Princess Cruises introduces all-inclusive Premier Package

[suzyed]

10 hours ago, Phantom of the Seas said:

Cash.......also tip at the end of cruise (waitstaff, cabin attendant)...I always tip $1-$2 for delivery of drinks for the 2 of us......

We also give $2 to room service for breakfast delivery.

[Esprit]

Celebrity cruises have the Classic and Premium drinks packages. We always opted for the Premium one as it included my favourite beer, Peroni. 

I'm hoping on our Regal cruise this summer the Princess Plus package will suffice!

 

[Daniel A]

13 hours ago, Phantom of the Seas said:

Ditto.....changed to Plus in Personalizer......still shows drinks over $12, you pay the difference with 18% tax.....bartenders will lose their $1-$2 tips if Princess increases the drink prices over $12.... just saying

Why would you vent your displeasure at low hanging fruit?  IMHO, those $1-$2 tips make much more of a financial impact on service staff's families than on executives' making $200K+.  If one feels they cannot afford their drink then they shouldn't order it rather than having service staff subsidize your drinking.

[latebloomer56]

This was a long post. After reading through I think we got a good deal when I booked last month for this Oct. 15 day Hawaii trip. We had cancelled our April trip because they wouldn't let us do a rebooking. We did get the same package we are paying 68.00 each for the 15 days. This covers DSC, unlimited WiFi 1 device per person, and Premier Beverage package. I was happy because we always get the coffee and soda package and this was less for everything. He doesn't drink and I have maybe 1-2 daily special drinks. We get a bottle of wine as platinum (not sure if they still do this) most nights I have a glass at dinner.

Now after reading this not sure how high the package will go after June 25th. final payment isn't due until July 6th. Should we pay in June? Anybody know if this will lock in the 68.00 price for this cruise?

TA thinks it will not change, but I have gotten good advice here befkre.

Thanks in advance, have a great day.

[Phantom of the Seas]

2 hours ago, Daniel A said:

Why would you vent your displeasure at low hanging fruit?  IMHO, those $1-$2 tips make much more of a financial impact on service staff's families than on executives' making $200K+.  If one feels they cannot afford their drink then they shouldn't order it rather than having service staff subsidize your drinking.

D

 

[Phantom of the Seas]

Huh...I think we are on the same page.....I always tip for good service...what I’m trying get across is that SOME people will not tip if drink prices over $12.....

[Steelers36]

3 hours ago, latebloomer56 said:

This was a long post. After reading through I think we got a good deal when I booked last month for this Oct. 15 day Hawaii trip. We had cancelled our April trip because they wouldn't let us do a rebooking. We did get the same package we are paying 68.00 each for the 15 days. This covers DSC, unlimited WiFi 1 device per person, and Premier Beverage package. I was happy because we always get the coffee and soda package and this was less for everything. He doesn't drink and I have maybe 1-2 daily special drinks. We get a bottle of wine as platinum (not sure if they still do this) most nights I have a glass at dinner.

Now after reading this not sure how high the package will go after June 25th. final payment isn't due until July 6th. Should we pay in June? Anybody know if this will lock in the 68.00 price for this cruise?

TA thinks it will not change, but I have gotten good advice here before.

Thanks in advance, have a great day.

I am not sure what you are telling us.  Surely you did not get the PLUS fare option for $68 total for 15 days.  But, $68/pp/day is also quite the up-charge from the normal $40/pp/day.  It is possible I suppose if your booking was one of the voyages where Princess dropped the SAVER fare to gain more sales and left the PLUS alone.  I don't understand how anyone would see value in the PLUS package at $68/pp/day.  So, something doesn't add up here. 

 

You don't get a bottle of wine for being Platinum level or higher in Captain's Circle.  Not sure where that comes from as I don't believe that was ever a perk. 

 

Your fare is locked in as you booked and made a deposit.  You can wait until final payment.

 

You are not getting the new Premier package.  You will be getting the Plus drink package which is the new name for the old Premier package.  The new Premier package is more expensive and includes more stuff.  For a limited time, you will be able to upgrade to it by paying extra $25/pp/day. 

 

The new Fare classes are Standard (old Saver), Plus (no change), and Premier (new).  Princess has now aligned the associated drink packages with each of Plus and Premier.   They have already announced the new pricing.  +$50/pp/day for PLUS and +$75/pp/day for PREMIER.

 

 

[latebloomer56]

19 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

I am not sure what you are telling us.  Surely you did not get the PLUS fare option for $68 total for 15 days.  But, $68/pp/day is also quite the up-charge from the normal $40/pp/day.  It is possible I suppose if your booking was one of the voyages where Princess dropped the SAVER fare to gain more sales and left the PLUS alone.  I don't understand how anyone would see value in the PLUS package at $68/pp/day.  So, something doesn't add up here. 

