Lengthening, of Enchantment of the Seas!

"Lee Lindquist" wrote in message
...
1) the lido buffet area is much bigger. It extends all the way aft,
there is a second service area (on each side of the ship), and
the aft seating area is larger -- it includes what was
crew/dishroom space behind the aft elevators. I didn't count
seats, but I'd guess a 50% increase over Grand/Golden.

Yes, and the space came from the wonderful outdoor deck area that used to be
behind the Horizon Court.




2) The former magrodome pool are has been reworked, so that the
crew space/storage space between the two pools has been opened
up as tiered deck space. There are several new tiers of open
deck space between the two main pools, where there was nothing
(for passengers) previously.

Actually this space includes the miniature golf course on the other Grand
Class ships. It was upstairs. It has been moved on CARIBBEAN PRINCESS to
an area above the aft stairtower.




3) In the Vista Lounge / Club Fusion, the backstage area and
particularly the stage area are smaller (making the lounge area
bigger) -- and the raised portion with table
seating around the bar area has been eliminated. Again I
didn't count seats, but Club Fusion certainly holds more people
than a Vista Lounge. Part of this is achieved by eliminating
site lines and installing video monitors.

Club Fusion seems to be the lounge most are disappointed with. Apparently
it tries to be all things to all people (casino, night club, show lounge)
and possibly it's not working very well? The Vista Lounge on the Grand
Class ships was pretty spacious, so it's easy to rework it and cram more
seats in.



4) There is an entirely new public area surrounding the ship's funnel.
On Grand/Golden this was non-accessable mechanical space. On
Carribbean, there is some seating area, and miniatures golf.

They had to find a new place for miniature golf since the original spot on
the other ships is being used for movie seating.



5) The 'wave theme' surround walls around the pools have been
eliminated, making quite a bit more open deck space close to
the pools. (I think the hot tubs moved too, but I can't quite
remember)

Too bad. I felt the pools and their beautiful surround were some of the
nicest on any cruise ship. Someone on CC mentioned that the pools are
actually smaller on CARIBBEAN. Not sure if that is true.





6) There is a whole new kids/teen area on deck (can't remember 14?
15?) aft. There is interior play room space, and the kids pool
has moved there. I'll have to look more closely when I'm
onboard to see where the space came from, but I think a lot
of it was from the storage space forward (and under) the terraced
seating at the aft pool. (And since the kids area is in this new
space, something must be in the area forward where it was on
Grand/Golden, including the area where the 'Tail of the Whale'
kids pool was.

This space exists on all the other Grand Class ships, but it is smaller. On
CARIBBEAN it has once again been extended aft taking away more outdoor deck
space. Since the Horizon Court on CARIBBEAN was also extended, they just
built out "The Fun Zone" on top of it. No doubt CARIBBEAN PRINCESS will
carry more children then the other Grand Class ships.



Yeah -- the comments posted here about how crowded the ship
is seem to come from people who've never been on it. It was
pretty cheap, so we're going to give it a try.

This ship seems to get great reviews. My guess is this ship design was
spacious enough to begin with to absorb the extra passengers with little
difficulty. Even so, the sister ships will offer basically the same
experience with 500+ less passengers. Soon they will also receive the
outdoor movies. I'm not sure if they will take away the glass roof over the
second pool. I hope not, as that is one feature I enjoy about the Grand
Class. If it were not for Personal Choice the task would have been much
more difficult to add the extra deck. With a traditional setup, a larger
show lounge and dining rooms would have been required. Since everything is
staggered on Princess this was not necessary. No additional lifeboats were
necessary either since regulations now allow a larger portion of people
onboard to use inflatable life rafts. This is what the majority of the crew
will use.



I'll at least have seven days away from r.t.c.

You certainly don't need a cruise to get away from r.t.c.


Ernie

"Lee Lindquist" wrote in message
...
1) the lido buffet area is much bigger. It extends all the way aft,
there is a second service area (on each side of the ship), and
the aft seating area is larger -- it includes what was
crew/dishroom space behind the aft elevators. I didn't count
seats, but I'd guess a 50% increase over Grand/Golden.

Yes, and the space came from the wonderful outdoor deck area that used to be
behind the Horizon Court.




