Grand princess changes - fleet wide?

[Cruise Raider]

Wonder if platinum and elite would also have to wait till 1 pm to go to their cabin?

 

They’ve been playing with ways of discouraging passengers from showing up early for years .... once with a strict adherence to their staggered boarding procedure even for elite passengers. That failed horribly!

We were on the Grand in April and they were already starting their new policy on rooms not being ready until 1 pm. They handed us a card at check in stating this but also said we could go by to check our room to see if it might be ready. It was and that was in the 11:00 - 11:30 range. We quickly unpacked out carry on luggage and headed to the MDR where they still had the old menu. Others that sat our our table had to ditch their carry on luggage somewhere out of the way ... they stated their staterooms were not ready yet. I am not sure if they checked or if they just were goi off what was stated on that card they were given upon boarding.

And, we’ve found that princess has always told us the dining room wasn’t open for lunch... even though we always start our cruise that way. Sometimes they’ve acted as though they weren’t open for lunch when we asked to be seated. They even leave the doors into the dining room only half open to make it look as though they are closed. It’s the oddest thing!

Anyway, I am going to miss my avocado salad and salmon. 😢

[voljeep]

it's just another situation where a few individuals ( you know who you are ) felt "entitled" to do whatever they wanted regardless of what Princess requested - glad they started locking the doors.:mad:

 

it wasn't the drop and go passengers, it was the ones that

 

I'm just going to change clothes

Can you come back in a few minutes - I need to shower first

honey, open the balcony door and let's take some selfies

 

good for princess

 

check your luggage - take your backpack to whatever venue you are headed too

 

or next, you won't be boarding 'early' and having a nice opportunity to enjoy the rest of the ship while Princess does their jobs uninterrupted...:halo:

[richsea]

Really seems like the "Carnivalization" of Princess, ie no cabins till 1. Watch for being able to buy access (I know they have tested that already). Although Carnival at least lets Platinium and Diamond (Elite) have access.

 

Things that set Princess apart are disappearing. Like this issue. Like real coffee cards where you could use punches on subsequent cruises. Happy hour.

 

Looking into my crystal ball, watch for: No room service on embark/debark day; charging for room service after 10pm.

I have to smile every time I read about the Carnivalization of Princess. I see the same thing on the Celebrity boards regarding the Royalization of Celebrity. It’s been almost twenty years since Carnival bought Princess, and over twenty years since Royal Caribbean bought Celebrity. It is entirely possible that neither line would still exist today if it were not for those acquisitions. They’re both now part of huge organizations. Time to move on.

[beckntom]

We are SO going to miss the Avocado and Bay Shrimp appetizer! That's the reason we cruise! ;p Okay, not, but we DID always look forward to it!

[gatorguy56]

The op stated they went on board for the BVE (bon voyage experience). Could it be this menu was for those folks? Hopefully someone cruising on the Grand in the next few weeks will report in their findings. Also, the thread Coral linked was from 2010.

[Coral]

The op stated they went on board for the BVE (bon voyage experience). Could it be this menu was for those folks? Hopefully someone cruising on the Grand in the next few weeks will report in their findings. Also, the thread Coral linked was from 2010.

 

It was but it was the same menu I had a month ago on the Sapphire Princess for the first lunch. Identical, maybe a different font but same menu items. It hasn't changed in probably 15 years.

[Pierlesscruisers]

What time are most of you boarding to be able to lunch in the MDR? We have almost been provided a tour bus by TA and never arrive until MD is closed. This time boarding in Seattle by ourselves. I wonder what time we should arrive, the lunch menu will be a great treat.

 

I would try and arrive at Pier 91 about 10:30 or so. There will be virtually no line at check-in and boarding, which is normally scheduled to begin at 1200 normally begins between 11:15 and 11:30.

 

Tom

[MTJSR]

The op stated they went on board for the BVE (bon voyage experience). Could it be this menu was for those folks?

 

This menu was not just for us (BVE) but for everyone who entered the MDR. We boarded with 12 family members who were sailing on that cruise.

 

It was but it was the same menu I had a month ago on the Sapphire Princess for the first lunch. Identical, maybe a different font but same menu items. It hasn't changed in probably 15 years.