 

You don't get a bottle of wine for being Platinum level or higher in Captain's Circle.  Not sure where that comes from as I don't believe that was ever a perk. 

 

Your fare is locked in as you booked and made a deposit.  You can wait until final payment.

 

You are not getting the new Premier package.  You will be getting the Plus drink package which is the new name for the old Premier package.  The new Premier package is more expensive and includes more stuff.  For a limited time, you will be able to upgrade to it by paying extra $25/pp/day. 

 

The new Fare classes are Standard (old Saver), Plus (no change), and Premier (new).  Princess has now aligned the associated drink packages with each of Plus and Premier.   They have already announced the new pricing.  +$50/pp/day for PLUS and +$75/pp/day for PREMIER.

 

 

Well my confirmation from our TA clearly shows 68.00 total pp for package that is listed as Premier Beverage, unlimited wifi, and DSC. I went on our Princess log on and these also show on each of our booking.

 

I have received a bottle of wine for several cruises when we use one of our free dining options. We have the tags in our cabin when we board for dining and generally go to whichever steak house is on that ship. Always get a bottle of white wine (type depends on what I fancy at the time) and have never been charged for it. We also get 2 glasses of the awful stuff for sail away I put this away and use it with cranberry juice in the morning sometimes. Have these things changed on Princess?

[latebloomer56]

6 minutes ago, latebloomer56 said:

Well my confirmation from our TA clearly shows 68.00 total pp for package that is listed as Premier Beverage, unlimited wifi, and DSC. I went on our Princess log on and these also show on each of our booking.

 

I have received a bottle of wine for several cruises when we use one of our free dining options. We have the tags in our cabin when we board for dining and generally go to whichever steak house is on that ship. Always get a bottle of white wine (type depends on what I fancy at the time) and have never been charged for it. We also get 2 glasses of the awful stuff for sail away I put this away and use it with cranberry juice in the morning sometimes. Have these things changed on Princess?

Update after I posted looked again at Princess site it shows complimentary TA promotional for the package items? Not sure why unless when we had to cancel the original April 2022 due to my health issue we had this package on that trip. Princess wouldn't rebook we had to cancel collect the insurance then book this Oct. trip no promo TA may have added this. Not sure what the 68.00 package is on the confirmation but not shaking that tree 😊.

Now if I can get the Road to Hana at the original cost that would be icing on the cake, but guess that's what OBC is for.

[Steelers36]

30 minutes ago, latebloomer56 said:

Well my confirmation from our TA clearly shows 68.00 total pp for package that is listed as Premier Beverage, unlimited wifi, and DSC. I went on our Princess log on and these also show on each of our booking.

 

I have received a bottle of wine for several cruises when we use one of our free dining options. We have the tags in our cabin when we board for dining and generally go to whichever steak house is on that ship. Always get a bottle of white wine (type depends on what I fancy at the time) and have never been charged for it. We also get 2 glasses of the awful stuff for sail away I put this away and use it with cranberry juice in the morning sometimes. Have these things changed on Princess?

That is some amazing deal for a PLUS fare up-charge.  By DSC, I assume you mean Crew Incentive (formerly Gratuities).

 

Yes, some first night SD bookings have included a bottle of wine - I think from a coupon book.  The coupon book - if you get one - is virtual now and general consensus is that it is useless.

 

13 minutes ago, latebloomer56 said:

Update after I posted looked again at Princess site it shows complimentary TA promotional for the package items? Not sure why unless when we had to cancel the original April 2022 due to my health issue we had this package on that trip. Princess wouldn't rebook we had to cancel collect the insurance then book this Oct. trip no promo TA may have added this. Not sure what the 68.00 package is on the confirmation but not shaking that tree 😊.

Now if I can get the Road to Hana at the original cost that would be icing on the cake, but guess that's what OBC is for.

 

Anything you get as part of a booking, such as OBC or a SD credit is always indicated as coming from your TA in the Cruise Personalizer.  Your TA may have added additional group OBC and that truly is from them and shows in the credits section. 

 

No, I would not touch that promo rate at all and it could be something related to Princess doing when you had to cancel.  I wouldn't know.

[latebloomer56]

3 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

That is some amazing deal for a PLUS fare up-charge.  By DSC, I assume you mean Crew Incentive (formerly Gratuities).

 

Yes, some first night SD bookings have included a bottle of wine - I think from a coupon book.  The coupon book - if you get one - is virtual now and general consensus is that it is useless.

 

 

Anything you get as part of a booking, such as OBC or a SD credit is always indicated as coming from your TA in the Cruise Personalizer.  Your TA may have added additional group OBC and that truly is from them and shows in the credits section. 

 

No, I would not touch that promo rate at all and it could be something related to Princess doing when you had to cancel.  I wouldn't know.

