Club Class dining - is it really worth $50 pp/day?

[Ken the cruiser]

We're trying to figure out if booking a club class mini-suite is really worth $50 pp/day if we are able to get a early fixed seating table for 2 in the MDR? We understand, except for maybe an extra dish, the evening menus are the same and I'm assuming the breakfast menus are the same. So, if we might ask, what are the big perks for us to spend $100 more per day to book a club class mini-suite versus a regular mini-suite other than to eat in the club class section and maybe have a little better location; although we have found some interesting mini-suite locations?

Edited April 17, 2019 by Ken the cruiser

[BCCRUSINGCOUPLE]

Don’t do it. Bedsides two half bottles of wine better room location priority boarding and priority seating at the mdr don’t think it’s worth it.


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[suekel]

I wouldn't do it for that price.  I enjoyed it with my suite last cruise but that is the only way that I'd do it.  

[Husky61]

We just did it and thought it was worth it. 😃

[fishywood]

In the pre Club Class days few would question the price difference between the best located Mini Suites and a randomly selected one being around (to use the OPs per diem) $350 p/p for a seven night cruise.  But now that moving up to an M1 Mini comes with the promise of a tangibly different experience deciding whether or not to book it becomes and exercise in bean counting.

 

One way to think about it: if an all inclusive land vacation offered more than one tier of dining that included all breakfasts and dinners and roughly half the lunches (including first day lunch and final morning breakfast both of which can be real clusterflops) for an extra $100/day/room would you take it? I probably would, especially knowing that the benefit is capped at a very small percentage of the up to 4000 fellow travelers on this particular holiday.

 

Though there were threads on here when Club Class was first launched discussing how different sailings ranged from $30/pp/pd to over $100/pp/pd difference in Club vs standard Mini, with most responses saying fuggedaboutit but a few (like mine) suggesting that if the price was at the low end of that spectrum then it might be worthwhile to reallocate some of one's onboard spend budget to the higher cabin category. Sorta the cost/benefit version of bean counting in that case. Just a little food for thought. 

[Ken the cruiser]

34 minutes ago, fishywood said:

In the pre Club Class days few would question the price difference between the best located Mini Suites and a randomly selected one being around (to use the OPs per diem) $350 p/p for a seven night cruise.  But now that moving up to an M1 Mini comes with the promise of a tangibly different experience deciding whether or not to book it becomes and exercise in bean counting.

 

One way to think about it: if an all inclusive land vacation offered more than one tier of dining that included all breakfasts and dinners and roughly half the lunches (including first day lunch and final morning breakfast both of which can be real clusterflops) for an extra $100/day/room would you take it? I probably would, especially knowing that the benefit is capped at a very small percentage of the up to 4000 fellow travelers on this particular holiday.

 

Though there were threads on here when Club Class was first launched discussing how different sailings ranged from $30/pp/pd to over $100/pp/pd difference in Club vs standard Mini, with most responses saying fuggedaboutit but a few (like mine) suggesting that if the price was at the low end of that spectrum then it might be worthwhile to reallocate some of one's onboard spend budget to the higher cabin category. Sorta the cost/benefit version of bean counting in that case. Just a little food for thought. 

Interesting analogy, but I should add we enjoy going on longer cruises, usually 3-5 weeks in length, rather than only 7 days. So when we start counting "the beans", they start adding up. Now, if the dining experience was like the Luminae on a Celebrity ship, the decision would be a no-brainer. But that doesn't appear to be the case on a Princess cruise much like with HAL and their new Club Orange offering.

Edited April 17, 2019 by Ken the cruiser

[lisally]

We were upgraded to an Owner’s Suite on a recent cruise and therefore got the “Club Class” dining without having to pay for it.  To be honest, it was more of a disadvantage than an advantage in that we weren’t allowed to invite anyone to dine with us.  So if we met nice people on the cruise or on a day tour, we couldn’t dine with them later.  We’re pretty sociable so that was a real pain. Plus the food was exactly the same, with one extra dish (that we never ordered).  Besides getting priority seating, I wouldn’t bother!

[pris993]

I have not done club class, because we are elite, have priority boarding, we always book a mini suite forward, which we are more than satisfied with.  For an extra $100 a day, we can go to the Crown Grill every night,  which is more to my liking.   We do room service for breakfast.. as well. so big draw.  

[caribill]

3 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

We're trying to figure out if booking a club class mini-suite is really worth $50 pp/day if we are able to get a early fixed seating table for 2 in the MDR? We understand, except for maybe an extra dish, the evening menus are the same and I'm assuming the breakfast menus are the same. So, if we might ask, what are the big perks for us to spend $100 more per day to book a club class mini-suite versus a regular mini-suite other than to eat in the club class section and maybe have a little better location; although we have found some interesting mini-suite locations?

