Princess ending 24/7 Horizon Court availability???

[Toto2Kansas]

[quote name='cruz guy']Just a thought, but...

I wonder if you could have room service deliver to an area of the ship such as the IC or HC where ever you are sitting???[/quote]
All I can tell you is that I have never seen or heard of this done in the past.

[azdmelani]

I believe you could still sit in the HC and get coffe/tea/water but there was no food service (i.e gates were closed)

[jrzebird]

I was just on the CB and the Horizon was open until 12:30. It might have actually stayed open longer, but that's as late as I was there. I was a bit surprised, since it was 24/7 last year. I went up every night to get my hot water for my sleepytime tea and 2 (ok, sometimes 4) peanut butter cookies. It wasn't until the last night that I discovered that the IC was open until 1:00 A.M.! Last year it was 11. I was annoyed with myself because my cabin was not far from the IC but it was the entire ship's length and 13 decks up from the HC! I did see people playing cards at the tables in the Caribe, which was closed.

Funny story - I made the trek to the HC to get my tea and cookies, got somewhat lost coming back, but got back to my cabin after a few twists and turns. When I got there I realized that my room card was in my bag, not on my lanyard. What to do with the tea in one hand and cookies in the other? So, I stooped down to put down the tea. Plop, Plop. Cookies slid off the plate and onto the carpet. My heart sank. The thought of the long trip back to get more seemed daunting. So, I took a deep breath, applied the 5 second rule, picked them up, kissed them up to God and ate them! :D

[4cats4me]

[quote name='Mrterryl']Do you want cruise prices to be as low as possible or HC open 24 hours. [B]With expenses continuing to escalate closing HC only makes sens.[/B] I believe most passengers do not go to HC after midnite so this was the correct decision for Princess.[/quote]

Is this fact or supposition? Just because some believe that most passengers don't go to the HC after a certain period does not make it so.
I believe it depends on the demographic of the passengers and the itinerary. For example, in Alaska it doesn't even get dark out until maybe midnight, so to close the HC at 11 p.m. would seem extremely odd, especially when you have like 550 kids on board. ON our last Alaskan cruise we had 400, the one before that 550.

On all the Mexican Riviera cruises we've always gone to HC between the hours of 11 and 1 a.m. and the place is always jammed.

I do hope if Princess makes a decision to close the HC, that they then keep the IC open at least until 1 a.m.

In the olden days there WAS no such thing as a 24/7 buffet. However, that is why the cruise ships would have Midnight Buffets, so for Princess to close everything at midnight is quite ludicrous.

[Shogun]

Hi All

As a night an owl, I have often visited HC at odd hours, always amazed by how many folks were there, as well as ships officers, and staff.

yours Shogun

[Shogun]

Hi All

As a night an owl, I have often visited HC at odd hours, always amazed by how many folks were there, as well as ships officers, and staff.

yours Shogun

[Loonbeam]

As posted before on several threads (and I think mentioned above), we've confirmed that the decisions regarding venue hours (HC and IC among them) as well as whether to keep the MDR open on port days for lunch is being done based on itinerary and passenger load, using past spoilage metrics for the same trip or as close as possible. So on a ship with more kids, like a holiday cruise, lets say, the HC may be open later (or offer some different later options) as opposed to a Panama Canal cruise, where its been said that for the most part its an earlier crowd...

With that in mind, understand that what people post may not be applicable to your particular sailing (although I suspect it will be close once you get into a 2-3 week time frame) and check your patters for details.

[quote name='4cats4me']Is this fact or supposition? Just because some believe that most passengers don't go to the HC after a certain period does not make it so.
I believe it depends on the demographic of the passengers and the itinerary. For example, in Alaska it doesn't even get dark out until maybe midnight, so to close the HC at 11 p.m. would seem extremely odd, especially when you have like 550 kids on board. ON our last Alaskan cruise we had 400, the one before that 550.

On all the Mexican Riviera cruises we've always gone to HC between the hours of 11 and 1 a.m. and the place is always jammed.

I do hope if Princess makes a decision to close the HC, that they then keep the IC open at least until 1 a.m.

In the olden days there WAS no such thing as a 24/7 buffet. However, that is why the cruise ships would have Midnight Buffets, so for Princess to close everything at midnight is quite ludicrous.[/quote]

[Sapphire723]

If they close the HC through the night, I will be disappointed. Hubby and I will go at least a couple times a cruise in the middle of the night to get a late night bite. I do like the IC, but there's something about the buffet in the middle of the night that is just so appealing.

[PekingeseLady]

OH NO! Say it isn't so. DH and I will be very disappointed. We always stopped by the HC for a late night snack after a nite of muisc or gaming. Sometimes, we'd even wake up in the middle of the night, whisper to the other " are you hungry?" Flip on the lights, Jump up, throw on our clothes and flip flops and head for the buffet. We will miss late nite HC. Princess are you listening. It doesn't have to be big, but have alittle something for us. It's what makes you special.:D

[CrusinAgain]

Well that is very disappointing as we always saw alot of folks on our cruises past 11 grabbing a late night snack. As far as getting ice tea at the international cafe, unless something has changed, you could not get it there and that is what I drink.

