Club mini-suite or not on Island Princess?

[gusmom]

We have a hold on Mini-Suite (mid-forward but only the 2nd cabin from mid) for 10 day Panama Canal on Island Princess. Over the weekend a deal came up for a Club Class (same deck) that (when all bonuses, prepaid gratuities, etc are factored in) would be about $300 more total (3 people). 

 

Any thoughts from the more seasoned travelers as we don’t know the typical Princess experience to compare? We were planning on doing traditional dining with late seating (we eat late at home) — but not sure how Princess schedules their entertainment & shows in the PM either. We have a 12 yr old who hates lines too lol. 

 

Our 1st Princess Cruise & first in about 15 years for husband & I. 

 

[riffatsea]

IF you plan on doing traditional late dining then I woudn't pay for a club class mini suite.

I would expect that entertainment is scheduled so that all dining times would be able to enjoy it!

[Tak8]

With Club Class, there is no assigned eating times.  You can come anytime during scheduled hours.  I have always been able to get a table right away.  Some on the boards have complained about a wait.  

I do enjoy the Club Class dining experience.  Service seems to be a little more personalized and you do have the option of an additional dish at lunch and dinner.  Some are very good and a few are misses depending on your taste. 

[cruzsnooze]

If you do late seating there is no advantage to Club Class IMHO

[memoak]

Club class really only pertains to location and meals - personally we think the CC dining is worth it 100%

[gusmom]

ETA: apparently the mini suite is uncovered and club mini-suite partially covered also. Though not sure what the big difference is. Does that mean partially covered is less private?

[riffatsea]

How can UNcovered be more private than partially covered??

That makes no sense.

[DrivesLikeMario]

I've done Club Class on another ship and frankly, wouldn't pay extra for it at all.  The only reason we had it was because the cabin we wanted was in that category's area.  The service was faster and better than in the MDR and there was never a wait but other than that, it was a waste IMO.  The wait staff was nice and chatty but it was almost too much hovering on some nights.

The special foods that were supposed to be prepared tableside weren't.  They were prepared out in the hallway as people walked by and the food sat there and congealed.  They prepared them ahead of time so that when I asked for no onions, they couldn't provide that.  You got it as it was made already.  Definitely not impressed with that. 

I think Club Class would appeal to people that like the (somewhat) exclusivity of it and people who like feeling like they're getting something that others aren't.  For us, we weren't impressed.  I'm glad we experienced it but once was enough.  The only time I'll book it in the future is if the cabin I really want again comes with that level of service.

[gusmom]

I guess we will find out lol. We were definitely on the fence. I think the ultimate flexibility in dining times won my husband over (our son hates lines & he wasn’t sure we’d make late TD every night). That will be different as I kind of like getting to know people on cruises. 

[geoherb]

The one thing we did not like about Club Class dining (when we took an upsell to a suite) is that, at least on our ship, they did not do shared tables unless you arrived at the same time and requested it. We ate a couple of nights with a nice family, but our other nights we were at tables for just the two of us. 

 

We had a mother-daughter pair at our table at second seating traditional dining on a different cruise. It turned out they were in a suite, but by the time they found out they could eat in the Club Class dining area, they decided they liked us and the other couple at our table and did not want to move. They did take advantage of breakfast at Sabatini's and Club Class dining at lunch on the sea days.

[gusmom]

11 hours ago, geoherb said:

The one thing we did not like about Club Class dining (when we took an upsell to a suite) is that, at least on our ship, they did not do shared tables unless you arrived at the same time and requested it. We ate a couple of nights with a nice family, but our other nights we were at tables for just the two of us.

 

I kind of like meeting other people and will miss that but w so many people doing ATD now vs traditional, I know it’s not the same as it once was. 

Hopefully we will find some other kids around his age 

[gbadge]

Total waste of money. If traveling with others that are not club class you can not dine together because they will not let them into the club class dining room.

[Sea Hag]

We've only had club class once, and I was very surprised at how very, very much I liked it. The service was phenomenal. The extra dishes were nice, but it was the service that I liked best.

[PoohUnderstands]

Also, wanted to let people know that CC can be very inexpensive for the experience.  On my next cruise starting the end of August, Baltic/TA, my CC midship costs over a midship mini-suite is just $3.58pp per day more!  Well, worth the location of my mini-suite and CC dining.