2) The former magrodome pool are has been reworked, so that the
crew space/storage space between the two pools has been opened
up as tiered deck space. There are several new tiers of open
deck space between the two main pools, where there was nothing
(for passengers) previously.

Actually this space includes the miniature golf course on the other Grand
Class ships. It was upstairs. It has been moved on CARIBBEAN PRINCESS to
an area above the aft stairtower.




3) In the Vista Lounge / Club Fusion, the backstage area and
particularly the stage area are smaller (making the lounge area
bigger) -- and the raised portion with table
seating around the bar area has been eliminated. Again I
didn't count seats, but Club Fusion certainly holds more people
than a Vista Lounge. Part of this is achieved by eliminating
site lines and installing video monitors.

Club Fusion seems to be the lounge most are disappointed with. Apparently
it tries to be all things to all people (casino, night club, show lounge)
and possibly it's not working very well? The Vista Lounge on the Grand
Class ships was pretty spacious, so it's easy to rework it and cram more
seats in.



4) There is an entirely new public area surrounding the ship's funnel.
On Grand/Golden this was non-accessable mechanical space. On
Carribbean, there is some seating area, and miniatures golf.

They had to find a new place for miniature golf since the original spot on
the other ships is being used for movie seating.



5) The 'wave theme' surround walls around the pools have been
eliminated, making quite a bit more open deck space close to
the pools. (I think the hot tubs moved too, but I can't quite
remember)

Too bad. I felt the pools and their beautiful surround were some of the
nicest on any cruise ship. Someone on CC mentioned that the pools are
actually smaller on CARIBBEAN. Not sure if that is true.





6) There is a whole new kids/teen area on deck (can't remember 14?
15?) aft. There is interior play room space, and the kids pool
has moved there. I'll have to look more closely when I'm
onboard to see where the space came from, but I think a lot
of it was from the storage space forward (and under) the terraced
seating at the aft pool. (And since the kids area is in this new
space, something must be in the area forward where it was on
Grand/Golden, including the area where the 'Tail of the Whale'
kids pool was.

This space exists on all the other Grand Class ships, but it is smaller. On
CARIBBEAN it has once again been extended aft taking away more outdoor deck
space. Since the Horizon Court on CARIBBEAN was also extended, they just
built out "The Fun Zone" on top of it. No doubt CARIBBEAN PRINCESS will
carry more children then the other Grand Class ships.



Yeah -- the comments posted here about how crowded the ship
is seem to come from people who've never been on it. It was
pretty cheap, so we're going to give it a try.

This ship seems to get great reviews. My guess is this ship design was
spacious enough to begin with to absorb the extra passengers with little
difficulty. Even so, the sister ships will offer basically the same
experience with 500+ less passengers. Soon they will also receive the
outdoor movies. I'm not sure if they will take away the glass roof over the
second pool. I hope not, as that is one feature I enjoy about the Grand
Class. If it were not for Personal Choice the task would have been much
more difficult to add the extra deck. With a traditional setup, a larger
show lounge and dining rooms would have been required. Since everything is
staggered on Princess this was not necessary. No additional lifeboats were
necessary either since regulations now allow a larger portion of people
onboard to use inflatable life rafts. This is what the majority of the crew
will use.



I'll at least have seven days away from r.t.c.

You certainly don't need a cruise to get away from r.t.c.


Ernie

E.k.R. wrote:



I'm interested in all aspects of the cruise industry regardless of what
ships I choose to sail on. I never said I will never sail on a mass-market
ship again. I'm basically taking a break. For me, it's more than just a
vacation on ship .... it's a genuine interest in the industry that goes
beyond just being a cruise passenger. Why else would I visit r.t.c. and
other cruise boards almost everyday?

Ernie, what's your background in cruising? Are you an oceanliner buff or
cruise ship buff? How did you get interested in cruising? Do you work in
the industry?

I've discovered something about myself. I'm not sold on big business as
it relates to human industries, too many temptations to produce a
generic product. I like a business that serves a target customer, and
provides what it claims to that customer and like-minded customers. For
me, that's almost by definition, a limited market.

I see a thriving mass-market yet I'm not interested in being a generic
customer. Not much of the time. However, I have no problem with
mass-market lines that promote themselves as value lines. So, in many
ways, I'm OK with Carnival and RCI.

