Help me - I am so mad - Carribbean Princess

[memoak]

8 hours ago, 555 said:

Then Princess should change their wording of the Premier package to indicate that reservations may not be possible and stop saying that SD is included. 

Of course we all know that it's just an enticement to get people to purchase it, knowing full well that it's almost impossible to satisfy everyone. 

 

 

As much as we dislike eating at those late hours we would have accepted them, if offered. 

I ave always been able to get the 7:40-8:30 reservations in SD on every cruise I have taken   Just 2 weeks ago easy peasy. I only book on the day I want to eat usually because I don’t care for the MDR menu. Always have been accommodated. 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

17 hours ago, cheers270 said:

I figured it should be free if they have unlimited dining anyway but maybe I am wrong. 

Unfortunately it’s not free but that would be wonderful. 

[MacMadame]

 

17 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

We are currently on the Regal and checked with the restaurant manager at the Crown Grill about the availability of reservations on the next cruise where we were considering upgrading to Premier. The app shows no availability and he said there will be no additional slots available to book on the cruise. I don’t know if this means Princess will stop selling premier for that cruise but I think it’s not valid to say there will be more reservations available once on board. 

How much do you want to believe he's wrong? Because that's not how it's been working up until now.

 

As for our board suicide, the abbreviation HC was perfectly understandable given the context. But if people are confused about any abbreviation, they can always politely ask. Not throw a hissy fit and then claim we are the problem. 🙄

[paddingtonbear]

21 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

We are currently on the Regal and checked with the restaurant manager at the Crown Grill about the availability of reservations on the next cruise where we were considering upgrading to Premier. The app shows no availability and he said there will be no additional slots available to book on the cruise. I don’t know if this means Princess will stop selling premier for that cruise but I think it’s not valid to say there will be more reservations available once on board. 

Yes they do limit the sale of Premier packages per cruise. 

see page 7 on this thread for a number of instances where this has been confirmed. 
https://boards.cruisecritic.com.au/topic/3031243-live-majestic-princess-oct-10-12-another-cheeky-little-getaway/page/7/

 

[john watson]

On 10/11/2024 at 3:42 AM, newcruiserny said:

what do you mean don't be sad?  I paid $90 per day to eat.  Imagine buying a car and not getting the car

 

You may feel you are paying $90 per day to eat but this is not so.  You may have chosen the package because of the specialty dining aspect but the reality is that the package includes about twelve other aspects,

 

Regards John

[PescadoAmarillo]

Just now, paddingtonbear said:

Yes they do limit the sale of Premier packages per cruise. 

see page 7 on this thread for a number of instances where this has been confirmed. 
https://boards.cruisecritic.com.au/topic/3031243-live-majestic-princess-oct-10-12-another-cheeky-little-getaway/page/7/

 

Yes, I realize that, but I meant in the specific instance of the next Regal cruise. There are still a few Sabatini’s ressies available, just none for Crown Grill. Will they continue to sell Premier next cruise based on the very few Sabatini’s slots or just close Premier bookings altogether?
 

It led us to consider ordering the extra charge steak in the dining room in lieu of a once or twice a cruise Crown Grill meal but the CG restaurant manager made it very clear that those steaks are not Crown Grill quality nor cooked to CG specifications. So if you’re a Plus or plain cruiser, in the case of the next Regal cruise, you’re out of luck.

[paddingtonbear]

23 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

We are currently on the Regal and checked with the restaurant manager at the Crown Grill about the availability of reservations on the next cruise where we were considering upgrading to Premier. The app shows no availability and he said there will be no additional slots available to book on the cruise. I don’t know if this means Princess will stop selling premier for that cruise but I think it’s not valid to say there will be more reservations available once on board. 

ok I see what you mean. But I think the restaurant manager is saying there won’t we anymore slots to book before the cruise. There has to be some available for people when they first board the ship - first come first served. And there will be some cancellations as well as the cruise goes on. People on these boards have booked every single night in SD sometimes in the same restaurant. Surely they will get bored with that? Or have a bad experience and want a change? I think there will be some cancellations as the cruise goes on. 

