Crown Princess Prison Furniture "Upgrade"

[Steven_&_Daniel]

[quote name='dforeigner']The ones towards the stern (rear) are mini suites. The ones towards the bow (front) are regualr balcony rooms.[/quote]


Thanks. I've been looking at the Crown deck plans. There are no fore balcony cabins on Crown Emerald deck. I didn't realize some of her sister ships did.

[cruise fairy]

[quote name='Steven_&_Daniel']I thought the only balconies on the Emerald deck were mini-suites. What cabin were you in?

I can definitely see why a Baha balcony would be a disappointment after being on Emerald. We once booked a balcony on one of the upper decks. Then after doing some research, I learned that you could get a much larger Caribe balcony for the same price. So we changed our cabin.

It's definitely worth the effort to do as much research as you can before selecting a cabin. If you can find photos, you may discover something that even the deckplan doesn't tell you.

I agree with all the others, having a good attitude is the key to having a good cruise. That and reading Cruise Critic before you sail or even before you book.[/quote]

Gosh, this is terrible. I don't remember the exact room number E 210???(one would think I would remember it because it was such a wonderful cruise), but the rooms were located directly over the Princess Theatre at the front of the ship. Our balcony actually was where the steps went down onto Promenade Deck.....do you know where I mean now?:confused: It wasn't as nice, I'm sure, as the suites or minis on Emerald, but we really enjoyed it. That was our first cruise, we made reservations practically at the last minute, so we thought we got the crummy leftovers.....I thought WOW! What leftovers!
So, our second cruise, we booked Baja way ahead of time, our TA said this was a much better room. I didn't even think about the balcony size, didn't know at the time of booking that there was a difference in stateroom balconies.
We asked our room steward after slipping him an extra $20.00 if he could get us some better chairs on Baja, he just smiled, took the 20, and said 'sorry'. Oh well.
This cruise we are on Caribe, next cruise on the Emerald, 2/08 will be a mini suite.
Each cruise, we get a little better at choosing rooms. I guess if I had several cruises under my belt, and was looking forward to my balcony time.....I'd be very disappointed with the furniture, plastic or otherwise, on Baja too.:)

[cruise fairy]

[quote name='Steven_&_Daniel']I thought the only balconies on the Emerald deck were mini-suites. What cabin were you in?

I can definitely see why a Baha balcony would be a disappointment after being on Emerald. We once booked a balcony on one of the upper decks. Then after doing some research, I learned that you could get a much larger Caribe balcony for the same price. So we changed our cabin.

It's definitely worth the effort to do as much research as you can before selecting a cabin. If you can find photos, you may discover something that even the deckplan doesn't tell you.

I agree with all the others, having a good attitude is the key to having a good cruise. That and reading Cruise Critic before you sail or even before you book.[/quote]

Gosh, this is terrible. I don't remember the exact room number E 210???(one would think I would remember it because it was such a wonderful cruise), but the rooms were located directly over the Princess Theatre at the front of the ship. Our balcony actually was where the steps went down onto Promenade Deck.....do you know where I mean now?:confused: It wasn't as nice, I'm sure, as the suites or minis on Emerald, but we really enjoyed it. That was our first cruise, we made reservations practically at the last minute, so we thought we got the crummy leftovers.....I thought WOW! What leftovers!
So when we booked Baja way ahead of time, our TA said this was a much better room, I didn't even think about the balcony size, didn't know at the time of booking that there was a difference in stateroom balconies.
We asked our room steward after slipping him an extra $20.00 if he could get us some better chairs on Baja, he just smiled, took the 20, and said 'sorry'. Oh well.
This cruise we are on Caribe, next cruise on the Emerald Princess, 2/08 will be a mini suite.
Each cruise, we get a little better at choosing rooms. I guess if I had several cruises under my belt, and was looking forward to my balcony time.....I'd be very disappointed too.

[cruise fairy]

sorry double post??? don't know how I did that.

[dforeigner]

[quote name='Steven_&_Daniel']Thanks. I've been looking at the Crown deck plans. There are no fore balcony cabins on Crown Emerald deck. I didn't realize some of her sister ships did.[/quote]

The regular Grand class ship do have balconies on the forward section of the Emerald deck. The new Grand class ship do not. This thread is getting confusing as people are talking about different ships. For instance, I was under the impression that the Emerald deck on the Crown was the similar to the Golden, Grand, etc. But I also learned something new today.

