New balcony furniture on Caribe deck on Grand

[kenzie]

I have emailed both suggested personal customer services and the president. I have only just booked two cabins and an inside on Caribbean Princess 29 Dec and Grand on 5 Jan -it cost me $800 extra for the Caribe Balconies, why because we just love 3 generations on two adjoining balconies having breakfast together-now impossible, I might as well downgrade to Bala deck and save $800. I am so disappointed might even abort ship to the Epic which sails the same days. Do you think anyone at Princess cares, maybe they should add something to cruise critic, they surely must know what a mistake this is, cruising is suppost to be luxury, the furniture looks 3 star rubbish.

[kenzie]

Do you think I could borrow chairs from Lido deck, might even pinch a table, would room steward remove them?

[Astro Flyer]

It is absolutely ridiculous to see the photo of the nearly empty larger balcony with so little furniture! Even if the the recategorization has now put larger BA cabins with the smaller balcony cabins, what's the use of having so much wasted space?

 

Whoever came up with this ridiculous idea shouldn't make any future decisions because they obviously don't have a clue about what their passengers desire with any balcony cabin.

 

Everyone has already said these things...

 

1.Removing matting will create slippery conditions & more injured passengers; also a hotter surface

2.Table is unusable for Champagne Breakfast which has never required a ‘card’ table unlike the Ultimate Balcony Dinner

3.There is no longer any reason to pay more for a larger balcony & find it practically devoid of furniture

 

What is Princess thinking??? :mad:

[PLW0520]

I just received a call from customer service and they are now aware of what is going on here. He assured we that everything is being forwarded to management. Apparently all the e-mails from CC members have gotten their attention.

[Princess Patches]

It is absolutely ridiculous to see the photo of the nearly empty larger balcony with so little furniture! Even if the the recategorization has now put larger BA cabins with the smaller balcony cabins, what's the use of having so much wasted space?

 

Whoever came up with this ridiculous idea shouldn't make any future decisions because they obviously don't have a clue about what their passengers desire with any balcony cabin.

 

Everyone has already said these things...

 

1.Removing matting will create slippery conditions & more injured passengers; also a hotter surface

2.Table is unusable for Champagne Breakfast which has never required a ‘card’ table unlike the Ultimate Balcony Dinner

3.There is no longer any reason to pay more for a larger balcony & find it practically devoid of furniture

 

What is Princess thinking??? :mad:

 

I agree with this post. Even if Princess no longer plans to charge more for the Caribe balconies because they no longer have the furniture to warrant it, why do it? It makes no sense when it has been proven they can charge more for the larger Caribe balconies. They seem to be shooting themselves in the foot here.

 

Three of us are sailing in a minisuite on the Sapphire in May. If there aren't three chairs on our balcony, we intend to ask for three. If Princess gets enough requests like this I hope they will return to the old furniture arrangement.

[calbabe]

I just received a call from customer service and they are now aware of what is going on here. He assured we that everything is being forwarded to management. Apparently all the e-mails from CC members have gotten their attention.

 

It is fine that Princess is "aware" but "keep 'em coming". Write your letters so that they realize we are truly unhappy :(

 

Now, what can Princess do to correct this unfortunate decision? Any suggestions? Do you think they will try to find a solution? :)

[jonikal]

May we then assume that the larger balconies in the aft cabins will likewise have the same stingy array of furniture as the Caribe balconies?:confused:

Just wonder who the genius was who came up with this winner of an idea?:eek:

[twocats]

Yes they will! Bring back the old deck chairs and tables that is. We should think positive! Thanks Princess for responding to one of us, let's keep the pressure on though for the next batch of cruisers

[Astro Flyer]

I just received a call from customer service and they are now aware of what is going on here. He assured we that everything is being forwarded to management. Apparently all the e-mails from CC members have gotten their attention.

 

It is fine that Princess is "aware" but "keep 'em coming". Write your letters so that they realize we are truly unhappy :(

 

Now, what can Princess do to correct this unfortunate decision? Any suggestions? Do you think they will try to find a solution?

I just sent mine...unless this is reversed it's going to be a BIG step backwards & their cost cutting attempt will cost them more money in the long run when many passengers...from 1st timers to those with thousands of days realize why get a larger balcony with only 2 chairs??? :confused:

 

How could anyone at Princess look at the 'new' & definitely 'not improved' balcony furniture & not think something was wrong? Do they expect us to all show up with beach chairs strapped to our backs to have another place to sit. Are they going to provide airpumps so we can inflate a mattress to relax on the balcony. Wait, that won't work either because the hot metal deck would melt an inflatable mattress. :rolleyes:

 

Not having recliners on balconies that had the room for them was bad enough but to now to reduce the number of chairs to only 2 of them eliminates anything that resembles a foot rest. The table is a joke but maybe it's an effort to make it more difficult to enjoy room service or to bring any food into the cabin which may be part of their cost cutting reasoning. :confused:

