Changes to Princess Plus, room service fees, Alfredo's and others. Fee changes. Etc

[dides]

1 hour ago, villauk said:

Ours is still showing as Plus 50.

I think the website needs to catch up with yesterday's changes.

We have one cruise booked on Plus 50 before 14th December and one booked after 14th December on Plus.

The Travel Summary reflects the Plus 50 Special Services followed by the Fitness Classes/Premium Desserts of the current Plus.

 

 

The Beverage Package breakdown reflects the same with Plus 50 on the left and current Plus on the right.

 

 

You think...oh I wonder if I can see what I would be charged to upgrade on my Plus 50 cruise so you click on the fancy It Pays to Plus banner under the Onboard Services tab:

 

And hang on, it tells you get all the New Plus benefits and it's already been Purchased! I see the same on my cruise booked later too.  That's how you get people confused!

 

 

Edited July 28, 2023 by dides

[Jeter02]

5 minutes ago, Ombud said:

Hoping someone on a cruise after the updates posts the menu with a la carte pricing (but I've got $29 SD credit to use up)

I get off the Discovery the day the rollout begins. But I do plan on asking when I go to Alfredo's / Gigi's If they already have the new menus printed so I could just look at it. I'll be doing my best to do a live blog for the two weeks I'm on board. So if I post it almost likely be there.

Edited July 28, 2023 by Jeter02

[Ombud]

49 minutes ago, jimmieg said:

53 minutes ago, roxievegas said:

I'm in USA, ordered my medallion, got message last week that it was mailed.  Today is the last day that it can get here - leave tomorrow morning for the port 

 

We have not gotten our medallions

Hope USPS comes through, but if not a Medallion will be available at port that syncs to all info you have loaded on app.

Informeddelivery.usps.com will tell you when it will be delivered.

 

[Guest ldtr]

56 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

What in my comment was about a standard fare customer?  If you want to eat at Alfredo's, previously free, you now have to pay $15.  I consider that pretty significant.  Room service charges, ordering form the app.  Seems to me it all costs quite a bit more unless you buy their most expensive AI package.

 

Edit:  I believe you were mentioning that a standard fare customer wasn't seeing any increase as a default, and yes, I think that is true, unless you take advantage of any other services such as casual dining, then you will now be paying a fee.

The question is how often do you eat at Alfredos.  If you eat there every day then the increase is significant ($15 per day per person).  If you eat their once during a 7 day cruise then not so much ($2.1 per person per day).  Same with how often you use room service.  If you use it multiple times per day then the cost can be significant, if it is rarely used not so much.

 

Then again I suspect part of the costs are to help curb extensive use as wait times for room service get longer.  

Edited July 28, 2023 by ldtr

[mnkauf]

I just heard that Princess will be charging for room service unless you get the Plus Package (which is not free).

[Mr Sea Gull]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Room service is not always complimentary for Plus and Premier. if you have 2nd class plus or premier pre Dec 22 you are treated the same as Standard. Always complimentary is for 1st Class plus and premier 60/80

[jimmieg]

21 minutes ago, Mira28 said:

It’s significant to some. It’s $14.99 per person per meal now for food that used to be included.

Yes, it’s optional, but it is a change and an increase for those who don’t book a package. It doesn’t personally affect me but I can see why it’s upsetting to those who are affected. Sure, the cruise line can do whatever it wants, but it seems that changing the product (after it has been paid for) is, while profitable, a questionable business practice.

Any change of any retail concern will affect people going forward.  There is an ala carte option mentioned that will likely reduce the 3-course $14.99 meal to less for just a pizza. 

Still not significant in the overall cost of a cruise. 

BTW, I have walked by Alfredo's for decades and only eaten there once.  I must walk by at the wrong time, as it seems everybody on this topic eats there daily and now their cruise is ruined.😉

[PrincessLuver]

1 hour ago, JGmf said:

 

Re: stiffing the crew to make a righteous point that you don't like Princess' changes - that's petty and ridiculous. 

 

Ahhh.  I think Princess is being petty and ridiculous by all the new ways it is finding too stiff its' passengers.  Stiff away!!

[dides]

On 7/27/2023 at 6:12 PM, CanadianCruiser21 said:

I am anxiously awaiting the new menus with prices for these casual eateries.
We can presume that it would be $15 for an app, entree, and dessert. However, prix fixe does not always mean that you can pick any entree on the menu. It could be a subset of options, usually the cheaper ones. Since there would be an a la carte menu, I wouldn’t be surprised if they had an upcharge for certain entrees that aren’t part of the prix fixe.