[adamaugust28]

im on the lido deck BA 259 - is this a good baclony cabin? on the crown that is

[monkeypuzzle]

[quote name='hammer52']I am deeply hurt, Big Bubba, Lefty and me work hard making that furniture.
We just wish we could get out and try it out ourselves on your balcony. Also,
you get to shower all alone.[/quote]

:D :D

[web monkey]

[quote name='crossstitcher']Get over it - if you want comfy loungers, book a suite[/quote]
I'm back. Network access is now free [B]and[/B] fast.

FWIW, I never had to book a suite to get nice balcony furniture before, and I'm not going to start now.

However it's no longer an issue. I was going to do another cruise in March. Instead I'm renting an apartment for a couple of weeks.

Not only does it have friendly furniture, It has a hammock, a living-room, a kitchen a couple of bedrooms and a huge door that opens out on to the beach.

I obviously can't stop Princess from chipping away at amenities which had previously been included, however I can refuse to participate.

Terry

[MikeKool]

I was on the Crown in a BB balcony on the Baja deck. Been cruising since '93 and always in a standard balcony or above. All different cruise lines. Standard balconies are small........I don't think a lounge chair would fit unless you position it lengthtwise. (and removed the other furniture) I've never found any of the cheap stuff to be all that comfortable. The Crown did have better furniture than some other cruise lines standard stuff. I usually make due by putting my feet up on the railing or across a folded towel on the small table thats out there.
The moment I saw the metal chair I knew it was because of the fire. I personally liked it better than the cheezy plastic. The dividers on the balconies were also a big factor (and big smoke makers) during the fire. That material will be changed also.
Guess it's the old story.......you get what you pay for. If the balcony chair was the dealmaker/breaker......I would have booked at least a mini-suite and called to confirm a lounger. You can spend a week at the same beach and cook your own meals.......Not me. I'd rather have someone else cook and clean for me and look at different scenery every day. Otherwise I'd just take the week off and put a lounger in my backyard.

[from the desert]

The new balcony furniture is probably 4 times or more as expensive as the earlier plastic (Wal-Mart) furniture. It doesn't stain, hold water puddles, fall over as quickly in the wind, etc. I have never had the luxury of being able to afford or booked early enough to get the large balconies with loungers, but I think the new furniture not only looks nicer but is SO MUCH SAFER.

Since I'm a people watcher I don't "lounge" on my balcony. It might be a little more inconvient to haul my stuff up to a community deck to find a lounger but it does give me (and my husband, certainly) a lot more to look at.

I, too, have given up on self-serve vacations. I cook and clean enough at home!

[Richard]

[quote name='web monkey']I'm back. Network access is now free [B]and[/B] fast.

FWIW, I never had to book a suite to get nice balcony furniture before, and I'm not going to start now.

However it's no longer an issue. I was going to do another cruise in March. Instead I'm renting an apartment for a couple of weeks.

Not only does it have friendly furniture, It has a hammock, a living-room, a kitchen a couple of bedrooms and a huge door that opens out on to the beach.

I obviously can't stop Princess from chipping away at amenities which had previously been included, however I can refuse to participate.

Terry[/QUOTE]

Well, at least with you gone we won't have to worry about the "Prison Furniture" complaints. I think Princes will be a lot happier when you are gone... Good Bye

[Host CJSKIDS]

[quote name='web monkey']I'm back. Network access is now free [B]and[/B] fast.

FWIW, I never had to book a suite to get nice balcony furniture before, and I'm not going to start now.

However it's no longer an issue. I was going to do another cruise in March. Instead I'm renting an apartment for a couple of weeks.

Not only does it have friendly furniture, It has a hammock, a living-room, a kitchen a couple of bedrooms and a huge door that opens out on to the beach.

I obviously can't stop Princess from chipping away at amenities which had previously been included, however I can refuse to participate.

Terry[/QUOTE]

Terry, I guess you never wanted to answer what Cat cabin you had booked that had great balcony furniture but you were "upgraded" to this cabin and got the "crappy" prison furniture.

Sorry your cruise was not what you expected. Hopefully you enjoy your next vacation in your apartment on the beach.

