Suite Perks- My Experience

[karfest]

We recently sailed on the Dawn Princess in a categoy AA aft suite. There have been many threads listing all of the perks, plus a few new ones that started in January. I'll explain my experience with these perks, but I want you to know that booking a suite is not typical for us, but we got a good deal and a few things went right for us this year so we decided to splurge.This was our 5th cruise,(first on Princess, the others were NCL, Carnival, and RCCL) we've gone fom inside to outside to balcony to mini suite to suite.
-Priority embarkation was not an issue as there were no lines when we arrived and the process went quickly. We were not escorted to our room, as we had on any other ship, even when booked in an inside. I can find my own room, but I guess I thought as a suite customer we would get an escort.
-Early disembarkation in ports, use of disembarkation lounge on final day. I called the pursers desk to ask about priority tender tickets and was told they were not available, just line up with everyone else. I said we were in a suite and was told he would check and call back. He called back and said the tickets would be in our mailbox that evening. They were delivered as promised, but I didn't feel I should have to ask for this, they should have it ready for me. On the final day, we went to the disembarkation lounge (I had to call the purser again to ask where this was- it was the Wheelhouse Bar)When we got there the guy at the door asked to see our room card. He said we couldn't go in because we had a blue card and the room was for silver and black cards. I said we were in a suite and were entitled to use the lounge. He still said no. I said we had a letter from the customer service rep that I could dig out. He wanted to see it, so I had to go through my paperwork for this letter. When I produced it, he had to examine it and then take it to someone else to get ok'd. I know he was following his orders, but how embarrassing. Next time I'll just sit on the stairs and in the gangway with everyone else!
-Preferred anytime reservations. I called early one morning to ask for a table for 8 at 7:00. I was told none were available. Again, I had to explain I was in a suite and had preferred reservations. He also had to check and call me back. He called back and asked if 7:30 was ok- which it was.
-Complimentary dry cleaning and laundry- this was great! Our stewardess took care of everything and we were not billed!
-Luggage packing and unpacking service. It was not offered and I did not ask.
-Shoe polishing. Not offered, I didn't ask
-Enhanced turndown service. According to the book in our room, we were to get an assortment of chocolates and strawberries. We got the standard 2 chocolates on the pillow. I didn't bother to ask.
-We did receive the luxury towels, robes, slippers, soaps, fresh flowers,corsages, and mini bar. very nice.
- Welcome glass of champagne. I had to ask for it but we did eventually have it delivered.
-Extended room service. We ordered off the regular breakfast menu which was delivered promptly everyday. We ordered once from the ding room menu. It took about an hour, but everything was good, except I forgot to ask for butter and sour cream for my baked potato. Remember to ask for everything!
-In-suite tea service. It was never offered and I never asked for it.
-Canapes delivered daily. Yummy! This was a nice treat. You can order as many as you like, and there is canape of the day, which is a surprise. We had 2 parties and ordered 6 different varieties each time- delivered promptly.
-free internet access. this is what my husband really wanted as he needs to check and send e-mails daily. It took 17 minutes to sign into AOL, and that was the best we did. We gave up on using the internet. I'm glad it was free. There were a lot of irate people in the computer room. This would be a nice perk in areas where you could actually get online!
-Private portrait sitting. Th book said to call the photographers to set up an appointment. First, there is no number in the directory for them so I again had to call the pursers office for this. They connected me with the Sterling Steakhouse! I called back and got to the right place. I asked to set up an appointment and was told they don't take appointments but we could just go to one of the public areas for pictures. I explained I was in a suite and had a sheet that said to call for a private portrait sitting. He had not heard of this and would call me back. He didn't call me within an hour so I called back. I got someone different who also said they had never heard of this. We just decided to get our pictures taken the usual way.

Well, that's my story on the perks. I hope I didn't come across as one of those crabby and complaining cruisers. My feeling is if you aren't going to deliver, don't offer it as a perk. If I hadn't been told these things were available, I wouldn't have missed them. I would have expected at aleast a phone call from a mangement type person just to see if we were happy. We had a lovely room stewardess but I don't think she was informed of a lot of things. All of the room stewards, maintenance people etc. were great, but the upper management people didn't seem to care that they had customers. All cruise lines offer the same basic product- what did Princess offer to bring me back? There was just no a WOW factor that I was looking for. We had a fabulous time and a great cruise, but I could get that from any cruise line. Why should I choose Princess again? There were so many missed opportunities to impress me that just didn't happen.
The suite was FANTASTIC and we had a great balcony, but I don't know that it was worth the extra money. The "perks" just weren't enough to get me to spend this amount of money again.
Please take this for what it's worth, if you had a better experience, I'm happy for you. This is just how it went for us.

Karen

[spongerob]

Interesting. We had "indifferent" service in regards to perks on the Caribbean Princess, and assumed it was just new ship blues. We later found out that others who had a different steward received much better attention.

On the Golden Princess, there was a large book in the suite detailing what was available to us. Not that we had to ask, mind you, our cabin steward took excellent care of us!

Completed:
Sea Princess, Royal Princess, Grand Princess (3X), Caribbean Princess, Golden Princess
Coming up:
Tahitian Princess Oct 14/04
Caribbean Princess redux 6/25/05

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> All cruise lines offer the same basic product- what did Princess offer to bring me back? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> As noted in a previous post, Princess is apparently the best performing subsidary of Carnival Corporation...maybe they are resting on their laurels...or maybe their target market is to people who really don't care. Or maybe both.

I'm with you - don't offer the perks if you're not going to follow through with them. On the other hand, speaking up if something is amiss doesn't really take much effort and if it's fixed, that's OK with me.

One comment regarding internet access - I don't think people realize this is a ship at sea and you're signal is going through the satellite, and I'd assume would have a very low priority in relation to guidance systems, etc. Add to that the fact that weather and positioning have effects on how well the signal is received and sent. I find it fascinating that one can get internet service on board at all. If I find the service to be sluggish, I abandon my attempt and come back later…usually there is a noticeable difference.

