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Premier Beverage Package

Colo Cruiser

By Colo Cruiser,
in Princess Cruises

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I called Princess today; we have the 2016 Sip and Sail for our Cruise this November; they stated that we are under the old AIBP rules. This will be on the Grand November 13-28, 2017....

 

thanks for this information. I will be emailing Princess customer relations. If they are going to honor the 2016 Sip and Sip promotion then they need to make it that those of us who paid for the AIBP get the old rules.

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memoak

memoak

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I got just the opposite information from my Princess rep - she stated that all packages paid for or under sip and sail regardless of when it was ordered (we have a December cruise this year from the 2016 sip and sail) would revert to the terms and conditions of the new program

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cherylandtk

cherylandtk

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I cannot see how any Princess ship would be able to operate two different beverage package programs based upon purchase date. They have enough difficulty correctly operating one, much less two different sets of rules and prices. I have to say I think the CSR jwattle spoke to was (sadly) making it up as she went along.

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I got just the opposite information from my Princess rep - she stated that all packages paid for or under sip and sail regardless of when it was ordered (we have a December cruise this year from the 2016 sip and sail) would revert to the terms and conditions of the new program

 

I just hung with them and this is what I was told. I have emailed customer relations so we will see what they say.

 

I love the Sip & Sale promotion and have booked under it in the past. But if they are going to make exceptions for someone booked under that on a 2017 sailing then they need to do the same thing for anyone who actually purchased the package.

 

I know they had the verbiage that changes could be made, but it still kind of has that "bait and switch" feeling to it when you pay for something that is one package and then you make so many changes to it. I didn't purchase the Premier Beverage Package, I purchased the All Inclusive Beverage Package and that included things like canned soda. (Now I don't drink much soda, just using that as an example because I hate fountain soda.) That's just my opinion though I'm sure many won't agree with it.

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kb4683

kb4683

Posted
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I thought the same thing and next month will discover if the wine packages prices have also increased. :(

 

Please report back. We board Pacific Princess in late November for B2B.

 

Hopefully if they raise the wine package prices (as well as bottle prices I'm sure), they will also raise the "covers bottles up to" limit.

A passenger on the Royal's current cruise posted on my cruise's roll call that about 25% of the ship's wine selections are out of stock. And that it might not be replenished until the ship arrives in Ft Lauderdale in early November. :mad:

 

Now that would xxxx me off!

 

If they decide to increase the prices for a reduced selection of wine then we'll probably not purchase a wine package which we've done whenever it's been available.

 

Same here! Boarding first leg in Venice and know a great wine shop near our pre-cruise hotel in Tessera so we may just have to carry on a case :D. Second leg starts in Civitavecchia and, again, know an enoteca to reload at ;p.[/quote]

 

Next question is -- will they increase the corkage fee?

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jasbo49

jasbo49

Posted
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FWIW, our next two cruises show the increase in "the package," but no increase in bottles ordered to the stateroom. So it doesn't necessarily mean all alcohol prices have increased.

 

Overall, I think it's a terrible idea. It was already more than I would pay; now it's way more than I would pay. For those who've always said Princess is making money hand over fist with the AIBP, should we reassess? I don't think they would have piled on such a huge increase (isn't this somewhere around 15%? I'm too old and tired to do math) if things were peachy.

 

Jim

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beg3yrs

beg3yrs

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...

Overall, I think it's a terrible idea. It was already more than I would pay; now it's way more than I would pay. For those who've always said Princess is making money hand over fist with the AIBP, should we reassess? I don't think they would have piled on such a huge increase (isn't this somewhere around 15%? I'm too old and tired to do math) if things were peachy.

 

Jim

 

It could be they're finding the optimal price point for supply and demand. With a lot of demand at the old price they increase the price and even though overall quantities go down, profits go up.

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Thrak

Thrak

Posted
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Guess I didn't scroll down far enough before today. Regardless, I'm just glad that I found rum that I can order for delivery to the cabin.

 

Ye shuld hve ordered yer rhum ystidy matey as September 19 is always Talk Like A Pirate Day. Arrrghh...

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Thrak

Thrak

Posted
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I called Princess today; we have the 2016 Sip and Sail for our Cruise this November; they stated that we are under the old AIBP rules. This will be on the Grand November 13-28, 2017....

 

Actually that would suck hard as well. We would be limited to $10 drinks and they are raising the price of drinks. Other than the wine discount how would I be ahead???