[555]

27 minutes ago, john watson said:

 

You may feel you are paying $90 per day to eat but this is not so.  You may have chosen the package because of the specialty dining aspect but the reality is that the package includes about twelve other aspects,

 

Regards John

Yes, but IMO most of the "other aspects" are only included as items to attract sales and not worth anything. Like unlimited alcoholic drinks, desserts and reserved seating. 

The most important item is the unlimited SD, and that's the part that they can't guarantee. 

I also found out last night that in some of the SD restaurants there's a separate section on the menu for those that are using the Premier package to order. You would think that Princess would let people know that in advance. 

 

[555]

25 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

It led us to consider ordering the extra charge steak in the dining room in lieu of a once or twice a cruise Crown Grill meal but the CG restaurant manager made it very clear that those steaks are not Crown Grill quality nor cooked to CG specifications. So if you’re a Plus or plain cruiser, in the case of the next Regal cruise, you’re out of luck.

Once again, false advertising. 

Very deceptive in order to sell their package. 

[HotRoot]

32 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

Yes, I realize that, but I meant in the specific instance of the next Regal cruise. There are still a few Sabatini’s ressies available, just none for Crown Grill. Will they continue to sell Premier next cruise based on the very few Sabatini’s slots or just close Premier bookings altogether?
 

It led us to consider ordering the extra charge steak in the dining room in lieu of a once or twice a cruise Crown Grill meal but the CG restaurant manager made it very clear that those steaks are not Crown Grill quality nor cooked to CG specifications. So if you’re a Plus or plain cruiser, in the case of the next Regal cruise, you’re out of luck.

I have eaten these steaks in the MDR numerous times and I actually think they are better than the steaks served in the Crown Grill.  They do not serve the salt but I never want the salt.  They do serve with a sauce which is delicious.  That said, if you like a steak with a lot of fat (or any fat), you will not like the steaks for charge in the MDR.

[Ombud]

On 10/10/2024 at 7:53 PM, newcruiserny said:

Thank you so much.  Sorry guys if I over reacted.  I just wanted to eat.  I mean it is Thanksgiving week. 

 

I will definitely listen to you and go to the restaurants when I board the ship and try to get reservations.

You will eat. But I think many overlook the most valuable perk to the Premier pkg IMHO. Premier pax do NOT have to get to the performances 30+ minutes before a show to get a seat. Premier pax have reserved seating. So smile at the rest of us when you walk in 10 minutes before a performance while we're hoping you don't so we can sit in those unoccupied reserved for Premier pax seats (released to everyone 5 minutes before the show)

[cheers270]

2 hours ago, 555 said:

Yes, but IMO most of the "other aspects" are only included as items to attract sales and not worth anything. Like unlimited alcoholic drinks, desserts and reserved seating. 

The most important item is the unlimited SD, and that's the part that they can't guarantee. 

I also found out last night that in some of the SD restaurants there's a separate section on the menu for those that are using the Premier package to order. You would think that Princess would let people know that in advance. 

 

They added unlimited SD for a reason. The food quality has gone down. The buffet was Discovery is now hometown buffet level. It has really good Caribbean food but Asian, Indian and Mexican are meh. For SD I only tried Catch which was subpar. MDR actually had better lobster. Do not eat the pork loin or Beef Wellington in MDR though..yuck

[memoak]

4 hours ago, john watson said:

 

You may feel you are paying $90 per day to eat but this is not so.  You may have chosen the package because of the specialty dining aspect but the reality is that the package includes about twelve other aspects,

 

Regards John

Yes but I  believe the OP stated they did not drink or use WiFi. That brings a vast majority of it to food

[memoak]

4 hours ago, 555 said:

Yes, but IMO most of the "other aspects" are only included as items to attract sales and not worth anything. Like unlimited alcoholic drinks, desserts and reserved seating. 

The most important item is the unlimited SD, and that's the part that they can't guarantee. 

I also found out last night that in some of the SD restaurants there's a separate section on the menu for those that are using the Premier package to order. You would think that Princess would let people know that in advance. 

 

Every menu has the words upcharge against those items you are buying a standard SD dinner not the ridiculous $8 oysters at the Catch

[MacMadame]

9 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

Yes, I realize that, but I meant in the specific instance of the next Regal cruise. There are still a few Sabatini’s ressies available, just none for Crown Grill. Will they continue to sell Premier next cruise based on the very few Sabatini’s slots or just close Premier bookings altogether?

