Price Rises: Gratuities, Wifi, Medallion Shipping 🤑💰

[lovemycruisetoo]

We booked in March with free wifi, free premier drink package with gratuities, crew appreciation and a few other perks. We also ordered the medallions around the same time.  I’m wondering if they will charge the difference of anything that was included? This is our first Princess cruise.  

[JimmyVWine]

2 minutes ago, lovemycruisetoo said:

I’m wondering if they will charge the difference of anything that was included?

WYSIWYG.  No additional charges can or will be applied. 

[Steelers36]

6 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

I agree.  But I don't recall this ever being an advertised and paid-for feature of a package.  I have sailed with Medallions both with and without packages and gotten them mailed to be each time for free.  But I think this was a "courtesy" and not a feature.  As a courtesy, they can revoke it at any time.  And honestly, given the elaborate packaging, it is a bit irrational to expect this to be mailed around the country for free.  Is $10 the right number?  I don't know.  Is this $10 per order (meaning 1, 2, 3 or 4 Medallions in the order), or is it $10 per person.  The first would not phase me at all.  We sail as a party of three most of the time, and that would be $3.33 per person.  But $30 for the three of us would be excessive.  

$10 per order (which is typically 2 in the package).  Otherwise agree - it was a courtesy thing - really more of a marketing scheme they hyped as part of getting ready for the "exciting and new" adventure.  Something the competition didn't have.  

 

They should be pretty clear in a separate communication that existing Medallion orders to ship to home are going to attract a fee after X date - regardless of when ordered via the Princess App.

 

PS - Party of 3/4 would need to be on a single booking.  Each cabin is a separate order and separate fee IMO.

 

Edited December 6, 2022 by Steelers36

[cruzrbachoua]

13 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

Thanks for trying to verify this question.  I can see a bunch of angry passengers who are expecting their order but not expecting a $10 collection fee.  

 

I, for one, don't like changes.  Is it my imagination or has Princess been tossing out changes willy nilly the past year?  

I asked to speak to a manager or supervisor, she told me they will say same thing, I said that is nice I want to speak to them. Then she said she couldn't connect me...i kept pressing the issue she said hold please...then after holding for 5 min hung up on me....

[JimmyVWine]

Just curious.  If you buy a car at a dealership and sign up for the auto makers 48 month finance plan, and 6 months after you buy your car a new model comes out that has a feature that your car does not have.  Do you expect the dealership to install this new feature into your car free of charge?  And if the price of the new vehicle goes up, do you live in fear that your remaining monthly payments will increase?  This is no different.  Think about it.   

Edited December 6, 2022 by JimmyVWine

[cruzrbachoua]

3 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

Just curious.  If you buy a car at a dealership and sign up for the auto makers 48 month finance plan, and 6 months after you buy your car a new model comes out that has a feature that your car does not have.  Do you expect the dealership to install this new feature into your car free of charge?  And if the price of the new vehicle goes up, do you live in fear that your remaining monthly payments will increase?  This is no different.  Think about it.   

But if you buy that car and in the deal it says you get free oil changes for the next 2 years...and 6 months into it they decide not to sell that pkg any more that deal you got should not go away...it was possibly part of the price and/or the decision to buy that car...how can they now say sorry no more oil changes...I booked with princess plus back in 2021 for this cruise next year and ordered our medallions over a month ago and now they want to charge me for something that was FREE when i ordered it...not right.

[JimmyVWine]

5 minutes ago, cruzrbachoua said:

But if you buy that car and in the deal it says you get free oil changes for the next 2 years...and 6 months into it they decide not to sell that pkg any more that deal you got should not go away...it was possibly part of the price and/or the decision to buy that car...how can they now say sorry no more oil changes...I booked with princess plus back in 2021 for this cruise next year and ordered our medallions over a month ago and now they want to charge me for something that was FREE when i ordered it...not right.

Apples and oranges.  You are still getting your oil changes.  But when you got your oil changed, perhaps they gave you a free courtesy car for you to use while your car was in the shop, and now that gas prices increased, they now charge you $10 for the courtesy car.  Free medallion shipping was NEVER part of any package you paid for.  Everyone (in the US) got this same feature regardless of package.  It was a "freebie" and now it isn't.  They haven't lessened the package.  And to be clear, if oil changes were part of your initial purchase, they cannot be taken away.  So your hypothetical doesn't work.  They are not legally allowed to say "no more oil changes."  But they can say: "no more free courtesy car."

Edited December 6, 2022 by JimmyVWine

[Level six]

3 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

We just got home from a B2B for 30 days and were debating whether to purchase more FCDs or not cruise any more. These changes (along with all the previous changes) have sealed the deal.

We have one cruise booked and will be requesting to cancel and return our FCDs that we used as a deposit.

We'll be watching the stock price and hoping that it will go up before we decide to sell. We won't lose $$, since we got our purchase price back in OBC several years ago.