-------------------------
Sun Princess, 03/2004; Pacific Princess, 07/2003; Star Princess, 05/2003; Grand Princess, 10/2002; Grand Princess, 10/2002; Sun Princess, 05/2001; Sun Princess, 04/2001; Sun Princess, 09/2000; Sun Princess, 09/2000; Regal Princess, 10/1999; Sun Princess, 08/1998; Holiday, 05/1998; Westerdam, 09/1997; Regal Princess, 11/1996; Royal Odyssey, 09/1995; Starward, 11/1993

[sunnyv]

I may be a little confused, but karfest says they had a AA category suite.

My experience has been (and listed in brochures) AA cat is a Mini-suite and doesn't qualify for the "Suite" perks anyway. Are you sure it was AA? If it was, then I'd say you did pretty good in the "perk" department.

Vicki

12/26/04 Caribbean Princess to Eastern Caribbean
Princess Star 8/03 Alaska
Princess Coral 3/03 Panama
Disney's Wonder 12/01 Bahama's
RCC Majesty of the Seas 11/99 Southern Caribbean

[Lynda90]

I'm booked in a suite on the diamond to Alaska and I'm disappointed that there are so many problems obtaining the promised perks. Our suite is an upgrade from a mini so I guess I can't complain. But, you are right in saying they should not to offer things that are not provided.

Lynda

[karfest]

Lynda- you will enjoy the suite, just don't get too excited about all the perks. It was a lovely room, but I would have been better off paying less for the mini-suite next door. The perks didn't justify the price difference. As an upgrade- you will be very happy!

This was a category AA- the top suite category on the Sun class ships. There are only 6 of these on the Dawn.

Karen

[MaryPoppinz]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by karfest:
I hope I didn't come across as one of those crabby and complaining cruisers. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I don't think you sounded crabby at all. I think you point out a very serious training issue, and I hope you bring it to Princess' attention using the same sort of credible matter-of-fact description of your experiences, and I hope that they respond favorably. They need to. And, I hope you'll come back to Princess. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

BTW, I believe AA *is* a full suite on Dawn Princess. AB, etc. are Mini's.

"I'm gonna book myself on that Princess Cruise."
-- Fox Mulder, X-Files 'Three Words'

[GandGinSoCalif]

Many thanks for the review. You've given us a heads-up on potential future problems.

One question--who did you contact to get the "letter from the customer service rep" that you referrenced? Did you receive it before your cruise? On board? I'm sure such a letter will come in handy if we run into similar problems (but hopefully Princess will clear things up in the next couple of weeks).

Thanks!

[Flintstone]

My one and only "Suite" experience was on NCL a couple years ago. NCL had "Concierge Service" available to all the suite guests. For the first few days....I felt the same as you...no one contacted us...I knew nothing about priority tendering, etc. Come to find out from friends in another suite, the Concierge had left a very pleasant welcome letter on our bed introducing herself and her services. It was MY fault cause I just scooped up the papers and didn't read everything. All in all it was a pleasant experience, with everything from the little goodies left everynight, someone to make ressies for you (she even arranged a rental car for us in post), etc. Basically, we never dealt with much regular staff..Concierge took care of everything. (Sounds like Princess needs to add "Concierge"). However, I'm not inclined to pay full rate for a suite simply for the perks.....they're just not worth it in my book. But if I can get one for a rate comparable to my "oh-so-coveted" balcony....then bring it on!!!

9/2000 Carnival Tropicale
12/2001 NCL Norway
9/2002 NCL Norway
10/2003 Disney Wonder
2005...Alaska

[Lynda90]

When I get back from my 5/29 cruise to alaska on the diamond, I will let you know how they handle the perks in the suites.

Lynda

[kodiac]

We have also booked an AA mini-suite on Princess. My TA stated that depending on what ship you are on will include which "perks" are included.

Our list included alomst all of the perks as stated above, some complimetry, some as a charge. She said we get more perks because we have booked the back to back Eastern/Western for our honeymoon cruise.

I shall let everyone know.

Kodiac http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Star Princess (Honeymoon Cruise 10/24/2004)
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Carnival Inspiration 05/02/2004
Carnival Glory 10/11/2003
Carnival Legend 04/2003
Carnival Fascination 06/2002
Carnival Inspiration 11/2001
Majesty of the Seas 8/2000

[karfest]

We had a letter in our mailbox outside the room from Sonia Johnson, Customer Care Specialist. It was very nice and listed all the perks and to contact her with any questions. I asked for her on every call to the pursers desk and she was never available. On our last night we recieved another letter from her thanking us and to let her know if there was anything they could improve on. I tried to call her that night and the next morning but she was still not available! Hmmm..does she exist?
We were also on NCL in a mini-suite. We contacted the concierge our first night and he handled everything for us from reservations to tender tickets to room service requests. He would check in with us daily to see if we needed anything. If he didn't reach us, he left a voice mail. I think Princess would be wise to add such a person. If Sonia does exist, a simple 1 minute call would have made all the difference. I manage a large supermarket and I certainly would not keep my job if I was "not available" to help.
Again, we really enjoyed this cruise- but if Princess wants return business, they need to address these seemingly small issues as others are doing it better.

Karen

[sueclark]

Karen, I agree with everything you said.

We recently returned from our first Princess sailing on the Grand Princess. Two couples - we had both Grand Suites. I'm in the process of writing my review so I won't go into detail, but we were quite disappointed in the general treatment for passengers in the top suites.

The suite itself was beautiful and we enjoyed the trip, but I probably won't look to book another Princess sailing unless there is a deal I just can't live without.

