboard.  The problem we had as well as poster 555 was trying to get any reservations at all about 3-4 months ahead of time for anything either in specialty or in the MDR, unless we wanted a shared table late.

Well in my world 7:30 or &:00 is not late and I see tons of private tables at those times 

[Retired-N-Happy]

30 minutes ago, memoak said:

Well in my world 7:30 or &:00 is not late and I see tons of private tables at those times 

Maybe you can get what you want on the smaller class ships that you prefer to sail on, but 3 months ahead of time there was nothing available on the Sun for our 14 day sailing with specialty dining as well as the MDR.

 

Twenty years ago before drink packages came into fashion and the only thing to do on board after dinner was go to the casino or attend "the show", we always had late seating.  With larger ships having more to do entertainment  wise and with drink packages letting you enjoy multiple bars, our preferences have changed to eating at 600 instead of 815.  

[memoak]

8 minutes ago, Retired-N-Happy said:

Maybe you can get what you want on the smaller class ships that you prefer to sail on, but 3 months ahead of time there was nothing available on the Sun for our 14 day sailing with specialty dining as well as the MDR.

 

Twenty years ago before drink packages came into fashion and the only thing to do on board after dinner was go to the casino or attend "the show", we always had late seating.  With larger ships having more to do entertainment  wise and with drink packages letting you enjoy multiple bars, our preferences have changed to eating at 600 instead of 815.  

Each to their own. We now longer do shows and quiz games. This is our style of vacation and it hasn’t changed in 30 years. And yes we have been cruising for 35+ years. We don’t even start showering for dinner till 6:00. 

[d9704011]

2 minutes ago, memoak said:

Each to their own. We now longer do shows and quiz games. This is our style of vacation and it hasn’t changed in 30 years. And yes we have been cruising for 35+ years. We don’t even start showering for dinner till 6:00. 

Hmmm... TMI.

[memoak]

14 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

Hmmm... TMI.

My point is that if 60% of cruisers feel they have to eat 6:00 or earlier than yes there will be problems with available tables. There are only so many tables in venues at a given time and people need to recognize that. It seems many people feel that they should get the table they want at the time they want regardless of how many people want the same. I hear people say I want a perfect table at s perfect time every night or I will not be happy 

[Retired-N-Happy]

25 minutes ago, memoak said:

Each to their own. We now longer do shows and quiz games. This is our style of vacation and it hasn’t changed in 30 years. And yes we have been cruising for 35+ years. We don’t even start showering for dinner till 6:00. 

My first cruise was in 1986.  I have evolved and changed though over the years just like cruising has.  Don't like being stagnant, but like you said, to each their own.

[cheers270]

Just got off the Discovery.  Specialty dining slots didnt open until a couple of weeks before sailing.  On board, the restaurants were mostly empty. You should have no problem walking in. I think premieres can also order specialty entrees for free for room service. It was around $20 for me. 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

52 minutes ago, cheers270 said:

Just got off the Discovery.  Specialty dining slots didnt open until a couple of weeks before sailing.  On board, the restaurants were mostly empty. You should have no problem walking in. I think premieres can also order specialty entrees for free for room service. It was around $20 for me. 

I’ve not seen anything stating that Premiers can order from speciality dining for free from Room Service. Where did you see that? I would upgrade if that was possible.

[cheers270]

3 hours ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

I’ve not seen anything stating that Premiers can order from speciality dining for free from Room Service. Where did you see that? I would upgrade if that was possible.

I figured it should be free if they have unlimited dining anyway but maybe I am wrong. 

[1KBAP]

2 hours ago, cheers270 said:

I figured it should be free if they have unlimited dining anyway but maybe I am wrong. 

It is not a service that Princess offers.

[TAW1963]

6 hours ago, 1KBAP said:

Sorry, but I expect silly abbreviations from teenagers texting each other along with rampant emojis.

 

You have people who just joined this forum and using such abbreviations is anything but inclusive.  In fact, it smirks of arrogance.

 

Only two letters come to your mind?  I have four I could use.  And I don't care about sitting on the sidelines or being thrown off this forum at this point.

