No exchanges anymore for mini bar to coffee?

[gottagocit]

1 hour ago, racj846 said:

I would encourage everyone who is upset/annoyed by removal of the ability to swop the mini-bar for a coffee package, let their feelings be heard by sending an email to customer realations. 

 

I just wrote them for a second time since this all began to unfold. The first a week or two ago was to simply ask for an answer as to the validity of the rumor of our apparently losing the coffee card as an option. We never received a reply for that one. 
 

The most recent one was far more direct and expressed dissatisfaction with losing another elite benefit and the option to even purchase the coffee card and then to add insult to injury the awful way this has been rolled out. What a real cluster this entire thing has been! 

[gottagocit]

Sorry but this was a duplicate post

Edited March 10, 2023 by gottagocit

[MissP22]

14 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

I'm still mad about this.

 

Looks like the non alcoholic drink package that includes coffee is $40/day per person.  For a 7 day cruise that is $560 for 2 people.  Am I the only one who thinks that is insane? 

I still don't know how they arrived at this.  A cup of coffee or two is way cheaper than the alcohol that you exchange it for.  I know that princess gets them dirt cheap, but still, the alcohol bottles and beer still probably them cost $.50-$1 each, and that is more than the cost of the coffee. What a decent perk to remove from their most loyal customers.  

 

My 25th cruise with Princess might be my last.  These onboard prices are ridiculously high, and now the only real elite benefit left is laundry, and that seems to have it's own trouble, as the last 2 times we have used it, they lost an article of my wife's clothing. 

As are we.

It's all about selling you a more profitable package. We're done with their packages and will buy just what we want in an individual basis.

 

[caribill]

15 hours ago, yogamom said:

Curious about the Princess coffee cards.  Back in the day, as long as you still have one hole punch left on your card, you can get free coffee.

 

Long before the coffee card became a digital item with the Medallion, Princess did chagne how the actual cards worked.

 

When you received a card, it was to be marked with the voyage number. Whether or not you used every "punch" for a specialty coffee, the free fresh brewed was available for the entire cruise.

 

And you could use the card on a future voyage for any unused "punches", but no free fresh-brewed on that future cruise unless you used a "punch" for it.

 

With the move to digital, any unused "punches" were lost at the end of the cruise.

[caribill]

These is still a coffee package. The problem is finding out anything about it from Princess.

 

https://www.cruisehive.com/princess-cruises-adds-new-package-option-for-passengers/95184

[kywildcatfanone]

2 hours ago, caribill said:

These is still a coffee package. The problem is finding out anything about it from Princess.

 

https://www.cruisehive.com/princess-cruises-adds-new-package-option-for-passengers/95184

I saw that posted, but it confused me as you can't find anything about it on Princess website.

[kywildcatfanone]

5 hours ago, MissP22 said:

As are we.

It's all about selling you a more profitable package. We're done with their packages and will buy just what we want in an individual basis.

 

Yep, this is all driven by profit, which is fine to me in normal scenarios, but they are punishing their most loyal customers, which is generally a bad idea.  I will bring soda and water onboard, and just get ice, and drink the buffet coffee. 

[Ombud]

3 hours ago, caribill said:

These is still a coffee package. The problem is finding out anything about it from Princess.

 

https://www.cruisehive.com/princess-cruises-adds-new-package-option-for-passengers/95184

Cruise Hive is wrong 

[gottagocit]

1 hour ago, kywildcatfanone said:

…I will bring….and drink the buffet coffee. 

Do we know for certain whether or not coffee in the buffet or dining room at breakfast is still “free”? 

[kywildcatfanone]

24 minutes ago, gottagocit said:

Do we know for certain whether or not coffee in the buffet or dining room at breakfast is still “free”? 

I would expect charges coming soon for MDR, buffet, pizza, the "free" items at the burger and hot dog bar.  I mean why now?  And with how Princess is charging for stuff now, a cup of coffee or orange juice should start at $5.  You want bacon, $3 a slice, etc.

[1965]

28 minutes ago, gottagocit said:

Do we know for certain whether or not coffee in the buffet or dining room at breakfast is still “free”? 

On the Ruby last week it was still free. 

[MissP22]

2 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Yep, this is all driven by profit, which is fine to me in normal scenarios, but they are punishing their most loyal customers, which is generally a bad idea.  I will bring soda and water onboard, and just get ice, and drink the buffet coffee. 

As will we.

I've had it with all the extra charges and will do likewise. 

[kamelia]

2 hours ago, gottagocit said:

Do we know for certain whether or not coffee in the buffet or dining room at breakfast is still “free”? 

It’s still free on the Crown as of 10 minutes ago. 

[Guest ldtr]

7 hours ago, caribill said:

These is still a coffee package. The problem is finding out anything about it from Princess.

 

https://www.cruisehive.com/princess-cruises-adds-new-package-option-for-passengers/95184

More likely the article is wrong. Just as the early discussion about the program ending pointed at similar language and say that there was a replacement program.

[startedwithamouse]

7 hours ago, caribill said:

These is still a coffee package. The problem is finding out anything about it from Princess.