[web monkey]

[quote name='MikeKool']
Guess it's the old story.......[B]you get what you pay for[/B]. If the balcony chair was the dealmaker/breaker......I would have booked at least a mini-suite and called to confirm a lounger. [B]You can spend a week at the same beach and cook your own meals.[/B]......Not me. I'd rather have someone else cook and clean for me and look at different scenery every day. Otherwise I'd just take the week off and put a lounger in my backyard.[/quote]
That was sort of the point. I paid for a balcony, which on every other cruise had a lounge chair. I'm not about to pay more for a "mini suite" just to get back what I used to get in a regular balcony room.

I understand that Princess doesn't really give a c*** if any particular passenger is happy and that's their decision. Their ships are becoming way too "space-efficient" and pre-programmed, with far too short port times for my tastes, so they lost a customer.

In any event, I just booked a week on Bonaire for March. I could choose a different beach every few hours all week long and never see the same one twice. As for "meals included", I found their meals to be boring and uniformly predictable, so losing the floating 24 hour feed-trough isn't a problem.

Bonaire also has actual life on it. There are actual restaurants with real food that I get to choose, not just some pre-planned taco buffet for "Mexican Night" or the "surprise" lobster at the end of the cruise.

If I want sushi I can have whatever I want, not just the 4 pieces the guy in the Wine Bar knows how to make.

If I want a burger, I can have a real burger made by hand, with real meat, cooked any way I want, not a factory-produced IBP hockey-puck burger from the freezer.

If I want pizza, I can have real pizza, any way I want it, not just the 3 kinds the guy at the Pizza bar knows how to make.

I can take a nap on a hammock on the beach in the afternoon and not care one molecule about anybodys schedule but mine. I can do 3 or 4 or 5 dives in a day at any time I choose, not just when the tour desk has scheduled them.

There's no such thing as "formal night" or "hurry up so we can get back to the ship on time". If I want to wear a suit or a watch, I'll stay at work.

There are no lights blocking the night sky. If I want to see stars, I just have to look up. Princess has made the night sky off limits by closing off the only semi-dark spot on the ship (the roof of the bridge) while underway.

I've been cruising for a long time and it's only been getting worse. Actual amenities like free time, open space deck space, access to secluded areas of the ship, comfortable furniture and real food have been gradually chipped away until now they have become pale, sanitized, compressed imitations of what they once were.

You guys should try it some time. There's something much better than the "Virtual Reality" of a cruise. There is "Actual Reality" and it's right in front of you.

Terry

[Host CJSKIDS]

[quote name='web monkey']That was sort of the point. I paid for a balcony, which on every other cruise had a lounge chair. I'm not about to pay more for a "mini suite" just to get back what I used to get in a regular balcony room.

I understand that Princess doesn't really give a c*** if any particular passenger is happy and that's their decision. Their ships are becoming way too "space-efficient" and pre-programmed, with far too short port times for my tastes, so they lost a customer.

In any event, I just booked a week on Bonaire for March. I could choose a different beach every few hours all week long and never see the same one twice. As for "meals included", I found their meals to be boring and uniformly predictable, so losing the floating 24 hour feed-trough isn't a problem.

Bonaire also has actual life on it. There are actual restaurants with real food that I get to choose, not just some pre-planned taco buffet for "Mexican Night" or the "surprise" lobster at the end of the cruise.

If I want sushi I can have whatever I want, not just the 4 pieces the guy in the Wine Bar knows how to make.

If I want a burger, I can have a real burger made by hand, with real meat, cooked any way I want, not a factory-produced IBP hockey-puck burger from the freezer.

If I want pizza, I can have real pizza, any way I want it, not just the 3 kinds the guy at the Pizza bar knows how to make.

I can take a nap on a hammock on the beach in the afternoon and not care one molecule about anybodys schedule but mine. I can do 3 or 4 or 5 dives in a day at any time I choose, not just when the tour desk has scheduled them.

There's no such thing as "formal night" or "hurry up so we can get back to the ship on time". If I want to wear a suit or a watch, I'll stay at work.

There are no lights blocking the night sky. If I want to see stars, I just have to look up. Princess has made the night sky off limits by closing off the only semi-dark spot on the ship (the roof of the bridge) while underway.

I've been cruising for a long time and it's only been getting worse. Actual amenities like free time, open space deck space, access to secluded areas of the ship, comfortable furniture and real food have been gradually chipped away until now they have become pale, sanitized, compressed imitations of what they once were.

