Emerald Princess Captains Circle Activites

We just returned from the Emerald Princess sailing 2/6-2/16. Nice cruise. Passed on the dining room for the first time in 30 plus cruises and ate all of our meals in the Horizon Court. I doubt we'll ever go back to the dining room. The food in the Horizon Court was outstanding. Service was the same. We were able to find a nice, quiet place each evening and didn't miss the helter/skelter experience of the dining room. Now on to the Captains Circle activities.

Each evening, the Emerald had an exclusive event in Skywalkers. This consisted of appetizers and a drink of the day. What a joke. The appetizers consisted of a vegie dip, chedder cheese, Sunshine Crackers, a white cheese, green olives/black olives and, so help me, a meat that looked like Spam. The drink of the day was port wine. Port wine is the drink of the day????

The welcome back event was on a Sunday night in the Piazza, decks 4 & 5. There must have been over a thousand people there. It was impossible to get a drink and I saw only one tray of appetizers being passed around. There was no place to sit. In the past, this event was held in Club Fusion and offered at 2 different times to accommodate everyone. You got to meet the senior staff, sit down, listen to some music, dance, etc. Not on this cruise. What made it worse was that there were many senior citizens on board this cruise and these people were unable to find a place to sit. I really felt sorry for them. After about 10 minutes of this, we left.

I know that the cruise lines are cutting back and I understand that. However, if you can't recognize your most loyal customers in an appropriate way, just forget about it.

We've only tried Skywalkers on the nights we go to Sabatini's & stop by there for a drink. You're right about being a joke. Now if they only offered one free drink each night for the Elite's & Platinum's they would have something.

We tried to go to the Elite/Platinum Happy Hour once, and Skywalker's was closed for a private party! A staff member told us we could come back at 7, but we had early Traditional dining so we didn't. We didn't try going again, so I don't know what it was like.

There were 2 different Captain's cocktail parties (we received an invitation delivered to our cabin) on our 10 day cruise - free drinks, and good appetizers were passed around. It was held in Club Fusion. We had a great cocktail server - one of the women at our table asked about the strange green drink, and he said, "You really don't want that one - what is your favorite drink, and I will get one for you".:)

We just returned from the Emerald Princess sailing 2/6-2/16. Nice cruise. Passed on the dining room for the first time in 30 plus cruises and ate all of our meals in the Horizon Court. I doubt we'll ever go back to the dining room. The food in the Horizon Court was outstanding. Service was the same. We were able to find a nice, quiet place each evening and didn't miss the helter/skelter experience of the dining room. Now on to the Captains Circle activities.

 

Each evening, the Emerald had an exclusive event in Skywalkers. This consisted of appetizers and a drink of the day. What a joke. The appetizers consisted of a vegie dip, chedder cheese, Sunshine Crackers, a white cheese, green olives/black olives and, so help me, a meat that looked like Spam. The drink of the day was port wine. Port wine is the drink of the day????

 

The welcome back event was on a Sunday night in the Piazza, decks 4 & 5. There must have been over a thousand people there. It was impossible to get a drink and I saw only one tray of appetizers being passed around. There was no place to sit. In the past, this event was held in Club Fusion and offered at 2 different times to accommodate everyone. You got to meet the senior staff, sit down, listen to some music, dance, etc. Not on this cruise. What made it worse was that there were many senior citizens on board this cruise and these people were unable to find a place to sit. I really felt sorry for them. After about 10 minutes of this, we left.

 

I know that the cruise lines are cutting back and I understand that. However, if you can't recognize your most loyal customers in an appropriate way, just forget about it.

We also skipped the dinning room on our last cruise, but we really enjoyed the Skywalker's appetizers. I think maybe you confused the Captain's Welcome and the Captain's Circle parties. They are totally different. Captain's Circle is always in Club Fusion. What is it you didn't like about the Islands.....that you had been there before?

So agree about Cafe Caribe for dinner. Last 6 cruises we have skipped main dining room and haven't missed a thing. Also skip Cocktails and appetizers, as we went once and found better use of our time elsewhere.

I am new to this just have one princess cruise under my belt but I feel that people expect way to much. I just booked our 2nd cruise with Princess and I got a discount and I got a generous amount of onboard credit for purchasing FCC's. I am happy to get any benefits that they are willing to be generous with but would never feel like I have a right to complain about something they are giving me. If you dont like the benefit then dont participate in it. Previously we have frequented the same resort for years. The only thing I received from them was a 5% discount on my booking and I could reserve the same chalet for the same week if I wanted it. And yes I spent approximately the same for those trips to a luxury resort as I am spending for a cruise. Not sure why cruise passengers feel that they deserve so much for being past guests.

