Chairs removed to make more room?

[Pstcrik]

4 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

This is confusing.  

Sorry but I just had a Chairman of the Board

[Colo Cruiser]

3 minutes ago, Pstcrik said:

Sorry but I just had a Chairman of the Board

Well that makes sense then.  😃

[stoneharborlady]

On 3/5/2019 at 1:40 PM, Cindy said:

 

I don’t miss those bedspreads, though!😂

I always ask the Steward to remove the bedspreads on the first day, and leave them off for the duration of the cruise.

[Loreni]

When we first started sailing with Princess, it was an innovator.  We loved the Anytime Dining which, maybe except for NCL, didn’t exist with mainstream lines.

 

We loved the affordable balconies another rare feature among mainstream lines at the time.  Of course, balcony smoking was allowed then, so we soon leaned we couldn’t use our balconies...still loved the mini-suites that offered another unique feature...tubs and sofas at a relatively affordable price.  We were so happy when Princess banned balcony smoking, but this happiness was very short lived.

 

 In 2012 Princess’ relentless war on furniture began.  Dining tables were removed from the balconies, chairs were either removed or replaced with less comfortable chairs, footstools removed.  Now the anti-furniture campaign has moved inside the cabins with tables and armchairs being removed.  When I read that a cancer patient or a veteran cannot be granted a chair, even on a long cruise, I have a hard time understanding this.

 

Then we have the new-builds which are taking away some of my favorite features like a promenade deck and access to viewing from the front of the ship.  Meanwhile some of the competition is providing beautiful promenade decks and forward viewing options for all classes of passengers.

 

I was also shocked to find higher prices on several sailings after I logged in.  Some have called this the Platinum and Elite penalty.  It isn’t on all or even most sailings, but I have encountered it.  I have yet to book a sailing with an Elite penalty.

 

I still like the Princess product overall, but I wish I had sailed with others over the years so I would qualify for past passenger discounts on other lines. 

[Pstcrik]

2 minutes ago, stoneharborlady said:

I always ask the Steward to remove the bedspreads on the first day, and leave them off for the duration of the cruise.

I cant imagine why.

[cr8tiv1]

This thread has a life of its own.  33 pages and nearing 1000 posts, not to mention number of views in a very short period of time.  Princess really needs to listen to her passengers and "loyalists".  I really never gave it considerable thought, but after reading all the concerns, it makes a lot of sense.  1 chair for a solo traveler is sufficient.  Any more passengers sharing a stateroom becomes very problematic.  What were they thinking?

[Beave8920]

18 minutes ago, Kingofcool1947 said:

Well,  at least you don’t just “talk the talk’.    

Have you considered Celebrity, Oceania, (I cruise on both) or Viking?  Other?

Looking forward to hear what cruise line(s) you decide to move on to.

I wish you good luck, and hope you enjoy whatever cruise(s) line you move to.

King

 

Well King....funny you should ask.  We were going to book next years cruise to Hawaii at the FCC desk while on our Princess cruise later this month.  But I just found and booked a 17 day cruise on Holland America for Hawaii.  It was a few bucks more but at least we'll have a place to sit!  

 

Hey with Princess Cruise Lines - there's standing room only!

Edited March 6, 2019 by Beave8920

[Kingofcool1947]

45 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

I hope you have an excel going on these.

I want to see and compare these runners.

     Sorry, no excel.       But would be interesting to track.

Are you suggesting that many on this thread who have voiced their displeasure with Princess removing the barrel chair, and threatening  to jump ship, are just “blowing smoke”?  And, the usual Princess complainers,  but will  continue to  sail with Princess?  

I for one,  besides Princess, sail on Celebrity and Oceania.   I am not wedded to Princess.  Or any other cruise line.  If something bugs me so much, I move on.  I find something that suits me.

And, to those who speak with their wallet, my hat’s off to you.  Everyone has choices.

Enjoy, whatever cruise line you decide on.

