Mini-Suite Club Class

[Nashna]

2 hours ago, rbtan said:

I see your point on cost. For us we develop a good repour with the staff. The attention to detail is greater in Club Class as there are fewer tables. We found the specialty restaurants really not to have outstanding food. It's better, but not in our opinion as good as in Celebrity. Celebrity's specialties do cost quite a bit more.

When we praised the service we received in CC to the maitre de, he told us that his very best waiters were assigned to CC.  He also mentioned that the ratio of diners to staff was much higher in CC.  I'm sure that explains the high level of service.    

[cr8tiv1]

2 hours ago, Nashna said:

When we praised the service we received in CC to the maitre de, he told us that his very best waiters were assigned to CC.  He also mentioned that the ratio of diners to staff was much higher in CC.  I'm sure that explains the high level of service.    

 

On a side bar.  It is very important to fill out those comment cards at the end of the cruise.  This is the first big step for MDR waiters.  They are able to move up to Club Class and then the specialty dining rooms with positive comments.

[MarkBearSF]

Just a quick question. I know there is no waiting. Is that because CC has assigned tables, so your table is reserved for you whenever you choose to dine (within the meal hours)? And, that ensures you also have the same waitstaff.

I've been assuming this is the case (like Club and Grills dining on Cunard) - but I've never seen it explicitly stated.

[EDDY0827]

There is no assigned seating in C.C. and about 20 2-top tables. Most C.C. patrons eat as a couple but tables can be put together for a small group but those groups are rare. No many groups book C.C. minis or suites.

[caribill]

1 hour ago, MarkBearSF said:

Just a quick question. I know there is no waiting. Is that because CC has assigned tables, so your table is reserved for you whenever you choose to dine (within the meal hours)?

 

31 minutes ago, EDDY0827 said:

There is no assigned seating in C.C. and about 20 2-top tables. Most C.C. patrons eat as a couple but tables can be put together for a small group but those groups are rare.

 

The assumption is that most of the time there are enough tables as CVC diners hopefully spread their arrival times throughout the available hours.

 

But there are times no tables are available and new arrivals have to wait to be seated.

 

 

[skynight]

No assigned tables or waiters. If you tend to arrive at the same time each evening there is a good possibility you will be seated at the same table with the same waiters. You can share a table if you find others that wish to dine with you. 

[Lady Arwen]

18 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

On a side bar.  It is very important to fill out those comment cards at the end of the cruise.  This is the first big step for MDR waiters.  They are able to move up to Club Class and then the specialty dining rooms with positive comments.

Good point and a good reminder.  We were speaking to a lovely gentleman, a waiter, in Crown Grill and he said that the waitstaff all aspired to be hired for the speciality restaurants.  He said that it was not easy, because the bar is set so high and so many factors determine if the person is right for the job.  He didn’t mention comment cards, because that would probably not be acceptable conversation in a restaurant that passengers are paying for.  Of course we always tip and compliment the waitstaff, but always make a point of mentioning them by name on the comment cards.  

[rbtan]

On 3/13/2021 at 8:58 AM, Lady Arwen said:

We sail primarily with Celebrity.  Their specialty restaurants are very nice, but at $60.00 per person we feel they’re overpriced.  We found the food on Edge in the  MDR was excellent, so never went to a specialty restaurant.

We think the MDR food on Princess is consistently good, but we like Crown Grill and Sabatinis, too.  We never have a problem establishing a good rapport with our waitstaff in Traditional Dining, but it would be very challenging in Anytime Dining.

If you do Club Class, you'll pretty much have the same staff. We liked the fact we never felt rushed. On our last Cunard trip on the QV, we were frequently rushed, even though, it was barely 7:15. Only after I talked with the Maître D did that change. Usually on Celebrity we were able to get great deals on the specialties. They usually had a station set up offering discounts to pax coming back from excursions. Not been on the Edge, as we like longer cruises.

[rbtan]

21 hours ago, Nashna said:

When we praised the service we received in CC to the maitre de, he told us that his very best waiters were assigned to CC.  He also mentioned that the ratio of diners to staff was much higher in CC.  I'm sure that explains the high level of service.    

Food was really no better. We frequently ordered entrees off the Crown Grill list. Yes, staff is more equally paired with the amount of pax in CC (Glad you showed the "CC" symbol)The attention to detail is much better & I still feel that the staff on Princess is about the best we've experienced on any line. Their friendliness is second to none.

