Club Class Mini Suites. worth the extra.

[Chad_O]

If your budget allows it I think it is worth it. The mini suite locations are usually fantastic. In my experience the stewards are the best on the team. In this Covid era it is possible to have day service and evening turn down. There are a couple bottles of wine in your cabin which is a nice gesture but does not seal the deal for me. The real benefit is the CC dining. Usually no wait, great wait staff, and a slightly expanded menu. My choices don't have to be everyone's but I am grateful to be able to sail CC and hope the others that do it enjoy it as much as me.

[azbirdmom]

We just cruised in a Club Class mini suite on the Majestic Princess and it was worth it to us for a couple of reasons.  First we were in M107 which is laid out like a smaller suite with separate bedroom.  And what I called a ginormous balcony that stretched out over the bridge with incredible views.  Second, the regular dining room was quite busy and we never had a wait.  Plus we chose to stay with the same waitstaff every night and we really enjoyed getting to know them.   So the cabin and the wonderful service in the dining room were well worth the minimal buy-up.

[auburn77]

Just got off the Majestic this morning. Our first Princess cruise and we had a Club Class on the 14th deck under the Sea View bar. We loved the location, the cabin and the Club Class dining. The wait staff was wonderful and we never waited for a table. However, we did book last November and got a great price. I guess they needed the money at the time.

[azbirdmom]

2 hours ago, auburn77 said:

Just got off the Majestic this morning. Our first Princess cruise and we had a Club Class on the 14th deck under the Sea View bar. We loved the location, the cabin and the Club Class dining. The wait staff was wonderful and we never waited for a table. However, we did book last November and got a great price. I guess they needed the money at the time.

 

I'll echo what you said about the price.  We booked on December 1, 2020 and the price of our M6 Club Class mini was lower than what they were selling balcony cabins for a month before our August 8th sailing.  

[Thrak]

8 hours ago, memoak said:

Yes the lamb chops are very good but most ships have only 2 specialty restaurants and on a long cruise there is just not enough different main courses. On long cruises we always opt for club class on short 7 day casino cruises we opt for specialty restaurants, vines, Alfredos etc. 

 

8 hours ago, Kay S said:

Have they started serving more than appetizers at Vines?  I haven't been in there for awhile.

 

For those who don't know there are not only ships without Alfredo's (or Vines for that matter) but there are ships - Grand Princess and Sapphire Princess come to mind - where there is both an Alfredo's and a Vines but, as they are right next to each other, Vines doesn't provide any sort of appetizers. They will walk across the way to IC and get you a small plate of cheese and such but that's it so you are actually better off getting the stuff yourself so you get to control the selection.

[rabin1]

For those of you who have been in CC would you please tell me how to make a reservation in a specialty restaurant?? I can't figure it out and Steelers36 has been trying to help me and he suggested I ask you guys.

 

Thanks

Kathy

[jondfk]

We've mainly sailed in standard cabins, with TD.  More recently we've experienced Club Class and definitely find it worth a modest premium (what is modest is a personal judgement, can't help with that).

 

One benefit that I've not seen mentioned before, is a sort of behind the curtain thing.  CC waitstaff wear distinctive uniforms, this may seem meaningless, but in fact this is huge behind the scenes.  CC staff have line jump privilege in the kitchen, so dishes come out with better spacing than is possible with ATD.  I've been told that the line for "mains" can often stretch 20 or 30 (assistant) waiters deep at peak times.  In such situations this secret perk has a real impact on meal spacing.  In our experience better CC dining staff quickly learn your preferred pace and work hard to meet your wishes, even if unspoken.  

 

You won't find this written anywhere but if you pay attention to non CC stations around you in the dining room you'll quickly notice that your CC assistant waiter may enter the kitchen the same moment as the guy at the next station, but he'll remerge many minutes, some times tens of minutes, earlier.

 

[Tedferg]

4 hours ago, jondfk said:

We've mainly sailed in standard cabins, with TD.  More recently we've experienced Club Class and definitely find it worth a modest premium (what is modest is a personal judgement, can't help with that).

Good point - we use standard cabin and do not spend much time in the cabin, so for us CC means an increase to Mini then an increase to CC. So a pretty hefty price for us.

