Is Princess Plus Really Worth It?

[SiliconCruiser]

Would never work for us.  My wife does not drink alcohol and she wouldn't let me drink her share ...🤣😂

[JGmf]

17 hours ago, SiliconCruiser said:

Would never work for us.  My wife does not drink alcohol and she wouldn't let me drink her share ...🤣😂

 

Can one person in a couple use their Plus package to get 2 drinks?  I assume yes, and also assume both count against the 15 drink limit of the person ordering. 

 

[I'm asking for a friend who stays up way later and drinks way more than his wife].

[FrankieJayIII]

1 hour ago, JGmf said:

 

Can one person in a couple use their Plus package to get 2 drinks?  I assume yes, and also assume both count against the 15 drink limit of the person ordering. 

 

[I'm asking for a friend who stays up way later and drinks way more than his wife].

This is usually OK if you find a bartender that is cool or ok with doing it this way.   They sometime let you order 2 drinks, sometimes they don't it really really depends on the attitude of the bartender.

 

They are not supposed to. 

[Thrak]

On 3/14/2023 at 7:32 AM, BamaVol said:

One advantage I hadn’t thought about that was mentioned above - I did receive an absolutely awful gin and tonic.  I’m certain that the order was miscommunicated and not the gin I specified.  Also left out the lime.  I had no problem leaving it on the table and ordering something different.  I imagine I’m in the majority when I say 15 drinks is way more than I can handle.

 

Always specify the brand of Gin. I order Tanqueray and Tonic. Hendrick's, while different, also makes a goo G&T. Bombay Sapphire makes a good Martini but an absolutely horrible G&T.

[Thrak]

On 3/14/2023 at 12:52 PM, MissP22 said:

They'll never sell me that exorbitant package. I can hardly break even on the original package...

 

Many here are already aware that you are a fan of Rum Runners. Given that stated proclivity it is no wonder you won't purchase a beverage package.

[Thrak]

2 hours ago, JGmf said:

 

Can one person in a couple use their Plus package to get 2 drinks?  I assume yes, and also assume both count against the 15 drink limit of the person ordering. 

 

[I'm asking for a friend who stays up way later and drinks way more than his wife].

 

33 minutes ago, FrankieJayIII said:

This is usually OK if you find a bartender that is cool or ok with doing it this way.   They sometime let you order 2 drinks, sometimes they don't it really really depends on the attitude of the bartender.

 

They are not supposed to. 

 

It is not an issue at all. It is not allowed if you purchase the stand alone drink package. If you book with Princess Plus then both parties have to have it and the bartenders don't have an issue with one person ordering for both. Just be aware that both drinks will be charged against one account. We often ordered multiple drinks when ordering from room service and there was no problem with it. I ordered a drink for my wife and, because I wanted a double whiskey and there was no way to order a double with room service, I ordered two whiskeys. All of this - plus our food order - went on my folio.

[Buckeye10640]

On 3/13/2023 at 7:00 PM, EDH75 said:

Wife and I are sailing on the Regal Princess TransAtlantic cruise in April.  We have sailed about 12 times and never have purchased their drink packages before. We usually cruise with another couple, but this time it us just the 2 of us.   But on a 14 day cruise with only 4 ports, that means lots of sea days just lounging around and relaxing and drinking (even though we normally are not big drinkers)

 

For $70 per day including tax ( Total of $1960 for both), here is what the Princess Plus provides.

• Princess® dining, accommodations and entertainment
• MedallionClass® experience
• Plus Beverage Package
  (drinks up to $15 each)
• Wi-Fi (1 device per guest)
• Crew appreciation
• NEW Premium desserts (2 per day)
• NEW Fitness classes (2 per cruise)
• NEW Unlimited juice bar
•  

Wifi is normally $10 per day each and crew appreciation is $224 each so that comes out total of $728.  So the question is can we drink a total of $1200 in 14 days?  That divides out to basically $44 per day each for alcohol / juice?  So basically we need drink 3 or 4 cocktails each per day.