[Lady Arwen]

14 minutes ago, rbtan said:If you do Club Class, you'll pretty much have the same staff. We liked the fact we never felt rushed. On our last Cunard trip on the QV, we were frequently rushed, even though, it was barely 7:15. Only after I talked with the Maître D did that change. Usually on Celebrity we were able to get great deals on the specialties. They usually had a station set up offering discounts to pax coming back from excursions. Not been on the Edge, as we like longer cruises.

We must be lucky because our experience in the specialty restaurants has always been extremely positive with no feeling of being rushed.  We book Traditional dining in the MDR and never feel rushed, either.  I would assume that Anytime dining would be a much different experience, because so many passengers are waiting to be seated.  I’ve seen many very long lines to enter the dining room.  Yes, you can get discounts on the specialty restaurants on Celebrity, as quite often we’ve been approached at our dining table with offers.  

[rbtan]

1 minute ago, Lady Arwen said:

We must be lucky because our experience in the specialty restaurants has always been extremely positive with no feeling of being rushed.  We book Traditional dining in the MDR and never feel rushed, either.  I would assume that Anytime dining would be a much different experience, because so many passengers are waiting to be seated.  I’ve seen many very long lines to enter the dining room.  Yes, you can get discounts on the specialty restaurants on Celebrity, as quite often we’ve been approached at our dining table with offers.  

Same with us. We used to have this one staff member who'd leave a message on our phone with great discounts. Sometimes you just have to fill those rest.

[JF - retired RRT]

9 hours ago, MarkBearSF said:

Just a quick question. I know there is no waiting. Is that because CC has assigned tables, so your table is reserved for you whenever you choose to dine (within the meal hours)? And, that ensures you also have the same waitstaff.

I've been assuming this is the case (like Club and Grills dining on Cunard) - but I've never seen it explicitly stated.

The times we've been seated in viewing distance from the CC section (never been IN the CC section), the majority of the tables were empty every night. Assigned tables would rarely be a necessity.

[franktown]

No assigned tables as others have said.  We had the same wait staff on three of the six times we ate in CC for dinner on our last cruise. On two of times we didn't have the same wait staff we ate late and the waiters we had were working the anytime dining room because CC was almost empty. We did have about a 15 minute wait on one of the formal nights.  Not a big deal.

Edited March 14, 2021 by franktown
add

[cr8tiv1]

2 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

The times we've been seated in viewing distance from the CC section (never been IN the CC section), the majority of the tables were empty every night. Assigned tables would rarely be a necessity.

 

Your time is coming.  Hope sooner than later.

[memoak]

Never have had a wait and usually have had same wait staff.  Of course we tend to eat around 8 pm

[Grego]

On 3/12/2021 at 9:10 AM, Lady Arwen said:

We always try to book mini suites, but we’ve not sailed in Club Class.  The cost between the two is crazy.  We could eat in a specialty restaurant every night and still have money left over.  The cabins are identical, except for the huge balconies on the ones forward facing.  Am I missing something?  Is the  Club Class dining in the MDR better than the specialty restaurants?  For our upcoming 11 night on Enchanted, the cost would be an extra $1000.00!   

I like your thinking and was about to do the math when I saw this.  It would certainly be worth it to do it this way.

[Lady Arwen]

42 minutes ago, Grego said:

I like your thinking and was about to do the math when I saw this.  It would certainly be worth it to do it this way.

Yes,  we can’t justify $1000 more for basically the same food ( except for one nightly addition) in basically the same dining room.  We book Traditional dining, so we never have to wait in line and we have the same waitstaff for the entire voyage.  The service has always been very good to excellent.  I just don’t get it, but to each their own.

[stairMaster]

1 hour ago, Lady Arwen said:

Yes,  we can’t justify $1000 more for basically the same food ( except for one nightly addition) in basically the same dining room.  We book Traditional dining, so we never have to wait in line and we have the same waitstaff for the entire voyage.  The service has always been very good to excellent.  I just don’t get it, but to each their own.

The additional perks for Club Class suite are unlimited laundry, one-time mini-bar setup, 2 coffee cards , daily water bottles and breakfast at the Crown Grill.  We were to unable to fully experience club class dining as we were traveling with friends and chose to dine with them in the MDR instead.  Since, the suite was a complimentary upgrade from our booking of an interior and balcony rooms we weren't too disappointed about missing out on the CC dining.  

