Free Internet eliminated from all suites

[cherylandtk]

Offering to allow you to cancel without penalty is not a good resolution at all! We reserved this trip to Asia almost a year ago and have been planning two weeks of additional time in China and South Korea after our departure. I can't tell you how many flights, hotels, guides and side trips i've reserved over the 30+ day trip many of which are nonfundable.

 

Cancellation of our silver anniversary dream trip over this is not an option. Hopefully princess will offer some reasonable exception to this change for those who have booked and paid in full. We shall soon see.

Of course your long-planned anniversary trip is far more important! Relative to that the Internet is minor. I imagine many, many much larger things would have to go wrong for you to cancel such an important trip. If I may ask, what value do you put on the free Internet for your case? Did you intend to use it extensively? Would you be content with the platinum amount? What do you see as an appropriate resolution (and for the purpose of this discussion, let's assume re-instating the free Internet won't be an option)?

[gottagocit]

Of course your long-planned anniversary trip is far more important! Relative to that the Internet is minor. I imagine many, many much larger things would have to go wrong for you to cancel such an important trip. If I may ask, what value do you put on the free Internet for your case? Did you intend to use it extensively? Would you be content with the platinum amount? What do you see as an appropriate resolution (and for the purpose of this discussion, let's assume re-instating the free Internet won't be an option)?]

 

I suppose everyone has their own sob story but we're booked on a 16 day voyage with just 5 ports of call other than the final destination wo there's a lot of sea days. We knew this of course but the suite would allow us more options for things to keep us.....well keep us from wishing for more ports. The Internet was certainly one of those ways. Not the only one of course but it's availability did factor into our decision to book.

 

Secondly and more important than all others is both the DW and I have elderly family members who require assistance and keeping in touch throughout the trip is very important. Not because we might have to jump on a helicopter at fly away in the middle of the night if something happens as some here have sarcastically suggested but rather to give both us and our family piece of mind by simply keeping in touch and each knowing the others are ok.

 

Thirdly we own a small business and leaving for such a long trip is not an easy decision. Having Internet capability allows us to get away for the anniversary without being completely away meaning not out of touch. Yes I've read the posts here by others saying its a vacation, it's a vacation and therefor you shouldn't need the web. For some that is not an option and if it weren't for the Internet many could never leave their business especially during economic times like these when their business is already strectched to the max.

 

I would expect Princess would value their booked customers enough not to take such a perk from their most expensive cabins. Customers who were assured they would have the service at the time of booking. As a percentage of the money spent on such a trip the cost of providing the service can not be substantial enough to void their contract with the customer...or is it. I guess it depends on what value they put on customer loyalty and their own commitment to the customer.

 

That said I do not know what perks are offered to platinum members as I've seen conflicting numbers thrown out here for various length trips and do not know how it would apply to a 16-17 day voyage. Something less than unlimited would be better than nothing For certain but I fail to see how the cost to princess, assuming that is the basis for this policy change, would be appreciably improved with 50,100 or even 200 minutes per day over unlimited. If the issue is people using 100's of minutes per day than certainly limiting the usage makes good business sense but to do it to those already booked doesn't it seems to me.

 

Hopefully Princess will come around on this decision and grandfather us but if not......what is a fair amount? Not sure how to answer. If a small business such as ours decided not to deliver what we committed to, we wouldn't be around long because doing what we say we will do seems fair to us. Large businesses have different rules I suppose.

 

We would probably use 60-90 minutes per day between us if I had to guess but could be more or less depending on what is happening at home.

[Pam in CA]

No, on a seven day cruise it 300 minutes, 150 each, that is almost five hours, you are on vacation, not at work.

You're assuming there are two people in every cabin who have earned the perk. Not true so the reference to 150 minutes/pp which is more accurate. Also, I can only speak for myself but I'm retired so I'm on a permanent vacation. To me, a cruise is a means of travel and exploration. Sometimes, a cruise is so active that I think I need a vacation from my "vacation." :)

[lesharona]

I just returned from the Golden Princess on June 30th and we had free internet with our suite. We usually ended up in the internet cafe at least once or twice a day to check email. It was one of the perks I enjoyed the most!

[Loonbeam]

Based on my time as a consultant there, it was my impression that this was not a high profit service for Princess. I'm not saying they don't make any money off it, but compared to coffee, etc its not up there.

 

The original concept was that the ship needed satellite access and the passenger usage fees would defray the costs of that service. As the number of passengers with devices grows, the amount of data increases exponentially thus cutting into the profits.

 

Using some rough numbers based on a quick google search, lets say it costs Princess $.25 per MB of data (I found rates as high as $1.25 per mb or more, but that would be the equivalent of small user retail). A few years ago, 1 MB would have covered a lot of data relatively speaking. Now, its not uncommon for one web page to use that, more if there are graphics and animations, etc. And to view 2 web pages in a minute is pretty reasonable. So that means the cost for data could easily be $.50 per minute or more counting overhead. We won't even discuss the costs where VOIP is not blocked.

