Just off the Ruby

[Murphey]

Critterchick: Thank you for your report. Can you give us an example of what the HW prepared tableside?

[mafig]

How is the spacing in the CC dining section.

 

Are there many tables for two? Are they very close together or is there sufficient space?

 

Can you describe the CC area. Is it just a sectioned-off portion of the dining room? Is it open to the regular dining room or are there partitions/walls?

Edited December 23, 2016 by mafig

[Oh2B@C]

I just sent an email to customerrelations@princesscruises.com and I suggest everyone else does the same.

 

I am also cruising on the Ruby Jan 7 and on our roll call this is one of the topics of discussion. Some of us even planned to meet for lunch in the MDR on embarkation Day. You can bet someone will report back and many of us will be raising a ruckus if we're turned away.

[Colo Cruiser]

I just sent an email to customerrelations@princesscruises.com and I suggest everyone else does the same.

 

 

It would be much better to send to Jan Swartz.

[shredie]

It would be much better to send to Jan Swartz.

 

Does she read her own email? Isn't she too busy having lunch with the director of the Department of Bad Ideas? (But not in the MDR, of course.) :p

[clearwaters]

But those sound like people with respiratory illnesses, not Noro. We were on the cruise and avoided the HC for the entire cruise - I'm happy that we did.

 

 

 

We boarded too late for lunch in the MDR, so I can't speak to what happened then. I have a feeling that Ruby is still adjusting to the Club Class - this was only the second sailing for which they offered it, and we noticed a couple of things that didn't go as advertised, including no half bottle of red and white wine (we got the suite setup double because we're Elite, so no complaints there) and no terrycloth bathrobes (our steward got us some, but said that they were discontinuing them - perhaps for a new model?).

 

Club Class has a separate entrance, on the starboard side of the Da Vinci dining room. There was indeed a hostess with a clipboard who made sure that everybody going in had paid for it. The area was reserved for CC at every meal where the main dining room was open - breakfast, dinner and lunch on sea days only - no lunch if the MDR was closed. The menu is identical to the regular one, except for the cover, and the headwaiter cooked one special dish every night. I didn't notice that the regular items were any hotter, more flavorful or otherwise any better than what we've had before.

 

We were in a full suite and greatly enjoyed the dining experience. However, we also noticed that the regular Anytime line sometimes stretched to Guest Services, and I don't see how Princess can keep that up in the long run. CC guests are guaranteed the table of their choice whenever they walk in, with the result that there were a lot of empty tables to make sure it happens. I'd say that there were 40 tables ranging from 2 to 8 in size, and we never saw more than half of them full at any given time.

 

My suggestion would be for Princess to take over the Share space for Club Class. I can't imagine that they are making loads of money on that restaurant, and putting the "exclusive" dining room there would give much-needed space back to accommodate people better. And there would be less resentment of the exclusive space if people weren't having to see all of the empty tables that they can't use. Just a suggestion...

 

 

I guess that explains the NOROVIRUS? Nasty disease, even nastier methods of transmission. :eek:

Seems useless to me to complain. The people who approve these types of decisions are probably very smart and have made these decisions after a lot of thought and consultation with even smarter people.

 

Don't upset yourself and ruin your cruise if you are already on

board or committed to sail. One thing I will do FOR SURE and is get a large container of Lysol wipes before sailing. Wipe everything one touches and ones hands afterwards. Food for consumption is a bit trickier. Wash/rinse fruit with bottled water? Avoid foods that bare hands touch, like salads. Anything canned or bottled is a good bet. Rinse off the top of the can with bottled water? How does one eat on a ship with NOROVIRUS on board?

Edited December 24, 2016 by clearwaters

[Chiliswick]

If this happens in Mar. on embarkation I will cancel my two remaining cruises that I have booked.

[4cats4me]

So, let me get this straight. There is an entire section of the MDR devoted to Club Class diners only and no full suite people are even allowed in that section? I don't get it. Full suite people pay even more than those in Club Class? And now they take away embarkation lunch altogether for those who wish to dine in the MDR? This sounds a lot like Celebrity where they don't let anyone dine in the MDR on embarkation except for Concierge Class, which is a midrange classification, so no suite diners no Aqua, only Concierge Class

 

I have never dined in the MDR on embarkation, but I would he mad as a hornet if I wanted to and the buffet were my only choice. It is too hectic to have to wait in line at cattle call and juggle plates at the International Cafe. Princess better rectify this.

 

 

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[junglejane]

4Cats4me, if you read Critterchick's comments, full suite guests do get to use the Club Class dining. That's consistent with the list of benefits on the Princess web site which says that full suite guests get all the benefits of Club Class. http://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/ships/club-class/ClubClass-eFlyer.pdf

[srpilo]

Does she read her own email? Isn't she too busy having lunch with the director of the Department of Bad Ideas? (But not in the MDR, of course.) :p

 

:):D:)

 

 

Srpilo

[shredie]

4Cats4me, if you read Critterchick's comments, full suite guests do get to use the Club Class dining. That's consistent with the list of benefits on the Princess web site which says that full suite guests get all the benefits of Club Class. http://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/ships/club-class/ClubClass-eFlyer.pdf

 

Yes. It's the rest of us who get the short end of the stick.

