Is the blue mat being removed from mini suites?

[Dena]

I have read that balcony cabins are having the blue mat removed from the balcony. Is this tue for mini suites too?

[balconyfriends]

I will be on the Grand Saturday.I will like to srr what the floor is like.

[texasdillo]

I don't know about all the ships, but I just got off Crown Princess March 10th to March 17th sailing. The Minis during that sailing still had the blue mats.

[cherylandtk]

Blue mats were gone from both Caribe deck and Dolphin deck (where most minis are) on the Grand in December.

[califgary]

I hope so those things were hard on bare feet!

[Coral]

So far - I believe only on the Grand this has been reported.

[Astro Flyer]

I hope so those things were hard on bare feet!

 

Not as hard as a painted metal deck which will be either hot or cold depending on the weather and more likely to be slippery when wet.

[Reader0108598]

Not as hard as a painted metal deck which will be either hot or cold depending on the weather and more likely to be slippery when wet.

 

Exactly Astro Flyer!:rolleyes:

[Astro Flyer]

Exactly Astro Flyer!:rolleyes:

 

That's what's so puzzling about the removal of the blue mats which would become a liability issue when slippery and someone falls. I have not experienced the painted blue deck yet & hope they're using a non-slip type of paint. Such granular type of paint worked well on an aircraft carrier's flightdeck to minimize falling.

[4cats4me]

Blue mats were missing from our Vista Suite on the Golden back in 2007. It is wet and mushy out there on deck without the blue mat.

[cherylandtk]

That's what's so puzzling about the removal of the blue mats which would become a liability issue when slippery and someone falls. I have not experienced the painted blue deck yet & hope they're using a non-slip type of paint. Such granular type of paint worked well on an aircraft carrier's flightdeck to minimize falling.

There are using something like that, it has a sanded surface and feels a bit rubbery, or mushy as noted above.

[seafish]

Feb 2012 Grand Princess cruise .. no blue mats - which we prefer to the "painted" balcony deck. No granular slip-proof paint - just blue painted balcony with dirt, debris (food-stuff) and wash-down-water from above made for an ugly mess that limited our balcony use. When we asked - were told mats were removed due to weight issues. I thought that removing Skywalkers solved the Grand Weight-Stress problem. Also told that the balcony could not be cleaned due on-going work above - what?? Did I mention that the balcony doors did not lock (security?) - probably because the door hardware was missing, latches/door sills corroded beyond use. Despite all the balcony issues - we still had a great cruise but - it sure would be great if Princess would up-grade cabins (were we live at sea) as they have done so well for public spaces. Love Princess - just would like to see the some cabin up-grades.

[cherylandtk]

No granular slip-proof paint - just blue painted balcony with dirt, debris (food-stuff) and wash-down-water from above made for an ugly mess that limited our balcony use.

Maybe you could not see the slip-proof texture with all the other junk on it? I thought at first the surface was covered in sand until I washed it myself and found the textured paint under all the muck. Really disliked the painted deck surface, it never stayed clean.

[Astro Flyer]

There are using something like that, it has a sanded surface and feels a bit rubbery, or mushy as noted above.

 

Feb 2012 Grand Princess cruise .. no blue mats - which we prefer to the "painted" balcony deck. No granular slip-proof paint - just blue painted balcony with dirt, debris (food-stuff) and wash-down-water from above made for an ugly mess that limited our balcony use.

I guess that someday I may experience it myself to determine if to me it is a 'non-slip' surface or not? :confused: ;)

 

Read your follow-up post 'cherylandtk' & that makes sense...thanks. :)

[cherylandtk]

LOL, yes, do let me know if it was just a dirty balcony with blue paint over the sand and dirt. Either way I dislike the surface.

[Astro Flyer]

LOL, yes, do let me know if it was just a dirty balcony with blue paint over the sand and dirt. Either way I dislike the surface.

 

With the rubberize non-slip surface did you notice it being any hotter?

 

Were the new chairs tilting adjustment sufficient?

 

My wife thinks the photo of the guy on a new lounge chair appears to be on the fully upright position & is concerned about it reclining too much when in the 'fully upright' position?

 

That's too many 'fully upright' in one sentence...I'm beginning to sound like a flight attendant! :p

[seafish]

Maybe you could not see the slip-proof texture with all the other junk on it? I thought at first the surface was covered in sand until I washed it myself and found the textured paint under all the muck. Really disliked the painted deck surface, it never stayed clean.

 

You know ... that could be exactly the case. The surface sure was yucky.

[azbirdmom]

The blue mats were still present in the Star mini suite on our February sailing, and they had gone through dry dock last fall.

[cherylandtk]

With the rubberize non-slip surface did you notice it being any hotter?

 

Were the new chairs tilting adjustment sufficient?

 

My wife thinks the photo of the guy on a new lounge chair appears to be on the fully upright position & is concerned about it reclining too much when in the 'fully upright' position?

 

That's too many 'fully upright' in one sentence...I'm beginning to sound like a flight attendant! :p

Rubberized is not quite the right word, I call it an epoxy paint, somewhat thicker than regular paint. Reminded me of the epoxy paint they put on garage floors over concrete. But it's not squishy as in rubber mat squishy. I did not notice it being particularly hot, but as I said in the other thread, I also cannot recall being out there on a very sunny day. We were often on the shady side of the ship and it was pretty cloudy.

 

We did not have the new chairs (December 2011, Grand). They were still the welded high back loungers, no recline at all. I had the same reaction as your DW to the highest position of the new furniture in the picture. It looks too far back, and knowing Pam's discomfort with it, I suspect it needs another notch added to the frame. On the plus side (?) it does appear that it may recline more than the old furniture did. But then again, it may not be a comfy recline.

[Dena]

If it is because of weight, maybe Princess is doing this to save fuel. Maybe the smaller tables are lighter and save fuel too. This saves money. And if having less comfortable cabins and balconies means we will spend less time in them, then this could translate to more onboard spending since there are more oportunites to spend money when we leave the cabin. Sounds like a win-win for Princess.

[5326jan]

Returned from the Ruby 3/18 and the blue mat was present on every balcony I could see from my cabin!:)