Questioning Elite Benefits

[Guest ldtr]

As far as Elite benefits the only one that appears to have gone away is the small bag of toiletry items, which may be gone or may be a supply chain issue. The loyalty OBC was not an Elite benefit, it was a separate program, as is the shareholder obc and veterans obc.

 

As far as the rest the decision of someone to use the laundry benefit or not, to buy a package or not, that is an individual choice, the benefits are still there.

 

We usually get to the port early so we use the priority boarding benefit. We do not buy a package so we swap the minibar for coffee cards. We use the laundry, especially when the cruise is part of a 30 day trip or longer. We use the 10% discount on excursions which in most cases makes up for the  amount we pay for the discounted Internet. The priority tendering comes in handy on most cruises.

 

Do not miss the little bag of toiletries.

Edited February 8, 2023 by ldtr

[Banditdog]

On 2/7/2023 at 8:16 PM, CRLess said:

We have sent laundry using the Elite benefit in the past and have been disappointed in the condition that our items have been returned.  On our Enchanted voyage, we did our own laundry twice in the laundry on our floor.  So we are in the "do your own laundry" crowd, so the Elite benefit of free laundry is another benefit not used.

 

I too am elite status, but like to do my own laundry. I go to the service desk and ask for laundry coins for the washer and dryer machines. Which I feel is a big plus. I got premium toiletries on my last cruise a couple months ago, that was the first time even tho I’ve been elite for a couple of years.  I do miss the free wi-fi minutes☹️

[Nebr.cruiser]

Our first cruise at Elite is coming up.  I'm mostly looking forward to the laundry service, as we will be on a five week trip (11 days of it on Princess) and it will mean just that much less laundry to do.

 

We rarely drink, so never buy the Plus package.  I know we can trade the mini bar set up for pop or water or coffee cards.  Can we do half pop and half water, for instance?  Or one coffee card and pop?

 

I'm a big water drinker and my husband doesn't drink coffee, although he will drink pop.  And do we just ask the steward to change it out on the first day?
 

Being priority on tenders would be a plus except that this cruise   (Queensland coastal) we are doing all Princess tours --extremely unusual for us--because there just wasn't much we could find to see the GBR even having priority tenders, due to the time it takes to get to the reef.  Princess tours pick up at the ship.

 

10% off on tours and 50% off on wifi is good.  Although we normally don't do ship tours.

[tere247]

On 2/8/2023 at 12:35 AM, caribill said:

 

The 10% off is now only if the full price is charged. Even a sale with only one cent off means no 10% elite discount.

True. I purchased an item on the last day of my cruise and because it was already discounted, I didn’t get the additional 10% off.  They changed that mid cruise as other discounted items purchased earlier in the cruise got that extra 10% off.

[tere247]

On 2/8/2023 at 11:05 AM, ldtr said:

As far as Elite benefits the only one that appears to have gone away is the small bag of toiletry items, which may be gone or may be a supply chain issue. The loyalty OBC was not an Elite benefit, it was a separate program, as is the shareholder obc and veterans obc.

 

As far as the rest the decision of someone to use the laundry benefit or not, to buy a package or not, that is an individual choice, the benefits are still there.

 

We usually get to the port early so we use the priority boarding benefit. We do not buy a package so we swap the minibar for coffee cards. We use the laundry, especially when the cruise is part of a 30 day trip or longer. We use the 10% discount on excursions which in most cases makes up for the  amount we pay for the discounted Internet. The priority tendering comes in handy on most cruises.

 

Do not miss the little bag of toiletries.

You’re missing the free WiFi.  We used to get so many minutes free. Now if you don’t buy the package, you pay for WiFi..although at a discounted price.  

[startedwithamouse]

6 minutes ago, tere247 said:

True. I purchased an item on the last day of my cruise and because it was already discounted, I didn’t get the additional 10% off.  They changed that mid cruise as other discounted items purchased earlier in the cruise got that extra 10% off.

This must vary by ship - we received the additional 10% on the Emerald last month and in reviewing the receipts, was for the entire voyage, and multiple shops. 

[caribill]

1 hour ago, startedwithamouse said:

This must vary by ship - we received the additional 10% on the Emerald last month and in reviewing the receipts, was for the entire voyage, and multiple shops. 

On the Ruby last month, no discount if the price was reduced.

[caribill]

3 hours ago, Nebr.cruiser said:

 I know we can trade the mini bar set up for pop or water or coffee cards.  Can we do half pop and half water, for instance?  Or one coffee card and pop?

 

And do we just ask the steward to change it out on the first day?
 

