Response from Princess to email re changes

[no1racefan1]

14 minutes ago, ldtr said:

What I intend to do one my cruise within 90 day is to ask for the amount I am impacted by the change at customer service.  May or may not get any obc but I figure I have a far better chance then telling them I want to be grandfathered.

I will almost certainly do nothing and say nothing while on the cruise. I hate spending vacation time standing in line at GS unless absolutely necessary. I will take it into account when I consider future cruise bookings.

[LittleFish1976]

8 hours ago, kevinyork said:

We booked our cruise June 22 for this Oct 23’, 12 night ex Southampton.  We booked it a couple of weeks after returning from our second Princess cruise as we were pleased with the cruise and the inclusions. 
 

We paid our final balance 10 days before the changes to the packages started being discussed (although still no official notification). Main thing for us is a chargeable Alfredo’s and the Ocean Now activation fee.  Both are not huge amounts however it’s the principal.  We emailed the CEO in the U.K. and a customer service supervisor responded in a fairly dismissive way and even spun the changes as positives. They should have grandfathered these in. We booked understanding what our cruise included and indeed paid the final balance on the same basis. 
 

Our booking in our online account shows we have purchased the Plus package and lists all of the current inclusions, see attached. How do you think we will stand if we present this onboard as “proof” of what we expected to receive?

They would just say no. The fine print underneath that screenshot area says something to the effect of 'your package may not include everything we've listed above so look at your travel summary to see what it does actually include'.

 

I'm in the same situation as you; purchased, in my case a premier package, thinking I was paying for and would receive what they said the package included. I sail in 60 days and my package will *not* include what I was told it did include when I booked. I doubt I would book another cruise with this line.

 

[memoak]

1 hour ago, ldtr said:

What I intend to do one my cruise within 90 day is to ask for the amount I am impacted by the change at customer service.  May or may not get any obc but I figure I have a far better chance then telling them I want to be grandfathered.

Your odds are zero and zero

[Cruise Raider]

15 hours ago, Crystaltipps67 said:

Sorry - I really didn't mean to upset you. I wasn't disagreeing with what you were saying and I'm really grateful for the update on what it actually happening on board now that the changes are in place. 

it really didn’t upset me in the very least.  Glad you found the info helpful. 

[CalLuvsCrusingToo]

4 hours ago, startedwithamouse said:

or Afternoon tea in stateroom delivery?

 

Yes there continues to be gray areas.

Afternoon tea is an Elite perk, yet you must call Room service to set up date/time.

Will there be a charge for that?  Forpetesake.🙄

[suzyed]

5 hours ago, ldtr said:

Actually it is exactly the point. Let's say that you could sue Princess for damages. The first question that would be asked is what are the actual damages. In my case it would be $42 dollars per person.

 

As Princess put it the change under consumer protection laws is considered to be not significant to the purchase of the cruise, same as with the RCCl prince increases.

So looking at it another way, Princess is peeving customers off for $42 per person....is that really worth all the ill will?
I don't intend to sue anyone...although I could, having 2 lawyers in my family. I guess you just don't understand why folks are upset...it's not price increases, it is the fact that they are  not delivering the product that people have already paid for.

[suzyed]

2 hours ago, CalLuvsCrusingToo said:

 

Yes there continues to be gray areas.

Afternoon tea is an Elite perk, yet you must call Room service to set up date/time.

Will there be a charge for that?  Forpetesake.🙄

Not if you have  Plus or Premier.

[Tigrou]

8 hours ago, ldtr said:

What I intend to do one my cruise within 90 day is to ask for the amount I am impacted by the change at customer service.  May or may not get any obc but I figure I have a far better chance then telling them I want to be grandfathered.

 

Another option would be to have guest services reduce the Crew Appreciation by the amount impacted by the change.  

 

That's what I am considering although I have never before, on any cruise with any cruise line, reduced or removed the auto-gratuities.  But having only recently become aware that it is pooled fleetwide and doesn't go directly to the crew members (those I see and those I don't) on my cruise, and that Princess take an admin fee, I am now thinking about it.  Only for this one cruise, where Princess have reneged on what I believe was our contract, and I would ensure guest services were aware of my reasons for doing it.

 

I know it's controversial, and I don't know yet if I will do it, but it is an option for those of us on a Standard Fare.

 

[kiwimum]

4 hours ago, suzyed said:

Not if you have  Plus or Premier.

From experience onboard the Sky.  If you are Elite and call for the afternoon tea there is no charge.   Still listed as complimentary.   Has nothing to do with which package you are on.  No charge on our account after 3 days.

Edited August 25, 2023 by kiwimum

[rosevew]

10 hours ago, ldtr said:

Good luck with that. Your chance of getting a favorable response to that request is slim to  none.

What request? Just stated what it would cost us to be in same position we were in when we booked.

