Revamped Tier Levels Coming Soon

[caribill]

6 hours ago, racj846 said:

Are prices for a single device for just one device only for the entire cruise, or only one device at anyone time for the duration of the cruise.  i.e I use my tablet for x minutes, then sign off and DW uses hers for a longer period of time! 

 

One device at a time for the entire cruise.

 

So if you share, one package is all you need.

[caribill]

8 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

What? Seriously? We have a few suites booked for next year and were definitely looking forward to the steak house on the first night! Basically, none of the perks are valuable in a suite for an elite cruiser, then?

 

 

History of the free specialty meal on the first evening for full suite passengers: It was first offered to offset the loss of free unlimited internet for full suite passengers which included a computer in the suite.

 

 

8 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

Already get mini-bar, laundry, priority for being elite. What is the point of booking the suite?

 

A second mini-bar.

 

Of course, if you book Princess plus pricing, you do not need either of the two mini-bars except for the convenience factor.

[caribill]

18 hours ago, 4cats4me said:

The cost for me was 49.99@ 50% off, forfeiting all my elite minutes for a 7-day cruise on the Royal in April 2019, and 59.99 for a 10-day cruise in Oct 2019, same ship.  

These were pre-tax prices.  

 

When packages of minutes were offered, the cost of 150 minutes was about 40 cents/minute making it a benefit worth about $60.

 

So for 7 days now, the pre-cruise price for everyone for unlimited is $60 (assuming pre-pandemic pricing). Getting 50% off that makes the old benefit of $60 now worth $30.

[caribill]

6 hours ago, Thrak said:

I keep wondering about the folks who quote the "extra" cost of Princess Plus and then give the entire cost of the thing. They always seem to "forget" that it includes the gratuities (now called, of course, Crew Incentive). 

 

Many people used non-refundable OBC to pay for the gratuities. By convincing people to pay the extra for Princess Plus, Princess narrows the uses for non-refundable OBC, especially for those who do not take Princess shore excursions. Don't need it to pay for Internet or beverages that are also part of Princess Plus.

[caribill]

6 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Each Arrival Group will have a segregation as Elites and Suites will have top priority check-in, and Platinums get in there too I guess. 

 

If it is as in the past, that only means different check-in lines for Platinum/Elite/Suites.

 

Big deal. On many cruises those who are PES far outnumber those who are not. The check-in line for non PES will move faster than the PES line, so many non-PES will get to board before many of the PES folk.

[caribill]

2 hours ago, Daniel A said:

The new CC benefits statement says at Platinum, priority boarding is one of the bennies.  If you're Elite, those bennies grandfather over to you.  How all this will work with stricter boarding times is anybody's guess.

 

Priority boarding only was meaningful for those who checked in before boarding started.

 

Then, as now, anyone arriving after the early arrivals have boarded will go straight to the ship after checking in. It was not a benefit for later arrivals before and it will not be a benefit now.

[caribill]

2 hours ago, azbirdmom said:

 

The suite internet has been gone for years.  In fact, we were holding a suite reservation and we were on the cusp of being Platinum when they made that decision.  I wrote to Customer Relations and got them to give us the free minutes for that booking.  But yes, I agree the elimination of the Platinum / Elite perk is a big loss to many. 

 

That jogged my memory.

 

The Internet benefit for Platinum and Elite used to be unlimited minutes for the entire cruise.

 

Then they went to only a free number of minutes.

 

Now they are going to you pay actual cash for Internet time.

 

What a trend in enhancing benefits for loyal cruisers!

[4cats4me]

Maybe Princess should have removed the free internet minutes from Platinums but left the free minutes intact for Elites?   

 

Re: To those who are thinking of going to Celebrity or a different cruise line, Celebrity is a wonderful line, but there was a major overhaul with their pricing structure a few years back, cuts from Loyalty program, et cet, 

they removed the foot stools from the Aqua Class balconies, Concierge, et cet, 

and many people were extremely unhappy, enough to leave the cruise line. 

The grass is not always greener.

 

 

[Coral]

23 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

That jogged my memory.

 

The Internet benefit for Platinum and Elite used to be unlimited minutes for the entire cruise.

 

Then they went to only a free number of minutes.