I used to think I was a ship buff, and I am, but I'm also into the
vacation as feeding a soul or souls on retreat in the form of an
ocean-going vessel, and a means of souls connecting. I find more and
more distractions to that in the form of content and function in the
newer ships.

Ben S.



Ernie

E.k.R. wrote:



I'm interested in all aspects of the cruise industry regardless of what
ships I choose to sail on. I never said I will never sail on a mass-market
ship again. I'm basically taking a break. For me, it's more than just a
vacation on ship .... it's a genuine interest in the industry that goes
beyond just being a cruise passenger. Why else would I visit r.t.c. and
other cruise boards almost everyday?

Ernie, what's your background in cruising? Are you an oceanliner buff or
cruise ship buff? How did you get interested in cruising? Do you work in
the industry?

I've discovered something about myself. I'm not sold on big business as
it relates to human industries, too many temptations to produce a
generic product. I like a business that serves a target customer, and
provides what it claims to that customer and like-minded customers. For
me, that's almost by definition, a limited market.

I see a thriving mass-market yet I'm not interested in being a generic
customer. Not much of the time. However, I have no problem with
mass-market lines that promote themselves as value lines. So, in many
ways, I'm OK with Carnival and RCI.

I used to think I was a ship buff, and I am, but I'm also into the
vacation as feeding a soul or souls on retreat in the form of an
ocean-going vessel, and a means of souls connecting. I find more and
more distractions to that in the form of content and function in the
newer ships.

Ben S.



Ernie

"Benjamin Smith" wrote in message
link.net...
Ernie, what's your background in cruising? Are you an oceanliner buff or
cruise ship buff? How did you get interested in cruising? Do you work in
the industry?

Ben,
I became interested in ships after my parents sailed on the CARNIVALE in
1976. I was 11 years old at the time and fascinated by the wonderful tales
they told. The next year I convinced my Grandmother to take me on my first
cruise. It was on the LEONARDO DA VINCI and I immediately fell in love with
ships and the sea. I became interested in ocean liners and their history
from about 1900 onward, and later in the modern day cruise industry we speak
of today. I am still fascinated by passenger ships, whether they be small,
large, or somewhere in between. While I've become a bit disenchanted with
the onboard experience and the likeness of cruise products today, I'm still
intrigued by the ships themselves. For this reason I think I will always be
cruising (plus my love of the ocean). QM2 is a great example that even
today we can build an amazing product that is state of the art, but with
many links to the past. She is truly my favorite ship sailing today and
offers an amazing onboard ambiance.

I have worked in the cruise industry for several years. I attended
University of Miami (to be near ships of course!) and worked part time for
Carnival during my college years. Later I moved to Los Angeles and took a
job with Princess Cruises. I eventually returned to Miami and Carnival, and
even worked for Dolphin Cruises for a short time. I've worked both onboard
ship and in the various headquarters of these lines. I spent the most time
working for Princess in Los Angeles. It's been over 10 years since I've
worked in the cruise industry, but I still follow it very closely. I'm
still in the travel industry (major airline), but no longer have any
relation with the cruise industry (except for many friends still involved).

I also enjoy discussing the airline industry, but it's far more complicated
and frankly I find it less interesting. I never had the affinity for
airplanes like I do for ships. I think my interest in the airline industry
evolved from working in it for 10+ years. Unfortunately there is very
little positive to discuss so it becomes tedious.

Ernie

"Benjamin Smith" wrote in message
link.net...
Ernie, what's your background in cruising? Are you an oceanliner buff or
cruise ship buff? How did you get interested in cruising? Do you work in
the industry?

Ben,
I became interested in ships after my parents sailed on the CARNIVALE in
1976. I was 11 years old at the time and fascinated by the wonderful tales
they told. The next year I convinced my Grandmother to take me on my first
cruise. It was on the LEONARDO DA VINCI and I immediately fell in love with
ships and the sea. I became interested in ocean liners and their history
from about 1900 onward, and later in the modern day cruise industry we speak
of today. I am still fascinated by passenger ships, whether they be small,
large, or somewhere in between. While I've become a bit disenchanted with
the onboard experience and the likeness of cruise products today, I'm still
intrigued by the ships themselves. For this reason I think I will always be
cruising (plus my love of the ocean). QM2 is a great example that even
today we can build an amazing product that is state of the art, but with
many links to the past. She is truly my favorite ship sailing today and
offers an amazing onboard ambiance.

