Happy hour on Princess ships

[esanesel]

I sent an email to Princess regarding the BOGO issue. They responded and informed that Happy Hours have been discontinued fleet wide and that we can look forward to new and exciting promotions. Our next sailing is a very long (60 day) cruise to the Pacific Rim and their drink package is certainly out of the question. It's curious how a company that depends on repeat business and works so very hard for a "10" in all categories of the post cruise survey could be so dense about things that are so basic. Happy Hour was a great way to mingle, have fun, meet people and, oh yeah, sell a boatload of drinks. I'm willing to see what they do as an alternative but I was on weeklong cruise in the Mediterranean recently and if they had any new and exciting promotions, I missed them. The genius that came up with the idea to cancel this event should read this thread, admit it was a mistake and come off this ridiculous position. How does it help the company to sell less alcohol. They are surely not losing money on 2 for 1 at about $9 per drink.

[subaru94]

We were on a 28 night cruise on the Sapphire Princess the reason we got told Happy Hour got cancelled was due to the Carnival Ship in Australia that had 28 people taken off ship for bad behaviour. I think this was a bit overkill, our world today, one bad thing and they do a knee jerk reaction, we were told the same thing back in March, I don't think Princess plan to replace it with anything. We used to really enjoy the happy hour too:(

[AlibearNS]

I sent an email to Princess regarding the BOGO issue. They responded and informed that Happy Hours have been discontinued fleet wide and that we can look forward to new and exciting promotions.

 

It's been gone a while now and we're still looking forward to those new and exciting promotions. Why didn't they wait till they had something in place before cancelling it? Crazy.

[Dutchie13]

We just returned from a 10-day Alaska cruise on the Grand (sailing July 15th) and there was a happy hour BOGO for $1 every night at 10pm in the wheelhouse bar. They also had the same offer occasionally, for wine only in the Princess theatre before the start of a show.

[mickrory]

If there's no evening happy hour on our next cruise we'll just go to watch MUTS instead.

 

Sent from my CUBOT MAGIC using Forums mobile app

[cub77cub]

Yes, you can!

 

Well what if I bought 4 bottles of wine and only paid $8.50 per bottle then when we arrived at check-in for the ship I paid the $15 per bottle corkage. That's only $23.00 per bottle. A lot less than what the ship charges. Then I think I can take that Ito the dining room . . . can I?

[DaisyRose]

I think alcohol prices are too high, so I do not drink much on cruises. With lower prices, I would purchase more drinks. I am just off a Holland America cruise, which had a Happy Hour (buy one get a second for $2 and you could share the drinks) every afternoon from 4-5 with a piano player, and they also brought you a plate of interesting snacks. It was really nice, and we went almost every day. Depending on what we ordered, for $10 - $12 (including gratuity) we could both have a drink with snacks and enjoy the music.

[TriumphGuy]

I think alcohol prices are too high, so I do not drink much on cruises. With lower prices, I would purchase more drinks. I am just off a Holland America cruise, which had a Happy Hour (buy one get a second for $2 and you could share the drinks) every afternoon from 4-5 with a piano player, and they also brought you a plate of interesting snacks. It was really nice, and we went almost every day. Depending on what we ordered, for $10 - $12 (including gratuity) we could both have a drink with snacks and enjoy the music.

 

Interesting. Holland America is a Carnival line, as is Princess. So obviously this was a Princess decision. I wonder what prompted it?

Sounds like pure greed to me.

We have a 10 day Caribbean cruise booked for February, we're really going to miss the afternoon BOGO.

[Credit 00]

On our October 2017 28 day cruise on Emerald, Wheelhouse was packed each afternoon and evening during the BOGO. On the 14 day Circle Caribbean cruise we just finished on Caribbean Princess, Wheelhouse was a graveyard pretty much all the time.

 

We went on the following trip to Chile on the same ship, I couldn't work out for the life of me why the Wheelhouse Bar was packed with people between 4-5 PM. I thought at first it was a bunch or retirees emulating their working days :)

 

We are late starters and have often received 2 drinks between 10-11 Pm without actually asking for them. tbh we've never thought about it though I've met staff members who assume that Australians love drinking alcohol like water. Through my experience on the American cruise, it looks like alcohol is digested globally :cool:

[gwhitti]

We were on a 28 night cruise on the Sapphire Princess the reason we got told Happy Hour got cancelled was due to the Carnival Ship in Australia that had 28 people taken off ship for bad behaviour. I think this was a bit overkill, our world today, one bad thing and they do a knee jerk reaction, we were told the same thing back in March, I don't think Princess plan to replace it with anything. We used to really enjoy the happy hour too:(

 

 

It's hard to believe that 1 hour of BOGO is enough time for people to get so drunk and rowdy they would have to be removed from the ship. Maybe Carnival HH is longer than one hour. One would think that the PBP people would drink more since they can drink all day and night to justify the high price of the beverage package.