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beg3yrs

beg3yrs

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Actually that would suck hard as well. We would be limited to $10 drinks and they are raising the price of drinks. Other than the wine discount how would I be ahead???

 

My thoughts exactly. With AIBP I found wine by the glass to be much more reasonable, especially if the ship had a Vines. For my experience the wine bottle discount wasn't that big of a deal. I suppose if you absolutely have to have a specific bottle, the reduced discount hurts more.

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Thrak

Thrak

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My thoughts exactly. With AIBP I found wine by the glass to be much more reasonable, especially if the ship had a Vines. For my experience the wine bottle discount wasn't that big of a deal. I suppose if you absolutely have to have a specific bottle, the reduced discount hurts more.

 

Boarding the 8th for 28 days on Emerald. I "might" have bought a bottle of wine under the old deal but definitely won't under the new deal. We will get glasses of wine at Vines and take them to dinner. Much better selection there anyway. We have two cruises booked under the 2016 Sip and Sail and two (one broken into two segments) under the 2017 Sip and Sail. I'm sure it will work out fine somehow.

 

I wonder if all drink prices will go up across the board or if some venues (specifically the Whiskey Bar) will remain the same. If that one doesn't change the new pricing with the package may include some items that were above the limit previously.

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Thrak

Thrak

Posted
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I guess Carnival Corp has to regain the losses from the hurricanes this year

 

Or maybe they want to recover the losses from all the buttheads who share the AIBP or who take the liquor to their cabin and fill water bottles to take it home. (That thread still boggles me...)

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beg3yrs

beg3yrs

Posted
Posted
Boarding the 8th for 28 days on Emerald. I "might" have bought a bottle of wine under the old deal but definitely won't under the new deal. We will get glasses of wine at Vines and take them to dinner. Much better selection there anyway. We have two cruises booked under the 2016 Sip and Sail and two (one broken into two segments) under the 2017 Sip and Sail. I'm sure it will work out fine somehow.

 

I wonder if all drink prices will go up across the board or if some venues (specifically the Whiskey Bar) will remain the same. If that one doesn't change the new pricing with the package may include some items that were above the limit previously.

 

We're birds of a feather here. We did purchase a bottle or two under the old program but found that taking a glass from Vines worked better for us. And, yes, if the whisky doesn't go up, the $12 price point will definitely allow more options.

 

I hope we cross paths some cruise. Could make an interesting evening or three.

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Astro Flyer

Astro Flyer

Posted
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I thought the same thing and next month will discover if the wine packages prices have also increased. :(

 

Please report back. We board Pacific Princess in late November for B2B.

 

Hopefully if they raise the wine package prices (as well as bottle prices I'm sure), they will also raise the "covers bottles up to" limit.

A passenger on the Royal's current cruise posted on my cruise's roll call that about 25% of the ship's wine selections are out of stock. And that it might not be replenished until the ship arrives in Ft Lauderdale in early November. :mad:

 

Now that would xxxx me off!

 

If they decide to increase the prices for a reduced selection of wine then we'll probably not purchase a wine package which we've done whenever it's been available.

 

Same here! Boarding first leg in Venice and know a great wine shop near our pre-cruise hotel in Tessera so we may just have to carry on a case :D. Second leg starts in Civitavecchia and, again, know an enoteca to reload at ;p.[/quote]

 

Next question is -- will they increase the corkage fee?

I'll report back but would create a new thread with the information.

 

I don't know where your Civitavecchia enoteca is located but we've purchased our wine several times at the Elite Supermercati (Via C. Calisse, 61/61a/61b/65a) which had good selection & prices and is about a 1/2 mile walk from the port's entrance by the old fort.

 

http://www.superelite.it/punti-vendita/item/19-civitavecchia-via-c-calisse-61-61a-61b-65a.html

 

Hopefully corkage remains at $15 and drink gratuity at 15%.

 

We usually get the Gold package with wines near or slightly above the $45 limit. Several of those are out of stock so we may purchase the less expensive Silver package instead.

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Josie2

Josie2

Posted
Posted
I cannot see how any Princess ship would be able to operate two different beverage package programs based upon purchase date. They have enough difficulty correctly operating one, much less two different sets of rules and prices. I have to say I think the CSR jwattle spoke to was (sadly) making it up as she went along.

 

 

 

I thought the same thing. A bartender on board is not going to be tasked to ask guests when or how they purchased their package. I also am hopeful that once the bars all start running out of 500 ml bottles of water they'll substitute with 1l bottles.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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