Confused About the New Charges

[DHP1]

1 hour ago, luv2kroooz said:

This has to be one of the most ridiculous fees I've ever seen. These cruise lines continue to invent silly ways to soak the customer for more and more money at every turn. You'd need an advanced degree to understand which fare is charged a fee, based on which method you choose to order. Very very sad. We continue to reach new lows.

I agree. Why don’t they just increase the cruise fee by $ and be done with these silly fees. 

[Steelers36]

5 hours ago, gah_cruise said:

Yeah, I know this.........I don't have to pay per order if I leave the phone alone.

My question is.....why will Princess charge me for using the phone for each order..but happy for me to use an app/tv to order RS?

What is it that Princess is trying to achieve by dissuading me from talking to a Room Service Human ?

YGIAGAM.

[Guest ldtr]

8 hours ago, gah_cruise said:

Can someone please explain why Princess charges $5 for RS if you use the phone but not if you use the app/tv?   Is it just about saving the costs of employing people to take the orders over the phone?

Probably.  On TV or App the order shows up as a printout.  (kind of the equivalent to ordering at Starbucks using the app, vs waiting in line to order at the cash register.  There is a reason fast food companies are going to app ordering) On the phone someone has to answer the phone, take the order and enter it into the system,.  Have noticed long wait times on the phone just getting someone to talk to for room service.  So I suspect getting people to use the app is one of the goals.

Edited August 2, 2023 by ldtr

[Guest ldtr]

2 hours ago, DHP1 said:

I agree. Why don’t they just increase the cruise fee by $ and be done with these silly fees. 

I suspect these are as much about influencing behavior as they are to increase revenue.  Though they will asl odo some of the later.  I suspect the goals are to increase packages sales, as well as steering orders into the app and TV which are more efficient than the phone order system.

[Steelers36]

3 hours ago, dhdoug said:

As an elite what can you swap out for the mini bar?

10 alcohol for other alcohol or beer.  Think airline tiny bottles for the booze.  Perhaps just some of the beer labels on the menus.  Or swap for more non-alcohol.  Btls of water, Perrier, soda cans.  The 10 non-alcohol can only be swapped for non-alcohol.  You can get a so-so bottle of wine for the whole contents... not a great option IMO.

 

[travelin.sisters]

so I have a couple of questions that I'm not sure anyone can answer but here they are:

• is there a charge for crew call if you don't order anything...like asking a question or there is a problem in your room...on our 3 cruises over the last 2 years, they wanted us to use that rather than calling or going to the CS desk, but if there is going to be a charge I will wait in line or on hold
• is there a charge when you call for Elite tea or hors d'oeuvres? that seems unfair (although this whole thing is a little maybe unfair isn't quite the word but certainly annoying after them pushing all these things as new benefits of the medallion app for our last 3 cruises...so clever how they worded this...not we are now charging for things that were free, but we have NEW things for the packages)

anyway, any thoughts would be appreciated

[Steelers36]

3 minutes ago, travelin.sisters said:

so I have a couple of questions that I'm not sure anyone can answer but here they are:

• is there a charge for crew call if you don't order anything...like asking a question or there is a problem in your room...on our 3 cruises over the last 2 years, they wanted us to use that rather than calling or going to the CS desk, but if there is going to be a charge I will wait in line or on hold
• is there a charge when you call for Elite tea or hors d'oeuvres? that seems unfair (although this whole thing is a little maybe unfair isn't quite the word but certainly annoying after them pushing all these things as new benefits of the medallion app for our last 3 cruises...so clever how they worded this...not we are now charging for things that were free, but we have NEW things for the packages)

anyway, any thoughts would be appreciated

No, you won't be charged for a cabin issue nor for housekeeping service.  The charge is for food and beverage order.  There is no announced charge for an Elite benefit.

