Disappointed We Could Not "Upgrade" to Club Class

[robthens]

I think I understood your post.  I also understand Princess policies.  There are X number of tables in the club class area and staff dedicated to those tables.  If addition cabins were given the option of adding the club class dining perks, that could created shortage of tables, staffing isues and possible having a wait time for seating.  These perks are the reason people pay more for the club class & full suite options.

[delondin]

On 9/9/2022 at 10:30 PM, Rick&Jeannie said:

I think perhaps you have misunderstood the purpose of my post. I was simple expressing my opinion that it would have been nice to be able to do an upgrade...without having to spend $1K to gain CC and have to move down the hall about 6 cabins from my original location.  I fully understand that Princess has its ways.  No "angst" here, I promise! 😄

But imagine if everyone thought they would do what you want to do, where would they sit?  They have to limit it to a set number of cabins otherwise it defeats the purpose. 

[LibertyBella]

I chose a mini-suite for my upcoming Princess cruise, and did NOT book club class, even though our cabin is right next to the club class cabin.

 

Why?

 

I will be touring almost every day, and I actually enjoy the main dining room experience more than smaller eating facilities.  The hustle and bustle of activity is very neat to watch.  I agree that price is always an issue, but booking a mini-suite is not too cheap either.  Maybe in ten years when I am a bit older and more sedate I will be willing to splurge on the more calm eating experiences.  Right now we are still in the eat, go to the show, and then go dancing timeline!

[Rick&Jeannie]

OK...I'm officially calling "UNCLE"!  It was just a passing thought that I had.  I did not mean to set off such a firestorm.  I give!  Please let me slink away to my corner! 😄

[abbydancer2003]

We just got off the Crown, and had 2 in a suite and 5 in CC minis. (family cruise paid for by mom - thanks mom!).  In addition to dining and wine, the suite and elite checkin counter and disembarkation lounge were open to CC.

 

The happy hour lounge is still Platinum, suite and elite.

[dave_k58]

On 9/9/2022 at 7:28 PM, cr8tiv1 said:

 

Reasons to book a Club Class Mini:

 

1.  Prime location for some.  Mid-ship, Mid-forward, Mid-aft.

2.  No (or little) wait to be seated in Club Class area of MDR

3.  Extra offerings for dinner (not that great)

4.  There are a few other perks, but I am not familiar with them.  Priority boarding? Priority tendering? wine split?

 

Not to be confused with Full Suite amenities.

daily canapes(by request)  

priority boarding - ( in southampton nobody was aware of this perk)

priority debarkation ( sorta, kinda). 

[kluv2cruz]

On 9/9/2022 at 9:37 AM, Rick&Jeannie said:

We have only experienced Club Class once earlier this year.  For our upcoming sailing I was hoping that we could do a Club Class "add-on" to our existing mini-suite.  No joy!  Princess says that you have to book a mini-suite that is specifically designated as a Club Class mini.  I don't get it.  As far as I can tell, the only difference is the actual dining experience (I very well could be wrong).  This seems like a perfect opportunity for Princess to reap some more dollars.  The only way they were going to allow us in to Club Class was to change our mini-suite to a different one (very close to where we were already...same deck) and charge us about $1000.  Much as we'd like to do CC again...not worth $1K in my opinion.  We passed on it!

We had the same experience- we went on the wait list for club class minis even though we were in a mini, as they were sold out. We did eventually get a club class mini, and like you say, moved a few cabins down and had to pay the big $$$. A good learning opportunity!

[Papa Yoda]

I've seen them pull tables in the DR adjacent to CC and reset them with CC tablecloths, etc.  I'm not sure why they'd offend CC'ers unless it would be just a few minutes wait, especially for a better table.

[Steelers36]

On 9/13/2022 at 7:39 PM, Rick&Jeannie said:

OK...I'm officially calling "UNCLE"!  It was just a passing thought that I had.  I did not mean to set off such a firestorm.  I give!  Please let me slink away to my corner! 😄

I took it as more of a wistful post and not in the serious vein some others did.  Perhaps because I have read a lot of your posts.