 

a) If you want a coffee card, you must exchange the entire setup for two coffee cards. There is no option to trade part of the setup for one coffee card.

 

b) Any item in the setup can be exchanged for any available non-alcoholic item. So you can have pop and water in any combination you want. And the pop can be any of the allowed varieties.

[Nebr.cruiser]

2 hours ago, caribill said:

a) If you want a coffee card, you must exchange the entire setup for two coffee cards. There is no option to trade part of the setup for one coffee card.

 

b) Any item in the setup can be exchanged for any available non-alcoholic item. So you can have pop and water in any combination you want. And the pop can be any of the allowed varieties.

Thank you.  I was pretty sure they wouldn't trade for one coffee card and pop.  Since my husband doesn't drink coffee and I've managed to survive over 40 cruises without specialty coffee, guess we'll go with water and pop. They will be getting buy cheap with us--doesn't feel like a good trade.

[cr8tiv1]

I do miss the 10% off of everything in the store perk, but have found that discounts can be randomly selected by the sales person.  On more than one occasion,  a sales person would apply a discount.  One even asked if I "minded".  

 

 

Edited February 11, 2023 by cr8tiv1

[Guest ldtr]

5 hours ago, tere247 said:

You’re missing the free WiFi.  We used to get so many minutes free. Now if you don’t buy the package, you pay for WiFi..although at a discounted price.  

The wifi benefit was not removed it was changed when Princess changed the way Internet was sold and tracked on board ship.  Under the original benefit one got approximately 8 to 15 minutes per day depending upon cruise length,  At that time all internet was sold on the basis of minutes.  At that time there was lots of complaints because people wqould forget to log off and use up all of their minutes, the system often took a long time so one could used 4-5 minutes just connecting to e-mail and downloading.  One pretty much had to download, logout, work off line, type any new messages, log in and upload.

 

When Princess changed to the new system they no longer had the capability to track use by minutes, only by device at that time the benefit was changed to a 50% discount for unlimited.  The value of the discount was greater than the old cost for the minutes. At the same time they made the change they added the 10% discount on excursions.  For anyone that uses shipboard excursions the savings on excursions can more than make up the 50% cost of Internet.

 

So the internet benefit was not removed, merely changed to align with the new system, and a new benefit was added, the excursion discount.

Edited February 11, 2023 by ldtr

[arizonaperson]

7 hours ago, Nebr.cruiser said:

Thank you.  I was pretty sure they wouldn't trade for one coffee card and pop.  Since my husband doesn't drink coffee and I've managed to survive over 40 cruises without specialty coffee, guess we'll go with water and pop. They will be getting buy cheap with us--doesn't feel like a good trade.

If you purchase specialty coffees each time you desire one( pay as you drink- not coffee package)

i think the price is reasonable  ,definitely cheaper than the big name shops on land. So you can have your Elite set up of pop/ soda and water ( gratis) and specialty coffees for a good price.

Edited February 12, 2023 by arizonaperson

[jagoffee]

On 2/8/2023 at 8:20 AM, startedwithamouse said:

We were given the additional 10 percent off clearance prices at both Calypso Cove (multiple purchases, so this wasn't a one time thing) and the jewelry store next to the entrance of DaVinci.  Also, additional 10 percent off duty free alcohol. 

My wife also received the 10% discount on sale items. A discount upon a discount.

[DougH]

Part of the difference is you paid for the premier package and I get the benefits by being Elite. Yes they have changed and taken away some but I still enjoy the. Love the Mini bar, I always change for all diet coke. 

[caribill]

8 hours ago, ldtr said:

The wifi benefit was not removed it was changed when Princess changed the way Internet was sold and tracked on board ship.  ...... the benefit was changed to a 50% discount for unlimited.  The value of the discount was greater than the old cost for the minutes. 

 

So the internet benefit was not removed, merely changed to align with the new system

 

The value of the old free minutes was about 50 cents/minute, so on a seven day cruise the 150 free minutes would be worth $75.

 

Paying full price for 7 days now is $15 * 7 = $105. With the discount, you pay $7.50 * 7 = $52.50, a savings of $52.50.

 

(Before the recent price increase, the full price for 7 days was $70 which was less than the value of the previous free minutes. If Princess had provided free Internet for the 7 days, it still would cost Princess less than the previous value of the free minutes.)

 

So the value of the Internet benefit is now $52.50.

 

But if you pay extra for the Plus or Premier Package, then the value of the Internet benefit is $0

[cruising.mark.uk]

40 minutes ago, caribill said:

So the value of the Internet benefit is now $52.50.

