When is best to purchase the AIBP?

Could someone please let me know if there is an advantage in buying the AIBP beforehand or not? On our Cruise booking the option is in £ if bought beforehand and I remember last year when we purchased the package after boarding we paid in dollars....also we have OBC so can this go against the package if purchased before or not? Many Thanks

The AIBP is no more; Princess now offers the Premier Beverage Package (PBP) with several new significant restrictions.

You do have a bit of a conundrum. If you have non-refundable OBC that would otherwise go unspent certainly wait to purchase onboard. But it is all but certain that the rate used to determine the price in GBP for advance purchase is more favorable than what will result from buying onboard in US$. So it will cost more in "free" money than if you paid in advance.

Before the price goes up :)

It does depend on if you have OBC or not.

I've read somewhere on here that you can go to the desk and ask to be billed in £s rather than dollars....is this favourable?

When it is comped with purchase of the cruise.

I've read somewhere on here that you can go to the desk and ask to be billed in £s rather than dollars....is this favourable?

Princess will charge a percentage fee to do so. It will be a worse exchange rate than your credit card. And the charge will still be considered a foreign transaction even if in GBP.

I realize now that my above statement that it will cost more to use your OBC is misleading. If you wait to purchase onboard the only part that may cost more is the amount not covered by OBC. If your OBC is stated in US$ then you know exactly how much (if any) the cost of the PBP would exceed it. So advantage to being able to pay even part with OBC over having to fork out the entire cost in advance.

If I commit now and whatever the bill is in £s, do I still pay at the end of the cruise or do Princess take it beforehand?

If I commit now and whatever the bill is in £s, do I still pay at the end of the cruise or do Princess take it beforehand?

If you order in your cruise personlizer before you board the charge will go directly to your credit or debit card. You will not be charged on board. Also remember that unless you have a promo with free gratuities, the hotel charge (auto-tip) will be charged daily to your on board account. This is US$13.50, $14.50 or $15.50/pp/day depending on your cabin cat. This chews up OBC quickly.

If I commit now and whatever the bill is in £s, do I still pay at the end of the cruise or do Princess take it beforehand?

You pay right away. Add it to your "cart" and then check out. If you don't check out, it will be removed from your cart within a day. My understanding is that if you do have some OBC, it will be applied to your cart balance. This is contrary to what another poster said.

It seems then that the best option will be to order it as we board and then the OBC will be deducted from our total bill at the end...

When it is comped with purchase of the cruise.

That deal is only ever offered in the US and Canada. Sore point amongst cruisers from other countries. (And people moan about the amount of butter...)

You pay right away. Add it to your "cart" and then check out. If you don't check out, it will be removed from your cart within a day. My understanding is that if you do have some OBC, it will be applied to your cart balance. This is contrary to what another poster said.

Only for shore excursions. Not for beverage packages nor any other stateroom amenity.

I've read somewhere on here that you can go to the desk and ask to be billed in £s rather than dollars....is this favourable?

Princess no longer give you the option of paying your final onboard account in $ or £ they charge your credit card in dollars and then the credit card convert it to £ and you get a far better rate. For my cruise in May if I was to pre book PBP they want £51.74 per person per day so would cost me for the 14nt cruise a total of £1450 approx which is a lot of money and couldnt physically drink that much to justify cost. Onboard price is $68.99 so dont think there is a lot difference in price for me anyway.

Princess converts pre cruise purchases at the rate the £ $ was on the day you booked the cruise, assuming you booked sometime ago the £ has got a bit better against the $ in that time

I'm still trying to figure out if it is worth it or not. A lot depends on the itinerary. If it is heavy with port days then there is less time to get your daily quota in. I know some of our friends have been able to score heavily and get their monies worth.