NEW Cabin Class Category: Club Class Mini-Suite

[Alaskanb]

Checked Caribbean Princess for our May 25, 2017 sailing. The Dolphin deck mid minis are now classified as Premium and are $900 pp more than our wonderful Emerald deck aft mini. Don't recollect what they were before the change.....

[floridalover5623]

Will the recategorized "M1's" be the new Club Class Mini Suites? If not, I wonder which mini's (and how many) they'll take away? Also, with the addition of the Club Class Mini cruisers, how much more crowded will the priority embarkation/debarkation lounges be?

 

The other thing that troubles me is this "priority dining area." With the combined numbers of the full suite and Club Class mini passengers, how will this affect wait times in ATD? The information on the website says there will be little or no wait for Club Class Mini and Full Suite Passengers. Princess' version of ATD is, by most accounts, not run very well with wait times being at times long due to the dumb idea (IMHO) of standing reservations. For that matter, how will the Club Class effect the number of standing reservations that are allowed?

 

Bob

I can envision that both the embarkation & disembarkation lounges will be much more crowded and probably longer waits for anytime seating if you don't line up at the door at 5 PM sharp.

If the dining room service for this new class is going to be that much better, the staff has to be removed from some other location since I seriously doubt they'll be hiring more staff to provide them better service.

[RDC1]

This affects the dining experience of everyone. Not because they are in a separate section, but they will have access to different food. I am convinced that this will lead to a further degradation of the food quality and selection for others in the main dining rooms. Again, if it were in a separate room as on the other lines, it might not be as big an issue for me.

 

I am not concerned about food quality, but am concerned about Any time dining wait times. If they remove a number of seats for the new category and commit to immediate seating then they would need to have a higher ratio of seats to passenger then normally in atd. That means less availability in atd and longer wait times there. I would also expect more crowding of tables and fewer 2 tops in atd.

[mmckm]

I would buy into this if they guaranteed that the two top next to me was further away than 6 inches.

 

It doesn't take much to make me happy.

 

We do anytime dinning and always ask for a table with 2 chairs and not the bench sitting. Never had a problem getting them, sometimes its a table for 4 but just for us. We hate the bench sitting also.

[floridalover5623]

I am not concerned about food quality, but am concerned about Any time dining wait times. If they remove a number of seats for the new category and commit to immediate seating then they would need to have a higher ratio of seats to passenger then normally in atd. That means less availability in atd and longer wait times there. I would also expect more crowding of tables and fewer 2 tops in atd.

 

It sounds like we might be returning to TD some day after a long absence. At least we'll have a set dining time without a line of people slipping into the DR whenever they feel like it and demand to be seated immediately. :(

We'll have to see if the wait times grow in the AT dining room.

[shredie]

This affects the dining experience of everyone. Not because they are in a separate section, but they will have access to different food. I am convinced that this will lead to a further degradation of the food quality and selection for others in the main dining rooms. Again, if it were in a separate room as on the other lines, it might not be as big an issue for me.

 

I fear you are right about the food quality. Princess is already trying to drive people into the specialty restaurants by constantly narrowing the choices in the MDR. You are also right about how it will impact the steerage diners in the same room with the "entitled." How is this different from having suite passengers or elites next to you? They aren't next to you. They are in a special section from where they can "look down" on the rest of us. We have already seen how this is going to fuel the snob element. Those of you who saw the latest ITV show "The Cruise" remember the chef's table lady. That's what I expect to happen with some of the snobs who will now be parading themselves through the common dining room on their way to their special thrones. Princess just keeps getting more stupid.

Edited May 5, 2016 by shredie

[cruiserjanet]

I'm curious as to what the price difference will be, say for D401 before the switch and (comparable cruise) D401 after the switch.

[Coreace]

I checked on a price difference on Regal - I am booked on a MB on Riviera Deck in Feb 2017. The price difference from what i booked last month to the new "Club" Mini is only $50.00. I am probably going to try it out....