You guys should try it some time. There's something much better than the "Virtual Reality" of a cruise. There is "Actual Reality" and it's right in front of you.

Terry[/QUOTE]

Now, you busy quoting the difference between a land and cruise vacation and yes, they are completely different.

In order to get the real burger and the real sushi, you have to travel to a place that serves that. Good luck finding tons of fine dining on Bonaire, it's not known for that.

Both land vacations and cruising has their pros and cons. Sounds to me like you're just fed up with cruising and what it brings to the table. I do both and like doing both for different reasons. We do try it some time and I'm well aware of the actual reality of both.

You made a big deal out of the fact that you booked a great cabin which would have had a great balcony with the "right" furniture and that the upgrade ruined it for you. What cabin had you booked that you got upgraded to where you were?

[web monkey]

[quote name='cjskids']
You made a big deal out of the fact that you booked a great cabin which would have had a great balcony with the "right" furniture and that the upgrade ruined it for you. What cabin had you booked that you got upgraded to where you were?[/quote]

No idea. We booked a room with a balcony, just like we always do, and the TA said she got us an "upgrade".

The "upgrade" was worse than the other balcony rooms on all our other cruises. That might just be the way this ship was built, but really doesn't matter. It just means that Princess decided to lower the standards for a regular balcony room, which is the annoying part.

Think of it as "room inflation" where you once paid for a balcony room, now you have to pay for a "mini suite" to get the same amenities.

Terry

[Host CJSKIDS]

[quote name='web monkey']No idea. We booked a room with a balcony, just like we always do, and the TA said she got us an "upgrade".

The "upgrade" was worse than the other balcony rooms on all our other cruises. That might just be the way this ship was built, but really doesn't matter. It just means that Princess decided to lower the standards for a regular balcony room, which is the annoying part.

Think of it as "room inflation" where you once paid for a balcony room, now you have to pay for a "mini suite" to get the same amenities.

Terry[/QUOTE]


You booked the lowest of the balconies and while it was an upgrade, it just changed the location. Just so you know for yourself your balcony would have been exactly the same and the balcony furniture would have been exactly the same even if you had not received the upgrade.

It's not room inflation, there are other balconies (Caribe deck) where you would have had a huge balcony and more chairs. You still got the same amenities, just minus a plastic chair that could tilt back slightly. Our friends cabin was exactly the same on the Crown as it was on the Star Princess with the exception that the balcony was different because they were in lower cat and not on Caribe.

Just like when buying a home, with travel it's location, location, location. With that location comes a different deck, different location on the deck (midship vs aft), different balconies and different amenities. It's the same as paying to stay at a 5 star hotel with full amenities vs a budget hotel, or paying for ocean view vs standard view. You obviously don't want to pay the difference and that's your right. However, getting annoyed because different categories or locations are not something that you're willing to pay for isn't a fair complaint. Hey, if someone is willing to pay for a full suite or mini-suite then the person who got the cut rate deal on the inside has no reason to be pissed off just because the suite passenger has different amenities such as a large stateroom or private balcony.

Again, sounds like cruising is not longer for you. Hope you enjoy Bonaire, your beachfront condo, and all the dining experiences that you try in March. I'll be in Bonaire in March, just for the day on the Crown Princess and I'm sure I'll relish every moment of the whole experience.

[Bohemian]

[SIZE=2]Hey, we were practically neighbours. We were on the same cruise in B330. As far as the balcony [i]furniture[/i] goes, we had that Wal-mart plastic stuff last year on the Caribbean Princess (B338) and I can't really say it was any more comfortable then the new (fire resistant) metal table and chairs we had on the Crown. Unfortunately, the balcony isn't large enough to accommodate anything bigger/better - more comfortable, [SIZE=2]unless you upgrade to something bigger on one of the lower decks but I don't like the exposed balconies there.[/SIZE]
[/SIZE]

[lysolqn]

Anyone sense an "attitude" on the part of the OP which might suggest a troll?

[web monkey]

[quote name='lysolqn']Anyone sense an "attitude" on the part of the OP which might suggest a troll?[/quote]

No "troll", but you're correct on the "attitude". I was pi**** off.

Terry

[cruzin2paradise]

[quote name='web monkey']No "troll", but you're correct on the "attitude". I was pi**** off.

Terry[/QUOTE]

over balcony furniture? get over it.

[watersprite]

any response from Princess? Hope you left a note at the purser's desk.