[Mary Ann 2]

12 hours ago, rabin1 said:

For those of you who have been in CC would you please tell me how to make a reservation in a specialty restaurant?? I can't figure it out and Steelers36 has been trying to help me and he suggested I ask you guys.

 

Thanks

Kathy

If my explanation doesn't help you, then look for the Medallion Monday recording in YouTube.  It was the only thing that I needed to figure it out.

 

Go the Dine My Way.  Then View or Book individual daily reservation and choose the day you want to make a reservation.  Hit make a reservation.  It will warn you that you might be making double reservations.  Just keep going and cancel dining room later.  After you confirm your travel party, it will take you to a page to make reservations at any of the 3 specialty dining place.  Good Luck!

 

We went to all 3 two weeks ago and went twice to Sur la Mer and Crown Grill!  We had booked all 3 online beforehand and added our favorite two after going to all 3 onboard with no problems.

[rabin1]

51 minutes ago, Mary Ann 2 said:

If my explanation doesn't help you, then look for the Medallion Monday recording in YouTube.  It was the only thing that I needed to figure it out.

 

Go the Dine My Way.  Then View or Book individual daily reservation and choose the day you want to make a reservation.  Hit make a reservation.  It will warn you that you might be making double reservations.  Just keep going and cancel dining room later.  After you confirm your travel party, it will take you to a page to make reservations at any of the 3 specialty dining place.  Good Luck!

 

We went to all 3 two weeks ago and went twice to Sur la Mer and Crown Grill!  We had booked all 3 online beforehand and added our favorite two after going to all 3 onboard with no problems.

Thank you and I have tried that and other suggestions. I think it has something to do with Club Class that it won;t let me

Kathy

[franktown]

17 minutes ago, rabin1 said:

Thank you and I have tried that and other suggestions. I think it has something to do with Club Class that it won;t let me

Kathy

I have Club Class and was able to make specialty reservations without any problems.  Did it exactly how others recommended.

[jennybenny]

4 hours ago, rabin1 said:

Thank you and I have tried that and other suggestions. I think it has something to do with Club Class that it won;t let me

Kathy

Try calling the ocean medallion number for help.

The last two times I’ve called the wait was minimal, less than 5 minutes, almost immediate.

[JSandage]

We did club class on our cruise to Alaska in 2019 on the Coral, we loved it. The wait staff is awesome! They greet you by name as soon as you come to the door to be seated. We never waited for a table, always got seated by a window. They bring you little treats throughout the meal. The only bad thing about it was we never tried any of the other restaurants because the service was just so good in club class. We tried to get it again for our upcoming cruise in January 2022 but it was sold out. 

[stevenr597]

We generally book Club Class on Princess and Aqua Class on Celebrity.  Both are fairly compatible.  We have looked at suites on both of these lines, but we do not feel that it is worth the price. 

[TrustMeI'mANurse]

On 8/28/2021 at 9:27 AM, Sea Hag said:

The only time it's worth it for us is if we can get what I call "the big fat mini-suite" on one of the Royal class ships. Those are the ones on Marina and Lido, forward corners. They have a great cabin layout and larger balconies. The ones on Marina are enormous. I doubt we'd ever pay extra for club class in a different category.

 

We have the option to get one of those suites on the Discovery to Alaska. The notes say that balcony access is limited on sea days? This sounds like it might be a problem for Alaska since the glaciers are often sea days?

[caribill]

39 minutes ago, TrustMeI'mANurse said:

 

We have the option to get one of those suites on the Discovery to Alaska. The notes say that balcony access is limited on sea days? This sounds like it might be a problem for Alaska since the glaciers are often sea days?

 

When sailing in open waters the wind may be too high to enjoy being on the balcony. However, in Glacier Bay the ship cruises very slowly and the wind is not a problem.

 

The door to the  balcony is not locked, so you can go on it anytime you want.

 

 

[Nashna]

13 hours ago, caribill said:

 

When sailing in open waters the wind may be too high to enjoy being on the balcony. However, in Glacier Bay the ship cruises very slowly and the wind is not a problem.

 

The door to the  balcony is not locked, so you can go on it anytime you want.