Edited August 2, 2023 by Steelers36

[travelin.sisters]

31 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

No, you won't be charged for a cabin issue nor for housekeeping service.  The charge is for food and beverage order.  There is no announced charge for an Elite benefit.

thank you I really appreciated the response...but it does say there is a charge to activate Ocean Now for housekeeping items even if they are complimentary so that led to the question about if it is not a thing delivered to you but an inquiry, do they still charge that activation charge for crew chat? I guess I will eventually find out

[Steelers36]

2 minutes ago, travelin.sisters said:

thank you I really appreciated the response...but it does say there is a charge to activate Ocean Now for housekeeping items even if they are complimentary so that led to the question about if it is not a thing delivered to you but an inquiry, do they still charge that activation charge for crew chat? I guess I will eventually find out

Did you read post #15?  I think you will have a different thought if you check that one.  There is no fee for Crew Chat.

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

Did you read post #15?  I think you will have a different thought if you check that one.  There is no fee for Crew Chat.

There is no fee for crew chat.  But they are correct in that if you use the App to order housekeeping items the 14.99 charge starts if it has not been incurred prior.  The same items ordered by phone or through your Steward no charge.

 

I suspect that they have no way to identify what is being ordered via the App so the charge will occur even if the App is used to order housekeeping items.

 

That makes for a rather confusing mess.  Elite and housekeeping items you have to call or go through your Steward to avoid any charges since any use of the App for any ordering with initiate the $14.99 charge.

 

I would have missed that on FAQ 5 on post 2 if they had not mentioned it.

Edited August 2, 2023 by ldtr

[travelin.sisters]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

Did you read post #15?  I think you will have a different thought if you check that one.  There is no fee for Crew Chat.

that was actually where my confusion started because in the first cell of the table it talks about the activation fee even for complimentary housekeeping items, so I read it as I either have to call housekeeping or see the room steward, but hopefully your reading of it is correct (& it's only $15 for the whole cruise if I do end up having to pay it)...again thank you for taking the time to answer

[travelin.sisters]

5 minutes ago, ldtr said:

There is no fee for crew chat.  But they are correct in that if you use the App to order housekeeping items the 14.99 charge starts if it has not been incurred prior.  The same items ordered by phone or through your Steward no charge.

 

I suspect that they have no way to identify what is being ordered via the App so the charge will occur even if the App is used to order housekeeping items.

 

That makes for a rather confusing mess.  Elite and housekeeping items you have to call or go through your Steward to avoid any charges since any use of the App for any ordering with initiate the $14.99 charge.

 

I would have missed that on FAQ 5 on post 2 if they had not mentioned it.

thank you...it will be so confusing what to order how...I will probably just activate it on my app for our whole group as I am the only one who actually knows how to use the app (15 day cruise, I think I can swing $1/day)

[Steelers36]

10 minutes ago, ldtr said:

There is no fee for crew chat.  But they are correct in that if you use the App to order housekeeping items the 14.99 charge starts if it has not been incurred prior.  The same items ordered by phone or through your Steward no charge.

 

I suspect that they have no way to identify what is being ordered via the App so the charge will occur even if the App is used to order housekeeping items.

 

That makes for a rather confusing mess.  Elite and housekeeping items you have to call or go through your Steward to avoid any charges since any use of the App for any ordering with initiate the $14.99 charge.

 

I would have missed that on FAQ 5 on post 2 if they had not mentioned it.

Crew Call not the same as Crew Chat, so there is a confusion point. 

Picking up phone to call Housekeeping versus Room Service is going to be another confusion point.

Ordering otherwise free things from Steward ( Housekeeping) via App is a confusion point.  I wouldn't be surprised if IT told them it would take 6 mths to write it correctly versus 6 wks or days to slap-dash a quick fix to apply blanket charge.

This is going to blow up in their faces and, as the song said, Change is Gonna Come.

Thanks for catching me up on that finer point.  I knew housekeeping was free, but a guest can get caught with a fee anyway.

 

The savvy guest is not going to incur a housekeeping charge by contacting Steward or speaking directly.  I do this now automatically anyway.  And I mean the guest who isn't planning on using Ocean Now for food/beverage orders.  If planning on using that, it doesn't matter about Housekeeping.

 

It is just silly these things that work one way or another depending on mode of communication.