Sue
sueclark@aol.com (SueClark)


Grand Princess - Western Caribbean - April 25, 2004

Constellation Transatlantic 9/7/04
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Infinity Panama Canal 4/17/05

[skarletohara]

This is an interesting topic because my husband
and I also were in a full suite that we were upgraded to and simply loved it!
We had a great room steward also!
HOWEVER, not to sound ungrateful, BUT we too noticed that the suite perks were somewhat lackluster. We even made the comments several times that we were sure glad that we weren't actually paying for this category room as we might have been bummed.
We went inside one of the mini-suites and thought they were just as nice. Our room was
short and fat as opposed to the minis which were longer and narrower.
I had read on these boards that we would qualify for priority tendering as well. So I inquired about that and of course the answer was a resounding no. It didn't matter as the tender process went quickly. Also, I'd read on
these boards that we'd get priority seating in
the PC dining rooms. I inquired the first day on the ship. Answer was no. So on the second night we walked up and asked if there was any availability and he said wait 30 minutes or so, and I said that we were in the such-and-such suite and then the maitre'd say's, Oh, right this way! Also, we did have to request the bedroom slippers from our room steward.
They weren't automatically offered up.
I think it's just a bit of a communication gap
aboard the ships, maybe a language barrier as well in certain cases.
As I said, we had a fabulous room and loved everything about it, but the suite "perks" weren't all that impressive.
And I might add, it was the worst breakfast room service that we've had. 3 out of 6 mornings the room service people got it wrong.
So we'd just end up going up to the buffet and
getting our own supplements and bringing them back to the cabin. I thought that was interesting that breakfast was not correct 50 percent of the time considering, once again, we were in a full suite, and I've had way better service when we were in a regular room.

Carnival Holiday 6/92
RCCL Monarch of the Seas 6/94
Celebrity Infinity 6/28/01
Star Princess 2/08/03
Golden Princess 12/06/03
Diamond Princess 9/25/04

[Jacqueline]

The suite perks are pretty new on Princess. We had none last summer when we were in an OS, but that was before this nre program was rolled out.
I remember hearing the same problems when Celebrity rolled out its Concierge cabins. the cruise critic people knew more than the staff on the ship and it was a huge annoyance to people who pd a periom for the service. It seems to be working just great now...
I agree that some of the perks are really nor perks at all. Like a DR menu in the cabin. And the last time I ever stood in embarkation was NEVER .
I totally agree that it is disspointing to anticipate a little special treatment esp where it counts like getting ones dining time, or being ablt to sit in the lounge and then to have to beg and show letters. It takes away from the entire ambience of the experience.
I hope that you filled out a form and wrote this in at the end of your cruise. You points are very valid and well stated.

Jacqueline
Constellation 3/20/04
HAL Westerdam 7/30/04
Tahitian Princess August 2003
Grand Princess Western Caribbean 2003
Brilliance of the Seas Baltic 2002
Ocean Princess- Alaska 2001
Celebrity Zenith- Bermuda 2001
Grand Princess Med 2000

[srqcruiser]

I was in a vista suite on the Coral in April. I think alot has to do with how on the stick your ships management is. On the Coral we got our priority tender passes on the first day for the whole week. We recieved our chocolate covered strawberries on formal nights. Free dry cleaning and many other perks. The problem is that most of the staff have no clue what the suite perks are. If you ask the right person you will get the right answer. Princess needs to do a better job communicating to its staff. When you choose a suite you should not choose it only for the perks. In my opinion the extra sized balcony and marble bathroom with jacuzzi tub are all I need to stay in a suite.
As far as the internet, it all depends on when you use it. If the ships not moving its fairly fast. When the ships moving it can be really slow. We had a great time in our suite and have booked two others. The CP in November and the Sun in January.

[Lynda90]

Can't wait to climb into that big tub and turn on the jets. I'll be in 7th heaven. Add some chocolate covered strawberries and a glass of champagne and it will be 8th heaven. Can't wait for my diamond suite on the 29th.

Lynda

[karfest]

Speaking of tubs, I was relaxing on the balcony when a call came in asking if we had an emergency. It seems my hubby decided to sit in the big tub and while in there he pulled the string to see what it would do. Well, do NOT pull the string. It is for whirlpool emergencies only! There is also a string by the toilet, to use for bathroom accidents only!

maybe they should call the emrgency string a perk- we did get that http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Karen

[Lynda90]

http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gifLOL http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif With the way the toilets swoosh, it's a miracle people haven't been sucked in. I'll remember not to pull the cord when I'm in the tub. Thanks for the tip and laugh.

Lynda

[Pam in CA]

Just as an FYI regarding internet access while on the ship, as they explained to me when I was on the Regal, the internet communications satellites are set up for land where there is the greater need for communication. If you're in the middle of the Caribbean and away from land or in the middle of the ocean, your internet access will be flakey if not non-existant. There just aren't too many people in the ocean for the satellite companies to accommodate. It's not a priority for them. This is not Princess' fault or any other cruiseline's fault.

Song of Norway & Song of America, 1986-88; Royal Princess 2/99; Sun Princess 1/00; Ocean Princess 12/00; Royal Princess 4/01; Grand Princess 12/23/01; Sea Princess 2/9/02; Explorer of the Seas 12/21/02; Coral Princess 8/9/03; Nordic Empress 12/27/03.

-- Regal Princess (4/20/04) -- Roll Call (http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=927093444&f=4763056957&m=2573008957)
-- Caribbean Princess (12/26/04) -- Roll Call (http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=927093444&f=4763056957&m=9323078957)
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-- Royal Princess (4/21/05)
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[trixie54]

Just a heads-up for those contemplating a suite on RCI: we were in their best (Royal) Suite in March, & I was so underwhelmed I'd wished someone had warned me. The suite (OK, palace) was FABULOUS; we had a jacuzzi in our marble bathroom, & a private hot tub on our balcony! Now THAT was heaven!! BUT (& please don't chastise me for whining - I'm just warning) we had to schlep down a deck to the "Concierge Lounge", an inside (not very fun) room, & get our own snacks & bevs (only open twice a day). NOTHING was ever delivered to our suite. NO free laundry or internet service. Had to ask for everything claimed as a "perk". Granted, we had free booze & cashews, candy bars, in our mini-bar. But if I had been in a Princess suite & then sailed on RCI, I would have been very disappointed. We had better personal service in a lesser suite on NCL. Looking forward to a new experience on Star Princess next fall.