 

 

We were in the forward M6 Corner Room on a Carribbean Royal Cruise.  When we asked the room steward about the restrictions he said that if the seas were that rough you wouldn't want to be out on the balcony anywhere on the ship.  We had amazing views from your huge picture window in the bedroom and sliding glass doors on the separate living roomom.  We also totally enjoyed watching the offcers navigate coming into and out of port.  Since we were in the Caribbean, we arranged for a private dinner on our balcony while we were in port in St. Thomas.  It was the best $100.00 we ever spent.  

[CeCe_]

On 8/28/2021 at 9:16 AM, bobontheblue said:

Looking for feedback before biting the bullet and upgrading from a regular mini suite to Club Class. If you have completed a sailing with this class did you find it enhanced your experience on board. My thoughts are if it is that good, were you satisfied sailing the next time with out the perks Club Class offers. What was your experience,  thanks in advance for the input.

 

It depend.  We have sailed Club Class a few times.   It is not always that good that we can't live without it.

[Purple Gallinule]

I think it is a matter of what you are looking for on a cruise. We have cruised with Holland, Celebrity, and Princess. Of them all, we would choose Princess as our favorite. When we sail on the Majestic on September 19th, we have a club class cabin. We make up some of the extra cost by not getting the Princess Plus package since we are not drinkers. The amount that is charged for the drink packages is something we would never get value for. We have booked club class several times and really enjoy the experience - especially in the dining room, cabin location, and more. So, choose what is right for you. Don't be put off by what others think. 

Edited September 5, 2021 by Purple Galinule
Missing punctuation

[azbirdmom]

15 hours ago, TrustMeI'mANurse said:

 

We have the option to get one of those suites on the Discovery to Alaska. The notes say that balcony access is limited on sea days? This sounds like it might be a problem for Alaska since the glaciers are often sea days?

 

We were in one on the Majestic in Alaska this summer and wouldn't hesitate to book one again.  We were out there for Glacier Bay unfortunately the rain was fairly heavy at times when we were there and it limited our time outside.  We did have a lot of rain and wind during our cruise but there were times when we were at sea that we could be out there.  The door is never locked.  And the master bedroom has a window facing forward that has stunning views.  We were on the one on Marina deck with the huge balcony with little cover.  The one on Lido deck has a smaller balcony but lots more cover.  Think we would choose the Marina deck again given the choice of both.

[taxatty]

We greatly enjoyed Club Class and thought the extra cost was worth it. The only reason we didn't book it on our upcoming Grand Princess cruise was because the E729 aft minisuite with the huge balcony was available, which we've enjoyed several times on this class of ship.

[Sea Hag]

18 hours ago, TrustMeI'mANurse said:

 

We have the option to get one of those suites on the Discovery to Alaska. The notes say that balcony access is limited on sea days? This sounds like it might be a problem for Alaska since the glaciers are often sea days?

Our balcony was never locked, and I can't imagine that they'd ever lock these balconies on glacier day. We just came back from a sailing on the Majestic. We had L114, which has a pretty good view of the deck on M108. The people in that cabin were out on the deck watching the glacier. We have one of these booked on the Discovery next year.

[Carla3]

we love club class dinning. Yes I agree that the one extra menu item doesn’t warrant the extra cost but for us the very personal service does. The dinning experience for us is so much more enjoyable. The service was beyond exceptional and the staff really try to make a person connection that makes you feel like your meeting friends ever night. The pace is more relaxed as the ratio of staff to passengers is greater. I feel empathy for the staff in the main dining rooms some night as they are run off there feet.

[rabin1]

1 hour ago, Carla3 said:

we love club class dinning. Yes I agree that the one extra menu item doesn’t warrant the extra cost but for us the very personal service does. The dinning experience for us is so much more enjoyable. The service was beyond exceptional and the staff really try to make a person connection that makes you feel like your meeting friends ever night. The pace is more relaxed as the ratio of staff to passengers is greater. I feel empathy for the staff in the main dining rooms some night as they are run off there feet.

Should I make any specialty restaurant reservations or stay in club class dining?

thank you

[OCruisers]

3 hours ago, rabin1 said:

Should I make any specialty restaurant reservations or stay in club class dining?

thank you

The only times we make specialty restaurant reservations are a night or two when we want to have dinner with friends who are NOT in club class.