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

[cruising.mark.uk]

Just now, whitecap said:

Thanks...I re-read and had DW read and maybe what your are saying is that Princess no longer feels a need to be loyal to those who don't want to participate in their package schemes.  Am I close?

Yes, you are.  In sum, what I am saying is that I sense - in commercial terms - that Princess prefers big spenders over those who spend less.  Whether that additional spend is generated by purchasing a suite rather than an inside, by buying a package, by purchasing an excursion at each port and / or by eating in a specialist pay restaurant every night of the cruise (or by gambling heavily in the casino) is, to a certain extent immaterial.  What they are focused on is the bottom line: how much revenue does this customer generate for us.  For them, that's a commercial not a moral judgment.  But, from what I read on here, it will put some of the most 'loyal' passengers at a disadvantage because their spend - based on their choices, their needs as 'mature' cruisers and their experiences over many years - will likely be less per diem than younger, less experienced cruisers.  So, Princess will be less inclined to give them loyalty benefits of real financial value than they might be to spend real money to encourage bigger spenders to return.

[PacnGoNow]

4 minutes ago, Jeter02 said:

Is it bad that I kind of want to stay a third week on the Discovery to watch the implementation of these new standards? I really just want to sit back watch the show and have some popcorn because I have a feeling it may be rather interesting as well as bumpy.

Any excuse is good to stay OB!  If it’s available, they may offer you a 50% off the next sailing?  😂

Edited July 30, 2023 by PacnGoNow

[cruising.mark.uk]

6 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said:

And you know what?  If the super majority chooses packages, then that could be the future of cruising.

 

I REALLY hope not and it may not happen, but it is always a possibility.

So for now, I am very happy to have a choice.

 

 

Interestingly, Celebrity tried that not so long ago.  They only offered all inclusive.  They had to reverse that policy pretty quickly.  I'd be surprised if Princess went down the route.  It is clear from these boards and, no doubt, from passenger surveys and other forms of feedback that all inclusive will not be a value proposition for all cruisers.

[whitecap]

Just now, cruising.mark.uk said:

Yes, you are.  In sum, what I am saying is that I sense - in commercial terms - that Princess prefers big spenders over those who spend less.  Whether that additional spend is generated by purchasing a suite rather than an inside, by buying a package, by purchasing an excursion at each port and / or by eating in a specialist pay restaurant every night of the cruise (or by gambling heavily in the casino) is, to a certain extent immaterial.  What they are focused on is the bottom line: how much revenue does this customer generate for us.  For them, that's a commercial not a moral judgment.  But, from what I read on here, it will put some of the most 'loyal' passengers at a disadvantage because their spend - based on their choices, their needs as 'mature' cruisers and their experiences over many years - will likely be less per diem than younger, less experienced cruisers.  So, Princess will be less inclined to give them loyalty benefits of real financial value than they might be to spend real money to encourage bigger spenders to return.

 

Nailed It!!  🥳  Now, I sure hope you are wrong and that Princess will come to their senses and realize that it is the loyal customer, most of whom cruise several times a year, that keeps them in business and not a first time person who might then decided to cruise once every couple of years.

[kathy49]

55 minutes ago, Kellyansapansa said:

I find it interesting that some of the people shouting the loudest about Princess not rewarding loyalty any more, are the same people who proudly boast about their tactics to screw down the price and minimise onboard spending. 🤔

 

Perhaps Princess is nickel and diming more  because it's being nickel and dimed by its customers ? 😜

Hum how is that...expecting the cruise and associated packages to be as purchased is "nickel and diming" Princess?

[memoak]

2 hours ago, whitecap said:

These changes may not be "consequential" to some but are to others however, the big picture is all the changes that have taken place, as minor or major as they may be, each alone might not be consequential but together, may be the proverbial straw.  

When the price of eggs goes up 20% do you stop making omelets ?

[kathy49]

43 minutes ago, cruising.mark.uk said:

 

Precisely.  I suspect (hope, as a shareholder) that Princess are not interested in loyal customers, but in revenue-generating customers.  I sense from reading posts across this board that those are two very different animals.  If what they post on these boards is true, it seems that some of the most 'loyal' passengers in terms of days cruised generate little if any income for the line over and above the cost of inside cabins.  Why should Princess give them 'loyalty' benefits of monetary value when its return on investment will be maximised by focusing instead on attracting and nurturing new customers who will buy the packages, spend onboard and on excursions and (they hope) work their way up through the cabin classes over time?  