 

The benefit of Club Class is not the extra item available in the dining room.

 

The main benefit is for those who like anytime dining because Club Class is true anytime. 99% of the time there is a table for you when you show up. Some people think that is worth $50 pp/day more when compared to regular anytime which can mean a long wait on some evenings.

 

If traditional fixed-time dining is what you want, then, in my opinion, it is not worth paying even $1 extra for Club Class. Lower cost mini-suites are available without being Club Class.

[myjillian]

Put that money toward another cruise and work your way to Elite🤗

[HaveDogWillTravel]

CC is true anytime dining. In my experience on 6 cruises utilizing CC, the wait staff will know you and your preferences regardless of when you dine or where you sit.

The ambiance is nicer, it is much quieter and there is more personal attention. While  we usually have breakfast in Sabatini’s or Crown because we sail in full suites, we have also eaten in CC for breakfast and found it to be just as good (minus free mimosas).  

I’ve also sailed 5 times without CC and have only enjoyed that dining experience once. The rest of the time I found MDR to be noisy and service was simply acceptable enough not to complain. 

For an elevated dining experience you can spend $29 pp a day and eat in the specialty restaurants every night. But you’d eat breakfast & lunch in MDR, Buffet or elsewhere. Or you can spend $50 pp a day for the quiet, attentive atmosphere in CC for all three meals. 

Edited April 17, 2019 by HaveDogWillTravel

[compozer]

We were a little unhappy with CC dining last fall on the CB.   Every evening CC was full and several times we had to go back to the bar and wait.    The head waiter said they added more CC mini's - guess Princess thinks it is profitable for them.   They added a couple more tables on the other side of the aisle - in the MDR section.   It was busy every evening and the service slipped because they were rushing around.   We book full suites but after that experience, not sure I would go with CC mini's - would not be worth the extra cost.

[antmaril]

I was in a CC Mini-Suite on the Regal in January.  Our cabin was reclassified as CC after I booked it, so it was a free upgrade for us.  CC was nice, but I don’t think I would pay for it.  Perhaps if CC was offered as a reasonable upsell, it could happen.  My cousin and I were always seated immediately at a table for two in the MDR.  That was a little bit of a downside for us, because we would have liked to share a big table on occasion.  That doesn’t happen with CC dining.  

 

I would save the $ for another cruise.  

Edited April 17, 2019 by antmaril

[Ken the cruiser]

Thanks everyone. You have confirmed what we were thinking. But, we do have a CC mini-suite booked on the Crown for our family UK cruise coming up this summer, so we'll also be able to make our own assessment at that time. We have a feeling it will have been a good move for that cruise as there will be 5 of us and the anytime dining feature will come in very handy. But when it's just the 2 of us, we'll probably defer to a regular mini-suite unless of course we get a great deal on a VS.

[Cruise-Crazzy]

Club Class is not standard across the fleet.  I had CC a number of times and found each ship different.  For $50 pp it is not worth it.  For less you could eat in a Specialty Dining room each night.  The addition of breakfast and lunch adds very little value, the MDR is not crowded for those meals.  My worst dining experience was 15 days CC.  The service was below standard, I was very disappointed and I was in a Suite that cruise. 

[oskidunker]

My wife enjoys meeting new people so we usually are at s large table. Never had any problems with anyone in the fixed dining. So Club Class probably

not for us. Like the idea, though and might try it some day when we are not traveling alone. 

[Kartgv]

We've had very good experiences in CC but would cut off the acceptable price bump at more like $25-30 extra per person/per day, especially for a longer cruise.   We like the exceptional service level and quieter atmosphere, and the extra dishes have been, for the most part, really special.      Some of the best pasta dishes we've ever had have been those prepared in the dining room    We've never had to wait and it seemed that the entire staff in the dining room gets to know you and your preferences - much better teamwork than we've seen in the MDR.   

[memoak]

Have had CC dining 3 times and it has been some of the best cruise dining experiences I have ever had.  Never had to wait for a table and the extra dishes were wonderful

[jasbo49]

For us Club Class works well because we get the convenience of true anytime dining and the service quality you expect in traditional dining. We really don't like committing to a set time every night. What if you have a late lunch? What if you get involved in something you hadn't planned and it runs into your dinner time?

 

And it seems like no matter when our set time is, it interferes with something we want to do at night. So traditional doesn't work for us. And anytime can be chaotic with significant waits if you want to eat at what we consider a normal time (6 to 7).