 

Hmmm, I have done 15 cruises and at least 8 BVE's and that menu yesterday was new. I did a BVE a month ago and it was the "old" menu with the Avocado and Shrimp salad, chicken and pasta dish, beef tenderloin, and one desert option was an apple tort.

 

Another persons comment was whether or not Elite and Platinum had to wait till 1pm to enter their rooms. I heard nobody challenge that so I am not totally sure.

[capriccio]

I would try and arrive at Pier 91 about 10:30 or so. There will be virtually no line at check-in and boarding, which is normally scheduled to begin at 1200 normally begins between 11:15 and 11:30.

 

Tom

 

 

Tom - I want to thank you for your informative posts about embarking and disembarking in Seattle. I followed them for more than a year before our cruise!

 

On June 30th we arrived around 11 am. Dropping off luggage and check-in was very smooth. We (elite) were traveling with our 2 kids, their spouses and our granddaughter on their first Princess cruise so we all checked in at different desks which was simple because there were no lines and lots of desks. They were already calling group 5 and I think our kids had a group 7 card but a staffer saw our elite cruise cards and told our entire group (without asking, we were just going to wait until group 7 with them) to get in line at the end of group 5 and he notified the staff monitoring embarkation what he had done so there was no issue when we got to the front of the line. We were on the ship within minutes.

 

Disembarkation was also incredibly easy and was running about 10 minutes ahead of our scheduled 8:10 disembarkation. Plenty of immigration officers and they were only doing a visual confirmation that you looked like your passport picture.

[Coral]

This menu was not just for us (BVE) but for everyone who entered the MDR. We boarded with 12 family members who were sailing on that cruise.

 

Hmmm, I have done 15 cruises and at least 8 BVE's and that menu yesterday was new. I did a BVE a month ago and it was the "old" menu with the Avocado and Shrimp salad, chicken and pasta dish, beef tenderloin, and one desert option was an apple tort.

 

Another persons comment was whether or not Elite and Platinum had to wait till 1pm to enter their rooms. I heard nobody challenge that so I am not totally sure.

 

I am Elite and I was told my room wouldn't be ready until 1 last month. I didn't even bother to go to it but others did and their rooms were done around 12:15 when they arrived. It probably would be too difficult for room stewards to get elite and platinum rooms ready sooner - they probably do as much as they can when they can. I left at 6 am to get something from International Cafe and my room steward was already in my room trying to get it ready when I returned 10 minutes later. They have a tough enough job to do, it wasn't a big deal for me.

 

I have seen a shortened menu before and I don't know when they used that vs when they have used the longer one. I know odd..... I personally think the menu I posted is one of their best lunch menus, even though it is "limited".

[1emerald1]

We are SO going to miss the Avocado and Bay Shrimp appetizer! That's the reason we cruise! ;p Okay, not, but we DID always look forward to it!

Don't despair just yet! I was on the Royal about a year and a half ago and they had the reduced menu. I was really disappointed after reading about the Orange Souffle and the Shrimp Avocado Salad here on CC. After that cruise I've done 4 BVE's (Ruby, Coral, Emerald and Pacific) and they all had the menu with the Shrimp avo salad and Orange Souffle. So I don't know if it's the Maitre d's decision, or if it's coming from Corporate but it sounds like the embarkation lunch does vary.

[Pierlesscruisers]

Tom - I want to thank you for your informative posts about embarking and disembarking in Seattle. I followed them for more than a year before our cruise!

 

On June 30th we arrived around 11 am. Dropping off luggage and check-in was very smooth. We (elite) were traveling with our 2 kids, their spouses and our granddaughter on their first Princess cruise so we all checked in at different desks which was simple because there were no lines and lots of desks. They were already calling group 5 and I think our kids had a group 7 card but a staffer saw our elite cruise cards and told our entire group (without asking, we were just going to wait until group 7 with them) to get in line at the end of group 5 and he notified the staff monitoring embarkation what he had done so there was no issue when we got to the front of the line. We were on the ship within minutes.