"Decadence Rules!"

[dimonzr4me]

If you really want to experience the suite perks go on Holland America! The cruise itself was only ok compared to Princess and Carnival, but the suite we had aft and its balcony and the perks were FANTASTIC! We had free laundry and drycleaning, champagne, fresh flowers, a concierge lounge for suite passengers only, a champagne brunch, a cocktail party, priority embarkment and disembarkment, priority tender passes, am delivery of dinner menus, fancy robes, extra large fluffy towels, the list just goes on and on!

4/9 2005 Dawn Princess
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[BJS]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>If you really want to experience the suite perks go on Holland America!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Will do just that on the 23rd!

Future cruises:
5/04 HAL-Amsterdam-Alaska
9/04 Star Princess-Med.x2 Venice to Barcelona/ Barcelona to Rome
11/04 Dawn Princess-Southern Caribbean
Jan. 05 Diamond Princess-Mexican Riviera
July 05 Star Princess-Baltics
Aug. 05 Star Princess-Baltics
Past cruises:
04 Dawn Princess- Southern Caribbean x2
03 Grand Princess-W.Caribbean
03 Sun Princess -Mexico
03-Tahitian Princess-Tahiti/ Cook Islands
03 Royal Princess-x2 British Isles & Norwegian Fjords/ Iceland
03 Island Princess-Panama Canal
01 HAL Ryndam x 2-S. America San Diego to Valpariso/ & around Cape Horn to Rio
00 Sky Princess-China/Orient
79 Sitmar's Fairwind- Caribbean/Panama Canal

[fourcruises]

OK, I had to respond to this message. We were in an AA on the Dawn last April and the Suite perks were almost nonexistent...nobody seemed to know anything about them even though there was a leather book in the cabin detailing them! We made dinner reservations and not only didn't we get preferred anytime dining they didn't even honor our reservation and we had to wait 30 minutes for a table and the assistant maitre' d was RUDE...this is the only time in 19 Princess cruises (most in Suites with a few mini suites) that we have ever complained and they did apologize and give us a reserved table for the rest of the week. Our room steward knew nothing about ordering off the full breakfast menu...just the card you hang out. We had to get it from the dining room and that was a struggle. The free laundry and dry cleaning was a problem too. The first two times I sent it out a charge appeared on the account and then a credit would be issued. The last three times no credit had appeared so I inquired at the purser's desk (the last night) and he assured me it would appear at 2AM. It was not on the final bill so at 5:30AM I went to the purser's desk again and he said he would hand write a credit but needed my credit card....so I went back to the room (at the other end of the ship) and got my card. It took two months and three phone calls to Princess and disputing the charge on my card for the credit to be issued.

I have to agree that if you want Suite perks that mean something Holland America is the way to go...no fighting for them...the laundry is never charged so there is no problem...a nice cold bottle of champagne (not two warm glasses), a concierge lounge that is fabulous...fresh oj, cappucino, espresso, wonderful snacks all day long, priority disembarkation that works, and the concierge that will make all your reservations and take care of anything for you.

I guess that I have to agree the problem is with Princess not communicating policies to the employees....they shouldn't market Suites with perks and then not tell anyone on the ship. I hope that they correct this in the future.

[spongerob]

I think last April was a bit of a rough time for Princess, staff-wise. Launching three new mega-ships put a serious dent in their staff pool. Like you, I felt on the Caribbean Princess that some of the staff really didn't know what the perks were about. I compared notes after the cruise with someone in a PH (we were in a PS, different area of the ship) they had none of the problems we had, and their cabin service was outstanding. Our steward was adequate, but no more.

As I noted when I replied to this thread when it was first posted, the steward we had the following week took such great care of us that any misgivings we might have had were soon forgotten.

[mringenoldus]

I thought the reason for the lack of awareness about the Sun Princess (AA is a full suite on that ship) was due to the fact that our steward was new that week on the ship. Apparently that may have not been the cause.

I would think with only 6 AA cabins it would not have been that hard to keep track of. We also would not typically be priviledged enough to be in a full suite and perhaps we were reluctant to be more assertive about the comps.

The suite was awesome and we did enjoy it while it lasted. Princess should consider adding the butler or concierge service if they want committed suite cruisers.

Perhaps I will follow up on my plan to contact the cruise line about the slip ups we experienced.

[BJS]

I have to agree that if you want Suite perks that mean something Holland America is the way to go...no fighting for them

Must respond to comments about HAL suite perks. As my previous post stated they were going to be wonderful for our May 23rd sailing BUT.....all was NOT perfect on HAL either. Fabulous suite and balcony.

The reason for mentioning the following is to point out just because "perks" are listed for suites they (A) may not be available, (B) you may have to request them and (C) they may not be what you expect and D) All employees may not be aware of the suite "perks".

We had a Deluxe Verandah Suite on HAL's Amsterdam.

(A) 1)There was supposed to be breakfast and lunch in the Pinnacle Grill, or at least in the "private" section of the dining room for this category suite. I asked several people including the concierge and got the answer "we don't have that". 2)The special disembarkation privileges were non-existent.
(B) 1)If you wanted hors d'oeuvres delivered you probably had to call daily to request because it was never offered. 2) nor was in-suite afternoon tea.