 

No doubt some will answer that the line relies on their most experienced cohort to keep the ships full out of prime holiday season.  That may be true to a limited extent, but the recent evidence suggests that none of the CCL lines are having any problems with occupancy at the moment.

Also on many ships it seems that a very high % are first time Princess cruisers...so their marketing is working with that group. Some have described the Elite lounges as almost empty. I predict more loyalty perks going by the wayside as this approach continues.

[kathy49]

7 minutes ago, whitecap said:

 

Nailed It!!  🥳  Now, I sure hope you are wrong and that Princess will come to their senses and realize that it is the loyal customer, most of whom cruise several times a year, that keeps them in business and not a first time person who might then decided to cruise once every couple of years.

I don't think that is their thinking at all...in fact I think the first time cruiser is who they are marketing to with all of the changes...their loyal customers are dwindling for many reasons. 

[gah_cruise]

6 minutes ago, memoak said:

When the price of eggs goes up 20% do you stop making omelets ?

No I don't stop making them, just make them less often

[whitecap]

2 minutes ago, memoak said:

When the price of eggs goes up 20% do you stop making omelets ?

😂 It is so funny you would use that as an example:  The answer is Yes.  We stopped paying the gouging price stores began charging and instead our breakfasts was, cereal, waffles, pancakes and of course, no southern man would be without grits!!

[Steelers36]

1 minute ago, whitecap said:

😂 It is so funny you would use that as an example:  The answer is Yes.  We stopped paying the gouging price stores began charging and instead our breakfasts was, cereal, waffles, pancakes and of course, no southern man would be without grits!!

I believe all food and beverage consumed for breakfast is up in price.  I know eggs got some high publicity, and we pay through the nose in Ontario with supply-managed cartels, but this inflation cycle is hitting everything.

[Musky Ike]

4 minutes ago, gah_cruise said:

No I don't stop making them, just make them less often

And looked for cheaper egg brands.

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, PacnGoNow said:

And you know what?  If the super majority chooses packages, then that could be the future of cruising.

 

I REALLY hope not and it may not happen, but it is always a possibility.

So for now, I am very happy to have a choice.

 

 

Celebrity did try that a number of years ago. It was a failed experiment. It only lasted a few weeks. Rather  unlikely Princess or any other mass market line will repeat that attempt.

[cruising.mark.uk]

1 minute ago, Musky Ike said:

And looked for cheaper egg brands.

Yes, but if you find a cheaper brand that provides eggs that meet your requirements, are you going to switch to buying that brand or stick with your current one and spend the next year complaining on social media about how expensive it is?

[c-boy]

1 hour ago, Kellyansapansa said:

I find it interesting that some of the people shouting the loudest about Princess not rewarding loyalty any more, are the same people who proudly boast about their tactics to screw down the price and minimise onboard spending. 🤔

 

Perhaps Princess is nickel and diming more  because it's being nickel and dimed by its customers ? 😜

 The 

 

 

  Is full and apparently expired 

 

 

[kathy49]

1 minute ago, Steelers36 said:

I believe all food and beverage consumed for breakfast is up in price.  I know eggs got some high publicity, and we pay through the nose in Ontario with supply-managed cartels, but this inflation cycle is hitting everything.

To take this back to the discussion at hand....no doubt cost of living is UP...I think a once a year decision by the top brass at Princess or  Carnival or whoever makes the pricing decisions to just raise the price of the cruise and leave the stupid packages alone. This is confusion for passengers and agents. Those that are booked and paid for stay the same. Going forward say for bookings after xxx date the new prices go into effect. This does not penalize or confuse those who booked ahead and budgeted for a vacation (yes not everyone cruises 10 times a year...it can be a big investment),  I think booking ahead should be rewarded and not subject to all this crap. Generally that is the way things used to work and there was always a surge of bookings to beat the price increase...everyone considered it fair and agents had their sanity.

[pompeii]

18 minutes ago, memoak said:

When the price of eggs goes up 20% do you stop making omelets ?