[dog]

On 9/13/2022 at 7:39 PM, Rick&Jeannie said:

OK...I'm officially calling "UNCLE"!  It was just a passing thought that I had.  I did not mean to set off such a firestorm.  I give!  Please let me slink away to my corner! 😄

I have wanted to do the same, as I never see club class in the cruises I want to book.

 

Had my March ‘23 booking marked “no upgrade”

 

just got free upgrade from aft balcony to midship balcony right across from the elevators.

 

sealed the deal. Holland America wins my business.

[Tak8]

I understand the thought, but the burden on CC dining staff would change the environment.  When I can't afford or won't pay for the difference in price for a suite, I miss Sabatini's breakfast.  I would love to pay to be able to eat there, but understand and enjoy the small number of passengers that get to use it.  The experience wouldn't be the same if a larger number could buy it without the suite purchase. 

[Lady Arwen]

3 hours ago, dog said:

I have wanted to do the same, as I never see club class in the cruises I want to book.

 

Had my March ‘23 booking marked “no upgrade”

 

just got free upgrade from aft balcony to midship balcony right across from the elevators.

 

sealed the deal. Holland America wins my business.

We think alike!  Just booked HAL Rotterdam Baltics itinerary for 2023.  We have a cruise booked on Regal Princess with lots of FCC, but we may just cancel and let it go.  I’ve been reading so many negative comments about Princess lately, I’m starting to get nervous.  Been reading the HAL boards and very few complaints.  Hope you enjoy your HAL cruise.

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, Lady Arwen said:

We think alike!  Just booked HAL Rotterdam Baltics itinerary for 2023.  We have a cruise booked on Regal Princess with lots of FCC, but we may just cancel and let it go.  I’ve been reading so many negative comments about Princess lately, I’m starting to get nervous.  Been reading the HAL boards and very few complaints.  Hope you enjoy your HAL cruise.

We were just on a Regal B3B in July in the Med and had a great time. I will say, though, we were in a midship CC Balcony cabin and had no issues with CC dining as we were usually there when it opened for dinner. There was always something fun to do on sea days and in the evening. The CD, Dan France, and his team of 4 assistants were great and kept us laughing! The entertainment, both the production shows and guest entertainers in the main theater, were quite enjoyable and we were very satisfied. Of course, there are always people that don't have a great time for various legitimate reasons, but I just wanted to add some positive vibes about the Regal and its crew. 

 

Does HAL even have production shows in the main theater anymore, besides their dance troupe presentations?

 

Edited September 15, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[disneyochem]

1 hour ago, Lady Arwen said:

We think alike!  Just booked HAL Rotterdam Baltics itinerary for 2023.  We have a cruise booked on Regal Princess with lots of FCC, but we may just cancel and let it go.  I’ve been reading so many negative comments about Princess lately, I’m starting to get nervous.  Been reading the HAL boards and very few complaints.  Hope you enjoy your HAL cruise.

We’ve started to cruise more HAL as well—3 times this past year and have 3 more booked.  Reading the HAL boards is a very different experience than other boards.  Love the daily update.

 

But, HAL upgraded us on one cruise to a cabin that was horrible and we changed once onboard.  We had asked for no upgrades but they moved us anyway!  

 

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

We were just on a Regal B3B in July in the Med and had a great time. I will say, though, we were in a midship CC Balcony cabin and had no issues with CC dining as we were usually there when it opened for dinner. There was always something fun to do on sea days and in the evening. The CD, Dan France, and his team of 4 assistants were great and kept us laughing! The entertainment, both the production shows and guest entertainers in the main theater, were quite enjoyable and we were very satisfied. Of course, there are always people that don't have a great time for various legitimate reasons, but I just wanted to add some positive vibes about the Regal and its crew. 

 

Does HAL even have production shows in the main theater anymore, besides their dance troupe presentations?