 

Disembarkation was also incredibly easy and was running about 10 minutes ahead of our scheduled 8:10 disembarkation. Plenty of immigration officers and they were only doing a visual confirmation that you looked like your passport picture.

 

Glad to hear that you found myposts useful and informative. Check-in has gone even smoother this year than it has been in the past. While there are times that there has been a line to get to check-in on occasion, it has been not as often as in the past. Hopefully, my saying that will not jinx the rest of the season. It was also good to hear that there were enough C&BP agents when you went through. It does seem at times, that there are more agents needed, but that could be because of workloads elsewhere that they must attend to or any number of other things so you just work with what you have and hope for the best.

 

 

Hope we see you back in Seattle again as Alaska is a very popular cruise destination. I've seen quite a number of people going on their 10th Alaska cruise and even had one man a couple of years ago who was going on his 20th one to our northernmost state and last year I checked in a lady from Seattle who was going on her 4th Alaskan cruise that year! I told her she either really liked going to Alaska or had a very short memory, I didn't know which! :p

 

Tom

[elliair]

Oh well if cabins aren’t ready till 1 I may do more cruising with Celebrity, a ready cabin is a great attraction to Princess

 

We head straight to our cabin, drop off our valuables in the safe, stick our carry on under the bed. We let the cabin steward know, then we head to the buffet. May do the dining room these next 2 cruises. 99.9% of the time our cabin is ready.

[cruiseintoheaven]

it's just another situation where a few individuals ( you know who you are ) felt "entitled" to do whatever they wanted regardless of what Princess requested - glad they started locking the doors.[emoji35]

 

 

 

it wasn't the drop and go passengers, it was the ones that

 

 

 

I'm just going to change clothes

 

Can you come back in a few minutes - I need to shower first

 

honey, open the balcony door and let's take some selfies

 

 

 

good for princess

 

 

 

check your luggage - take your backpack to whatever venue you are headed too

 

 

 

or next, you won't be boarding 'early' and having a nice opportunity to enjoy the rest of the ship while Princess does their jobs uninterrupted...:halo:

 

 

 

I tend to agree with this (unfortunately). We ALL want to be onboard and in our cabins pronto, and we also want to linger on “D” day (disembarking).....makes it tough for the stewards - also have to wonder if some cabin cleaning shortcuts have taken place to make cabins basically available upon boarding....something most other lines haven’t and still don’t offer. I’m not going to get my panties in a twist over this one - they are still bunched up from the loss of happy hour! 🤣

 

 

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Edited July 26, 2018 by cruiseintoheaven

[poolreader]

I have had that limited menu on a BVE, but that time there was a very large group of Princess employees, and travel agents in the MDR, and we even had trouble getting a seat. I hope that is not a permanent change as the old menu is one of my favorite meals on the cruise. We also bring a significant amount of carry ons, due to the need for medical equipment and supplies we can not chance to put in the suitcases with our clothes. Having the stateroom available to drop off is very important, as even getting on the ship is a big struggle, and I can not see how I would be able to drag it all around the ship and in and out of elevators.

[Coral]

Having the stateroom available to drop off is very important, as even getting on the ship is a big struggle, and I can not see how I would be able to drag it all around the ship and in and out of elevators.

 

I am guessing the room steward will accommodate your situation.

[kendon]

Oh well if cabins aren’t ready till 1 I may do more cruising with Celebrity, a ready cabin is a great attraction to Princess

 

We had to wait for our rooms to be ready on both Celebrity cruises until around noon or 1:00 too. Doors to the stateroom decks were shut tight.

[srpilo]

It seems for the last year or so Princess has been using the Grand to roll out or test new changes before going fleet wide , last year the Grand was the first ship to try out the unlimited internet package ( with horrific results), the first to start limiting the UBP to 15 drinks, and most recently the first to roll the coffee card on to your cruise card as a single cruise package.

 

I guess Princess has to use one of their ships as guinea pigs, and it seems to be the Grand

Srpilo

[Kelasu]

Wonder if platinum and elite would also have to wait till 1 pm to go to their cabin?

 

 

 

I’m Elite and had Club Class. We had to wait with everyone else to go to our room at 1pm.