[clearwaters]

Yes. It's the rest of us who get the short end of the stick.

Yep. We will make the best of it. We feel like red headed step children...

Edited December 24, 2016 by clearwaters

[4cats4me]

4Cats4me, if you read Critterchick's comments, full suite guests do get to use the Club Class dining. That's consistent with the list of benefits on the Princess web site which says that full suite guests get all the benefits of Club Class. http://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/ships/club-class/ClubClass-eFlyer.pdf

 

 

 

FWIW, I am not in a full suite. Just curious.

 

 

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[4cats4me]

Yes. It's the rest of us who get the short end of the stick.

 

 

 

Well, that would include me too, since I am neither in a full suite nor a Club Class mini. I was just asking out of curiosity

 

 

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[SheriffJoe]

So, let me get this straight. There is an entire section of the MDR devoted to Club Class diners only and no full suite people are even allowed in that section? I don't get it. Full suite people pay even more than those in Club Class? And now they take away embarkation lunch altogether for those who wish to dine in the MDR? This sounds a lot like Celebrity where they don't let anyone dine in the MDR on embarkation except for Concierge Class, which is a midrange classification, so no suite diners no Aqua, only Concierge Class

 

I have never dined in the MDR on embarkation, but I would he mad as a hornet if I wanted to and the buffet were my only choice. It is too hectic to have to wait in line at cattle call and juggle plates at the International Cafe. Princess better rectify this.

 

 

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This perk of MDR lunch on embark day was the ONLY perk I enjoyed more about Princess than Celebrity so this pretty much blows....

 

I was fortunate enough to be on the very first Concierge Class MDR embark lunch on Celebrity Solstice last May and thoroughly enjoyed the new perk and actually enjoyed all of the Aqua Class pax's whining they couldn't get in...I made SURE to tell them all how fantastic the food was :D(and it really was) we were on a B2B and I went back for the same lunch the following week...

 

BUT I think the difference is Celebrity never had embark day lunch so adding this perk for 1 group was not that big of a deal although you would have thought the Aqua Class pax had been sent to steerage when they realized a lower priced group got this new perk and they did not :eek:

 

Whereas Princess has had the embark lunch for all pax for years so lots here will see it as a lost perk even though you had to practically fight the door guard to get in....:rolleyes:

[4cats4me]

This perk of MDR lunch on embark day was the ONLY perk I enjoyed more about Princess than Celebrity so this pretty much blows....

 

 

 

I was fortunate enough to be on the very first Concierge Class MDR embark lunch on Celebrity Solstice last May and thoroughly enjoyed the new perk and actually enjoyed all of the Aqua Class pax's whining they couldn't get in...I made SURE to tell them all how fantastic the food was :D(and it really was) we were on a B2B and I went back for the same lunch the following week...

 

 

 

BUT I think the difference is Celebrity never had embark day lunch so adding this perk for 1 group was not that big of a deal although you would have thought the Aqua Class pax had been sent to steerage when they realized a lower priced group got this new perk and they did not :eek:

 

 

 

Whereas Princess has had the embark lunch for all pax for years so lots here will see it as a lost perk even though you had to practically fight the door guard to get in....:rolleyes:

 

 

 

Well, even though we always do Aqua we would never bother with the MDR for lunch anyway, and in two dozen cruises we've never eaten in the MDR for lunch OR breakfast, for that matter, but I just feel it is wrong to limit people to the buffet or the grill or the IC.

At least on X you can go to the Bistro on 5, which is what we did on our last X cruise, and pay $5 (now $10 and now a sushi bar)

And at least on the Regal one could go to Alfredo's for lunch. But wait and see, if passengers are barred from the MDR for lunch, get ready for the once nearly-empty Alfredo's on embarkation day to turn into a crowded mess.

 

 

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Edited December 24, 2016 by 4cats4me

[Cairn Mom]

One of the many reasons I've never sailed Cunard is what to me is a 2-class system & I've never felt that way on Princess...until now. :(

 

 

 

The extra benefits suite passengers pay to receive hasn't affected other passengers but CC is already affecting all passengers. Some of their poorly thought out changes amaze me such as the Regal's inaugural cruise charging $10 for Alfredo's which was quickly rescinded for not informing passengers in advance that they'd be charged for their "free" meal.

 

 

 

Not all passengers are aware of the MDR embarkation day lunch & Princess always discourages passengers from enjoying this perk they promise by directing passengers to the overcrowded buffet. The MDR lunch has never been crowded on any of our cruises & they could still accommodate CC & other passengers.

 

 

That is why I hated sailing celebrity. I don't like a ship with the have and have nots.

 

 

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[victory2020]

Does anyone know if other ships doing the same with the embarkation lunch? That would be a total game changer for us.

[4cats4me]

Does anyone know if other ships doing the same with the embarkation lunch? That would be a total game changer for us.