Did you only go to the suite/elite event in Skywalkers the one time? the drink of the day and the appetisers are normally different each day.

If the appetisers were cheese that day, then port would be a good choice to go with it.

Welcome back events are normally held in a lounge. An invitation is normally in your cabin with the time you should turn up at. They stagger the times to avoid crowding.

I can tell you that the Captain's Circle party was not in Club Fusion. When we received the invitation, we were taken aback that it was not being held in Club Fusion. Also, as one person responded, when it is held in Club Fusion, you can go to the bar and get something other that the punch drinks. I asked one waiter if I could get a scotch and he said I would have to go to a bar for that and pay for it.

With respect to the Captain's Welcome Aboard Party, that too was held in the Piazza the first night at sea. That only lasted a short time though my wife was able to snare a glass of champaign. The funny thing about that event was that the cruise director introduced the senior staff who came up to the rail, waved and beat a path down the stairs to parts unknown. As is right, the Captain was the last person standing.

We've only tried Skywalkers on the nights we go to Sabatini's & stop by there for a drink. You're right about being a joke. Now if they only offered one free drink each night for the Elite's & Platinum's they would have something.

I vote for you

I vote for you

and not that watered down stuff they give away at the repeaters party either. :cool:

I was on the very same cruise and the original poster is absolutely correct. The Captain's Circle party was held for everyone at the same time in the Piazza. This was the second leg of a B2B, and on our first leg the events were held in Club Fusion.

I heard from the staff in Vines that this was an experiment that, depending on the reaction, might be implemented feet wide. We actually got two invitations, one for the usual in Club Fusion and a second for the new event in the Piazza.

That night, we were at our usual table in Vines, our hangout, when the preparations starting taking place. It was actually quite fun to watch. It really was a work in progress with the maneuvering of chairs, check-in by the sommelier about which champagne to give away (it was Korbel), and the flow of officers from a room off Vines. One plus is that you could actually see, if you tried, the most traveled passengers. So many times, it has just been the names announced.

No, I never saw a canape, but I did see trays of usual drinks. Anyone for a watered Gimlet? I do know that Vines was equipped to take special orders.

To sum up, we were never a huge fan of the original party. Do we need to stand in line for a receiving line of officers? It does sort of smack of the Captain's Welcome Party and they need to do a better job of differentiating it.

Goodness. Another non-use for Club Fusion?!? What IS that venue supposed to be good for?

Count me among those who like the Skywalkers Lounge. For us it's more of an event than an opportunity to eat and drink some more (although the hors doerves on certain nights are really yummy). We get free drinks on Celebrity and RC, but don't mind paying $3.44 for a drink in Skywalkers. However, given the option, I would prefer no mini-bar setup and instead free drinks in Skywalkers, but I may be in the minority.

My only complaints about the lounge on the Emerald were that 1.) there was no menu in the cabins, and we only received the schedule about half the time, and 2.) they repeat, of all nights, beef tartar night. Yuck. Why can't they repeat marg night, or mojito night, or goat cheese night or stilton night???

I can also confirm that the party took place in the atrium and it was an absolute mad house. I was in the future cruise section just browsing on the computer and watching the elderly fighting and swearing at each other over chairs. I was able to grab one drink on the way out and bolted for my room before it got real ugly.

One other thing about having it in the atrium; I knew what was going on because of our invite, but had no intention of stopping in. So I didn't have my invite and was by no means dressed for the ocasion but was still able to get a drink if I wanted. When it's held in Club Fusion at least they can control who comes in and they collect your invite. I mean not that it's a big deal but anyone who happened to be sitting in the atrium at that time could have helped them self to a tray of free drinks (if you could find a waiter)

What a lame idea! Having a "Private" Party in the Atrium. Who thought that one up?

One other thing about having it in the atrium; I knew what was going on because of our invite, but had no intention of stopping in. So I didn't have my invite and was by no means dressed for the ocasion but was still able to get a drink if I wanted. When it's held in Club Fusion at least they can control who comes in and they collect your invite.

Sounds as if they save a few bucks by not having a drawing for bottles of Champagne using the invites in a bucket to draw the winners from.

If this was indeed some sort of experiment, then I hope they have learned very quickly from it and put things back as they were very quickly.

Each evening, the Emerald had an exclusive event in Skywalkers. This consisted of appetizers and a drink of the day. What a joke. The appetizers consisted of a vegie dip, chedder cheese, Sunshine Crackers, a white cheese, green olives/black olives and, so help me, a meat that looked like Spam. The drink of the day was port wine. Port wine is the drink of the day????

 

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sorry you didn't know what that "spam looking" item was but it was actally steak tar tar very expensive meat

each day the drink of the day changes and the food item changes - but cheese/veggies are always there.