I have worked in the cruise industry for several years. I attended
University of Miami (to be near ships of course!) and worked part time for
Carnival during my college years. Later I moved to Los Angeles and took a
job with Princess Cruises. I eventually returned to Miami and Carnival, and
even worked for Dolphin Cruises for a short time. I've worked both onboard
ship and in the various headquarters of these lines. I spent the most time
working for Princess in Los Angeles. It's been over 10 years since I've
worked in the cruise industry, but I still follow it very closely. I'm
still in the travel industry (major airline), but no longer have any
relation with the cruise industry (except for many friends still involved).

I also enjoy discussing the airline industry, but it's far more complicated
and frankly I find it less interesting. I never had the affinity for
airplanes like I do for ships. I think my interest in the airline industry
evolved from working in it for 10+ years. Unfortunately there is very
little positive to discuss so it becomes tedious.

Ernie

"Benjamin Smith" wrote in message
link.net...
Ernie, what's your background in cruising? Are you an oceanliner buff or
cruise ship buff? How did you get interested in cruising? Do you work in
the industry?

Ben,
I became interested in ships after my parents sailed on the CARNIVALE in
1976. I was 11 years old at the time and fascinated by the wonderful tales
they told. The next year I convinced my Grandmother to take me on my first
cruise. It was on the LEONARDO DA VINCI and I immediately fell in love with
ships and the sea. I became interested in ocean liners and their history
from about 1900 onward, and later in the modern day cruise industry we speak
of today. I am still fascinated by passenger ships, whether they be small,
large, or somewhere in between. While I've become a bit disenchanted with
the onboard experience and the likeness of cruise products today, I'm still
intrigued by the ships themselves. For this reason I think I will always be
cruising (plus my love of the ocean). QM2 is a great example that even
today we can build an amazing product that is state of the art, but with
many links to the past. She is truly my favorite ship sailing today and
offers an amazing onboard ambiance.

I have worked in the cruise industry for several years. I attended
University of Miami (to be near ships of course!) and worked part time for
Carnival during my college years. Later I moved to Los Angeles and took a
job with Princess Cruises. I eventually returned to Miami and Carnival, and
even worked for Dolphin Cruises for a short time. I've worked both onboard
ship and in the various headquarters of these lines. I spent the most time
working for Princess in Los Angeles. It's been over 10 years since I've
worked in the cruise industry, but I still follow it very closely. I'm
still in the travel industry (major airline), but no longer have any
relation with the cruise industry (except for many friends still involved).

I also enjoy discussing the airline industry, but it's far more complicated
and frankly I find it less interesting. I never had the affinity for
airplanes like I do for ships. I think my interest in the airline industry
evolved from working in it for 10+ years. Unfortunately there is very
little positive to discuss so it becomes tedious.

Ernie

E.k.R. wrote:

Ernie, thanks for bio. Great resume.


QM2 is a great example that even
today we can build an amazing product that is state of the art, but with
many links to the past. She is truly my favorite ship sailing today and
offers an amazing onboard ambiance.


Glad to hear this, that the engineers/designers pulled off the project
so successfully, especially in light of your not so stellar experience
on the QE2. There's an advantage to building something great and for the
ages over trendy in that this ship will hold its appeal for years, long
after the newness has worn off.

Ben S.

E.k.R. wrote:

Ernie, thanks for bio. Great resume.


QM2 is a great example that even
today we can build an amazing product that is state of the art, but with
many links to the past. She is truly my favorite ship sailing today and
offers an amazing onboard ambiance.


Glad to hear this, that the engineers/designers pulled off the project
so successfully, especially in light of your not so stellar experience
on the QE2. There's an advantage to building something great and for the
ages over trendy in that this ship will hold its appeal for years, long
after the newness has worn off.

Ben S.

"*bicker*" wrote in message
.. .


Definitely, but I think not in the way that you'd like it to
go. Rather, many of those customers feel that they're being
charged too much money already, and will more-readily accept
service-level reduction than the higher fares necessary to
sustain current service levels (much less build back some of
what you'd be happy with), and reduce the proliferation of
new service fees.


How many cruises have you been on, and how many people on those cruises have
you talked to in support of your comments?

I've been on over 30 cruises and don't feel that they're charging too much
already.

How many have you been on?

--Tom