Have dining options 24/7 made Princess stand out. This is just a bad idea. I understand cost cutting measures but 11 is too early to close and the drink machines should at least stay open. And don't they charge for room service late at night? That only works if everyone in your cabin is up, which is what made it nice for the HC to be open as not to disturb the others if you can't sleep or don't want to go to bed yet.

[Toto2Kansas]

There is no charge for room service on Princess (except for pizza delivery), even late at night. I think you are confusing it with one of the other cruise lines that do charge for room service during certain late night/early morning times. ;)

[azdmelani]

[quote name='CrusinAgain']Well that is very disappointing as we always saw alot of folks on our cruises past 11 grabbing a late night snack. As far as getting ice tea at the international cafe, unless something has changed, you could not get it there and that is what I drink.

Have dining options 24/7 made Princess stand out. This is just a bad idea. I understand cost cutting measures but 11 is too early to close and the drink machines should at least stay open. And don't they charge for room service late at night? That only works if everyone in your cabin is up, which is what made it nice for the HC to be open as not to disturb the others if you can't sleep or don't want to go to bed yet.[/QUOTE]

Royal Caribbean charges for room service from 12-5AM. Princess does not.

[antsp]

I always loved the idea of 24hr buffet, even if it opened to 1 am, rccl dont even keep there buffets open throughout the day so it cant be that bad

[Cruisin' Chick]

[quote name='sherryf']When we were on the Golden a month ago, the HC was still open all night, but apparently that has since changed. What gets me is that the Teen Center was open until 3 AM. So, you have teens up until 3, but no place for them to get anything to eat?! Don't they know anything about teens?! If they are awake, they are hungry. I wonder if they would allow teens to have room service delivered to the teen center? Or have the teen counsellors order pizza for the kids hanging out there? Room service doesn't work for teens, because they want to hang around together, but shouldn't be in each other's cabins.[/quote]

That kind of shocked me on our December cruise to see the 3am listed in the teen package. I would have thought there would be a curfew by the ship. And that would make sense that food would be available to them. My girl tends to eat small meals throughout the day (and night) so when the pizzeria closes, her option was the Horizon. In fact, if we were looking for her during the cruise, she'll be at the pool or in the buffet. Often the teens would be sitting around in a circle by the pool at night, talking as they weren't interested in hanging out in the Remix room. Occasionally, she would be so bored, she'll come looking for us.:)

[bdjam]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS]Unless we're talking 18 or 19, I kind of think there'd be a curfew instituted by the parents. Younger teens out until 3:00 a.m.? Vacation or no, that's a little bit much if you ask me.[/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS]But that comment is off the topic...[/FONT]

[quote=Cruisin' Chick;30502078]That kind of shocked me on our December cruise to see the 3am listed in the teen package. I would have thought there would be a curfew by the ship. [/quote]

[WannaCruise365]

This may have been posted already but I thought the Caribe Cafe stayed open into the wee morning hours after the HC closed...on the Crown, Ruby, Caribbean, Emerald Princess...:confused:

[Iamcruzin]

[quote name='WannaCruise365']This may have been posted already but I thought the Caribe Cafe stayed open into the wee morning hours after the HC closed...on the Crown, Ruby, Caribbean, Emerald Princess...:confused:[/quote]
I think your'e right. I never saw HC open late. It was always Cafe Caribe. Then again the last time I sailed Remix was only open until 1:00am.

[4cats4me]

[quote name='Iamcruzin']I think your'e right. I never saw HC open late. It was always Cafe Caribe. Then again the last time I sailed Remix was only open until 1:00am.[/quote]


3 years ago only the Caribe Cafe was open late, never HC. Also the HC was not open for dinner either except for the first night at sea. All other nights we had to go to Caribe if we didn't wish to go to the dining room.
We hated how congested Caribe was. Seemed like it would be much more beneficial to all if they'd kept one side of the HC open as well as the Caribe Cafe.

A lot of ships in the Princess fleet do not even have Cafe Caribe, only HC as a buffet option, so by closing HC between 12 and 5 a.m. that leaves no dining options except for room service.

I'm wondering if Cafe Caribe will remain open 24/7 though.

[chamima]

[quote name='4cats4me']3 years ago only the Caribe Cafe was open late, never HC. Also the HC was not open for dinner either except for the first night at sea. All other nights we had to go to Caribe if we didn't wish to go to the dining room.
We hated how congested Caribe was. Seemed like it would be much more beneficial to all if they'd kept one side of the HC open as well as the Caribe Cafe.

A lot of ships in the Princess fleet do not even have Cafe Caribe, only HC as a buffet option, so by closing HC between 12 and 5 a.m. that leaves no dining options except for room service.