 

Now they are going to you pay actual cash for Internet time.

 

What a trend in enhancing benefits for loyal cruisers!

Yes - it used to be unlimited. They claimed it was a change in computer systems that required the change to minutes and that something like 95% of passengers used what they were going to give to Platinum/Elite passengers so only a few individuals would be inconvenienced.

[memoak]

The reason unlimited internet went away was all the people gaming for hours on end. I would go to the Internet cafe and find 5 teenagers gaming at 2 am

[Thrak]

2 minutes ago, memoak said:

The reason unlimited internet went away was all the people gaming for hours on end. I would go to the Internet cafe and find 5 teenagers gaming at 2 am

 

What a shock... The few spoiling things for the many.

[caribill]

6 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Math says it leaves ~$20 for drinks.

 

With 50% off Internet, I am in same place or need to spend even more on drinks to justify Plus.  We can get the 4-device package and share with friends when we cruise together.  That's going to be less than $5/pp/day now (assuming internet prices don't go up).

 

 

That brings up a question in my mind.

 

The Internet benefit is means for those who have reached Platinum and Elite status.

 

When the benefit was free minutes, if one person in the cabin was Platinum and the other Ruby, then only one of the two people would get the free minutes.

 

So, is this new benefit limited to the eligible person(s) only able to get the discount on the single device package?  Or will it also apply to the four device package that you would like to purchase at half price?

[caribill]

38 minutes ago, Coral said:

Yes - it used to be unlimited. They claimed it was a change in computer systems that required the change to minutes and that something like 95% of passengers used what they were going to give to Platinum/Elite passengers so only a few individuals would be inconvenienced.

 

I think the reason unlimited went away was the invention of the personal digital device (lap top, smart phone).

 

When it was unlimited, nobody had a personal device. The unlimited minutes was just for those using them in the Internet Cafe which had maybe a dozen computers and those in full suites.

 

By the time they switched to minutes as a perk, anyone on board could have an Internet capable personal device, so potential users at the same time went from under 50 to the entire passenger list (plus crew not on duty) although many of them would have to pay for using the minutes.

 

The technology for Internet usage at that time could not handle all that potential traffic. (Think of all the complaints the last several years about how slow the Internet was. What could be real fast for the user at 1 AM was a total drag at 5 PM.)

 

Now that the technology has advanced to much higher bandwidth, a large number of those on board can be using the Internet at the same time and have a reasonable response time, at least if not cruising at the latitudes which do not have the appropriate satellites above.

[Coral]

4 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

I think the reason unlimited went away was the invention of the personal digital device (lap top, smart phone).

 

When it was unlimited, nobody had a personal device. The unlimited minutes was just for those using them in the Internet Cafe which had maybe a dozen computers and those in full suites.

 

I was just stating what Princess said when they made the change.

[caribill]

58 minutes ago, Coral said:

Yes - it used to be unlimited. They claimed it was a change in computer systems that required the change to minutes and that something like 95% of passengers used what they were going to give to Platinum/Elite passengers so only a few individuals would be inconvenienced.

 

So if that percentage still applies, then 95% of passengers will now be paying (via Princess Plus or purchasing a package) for what was sufficient for free.

[suzyed]

10 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

What? Seriously? We have a few suites booked for next year and were definitely looking forward to the steak house on the first night! Basically, none of the perks are valuable in a suite for an elite cruiser, then? Already get mini-bar, laundry, priority for being elite. What is the point of booking the suite?

Well, to my mind a free specialty dinner on the first night is not enough of a perk to book a suite.

[ceilidh1]

8 minutes ago, suzyed said:

Well, to my mind a free specialty dinner on the first night is not enough of a perk to book a suite.

Me either...I was simply pointing out that, without the specialty dinner, there are no "perks" for an elite in a suite as you would basically get the exact same perks in an interior (one mini bar as opposed to two, but if you have the drink package anyways that's not an issue). So, if you are elite, the "suite benefits" are not benefits...

[suzyed]

Just now, ceilidh1 said:

Me either...I was simply pointing out that, without the specialty dinner, there are no "perks" for an elite in a suite as you would basically get the exact same perks in an interior (one mini bar as opposed to two, but if you have the drink package anyways that's not an issue). So, if you are elite, the "suite benefits" are not benefits...