 

For example, Salty Dog GastroPub (not grill) already had a prix fixe of $18. I doubt that this will go down to $15 with all the same options. I anticipate that the lobster Mac and Cheese would be a $3 upcharge. 

 

I fully expect my favourite Alfredo's Tarantina pizza with bay shrimp won't be on the fixed price menu! And O'Malley's menu items are all $5 for starters, $10 for mains and $5 for desserts so I'm sure there will a smaller cheaper selection on the fixed price menu,

[bubbaed]

This change makes sense. For years (or even decades) cruise prices have been falling overall as cruise lines add capacity and attract new passengers, many of whom are price sensitive. A lot of us “cruising veterans” have been spoiled with low fares. I do not blame the cruise lines for wanting to keep the “entry level” fares low to attract new customers, but cruising MUST get more expensive if it’s going to survive long-term.

 

Cruises have traditionally been a somewhat or mostly “inclusive” vacation, but this model is becoming incompatible with low entry-level fares due to rising costs and increased demand. So, it makes total sense for cruise lines to charge for various levels of inclusiveness (much in the same way they charge for a range of different cabin types.) 

 

That being said, I think Princess failed miserably on messaging their new packages. Passing off new fees as “increased value” for those who purchase packages was lame. They simply should have said, “In response to increased costs, and to keep our base fares low while continuing to provide exceptional service, we are adding nominal fees for some optional services provided on board. Guests who have purchased Plus or Premier will have the fees waived.”

[4cats4me]

Wondering  if the 14.99 medallion activation fee will be a one-time charge per entire cruise,  or per cruise segment  on

back-to-backs ?

Edited July 28, 2023 by 4cats4me

[bubbaed]

It's an entirely different debate about what's included in the various packages. I agree with fee waivers but desserts? Fitness classes? Not sure there's value in that.

 

The no-brainers for me are 1) drinks, 2) tips, and 3) WiFi. I would pay for these things anyway so rolling them into a package makes sense for me. The PLUS package has always worked out in my favor – the break-even point was about 3 drinks (Bloody Mary, martini, bourbon) and became and net plus (pun indented) for me when I add in 2 americanos and a few bottles of Perrier per day. Got even more valuable if I chose to have wine with dinner or a beer with pizza at lunch.

 

It boils down to your cruising style. Only you can figure out if $60/day is worth it based on your habits.

[Jeter02]

Just now, 4cats4me said:

Wondering  if the 14.99 medallion activation fee will be a one-time charge per cruise,  or per cruise segment  on

back-to-backs ?

The activation fee for back to back is dependent on how it's booked. If you book two separate segments then you will pay the $15 for each segment. If you book it as a logical cruise, Which means two separate cruises but you booked it as one long cruise then you only have to pay the $15 activation fee wants

[JGmf]

7 minutes ago, bubbaed said:

This change makes sense. For years (or even decades) cruise prices have been falling overall as cruise lines add capacity and attract new passengers, many of whom are price sensitive. A lot of us “cruising veterans” have been spoiled with low fares. I do not blame the cruise lines for wanting to keep the “entry level” fares low to attract new customers, but cruising MUST get more expensive if it’s going to survive long-term.

 

Totally agree.  Again, all the $5 and $15 here and there complaints of an occasional, optional (but not mandatory) extra cost is illustrating the fact that Princess may need to shake-out this very type of passenger who isn't helping the bottom line, replacing it with those who will.  Can't blame them. 

 

Time will tell - people may vote with their wallet and go to another cruise line - I highly, highly doubt it though.

[dreaminofcruisin]

2 hours ago, emeraldlake said:

My husband and I usually share a pizza at Alfredo's.  So if we go in and order one $14.99 meal and two drinks, we can go 4 times.

 

This is an excellent idea as we also always share a pizza.

The question though is whether or not we need to buy a 'meal' or if there will be an a la carte price for the pizza alone? Usually the pizza is enough for us.....

[wineglass]

On my presently booked 15 day cruise, plus+ would add $900 per person to my fare. Remove gratuities and internet and that means almost $400 per person to spend on drinks, or about $26 a day. If I drank a lot it might work, but I don’t. The new ship Sun Princess is going towards exclusive sectioning similar to Celebrity. I don’t like that either. Perhaps they don’t care, but Princess is rapidly pushing this elite customer towards another cruise line!

[emeraldlake]

1 minute ago, dreaminofcruisin said:

 

This is an excellent idea as we also always share a pizza.

The question though is whether or not we need to buy a 'meal' or if there will be an a la carte price for the pizza alone? Usually the pizza is enough for us.....

The $14.99 meal is free with Plus/Premier pkg so best to order that instead of paying $12 for pizza alone.