 

 

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[elliair]

it's just another situation where a few individuals ( you know who you are ) felt "entitled" to do whatever they wanted regardless of what Princess requested - glad they started locking the doors.:mad:

 

it wasn't the drop and go passengers, it was the ones that

 

I'm just going to change clothes

Can you come back in a few minutes - I need to shower first

honey, open the balcony door and let's take some selfies

 

good for princess

 

check your luggage - take your backpack to whatever venue you are headed too

 

or next, you won't be boarding 'early' and having a nice opportunity to enjoy the rest of the ship while Princess does their jobs uninterrupted...:halo:

 

They took my money for the cruise, they allowed me a paying passenger (several thousand dollars) to board at a time of their choosing, then tell me I can't go to the cabin I paid for far in advance. Entitled? I sure am, entitled to what I paid for. I've never encountered locked doors on any Princess cruise. BTW, we've never interrupted our cabin steward from cleaning our cabin, 99.9% of the time our cabin was ready. Maybe Elite status had something to do with it, I don't know.

 

Princess can make the boarding time to when all cabins are ready to be occupied. Problem solved.

[suekel]

I look at it as being no different that checking into a hotel. Considering that they ask that people start checking in at 12:30, 1 pm makes sense. but since most people feel entitled to check in at 11, if they have to wait that is their issue. The alternative is for Princess to not allow any boarding until people's suggested times. Feed me, give me a drink...I'll wait.

[suekel]

And if it's true that the Grand is the guinea pig, I read on another thread that the late night happy hour is back.

[Pierlesscruisers]

They took my money for the cruise, they allowed me a paying passenger (several thousand dollars) to board at a time of their choosing, then tell me I can't go to the cabin I paid for far in advance. Entitled? I sure am, entitled to what I paid for. I've never encountered locked doors on any Princess cruise. BTW, we've never interrupted our cabin steward from cleaning our cabin, 99.9% of the time our cabin was ready. Maybe Elite status had something to do with it, I don't know.

 

Princess can make the boarding time to when all cabins are ready to be occupied. Problem solved.

 

Yes, you paid for a cruise. Some times when you show up for a hotel room, you arrive before the time that the facility has set for getting into that room too so you wait. Probably doesn't happen too often, but it does. Yes, you paid for it in advance. So what? What difference does it make when you made your final payment? Along the same line, I would suspect that your eBoarding pass had a suggested boarding time listed on it also. Did you show up and board before that time? Bet you would really have been ticked off if it said, say 2:00pm and you were all checked in and ready to walk on the ship at 11:30 if they'd have told you "No, sorry, your boarding pass says 2:00pm, so you'll have to sit down and wait for 2 1/2 hours till that boarding time arrives." I don't know how they do it on all the ships, but at some of them, if for some reason the rooms are not ready when boarding starts, you can drop off your bags in one of the dinning rooms until they are able to get the rooms all ready. That's not the optimum situation for sure, but at least you can leave your carry-on items somewhere and go eat, have a drink, walk around or just sit and relax.

 

 

In any event, letting you board before the rooms are ready is a lot better than having to sit (or stand!) in the terminal building and not even board.

 

Just stop and think about it, you're going on a cruise to relax and have a good time. Why make a big todo over what is really a minor thing? You're getting all worked up over something that, by your own admission occurs less than .1% of the time so unless you've cruised over 1000 times, it's only happened to you once! That's pretty good odds!

 

Tom

[1emerald1]

For me, I want to get on the ship ASAP to let the vacation begin. I've always been able to go to my cabin and it's always been ready. However if they are now taking a longer time to prepare the rooms I really don't care. As soon as I step from the gangway onto the ship I am in full cruise mode and in total lala land and couldn't care less if I have to drag a carry on for an hour or so.

[Pierlesscruisers]

For me, I want to get on the ship ASAP to let the vacation begin. I've always been able to go to my cabin and it's always been ready. However if they are now taking a longer time to prepare the rooms I really don't care. As soon as I step from the gangway onto the ship I am in full cruise mode and in total lala land and couldn't care less if I have to drag a carry on for an hour or so.

 

 

Hear, hear!! I'll agree with that!

 

Tom