Darn Darn Darn!

[heidik]

Boy oh boy, I've gotta tell yuh, the way Princess operates the Library (at least here on the Sapphire) is incredibly frustrating! I love to browse and putter around a library and generally will select about 5 or so books to take out -- it is blowing my mind that Princess locks up all of their books and that the Library is only "manned" for a couple of hours twice a day! You can't even browse!!! :mad: I am on Day 7 now of my voyage and I have not been able to hit the darn library when someone was there to let me into the books....thankfully I brought 6 books with me, but I'm down to my final 1/2 of my last book with no new books in sight...gulp.....:eek: Princess - why oh why do you have to lock up your library books - don't you realize that some of us love to relax and indulge in having the time to simply browse around?? Why do you tease us with these locked glass cases???

 

just venting.......this is crummy.

[4cats4me]

It's always clearly printed in the Patter everyday what the library hours will be. I've been on 11 Princess cruises and it's always the same:

Libary open for a couple hours in the morn and then for a couple hours

in the eve.

 

It was the same on the Royal Caribbean ship we were on 3 months ago, too.

 

good luck to you:)

[Coral]

I have to agree with you. Not too long ago, the library was just open and "on your honor."

 

I have to say I was impressed by this and often "donated" my newly bought best selling hardbacks to the library at the end of the cruise. Now that they have changed how they handle things, I don't even go to the library anymore and no longer make "donations".

 

I guess too many people took advantage of the open library. Too bad they don't staff it better.

[Cupcrazy]

Did you go to the Pursers desk? Sometimes if you talk to them and they know people are actually wanting to use some things that aren't normally busy they will open them up for more hours. They can't extend the hours if they don't know people want to use the facility

[Essiesmom]

It's that way on every line I've sailed, although since the library isn't a grudging afterthought on Cunard, they do have the longest hours...and by far the largest libraries! EM

[heidik]

I guess I was spoiled by HAL and the Westerdam's library -- about 3-4 times the size, open 24/7 and honor system. Now That's a library........one should always have access to books :)

[Pam in CA]

As said, it's that way on every cruiseline I've been on in recent years. I remember when the library was left open all the time but people stole the books. I agree that they should leave it open and man it longer than they do. That's why I bring my Kindle on a cruise even though I prefer to hold a book in my hands. On my Sapphire cruise in January, I brought a lot (10+) paperbacks because I knew I'd be doing a lot of reading. Once read, I left the books in the paperback swap shelf (to the left as you walk in the door) and they were snapped up immediately.

[Loonbeam]

I asked nicely and they had someone open the cabinet for me, they actually had a copy of an out of print book I had wanted to read for ages...

 

That said, I suspect the lockup was due to a less than stellar return rate...

[sultan_sfo]

If this one issue bothers you so much, you definitely belong to HAL.

 

BTW, I am an avid user of the library on all my cruises!

 

I guess I was spoiled by HAL and the Westerdam's library -- about 3-4 times the size, open 24/7 and honor system. Now That's a library........one should always have access to books :)

[paul929207]

Come and join us on the Ocean Princess. The library is open 24 hours a day. No sign in/sign out for books. Just take what you want and bring it back when you finish.

[Pam in CA]

I guess I was spoiled by HAL and the Westerdam's library -- about 3-4 times the size, open 24/7 and honor system. Now That's a library........one should always have access to books :)

I've had the opposite experience on HAL with limited hours and locked cabinets. And, slightly threatening letters sent towards the end of the cruise to return the books I'd taken out or my onboard account would be charged.

[heidik]

I've had the opposite experience on HAL with limited hours and locked cabinets. And, slightly threatening letters sent towards the end of the cruise to return the books I'd taken out or my onboard account would be charged.

 

Wow! I guess I lucked out - but I could swear that when I was on the Coral several years ago, the library was awesome and open round the clock....

[Pam in CA]

Wow! I guess I lucked out - but I could swear that when I was on the Coral several years ago, the library was awesome and open round the clock....

I think it depends on the CD.

[Rob & Beckys mom]

I guess it is in the nature of people to take what they can & figure that "I paid so much for this cruise that I am only taking what is mine", sad but true on so many levels. I once took a box of fabic softener sheets & just left them out on the table in the laundry room...thinking that people would just use them as needed. Unknown to the people that came in after I had put them on the table I saw people taking maybe 10 at a time & putting them in their pockets. So silly, but it happened. Probably what happened with the honor system in the library:(:(:(

 

Jan

[CherylsCaribbeanTravel]

I haven't experienced a fleet wide consistent library policy on any line. In my experience, the library hours and check-out policy changes depending on the ship and sailing date regardless if I'm sailing Princess, HAL, RCL, NCL, etc...