 

Where Princess makes the money is when someone is logged in but not actively using data.

 

Applying this to the situation at hand. If internet is unlimited, there is no incentive for the user to log off and thus quite a bit of incidental data can be used even if something like IM was left on - or antivirus updates, etc. That can lead to substantial costs. I'll use an example someone mentioned above, they expected to be on 60-90 minutes per day on their unlimited internet. Using a rate of even $.10/MB which I think is low and estimating 2 MB per minute, also low, of actual data usage, you would be looking at a cost per day of just providing data of $12-$18. That's a pretty hefty cost for a perk.

 

In a nutshell, internet is probably not a huge profit center, and its possible in cases where the system is overloaded could be a net cost item on some runs.

 

I am willing to bet a decent sum of money that Princess analyzed the usage of suite customers and determined the cost was exceeding the perceived benefit, thus they cut it and replaced it with lower cost perks so as to avoid raising prices to compensate. That's reasonable as far as future cruises.

 

As I noted, those persons who have booked and paid for suites (not upgrades!) should either be grandfathered or at least offered a reasonable amount of time complimentary.

 

I work in IT and understand all of this.

 

I also understand that Princess (and other cruise lines) are making money off of this. It is definitely a money maker for them and they are easily making a pretty good profit off of this. They are not losing money or breaking even.

 

This is a money making opportunity for Princess along with selling pictures, soda cards, coffee cards, wine tasting, etc... Princess is not alone in this.

[ONT-CA]

Well said Pam. Changing the perks of those who have already booked or even worse paid in full is bad business.

 

I'm trying to wait patiently for more info from Princess before reacting to this policy change in a vocal, loud and wide spread manner in travel forums. I believe they will apply reason to the change for those of us who have booked and/or paid for suites for upcoming cruises. I hope I am not wrong.

 

"Bad business" is the best description of this situation It is not a matter of need or how much usage one expects, it is a matter of Princess creating an incentive to purchase their product and then dropping that incentive altogether.

[lesharona]

Now that I think about it, I probably used the internet more to log onto facebook each day and post some pictures from that day's excursion than I

did checking email. If I had been paying for the internet this definitely would've waited until I returned home.

[Sunviking]

You know, I find all of this a bunch of claptrap. Some people book insides and others book suites. If we choose to book a suite for whatever reason, that's our business and no one else's whether it be a once in a lifetime cruise or because we go once a year or because we like a bigger cabin. The reality is that Princess advertised that when booked and paid for a suite we would get unlimited internet. What we want to use it for is no ones business but our own. Perhaps some of you won't agree, but if you purchase a car and you pay in full and you are supposed to get a spare tire or a rebate and the dealer then tells you "No we've changed the rules, you don't get that" perhaps you'd be upset. Well, that's how we feel. We have a cruise booked for 14 months from now (no, we don't go 4 or 5 times a year) and if Princess wants to change the rules before we have paid in full, I understand that and have the option to change my plans accordingly. Like the person who has air, pre-cruise and post-cruise arrangements booked so do we. To change all that w/i the final payment period is costly. I still believe this is a very poor business practice.

[lovevacadays]

You know, I find all of this a bunch of claptrap. Some people book insides and others book suites. If we choose to book a suite for whatever reason, that's our business and no one else's whether it be a once in a lifetime cruise or because we go once a year or because we like a bigger cabin. The reality is that Princess advertised that when booked and paid for a suite we would get unlimited internet. What we want to use it for is no ones business but our own. Perhaps some of you won't agree, but if you purchase a car and you pay in full and you are supposed to get a spare tire or a rebate and the dealer then tells you "No we've changed the rules, you don't get that" perhaps you'd be upset. Well, that's how we feel. We have a cruise booked for 14 months from now (no, we don't go 4 or 5 times a year) and if Princess wants to change the rules before we have paid in full, I understand that and have the option to change my plans accordingly. Like the person who has air, pre-cruise and post-cruise arrangements booked so do we. To change all that w/i the final payment period is costly. I still believe this is a very poor business practice.

 

Well said, Ann. I agree with you. However, I hope you still sail the Royal TA as I would like to meet you.:)

[sunsetbeachgal]

Ann,

 

I am just reading along with this thread..I have never booked a suite, so while it does not affect me, I hate to see benefits cut completely as this is. Not good business.

 

Ann, I just wAnted to say what an adorable schnauzer avatar photo you have. I have a black male schnauzer with floppy ears, And wanted to let you know how cute the photo of yours is!