 

And on top of this, except for one person everyone says that they are so uncomfortable that even by padding them with towels they are painful to use. :mad:

 

Come on Princess...get rid of the 'new' & 'unimproved' balcony experience...we're not that stupid to not notice this gigantic step backwards! :eek:

[Reader0108598]

I just sent mine...unless this is reversed it's going to be a BIG step backwards & their cost cutting attempt will cost them more money in the long run when many passengers...from 1st timers to those with thousands of days realize why get a larger balcony with only 2 chairs :confused:

 

 

Not having recliners on balconies that had the room for them was bad enough but to now to reduce the number of chairs to only 2 of them eliminates anything that resembles a foot rest. The table is a joke but maybe it's an effort to make it more difficult to enjoy room service or to bring any food into the cabin which may be part of their cost cutting reasoning. :confused:

 

And on top of this, except for one person everyone says that they are so uncomfortable that even by padding them with towels they are painful to use. :mad:

 

Come on Princess...get rid of the 'new' & 'unimproved' balcony experience...we're not that stupid to not notice this gigantic step backwards! :eek:

 

 

Let's not let it stop us from enjoying room service,if we have to pull tables chairs ,pillows and towels from the room to make ourselves comfortable on our balcony that is what we will do! :D

 

Unfortunatley this will make more work for our room stewards but what else can

we do:confused:

 

Reader

[MTJSR]

Just a thought, unless en mass everyone changes categories, like to an ocean view, citing the reduced accommodations on Caribe, Princess is just going to wait out the unrest on CC and continue to take bookings in the mean time.

 

Here's an idea, If hundreds of us were to call and request a price reduction, due to being sold what we expected was the same consistent product, we have paid for and received before, then that would have to get someones attention. Making it as painful on their customer service dept, as is legally possible. Even if only to reinforce the displeasure at the change.

 

A decision, obviously made by someone with zero product attraction/enhancement experience.

[Astro Flyer]

Let's not let it stop us from enjoying room service,if we have to pull tables chairs ,pillows and towels from the room to make ourselves comfortable on our balcony that is what we will do! :D

 

Unfortunatley this will make more work for our room stewards but what else can

we do:confused:

 

Reader

Absolutely...we'll do whatever it takes to enjoy the balcony! :D

 

Unfortunately it will make more work for the room stewards...it's a shame that bad things always have to travel 'downhill' to the 'worker bees'. :rolleyes:

 

I wonder if they've considered the cost of repairing cabin furniture which will now be dragged outside causing much more wear & tear? :eek:

[Reader0108598]

Absolutely...we'll do whatever it takes to enjoy the balcony! :D

 

Unfortunately it will make more work for the room stewards...it's a shame that bad things always have to travel 'downhill' to the 'worker bees'. :rolleyes:

 

I wonder if they've considered the cost of repairing cabin furniture which will now be dragged outside causing much more wear & tear? :eek:

 

I am sure they have not considered the wear & Tear on the furniture or the extra time it will take the cabin steward to move all that stuff back dailey!

you know they will move it,heck they won't even leave my binoculars out there.:D

 

One more idea,go up on deck grab all the pool towels left on chairs by chair hogs and line your deck with them. Walla you can now walk barefoot without burning your feet! :)

Reader

[DSavard]

Pehaps somebody who is currently staying in a Caribe balcony stateroom could take a short video of the balcony and the chair and table and post it on Youtube! Let the whole world see for itself how stupid this is. Magnification of a problem sometimes yields the fastest results..

[KruzPrincess]

I'm more concerned that it's uncomforable furniture than anything else. It doesn't really matter how many chairs are out there if it's so uncomforable that you don't want to sit out there. Why pay for a balcony at all if you don't want to sit out there?

[avalong]

I have emailed both suggested personal customer services and the president. I have only just booked two cabins and an inside on Caribbean Princess 29 Dec and Grand on 5 Jan -it cost me $800 extra for the Caribe Balconies, why because we just love 3 generations on two adjoining balconies having breakfast together-now impossible, I might as well downgrade to Bala deck and save $800. I am so disappointed might even abort ship to the Epic which sails the same days. Do you think anyone at Princess cares, maybe they should add something to cruise critic, they surely must know what a mistake this is, cruising is suppost to be luxury, the furniture looks 3 star rubbish.

 

No, I genuinely do not.

[1 HappyCruiser]

Other than the missing 2 chairs (which we never use anyway) and the table that was replaced I don't see the difference in the chair design. The one shown in the original photo is the reclining style chair that's been on the Caribe deck for a while now. Other balconies (except for mini-suites) don't even get those recliners an no one except for full suites get full lounge chairs.

As I see it if I need the larger table once in a while I'll just move the one from the cabin & let the cabin steward move it back every day.