(C) 1) Cousages for formal night arrived and they were a miniture carnation badly put together and half wilted - both went into the trash. 2) Neptune lounge had food sitting out all day long looking very unappetizing but their cookies were "to die for". 3) Dining room dinner menues were to be delivered daily of which we received 4 of the 7.

(D) 1) we were to have suite embarkation and were directed to a "general" line. When I spotted the special desk set up to handle this had to tell person directing people that we were able to use that line. 2) Priority tender tickets were delivered the night before the tender port but crew seemed rather surprised when we showed them to get on the tender.


Dining room table reservation was not delivered but did receive someone elses. Concierge was a nice feature when it came to getting our correct dining room table reservation card and a copy of our shipboard account.

[Sunviking]

We sailed in a suite on the Royal Princess in January of this year, literally only weeks after the new suite perks had been announced, and had no trouble getting any of them. Tender tickets were delivered the night before they were needed. Canapes and strawberries came every day. Laundry service was greatly appreciated on what was a 3 week trip for us, especially since we had to do lots of layering around Cape Horn. I guess it just depends on the ship and steward you have.

Ann

[karfest]

I've now booked a penthouse suite on NCL. While they don't have the extensive list of "perks" that Princess did, I think most of them will be achievable. I will be surpised, though, if I receive a warm face towel at embarkation. That one just seems a little odd. :)

[HighRoller]

Personally I think your expectations are set way too high...this is Princess and not Seabourn..hence the difference in price per day $450.00 on Princess a day for a full suite and $1200.00 a day on Seabourn for a Full Suite...and I sicnerely think you will be even more disappointed on NCL as they are considerd a 3 star compared to Princess's 4-4.5 depending on which ship!. Personally I've been in A PS and PH 4 times and always treated as royalty...happy trails!

[Lynda90]

As I mentioned back when this thread first started, we were upgraded to a premium suite from a mini. I have to say that I loved every minute of it. Our cabin steward forgot our welcome glass of champagne the first day, but on the second day he brought us an entire bottle to make up for it. The free booze was great as were the evening appetizers. I lounged in the jacuzzi every day and enjoyed all the nice shampoos, etc. that were brought in from the spa and the slippers that we got to take home with us. Our bathroom was huge; two full rooms. Our sleeping area was separate from the living area. And we had two sliding doors leading out to balcony; one from bedroom and one from living room. I utilized the free laundry, pressing and dry cleaning every day and went home with everything clean and pressed. I was pampered and felt like a queen for the entire week. Was everything perfect? No, but came darn close. That being said, would I pay close to $7000 for 2, to get all of that--not! But, I have no complaints and our cabin steward was wonderful and helped make our "sweet suite" incredible.

[suitelover]

If we are "elite in a suite" do we get double the mini-bar setup??

[HighRoller]

No you greedy little freloading ho's (just kidding)..you'll have to smuggle the extra booze like the rest of us...only one complimentary fill up even if your Elite...you may want to try and bribe your cabin steward into pulling that off you...let me know if it works!

[cjskids]

[QUOTE=kodiac]We have also booked an AA mini-suite on Princess. My TA stated that depending on what ship you are on will include which "perks" are included.

Our list included alomst all of the perks as stated above, some complimetry, some as a charge. She said we get more perks because we have booked the back to back Eastern/Western for our honeymoon cruise.

I shall let everyone know."

The OP was in a cat AA, which was considered a full suite on the ship she was on. I have a cat AA mini-suite booked for our Golden Princess cruise in October and Princess told me that the mini-suites on all of their ships do not qualify for the suite perks. I called back to reconfirm and another rep told me the same thing. (I booked directly with Princess.)
What lost did you get showing that the AA mini-suites get perks? I'd love it if the reps were wrong with their info. What ship are you on?

[Lynda90]

The Princess reps. are not wrong. There are no extra perks in the mini. Have stayed in AA mini so I can definitely vouch for that. That's not to say that you won't love the mini just for itself. Very spacious, nice tub and great sitting area.

[HighRoller]

Lynda et al, I believe the OP was mentioning CAT AA but on a Sun Class ship, which could be either Regal, Sun, Dawn, Sea, Island and Coral in cat AA which is a Full Suite. Tahitian Princess would not apply to this Cat as AA is a mimi-suite like CAT AA on a Grand Class Ships which are Mini-suites..still nice but mini-suites.

[Lynda90]

HR: Yes, I agree. I was referring to cjskids who is just in a regular, but lovely, mini-suite.

[elliair]

Out of curiosity, how much extra did you pay for the perks versus being in a balcony suite with no perks?

[HighRoller]

I never pay anything extra...I am most times upgraded into a Full Suite on a complimentary basis if one is available a couple of days prior to sailing...now that is a "Sweet Suite Experience"

[Lynda90]

Same with me. I received a very lucky upgrade to a full suite and didn't pay anything extra. However there is a huge difference in the price between a mini and full suite. In my case it was close to 3 times the cost. And, I would never pay that much for a cruise. That's just crazy. I'd rather go on 2 or 3 cruises than pay the price of a suite. While it was wonderful, I just don't need it.

[HighRoller]

Your right Lynda...I would never pay for it out of my own pocket..call me a cheap HighRoller!...worth it as an experience, but the money I am saving like you goes towards other cruises for possible more upgrades!

[karfest]

Maybe that's why I was disappointed that the perks that were promised were not delivered. I was actually "crazy" enough to pay for the cabin I wanted. We only take one major vacation a year and I thought it would be worth it to pay extra. Next time on Princess I will go with a mini-suite, the price is much lower and the rooms appear to be just as nice. The perks were NOT worth the extra money. If I had gotten the suite for free, they would have been well worth it!

[karfest]

I am bumping this old thread back into service because there are a few different threads going that are asking about suite perks.

Reading what I wrote a year ago, I still feel the same way. We had a fantastic cruise experience and loved the suite. BUT- don't offer a huge list of "perks" if you aren't going to train your staff to deliver. If all they offered was free internet and laundry, I would have been more than pleased!