 

And I wouldn't be surprised if most of the fault isn't IT because they have fumbled with the App for over two years now with bug after bug.

 

You know, if they had quietly raised cruise fares $15 and just left the new RS fee in place, and left the App as-is, no one would notice anything untoward and they would eliminate 1000s of potential complaint issues.  IT work would have been avoided, plus expected future maintenance and issue resolution.

 

Most importantly, they would not have driven a stake into the core philosophy of the App and the concept of delivery service to where the guest is.  Removal of barriers.  Now many are looking how to get around and over a new unexpected barrier.  At least the guests on Standard... which I suppose is not a big concern of theirs.

 

[Therese S.]

On our last Hawaii cruise and before boarding I ordered 3 of the little bottles of whiskey, 3 of vodka, 4 six packs of soft drinks and many packs of water bottles.  They would only allow 2 of each of the alcohol and didn’t have room for all the water.  Was instructed to call room service after a few days for the remaining alcohol and water.  I plan to order more on my next cruise which is 33 days.  Would I be charged a fee for calling room service to get items Ive already paid for?  

[Tripmode33]

51 minutes ago, Therese S. said:

On our last Hawaii cruise and before boarding I ordered 3 of the little bottles of whiskey, 3 of vodka, 4 six packs of soft drinks and many packs of water bottles.  They would only allow 2 of each of the alcohol and didn’t have room for all the water.  Was instructed to call room service after a few days for the remaining alcohol and water.  I plan to order more on my next cruise which is 33 days.  Would I be charged a fee for calling room service to get items Ive already paid for?  

Can you please tell me - are you referring to the mini bar size spirits or the half bottle size (375ml)? When we have excess OBC, we often phone room service for the half size spirits, which we then take home. However that action now will cost us $US5 ($7.50 charge here in Australia).  I don't know if they'll allow you to purchase multiple in one transaction.  These type of room service items cannot be ordered on the Ocean Now App on phone or TV.  There are probably other room service items not on App and $7.50 per call will soon add up.  Interesting to see if you can pay for bigger quantity in one call and get delivered every few days. Unlikely as you're still taking crew time for delivery.

[gah_cruise]

8 hours ago, gilboman said:

This is pretty normal..eg phone reservations for Aeroplan has a $25 booking fee but free online or on app

 

Costs more to have a human there and way less efficient 

Fair point....but if I am Plus/Premier I can phone for RS for no charge...why charge Standard only?

[villauk]

1 hour ago, gah_cruise said:

Fair point....but if I am Plus/Premier I can phone for RS for no charge...why charge Standard only?

 

Which is why I find it hard to understand those comments that say there can now be a reduction in the staff taking orders for R/S over the phone or you will get items sooner/more efficiently. As you pointed out, if you’re on the new packages or agree to pay the $14.99 for activation, Princess have got to provide that service anyway. It’s just a way to generate more revenue with items that were included as free previously - basically trying to push you to book a Premier package.

[Mara4166]

9 hours ago, DHP1 said:

I agree. Why don’t they just increase the cruise fee by $ and be done with these silly fees. 

 You can get it included in your fare cost if you purchase the Plus or Premier package.  The fees only apply if you do not want it included in your cruise fare.  They are giving people the option to have all inclusive fare or be plagued by lots of small charges.  My main concern is they do not have a different all inclusive package for people who do not drink alcohol.  

[villauk]

1 minute ago, Mara4166 said:

 You can get it included in your fare cost if you purchase the Plus or Premier package.  The fees only apply if you do not want it included in your cruise fare.  They are giving people the option to have all inclusive fare or be plagued by lots of small charges.  My main concern is they do not have a different all inclusive package for people who do not drink alcohol.  

 

 

I have a package but still can’t get the items that were once in my paid-for package because Princess have moved the goal posts - I’m not interested in desserts or fitness classes, just what I originally paid for. I also understand your frustration as it appears they are only interested in those who consume alcohol. Poor show all round really.