But don't you get breakfast in Sabatini's and club class dining?

[ceilidh1]

8 minutes ago, suzyed said:

But don't you get breakfast in Sabatini's and club class dining?

True...but a club class mini gets the club class dining. The Sabatini's breakfast isn't that much different to regular dining room breakfast, except you get mimosas...or maybe that's because my breakfast choices are pretty simple. Maybe it's a different menu? I don't remember....it feels like forever since we last cruised. Lol. My next 4 bookings on Princess are all suites, so I guess we will find out!

[cr8tiv1]

26 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

True...but a club class mini gets the club class dining. The Sabatini's breakfast isn't that much different to regular dining room breakfast, except you get mimosas...or maybe that's because my breakfast choices are pretty simple. Maybe it's a different menu? I don't remember....it feels like forever since we last cruised. Lol. My next 4 bookings on Princess are all suites, so I guess we will find out!

 

Suite Breakfast is a very different menu.  Plus, if the head waiter is nice, you can ask for additions like cowboy steak when they offer it in the MDR, avocado/crab omelet, salsa...etc.  Yes, you do get the mimosas, but other cafe coffee drinks.  Breakfast almost anyway you want it.  In addition, it is less noisy and the service is outstanding.

[Ombud]

I think what gets me the most about these changes is that elites have to pay something to get something. So if I don't buy merchandise, go on their excursions, have a picture taken, or visit the spa there's no benefit to me.

 

I was kind of hoping that there would be an additional tier post-pandemic. Not that any existing tier would be downgraded but something for those who even top out of loyalty OBC. Yes, I know those with most cruises get a luncheon. But is that it? 

[dog]

4 minutes ago, Ombud said:

I think what gets me the most about these changes is that elites have to pay something to get something. So if I don't buy merchandise, go on their excursions, have a picture taken, or visit the spa there's no benefit to me.

 

I was kind of hoping that there would be an additional tier post-pandemic. Not that any existing tier would be downgraded but something for those who even top out of loyalty OBC. Yes, I know those with most cruises get a luncheon. But is that it? 

Agree. Many of us look at it this way. 
post pandemic - reward most loyal passengers by stripping away benefit (S) does not show their loyalty to us 

 

discounts have come with the coupon book we have received in the past. 
 

 

a stingy move 

[pms4104]

7 minutes ago, Ombud said:

I think what gets me the most about these changes is that elites have to pay something to get something. So if I don't buy merchandise, go on their excursions, have a picture taken, or visit the spa there's no benefit to me.

 

I was kind of hoping that there would be an additional tier post-pandemic. Not that any existing tier would be downgraded but something for those who even top out of loyalty OBC. Yes, I know those with most cruises get a luncheon. But is that it? 

And that extra tier would give ...

12-item mini bar, instead of 10?

55% wifi discount?

5% specialty dining discount?

12% shore ex discount?

priority debark off water shuttle?

 

 

 

[Ombud]

5 minutes ago, pms4104 said:

And that extra tier would give ...

12-item mini bar, instead of 10?

55% wifi discount?

5% specialty dining discount?

12% shore ex discount?

priority debark off water shuttle?

Maybe:

Bottle of wine

Flowers in stateroom on embarkation

Additional loyalty OBC tiers

Reinstating internet minutes?

 

Edited July 1, 2021 by Ombud

[SargassoPirate]

I like loyalty perks as much as anybody once I'm on board, but I'm in my 70s and after some 50 cruises on various lines, I book for the itinerary to places I haven't been before and for the price/best value.  I prefer ships with guest laundromats and a full wrap around promenade, and do not need to cruise on an alcohol-fueled country fair disguised as a cruise ship.

 

That being said, if I book a cruise on a line with which I have some loyalty status, I'll enjoy whatever I feel like taking advantage of once I'm on board, but the perks are not the deciding factor and I do not lose sleep over something over which I have no control. 

 

I also suspect that the cruise lines will eliminate costly (to them) niceties under the guise of the pandemic and many of those are gone forever.

 

Just remember, a bad day at sea is better than a good day at the office.