 

We also were in a Club Class mini on Regal, but in May/June.  No issues at all, and never had to wait for a table in the CC dining area ( we ate around 20:00) . Normally ate in the same section with the same servers every night. They would bring me my large glass of Merlot without being asked after the second night ,

[vjmatty]

1 minute ago, wowzz said:

We also were in a Club Class mini on Regal, but in May/June.  No issues at all, and never had to wait for a table in the CC dining area ( we ate around 20:00) . Normally ate in the same section with the same servers every night. They would bring me my large glass of Merlot without being asked after the second night ,

 

Do you remember which dining room had CC when you were on Regal? We're sailing the first week of October first time in CC.

[wowzz]

2 minutes ago, vjmatty said:

 

Do you remember which dining room had CC when you were on Regal? We're sailing the first week of October first time in CC.

The one mid ships, on the same deck as Vines.

[vjmatty]

1 minute ago, wowzz said:

The one mid ships, on the same deck as Vines.

 

Good to know.... I like going to Vines before dinner

[wowzz]

3 minutes ago, vjmatty said:

 

Good to know.... I like going to Vines before dinner

We like going there before AND after dinner !

[vjmatty]

2 minutes ago, wowzz said:

We like going there before AND after dinner !

 

Last I heard on a lot of the ships Vines stopped having the free tapas..... did they have them on Regal?

[wowzz]

8 minutes ago, vjmatty said:

 

Last I heard on a lot of the ships Vines stopped having the free tapas..... did they have them on Regal?

We had nibbles one night, but nothing that I would call proper tapas. But then, tapas would ruin dinner ! 

[Lady Arwen]

2 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

We were just on a Regal B3B in July in the Med and had a great time. I will say, though, we were in a midship CC Balcony cabin and had no issues with CC dining as we were usually there when it opened for dinner. There was always something fun to do on sea days and in the evening. The CD, Dan France, and his team of 4 assistants were great and kept us laughing! The entertainment, both the production shows and guest entertainers in the main theater, were quite enjoyable and we were very satisfied. Of course, there are always people that don't have a great time for various legitimate reasons, but I just wanted to add some positive vibes about the Regal and its crew. 

 

Does HAL even have production shows in the main theater anymore, besides their dance troupe presentations?

 

Not really interested in Club Class.  We have a standard mini booked on Regal and an aft balcony booked on Rotterdam. We don’t usually go to the production shows on any cruiseship.  We prefer lounges with good music and a nice cocktail or two.  The casinos always calls my name in the evenings, too.  The Pinnacle class ships on HAL really shine compared to Princess.  We’ve sailed both Konigsdam and Nieuw Statendam, so we’ll be at home on Rotterdam.  It’s a difficult decision, but when you’re spending $10,000 for a vacation, you want it to be really, really good. 

Edited September 15, 2022 by Lady Arwen

[Lady Arwen]

2 hours ago, disneyochem said:

We’ve started to cruise more HAL as well—3 times this past year and have 3 more booked.  Reading the HAL boards is a very different experience than other boards.  Love the daily update.

 

But, HAL upgraded us on one cruise to a cabin that was horrible and we changed once onboard.  We had asked for no upgrades but they moved us anyway!  

 

Yes, the HAL boards are quite tame in comparison.  Quite civilized, actually.  Seems all the cruiselines are moving folks from one cabin to another less desirable one.  Hope we’re spared the “upgrade” fairy. lol

[Ken the cruiser]

19 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

Not really interested in Club Class.  We have a standard mini booked on Regal and an aft balcony booked on Rotterdam. We don’t usually go to the production shows on any cruiseship.  We prefer lounges with good music and a nice cocktail or two.  The casinos always calls my name in the evenings, too.  The Pinnacle class ships on HAL really shine compared to Princess.  We’ve sailed both Konigsdam and Nieuw Statendam, so we’ll be at home on Rotterdam.  It’s a difficult decision, but when you’re spending $10,000 for a vacation, you want it to be really, really good. 

I understand and based on what you’ve said, HAL does sound like a perfect fit. 

[Lady Arwen]

14 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I understand and based on what you’ve said, HAL does sound like a perfect fit. 

Thanks, Ken.  I doubt if any ship on any line is perfect, so we’ll settle for really good.  We may keep our Regal cruise, since it involves a couple thousand $ in FCC…..hard to walk away from.  Your experience was very positive, so perhaps we’ll just do both cruises!