[web monkey]

[quote]any response from Princess? Hope you left a note at the purser's desk.
[/quote]

No answer. I didn't really expect one, since from their point of view nothing is wrong.

It's like complaining to the phone company before deregulation: "We're the phone company, we don't have to care."

Now that I understand that they'll try to cheap-out on anything possible, I'll just have to be more careful if I ever use them again.

Terry

[Steveok]

[quote name='web monkey']Throught the magic of a laptop, I actually did write the message in my room, then through teh macig of "elevator" took it down to the hotspot in the lobby.

I shouldn't have to "do my homework on this board" I paid for a balcony, which on every other cruise has had usable furniture.

Anyway, just forget it.

They're not going to do anything, and next time I'll just fly to Bonaire or Cozumel or St. Kitts (which is a very nice little island)[/QUOTE]

I'm on Princess soon. Mini... Hope the furniture is better than you describe. But what part of St. Kits is lovely?
I always thought so too as we sailed by on the Serenade but after stopping there on the Empress... I'm staying on board this time!!!

[web monkey]

[quote name='Steveok']I'm on Princess soon. Mini... Hope the furniture is better than you describe. But what part of St. Kits is lovely?
I always thought so too as we sailed by on the Serenade but after stopping there on the Empress... I'm staying on board this time!!![/quote]

I liked St. Kitts. The train ride through the rainforest was beautiful and the monkeys were really cool. If they wanted to really improve the train ride, they could finish it and make a big loop instead of doing the busride back.

The bus ride back was nearly as enjoyabe, since the island does have quite a bit of poverty and hurricaine damage. In any event, it was still a nice place. There's a big difference between poor and dangerous.

St. Kitts was completely different than Jamaica, which is like being dropped into the closing scene of "Soylent Green".

I'd go back to St. Kitts any time, but won't even book a cruise that includes Jamaica.

Terry

[skarletohara]

[quote name='web monkey']That was sort of the point. I paid for a balcony, which on every other cruise had a lounge chair. I'm not about to pay more for a "mini suite" just to get back what I used to get in a regular balcony room.

I understand that Princess doesn't really give a c*** if any particular passenger is happy and that's their decision. Their ships are becoming way too "space-efficient" and pre-programmed, with far too short port times for my tastes, so they lost a customer.

In any event, I just booked a week on Bonaire for March. I could choose a different beach every few hours all week long and never see the same one twice. As for "meals included", I found their meals to be boring and uniformly predictable, so losing the floating 24 hour feed-trough isn't a problem.

Bonaire also has actual life on it. There are actual restaurants with real food that I get to choose, not just some pre-planned taco buffet for "Mexican Night" or the "surprise" lobster at the end of the cruise.

If I want sushi I can have whatever I want, not just the 4 pieces the guy in the Wine Bar knows how to make.

If I want a burger, I can have a real burger made by hand, with real meat, cooked any way I want, not a factory-produced IBP hockey-puck burger from the freezer.

If I want pizza, I can have real pizza, any way I want it, not just the 3 kinds the guy at the Pizza bar knows how to make.

I can take a nap on a hammock on the beach in the afternoon and not care one molecule about anybodys schedule but mine. I can do 3 or 4 or 5 dives in a day at any time I choose, not just when the tour desk has scheduled them.

There's no such thing as "formal night" or "hurry up so we can get back to the ship on time". If I want to wear a suit or a watch, I'll stay at work.

There are no lights blocking the night sky. If I want to see stars, I just have to look up. Princess has made the night sky off limits by closing off the only semi-dark spot on the ship (the roof of the bridge) while underway.

I've been cruising for a long time and it's only been getting worse. Actual amenities like free time, open space deck space, access to secluded areas of the ship, comfortable furniture and real food have been gradually chipped away until now they have become pale, sanitized, compressed imitations of what they once were.

You guys should try it some time. There's something much better than the "Virtual Reality" of a cruise. There is "Actual Reality" and it's right in front of you.

Terry[/quote]

Yee-gads!:eek:

This is the ANGRIEST vacationer I've ever heard of -- OMG --- most
people would be so grateful just to have a hard-earned vacation instead
of nitpicking about this and that. It's good to relax, mon! If a vacation
stresses the OP out that much, then cruising or ANY vacation is definitely not for them --- more than
likely the hotel balcony furniture won't be to the OP's liking either on their land-based vacation.