 

 

Not if you compare like with like it isn't.  Your 75$ 'value' got you 150 minutes at 50c a minute.  Now, $52.5 gets you unlimited.  Anyone who uses more than 195 minutes of internet during their 7 day cruise gets more 'value' under the new system than they did under the old.  But the comparison is meaningless in any case, because you can't buy internet by the minute any more.  I can not fathom how anyone can calculate that they accrue less benefit from paying $52.50 for unlimited internet than they did by 'saving' $75 for 150 minutes.

 

I sense that the real gripe here is with the relative benefit for loyalty because everyone can get unlimited internet for $105 so the reward for those who are Elite is only $52.50 whereas it used to have a nominal value of $75.  I think it's irrational to focus on an argument that loyalty is now being valued less rather than to applaud the fact that those who are Elite (and it's doesn't take much to become Elite, so there are doubtless tens of thousands of us) offers half-price unlimited internet, on top of other benefits.

[Guest ldtr]

54 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

The value of the old free minutes was about 50 cents/minute, so on a seven day cruise the 150 free minutes would be worth $75.

 

Paying full price for 7 days now is $15 * 7 = $105. With the discount, you pay $7.50 * 7 = $52.50, a savings of $52.50.

 

(Before the recent price increase, the full price for 7 days was $70 which was less than the value of the previous free minutes. If Princess had provided free Internet for the 7 days, it still would cost Princess less than the previous value of the free minutes.)

 

So the value of the Internet benefit is now $52.50.

 

But if you pay extra for the Plus or Premier Package, then the value of the Internet benefit is $0

Do the math for a 10 day where you still got the same number of minutes and the new savings is $75.  Which saves more dollars varies by cruise length. Of course you did not add in the benefit they added when they nade the change the 10% reduction for excursions.

 

Buying a package is a choice, where one decides they would rather buy the package and give up the value of the benefits.

 

[caribill]

35 minutes ago, ldtr said:

Do the math for a 10 day where you still got the same number of minutes and the new savings is $75.  Which saves more dollars varies by cruise length. Of course you did not add in the benefit they added when they nade the change the 10% reduction for excursions.

 

 

Need to do the correct math. With the old benefit for a 10 day cruise there were 250 minutes worth $125. Ten days now with the new benefit costs $7.50 * 10 or $75. So the savings with the new benefit is $75 compared to the $125 previously.

 

For two of us that was 500 minutes for a 10 day cruise which was more than we needed.

 

So we have gone from free internet (for the amount of time we needed) to paying $75 for a single device package for 10 days.

 

For an upcoming 33 day cruise (in two segments) we have gone from a total of 1000 free minutes to paying $247.50 (or $495 if we want to use our devices at the same time which was possible the old way at no extra cost). From free to $495 is, to me, a reduction in the benefit for platinum and elite members.

 

Yes, unlimited is more convenient and better than a limited number of minutes, but to save $495, I am willing to sign on and off as needed.

 

Note also that the old benefit required you to purchase nothing. The new benefit requires you to make a purchase.

 

The 10% off shore excursions also requires you to make a purchase. (I can often save 50% or more on shore excursions by booking a private excursion instead of an equivalent Princess one.)

[Grego]

On 2/7/2023 at 10:52 PM, CRLess said:

Just got back a week or so ago from a wonderful cruise on the Enchanted.  My wife and I were discussing how we would each fill out our surveys, and we both came to the same conclusion....if you purchase the Princess Plus, what benefit do you receive by being a loyal customer that achieved Elite status?  With Princess Plus, internet is included, drinks are included, so the mini bar set up is meaningless.  The Platinum/Elite/Suite lounge doesn't really provide any true benefit...you can get appetizers at the buffet.  Princess has eliminated the "spa" related toiletries in your stateroom (not that we ever cared about that), the bonus loyalty OBC was eliminated with the pandemic, so the only true benefits Elite members get right now is the 10% off in the shop, and priority boarding/tenders.  Did I miss anything?

 

I guess what I am questioning is that a first time cruiser can essentially have almost the same cruise benefits by purchasing the Princess Plus package that loyal Princess passengers have.  Has Princess abandoned those of us that are loyal to the brand?  With the advent of the Princess Plus and Premium, there needs to be some sort of trade-off to the cost of the "all in" packages for loyal passengers.  I think Princess needs to take a hard look at their loyalty programs and evaluate what true benefits their most loyal passengers should have as a benefit.

A lot of what you stated is true and it does make a point.  You did forget to add "free laundry" to the list of Elite and Suite passengers, although Suite passengers get it returned the same day which is not always the case for Elite when there are so many on board.