[rdsqrl]

I seem to recall some of the people expressing outrage over this move were pretty darned dismissive when I and others complained about the significant OBC cuts with FCC purchases. So, from the one-hand-washes-another department, I don't care enough about this cut to take to the ramparts with you suite peeps over this change. Maybe next time something gets cut that is no skin off your nose because you always book suites/always book long trips/don't need the OBC because you have 50 gazillion other sources of OBC, you'll be a little more supportive.

 

I will say that those who hold paid in full suite bookings should get their unlimited internet as promised. That's my two cents. Your gripe-fest can now continue . . .

[Sunviking]

Ann,

 

I am just reading along with this thread..I have never booked a suite, so while it does not affect me, I hate to see benefits cut completely as this is. Not good business.

 

Ann, I just wAnted to say what an adorable schnauzer avatar photo you have. I have a black male schnauzer with floppy ears, And wanted to let you know how cute the photo of yours is!

 

Thank you. My avatar is my late mini-schnauzer Lili. Since then we have added a standard Schnauzer to our family (Emma Rush). We are totally nuts about our dog and she rules our house. We should have named her Princess Emma :)

[Sunviking]

I seem to recall some of the people expressing outrage over this move were pretty darned dismissive when I and others complained about the significant OBC cuts with FCC purchases. So, from the one-hand-washes-another department, I don't care enough about this cut to take to the ramparts with you suite peeps over this change. Maybe next time something gets cut that is no skin off your nose because you always book suites/always book long trips/don't need the OBC because you have 50 gazillion other sources of OBC, you'll be a little more supportive.

 

I will say that those who hold paid in full suite bookings should get their unlimited internet as promised. That's my two cents. Your gripe-fest can now continue . . .

 

I voiced no opinion about that; in fact I don't remember seeing it. For me at least the issue is having paid in full and sailing what is now less than 5 days from now.

[Whimsy]

We have thought about splurging on a suite for a future cruise. We usually book our cruises as soon as they release the schedules to get the location we like. if I passed on a coveted mini suite for a full suite with perks promised I would expect them to be honored, whether final payment has passed or not. Having the option to cancel without penalty would just not cut it for me, what rooms would I have left to choose? What if final payment was due next week and the cruise was sold out?

 

I think if people booked in good faith with those amenities offer they should be honored. Princess can change whatever they want for FUTURE bookings but I do think they should honor their advertisment for the existing bookings. Perhaps this was rolled out in haste and they will amend the policy for existing bookings.

[TheBestIsYetToCome]

Based on my time as a consultant there, it was my impression that this was not a high profit service for Princess. I'm not saying they don't make any money off it, but compared to coffee, etc its not up there.

 

The original concept was that the ship needed satellite access and the passenger usage fees would defray the costs of that service. As the number of passengers with devices grows, the amount of data increases exponentially thus cutting into the profits.

 

Using some rough numbers based on a quick google search, lets say it costs Princess $.25 per MB of data (I found rates as high as $1.25 per mb or more, but that would be the equivalent of small user retail). A few years ago, 1 MB would have covered a lot of data relatively speaking. Now, its not uncommon for one web page to use that, more if there are graphics and animations, etc. And to view 2 web pages in a minute is pretty reasonable. So that means the cost for data could easily be $.50 per minute or more counting overhead. We won't even discuss the costs where VOIP is not blocked.

 

Where Princess makes the money is when someone is logged in but not actively using data.

 

Applying this to the situation at hand. If internet is unlimited, there is no incentive for the user to log off and thus quite a bit of incidental data can be used even if something like IM was left on - or antivirus updates, etc. That can lead to substantial costs. I'll use an example someone mentioned above, they expected to be on 60-90 minutes per day on their unlimited internet. Using a rate of even $.10/MB which I think is low and estimating 2 MB per minute, also low, of actual data usage, you would be looking at a cost per day of just providing data of $12-$18. That's a pretty hefty cost for a perk.

 

In a nutshell, internet is probably not a huge profit center, and its possible in cases where the system is overloaded could be a net cost item on some runs.

 

I am willing to bet a decent sum of money that Princess analyzed the usage of suite customers and determined the cost was exceeding the perceived benefit, thus they cut it and replaced it with lower cost perks so as to avoid raising prices to compensate. That's reasonable as far as future cruises.

 

As I noted, those persons who have booked and paid for suites (not upgrades!) should either be grandfathered or at least offered a reasonable amount of time complimentary.

 

Auto log-out after x number of idle minutes would solve that problem, no?

[Pam in CA]

Auto log-out after x number of idle minutes would solve that problem, no?

HAL has had this for a couple of years. I think it 2-3 minutes and you're automatically logged out. I think I read that Princess has implemented this as well.

 

The best thing to do is to use a mail service that allows you to download your mail, sign off, respond, sign on and send. Even with slow Internet, I use maybe a total of five minutes.