 

We've only had Club Class twice, but both times found that the added dishes were worthwhile and the service was mostly a cut above the basic MDR. On one cruise, the hostess who seated us every night was so welcoming I think she got a bigger tip on the final night than any of the waiters.

 

So it's hard for one person to put a monetary value on someone else's cruise, but I'll just say we really like it and when we feel like it's affordable we'll do it.

 

As for posters who suggest using the money for specialty restaurants instead, I may be in the minority, but I think I'd be bored to tears staring at the same Crown Grill menu every night.

 

Jim

Edited April 17, 2019 by jasbo49

[Potstech]

Having done Club Class on our last cruise I would say use that money elsewhere for better use.

[PoohUnderstands]

I have cruised in nothing but CC since it became available and have never paid more than $20 pp per day for it over a regular mini, and twice only $9/day pp.  So I guess either I booked the right itinerary each time..........  I have never paid that much for CC over regular mini.  

 

I have booked a CC on the not built yet (!) Enchanted Princess for a 14 day Med. Cruise and the prices For a CC stateroom and for a Regular Midship Mini is as follows:  $5249 vs. $5017.  This comes out to a little over $16pp/day.  So I definitely wouldn't do CC for $50pp/day either.  But if you can get between, say $10-20pp go for it.  It is so nice (when done correctly) which has been on Royal, Grand, Regal.  Especially love, when available CC breakfasts and lunches!!  I go for the service (all my waiters in CC so far have been so much fun) not so much for the "extra" entrees, etc.  

 

Can I ask which itinerary they are charging you $50pp/day on?

 

Pooh

[capriccio]

12 minutes ago, PoohUnderstands said:

Can I ask which itinerary they are charging you $50pp/day on?

 

We thought about reserving a club class mini-suite on our just booked 10 day round trip Tahiti cruise since it will be just DH and I unlike our usual cruises where we are traveling with family who have no interest in it. A club class mini is $3849.  The lowest priced mini is $3099 (so cc is $75 per day more) and the highest priced mini is $3359 (so cc is $49 per day more).  We decided to forgo it especially since the Pacific Princess is traditional dining for all.  Interestingly when I checked last evening (before bookings opened to all) club class had no sold cabins while there were around 7 (IIRC) regular minis already sold for our cruise. 

[compozer]

I booked a 2020 24 day on the Pacific last night and when I looked, over half of CC minis were booked.   Suppose they could be on a 24 hour hold.   If there is no CC dining available on the Pacific?  if so, #1. - why would you book it other than for the location.    #2.   Why are they listed??   or does she go into dry dock before that?   $3.  dining options for full suites offer CC dinning but the problem is,  it won't let you book.  Says there is an error - you have to select traditional.

[jagoffee]

8 minutes ago, compozer said:

I booked a 2020 24 day on the Pacific last night and when I looked, over half of CC minis were booked.   Suppose they could be on a 24 hour hold.   If there is no CC dining available on the Pacific?  if so, #1. - why would you book it other than for the location.    #2.   Why are they listed??   or does she go into dry dock before that?   $3.  dining options for full suites offer CC dinning but the problem is,  it won't let you book.  Says there is an error - you have to select traditional.

I observed the same thing on that series of just released cruises.  You are correct, you have to select traditional dining as CC is not an option.  

Edited April 17, 2019 by jagoffee

[Ken the cruiser]

58 minutes ago, PoohUnderstands said:

I have cruised in nothing but CC since it became available and have never paid more than $20 pp per day for it over a regular mini, and twice only $9/day pp.  So I guess either I booked the right itinerary each time..........  I have never paid that much for CC over regular mini.  

 

I have booked a CC on the not built yet (!) Enchanted Princess for a 14 day Med. Cruise and the prices For a CC stateroom and for a Regular Midship Mini is as follows:  $5249 vs. $5017.  This comes out to a little over $16pp/day.  So I definitely wouldn't do CC for $50pp/day either.  But if you can get between, say $10-20pp go for it.  It is so nice (when done correctly) which has been on Royal, Grand, Regal.  Especially love, when available CC breakfasts and lunches!!  I go for the service (all my waiters in CC so far have been so much fun) not so much for the "extra" entrees, etc.  

 

Can I ask which itinerary they are charging you $50pp/day on?

 

Pooh

Jul 23, 2020, 16 day on the Island. The difference is currently $800 pp. Nov 6, 2020, 17 day on the Crown, difference currently is $800 pp. Then the next leg, which is a 16 day TA, has a difference of $600 pp. These are the 4 CC mini-suites we currently have booked. The Easter Island cruise we have booked in Jan 2020 is in a VS.