It is evident that the new Princess management is focusing on the first-time younger crowd and not on the loyal base.  Having sailed with Princess for 30 years and 54 voyages and over 520 days at sea we see a need to do an overhaul to the loyalty program by expanding the levels and the perks that they need to add.  Give us a reason to stay and not a reason to start looking elsewhere.

[Lady Arwen]

5 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Need to do the correct math. With the old benefit for a 10 day cruise there were 250 minutes worth $125. Ten days now with the new benefit costs $7.50 * 10 or $75. So the savings with the new benefit is $75 compared to the $125 previously.

 

For two of us that was 500 minutes for a 10 day cruise which was more than we needed.

 

So we have gone from free internet (for the amount of time we needed) to paying $75 for a single device package for 10 days.

 

For an upcoming 33 day cruise (in two segments) we have gone from a total of 1000 free minutes to paying $247.50 (or $495 if we want to use our devices at the same time which was possible the old way at no extra cost). From free to $495 is, to me, a reduction in the benefit for platinum and elite members.

 

Yes, unlimited is more convenient and better than a limited number of minutes, but to save $495, I am willing to sign on and off as needed.

 

Note also that the old benefit required you to purchase nothing. The new benefit requires you to make a purchase.

 

The 10% off shore excursions also requires you to make a purchase. (I can often save 50% or more on shore excursions by booking a private excursion instead of an equivalent Princess one.)

Thank you for making this so easy to understand!  Of course, you are 100% correct.

[dandonna]

So we are finally elite on our next cruise what exactly is the free laundry?

Do they wash and iron or fold your clothes?
Do you get it back within 24 hours?

Can I get a suit dry cleaned or my wife’s dress cleaned and pressed?
Do we just  fill a laundry bag and hand it to our cabin steward or do we fill out a form?

Thanks and best wishes to everyone in 2023

[MissP22]

22 minutes ago, dandonna said:

So we are finally elite on our next cruise what exactly is the free laundry? Yes, it's free.

Do they wash and iron or fold your clothes?

They do. 
Do you get it back within 24 hours?

Not necessarily, depending on how busy they are. 

Can I get a suit dry cleaned or my wife’s dress cleaned and pressed? Yes, but the dry cleaning is called just cleaning. It's also less prone to damage or shrinkage. 
Do we just  fill a laundry bag and hand it to our cabin steward or do we fill out a form? Fill out their form & either leave it on the bed or give it to the steward. 

Thanks and best wishes to everyone in 2023

Take photo's of everything in case they lose it which sometimes happens. Also know that expensive items can sometimes be shrink/damaged by their laundry service. Choose "cleaning" 0ver laundry for a safer service.

[dandonna]

1 minute ago, MissP22 said:

Take photo's of everything in case they lose it which sometimes happens. Also know that expensive items can sometimes be shrink/damaged by their laundry service. Choose "cleaning" 0ver laundry for a safer service.

Thank you so much for your quick and extremely helpful answer!

[Guest ldtr]

7 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Need to do the correct math. With the old benefit for a 10 day cruise there were 250 minutes worth $125. Ten days now with the new benefit costs $7.50 * 10 or $75. So the savings with the new benefit is $75 compared to the $125 previously.

 

For two of us that was 500 minutes for a 10 day cruise which was more than we needed.

 

So we have gone from free internet (for the amount of time we needed) to paying $75 for a single device package for 10 days.

 

For an upcoming 33 day cruise (in two segments) we have gone from a total of 1000 free minutes to paying $247.50 (or $495 if we want to use our devices at the same time which was possible the old way at no extra cost). From free to $495 is, to me, a reduction in the benefit for platinum and elite members.

 

Yes, unlimited is more convenient and better than a limited number of minutes, but to save $495, I am willing to sign on and off as needed.

 

Note also that the old benefit required you to purchase nothing. The new benefit requires you to make a purchase.

 

The 10% off shore excursions also requires you to make a purchase. (I can often save 50% or more on shore excursions by booking a private excursion instead of an equivalent Princess 

 

 

Your 33 day 2 segment would have been 500 minutes each, not 1000.  Same as it was for our 34 day from BA back to San Pedro. About 15 minutes per day. About enough time to down load email or maybe scan a news site. Many just saved a large portion until the end to make sure that theycould print out their airline tickets.

 

Again to buy excursions or not  is personal choice. Just the fact that one chooses not to use it does not mean that it does not exist.

 

Bottom line is the benefits are still there. One can choose not to use them or not but they are still there.

Edited February 12, 2023 by ldtr

[Cruise Raider]

26 minutes ago, dandonna said:

Thank you so much for your quick and extremely helpful answer!

just so you know, the charge will be added to your folio but then the loyalty discount to zero out the charge will show up on the next day.