 

https://www.cruisehive.com/princess-cruises-adds-new-package-option-for-passengers/95184

This cruise site author read a previous version of the Princess website and wrote an article about what they read.  You or I could do the same.

 

This is not official information or from Princess.

[yogamom]

10 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Yep, this is all driven by profit, which is fine to me in normal scenarios, but they are punishing their most loyal customers, which is generally a bad idea. I will bring soda and water onboard, and just get ice, and drink the buffet coffee.

I didn't know you were allowed to bring soda and water onboard?  

 

Do you put it in your luggage?

 

[coo359a2]

36 minutes ago, yogamom said:

I didn't know you were allowed to bring soda and water onboard?  

 

Do you put it in your luggage?

 

Last I read, it was 12 cans per person   in your carry on  you keep with you.  That's what I am doing on Sunday when we board.

[Guest ldtr]

12 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Yep, this is all driven by profit, which is fine to me in normal scenarios, but they are punishing their most loyal customers, which is generally a bad idea.  I will bring soda and water onboard, and just get ice, and drink the buffet coffee. 

I suspect that from what I have seen on board the coffee card system did not integrate very well into the mix of medallion and other packages.  I know on several cruises there was a lot of confusion with the wait staff that often confused the coffee card with having a drink package.  If I ordered a can of diet coke they would try to tell me that I had a package and that only fountain was available.  At which time I would have to explain that all I had was a coffee card and that I did not have a package.  It also happened that sometimes they would bring me the glass and I would lose a coffee punch.  Also there was confusion at the IC where they failed to take one of the punches when a coffee was ordered under the card system.  Pretty much making it more of an unlimited drink system.  After 1 coffee per day on a 15 day cruise I had 12 punches left on the last day.

 

I suspect that in the end they decided that they would rather get rid of the coffee card, which was, at this time, the only package for x number of drinks, instead of per day, instead of spending the time and money to fix the issues.

 

Certainly the fact that some (probably a pretty small number) would move to a package instead of buying ala carte would certainly contributed to the decision.

 

 

Edited March 10, 2023 by ldtr

[datone]

19 hours ago, MissP22 said:

Yep, this is all driven by profit, which is fine to me in normal scenarios, but they are punishing their most loyal customers, which is generally a bad idea.  I will bring soda and water onboard, and just get ice, and drink the buffet coffee. 

If I take another Princess cruise, and it's a big if at the moment, I will bring wine, diet soda and coffee sachets onboard.   Not going to give them the satisfaction of buying a coffee package.  And as for my complimentary mini bar, I'll bring the alcohol home.   Don't know what I'll do with them, but not leaving them for Princess.  Might sound petty but think Princess are being petty over this and don't realise how they are alienating their loyal customers.

Edited March 11, 2023 by datone

[MissP22]

30 minutes ago, datone said:

And as for my complimentary mini bar, I'll bring the alcohol home. 

We have our pantry shelf filled with bottles we've received over the years. Items we don't drink (like gin) and some of them have even 1/2 evaporated.  😄

[coo359a2]

2 hours ago, MissP22 said:

We have our pantry shelf filled with bottles we've received over the years. Items we don't drink (like gin) and some of them have even 1/2 evaporated.  😄

If no Courvoisier or vodka available to switch to, we leave left over bottles and any diet coke for the room steward. For sure, dont bring home anything we wouldn’t drink especially if flying 

[MissP22]

4 hours ago, coo359a2 said:

If no Courvoisier or vodka available to switch to, we leave left over bottles and any diet coke for the room steward. For sure, dont bring home anything we wouldn’t drink especially if flying 

We drive for Caribbean cruises so it doesn't make much difference what we take home. In the past trips we used to switch to the coffee program but that's no longer an option. I suppose we'll just take the wine. 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

8 hours ago, datone said:

If I take another Princess cruise, and it's a big if at the moment, I will bring wine, diet soda and coffee sachets onboard.   Not going to give them the satisfaction of buying a coffee package.  And as for my complimentary mini bar, I'll bring the alcohol home.   Don't know what I'll do with them, but not leaving them for Princess.  Might sound petty but think Princess are being petty over this and don't realise how they are alienating their loyal customers.

I wonder what will happen if people stop buying the non alcohol packages?  Will they stop allowing the soda and water that their passengers carry onboard?  Hope the Elite Minibar isn’t the next to go.  

[startedwithamouse]

17 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

I wonder what will happen if people stop buying the non alcohol packages?  Will they stop allowing the soda and water that their passengers carry onboard?  Hope the Elite Minibar isn’t the next to go.  

Probably.  Technically, water isn't allowed to be brought on anymore if you read the current rules.

 

A few years ago, Disney allowed spirits to be carried on (one bottle per adult).  Not anymore.

 

Their sandbox, their rules.  

[MsSoCalCruiser]

Just now, startedwithamouse said:

Probably.  Technically, water isn't allowed to be brought on anymore if you read the current rules.

 

A few years ago, Disney allowed spirits to be carried on (one bottle per adult).  Not anymore.

 

Their sandbox, their rules.  

You can bring water, but it has to be canned or in a box. No more bottles carried on but they will sell you a case of bottled water.  
 

You’re correct about it being their sandbox.  We need to be careful and not shoot ourself in the foot while we show them.