Good bye, Princess...it was nice to know you. 

My personal belief is that the pandemic has killed cruising.

How do we get FCD's refunded, I want to do the same. Thanks. 

[cruzrbachoua]

and up until 12/14 if you ordered it as a business they should honor what they said that it would be shipped free as ALL were...items were ordered before policy change

[jennybenny]

Well crap, now I hope it is clear as day when I do all my app-crap that I find a way to confirm that I don't want the medallion shipped, pick up at pier only. Pardon the language, the app has me a bit frustrated. 

[JimmyVWine]

11 minutes ago, cruzrbachoua said:

and up until 12/14 if you ordered it as a business they should honor what they said that it would be shipped free as ALL were...items were ordered before policy change

I don't disagree with the "as a business they should..."  If someone went through the whole process of getting to the Green Lane including ordering their medallions, Princess should suck it up and ship those for free.  But I don't think they are required to. 

[voljeep]

I've got a $1 deposit for next Halloween cruise booked under 'old/current PLUS.  Ordered medallions the other day to be mailed.  I will NOT upgrade from $50 to $60 to the 'new' PLUS - will my medallions still be mailed "free" - or will I have to pay $10 per household, or have to pick up at pier

 

simple question, right?

[cruzin4us]

Why on earth does Princess have to make things so flipping complicated?

 

The man hours that must have gone into writing the new "rules" that are as clear as mud is absolutely mind boggling.

 

Why couldn't they just state beginning Dec. 14, 2022, the new prices would be such and such?    Simple Simon.   Trying to convolute it with gratuities, wi-fi, fitness classes and free desserts was a stupid call.

 

I shake my head daily at the decision makers.

[caribill]

1 hour ago, JimmyVWine said:

I agree.  But I don't recall this ever being an advertised and paid-for feature of a package.  I have sailed with Medallions both with and without packages and gotten them mailed to be each time for free.  But I think this was a "courtesy" and not a feature.  As a courtesy, they can revoke it at any time. 

 

It was Princess, not the customer, that basically said that the Medallion was the best thing ever invented since sliced bread.

 

It was Princess, not the customer, that said how great it would be to have the Medallion in advance, even if that option was not available to 95% of the world's population.

 

Pre-Medallion nobody had any problem checking in at the terminal and picking up their cruise card there.

 

Many people have posted since the restart they have spent hours to get Medallion ready pre-cruise, all to save less than 5 minutes at the terminal. Even when it works properly, the pre-cruise Medallion setup is a pain and takes more time than just checking in at the terminal.

 

To me it is not a great loss if I do not receive it at home pre-cruise. One less small object to keep track of while traveling to the port.

 

(Before the 1st cruise scheduled to use the Medallion, Princess had a contest to give a free trip on that cruise to a lucky winner. As we all know, the actual first use ended up being months later. I have wondered since then what they did with the winner of that contest. Gave them the free cruise even though there was no Medallion use on it? Wait for the free cruise until the Medallion worked onboard? Other?)

[caribill]

1 hour ago, cruzrbachoua said:

I asked to speak to a manager or supervisor, she told me they will say same thing, I said that is nice I want to speak to them. Then she said she couldn't connect me...i kept pressing the issue she said hold please...then after holding for 5 min hung up on me....

 

Ah, that great Princess customer service.

[caribill]

1 hour ago, JimmyVWine said:

Just curious.  If you buy a car at a dealership and sign up for the auto makers 48 month finance plan, and 6 months after you buy your car a new model comes out that has a feature that your car does not have.  Do you expect the dealership to install this new feature into your car free of charge?  And if the price of the new vehicle goes up, do you live in fear that your remaining monthly payments will increase?  This is no different.  Think about it.   

 

Quite different. If you bought your car 6 months ago, you have had the car and have used it. It is the same as having completed a cruise. Of course I would not expect a feature on a future vehicle to be put on my existing vehicle at no cost.

 

But if you signed an agreement to purchase your car and before you pick it up they say you need to pay more for it (euphemistically "market opportunity") or that they added something to it you did not sign for and it will cost more, then that is a better comparison.

[JimmyVWine]

56 minutes ago, caribill said:

To me it is not a great loss if I do not receive it at home pre-cruise. One less small object to keep track of while traveling to the port.

I agree.  I waited in lines before to pick up cards.  Getting in a line to pick up a metal disc isn't going to kill me.  That said, when Medallion Class was rolled out, the promotional videos showed people arriving at the port of embarkation, tapping in, and getting straight on the ship.  That "future state" can never become the "present state" now that waiting in a line to pick up the Medallion is the norm.  And as I noted in my Med Trip Report, when I arrived at the port in Piraeus, the people doing the check-in were incredulous that we actually had our medallions on our wristbands.  Sure, it was a departure out of a non-U.S. port, so most people had to collect them at the terminal.  But they were so unsure what to do about our situation that they had to call over a supervisor.  So the aspirational goal of people tapping in and getting straight on the ship was never going to be a thing.  