 

 

 

Club Class hasn't been rolled out on all ships yet, so only time will tell. The whole fleet will have CC cabins by end of April

 

 

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[caribill]

Taking away our embarkation day lunch in the main dining room is just wrong. What's next?

 

My prediction:

 

The dining room has never been crowded for embarkation day lunch.

 

But with only allowing Club Class passengers to enjoy that, this limits the possible number of passengers to, for example, about 240 passengers on the Ruby Princess. Of course only a fraction of that number will actually use the dining room on embarkation day for reasons ranging from arriving on board after the dining room has closed to not wanting to eat there in the first place.

 

With the greatly reduced number of passengers doing the embarkation day lunch, Princess will say there is not enough demand and them eliminate it totally to save money.

[critterchick]

Fascinating. So the Club Class menu is the same as the regular menu? Except that the HW will make a pasta dish or something on an evening? Yep. Sounds like it's worth every penny of the extra $$$ to me. (Not.)

 

 

This sound like exactly what the ATD diners were worried about. Empty tables and long lines.

 

 

 

I wouldn't disagree, but they doubtless have some long contract with Stone they need to honor. Perhaps if enough people discover that Club Class menus are the same as the regular MDR, they will start booking SHARE more often. Is there a method to Princess' madness?

 

One question? Is the Club Class section roped off with any physical barrier from the regular MDR?

 

I didn't see any ropes. The MDR has some built-in settees that break the room up into smaller sections and the CC section is one of those. I saw people exiting from the MDR through the CC entrance without any issues.

 

And Club Class is more than just the dining room, from what I've read - the cabin experience is supposed to be upgraded as well, although the full suites still have a better arrangement than the minis by a country mile. I would also note that our cruise cards showed "Anytime Dining," not CC or the fixed time that we had originally reserved. I had forgotten that Ruby was going to be the first ship offering it, so wasted half an hour waiting to see the headwaiter about our original booking.:o They did offer to assign us a table at late seating, which we declined until we could have a look at CC. They they went ahead and did it anyway, saying that we could do either one. I didn't want to take another table out of inventory, so declined. As I said, Ruby is still working through the process.

 

As for booking SHARE instead of going to the CC dining room, we wouldn't do that. That's a dining experience that simply isn't worth the upcharge, IMO. What we really enjoyed about CC was the service - they were efficient without being rushed and the food really was very good (but I've found it to be very good in the regular MDR as well). I imagine we'll be stuck with SHARE until the next drydock at the earliest, so another 3-4 years.

 

Critterchick: Thank you for your report. Can you give us an example of what the HW prepared tableside?

 

There was a pasta dish, flambé shrimp that was served with one of the MDR options and steak Diane (there was one more but I forget what it was). He used real flames, too, something we haven't seen in years. And a Caesar salad with enough garlic to drive off every vampire on the planet (it was fabulous). I usually take some food porn photos, but I was too busy stuffing my face to remember to do that.

 

Mafig, the table placement didn't seem all that different from the regular section of the MDR. There were maybe 8 tables for 2 along a banquette, but we were never seated directly next to anybody. There were a few two-tops all by themselves as well. They guarantee that you can sit at the table you want when you want without waiting. Other than one family of four who wanted a particular tablet that needed to be bussed, I didn't see any delays.

 

I'm going to reduce my original table estimate to 30 from 40. As I re-counted in my head, I think I over-estimated the number. But it's still just a guess on my part.

[shredie]

Real flames? Maybe with the extra charge for the CC passengers, Princess bought some fire extinguishers.

[antsp]

Anyone who follow Princess on Facebook though of asking them about the dining room issue

[ABoatNerd]

Our household is not supportive of the cruise line trend to segment and isolate passengers by class and the resulting physical "off limits" around a ship.

 

We fired Celebrity after 22 years of patronage given their obsessive activity in this regard.

 

Now patronizing Cunard - while they have their Grill class - you would never know it on their ships or on the Cunard board. It is there but not in your face. It is very low key - much less than the class differentiation on Celebrity.

 

Now moved onto Oceania as well - not there either. Very much enjoy Oceania.

 

We will not tolerate any cruise line who takes away common space to assign to a "class". There is enough downgrading of the cruise product out there in service, food and reducing a "regular" passengers foot print is a non starter for us.

 

ABoatNerd

[Cairn Mom]

Our household is not supportive of the cruise line trend to segment and isolate passengers by class and the resulting physical "off limits" around a ship.

 

 

 

We fired Celebrity after 22 years of patronage given their obsessive activity in this regard.

 

 

 

Now patronizing Cunard - while they have their Grill class - you would never know it on their ships or on the Cunard board. It is there but not in your face. It is very low key - much less than the class differentiation on Celebrity.

 

 

 

Now moved onto Oceania as well - not there either. Very much enjoy Oceania.

 

 

 

We will not tolerate any cruise line who takes away common space to assign to a "class". There is enough downgrading of the cruise product out there in service, food and reducing a "regular" passengers foot print is a non starter for us.

 

 

 

ABoatNerd

 

 

Agree totally

 

 

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