Club class impact

Many of us have been viewing the various threads on the impact of the club class dining experience on anytime dining and have been waiting for some reports. Well, I decided to go to the review section of CC and read the recent Ruby Princess reviews, and the first thing I noticed was various reports on the poor experience cruisers were having with waiting on anytime dining. And then, I found this cruisers comments:

We have cruised multiple times on Princess, but this is the worst cruise experience we've ever had. We opted for Anytime Dining, since Princess instituted "Club Class" which takes over one of the anytime dining rooms from 5:30 - 7:30, everyone else has to use the other anytime dining room. The dining room cannot accommodate all the passengers that want to dine between those hours. You wait in line for 20 minutes just to get a pager with no knowledge of how long you will have to wait. You also have to hang around near the dining room because the pager's frequency does not go very far. Fortunately there is a very nice bar on the other side of the Piazza. I don't know how many table are used by Club Class, but this set up clearly doesn't work when 1 dining room is closed. And, if you think you can make a reservations, think again. You have to call every morning at 8AM, but there is no one ready to answer the phone at that time

So, from this one person feedback, they have closed one entire dining room?!! Hopefully, this is not correct, but it definitely appears this is having a negative impact on Anytime dining.

Doug

Many of us have been viewing the various threads on the impact of the club class dining experience on anytime dining and have been waiting for some reports. Well, I decided to go to the review section of CC and read the recent Ruby Princess reviews, and the first thing I noticed was various reports on the poor experience cruisers were having with waiting on anytime dining. And then, I found this cruisers comments:

 

We have cruised multiple times on Princess, but this is the worst cruise experience we've ever had. We opted for Anytime Dining, since Princess instituted "Club Class" which takes over one of the anytime dining rooms from 5:30 - 7:30, everyone else has to use the other anytime dining room. The dining room cannot accommodate all the passengers that want to dine between those hours. You wait in line for 20 minutes just to get a pager with no knowledge of how long you will have to wait. You also have to hang around near the dining room because the pager's frequency does not go very far. Fortunately there is a very nice bar on the other side of the Piazza. I don't know how many table are used by Club Class, but this set up clearly doesn't work when 1 dining room is closed. And, if you think you can make a reservations, think again. You have to call every morning at 8AM, but there is no one ready to answer the phone at that time

 

 

So, from this one person feedback, they have closed one entire dining room?!! Hopefully, this is not correct, but it definitely appears this is having a negative impact on Anytime dining.

 

Doug

Wow, doesnt look good, But i understood just a set number of tables had been lost in the ATD to club class

The deck 6 Dining Room has been closed to AT diners until after 7:30 for a few years now. It appears the loss caused by Club Class is mainly to early TD diners. There have been no reports of the situation after 7:30. It may be that Princess now takes fewer early TD reservations and those diners are now competing for early AT seats.

Not a fan....however,

From what I understand they are not taking an entire DR for CC. :rolleyes:

I hope this backfires.

hate the class system it creates, all the other big lines are doing it so i guess Princess is following the money

By what I have read, it seems that 30-40 tables in a partitioned off area has been set aside for CC dining.

That's a lot of tables to be set aside and out of commission for a smaller group of people. CC advertises the ability to go to the dining room at any time without waiting so that's why a number of tables have to be always available even if it means that the number of tables are left empty with a long line of people still waiting to be seated

What I think is an additional issue resulting in long lines is that a number of waiters are being reserved for the CC area and therefore the waiters in the other areas are having to cover more tables and people resulting in slower service. Slower service means slower turnover of tables.

By what I have read, it seems that 30-40 tables in a partitioned off area has been set aside for CC dining.

 

That's a lot of tables to be set aside and out of commission for a smaller group of people. CC advertises the ability to go to the dining room at any time without waiting so that's why a number of tables have to be always available even if it means that the number of tables are left empty with a long line of people still waiting to be seated

 

What I think is an additional issue resulting in long lines is that a number of waiters are being reserved for the CC area and therefore the waiters in the other areas are having to cover more tables and people resulting in slower service. Slower service means slower turnover of tables.

The tables I can see as having to be set aside but the wait staff can be shifted as needed. Of course it would slow down the service for the non Club Class folks during peak times.

I'm hoping that it won't affect the very early people in the DR's since most people like eating at around 6 to 7 PM. (peak)

By what I have read, it seems that 30-40 tables in a partitioned off area has been set aside for CC dining.

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That's what I also read. A section of Da Vinci was set aside for CC dining ... not the entire dining room.

Wonder how those who have actually had their meals in Club Class dining liked it?

LuLu

This was bound to be problematic from its inception with an already complicated and poorly managed anytime dining platform. I was hoping that the "carved out" section of the dining room would be part of the assigned traditional dining room. The post indicates that one of the anytime dining rooms was not available due to CC cruisers from 5:30-7:30. However, on all of our recent cruises, one of the anytime dining rooms was unavailable from 5:30 - 7:30 due to traditional dining (first seating only). If that is the same one they are using for CC dining, the impact would only be the number of Traditional Diners displaced from that dining room. After 7:30pm, it never really mattered in any dining room for a wait.

What doesn't make sense to me is that I doubt that the CC dining room is only available until 7:30. Where do they go if they want to eat later. ?

I just went to the review section. That particular review was published 12/26, but it also states that the cruise was taken 4 weeks ago! Club Class wasn't instituted then, was it? This person is blaming Club Class, when they may have just had a bad experience with the dining room.

My attitude is wait and see what impact this has, but there are many times already where Anytime has long lines coupled with uneven service. And this is before the CC impact of setting tables aside empty and waiting if a CC guest shows up.