 

Just looking for replies / comments/ thoughts for members that have purchased drink packages in the past!  Was it worth it to them?  Thanks

Such a personal decision. With the newest price increases we are returning to pay as we go. I am Platinum so we get the discounted internet, pre-order water at $7/12pk, carry-on some soda. Would buy a coffee package,  but apparently thats a thing of the past. Absolutely no interest in premium desserts, a juice bar, or a fitness class. I can buy a coffee and a drink or  2 a day and come out ahead.  YMMV

[BamaVol]

6 hours ago, JGmf said:

 

Can one person in a couple use their Plus package to get 2 drinks?  I assume yes, and also assume both count against the 15 drink limit of the person ordering. 

 

[I'm asking for a friend who stays up way later and drinks way more than his wife].

I almost always ordered drinks for the two of us.  No problem at the bar.  Not even an issue with a cocktail waitress.  They would scan a single medallion despite both of us sitting right there.  I guess it’s a time saver.  Since neither of us combined came close to 15 drinks, not an issue for us either.

[BamaVol]

4 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

Always specify the brand of Gin. I order Tanqueray and Tonic. Hendrick's, while different, also makes a goo G&T. Bombay Sapphire makes a good Martini but an absolutely horrible G&T.

I ordered Tanqueray.  I have no idea what the drink actually was.  It didn’t even taste like gin.  Maybe he made a vodka and tonic.

[Thrak]

4 hours ago, BamaVol said:

I ordered Tanqueray.  I have no idea what the drink actually was.  It didn’t even taste like gin.  Maybe he made a vodka and tonic.

 

I had a bartender in Skywalker's serve me Cognac on the rocks. I sent it back and got the same liquor in a cold and sweating glass minus the ice. I took it back and he tried to tell me all their liquor was kept chilled. I pointed out the bottle on the shelf behind him and explained that Cognac is not served on ice and that the glass is actually designed so the hand warms the liquor. He said he could "warm it up for me". I left, went down to Club Fusion and got a proper Cognac. The bartender there was appalled when I told him what had happened upstairs. I think Princess has taken on a bunch of new and unqualified people.

 

In a casino(not on a ship) I once ordered a Black Russian. The bartender filled a tall glass with ice, poured in Vodka and Kahlua and then filled it with soda water. He insisted that was how a Black Russian is made. I didn't accept it nor did I pay for it. Incompetent bartenders should be shot.

Edited March 23, 2023 by Thrak

[MissP22]

12 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

 

It is not an issue at all. It is not allowed if you purchase the stand alone drink package. If you book with Princess Plus then both parties have to have it and the bartenders don't have an issue with one person ordering for both. Just be aware that both drinks will be charged against one account. We often ordered multiple drinks when ordering from room service and there was no problem with it. I ordered a drink for my wife and, because I wanted a double whiskey and there was no way to order a double with room service, I ordered two whiskeys. All of this - plus our food order - went on my folio.

We always ordered doubles around the ship at the bars. When ordering I always specified one for my husband, one for me & still they would charge one account many times. This caused that account to hit the 15 number and then it started to bill that account. If you didn't check the tab daily you could run up quite a tab at the end of the cruise.

We were constantly at the PSD getting the charges removed.

[MissP22]

13 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

Many here are already aware that you are a fan of Rum Runners. Given that stated proclivity it is no wonder you won't purchase a beverage package.

Yep, I'll have to dust off the Rum Runners for next trip. 

After I remove the Package from my next cruise it'll save about $1,400  from the total for items that I can no longer justify.

[Incognito1]

$1680 upgrade to Plus for next cruise.

Take away grats ($406), Internet ($225) and it's a little over $1000 for drinks (not interested in the specialty dessert or fitness classes).  We are close to teetotaling, but might enjoy the juice bar and definitely would make use of coffee.  But not a thousand dollars' worth.  Everyone has to do their own math - for those who drink a lot of alcohol, it probably makes sense.

 

[roadster08]

12 minutes ago, Incognito1 said:

$1680 upgrade to Plus for next cruise.

Take away grats ($406), Internet ($225) and it's a little over $1000 for drinks (not interested in the specialty dessert or fitness classes).  We are close to teetotaling, but might enjoy the juice bar and definitely would make use of coffee.  But not a thousand dollars' worth.  Everyone has to do their own math - for those who drink a lot of alcohol, it probably makes sense.