Have a great time- you will love this suite, just don't get too hung up on the perks. Enjoy the ones you get and forget about the rest:)

[dodge9]

I will be in an AA full suite on the Dawn May 16th and will try and write a report when I get back to see how the "perks" went! Thanks for all the comments, it's nice to no what is supposed to be offered!!!

[West Coast]

I will be in an AA full suite on the Dawn May 16th and will try and write a report when I get back to see how the "perks" went! Thanks for all the comments, it's nice to no what is supposed to be offered!!!

dodge9,
We have a roll call started for the May 16th Dawn Princess, northbound Alaska cruise.
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=96868
Drop by and say hi when you get a chance :)

[bbfine]

We are currently in an AA suite on board Dawn princess. All the perks offered have been provided so far. We had a welcome on board glass of champange within 1/2 hour of our arrival. We got the chocolate covered strawberries on formal night as well as a corsage to wear to dinner. Have used the laundry service and the internet service has been working marvelously.

We have not tendered nor have we disembarked so can't speak to those issues right now.

[TNTKP]

Just a thought...
Would it prevent any negative feeling regarding suite perks not offered/provided to just show the suite perks list to the cabin attendant when meeting them for the first time?? One could then go over the list, item by item. This could head off any ill-feelings later in the cruise. The cabin attendant could also inform us of how to go about receiving those perks "promised."
What do you experienced cruisers think, or would this be gauche??
thanks,
Tim

[mii]

When we were upgraded to a suite I had printed out a list of the suite perks which I had received from this board just to remind myself what we were supposed to received. The cabin steward already knew about the perks before I even had a chance to ask him. Maybe there are some steward who do not know but ours did so was not a problem.

Marilyn

[jjones]

I had an AA suite on the Regal last month and every perk was offered/given as promised. My slippers and robe and priority tender tickets were waiting for me to arrive, my steward was ready to grab my shoes off my feet for shining, he explained all the goodies I was supposed to get and he delivered! Immediate champagne, canapes every day, one mini-bar setup, fresh flowers, menus every day if I wanted to order in-room, etc. The only stumbling block was the photo, but when I took the book to the photo desk, he credited my boarding picture as it was the only one I wanted. I can't say it was worth the extra $$$ I spent for the AA stateroom, but I wanted that particular cruise and the AA was the only room available. I really liked all the space in the suite even though I travel solo.

[TNTKP]

jjones,
Glad to hear all was delivered as promised. One quick question about the photo: I thought that the perk was for a private photo sitting, with the actual photos at an additional charge? Did I misinterpret what you were saying??
Thanks,
Tim

[bbfine]

Just a thought...
Would it prevent any negative feeling regarding suite perks not offered/provided to just show the suite perks list to the cabin attendant when meeting them for the first time?? One could then go over the list, item by item. This could head off any ill-feelings later in the cruise. The cabin attendant could also inform us of how to go about receiving those perks "promised."
What do you experienced cruisers think, or would this be gauche??
thanks,
Tim

There will be a special book in your suite that lists all of the perks.

[TNTKP]

bbfine,
Thanks, again!! (This time for stopping me from looking like a tacky-newbie cruiser)!
Tim

[Nliedel]

Personally I think your expectations are set way too high...this is Princess and not Seabourn..hence the difference in price per day $450.00 on Princess a day for a full suite and $1200.00 a day on Seabourn for a Full Suite...and I sicnerely think you will be even more disappointed on NCL as they are considerd a 3 star compared to Princess's 4-4.5 depending on which ship!. Personally I've been in A PS and PH 4 times and always treated as royalty...happy trails!

Then the perks should be available regardless of whose line it is. If Princess says they will do A, B, C then they should deliver. Saying "well they are not Seabourn" is not an excuse. If they have no intention of offering the perks then stop advertising them.

[CroozBlooz]

The failure to follow through on what is promised is yet another example of things that really bother me about Princess. In an earlier thread there was a long discussion about insurance, and why those who don't take it shouldn't get any consideration from Princess. "Read the contract." Etc. etc.

But by the same token, you can find all sorts of example of Princess not delivering what they promise. Of course, you can place the blame on poorly trained staff, or indifferent staff, but the bottom line remains the same...Princess expect we PAX to adhere to the letter of our agreements, but they have no problems with falling short on their obligations.

Just my opinion, but it does bug me.

[jjones]

The photo perk does say a private sitting and free photo, but I didn't want that, so the guy in the photo shop credited my embarkation photo instead after we had a conversation and read the book together. Maybe he wasn't supposed to do it, but it was the only photo I wanted and it saved him the hassle of a private sitting.:D

[annieuk]

We were in an aft mini on Adonia (soon to return to you as Sea Princess) and P&0 unlike Princess from what I read here, does give perks in the mini suites. Perhaps there are not so many as the full suites on Princess but here's what we had. On arrival we were taken to our cabin where a bottle of champagne on ice awaited, together with flowers and chocolates. Soon afterwards the steward arrived with chilled glasses. It made unpacking so much easier! Then we had bathrobes and slippers and there was a large package for each of us of Molton Brown toiletries - I was amazed how much was in there. Then each day at around 6ish a plate of canapes appeared. We only had milk and water in our fridge but the drink prices on P&0 are so reasonable it doesn't cost much for gin, whisky cokes etc. Our steward also refilled the ice bucket each day without being asked. In fact anything we asked for was instantly given. We also had coffee and tea making equipment in the cabin (but so do all cabins on board). In our large walk in wardrobe there was a safe, a trouser press and an iron and ironing board. The full suite next door had a butler but I don't think they had many more extras. Having seen both I would opt to have the aft mini. I think the layout is much better than the full suite but that's just my opinion. I must admit if I thought of going on a mini on Princess I would miss the extras we had with P&0.:)

[Drew358]

I think that one of the problems with the Princess Perks is that there is no butler who generally provides the perks. We had a butler on a Celebrity cruise and he told us of his services and the perks that were entitled to us. The same was true when we were on a NCL cruise (although there was a big difference in the level of service). Perhaps having a butler on Princess would help address some of the concerns of perks not being delivered.