BOGO +$1 is a great program. Very unhappy to see it go.

[Hlitner]

The business plan has changed. Now, its all about selling the very profitable drink packages and offering Happy Hours works against that goal.

 

Hank

[Bill B]

The business plan has changed. Now, its all about selling the very profitable drink packages and offering Happy Hours works against that goal.

 

Bingo!

[floridalover5623]

The business plan has changed. Now, its all about selling the very profitable drink packages and offering Happy Hours works against that goal.

 

Hank

Neither move works.

The drink package is much to expensive any usually sold with an increase in cruise price, while elimination of the BOGO $1 being gone eliminates many from buying just about any drinks except the occasional cocktail.

[subaru94]

Neither move works.

The drink package is much to expensive any usually sold with an increase in cruise price, while elimination of the BOGO $1 being gone eliminates many from buying just about any drinks except the occasional cocktail.

Yes I agree the drinks package far too expensive, at least with happy hour the Wheelhouse got busy, otherwise it was really dead, and gave a lot of atmosphere. Princess have underestimated I think that people won't buy the package as it is too expensive.

[mickrory]

S68.99 a day is too expensive. Also would spoil the cruise for me because sea days I'd be drinking far too much than what's good for me to justify the expenditure.

We'll be doing our drinking ashore in September, Princess gave got too greedy.

 

Sent from my CUBOT MAGIC using Forums mobile app

[floridalover5623]

Yes I agree the drinks package far too expensive, at least with happy hour the Wheelhouse got busy, otherwise it was really dead, and gave a lot of atmosphere. Princess have underestimated I think that people won't buy the package as it is too expensive.

Although there may well have been some trips where people received the drink package included at no extra cost, every time I compared it being offered the price of the trip was increased to offset it.

[babs135]

Drink prices seem to have gone up on other cruise lines as well not just Princess. Can the bean counters not see the damage higher pricing causes, is less drinks purchased? I can't be the only one who thinks that if the drink is reasonably priced I will have a second one, but if the price is high then I might not even have one.

 

Or am I missing something else altogether?

[voljeep]

how much more expensive are drinks on a cruise ship, say that that of a nice restaurant on land, or a concert even??

[memoak]

Each to his own - for us the price is cheap considering that we will usually have at least 7 drinks a day (glass of wine with lunch, 2 drinks before dinner, 2 glasses of wine with dinner and then a few at least in the casino after dinner) plus at least 2 bottles of water a day and 2 latte's a day

[Yukonjake]

BOGO +$1 was in effect every night in the Wheel House on Emerald last week (7-22 through 7-29).

[LB_NJ]

how much more expensive are drinks on a cruise ship, say that that of a nice restaurant on land, or a concert even??

 

 

well made mixed drinks at a nice bar on land can run $12 - $20

However, my experience with Princess is that they do not know how to make a good mixed drink.

[PensFan1028]

BOGO +$1 was in effect every night in the Wheel House on Emerald last week (7-22 through 7-29).

 

 

That's good news... I've read it's on select ships again as a test. Will be on Royal in December... hope for BOGO +$1

[floridalover5623]

Drink prices seem to have gone up on other cruise lines as well not just Princess. Can the bean counters not see the damage higher pricing causes, is less drinks purchased? I can't be the only one who thinks that if the drink is reasonably priced I will have a second one, but if the price is high then I might not even have one.

 

Or am I missing something else altogether?

That's not to mention that people will bring their own liquor as the prices climb even higher.

There's only so much they can squeeze out of the public before they fight back.

[Casco Bay Kid]

Yeah No BOGO and high prices has forced us to smuggle our own booze on. Oh well. Saves us some money.

[Funkat]

That's good news... I've read it's on select ships again as a test. Will be on Royal in December... hope for BOGO +$1

 

We will be on the Royal in January, Please report back if the BOGO+$1 was offered on your December sailing.