Princess gratuities and Wi-Fi costs

[arxcards]

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Ah, you were on Majestic. 

An earlier post mentioned Enchanted Princess. I wonder if it was the maiden sailing, as these cruises can have their own issues.

[OzKiwiJJ]

33 minutes ago, arxcards said:

Absolutely, It is a Crooners staple, and I have enjoyed on every Princess ship so far. They sell so many, so it is hard to imagine they would ditch it. Milky Way martini used to be made with Grey Goose, so I hope they haven't economised.

On the 2019 drinks list it was Absolut Elyx.

[arxcards]

10 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

On the 2019 drinks list it was Absolut Elyx.

I hope it still familiar.

 

I still make it with Grey Goose at home

[OzKiwiJJ]

6 minutes ago, arxcards said:

I hope it still familiar.

 

I still make it with Grey Goose at home

The other liqueurs overpower the vodka anyway. 

[BRANDEE]

14 hours ago, arxcards said:

An earlier post mentioned Enchanted Princess. I wonder if it was the maiden sailing, as these cruises can have their own issues.

We were not on the Enchanted's maiden voyage, just her maiden year.  (White medallions for all)  She has been sailing since November 10th.

Sadly, my brother"s cabin, next to ours, had a water pipe leak in the middle of the cruise and he had to get a new cabin.  We got some residual leakage a few days later and was given the choice to change, but loved our location too much too move.  As a sorry for your inconvenience we got OBC for our next voyage, plus a specialty dinner. On disembarkation day they were already taking down our entire ceiling to redo insulation of pipes. (Felt like home..lol) 

I sailed the Regal's second voyage and had air conditioning problems the whole time,  maiden voyages are not something I look for,  Actually the Enchanted should have been sailing over a year without the covid break.

[BRANDEE]

13 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

The other liqueurs overpower the vodka anyway. 

Discovered the Expresso Martini creamy and over the rocks with Tito's.  Found it smoother than Absolute.  There was every kind of vodka available.  Also a lovely amount of tequilas!!

[arxcards]

11 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

Discovered the Expresso Martini creamy and over the rocks with Tito's.  Found it smoother than Absolute.  There was every kind of vodka available.  Also a lovely amount of tequilas!!

I am wondering how that works with the drinks package. On some lines, if you want to change an ingredient, they charge it by a sum of its parts which puts the price above the package limit.

 

Yes, vodka isn't about flavour, but other sensations in your taste buds. A vodka with a dry or icy finish works best if you like Martinis. I have pretty much sworn myself off tequila for life though.

 

A thin layer of pouring cream floated on an espresso Martini is sensational BTW

[NSWP]

1 hour ago, arxcards said:

I am wondering how that works with the drinks package. On some lines, if you want to change an ingredient, they charge it by a sum of its parts which puts the price above the package limit.

 

Yes, vodka isn't about flavour, but other sensations in your taste buds. A vodka with a dry or icy finish works best if you like Martinis. I have pretty much sworn myself off tequila for life though.

 

A thin layer of pouring cream floated on an espresso Martini is sensational BTW

My golf club...Club Catalina has espresso martini on tap (draught)  comes in small kegs they told me. Finished off with a thin layer of cream, lubbly jubbly for $10.

 

Edited April 7, 2022 by NSWP

[BRANDEE]

5 hours ago, arxcards said:

I am wondering how that works with the drinks package. On some lines, if you want to change an ingredient, they charge it by a sum of its parts which puts the price above the package limit.

 

Yes, vodka isn't about flavour, but other sensations in your taste buds. A vodka with a dry or icy finish works best if you like Martinis. I have pretty much sworn myself off tequila for life though.

 

A thin layer of pouring cream floated on an espresso Martini is sensational BTW

The drink package was a total of 15 alcoholic drinks per day per person. 

You could change ingredients if you wanted, however, if you picked a brand that was super premium you paid the difference over $12 charge.  Example ..Johnny Walker Blue

We would ask for a double shot in a drink and it counted as two drinks.  The same for a double glass of wine or double Bailey's over ice.  Just make sure the waiter knows you are on drink package, so he clicks two drinks and not a double that will be over $12.   

There was a wine that my husband ordered and there was a $1.10 charge on our account because it was a particular brand. The waiter informed my husband regarding the upcharge before bringing it. 

In 20 days only two drinks were over $12, both were a Chianti in Sabatinis. 

Also, I suggest that you check your account every day (on your app) to make sure you are not being charged for something you should not.  Twice we had charges taken off with no problem (drinks).

We tried almost every bar on board and ended up at Bellini's as our favorite hangout. We actually got mixology lessons from Maggie the bartender. Maybe being a "regular" at the Bellini bar also had the bartender trying different brands in our drinks to see what we liked best.  

Specialty coffees, Perrier water and soda were unlimited, but gelato is no longer part of the package.

 

I was drinking the Expresso Martini (bartender always got fresh expresso from the restaurant) with a dash of cream and then one time tried it over ice..Even better for me.  But I tried so many new drinks on this cruise. I slept like a baby every night..perhaps a double Amaretto on the rocks helped?

[OzKiwiJJ]

Bellini bar cocktails are lethal! I remember trying them on Royal. 🤣

[arxcards]

3 hours ago, BRANDEE said:

The drink package was a total of 15 alcoholic drinks per day per person. 

You could change ingredients if you wanted, however, if you picked a brand that was super premium you paid the difference over $12 charge.  Example ..Johnny Walker Blue

We would ask for a double shot in a drink and it counted as two drinks.  The same for a double glass of wine or double Bailey's over ice.  Just make sure the waiter knows you are on drink package, so he clicks two drinks and not a double that will be over $12.   

I guess I got used to P&O drink packages, which were pretty much limited to menu cocktails or your standard spirit + soda, beer, wine. I prefer Southern Comfort to bourbon, so when you see a JD old fashioned on the menu, you would think you could sub that for SC. No, an extra $4, so outside the price range and you pay for the whole drink with them if over the cap. He said he couldn't even just pour it and charge the same price, as their bottles are all monitored to make sure they match the sales.

[BRANDEE]

8 hours ago, arxcards said:

I guess I got used to P&O drink packages, which were pretty much limited to menu cocktails or your standard spirit + soda, beer, wine. I prefer Southern Comfort to bourbon, so when you see a JD old fashioned on the menu, you would think you could sub that for SC. No, an extra $4, so outside the price range and you pay for the whole drink with them if over the cap. He said he couldn't even just pour it and charge the same price, as their bottles are all monitored to make sure they match the sales.

I thought the Princess drink package was pretty good.  My brother did order his old fashions with southern comfort.  Charging only the extra on an upscale liquor is pretty fair. There were some people who thought a 15 alcoholic drink pp per day was wrong and that it should have been unlimited.  Yikes!! 

[arxcards]

9 hours ago, BRANDEE said:

There were some people who thought a 15 alcoholic drink pp per day was wrong and that it should have been unlimited.  Yikes!! 

It used to be when they first came out.