[teenieleek]

Re LittleFish1976 question.  Like him/her I paid for a cruise on 23rd September some time back.  We paid for Plus £50/$60.  That is still the price for Plus.  I assumed it would include the new “benefits”.  Why would it not as it is not possible to upgrade as we are already paying the latest price?  I thought I understood this but am now confused.  Could someone explain please.  

[LittleFish1976]

7 minutes ago, teenieleek said:

Re LittleFish1976 question.  Like him/her I paid for a cruise on 23rd September some time back.  We paid for Plus £50/$60.  That is still the price for Plus.  I assumed it would include the new “benefits”.  Why would it not as it is not possible to upgrade as we are already paying the latest price?  I thought I understood this but am now confused.  Could someone explain please.  

Hi teenieleek, Any package purchased prior to 14th December, 2022 does not include the items that were new from that date (desserts; juice bar; fitness classes) and also now do not include the recently introduced changes such as the charge to order items on the app (I think it's called Ocean Now) as well as the room service charge, medallion delivery (for those in delivery areas) etc.

 

The premier package has increased in cost since I purchased it (purchase date was prior to that date mentioned in Dec, 2022) although I also will not be receiving the items that *were* included when I did purchase it which is disappointing, irritating and a bit of a nuisance.

 

If I wish to I can pay extra per day to upgrade my package and I may do so just to make the whole thing simpler but it grates.

 

I hope I've explained the situation as it affects me and others in my situation. It sounds like you purchased your fare/ package after 14th December, 2022 so you will have all the new inclusions (apparently!). Fingers crossed that it works out that way for you.

[startedwithamouse]

25 minutes ago, LittleFish1976 said:

Hi teenieleek, Any package purchased prior to 14th December, 2022 does not include the items that were new from that date (desserts; juice bar; fitness classes) and also now do not include the recently introduced changes such as the charge to order items on the app (I think it's called Ocean Now) as well as the room service charge, medallion delivery (for those in delivery areas) etc.

 

The premier package has increased in cost since I purchased it (purchase date was prior to that date mentioned in Dec, 2022) although I also will not be receiving the items that *were* included when I did purchase it which is disappointing, irritating and a bit of a nuisance.

 

If I wish to I can pay extra per day to upgrade my package and I may do so just to make the whole thing simpler but it grates.

 

I hope I've explained the situation as it affects me and others in my situation. It sounds like you purchased your fare/ package after 14th December, 2022 so you will have all the new inclusions (apparently!). Fingers crossed that it works out that way for you.

We purchased prior to that time, and juice bar was included. Fitness classes and desserts were not. 

[LittleFish1976]

1 minute ago, startedwithamouse said:

We purchased prior to that time, and juice bar was included. Fitness classes and desserts were not. 

Oh that's nice to hear as that's the only addition from that tranche of 'inclusions' I'm interested in but the juices aren't supposed to be included for us (according to the Princess literature). I'll have to try my luck before committing to the upgrade, I guess.

[PacnGoNow]

6 hours ago, kiwimum said:

From experience onboard the Sky.  If you are Elite and call for the afternoon tea there is no charge.   Still listed as complimentary.   Has nothing to do with which package you are on.  No charge on our account after 3 days.

That’s good to know. You can’t order it on the App anyway.  
 

Hopefully, it’s the same on UBD and UBB.  Or, just wait for them to call you, if you’ve prepurchased. 🥴

 

[suzyed]

7 hours ago, Tigrou said:

 

Another option would be to have guest services reduce the Crew Appreciation by the amount impacted by the change.  

 

That's what I am considering although I have never before, on any cruise with any cruise line, reduced or removed the auto-gratuities.  But having only recently become aware that it is pooled fleetwide and doesn't go directly to the crew members (those I see and those I don't) on my cruise, and that Princess take an admin fee, I am now thinking about it.  Only for this one cruise, where Princess have reneged on what I believe was our contract, and I would ensure guest services were aware of my reasons for doing it.

 

I know it's controversial, and I don't know yet if I will do it, but it is an option for those of us on a Standard Fare.

 

 

6 hours ago, kiwimum said:

From experience onboard the Sky.  If you are Elite and call for the afternoon tea there is no charge.   Still listed as complimentary.   Has nothing to do with which package you are on.  No charge on our account after 3 days.

I was referring to the room service fee of $5.

[teenieleek]

Doh! I read June 22 as 22nd June (this year).  I knew about the December ‘22 cut off.  In fact we originally booked this Canada trip pre-pandemic but it got cancelled, next one didn’t include Quebec, this one does so when we booked it had the old Plus.  However there was a massive price drop a couple of months ago so, after some “negotiations” we got the latest price and it included the new Plus so I think we’re ok but we shall see.  
 