The OBC is from our Princess credit card I use this for all travel related items. Even though we were not happy having to go through the insurance for a refund because Princess wouldn't give us  FCC or let us rebook, but the Princess insurance group they use was very easy to deal with only needed our final payment confirmation and the doctors letter stating I couldn't travel. Within a month credit card credit was done and we were reimbursed all but the cost of the insurance a week later.

We do like Princess very much but wish they had more cruises from the Northeast so I could USD them for more trips.

[rheathslc]

2 hours ago, latebloomer56 said:

Not sure what the 68.00 package is on the confirmation but not shaking that tree 😊.

This was brought up a few days ago in this same thread. The travel summary shows the "value" of the items included in the Princess Plus fare, not the cost to you. And the Plus Beverage Package (Formerly called Premier and still showing that way in some places as Princess goes through their systems and updates all the various pieces of text that exist everywhere) is "valued" by princess at $68.53pp/day instead of the $70.79pp/day that the drinks package costs as a stand-alone package. 

For example, I paid the extra $40/day for my next 7-day cruise for Princess Plus and my travel summary shows the amounts in the screenshot below. That breaks down to $68.53 for drinks package, $9.97 for internet and $14.50 for gratuities per day. They do this to show you the AMAZING value you're getting for the $40/day you pay for Plus. 

If all you booked was the stand-alone drinks package and NOT plus and your price still shows $68.53 that means you're getting the drinks package for $2.26 less per person per day. I seem to recall that on the first cruise I took with the beverage package it DID cost me about $68 per day. That was in 2016 so my memory is a bit fuzzy. Haha!

Edited May 18, 2022 by rheathslc

[BobandLizM]

Very small point, but the Princess news release 11th May shows Package on sale from 25th May, the UK flyer states on sale from 01st June.
 

UK:  Princess Premier on sale starting 1st June for cruises departing 25 June 2022 onwards.

 

US: Princess Premier goes on sale May 25, for voyages starting June 25 and beyond.

 

 

[caribill]

On 5/18/2022 at 8:08 AM, Steelers36 said:

 

 

Yes, some first night SD bookings have included a bottle of wine - I think from a coupon book.  The coupon book - if you get one - is virtual now and general consensus is that it is useless.

 

 

Especially since a virtual coupon book cannot be used to prop the door to the hallway open a little in order to get a better WIFI signal inside the cabin,.

[caribill]

On 5/18/2022 at 7:48 AM, latebloomer56 said:

Update after I posted looked again at Princess site it shows complimentary TA promotional for the package items?

 

Yes, that is the way Princess posts it, but it is not at all complimentary from anyone. You paid for it.

 

But your TA did get a 10% commission on the Plus package for your having paid for it.

[latebloomer56]

6 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Yes, that is the way Princess posts it, but it is not at all complimentary from anyone. You paid for it.

 

But your TA did get a 10% commission on the Plus package for your having paid for it.

Yes the cruise cost 600.00 more than the last booking but between a coffee package,  soda package, and DSC we still save. We generally don't bother with a drink package as I don't drink enough and my husband only drinks soda with a few virgin cocktails and we both purchase water for tours so it works to our advantage this time.

[billco]

On 5/17/2022 at 5:19 AM, suzyed said:

We also give $2 to room service for breakfast delivery.

Recently completed 25 days on Enchanted Princess. Left autotip in place. Added tip to room steward, dining room server and assistant, specific servers who served us often (Platinum/Elite, Crooners), nothing for delivery.

[catr13]

Sorry if this has been discussed before. Why it that Australians don’t have crew appreciation included in the plus and premier packages? Has this ever been addressed, just curious. Are there other countries perhaps too? 

[JimmyVWine]

Well, May 25 is upon us. By way of an update, my upcoming cruise, purchased during the Best Sale Ever included one Specialty Dining Credit and the Princess Plus Package at a total of $40 per person per day.  At that time, I was provided the "Premier Drinks with Service Charge" package.  My Booking Confirmation shows exactly that.  And as we know, what was once known as the Premier Drinks Package is now known as the Plus Beverage Package.  So which one will I receive???  Well, as of today, in my Cruise Personalizer, under "Reservations and Purchases", it says that I have the "Plus Beverage Package Including Service Charges".  So that is that.  I suppose that I could try to bully the good people at the PS Desk by showing them my Booking Confirmation that uses the word "Premier", but I won't.  I paid for a package that gets me drinks up to a value of $12 as well as fountain soda and specialty coffees.  And that is what I am going to receive.  For anyone who got upgraded, congratulations.  I did not, nor did I expect to.  And by my math, the $25 per day fee to upgrade would get me photos which I neither want nor need, entry into a silly lottery game which I neither want nor need, one extra Specialty Dining opportunity, (which nets out to $4 per day) and the ability to order more expensive drinks.  Given that the Specialty Dining addition eats up $4 per day, that means I have $21 per day to play with to pay for more expensive drinks.  If I am already covered up to $12, that means I would have to order 4 drinks per day at a cost of $17 per drink for the Premier Package to break even for me.  Otherwise, I do better just paying out of pocket for the extra Specialty Dining opportunity and for the more expensive drinks.  I seriously doubt that I will want or need to buy 4 extra drinks per day at $17 unless we are being mislead and all of the good stuff jumps way up in price.  And if the current $12 drinks and wines jump up to $14, I would have to order 10 of those per day to break even.  Nope. I will just pay out of pocket for luxury drinks and see how that goes.