 

Pooh

[JF - retired RRT]

gusmom: here's my take away on Club Class for you FWIW.

1) partially covered balcony - very nice for a warm climate. You'll need it in Panama, it's HOT!!

2) priority boarding - a nice intro to the boarding experience. Priority boarding is only available to Suites, Elites, Club Class and weddings (more or less).

3) anytime dining with the better service, nice table settings, a few "extra" dishes.

4) mid ship location (Club Class cabins are mid ship), a preferred location for many.

5) $300 more - that's not really all that much $$ for what you'll get.

 

Go for it.

[JF - retired RRT]

30 minutes ago, PoohUnderstands said:

Also, wanted to let people know that CC can be very inexpensive for the experience.  On my next cruise starting the end of August, Baltic/TA, my CC midship costs over a midship mini-suite is just $3.58pp per day more!  Well, worth the location of my mini-suite and CC dining.

 

Pooh

Great price. I'd jump on that.

[JF - retired RRT]

On 6/4/2019 at 5:28 AM, gusmom said:

Hopefully we will find some other kids around his age 

Two words...Kids Club.

Princess has an excellent Kids Club. Sign up right away after you board.

[gusmom]

So the challenge with that is that they have 8-12 and 13-17. 

He will be 2 months shy of 13 so while he is excited about the kids club space (he’s already found videos of it online) & I’ve read about some of the cool educational activities they do, he’s pretty sure he’d prefer the older kids. I wish they had a 12-14ish age as there is a HUGE difference between 8&12 and 12&17. :( 

also don’t really want him completely unsupervised. So it’s tricky. 

[stoneharborlady]

On 6/3/2019 at 5:51 PM, DrivesLikeMario said:

I've done Club Class on another ship and frankly, wouldn't pay extra for it at all.  The only reason we had it was because the cabin we wanted was in that category's area.  The service was faster and better than in the MDR and there was never a wait but other than that, it was a waste IMO.  The wait staff was nice and chatty but it was almost too much hovering on some nights

 

Waiters hovering over me would drive me crazy.  That is not a relaxing experience, and would be enough to keep me OUT of that dining room.

[memoak]

23 minutes ago, stoneharborlady said:

 

Waiters hovering over me would drive me crazy.  That is not a relaxing experience, and would be enough to keep me OUT of that dining room.

If you have never had the service you cannot appreciate it .  I have never found that much hovering just really good service

[gusmom]

54 minutes ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Two words...Kids Club.

Princess has an excellent Kids Club. Sign up right away after you board.

So the challenge with that is that they have 8-12 and 13-17. 

He will be 2 months shy of 13 so while he is excited about the kids club space (he’s already found videos of it online) & I’ve read about some of the cool educational activities they do, he’s pretty sure he’d prefer the older kids. I wish they had a 12-14ish age as there is a HUGE difference between 8&12 and 12&17. :( 

also don’t really want him completely unsupervised. So it’s tricky. 

[DrivesLikeMario]

There's a difference between hovering and discreet, attentive service.  The servers weren't that polished IME.

[stoneharborlady]

21 minutes ago, DrivesLikeMario said:

There's a difference between hovering and discreet, attentive service.  The servers weren't that polished IME.

Exactly

[PoohUnderstands]

23 hours ago, stoneharborlady said:

 

Waiters hovering over me would drive me crazy.  That is not a relaxing experience, and would be enough to keep me OUT of that dining room.

Just remember, someone's "hovering" is someone else's "good service."   I have found my CC dining experiences to be on the whole great and loved getting to know our wait staff as they got to know our desires- hear about their children, see pics, etc.  But we are just like that.  If I had to be hovered over or be ignored with marginal service, please hover!!

 

Pooh

[stoneharborlady]

22 minutes ago, PoohUnderstands said:

Just remember, someone's "hovering" is someone else's "good service."   I have found my CC dining experiences to be on the whole great and loved getting to know our wait staff as they got to know our desires- hear about their children, see pics, etc.  But we are just like that.  If I had to be hovered over or be ignored with marginal service, please hover!!

 

Pooh

 

I guess that is fine if seeing pics of your waiters children is important to you.  That is not what good dinner service means to me.  Neither is marginal service.  I will always be gracious and kind to all who work onboard, but have never felt the need for closer or more personal relationships with our stewards or servers.  Everyone is different.