On a ten day cruise in October ‘21 we went to Alfredo’s for lunch twice, really good.  On the upcoming twenty four nights we would definitely have gone more than twice.  Now we’ll have to pay after twice.  “Enhancement”?  For whom?  
 

[kiwimum]

12 minutes ago, suzyed said:

 

I was referring to the room service fee of $5.

No room service charge for delivery of the complimentary afternoon tea.

Edited August 25, 2023 by kiwimum

[startedwithamouse]

23 minutes ago, LittleFish1976 said:

Oh that's nice to hear as that's the only addition from that tranche of 'inclusions' I'm interested in but the juices aren't supposed to be included for us (according to the Princess literature). I'll have to try my luck before committing to the upgrade, I guess.

This was on both Discovery and Emerald. 

[teenieleek]

1 hour ago, LittleFish1976 said:

Hi teenieleek, Any package purchased prior to 14th December, 2022 does not include the items that were new from that date (desserts; juice bar; fitness classes) and also now do not include the recently introduced changes such as the charge to order items on the app (I think it's called Ocean Now) as well as the room service charge, medallion delivery (for those in delivery areas) etc.

 

The premier package has increased in cost since I purchased it (purchase date was prior to that date mentioned in Dec, 2022) although I also will not be receiving the items that *were* included when I did purchase it which is disappointing, irritating and a bit of a nuisance.

 

If I wish to I can pay extra per day to upgrade my package and I may do so just to make the whole thing simpler but it grates.

 

I hope I've explained the situation as it affects me and others in my situation. It sounds like you purchased your fare/ package after 14th December, 2022 so you will have all the new inclusions (apparently!). Fingers crossed that it works out that way for you.

A suggestion:  swap your old premier for the new plus.  Not sure about the cost differential but that way you would get the new “stuff”, room service, ocean now etc.  Oh and of course these children’s party type desserts! 

[BlerkOne]

8 hours ago, Tigrou said:

 

That's what I am considering although I have never before, on any cruise with any cruise line, reduced or removed the auto-gratuities.  But having only recently become aware that it is pooled fleetwide and doesn't go directly to the crew members (those I see and those I don't) on my cruise, and that Princess take an admin fee, I am now thinking about it.  Only for this one cruise, where Princess have reneged on what I believe was our contract, and I would ensure guest services were aware of my reasons for doing it.

 

I've said before that I think Princess is the most transparent of any cruise line on how the gratuities are treated. They put it in writing.

 

Princess is not making a profit off of the gratuities. The "admin fee" is "net of credit card transaction fees". That might raise a question of those who have cash accounts onboard (does anyone?) if credit card transaction fees are removed from those?

 

I am firmly against punishing hard working employees for a corporate action I don't agree with. It is no fault of the employees.

 

 

[coo359a2]

1 hour ago, startedwithamouse said:

We purchased prior to that time, and juice bar was included. Fitness classes and desserts were not. 

We were on the Sky Princess June/July.  Had purchased the Plus package prior to Dec 2022.  For some reason, I stopped by where the juice bar is and ordered a juice.  My Medallion was scanned and the crew guy said I had the $50 package and it didn't included the "free juice".  I knew that but just totally forgot.

[memoak]

8 hours ago, Tigrou said:

 

Another option would be to have guest services reduce the Crew Appreciation by the amount impacted by the change.  

 

That's what I am considering although I have never before, on any cruise with any cruise line, reduced or removed the auto-gratuities.  But having only recently become aware that it is pooled fleetwide and doesn't go directly to the crew members (those I see and those I don't) on my cruise, and that Princess take an admin fee, I am now thinking about it.  Only for this one cruise, where Princess have reneged on what I believe was our contract, and I would ensure guest services were aware of my reasons for doing it.

 

I know it's controversial, and I don't know yet if I will do it, but it is an option for those of us on a Standard Fare.

 

That is one of the cheapest things I have heard of. Do you not know that when you tip you waiter in a land based restaurant that it some of it goes to bus people and bartenders. Do your logic that tips are pooled makes no sense at all

[Tigrou]

40 minutes ago, memoak said:

That is one of the cheapest things I have heard of. Do you not know that when you tip you waiter in a land based restaurant that it some of it goes to bus people and bartenders. Do your logic that tips are pooled makes no sense at all

 

I am aware that in some land-based restaurants tips are pooled.  But they are pooled across the staff within that restaurant, not across all restaurants owned by the same company.  

 

Also, I believe that they are distributed by some kind of percentage system to each employee so everyone gets their share.  Not as 'bonuses', linked in part at least to surveys which some passengers complete, others don't - even if they did receive excellent service. 

 

 

 

 

 

[san diego sue]

we always tip room service deliveries and probably still will do it. Wondering  how people will feel if we are charged $5 for each delivery.

Sometimes we book a suite. I think we should not be  charged for room service while in a suite.

Benefits  for being in a suite are less and less now.We are already paying a higher daily gratuity too.