I feel the maitre d's will have to do a better job of managing the Anytime dining room. I would like to see no reservations be taken for Anytime, strictly first come first served. Also cruise cards be checked for all guests upon entrance to make sure everyone coming into the Anytime dining room(s) have chosen that option. I have always seen this being done on other lines, but not Princess

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Not a fan of Club Class and definitely don't like the impact to the AT dining room. We usually dine in the AT dining room but rumors of open/unused tables and wait staff set for Club Class standing around doing nothing while there are long lines, has got me to change to traditional on our Oct 2017 cruise.

I guess Princess prefers to make a small group of passengers happy at the detriment to the masses. Princess must be making a lot of revenue by the additional amount charged for Club Class...to risk a lot of unhappy passengers.

Maybe if a lot of loyal passengers complain, Princess will rethink the Anytime dining room impact (and embarkation lunch) just as they did with prepaying excursions.

We will be on the Grand 1-24-17. We have Anytime Dining. It will be interesting to see the impact, if any, due to Club Class. We do tend to eat at 7:30, however, in the MDR that has early traditional.

I'll report back for sure.

Happy New Year, Denise

Maybe if a lot of loyal passengers complain, Princess will rethink the Anytime dining room impact (and embarkation lunch) just as they did with prepaying excursions.

This itself will upset more than a few people if it continues (myself not included). :(

I don't think we have even one review of a person who has experienced Club Class on the one ship that has it.

I hope this backfires.

Backfires Big Time !!!

Srpilo

hate the class system it creates, all the other big lines are doing it so i guess Princess is following the money

People pay extra for Club Class dining. If you think this creates a class system, then you must think a cruise ship must make all cabins identical; eliminate preferred boarding for those who have sailed 5 times or more with Princess; eliminate free laundry for those who have sailed 15 times with Princess; quit offering premium beverages; eliminate the sanctuary; and make all spa services free. All of these are "perks" that people voluntarily spend more money to receive.

That extra spending by those people helps keep the fares down for the rest; even those who devote themselves to finding anything they can to be offended by.

I don't think we have even one review of a person who has experienced Club Class on the one ship that has it.

I have read at least one review from someone who had experienced Club Class on the Ruby's second sailing of Club Class.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2434204&highlight=ruby

Scroll down to criterchick's review. I think it was on page 3 of the thread.

In addition I have read reviews of people on the ship after Club Class was introduced but they did not have Club Class themselves.

All of the reviews (even Criterchick's who was in Club Class) have indicated longer lines to get into ATD.

People pay extra for Club Class dining. If you think this creates a class system, then you must think a cruise ship must make all cabins identical; eliminate preferred boarding for those who have sailed 5 times or more with Princess; eliminate free laundry for those who have sailed 15 times with Princess; quit offering premium beverages; eliminate the sanctuary; and make all spa services free. All of these are "perks" that people voluntarily spend more money to receive.

That extra spending by those people helps keep the fares down for the rest; even those who devote themselves to finding anything they can to be offended by.

I think there is a difference between paying extra for a service which does not impact other cruisers, such as the sanctuary, and earned extra services that come with an awards program. We all accept an awards benefit. People can also accept benefits that are paid extra for but do not impact other cruisers such as use of the spa and sanctuary.

What I think the concern is, is that Club Class will be less service for other passengers, i. e. longer lines to dine. Also that services that have been available will be taken away (i.e. embarkation lunch).

Someone wants to pay extra for something, fine by me, but don't let that impact the quality of service that I also should receive as a passenger. The longer wait times to be seated for dining and possible slower service in the dining rooms DO impact me and others not in club class. That is a problem.

I have read at least one review from someone who had experienced Club Class on the Ruby's second sailing of Club Class.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2434204&highlight=ruby

 

Scroll down to criterchick's review. I think it was on page 3 of the thread.

 

 

In addition I have read reviews of people on the ship after Club Class was introduced but they did not have Club Class themselves.

All of the reviews (even Criterchick's who was in Club Class) have indicated longer lines to get into ATD.

I think you should go back and reread what criterchick had to say. Nothing negative about club class and ATD lines were not mentioned.

I am trying to understand. If a portion of the DR is made for CC, does this affect the traditional dining as well?

Quite agree. Although we have booked club class for this summer, do NOT agree that it should impact on other passengers. Afterall, the Sanctuary, Spa and speciality restaurants are a choice to pay extra for and do not impact on other passengers directly.

I think you should go back and reread what criterchick had to say. Nothing negative about club class and ATD lines were not mentioned.

I think it's post #21 in this post: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2434204&highlight=ruby&page=2

Says the AT dining line stretched to Guest Services.

I think you should go back and reread what criterchick had to say. Nothing negative about club class and ATD lines were not mentioned.

A previous poster had said that no one who had experienced Club Class had yet posted a review. I was stating the criterchick had experienced it and had posted a review of it. I didn't mean to imply that she did not like the Club class.

Criterchick did make a negative comment about the ATD lines. You might have missed it since she posted more than once. She stated, "We were in a full suite and greatly enjoyed the dining experience. However, we also noticed that the regular Anytime line sometimes stretched to Guest Services, and I don't see how Princess can keep that up in the long run. CC guests are guaranteed the table of their choice whenever they walk in, with the result that there were a lot of empty tables to make sure it happens. I'd say that there were 40 tables ranging from 2 to 8 in size, and we never saw more than half of them full at any given time."

In that same thread regarding the same sailing a poster stated:

"I was on the cruise. What bothered me was the club class wait staff standing around doing nothing while the general dining staff was clearly understaffed with less experienced people."