 

I wonder if Princess ever considered offering a package with a max limit less than 15 with a lower price or even a previous price. Seems a mini package would be well received. 

 

I'm not a heavy drinker either on account of my thin arms. 

Edited March 26, 2023 by roadster08

[lois1112]

On 3/14/2023 at 12:16 AM, nini said:

And what about espresso drinks or decent coffee at the International Cafe??? Hubby gets hot cocoa each morning and night, so there you go. And I love my Caramel Macchiato s each morning.

is this included in the plus package?

[caribill]

31 minutes ago, lois1112 said:

is this included in the plus package?

yes

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, Incognito1 said:

for those who drink a lot of alcohol, it probably makes sense.

For those who drink three glasses of wine a day, it makes sense. That is not a lot of alcohol !

[wowzz]

53 minutes ago, roadster08 said:

Seems a mini package would be well received. 

But the entire Plus package is only $60.

So, Princess offer a Plus Lite at $50 with a 5 drink limit. People would still moan !

[damiross]

57 minutes ago, wowzz said:

But the entire Plus package is only $60.

So, Princess offer a Plus Lite at $50 with a 5 drink limit. People would still moan !

I wish people would say the correct price.  It is $xxx per day. 

[Tedferg]

1 hour ago, roadster08 said:

I wonder if Princess ever considered offering a package with a max limit less than 15 with a lower price or even a previous price. Seems a mini package would be well received. 

I can't see it, as @wowzz said, it does not take many alcoholic drinks to make the package work. I think 90% or more would go for the lower priced package. So why would Princess have gone $40 then $50 then $60 pppd.

[memoak]

4 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

I can't see it, as @wowzz said, it does not take many alcoholic drinks to make the package work. I think 90% or more would go for the lower priced package. So why would Princess have gone $40 then $50 then $60 pppd.

Neither myself or any of my friends could get by on 5 drinks a day. In fact that wouldn’t even get us to pre dinner drinks. Love the Plus package

[wowzz]

2 minutes ago, memoak said:

Neither myself or any of my friends could get by on 5 drinks a day. In fact that wouldn’t even get us to pre dinner drinks. Love the Plus package

A man after my own heart! 

[wowzz]

14 minutes ago, damiross said:

I wish people would say the correct price.  It is $xxx per day. 

Pedantry alert ! Everyone knows it is a per diem charge.

Edited March 26, 2023 by wowzz

[damiross]

57 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Pedantry alert ! Everyone knows it is a per diem charge.

Not necessarily everyone.  I know it is.  You know it is. Mr. and Mrs. Smith on their first cruise may not know.  It's also nice to remind veteran cruisers that it is a per day charge for the entire length of hte cruise.

[GonzoWCS]

On 3/13/2023 at 6:00 PM, EDH75 said:

Wife and I are sailing on the Regal Princess TransAtlantic cruise in April.  We have sailed about 12 times and never have purchased their drink packages before. We usually cruise with another couple, but this time it us just the 2 of us.   But on a 14 day cruise with only 4 ports, that means lots of sea days just lounging around and relaxing and drinking (even though we normally are not big drinkers)

 

For $70 per day including tax ( Total of $1960 for both), here is what the Princess Plus provides.

• Princess® dining, accommodations and entertainment
• MedallionClass® experience
• Plus Beverage Package
  (drinks up to $15 each)
• Wi-Fi (1 device per guest)
• Crew appreciation
• NEW Premium desserts (2 per day)
• NEW Fitness classes (2 per cruise)
• NEW Unlimited juice bar
•  

Wifi is normally $10 per day each and crew appreciation is $224 each so that comes out total of $728.  So the question is can we drink a total of $1200 in 14 days?  That divides out to basically $44 per day each for alcohol / juice?  So basically we need drink 3 or 4 cocktails each per day.

 

Just looking for replies / comments/ thoughts for members that have purchased drink packages in the past!  Was it worth it to them?  Thanks

Yes

 

Cheers