This happens for pretty much every cruise even before this change. They hold back reservations for people to make onboard. This has been confirmed multiple times.

[memoak]

56 minutes ago, MacMadame said:

This happens for pretty much every cruise even before this change. They hold back reservations for people to make onboard. This has been confirmed multiple times.

Yea and easy to get even on the morning you want to book dinner for

[Retired-N-Happy]

53 minutes ago, memoak said:

Yea and easy to get even on the morning you want to book dinner for

How can you make that statement when you haven't cruised on a ship with the capacity of the Sun and also after the implementation of the Premier package which will increase the demand for specialty dining slots.

 

Unfortunately no recent Sun cruisers have responded with first hand knowledge as to the availability of SD slots after embarkation day.

[memoak]

8 minutes ago, Retired-N-Happy said:

How can you make that statement when you haven't cruised on a ship with the capacity of the Sun and also after the implementation of the Premier package which will increase the demand for specialty dining slots.

 

Unfortunately no recent Sun cruisers have responded with first hand knowledge as to the availability of SD slots after embarkation day.

I have been on multiple ships with many fewer add venues than the Sun over the last 6 months.  After implementation of unlimited Sd with premier I was in a Royal class ship just a week ago and had no problem with getting reservations the day of dining for Harmony, Crown Grill and Catch. So on ship with only 3 venues no problems   You couldn’t pay me to sail on the Sun anyway from elegant my friends have reported but with over 3,000 passengers and 3 venues no problems. Have you sailed in the last few weeks or are you just relying on 2nd hand reports ?

[Retired-N-Happy]

17 minutes ago, memoak said:

Have you sailed in the last few weeks or are you just relying on 2nd hand reports ?

There have been zero second hand reports of recent Sun cruisers regarding the availability of SD reservations.  With the increase in pricing at many of the bars with new drinks between 16-20 that would be covered by Premier that is only on the Sun, that is another reason why there could be an increase in the percentage of cruisers that decide to get the Premier package on the Sun versus the rest of the fleet, including the Majestic that you just cruised on.

I will know in 11 days when we embark on the Sun as to how simple or difficult it will be to get SD reservations.

[memoak]

10 minutes ago, Retired-N-Happy said:

There have been zero second hand reports of recent Sun cruisers regarding the availability of SD reservations.  With the increase in pricing at many of the bars with new drinks between 16-20 that would be covered by Premier that is only on the Sun, that is another reason why there could be an increase in the percentage of cruisers that decide to get the Premier package on the Sun versus the rest of the fleet, including the Majestic that you just cruised on.

I will know in 11 days when we embark on the Sun as to how simple or difficult it will be to get SD reservations.

Please report back. Again we had zero issues on the Majestic over the las week or two

[Retired-N-Happy]

1 hour ago, memoak said:

Please report back. Again we had zero issues on the Majestic over the las week or two

Not a problem.  I believe in paying it forward. 

[john watson]

On 10/15/2024 at 5:18 PM, memoak said:

Yes but I  believe the OP stated they did not drink or use WiFi. That brings a vast majority of it to food

 

Under these circumstances it might well prove prudent to simply book SD each day but not bother with the package.

 

Regards John

[CalgonMoment]

On 10/10/2024 at 8:53 PM, newcruiserny said:

Thank you so much.  Sorry guys if I over reacted.  I just wanted to eat.  I mean it is Thanksgiving week. 

 

I will definitely listen to you and go to the restaurants when I board the ship and try to get reservations.

You want steak or Italian for Thanksgiving? Honestly, I would dump the Premium, go with Plus and use the savings for a dinner or two in specialty and enjoy the main dining room for your other meals

[memoak]

7 minutes ago, CalgonMoment said:

You want steak or Italian for Thanksgiving? Honestly, I would dump the Premium, go with Plus and use the savings for a dinner or two in specialty and enjoy the main dining room for your other meals

If they don’t drink or use WiFi why would they take any package ?

[Torfamm]

On 10/15/2024 at 2:19 PM, 555 said:

 

I also found out last night that in some of the SD restaurants there's a separate section on the menu for those that are using the Premier package to order. You would think that Princess would let people know that in advance. 

 

Which restaurants are doing that? It’s not the case in Crown Grill or Sabatini’s on the Caribbean this sailing.