[Jeter02]

4 minutes ago, dreaminofcruisin said:

 

This is an excellent idea as we also always share a pizza.

The question though is whether or not we need to buy a 'meal' or if there will be an a la carte price for the pizza alone? Usually the pizza is enough for us.....

You will have a choice between either a 3 course meal there for $14.99 or you can opt for a la carte so presuming you should have no problem just getting a pizza if that's what your heart desires.

[Jeter02]

4 minutes ago, wineglass said:

On my presently booked 15 day cruise, plus+ would add $900 per person to my fare. Remove gratuities and internet and that means almost $400 per person to spend on drinks, or about $26 a day. If I drank a lot it might work, but I don’t. The new ship Sun Princess is going towards exclusive sectioning similar to Celebrity. I don’t like that either. Perhaps they don’t care, but Princess is rapidly pushing this elite customer towards another cruise line!

I agree with you on everything you have written. They're definitely pushing for that class system. Celebrity, MSC, and NCL all do that with separate areas for different class of people. I'm not keen on that at all.

[Jeter02]

3 minutes ago, emeraldlake said:

The $14.99 meal is free with Plus/Premier pkg so best to order that instead of paying $12 for pizza alone.

Keep in mind it's a prefixed menu so the type of pizza that might be on that fixed menu maybe one that you don't care to have. It will be really interesting like I said I'm excited when I join Sunday and I start talking to some crew on there and hoping they'll let me get a sneak peek at what's to come.

[JLC0912]

14 minutes ago, JGmf said:

  Again, all the $5 and $15 here and there complaints of an occasional, optional (but not mandatory) extra cost is illustrating the fact that Princess may need to shake-out this very type of passenger who isn't helping the bottom line, replacing it with those who will.  Can't blame them. 

 

Time will tell - people may vote with their wallet and go to another cruise line - I highly, highly doubt it though.

I also agree.  This small increase will not prevent me from cruising with Princess again.  However, I really do not like the attempts at deception by trying to call it increasing the value of the packages. For me, it's not the small extra cost, it is the deception.  I keep an eye on businesses that are not honest and if anything additional happens will lean pretty quickly to taking my business elsewhere.  I think it reflects the culture of the organization and the culture seems to remain static over the years. For example, I think Wells Fargo will continue in much the same way as they always have in spite of getting large fines and sanctions. The culture persists.....

 

However, things are relative and that is a consideration.  I believe that RC is much more ruthless in squeezing out every dime from every customer, so I will stay away from them for at least a couple of years. Presently, I think Princess offers a good value on their cruises, so I will likely stay with them for awhile going forward. More changes might change my mind though.

[Guest ldtr]

20 minutes ago, JGmf said:

 

Totally agree.  Again, all the $5 and $15 here and there complaints of an occasional, optional (but not mandatory) extra cost is illustrating the fact that Princess may need to shake-out this very type of passenger who isn't helping the bottom line, replacing it with those who will.  Can't blame them. 

 

Time will tell - people may vote with their wallet and go to another cruise line - I highly, highly doubt it though.

Voting with their wallet will be difficult for those that are really cost sensitive if they want to continue cruising because the competition is more expensive.  We are sailing on 7 different cruise lines next year.  Princess certainly has the lowest cost per day for similar cabins.

 

The discount of cruise to similar land based vacations is currently around 35% even after the price increases according to the RCL CEO on an interview on CNBC yesterday and RCL brands have been increasing prices more aggressively than CCL brands.

[DeeTO]

3 hours ago, sunviking90 said:

I’m currently in green lane for my August 21 cruise (still green today) Being in Canada we also can’t get medallions shipped and get them at the port.

I saw it stated that only people with medallions in hand will be in green lane- that means only people living in the USA. Like you I am in Canada and in green lane for my Aug 19 cruise but perhaps it will change over as of Aug 2, who knows.

[Guest ldtr]

16 minutes ago, Jeter02 said:

I agree with you on everything you have written. They're definitely pushing for that class system. Celebrity, MSC, and NCL all do that with separate areas for different class of people. I'm not keen on that at all.

HAL is about the only remaining North American focused adult focused cruise line without a class system.

[JLC0912]

15 minutes ago, Jeter02 said:

I agree with you on everything you have written. They're definitely pushing for that class system. Celebrity, MSC, and NCL all do that with separate areas for different class of people. I'm not keen on that at all.

 

I believe in living beneath your means,  and as such, do not appreciate the cruise lines trying to put me into a certain class of ppl. At an Asia cruise I was looking at- Spectrum of the Seas, the entire solarium is to be used by only a certain class of suite guests.  That is a huge portion of the ship to be cordoned off and not be used by the remaining passengers.