 

One thing I noticed on the Star in March is that the summary after you've logged out shows data usage in addition to minutes used. The summary has also been changed to include a list of all of your sessions with start and end times rather than just a total of minutes used and minutes left.

[caribill]

I think it's a matter of timing. The crew usually use the Internet when passengers are either asleep or off the ship. They are working except for a few hours off during the day from early morning until late at night. Just saying... as I think this makes a difference. If passengers use the Internet at midnight or 6:00am, for example, the Internet is pretty good.

 

Agree.

 

When I used the internet at 2 AM on a cruise recently it was almost as fast as at home.

[azbirdmom]

This is just a poor business decision. Why cut benefits to folks who are paying the most, especially when the fares for suites don't go on sale like they do for other categories. Heck, airlines are notorious for nickel and diming and they don't even do things like this to paying first class customers. I agree that Princess should make good on the perks that were advertised for booked cruises. If they want to cheapen the suite experience, they should do so for future cruises. How can anyone be sure that they will ever get what they paid for when Princess sets a precedent like this where they can change the rules at any time. They certainly made it less special and less worth the premium to book a suite.

[caribill]

Using some rough numbers based on a quick google search, lets say it costs Princess $.25 per MB of data (I found rates as high as $1.25 per mb or more, but that would be the equivalent of small user retail). A few years ago, 1 MB would have covered a lot of data relatively speaking. Now, its not uncommon for one web page to use that, more if there are graphics and animations, etc. And to view 2 web pages in a minute is pretty reasonable. So that means the cost for data could easily be $.50 per minute or more counting overhead.

 

On my recent Princess 16 day cruise I used 252 minutes (many of which were spent just waiting for something to happen), less than 16 minutes a day. The Megabyte usage was 142.24

 

I am not sure what that 142.24 MB cost Princess.

[Coral]

I seem to recall some of the people expressing outrage over this move were pretty darned dismissive when I and others complained about the significant OBC cuts with FCC purchases. So, from the one-hand-washes-another department, I don't care enough about this cut to take to the ramparts with you suite peeps over this change. Maybe next time something gets cut that is no skin off your nose because you always book suites/always book long trips/don't need the OBC because you have 50 gazillion other sources of OBC, you'll be a little more supportive.

 

I will say that those who hold paid in full suite bookings should get their unlimited internet as promised. That's my two cents. Your gripe-fest can now continue . . .

 

I think we all have different parts of cruising that are important to us and affect us and for every thing that one group finds important, others do not and vice versa.

 

For you, it was the change in OBC and FCC. I personally was disappointed when they removed lunch on port days in the dining room. For those who book suites, it is internet. Others, it is the coffee card. I understand all of these concerns, even if they don't affect me. It is a decline of services that Princess provided and no longer does. It degrades the Princess product IMO.

[caribill]

Auto log-out after x number of idle minutes would solve that problem, no?

 

Yes, if there was truly idle minutes.

 

But, for example, if the computer is still connected and your E-mail is checking once a minute for new messages, then it will never auto log-out as there is activity.

 

If you close the cover and the computer goes to sleep, then it is idle and auto log-out will occur.

[Caribensun]

As a suite passenger, we book a suite for the perks as well as the space. We do not even use close to 250 minutes on a 14 day cruise and most minutes work related and live postings on CC and researching a new booking to book onboard. Princess internet packages in my opinion a better value than other lines. I will miss the slippers the most if not provided and the glass of champagne on embarkation? The perks that come with the suite are nice, but the space, jacuzzi tub, balcony & balcony furniture cannot be beat.

As long as they do not take away in room dining. There is more to cruising than the internet.

[caribill]

Great ideas from Princess this year:

 

a) Staggered boarding

b) No longer permit online booking of shore excursions for people traveling with you who are in a different cabin from yours

c) Eliminate ports from cruise itineraries for "operational reasons" (dropping ports to add a sea day from itineraies in the Greek Islands, other Med cruises, Gulf of Mexico out of Galveston)

d) Eliminate what many suite passengers consider one of the best perks for spending so much for a cabin

[rbyrd2531]

we are only booked in a mini suite for our first Princess cruise so it doesn't affect us...very sorry the people who booked this as advertised are losing a perk that was promised.(I would be upset as well)

 

Perhaps the company will use any money they save doing this updating the ships with technology to make tender ports more accessible to wheelchair passengers!

[DubbyLee]

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

 

Same here. We got an upgrade in May for free to a suite and loved it so much we upgraded ourselves 2 weeks ago for our 2013 cruise. Now we find out they took away free internet? Not the end of the world (we're Platinum so we get some free minutes) but it certainly isn't what we expected when we booked our trip.

I think if it's already booked we should still get it but that's just my opinion.