I'm wondering if Cafe Caribe will remain open 24/7 though.[/QUOTE]



I got this from the Emerald dining page:
[url]http://www.princess.com/learn/onboard/dining/dining_options/emerald.html[/url]
(You can check the hours for any ship by deleting "emerald.html" and substituting the name of the ship you are checking.)



Café Caribe Casual
5:00 AM
to
10:00 AM

11:30 AM
to
3:30 PM
(sea days only)

5:30 PM
to
11:00 PM


Horizon Court/Lido Casual
5:00 AM
to
11:00 AM

11:00 AM
to
5:30 PM

5:30 PM
to
11:00 PM (12:00 AM on select itineraries)

[PescadoAmarillo]

Although the prospect of 24 hour buffets truly were one if the major things that attracted us to Princess (DH got hungry once (just once) on a Celebrity ship and the buffet was closed :eek:), we find that we definitely appreciate it more for the continuous daytime hours it is open than the nighttime hours. We frequently head there upon returning from port at 3:30pm, although I have to admit that with the IC, we even do that less often. But except for that one time I had a cold on a ship and went to the HC at 3am for hot tea, we have never eaten there between 11pm and 5am. Of course, we're early to bed, early to rise types, and are often at the IC as soon as it opens for a little nosh to tide us over until the dinng room opens for breakfast.

[Iamcruzin]

[quote name='PescadoAmarillo']Although the prospect of 24 hour buffets truly were one if the major things that attracted us to Princess (DH got hungry once (just once) on a Celebrity ship and the buffet was closed :eek:), we find that we definitely appreciate it more for the continuous daytime hours it is open than the nighttime hours. We frequently head there upon returning from port at 3:30pm, although I have to admit that with the IC, we even do that less often. But except for that one time I had a cold on a ship and went to the HC at 3am for hot tea, we have never eaten there between 11pm and 5am. Of course, we're early to bed, early to rise types, and are often at the IC as soon as it opens for a little nosh to tide us over until the dinng room opens for breakfast.[/quote]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]I agree. I think people are just in love with the idea that you can eat 24/7 but not many utilize the buffet after a certain hour. I also prefer the continuous hours during the day over the late night early morning hours. Honestly when you think about it would you be eating all hours if you were home? I rarely eat breakfast at home but more than make up for it on a cruise. If you are really so hungry at 2:00am you can still order room service and I honestly don't think anyone's traveling companion will really mind. You just have to hope that they don't wake up and ask you to share.;)[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Katie333]

:( I'm almost afraid to tell my DH about this change. He is a night owl and I will often go to bed before him and he gets the munchies late at night. We both always loved the availability of late night foods. I sincerely hope at least the IC is an option but for those ships without an IC this is a definite disappointment for us.

From what I've read, it looks like only Cunard continues to offer 24/7 dining (not including room service, I realize and am glad Princess still offers that)?

[scubababy]

Why doesn't Princess improve their room service menu to include more items like RCCL does? This would solve the late night munchies.
We sailed on the Mariner of the Seas this summer - first time on RCCL in many many years. I loved RCCL's room service menu compared to other cruise lines.
RCCL no longer has buffet lines open late, but at least you can order something half way decent on the room service menu.

[floatie]

Just checked the HC schedule for Sea and Dawn Princess sailing in Australian and NZ waters ... "[B]HC closes at 11pm[/B] ! or 12 on some itineries". You can be sure it will be 11pm.

[URL]http://www.princess.com/learn/onboard/dining/dining_options/sea.html[/URL]

I can understand Princess wanting to reduce costs these days but to go from an open servery 24/7 to absolutely nothing from 11pm to 5am is clearly wrong.

Are things that tough that they could not provide coffee / tea and some cookies somewhere on the ship while HC is closed duing those hours. Surely it is not that bad?

People are not robots that all switch off all at the same time each night but it seems that someone at Princess now thinks so. I know that some people dine religiously at 5pm and in bed at 7.30 but that is "some".

This decison to cut costs could have the exact opposite desired outcome causing future customers to now give more consideration to other cruise lines.

All because of a cup of coffee and a cookie??? :confused::confused::confused:

It was the little things that made them special.

[Zukini]

[quote name='floatie']

This decison to cut costs could have the exact opposite desired outcome causing future customers to now give more consideration to other cruise lines.

All because of a cup of coffee and a cookie??? :confused::confused::confused:

It was the little things that made them special.[/quote]

Well, it's not really just "a cup of coffee and a cookie". You have to staff the restaurant, have a supervisor/manager on duty, have dishwashers and clean up crew, and that's before you even talk about the cost of uneaten food that has to be prepared. Essentially, they're eliminating an entire restaurant shift, which is a substantial cost savings. Weighted against how few people actually use the Horizon Court after 11pm, it makes good business sense.

Since the much more easily staffed International Cafe is still open, and room service is still available, the impact to customers is really pretty minimal.

We're kind of like PescadoAmarillo....we liked the idea of 24/7 availability, but seldom (if ever) actually used it.