[JimmyVWine]

Other than the missing 2 chairs (which we never use anyway) and the table that was replaced I don't see the difference in the chair design. ...

 

I too will reserve judgment on the comfort factor, as that is subjective, and can vary with the height of the person sitting on the chair. One person's "the bar hits me in exactly the wrong spot" is another person's "fits just right". But the two missing chairs is a pretty big deal in the 18 Caribe cabins set up for triple or quad occupancy (on the Crown). And every single Mini-Suite is designed to accommodate three or four people, and those cabins are indeed a "go to" option for families. So reducing the seating down to two chairs per Mini-Suite balcony is indeed a big deal. I have sent off my email, and we will see what sort of response it engenders.

 

Anyone know if the sofa in the Mini-Suites will fit out the balcony slider?:cool:

[Princess Patches]

 

Anyone know if the sofa in the Mini-Suites will fit out the balcony slider?:cool:

 

LOL, I am sure the cabin steward will be happy to do it for you daily (an extra cash tip may be in order).

[cherylandtk]

As long as we are comparing the furniture amenities of the minis vs. Caribe vs. regular balconies.....does anyone have pictures of the new chairs on Aloha or Baja or anyting besides Caribe deck? Are they the recliner chairs or the regular straight chairs as before?

[bbum]

I too will reserve judgment on the comfort factor, as that is subjective, and can vary with the height of the person sitting on the chair. One person's "the bar hits me in exactly the wrong spot" is another person's "fits just right". But the two missing chairs is a pretty big deal in the 18 Caribe cabins set up for triple or quad occupancy (on the Crown). And every single Mini-Suite is designed to accommodate three or four people, and those cabins are indeed a "go to" option for families. So reducing the seating down to two chairs per Mini-Suite balcony is indeed a big deal. I have sent off my email, and we will see what sort of response it engenders.

 

Anyone know if the sofa in the Mini-Suites will fit out the balcony slider?:cool:

 

We were on the Crown when the chairs were replaced on the mini suites, and they have 2 chairs, 2 footstools, and a full height table, so no need to drag the sofa out. I thought the furniture on the mini would work well. If you needed more seating people could sit on the footstools, and if on the other hand you wanted more room on the balcony you can slide the footstools under the chairs. Table was the same height and size as the one replaced.

 

But, we were on the Grand on a caribe balcony right after the Crown and they replaced the furniture there as well, with only the 2 chairs and an itsy bitsy table, which we used as a footstool as we didn't find much use for it otherwise.

 

If you're in a mini I think the new furniture will be ok, or at the very least much more useful than the furniture on the Caribe.

 

Beachbum

[bbum]

As long as we are comparing the furniture amenities of the minis vs. Caribe vs. regular balconies.....does anyone have pictures of the new chairs on Aloha or Baja or anyting besides Caribe deck? Are they the recliner chairs or the regular straight chairs as before?

 

The new chairs on the mini and caribe recline as much as the old ones did. Not fully but quite a ways back. I think the reason they don't fully recline is that if you get too much weight on the back end they spill over. Happened to me once when I got too much weight on the backside and I did a nose dive onto the deck. Can't even start to tell you how hard my wife was laughing. She thought it was the best entertainment she saw for the whole cruise. Can't tell you about the baja or aloha chairs as they were just starting to replace chairs while we were on the Grand and the Crown and hadn't started on those decks yet.

 

Beachbum

[JimmyVWine]

We were on the Crown when the chairs were replaced on the mini suites, and they have 2 chairs, 2 footstools, and a full height table, so no need to drag the sofa out. I thought the furniture on the mini would work well. If you needed more seating people could sit on the footstools...

 

I understand the point about "making the best of a bad situation", but one of three paying passengers should not be forced to sit on a footstool (where other people rest their dirty shoes and feet). If three people are paying for a balcony, then the balcony should have sufficient seating for all. It did up until January, so one cannot make the argument that it is simply impossible or impractical.

[Princess Patches]

I understand the point about "making the best of a bad situation", but one of three paying passengers should not be forced to sit on a footstool (where other people rest their dirty shoes and feet). If three people are paying for a balcony, then the balcony should have sufficient seating for all. It did up until January, so one cannot make the argument that it is simply impossible or impractical.

 

I agree. We have three traveling in a minisuite on our next cruise in a month or so. We do not want the third person to sit on a footstool and we do not want to drag indoor furniture outside and back again throughout the cruise. We are hopeful that the cabin steward will bring us a third deck chair when requested. If not, I will mention it in the comments card. I find that Princess is generally responsive to customer feedback.

[1 HappyCruiser]

Has anyone in a cabin with only 2 chairs actually asked for additional chairs & been denied? I have a feeling that they might be accommodating if approached.

The table is a joke & if I needed additional space I'd just drag out the cabin table & leave it there each day. Let the cabin steward take it back in.