Free Internet eliminated from all suites

[jmcross]

Just confirmed this directly through Princess. No grandfathering of prior bookings. It was eliminated on June 27th and the agent had no further information.

Don't worry though. You now get free welcome goodies from the chef on embarkation day. Good grief!

[compozer]

I can't believe they are doing this.

Anyone in the last week experience this?????

[Matcodixon]

This coming right after is was noticed that additional perks have been added.

The "Free Perk Fairy Giveth, The Free Perk Fairy Taketh Away"

[1 HappyCruiser]

It wouldn't surprise me since it was unlimited usage. Maybe they replace it with a package amount similar to Platinum/Elite.

[LARGIN]

Perhaps the Suite Internet perk was being abused by those "loaning" their logon password to family & friends. Just like other perks, it they get abused, they go bye bye.. Maybe Princess will reconsider and change the Suite Internet perk to something like 20 hours per cabin for each 7 day segment. This in addition to the free Internet for Platinum members should be plenty..

I can see, because of the smartphone explosion and the inability of those users to function without staring at a 4 inch screen, the free internet hours being lowered in the future or done away with completely.

Wondering what internet perks the other cruise lines have?

[Essiesmom]

Celebrity Elite status receive a whopping 90 minutes of free internet. Cunard has the best internet benefit: Gold status (on third voyage) 2 hours free; Platinum 4 hours; Diamond 8 hours. Neither seem to offer free internet in suites. HAL offers wifi in its Neptune Lounge for suites, but it is not stated if it is free. EM

[bhopal21]

After eleven Princess cruises all in suites, we may have taken our last.

When companies start de-contenting their product rather than instituting a modest price increase then the original product is gone and one is only left with a cheapened version.

I think they will regret some of their cuts, maybe not.

Mike

[AKman2495]

It is also true that many more people are accessing the internet. There is only so much capacity at any given time and it is also logical to assume that there may have been abuse by the suite passengers.

In any case, Princess is making time available for people to purchase, which increases profits....

[Loonbeam]

Or, in lieu of the price increase, you could just by internet time for the same amount if you want it. Makes a lot more sense then increasing the price of a suite $100.

quote=bhopal21;34426755]After eleven Princess cruises all in suites, we may have taken our last.

When companies start de-contenting their product rather than instituting a modest price increase then the original product is gone and one is only left with a cheapened version.

I think they will regret some of their cuts, maybe not.

Mike[/quote]

[Matcodixon]

Just why would Princess do this? Examine a couple of facts;
1. Satellite is the only type available on a cruise ship
2. Satellite has limited bandwidth available for each ship
3. With the advent of smart phones that remain connected 24/7 as well as those with laptops, I pads, netbooks, etc that are accustomed to leaving them connected to the internet 24/7 as well, too much bandwidth is being consumed all the time with the result being slower internet for everyone.
4. With unlimited free internet, what is the incentive to disconnect? Many people do not understand that there is a major difference between what their land based system is like compared to the satellite system on a ship.

That said, I do believe that going from unlimited free to none is a bit too big of a change. I think that they should have set a specific amount of free time for the suite passengers similar to what they provide for Platinum and Elites. There is nothing that gets people to disconnect when they are not using it more than having to pay for internet time over their allotted free minutes.

Perhaps Princess is still providing Suite passengers with a certain amount of free minutes? Does anyone know for sure?

[fishin' musician]

The limited amount of bandwidth available is just not condusive to free/unlimited internet. Each time another person gets on, performance decreases. With no limits they may be Skyping or streaming video, both of which take a big bite out of the bandwidth. Now, if everyone would confine their internet use to text only, there would be plenty for everyone and speed would likely be excellent... but that is not going to happen.

[trojangirl90066]

This is really upsetting! I booked a suite and that is one of the things that prompted me to do it! Not happy!

[jmcross]

I am the one who called this morning. The agent at Princess just said it was gone as of June 27th and that they knew nothing else.

My TA has a call in to see what they can do. I'll post later if/when I hear back from him.

[trojangirl90066]

Originally Posted by jmcross

I am the one who called this morning. The agent at Princess just said it was gone as of June 27th and that they knew nothing else.

My TA has a call in to see what they can do. I'll post later if/when I hear back from him.

Please let us know what you find out, this is one of the reasons I am in a suite!

[1 HappyCruiser]

Originally Posted by bhopal21

After eleven Princess cruises all in suites, we may have taken our last.
When companies start de-contenting their product rather than instituting a modest price increase then the original product is gone and one is only left with a cheapened version.

I think they will regret some of their cuts, maybe not.

Mike

That makes me laugh when they just gave the suite people a complementary meal in the Specialty restaurants the first night. LOL
I didn't hear of anyone complaining about that increase in perks.

[jpthomas27]

Originally Posted by bhopal21

After eleven Princess cruises all in suites, we may have taken our last.

When companies start de-contenting their product rather than instituting a modest price increase then the original product is gone and one is only left with a cheapened version.

I think they will regret some of their cuts, maybe not.

Mike

Respectfully, I think you have it backwards. The rate hike is forgone by asking those that actually want the product to pay for it, rather than asking all of us to pay for somethign that only some use.

If your interested in a rate increase you could simply purcahse an internet package, kind of seems like the same result for you (a rate hike) without punishing those that don't care about it by making them pay for it.