[gah_cruise]

20 minutes ago, villauk said:

 

Which is why I find it hard to understand those comments that say there can now be a reduction in the staff taking orders for R/S over the phone or you will get items sooner/more efficiently. As you pointed out, if you’re on the new packages or agree to pay the $14.99 for activation, Princess have got to provide that service anyway. It’s just a way to generate more revenue with items that were included as free previously - basically trying to push you to book a Premier package.

If you are a "Standard" fare, you will pay $5 each time you order RS by telephone..that is on top of the one-off $14.99 activation fee

[SargassoPirate]

4 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Crew Call not the same as Crew Chat, so there is a confusion point. 

Picking up phone to call Housekeeping versus Room Service is going to be another confusion point.

Ordering otherwise free things from Steward ( Housekeeping) via App is a confusion point.  I wouldn't be surprised if IT told them it would take 6 mths to write it correctly versus 6 wks or days to slap-dash a quick fix to apply blanket charge.

This is going to blow up in their faces and, as the song said, Change is Gonna Come.

Thanks for catching me up on that finer point.  I knew housekeeping was free, but a guest can get caught with a fee anyway.

 

The savvy guest is not going to incur a housekeeping charge by contacting Steward or speaking directly.  I do this now automatically anyway.  And I mean the guest who isn't planning on using Ocean Now for food/beverage orders.  If planning on using that, it doesn't matter about Housekeeping.

 

It is just silly these things that work one way or another depending on mode of communication.

 

And I wouldn't be surprised if most of the fault isn't IT because they have fumbled with the App for over two years now with bug after bug.

 

You know, if they had quietly raised cruise fares $15 and just left the new RS fee in place, and left the App as-is, no one would notice anything untoward and they would eliminate 1000s of potential complaint issues.  IT work would have been avoided, plus expected future maintenance and issue resolution.

 

Most importantly, they would not have driven a stake into the core philosophy of the App and the concept of delivery service to where the guest is.  Removal of barriers.  Now many are looking how to get around and over a new unexpected barrier.  At least the guests on Standard... which I suppose is not a big concern of theirs.

 

SWMBO and I tend to be old school.  We eschew technology that tries to be a replacement for a face-to-face interaction as much as possible.  CC is our sole social media.  No bookface or tweeter for us.  Betty White summed it up pretty well on Saturday Night Live when she quipped it's "a huge waste of time".

 

We quit on the wonky Medallion app and just show up at the port with our paperwork and pick up the Medallion there.  If we need something in our cabin, we either see the steward, or we leave him/her a post it note.  

 

Room service is never an issue since we don't care to sit on the bed, sofa, or desk chair to eat, and then bus our own "table".  Hot morning coffee?  SWMBO's cabin boy delivers her insulated travel mug full of hot coffee.

 

We use the Medallion to open our cabin door and that's about it.  Need a beverage?  Flag down a server.

 

There's a whole generation or two behind us that are losing the ability and the art of face-to-face conversation and eye contact.  Look around in restaurants and other venues and notice how many couples and groups are all on their devices instead of conversing and enjoying each other's company.

 

 

[kywildcatfanone]

15 hours ago, gah_cruise said:

but will service time improve?

No

[Musky Ike]

2 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

Look around in restaurants and other venues and notice how many couples and groups are all on their devices instead of conversing and enjoying each other's company.

The Eagles didn't know how prophetic they were with Hotel California. 🙄

 

Mirrors on the ceiling
The pink champagne on ice
And she said, 'We are all just prisoners here
Of our own device"

[SargassoPirate]

9 minutes ago, Musky Ike said:

The Eagles didn't know how prophetic they were with Hotel California. 🙄

 

Mirrors on the ceiling
The pink champagne on ice
And she said, 'We are all just prisoners here
Of our own device"

Love it, Musky Ike.

[susancruzs]

I travel alone, only used room service when traveling with someone a few times.  I can avoid all this very easily on my Oct. cruise.  I ordered the Plus, change out my mini bar for soda I like or water, pre-order bathrobe, anything else I want to talk to my room steward.  Being alone, prefer to talk to people, not a screen.