[cajunpepsi]

We have taken the Suites on HAL, and were really impressed with the whole process. CHeck in was fast, we were then escorted past all the others waiting to get onboard, directly to the Concierge Lounge. The lounge had snacks, beverages, two hostesses, and they let us know as soon as we could get to our rooms. The perks included laundry, which we used every day, priority debarkation for the tenders, several cocktail parties which were open bar, 3 of them I think, afternoon tea, concierge service if we needed anything, and the concierge lounge was great. HAL is the only one we have tried, but mostly because Princess seemed to be insignificant, now that Princess has changed the Perks, we intend to try a suite if we can find one for what we think is a reasonable rate. I do hope they get this worked out, perhaps we will wait until they do get some better reviews.

[kryos]

One comment regarding internet access - I don't think people realize this is a ship at sea and you're signal is going through the satellite, and I'd assume would have a very low priority in relation to guidance systems, etc.
Then Princess must have very low priority. I've never had a problem on HAL ships. Internet service was about the same speed as a dial-up modem at home ... not the best (I'm spoiled ... I have DSL), but certainly acceptable. But on my January Sun Princess cruise, I couldn't believe how slow internet service was. I gave up on CruiseCritic by the second day. The web was intolerably slow. All I ended up doing was checking email. I would have paid a fortune to surf any websites.

Never had that problem on HAL.

Of course, maybe the Sun Princess was the exception? I'll see what happens when I get on the Island in a couple of weeks.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[srqcruiser]

We always cruise in Suites. We tried HAL and can say the suite rooms are way better than Princess and they do a great job on the perks. The problem with HAL is old style cruiseing just isn't my cup of tea. Food wasn't as good as Princess and to many elderly people for my age. On Princess it depends what ship your on. The best suite perk follow through was on the Coral. The worst was on the Sun 2 months ago. Trying to get a set dining time in personal choice was like pulling teeth. I had to get nasty to get a set 7:30 dining time. On the C.P it was a piece of cake. All said and done I still book suites because I like the extra room and I feel its worth the price to have extra comfort.

[Bonnie-Jean]

Hi,


We just got off the Sun Princess (3/19-3/29) and had a full suite D753.

I would not pay for a full suite again. We got most of the perks but not worth the extra cost. Flowers arrived for first formal night after we left our cabin for dinner. Never received first tendering, just get in line with everyone else.

No extra bedtme perks on formal nights.

Enjoyed the free internet but not at the extra cost for the full suite.

Unless you aksed for the extras they were not offered or explained.

Mini Suite next time.....

Bonnie

[DrD]

Agree.

I had the Grand Suite (L302) on the Grand in 2001, at that time we had a butler, and it was great!

Then we got it again in 2003, and there were no perks really at all. The steward wasn't even that good!

to wit:

We called him when we first got to our room, he didn't answer for over an hour, and when he did he said "don't you know we get time off?"

We asked him to change our mini-bar liquors to all gin (no problem last time), he had no idea what we wanted to do, and when he got it he thought he couldn't do it. He finally did.

The shower didn't drain well, when we told him he said "it's better when we're moving."

All in all, the room is very nice, especially the hottub, but not worth the money.

Next time we're in a mini-suite.

[doctrd]

Thought it was funny to see you name Dr D come up, and have stayed in Grand Suite. So funny because my name is DoctrD.. and WE have stayed in the Grand Suite.

Just off Golden in Venice suite, the best perk was the nice huge bathtub! I thought mine at home was big, I was pleasantly surprised.

We did get the flowers, chocolate covered strawberries, not much else I would consider a significant perk.

Did not get welcome glass of champagne, even thought I asked for it.

The perks were not the factor in booking and enjoying, loved my private aft balcony, large bathroom, room for friends to come and gather.

[Linkslady]

We're considering the Grand Suite for our next cruise.. we've stayed in PH before and loved them - location was perfect... I was curious if you (or anybody here) felt more motion in the GS because it's higher up and more forward? Hubby wants to try the GS at least once but I'm more inclined to do a PH with a balcony cabin next door for the teens (17/18)... any comments from anybody?

[LUV2TRAV3L]

Do you get a butler and the perks in a mini-suite? We have one booked on the Tahitian Princess in October< JUST WONDERING>
Jen

[KAJOKG]

[QUOTE=]<
One comment regarding internet access - I don't think people realize this is a ship at sea and you're signal is going through the satellite, and I'd assume would have a very low priority in relation to guidance systems, etc. Add to that the fact that weather and positioning have effects on how well the signal is received and sent. I find it fascinating that one can get internet service on board at all. If I find the service to be sluggish, I abandon my attempt and come back later…usually there is a noticeable difference.

While I fully understand that intenet service is often without a signal aboard ship, I really don't like paying for the minutes I've spent waiting for something that just isn't going to happen. Thankfully, we are now Platinum members, and it will be free.