Edited May 25, 2022 by JimmyVWine

[chamima]

Just as a point of fact - we have a 52 day cruise booked with Princess which currently has the "Plus" (which was Premium when we booked it) package.

If we were to upgrade (which we most probably won't) we would get the same 2 Specialty dinners as someone on a 7 day cruise. I think maybe Princess needs to re-think this particular perk.

[chamima]

On 5/16/2022 at 9:17 AM, cruzin4us said:

HAL has 2 beverage packages to choose from, so I don't know why this is a big shock.    The difference with HAL though is if you purchase a drink over the price limit, you have to pay full price, you can't just pay the difference.   If Princess does this then I would be bummed.   But, if they only make you pay the difference, then who cares?    90% of the people who order a martini or rum and coke don't ask for "Top Shelf", they just order the drink and they get the cheap "rot gut" booze but they don't care.    However, for those of use who care, just pay the difference, it would be much cheaper than upgrading to the Premier package unless you want all the extra stuff such as photos, and the "chance to win" promotion.

 

When we were on the Caribbean Princess in January any drink above the $12 limit was charged in full - not just the difference.

I know that on Celebrity we just pay the difference but, unless something has changed, on Princess any drink above the $12 limit was not covered at all.

 

 

On 5/16/2022 at 10:11 AM, suzyed said:

Is it me?  I was thinking that if they increased the price of the drinks in the plus package, that would decrease the difference in the two packages? There would be less reason to purchase the Premier package...they would be too similar.

 

If prices are raised they will probably be raised across the board - not just those in the Plus package.

 

[jagoffee]

2 minutes ago, chamima said:

 

When we were on the Caribbean Princess in January any drink above the $12 limit was charged in full - not just the difference.

I know that on Celebrity we just pay the difference but, unless something has changed, on Princess any drink above the $12 limit was not covered at all.

 

 

 

If prices are raised they will probably be raised across the board - not just those in the Plus package.

 

I assume you are referencing January 2022?  Did you actually purchase a drink over the $12 limit and pay the full amount?

this was Princess’s initial policy, but it was modified pre Covid.  

[chamima]

6 minutes ago, jagoffee said:

I assume you are referencing January 2022?  Did you actually purchase a drink over the $12 limit and pay the full amount?

this was Princess’s initial policy, but it was modified pre Covid.  

 

Didn't purchase, just asked (in reference to a glass of wine). Maybe we got an ill-informed crew member.

I'm happy to hear the change in policy!

[prmssk]

21 minutes ago, chamima said:

 

When we were on the Caribbean Princess in January any drink above the $12 limit was charged in full - not just the difference.

I know that on Celebrity we just pay the difference but, unless something has changed, on Princess any drink above the $12 limit was not covered at all.

 

In February of this year on the Emerald Princess, I only paid the difference. I had a $13 glass of wine and was charged $1.18.  I don’t think you should have been charged full price unless you are talking about January of an earlier year. 

[CruisinFinsUp]

Well for us it really is going to be based on what new over $12 booze they stock. 

 

Before covid, the beverage package covered everything we wanted to drink.  There were very few items on the ship that were over the package.  We bought the package at full price as there was no "Plus" fare then.

 

March 2022 we cruised the Enchanted at Plus fare -  the ship was out of stock of a lot of spirits, both those within and over the $12, and out of stock of many wines, both by the glass and bottle.   It was a dismal selection at best compared to what we were used to pre covid.   Supply chain issues I presume.

 

Prices everywhere are going up.   It doesn't matter what I'd pay elsewhere ... it matters what I'd have to pay on my vacation to determine which plan is good for us.   I had downloaded the March 2022 menus from all the bars (scanned the qr codes.... ), so I will be interested to view bar menus from after this new program starts to compare prices of all the drinks that they offer, and see what new ones they claim they will have.   Only after I see the new menus / offerings will I be able to decide if Plus is still good enough or if Premier will have to be our new norm.    If they bring back the spirits they had pre covid that were covered by the old beverage package, but up the prices to be over $12  I won't be happy but I won't be at all surprised.   I'm hoping they actually offer some new higher end stuff over $12 but won't hold my breath.   

The Plus fare was a steal for us.  We'll see what the new math is once the new menus are released.