[JF - retired RRT]

11 minutes ago, stairMaster said:

The additional perks for Club Class suite are unlimited laundry, one-time mini-bar setup, 2 coffee cards , daily water bottles and breakfast at the Crown Grill.  We were to unable to fully experience club class dining as we were traveling with friends and chose to dine with them in the MDR instead.  Since, the suite was a complimentary upgrade from our booking of an interior and balcony rooms we weren't too disappointed about missing out on the CC dining.  

Those are the perks for a full suite, not for a Club Class mini suite.

In addition, (if you aren't Elite) you have the choice of a mini-bar setup OR 2 coffee cards...not both.

[voljeep]

1 minute ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Those are the perks for a full suite, not for a Club Class mini suite.

In addition, (if you aren't Elite) you have the choice of a mini-bar setup OR 2 coffee cards...not both.

and that's why 'mini suite' needs to be renamed or just drop off the 'suite' and call them "mini's" - but that is not good for marketing, so nevermind - let the confusion continue ...

[Lady Arwen]

19 minutes ago, stairMaster said:

The additional perks for Club Class suite are unlimited laundry, one-time mini-bar setup, 2 coffee cards , daily water bottles and breakfast at the Crown Grill.  We were to unable to fully experience club class dining as we were traveling with friends and chose to dine with them in the MDR instead.  Since, the suite was a complimentary upgrade from our booking of an interior and balcony rooms we weren't too disappointed about missing out on the CC dining.  

Sorry, but no.  Club class in mini suites do not receive these perks.  Dining in a separate area of the MDR is basically the only reason to book Club Class.  Mini suites are not the same as Suites and I wish Princess would call them something more appropriate.  

Edited March 15, 2021 by Lady Arwen
Spell

[stairMaster]

24 minutes ago, voljeep said:

and that's why 'mini suite' needs to be renamed or just drop off the 'suite' and call them "mini's" - but that is not good for marketing, so nevermind - let the confusion continue ...

This is indeed confusing -- the email i received explicitly states an upgrade to a mini suite so I naturally assumed that to be the case.  If the additional perks were for a full suite rather than a mini then I stand corrected. 

[voljeep]

3 minutes ago, stairMaster said:

This is indeed confusing -- the email i received explicitly states an upgrade to a mini suite so I naturally assumed that to be the case.  If the additional perks were for a full suite rather than a mini then I stand corrected. 

and remember, there is a difference in a 'regular' mini-suite and a Club Class Mini-suite - the dining perk being a major(?) difference

[Lady Arwen]

1 minute ago, stairMaster said:

This is indeed confusing -- the email i received explicitly states an upgrade to a mini suite so I naturally assumed that to be the case.  If the additional perks were for a full suite rather than a mini then I stand corrected. 

It is confusing to many folks who are not familiar with Princess cabin categories.  Full suites get pretty much everything and mini suites get pretty much nothing but a larger than standard balcony cabin, bathtub, two televisions, and full size sofa.  Club Class (extra cost) gets you access to a separate area in the MDR with an additional nightly item as well as the regular MDR menu.  Exactly the same mini suite as the standard.  

[skynight]

Club Class dining is the primary benefit when you book a Club Class mini suite. The other benefits are shown below with my comments in bold.

Elevated Amenities & Services:

Premium location mini-suites - Yes they are mostly mid ship with a few exceptions on Royal Class ships

Priority embarkation & disembarkation at beginning and end of cruise - Priority embarkation is an added feature providing you are not elite loyalty status. Basically anyone can choose their disembarkation time that suits their needs.

 Priority specialty dining reservations - This seems to be an added amenity

 Complimentary in-room wine set-up** • This is two 1/2 bottles of average wine

 Complimentary premium evening canapés upon request - Yes you can request these. 

Upgraded terry shawl bathrobes - Nice

2 minutes ago, stairMaster said:

This is indeed confusing -- the email i received explicitly states an upgrade to a mini suite so I naturally assumed that to be the case.  If the additional perks were for a full suite rather than a mini then I stand corrected. 

If you have been upgraded to a mini suite that is indeed nice. But, most mini suites are not Club Class mini suites. If you category is M1 or M6 then that is Club Class. If it is M followed by a letter such as MA, MB and so on then it is not club class.