 

I suspect many come to this board and leave quickly due to such behavior of other posters.

 

You should try to do better.

I see that you are relatively new to the Cruise Critic boards.  I am relatively new myself and just started following, and contributing some, about 2 years ago.  I have to admit that the acronyms and abbreviations used on here were confusing to me as well until I got more used to them.  However, I don't think it is fair for you to call out other members using abbreviations and acronyms and accuse them or being arrogant (your :smirks of arrogance comment).   People using these acronyms are not being arrogant, nor exclusive, and it is not poor behavior for them to be using them.

 

I hope you'll look past this and continue contributing to these boards.  It is good to have all perspectives. 

 

Here is a link to a very old CC (Cruise Critic) post from 2010, with a very long list of acronyms and abbreviations commonly used on these boards:

 

I am sure there are still many others not on this list. 

Edited October 14 by TAW1963

[PescadoAmarillo]

On 10/11/2024 at 5:15 AM, nasa1974 said:

Once on board go to the specialty restaurants and book your reservation. Relax and enjoy your cruise.

We are currently on the Regal and checked with the restaurant manager at the Crown Grill about the availability of reservations on the next cruise where we were considering upgrading to Premier. The app shows no availability and he said there will be no additional slots available to book on the cruise. I don’t know if this means Princess will stop selling premier for that cruise but I think it’s not valid to say there will be more reservations available once on board. 

[555]

16 hours ago, memoak said:

I think you may have to find another cruise line although I doubt any line can give you that kind of guarantee 

Then Princess should change their wording of the Premier package to indicate that reservations may not be possible and stop saying that SD is included. 

Of course we all know that it's just an enticement to get people to purchase it, knowing full well that it's almost impossible to satisfy everyone. 

 

 

13 hours ago, memoak said:

Well in my world 7:30 or &:00 is not late and I see tons of private tables at those times 

As much as we dislike eating at those late hours we would have accepted them, if offered. 

[555]

53 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

We are currently on the Regal and checked with the restaurant manager at the Crown Grill about the availability of reservations on the next cruise where we were considering upgrading to Premier. The app shows no availability and he said there will be no additional slots available to book on the cruise. I don’t know if this means Princess will stop selling premier for that cruise but I think it’s not valid to say there will be more reservations available once on board. 

I guess that answers my question about the other ships. 🥺

I would hate to be one of those head waiters trying to explain the situation to a crowd of angry customers. 

[1KBAP]

Yet no one is on board with the Premier Package and actually says they have not been able to dine at a Specialty Dining restaurant.

 

You are making ado about nothing.

 

And what do you care?  You already cancelled your Premier Package.

[1KBAP]

2 hours ago, TAW1963 said:

I see that you are relatively new to the Cruise Critic boards.  I am relatively new myself and just started following, and contributing some, about 2 years ago.  I have to admit that the acronyms and abbreviations used on here were confusing to me as well until I got more used to them.  However, I don't think it is fair for you to call out other members using abbreviations and acronyms and accuse them or being arrogant (your :smirks of arrogance comment).   People using these acronyms are not being arrogant, nor exclusive, and it is not poor behavior for them to be using them.

 

I hope you'll look past this and continue contributing to these boards.  It is good to have all perspectives. 

 

Here is a link to a very old CC (Cruise Critic) post from 2010, with a very long list of acronyms and abbreviations commonly used on these boards:

 

I am sure there are still many others not on this list. 

 

It is not a welcoming forum.

 

I'm gone.

 

For those who are glad to see me go, KMA.

[TAW1963]

12 minutes ago, 1KBAP said:

 

It is not a welcoming forum.

 

I'm gone.

 

For those who are glad to see me go, KMA.

I am truly sorry that you feel that way.  I have found that most people on this board, and the Holland America board which I also follow, have been very welcoming, kind and extremely helpful.  I have learned a lot from this forum and it has helped make our cruising experience much better.  This forum has also helped us save a considerable amount of money.  I personally am grateful to many participants.