[grandpaiscruising]

I will be leaving Saturday for my 4th cruise in a suite with Celebrity, glad Princess is catching on. Booked a full suite in 07 and got nothing extra and resolved not to do that again. Stopped booking mini suites after I turned elite in 04 as all I got extra was more space, an extra TV and a bath tub. I will wait to see reviews on how it is going before I spend the extra money on a Club class cabin with Princess. I last sailed Princess on the Ruby on 5/15 to Alaska. I do not mind paying extra if it is worth the cost.

 

Island Princess 5/4/17, Silhouette, 2/26/17, Summit, 5/8/16 HAL 56 days, RCCL 104 points, NCL 28 days, Princess Elite 228 days, Royal 14 days, Cunard 49 days, Celebrity Elite+ 27 cruises

[OCruisers]

Hi,

 

According to the Princess website, Club Class Mini-Suites will debut on the following dates:

• Ruby Princess, Dec. 10, 2016
  
• Emerald Princess, Dec. 12, 2016
  
• Island Princess, Jan. 4, 2017
  
• Sapphire Princess, Jan. 7, 2017
  
• Regal Princess, Jan. 8, 2017
  
• Grand Princess, Jan. 9, 2017
  
• Royal Princess, Jan. 29, 2017
  
• Coral Princess, Feb. 6, 2017
  
• Majestic Princess, March 30, 2017
  
• Sun Princess, April 5, 2017
  
• Crown Princess, April 8, 2017
  
• Star Princess, April 11, 2017
  
• Caribbean Princess, April 6, 2017
  
• Diamond Princess, April 20, 2017
  
• Pacific Princess, June 9, 2017
  
• Sea Princess, Sep. 2, 2017
  
• Golden Princess, Oct. 2, 2017
  

Chuck

 

Thanks, Chuck, for this information!

[zahav1]

I checked my Feb 3rd cruise on the Island and looks like only a few mini suite cabins are selected as Club Class, they are mid-ship. They're not changing the already booked mini suites, as mine,, although, it will be nice if they did :D

[Coveguy4]

People on here already complaining about snobs looking down on others is just plain nuts! First of all the number of mini's being changed is not going to compromise anyone elses cruise experance. Perhaps you already feel everyone looking down on you for some unknown reason. I personally won't book them because I prefer my emerald mini. If they had this bonus when I booked a suite, I would have taken advantage of the seperate seating area. If you are staying in a suite you ALREADY get prefered seating in Anytime, so now a few minis will get this too. Big deal!

[AZJerry]

We often book aft minis as we like the extra room and tub instead of a shower. When we do it's always an emerald deck mini as we greatly dislike exposed balconies. I'm afraid that the higher priced club minis might drive more bookings to the aft emerald deck, making those even harder to book.

[RDC1]

People on here already complaining about snobs looking down on others is just plain nuts! First of all the number of mini's being changed is not going to compromise anyone elses cruise experance. Perhaps you already feel everyone looking down on you for some unknown reason. I personally won't book them because I prefer my emerald mini. If they had this bonus when I booked a suite, I would have taken advantage of the seperate seating area. If you are staying in a suite you ALREADY get prefered seating in Anytime, so now a few minis will get this too. Big deal!

 

No, not the same. Currently suites get expedited seating in the shared anytime space. Now, for the first time on Princess, you are going to have a portion of the dining room set aside for a specific group. That means that the space will not be available to the rest, even if it is not filled.

 

The devil is in the details. If they allocate a small number of spaces, in ratio , to the number of cruisers in the new class, as ATD is to the rest, then no problem. However, in that case one would be hard pressed to see how they would meet the customer satisfaction of the people in the new class in meeting expedited seating.

 

If, in order, to be able to provide for a much shorter wait or no wait they would need to provide a higher seat to passenger ration then normally in ATD, and as such that would reduce the number of seats available to everyone else in ATD.

 

So either seating will not be expedited or it will impact. It will be interesting to see how they implement it. It also raises the question if Suites will also get the new dining space as well, in which case even more spaces will be roped off so to speak.

 

Now it could actually result in more spots in traditional dining being available, due to passenger in the new class being in ATD, when some of them may have normally requested traditional.