 

I'm sorry the Sapphire hours aren't conducive for you. Like others have suggested, I recommend you explain your situation to someone at the pursers office. Doesn't hurt to ask. I've found nearly everyone I have come in contact with on a cruise to be very helpful. If you do ask, please return to let us know the outcome.

 

Enjoy the remaining part of your trip,

 

Cheryl :)

[bjkTX]

Hmmm...maybe you could have just traveled to your local library and browsed and read all day and saved all that cruise money????

[paul929207]

Hmmm...maybe you could have just traveled to your local library and browsed and read all day and saved all that cruise money????

We read alot when we are at home and read alot on cruises. When we board, we drop our carry ons in the cabin and head to the library. Nothing like sitting on our balcony watching the sea go by and reading a good book

[Jasperdo]

When I was on the RCCL Mariner of the Seas a few years ago, the library was unmanned and open 24/7. I thought this was great until I checked it out and found a very limited selection of books. Most of the shelves were half empty, some completely. And this was when we first boarded the ship. So it wasn't like the books were checked out. I wondered if their library gets a little smaller each sailing because people 'forget' to return books.

 

Princess, on the other hand, always has a very nice selection in their library. If I find something I'm interested in, I check the Patters for the hours. I'd rather have a full library with hours, than a 24 hour library that is missing most of its books.

[scranger]

The library was open "all day" on our recent Royal cruise. It was surprising large, well stocked, and well appointed for such a small ship. No glass doors and run pretty much on the honor system.

[MattOsprey]

Bizzarely on Grand in October, we kept on missing the library opening times by a few minutes. The one day we got there on time, there was a note saying to help yourself and write yor name on a list.

There is no rhyme or reason to this. If they allow this one day, then why not the cruise. I thought all the library books were loaded with security bleepers that go off if you took them ashore. Imay be getting confused with P&O.

Matthew

[sultan_sfo]

On some ship there is also a max # of books that can be checked out -- usually 2. On embarkation day, I see some with a handful of books -- then when they get to the checkout crew person, they have to choose the 2. But if I am behind them in line, I cannot get to the books they have to dump!

 

Bizzarely on Grand in October, we kept on missing the library opening times by a few minutes. The one day we got there on time, there was a note saying to help yourself and write yor name on a list.

There is no rhyme or reason to this. If they allow this one day, then why not the cruise. I thought all the library books were loaded with security bleepers that go off if you took them ashore. Imay be getting confused with P&O.

Matthew

[davaller]

On the Sun it is open 24/7 the only problem is people do take to many at once you should see them bring arm fulls back on the last day we make it the first stop once we board take 2 books each and replace them when finished

 

The Diamond is a different story you need to be there at the stated times and it gets crowded as each book has to be checked in and out

 

David and Maureen:D

[Pam in CA]

There is no rhyme or reason to this. If they allow this one day, then why not the cruise. I thought all the library books were loaded with security bleepers that go off if you took them ashore. I may be getting confused with P&O.

Unadulterated laziness. I was in the Sapphire library the last sea day before disembarkation trying to access the Internet at one of the computers there. The library person chatted on the phone to someone -- laughing and giggling, it definitely wasn't library-related -- for over half an hour while literally piles and piles of returned books waited to be checked back in. People would stop by with questions and she'd wave them away or cover the phone and say, "I don't know."

[Red Hat Cruise Cat]

I think it depends on the CD.

 

Is this another problem with the Sapphire’s CD? Every where I look on this board there’s another complaint about the Sapphire’s CD. If you can believe all of the posts, he must really suck:(

[G'ma]

When you consider the discouraging statistics on readers in our country, it's no wonder many cruise lines library isn't open all the time.

 

Here is an interesting list from Erma Bombeck years ago...

 

http://www.humorwriters.org/startlingstats.html

 

And here, which is really, really sad.

 

http://drpezz.wordpress.com/2009/04/16/reading-statistics/

 

I'm an avid reader...always have been. I come from a family of readers and writers and wonderful story tellers.

 

Look what is happening: Borders is closing it's stores. Barnes and Noble suffering great financial problems.

 

Thank goodness for libraries and my favorite Book Trader.