[RumbLine]

We were in a full suite (b753) on the Diamond Jul-Aug '04. We loved the suite with its large aft facing balcony. When ever we cruise, a friend of ours always sends a large flower arrangement to our cabin. This time was no exception. However, it seems we did not also receive the fresh flower arrangement perk due our suite because one had already been purchased by our friend. The one morning we ordered room service, we did not get everything ordered. As many have stated, if you don't ask, you'll miss out on many of the perks. I did use the free laundry and dry cleaning. We did get canapes most nights and flowers to wear on formal nights. We didn't follow up on the photo nor did we try having special dinner reservations made for us because we were in traditional dinning. The Diamond was still fairly new last summer and we had a great cruise and loved the larger cabin. We will be booking another full suite on the Coral next year and will try personal choice dinning. I expect to put to the test requests for preferential reservations. Other than that, we don't book suites for the perks but do expect to not have to beg for them. We enjoy the suites for the extra space and accommodations like a wet bar, separate tub and shower, and large vanity area. I've always assumed that the room stewards assigned to suites were selected for previous excellent service to passengers. We've always been very pleased with them and they seemed to make sure the perks they were in charge of were delivered. Room service, dinner reservations, tenders, etc. depend on other service staff that who serve all passengers. This is where it seems mistakes are made. We are looking forward to the Coral and have heard good things about the staff and service on this ship.

[l_n_m]

we were in a penthouse suite on the Grand in March, we had to ask our steward about the perks, (champagne, flowers, packing) he always had to ask his supervisor, but did get back to us quickly and agreed that we would get the perks. I got the feeling he had never been a steward for a suite before, but it seems this may be a chronic problem.
We feel the suites on HAL are much better, so we are going back to them.

[donna5]

Do you get a butler and the perks in a mini-suite? We have one booked on the Tahitian Princess in October< JUST WONDERING>
Jen

No, mini-suites are just really big rooms. No extra ammenities. Although we had terry cloth robes and someother rooms had the waffle robes. After these min-suites you will not be as happy with the usual princess mini-suites.

[riekl]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> All cruise lines offer the same basic product- what did Princess offer to bring me back? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> As noted in a previous post, Princess is apparently the best performing subsidary of Carnival Corporation...maybe they are resting on their laurels...or maybe their target market is to people who really don't care. Or maybe both.

I'm with you - don't offer the perks if you're not going to follow through with them. On the other hand, speaking up if something is amiss doesn't really take much effort and if it's fixed, that's OK with me.

One comment regarding internet access - I don't think people realize this is a ship at sea and you're signal is going through the satellite, and I'd assume would have a very low priority in relation to guidance systems, etc. Add to that the fact that weather and positioning have effects on how well the signal is received and sent. I find it fascinating that one can get internet service on board at all. If I find the service to be sluggish, I abandon my attempt and come back later…usually there is a noticeable difference.

-------------------------
Sun Princess, 03/2004; Pacific Princess, 07/2003; Star Princess, 05/2003; Grand Princess, 10/2002; Grand Princess, 10/2002; Sun Princess, 05/2001; Sun Princess, 04/2001; Sun Princess, 09/2000; Sun Princess, 09/2000; Regal Princess, 10/1999; Sun Princess, 08/1998; Holiday, 05/1998; Westerdam, 09/1997; Regal Princess, 11/1996; Royal Odyssey, 09/1995; Starward, 11/1993

Actually in regards to inet access availability I beg to differ. There is no technology reason for the inet being so horribly slow on the ship. High speed sattelite access is commercially available, and a dish to track the satellite is also commercially avail and not very expensive. The only limitation is in satellit coverage, which considering 70% of their passengers are in the carribbean theres no reason to not have good sat coverage there.

[tx2cruiser]

RumBLine -

Glad to hear about B753 on the Diamond! We will be in that cabin in three weeks to Alaska and am very excited...WIll update this post after I see what, if any, perks are there.

Any other comments/suggestions about B753??!!:)

[AliceS]

I agree, go on Holland. That might make more upgrades available for us Princess faithful.

[RumbLine]

Tx2Cruiser:
A suite is a suite and this is the standard Princess layout, but being fully aft makes for a quiet hallway location and the balcony view is really what makes this suite so special. Keep in mind Baja level is just below the public aft deck and with the slanted angle you have about a 25% open, non-private area. This didn't really present a problem but I did find a few cigarette butts that had dropped onto our balcony. We stayed on our balcony all throughout the Tracy Arm experience. We also turned the TV up and had the ship narration to match the views. Having a reverse view did not take away from the entire experience. It was a clear, blue sky day and our pictures came out like brochure ads. The narrator said he had been in Tracy Arm over 100 times and he'd never seen it so clear.
We also had great views and photos in ports and as we pulled in and out. We are spoiled now and having an aft view is a high priority. We are a bit disappointed that Coral has no aft cabins. We have been debating about trying for one of the highly coveted aft mini-suites or full suites on the Sun repositioning in Sept 2006 instead of a suite on the Coral, but since we've been on the Dawn before (sister to Sun) we thought we'd try the Coral.
I'm sure you'll love B753 in Alaska on the Diamond. Plan on taking lots of photo from your balcony.

[Lynda90]

I was also in B753 on the Diamond to Alaska last May. It was an incredible experience and an unexpected free upgrade. The view was fantastic and the perks were very nice. The only problem is that's it's hard to go back to something less. It certainly spoiled me. We are going back to Alaska this May and will be in an AA mini. The mini is great but certainly not the full suite experience.

[tx2cruiser]

Thanks so much - I can't wait!

[Cruise Missiles]

We have booked suites on 13 Princess cruises. There is the occassional glitch, however we have found all of the perks to be available in a timely manner. Our last cruise was on the Royal to the Orinoco River (March) and our room steward was AMAZING. His name was Victor and he explained all of the suite services to us!

I was ill the last four days and he could not have been kinder or more attentive. Offering tea and food or anything else I might want.

Our tender tickets have always been delivered, flowers (although sometimes a bit sad) in the suite when we arrived, canapes usually on time, one day laundry service. Perhaps not perfection but good enough for us. We are there to relax and enjoy. A missing chocolate covered strawberry is not going to ruin our holiday!:p

[patval]

I was on the website www.cruisingthecaribbeanprincess.com (http://www.cruisingthecaribbeanprincess.com) and noticed on the daily event sheet there is a Concierge number for everyone. Is there a seperate one for suite people or the same number?


Thank you

Paul