Edited May 5, 2016 by RDC1

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I for one am truly excited :) I am looking for a cruise to Japan but waiting for the Spring 2018 to be released. This is the one thing that will probably get me back to Princess as opposed to booking Celebrity. I am just hoping that Princess will have the same similar dates and 7 or 8 night sailings that they have for spring 2017 and do the same for 2018.

Anyone have an idea when they will release the bit later 2018 sailings? I see they have early 2018 released for Australia/So pacific

[dtb55]

People on here already complaining about snobs looking down on others is just plain nuts....[\QUOTE]

 

 

[emoji106]🏻[emoji106]🏻

[ProfMHC]

Looked at the Crown cruise we are considering for summer 2017. Yesterday there were tons of midship mini suites available (Dolphin deck) - all marked "premium mini suite". I checked back today and suddenly the entire midship mini-suite section is marked N/A! I suspect big price increases are forthcoming.......

[grandpaiscruising]

I'm booked on the 5/4/17 Island Princess for our anniversary and was in a BB Balcony. I asked my agent to get me a price to upgrade to a M1 Mini suite. The cost to upgrade was $430 per person, so I took it and was assigned D414 near the center elevator. I have been booking Sky Suites on Celebrity on our last 4 cruises so I figured I would see how this new offering from Princess compares to what I am getting on Celebrity. Look forward to hearing from some of you after you try a Club Class Mini Suite before I sail.

 

Island Princess 5/4/17, Silhouette, 2/26/17, Summit, 5/8/16 HAL 56 days, RCCL 104 points, NCL 28 days, Princess Elite 228 days, Royal 14 days, Cunard 49 days, Celebrity Elite+ 27 cruises

[oskidunker]

I dont see that anywhere

[shredie]

Am I reading this right and the minis in question are the ones with no balcony cover?

[IECalCruiser]

Am I reading this right and the minis in question are the ones with no balcony cover?

On the Grand class ships it is the 30 or so mini's midship on Dolphin deck.

[cruzsnooze]

Well, we will have to see how this affects the dining experience for those of us who prefer the aft balcony cabins, not suites. It is one thing for suites to have breakfast in Sabatinis where I don't have to look at it, but quite another to add a class system to the regular dining rooms. I agree with Pescado Amarillo that it is likely the few new additions to dining room dinners like bananas foster will only be offered to this new dining class. Won't that be fun to watch them receive what we can't get! I have no interest in mini suites and rarely can afford suites so don't know how many more Princess cruises are in my future.

Lucky951

 

Of course you could get it, you just need to pay for it. You can't buy a Lexus for the price of a KIA. When you eat at a restaurant at home do you want to get the filet mignon the next table ordered but pay for a hamburger? It's all about getting more for paying more, it's all around you in daily life, at the grocery store, at the clothing store, at restaurants.

[Go-Bucks!]

Again, if it were in a separate room as on the other lines, it might not be as big an issue for me.

 

 

I wish it would be in a separate room. Just a roped off corner seems like a really lame attempt to make this "special" for the added cruise fare that will likely be charged.

 

On Celebrity we had a full suite and ate in Blu. It is a lovely separate dining room that made our mealtimes a wonderful experience. Princess should pony up for a separate and distinctive restaurant in it's own room if they think people will be willing to pay more.

[Go-Bucks!]

Checked Caribbean Princess for our May 25, 2017 sailing. The Dolphin deck mid minis are now classified as Premium and are $900 pp more than our wonderful Emerald deck aft mini. Don't recollect what they were before the change.....

 

 

$900 would go a l.o.n.g way toward meals in the specialty restaurants!! ;)

[RocketMan275]

I wish it would be in a separate room. Just a roped off corner seems like a really lame attempt to make this "special" for the added cruise fare that will likely be charged.

 

On Celebrity we had a full suite and ate in Blu. It is a lovely separate dining room that made our mealtimes a wonderful experience. Princess should pony up for a separate and distinctive restaurant in it's own room if they think people will be willing to pay more.

 

Celebrity took a portion of the MDR and enclosed it to create Blu. Royal Caribbean took their crown lounge and made it into their Coastal Kitchens and suites lounge on Oasis class ships. In both cases, you got the same kind of complaints.