But the price of eggs will go back down.  The increase is temporary.  Can't say that about Princess and its unwelcome changes.  

[memoak]

1 hour ago, whitecap said:

I'm not sure what "tactics to screw down the price and minimise onboard spending" means?  If I don't want a photo package am I "screwing down the price"?  If I don't drink enough alcohol or soda to justify a drink package, am I "screwing down the price"?  Respect your opinion but not understanding you meaning.

I believe we are referring to passengers removing gratuities, smuggling booze on board and sharing drink packages 

[seachelt]

3 hours ago, phabric said:

Island and Coral do not have any casual dining.

Exactly! Also, living in Canada we are not eligible for medallion shipping. We’ll be on the Island in less than a month with the plus package. I don’t see any incentive to upgrade to a new plus!

seachelt

[Princessfan20]

22 minutes ago, memoak said:

When the price of eggs goes up 20% do you stop making omelets ?

 

Many restaurants did change their menus because of the increase in eggs.  Supposedly Princess uses almost 10,000 eggs a day on a cruise according to the procurement officer when we did a ship tour on the Regal.  

[mike&elena]

The bottom line is that Inclusive Cruising will soon go the way of the dodo bird.  If you put a frog into a pot of boiling water, it will jump out, but if you put the frog into a pot of normal water and then slowly boils the water, the frog will eventually be heated to death due to its unconsciousness of the gradual temperature change.

[Kellyansapansa]

4 minutes ago, memoak said:

I believe we are referring to passengers removing gratuities, smuggling booze on board and sharing drink packages 

Yes, thank you for clarifying my comments. Of course we all want the best possible deal, but I was referring to those, thankfully in the minority, who boast of these types of tactics, and then complain when Princess makes changes in an attempt to maintain profitability. 

[coo359a2]

46 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said:

 

We will know more once the first ship starts these new changes!  🤔

But sure a lot of posts when we still have to wait to see how it will work. We dont sail till 26 September so should have some factual posts by then

[memoak]

1 hour ago, mthomp5 said:

You summed this up very well. Certainly, while not a big financial drain to pay $14.99 to activate Ocean Now, $5 for room service via phone, and to pay for Alfredo’s, it does feel like a slap in the face from Princess for those of us who booked early and in advance.  

I made a reservation at my favorite local restaurant a month ago for a special occasion I have coming up next week. When I get to the restaurant and find that price of items has been increased should I throw a tantrum and insist on last months prices ?

[Guest ldtr]

9 hours ago, devonuk said:

On a previous Sky cruise my stateroom attendant informed me that she was salaried so it made no difference to the crew whether CA was removed or not and that she was not informed who did or did not remove the CA. This revelation caused some doubt so on my cruise last week I asked my SA in a roundabout way about salaries for staff etc. and he was more than happy to inform me that removal of CA made no difference to him whatsoever and that cash left for him was a real bonus. He also confirmed that he had no way of knowing who did or didn’t pay the CA but that he had an idea if a particularly hefty tip was left. 
 

Yes and No.

 

Yes from the point that if an employee gets tips directly from the pool to their pocket they would certainly end up with more money in the short term. Though one must certainly question the ethics of their approach. After all with the number of people involved the diversion of a single tip amount or even a small number would not even be a rounding error on the tip pool.

 

Also Princess and other lines know and can predict pretty accurately what percentage will pull tips and that is calculated into the pool payouts.

 

No from the point of view that if that becomes 1% or 5% of the passengers then it does impact payout amounts by a corresponding percentage. One thing about packages on Princess is that for anyone voluntarily buying a package the tips are not removable.

 

Also no from the point that in the short term they might end up with more money in their pocket, it is my understanding that removal of tips is one of the metrics being tracked for stewards. Removal rates are compared to averages and if there is a trend of higher rates it raises a red flag when it comes to future assignments and contracts.

 

I usually will give my Steward an extra tip if they do well. For the 8 cruises I gave been on Princess during the past year the response has been the same. They first thank me, then they make sure that it is an additional tip, that I have not removed gratuities, and then point out that the one thing that benefits them the most it for passengers to mention them in the after cruise survey. Those mentions go a big way in determining future positions, assignments and contracts.