We absolutely love the port wine day - the Tawny port is about $7 a glass so getting it for $2.99 is a deal and we get two!

Other drink specials are margaritas, cosmos, japanese slipper, rob roy, and quite a few others, just can't remember them. Oh yeah mojitos

The lounge is open every day except one when they hold the most travelled passenger party, sounds like that is the night you went.

Normally if you are platinum/elite or in a suite you receive an invite to the lounge every day from 5 to 7 pm and it shows the days it is open, every except the one the most travelled passenger night

Every night it was busy up there and it was nice to chat with others there.

My only disappointment was that there was no menu delivered with the invite, it is nice to know what the drink of the day will be and the accompanying food item.

Don't like the idea of the CC party in the atrium.

We’re currently sailing B2B on the Emerald and were very surprised to find on this ship they only have one Captain’s Circle Party at 7:30 pm and it is a stand-up party in the piazza rather than multiple parties in Club Fusion. It reminded us of the Captain’s Welcome Aboard party they used to have on Princess before they switched the Champagne Waterfall. As you might imagine it was a zoo with all the repeat passengers. We turned in a “Let Us Know’ comment to tell them what we thought – never heard a word back. The Emerald is very different than when we last sailed her – doubt we will book her again with all the changes they have made. Almost everything has been downgraded and cheapened. If this is going to happen fleet wide it will be a very different Princess Cruise Line.

John

What a lame idea! Having a "Private" Party in the Atrium. Who thought that one up?

I was wondering about that myself. Isn't that an open area -- at least on the Golden it is. On our December cruise on the Golden, there were three Captain Circle parties, one after another, in the Vista Lounge. They take your invite as you walk in.

Ours was supposed to be over at 7, according to the invite, but they were pushing everyone out at 6:45, so they could set up for the next one. Other than picking up the glasses, napkins, etc., I can't see a need to have a 15-minute window between the 1st and second ones.

For us, this time was an improvement over the last one as that time, not a single server came down to where we were. We had to flag one as they were serving someone in the next row after several minutes. What lengths we'll go for those free watered-down drinks (which are basically the only ones I could have; else I get migraines).

We’re currently sailing B2B on the Emerald and were very surprised to find on this ship they only have one Captain’s Circle Party at 7:30 pm and it is a stand-up party in the piazza rather than multiple parties in Club Fusion. It reminded us of the Captain’s Welcome Aboard party they used to have on Princess before they switched the Champagne Waterfall. As you might imagine it was a zoo with all the repeat passengers. We turned in a “Let Us Know’ comment to tell them what we thought – never heard a word back. The Emerald is very different than when we last sailed her – doubt we will book her again with all the changes they have made. Almost everything has been downgraded and cheapened. If this is going to happen fleet wide it will be a very different Princess Cruise Line.

 

John

John, will you please ask Peter (if he is still the Captains Circle Host) why this changed (and not for the better) and report back? Thank you.

John, will you please ask Peter (if he is still the Captains Circle Host) why this changed (and not for the better) and report back? Thank you.

Peter is apparently trying to make it as good as it can get but seems to have little control over it. Perhaps it has been imposed by head office. Word we get is that it is a trial run to see the reaction -- everyone who has cruised before on Princess that we have talked with think it is a very stupid idea. But then there seem to be a lot of stupid ideas being imposed on the Emerald -- feel blessed that you got off before these changes occurred!

I too was on this cruise and was extremely unhappy with the way the Captain's Circle Party was handled. This was our 10th Princess cruise and we didn't even receive an invitation. In the preferred debarkation lounge everyone was talking about this and no one was happy with the change. I did express my dissapointment on the post cruise survey.

Other than this, it was a great cruise!!!

this is very sad news - not that I was a huge fan of the CC parties but it was nice to go with friends and have a drink.

According to Princess' site the member benefit says:

Members only onboard Events

As a Member, you will be invited to exclusive events during your cruise with us. These are a great way to meet fellow Members!!

having this in the atrium seems to circumvent this Member's only thing

Dr. John- thanks for your speedy reply.

But then there seem to be a lot of stupid ideas being imposed on the Emerald -- feel blessed that you got off before these changes occurred!

Not good news. We have several Emerald cruises booked for next winter. Perhaps I need to at least look at our options on Celebrity, as none of Princess's other Caribbean itineraries interest us. I wish they were doing the true 14 night itineraries on the Grand next year!

We loved the Elite/Platiunum cocktail party. We didn't go every night, but we went a few times and the food was good. I thought it was a great perk. We had cocktails during sailaway and chatted with people. We mostly got the drinks we wanted and didn't use the drink of the day option. Just enjoyed the time there. It's free. I don't understand complaining about something that's free. If you don't like it, don't go.