King

Edited March 7, 2019 by Kingofcool1947

[TanglewoodTootsie]

I received a call from Princess yesterday.  Reiterated all the points that I put in the e-mail to them.  Audrey was very polite and listened to all my comments but in the end the only response is that the chairs are gone and I can ask my room steward to get one for me.  When I said that I understood that this had been done on several ships and more often than not no chairs were available, she had no  comment.  When I said I would be bringing in a balcony chair, again, no comment.  No apology, no other solutions, only that PCL is monitoring the complaints and concerns.  Unless there is very widespread discontent, not just in this forum, but widespread and perhaps lower bookings, it doesn't sound like they are going to do anything about it.  I made suggestions such as all rooms having a chair with the proviso that it can be removed on request, she said that was too much work for the room steward.  I said more room makes sense if people have 3 or 4 people to a stateroom, but not for two people who either have mobility issues or who enjoy spending some time either eating, reading or relaxing in the stateroom that they paid good money for.  No comment.  I hope they are recording the discussions that people are having on the phone calls.  Lobby, lobby, lobby, people.  I will be on the Emerald in a couple of weeks and I will be visiting the Passenger Services Desk and the Captain's Circle Desk with my concerns. 

[Beave8920]

35 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

I hope you have an excel going on these.

I want to see and compare these runners.

 

Hey, if the chairs come back, so will I.  

I think I'm more miffed about how Princess justified the removal and expected everyone to fall in line.

[mthomp5]

I’m one of the few that don’t use the tub chair.  But have never complained about the chair being there and never asked for it to be removed from the room. And we never stored it in the closet.

 

Noticed it gone on the Ruby September 2018.   I no longer had to move it out of the way when I wanted to use the desk chair and then move it again when I wanted to open the fridge.  But I am comfortable sitting cross legged on the bed.  I even sit cross-legged on my desk chair at work.  When I say cross legged... I mean yoga style.  I have no back problems...yet. So I’m okay with sitting on the bed.

 

After reading all the comments here on CC, I realized that the chair is important to those with back issues and the elderly or anyone that may need a chair for health reasons.  I emailed Princess Customer Relations and Jan Swartz last week and received a call within an hour.  The person was very polite and said they were tracking feedback.  But she also said that they were not getting new chairs.  I don’t know what they will do with the data they’re tracking if they already say they are not buying new chairs.  She said people could ask their steward for a chair.  And I didn’t want to tell her about the guy who was on the Royal (maybe still is) for 49 days and was told no chair for him!

 

i thinks it’s more important to have chairs available in the room for people who need them than to have empty space in the room.  

 

And who knows...maybe one day I will need a chair too.  You can bet that if/when that time comes, I will be doing a cost comparisons amongst other lines that provide comfortable seating in the room.

 

i do like the desk area so I can do my makeup and hair there.  I also like the little round table because that’s where we have the room service tray set.  

 

[Ep010835]

10 minutes ago, mthomp5 said:

I emailed Princess Customer Relations and Jan Swartz last week and received a call within an hour.  The person was very polite and said they were tracking feedback.  

 

And who knows...maybe one day I will need a chair too.  You can bet that if/when that time comes, I will be doing a cost comparisons amongst other lines that provide comfortable seating in the room.

 

You are very kind to contact PCL on behalf of all we "oldies"! 😀

[swomom]

32 minutes ago, TanglewoodTootsie said:

I received a call from Princess yesterday.  Reiterated all the points that I put in the e-mail to them.  Audrey was very polite and listened to all my comments but in the end the only response is that the chairs are gone and I can ask my room steward to get one for me.  When I said that I understood that this had been done on several ships and more often than not no chairs were available, she had no  comment.  When I said I would be bringing in a balcony chair, again, no comment.  No apology, no other solutions, only that PCL is monitoring the complaints and concerns.  Unless there is very widespread discontent, not just in this forum, but widespread and perhaps lower bookings, it doesn't sound like they are going to do anything about it.  I made suggestions such as all rooms having a chair with the proviso that it can be removed on request, she said that was too much work for the room steward.  I said more room makes sense if people have 3 or 4 people to a stateroom, but not for two people who either have mobility issues or who enjoy spending some time either eating, reading or relaxing in the stateroom that they paid good money for.  No comment.  I hope they are recording the discussions that people are having on the phone calls.  Lobby, lobby, lobby, people.  I will be on the Emerald in a couple of weeks and I will be visiting the Passenger Services Desk and the Captain's Circle Desk with my concerns. 

Well, I too got a call today from Audrey. Unfortunately I wasn’t home. But my message was almost word-for-word like this one.  All chairs are gone except in minis and full suites. In my case since I travel alone as economically as possible, I don’t even have the option of pulling in a balcony chair. I have one more cruise with my kids this summer on Princess...then that may be it for me with P. I have a Christmas cruise on the QM2 already booked...desk chair and loveseat! I don’t want to admit defeat yet, but I think this is what Princess is counting on......we can yammer away and go to another line, but we will just be replaced by more first-timers and they will just continue to quote the “approved script for dealing with those pesky passengers asking about chairs.”