[Sailaweigh]

3 hours ago, caribill said:

 

With the "crew appreciation" now being shared across the fleet, your individual contribution to your cabin steward is about 1 cent a day and the same to your waiter. And of course, you are contributing that penny to each of the other eligible staff on the ship and across the fleet.

 

When you give them a little extra for good service, they get to keep all of that extra.

Just wondering if the staff still expects them. When we went to first services on the last day of the cross a few weeks ago and asked for envelopes, the staff person looked at us confused. I said for tips and all that they could find were larger envelopes with windows. And then, when we were giving the extra tip to the waiter, he took it ( of course) but emphasized what he would like was a very good review.

It seemed like less and less people are giving the extra tips 

[JimmyVWine]

26 minutes ago, caribill said:

But if you signed an agreement to purchase your car and before you pick it up they say you need to pay more for it (euphemistically "market opportunity") or that they added something to it you did not sign for and it will cost more, then that is a better comparison.

I think my analogy is apt, since you have not made the final payment on the car yet.  But if one wants to split hairs, the proper analogy would be that you purchased (over the internet in August) a 2022 model with a backup camera and agreed to pick up the car on October 1.  On September 20 the 2023 model hit the showroom floor and came with both back and front cameras and the cost of the new model is $500 more.  The dealership offers you the opportunity to forego your 2022 model and pay $500 for the newer model.  Your choice.  Keep your 2022 with a back camera or pay $500 more for the newer model. What you don't get to do is demand that a front camera be installed on your 2022 model at no extra cost.  And what the dealership cannot do is demand that you pay $500 more for your 2022 model because the new model costs that much more. 

[cruzrbachoua]

I just got a call back from a Sr manager is guest services and said that if you ordered your medallion already and got your $0 confirmation they will not go back and charge you for the shipping.  He gave me his email if I am charged and said he would take care of it.  He also said he is (no pun intended) in the same boat..ordered a medallion for a sailing next year, he went to one of the top people and said hey email is reading odd...as he read it the same way I did ..will be charged unless you upgrade.  But they will grandfather in the orders done before 12/14...so I guess order fast!

[Steelers36]

5 minutes ago, cruzrbachoua said:

I just got a call back from a Sr manager is guest services and said that if you ordered your medallion already and got your $0 confirmation they will not go back and charge you for the shipping.  He gave me his email if I am charged and said he would take care of it.  He also said he is (no pun intended) in the same boat..ordered a medallion for a sailing next year, he went to one of the top people and said hey email is reading odd...as he read it the same way I did ..will be charged unless you upgrade.  But they will grandfather in the orders done before 12/14...so I guess order fast!

If your post was placed as a sticky for the next 2-3 months I bet it would save 500 CC posts and 1000 responses.  😉

 

[cruzrbachoua]

5 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

If your post was placed as a sticky for the next 2-3 months I bet it would save 500 CC posts and 1000 responses.  😉

 

how would i get cc to do that?  Or i guess a better thing like the gentleman told me...if princess had worded their email better...he actually said that...lol

[chamima]

9 minutes ago, cruzrbachoua said:

I just got a call back from a Sr manager is guest services and said that if you ordered your medallion already and got your $0 confirmation they will not go back and charge you for the shipping.  He gave me his email if I am charged and said he would take care of it.  He also said he is (no pun intended) in the same boat..ordered a medallion for a sailing next year, he went to one of the top people and said hey email is reading odd...as he read it the same way I did ..will be charged unless you upgrade.  But they will grandfather in the orders done before 12/14...so I guess order fast!

 

Our next Princess cruise  isn't until Oct.23 but  I took your advice and went ahead and ordered the Medallion. Felt  kind of silly but what the hey.

Thanks!

[caribill]

20 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

I think my analogy is apt, since you have not made the final payment on the car yet. 

But you are making the payment to the bank and the dealer already has 100% of their money.

 

No different than finishing a cruise two months ago and still paying your credit card company for it.

 

 

20 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

 

But if one wants to split hairs, the proper analogy would be that you purchased (over the internet in August) a 2022 model with a backup camera and agreed to pick up the car on October 1.  On September 20 the 2023 model hit the showroom floor and came with both back and front cameras and the cost of the new model is $500 more.  The dealership offers you the opportunity to forego your 2022 model and pay $500 for the newer model.  Your choice.  Keep your 2022 with a back camera or pay $500 more for the newer model. What you don't get to do is demand that a front camera be installed on your 2022 model at no extra cost.  And what the dealership cannot do is demand that you pay $500 more for your 2022 model because the new model costs that much more. 

 

An excellent analogy.

[riffatsea]

Glad others h ave posted what I said in the first place!!

TA agreed that if you have a deposit with a pkg then that's what you will get without needing to do anything else!!