Truth is, I'd rather them charge those that want it and keep my costs down so I can pay for what I want to pay for. Yes, I am actually in favor of LOW cruise fares and a-la-carte extras. Maybe I would rather pay for a soda card, a day at the sanctuary, more alcohol, a specialty restaruant... I'd rather not pay for interent, in the form of a rate increase or a package, and use my money for what "I" enjoy. The internet is not neccessary for me when on vacation, not neccessary enough to pay for anyways.

There are crusie lines that are "all inclusive" and cost significantly more for those that prefer that type of thing. For me, I like to pay for what I use and not what others use.

On a seperate note, those that have mentioned the exponetial increse in data useage are probably on to something. The cruise lline had a certain cost at one point for that free interent. Now with people using laptops, iPads, and smart phones all at the same time to download, play and work they are changing what "free unlimited interent" really means. The cost for this perk has probably gotten out of control and they have no choice but to do something about it.

[GoochDSA]

Originally Posted by trojangirl90066

This is really upsetting! I booked a suite and that is one of the things that prompted me to do it! Not happy!

I'm with you. We booked a suite for October 2013 with the idea that it would include unlimited internet. The price we agreed to pay was based on us being allowed to use the internet when we wanted for as long as we wanted and not have to pay extra to do so. The idea that it is "free internet" is false. There is a reason that a suite guest pays 4x the amount an inside cabin pays. The internet, just like any of the other perks, is included in that price.

Now, I understand Princess has added a perk or 2 for suite guests, but a specialty restaurant on embarkation night and some, as best as I could guess, cookies/pastries/canapes upon embarkation do not equal that of unlimited internet. I can understand Princess not wanting to grandfather in the unlimited internet to those who are already booked in a suite, but they should either add in "X" amount of minutes of internet for suite guests, give "X" amount of $ in the way of OBC for those already past final payment or knock off "X" amount of money off the cost of the cruise (which most would probably put back into their cruise one way or another).

[Coral]

It is no longer listed in the amenities of suites which has recently been changed to include a free dinner at a speciality restaurant on the first night:

http://www.princess.com/downloads/pd...ite_eFlyer.pdf

-----

While I have cruised in suites previously, I have not recently. I did spend 3 weeks on the Sapphire recently (in a mini suite that cost me significantly more then I have paid in the past) and after the cruise, I realized that Princess is no longer the line for me. It is the gradual cuts over the years that made me realize that "Princess cruising" is not what it used to be. I have to say that we had excellent service in many areas on the ship. The wait staff was great, our room steward was great, etc... But it is the overall cuts (over the years) that no longer makes me feel the same way I used to about cruising. Some of them are small things and some are items that may not mean much to some, other things are things that I don't like (MUTS blaring during the day). I realize that all mid-line cruise lines are going through similar cuts and it is entirely possible I wouldn't be happy on those lines either so I had already decided to take a break from cruising and do land based trips. I may end up on a Princess ship in the future, if my mom wants to go one more time (cruising is something that I have done with my mom) but it wouldn't be my choice.

A few of the cuts that have annoyed me are dining room menu cuts (and lack of changing menus like other lines have), loss of lunch on port day cuts, the new very uncomfortable furniture on my balcony which made it very uncomfortable to sit in for long periods of time when I had 4 glacier days with Princess recently, the lack of food in the buffet around 3:30 (it was extremely minimal - the buffet was closed and the area outside of the buffet that they built had very minimal food), the increased demands on the staff to do more and to be pushed to a point where service is lacking (not their fault), decrease space ratio on their newer ships, etc... My cruise on the Crown Princess was so crowded and there were so many lines that I have specifically avoided those ships the past few years.

I could go on. I am paying more for my cruises then I did before. I am getting less then what I used to get. It may not affect some, but it affects me.

I sold my Carnival stock when I returned from my cruise last month as I didn't see a need for it in the future as I don't expect to be using that perk in the future.

As far as the internet issue - Princess can pay more for better bandwidth (even with satellite) -they can do this. I am tired of people saying "it is slow because it is satellite". It is slow because they are choosing not to pay more for more internet bandwidth, though charging a high fee for their internet. Heck, in 2002 or so, Princess only charged .35/per minute for internet. Technology has gotten cheaper and Princess increases their rates.

I read recently that RCCL is greatly increasing their internet speed on one of their ships as a trial bases ( http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=4885 ) .

Bash me if you choose. I used to be a huge supporter (maybe even a cheerleader) of Princess but over the last few years, I have definitely changed my thoughts. Cruising on Princess no longer has the magic it used to and it no longer is the value I once considered it to be. I no longer want to feel like I am being herded by cattle which is what my last few cruises made me feel like.

[SiBreeze]

Some of you folks make it sound as if you are only booking suites to get the free unlimited internet. If what you want is unlimited internet, book a less expensive cabin and buy all the internet minutes you need.

Anyone who hasn't made final payment and is really that PO'd should cancel their cruise. I sincerely doubt you are going to find any cruise line giving away free unlimited internet. If so, perhaps sail with them.

Besides, who goes on vacation so they can spend 24/7 on the internet? I can do that at home.

[compozer]

Originally Posted by LARGIN

Perhaps the Suite Internet perk was being abused by those "loaning" their logon password to family & friends. Just like other perks, it they get abused, they go bye bye..

I think the people that abuse the system might be the people that are upgraded free. Not those of us who are paying for them.

Several times I have heard people say (in a large group of friends) "we have free internet, so let me know when you want to use it." same with laundry. They are so thrilled to be upgraded that they offer the perks to their friends.
Look at how many upgraded people ask here about brings friends to different functions, etc.