[PurpleTraveller]

I have been following this thread with great interest since I am one of those who can not sit on the bed for any length of time without back pain. Usually I travel in a Balcony or Ocean View as I can not afford to travel in a Mini Suite or higher (and should not have to just to get a chair) and only sometimes can afford a Deluxe Balcony on any of the Royal class ships. 

 

Today I was at my travel agents and mentioned to her the removal of the chairs and my concerns regarding comfort in Princess cabins. She had not heard of the chair removal but another consultant overheard and said that she had heard about the chairs being removed. I asked her where and how were two people supposed to eat room service meals and she said that she had been told that the person delivering room service would bring a chair. Really! I'd like to see that! Somehow I can't see chairs being available for room service and what about when I just want to read or watch a movie. 

 

I have asked my travel agent to pass onto the Princess representative that I will not be booking another Princess cruise if I am unable to sit in a comfortable chair in my cabin and yes I have sent an email more than a week ago but have had no response yet from Princess. I am looking at Celebrity and Holland America among others for my 2020 cruise. 

 

[Astro Flyer]

On 3/2/2019 at 7:05 AM, hpeabody said:

 

YES! ....I am on the Royal Princess currently.  I asked asked the room steward and was told I could NOT have a barrel chair, because they are gone and will not be available any longer.

 

On 3/2/2019 at 7:08 AM, geocruiser said:

An they get you any kind of chair other than a barrel chair?

 

On 3/2/2019 at 7:12 AM, hpeabody said:

 

No offer of any other kind of chair at all, just NO.  But, there is still the 1 desk/vanity chair.  They also now are refusing to bring any kind of additional small table or footstool for the balcony for the first time.  I am short and the balcony chairs are uncomfortable for me. 

 

4 hours ago, #1Nanna said:

Have the chairs been removed from the Royal?

This was posted on 3/2/19...the chairs have been removed from the Royal (guessing during the early December shipyard maintenance) and no other chairs are available.

[Kingofcool1947]

3 hours ago, stoneharborlady said:

I always ask the Steward to remove the bedspreads on the first day, and leave them off for the duration of the cruise.

Interesting comment.

Doesn’t Stewart always do this the first night as part of turn down service?

OTOH, on day 1, I did  ask Stewart to please dry clean the chair because I noticed  it had a foul, stinky “soiled’ smell to it?  From previous PAX(s)?  “No problem”, said Stewart, and the chair smelled fresh by the time it was dinner.   So, I’ll continue to ask Stewart to dry clean the chair (if there is one ) on all future Princess cruises.

Just thinking, maybe the chairs have been removed for new fabric covering,  or cleaning?  

Please report back if you have a chair, or sofa/love seat, in your stateroom. 

I wish you well.  Enjoy your cruise.

 

King

Edited March 7, 2019 by Kingofcool1947

[Loreni]

It is heartbreaking to see no compassion offered for those in pain...real physical pain.

[Barry H]

Have just read a few of the posts.

One of the consequences of removing the barrel chair is that people will be spending more time sitting on the beds and they will wear out faster. Even the new Princess Sleep beds on the Coral were wearing out after 2 years. We went through 7 mattress changes (3 for me, 4 for my wife) before we got mattresses that allowed us to get a night sleep without pain. The mattresses were all compressed in the middle to the point that you could feel the metal frame beneath the mattress. My comment was that the memory foam had amnesia.

 

With people, small and large, spending more time sitting on the beds they will wear out the mattress faster.

 

I personally need a chair to put on my shoes for balance to not fall over!!! Yes my balance is off.

 

I pay for a good bed to sleep in, clean functioning washroom, a chair to sit in.

 

In a Hotel when I don't get what I pay for I book out and find another Hotel. When I book on a 28 day cruise I can't get off the ship and go down the dock to another ship to get what I pay for!!!

 

I just cruised on Carnival and got the couch and stool.  THE BED WAS GOOD.

 

[Kingofcool1947]

58 minutes ago, Barry H said:

Have just read a few of the posts.

One of the consequences of removing the barrel chair is that people will be spending more time sitting on the beds and they will wear out faster. Even the new Princess Sleep beds on the Coral were wearing out after 2 years. We went through 7 mattress changes (3 for me, 4 for my wife) before we got mattresses that allowed us to get a night sleep without pain. The mattresses were all compressed in the middle to the point that you could feel the metal frame beneath the mattress. My comment was that the memory foam had amnesia.

 

With people, small and large, spending more time sitting on the beds they will wear out the mattress faster.

 

I personally need a chair to put on my shoes for balance to not fall over!!! Yes my balance is off.

 

I pay for a good bed to sleep in, clean functioning washroom, a chair to sit in.

 

In a Hotel when I don't get what I pay for I book out and find another Hotel. When I book on a 28 day cruise I can't get off the ship and go down the dock to another ship to get what I pay for!!!

 

I just cruised on Carnival and got the couch and stool.  THE BED WAS GOOD.

 

Why continue to endure sleep deprivation or pain sleeping on a bad lumpy and soft mattress?  And same goes for your DW’s,bed.  That’s painful and should not be tolerated.

I see you have two lengthy cruises with Princess again.   Although having a chair (other than the standard desk chair) may help for your issue with balance, how will that help with you and DW with bad Princess mattresses?

Hopefully, you can get mattresses that meet you and DW’s requirement on your two future Princess cruises.  Btw, if the mattresses are too soft or lumpy,  request Stewart to install a stiff board between the foundation and the mattresses.  And/or mattress topper.  Sometimes that’s helps.  They do it all the time. 

Good luck, and hope there is an extra chair, and better mattresses, on your next two Princess cruises.

BTW, why not cruise Carnival again?  Couch, stool, and good bed sounds just perfect?

 

King

Edited March 7, 2019 by Kingofcool1947

[caribill]

13 hours ago, Pstcrik said:

 Some year and half ago I made a comment to a shop attendant that there placement of tables outside of the shops were creating such a crowd of look-y-loo's that you could barely make it through the crowd and was told people love the sales so PCL definitely likes to create the crowds around their shops as its good for sales. 

 

To be consistent, Princess needs to remove the sales tables from the walkways in order to "provide more living space" in those areas.

[Kingofcool1947]

1 hour ago, caribill said:

 

To be consistent, Princess needs to remove the sales tables from the walkways in order to "provide more living space" in those areas.

Provide more living space?   What the heck are you talking about?

[caribill]

1 minute ago, Kingofcool1947 said:

Provide more living space?   What the heck are you talking about?

 

Just like the "more living space" in the cabins.

[Kingofcool1947]

2 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

Just like the "more living space" in the cabins.

Ok.  I got it.

[hpeabody]

12 hours ago, #1Nanna said:

Have the chairs been removed from the Royal?

 

YES 😞  I am on board right now in Santiago, Chile

[louden]

13 hours ago, Loreni said:

When we first started sailing with Princess, it was an innovator.  We loved the Anytime Dining which, maybe except for NCL, didn’t exist with mainstream lines.

 

We loved the affordable balconies another rare feature among mainstream lines at the time.  Of course, balcony smoking was allowed then, so we soon leaned we couldn’t use our balconies...still loved the mini-suites that offered another unique feature...tubs and sofas at a relatively affordable price.  We were so happy when Princess banned balcony smoking, but this happiness was very short lived.

 

 In 2012 Princess’ relentless war on furniture began.  Dining tables were removed from the balconies, chairs were either removed or replaced with less comfortable chairs, footstools removed.  Now the anti-furniture campaign has moved inside the cabins with tables and armchairs being removed.  When I read that a cancer patient or a veteran cannot be granted a chair, even on a long cruise, I have a hard time understanding this.

 

Then we have the new-builds which are taking away some of my favorite features like a promenade deck and access to viewing from the front of the ship.  Meanwhile some of the competition is providing beautiful promenade decks and forward viewing options for all classes of passengers.

 

I was also shocked to find higher prices on several sailings after I logged in.  Some have called this the Platinum and Elite penalty.  It isn’t on all or even most sailings, but I have encountered it.  I have yet to book a sailing with an Elite penalty.

 

I still like the Princess product overall, but I wish I had sailed with others over the years so I would qualify for past passenger discounts on other lines. 

Thank you for reminding me of why we started to sail with Princess and why I am now so disappointed.  You summarized our 35 cruise adventures.  We have five booked cruises through 2020 but will likely cancel 3.    Actively looking elsewhere.