Plus and Premium Package threads merged

[phoebe2m]

We were on the Discovery Princess for two 7-night cruises. We did not buy the Plus package but I kept track to see how much money we saved. 

 

Week One

Crew appreciation $16 a day x 2 people x 7 days = $224

Wi-fi $7.50 a day x 7 days = $52.50 (we pay half price for internet, my husband doesn't use wi-fi)

Wine, beer, cocktails = $168.29

Total $444.79 

Plus package $60 a day x 2 people x 7 days = $840

Savings: $395.21

 

Week Two

Crew appreciation $16 a day x 2 people x 7 days = $224

Wi-fi $7.50 a day x 7 days = $52.50 (we pay half price for internet, my husband doesn't use wi-fi)

Wine, beer, cocktails = $85.16

Total $361.66 

Plus package $60 a day x 2 people x 7 days = $840

Savings: $478.34

 

If we had purchased the Plus we would have had a few more drinks, had a few coffees at International Cafe. We wouldn't have gone to the casual restaurants or the exercise classes. We probably would have had one or two specialty desserts.

 

So my point is, do the math before you decide.

 

 

 

 

[dream54ing]

Did you include the 18% for each drinks? What about if you have the the plus or premier package, do they still charge you the 18%? Everywhere i read, it says this "plus an additional 18% gratuity or service charge." 

Wonder if this is on top of the cost of the package for each drink?

hope that make sense. 

[hpeabody]

Thank you for posting what I pretty much knew already.  The packages are NOT A GOOD DEAL for me. I have had Plus before.  I am currently onboard Discovery with no package.  Kinda missing Gigi's and coffees, but surviving OK otherwise.   I sprung for the 360 with my savings, LOL, it was great!

[Abercrombie2019]

7 minutes ago, dream54ing said:

Did you include the 18% for each drinks? What about if you have the the plus or premier package, do they still charge you the 18%? Everywhere i read, it says this "plus an additional 18% gratuity or service charge." 

Wonder if this is on top of the cost of the package for each drink?

hope that make sense. 

If you have Plus or Premier, the gratuity is included.

Edited October 24, 2023 by Abercrombie2019

[c-boy]

 $85.16 🤣, we did do the math and we are unable to meet that level of consumption. 

[PurpleTraveller]

I couldn't agree more! For us as Australians crew appreciation is not included in the packages so putting those aside we had a bill of USD139 which converts to AUD217 for our 11 day Alaska cruise in June. This covered one day of internet and drinks for the entire cruise. The cost for the Plus package would have been AUD65 x 11 x 2 = AUD1430 which converts to USD915. Our saving was AUD1213 or USD776. 

 

[Auntiejo]

Looks like you made the right choice for how you cruise! It's such an individual thing - our bar tab would never be that low, we each get a latte every morning, we dine at specialty restaurants at least 3 times on a 1 week cruise, and we utilize all the casual dining spots a lot too.

 

So for us, Premiere is a no brainer. This is why everyone needs to do the math for themselves and decide what makes sense based on the way they cruise. You were smart to do just that! Sounds like you had a great 2 weeks on Discovery - she's a beauty!

[dream54ing]

8 minutes ago, Abercrombie2019 said:

If you have Plus or Premier, the gratuity is included.

Thanks good to know. The verbiage on those articles make it seem there is a 18% on top of the package. 

[phoebe2m]

36 minutes ago, dream54ing said:

Did you include the 18% for each drinks? What about if you have the the plus or premier package, do they still charge you the 18%? Everywhere i read, it says this "plus an additional 18% gratuity or service charge." 

Wonder if this is on top of the cost of the package for each drink?

hope that make sense. 

The amounts I added for the drinks included everything except when we bought a bottle of wine while in port at San Francisco. We were charged $4.07 sales tax for S.F. (I included this in my total). The price of the drinks varied. Beers were $8-10. Cocktails were $11-12. Bottles of wine were $47-55.

[phoebe2m]

By the way, we had other expenses than tips, wi-fi, and drinks. I didn't include them because we would have had the expenses even with the Plus package. We went to Crab Shack (great but messy), Crown Grill (fantastic), several excursions. We had $750 in OBC so our final bill was only $194. We tried to get into 360 but couldn't so that saved us $298.

[kywildcatfanone]

If you don't drink a decent amount the math doesn't work.  

 

I wish they offered an AI for non alcohol drinks for $30, that might make it worth it.

 

Till then, I will bring on my own soda and water.

 

But, as I typically say in these threads a lot of people put a lot of emphasis on the simplicity of the package not .asking them think about how much they would spend without, so it seems peace of mind is worth a lot to some.

I view it as a win/win/win.  Passengers buying it seem happy, the cruise linebis happy,  and I like to think with so many buying them, it's keep cruise fares reasonable, and that is a win for those of us without packages.

[RickT]

On the Celebrity forum someone posted an excel spreadsheet that could help you determine if the cost was worth it based on your eating/drinking habits. 
The key driver is usually the amount of alcohol and coffee one drinks.  It doesn’t take a large number of drinks to make the packages worthwhile but if you only have 1-2 drinks a day it usually doesn’t make sense. 
The convenience factor of having a package is also a factor…. Even if it costs slightly more it’s a vacation and it’s nice to not have to think of the cost of each drink.  

[Guardsy]

For us, at 4-6 alcoholic drinks a day it breaks even.  Then add in 2-4 specialty coffees a day, the new room service fee of $14.99, etc, etc.  When in warm climates, I can kill 10 alcoholic drinks a day with a mimosa or two at breakfast, beers during the day, all the waters we want in the room, cocktails and wine with dinner and in the evening.  The package makes great sense for us.  My wife normally only has one drink a day at home.  On a cruise, she loves her dirty bananas, a beer here or there, wine at dinner and a Smith & Wesson in the casino.  Plus she loves her lattes, a milkshake, etc.  Yep, we are $$ ahead with the package vs. al a carte.

[traceytd]

3 hours ago, phoebe2m said:

We were on the Discovery Princess for two 7-night cruises. We did not buy the Plus package but I kept track to see how much money we saved. 

 

Week One

Crew appreciation $16 a day x 2 people x 7 days = $224

Wi-fi $7.50 a day x 7 days = $52.50 (we pay half price for internet, my husband doesn't use wi-fi)

Wine, beer, cocktails = $168.29

Total $444.79 

Plus package $60 a day x 2 people x 7 days = $840

Savings: $395.21

 

Week Two

Crew appreciation $16 a day x 2 people x 7 days = $224

Wi-fi $7.50 a day x 7 days = $52.50 (we pay half price for internet, my husband doesn't use wi-fi)

Wine, beer, cocktails = $85.16

Total $361.66 

Plus package $60 a day x 2 people x 7 days = $840

Savings: $478.34

 

If we had purchased the Plus we would have had a few more drinks, had a few coffees at International Cafe. We wouldn't have gone to the casual restaurants or the exercise classes. We probably would have had one or two specialty desserts.

 

So my point is, do the math before you decide.

 

 

 

 

I’m always on the fence(do I get it or not) 

We drink lots of coffee and tones of water. 
😊forgot to mention, don’t you have to have plus or premium to get free room service?
 

Edited October 25, 2023 by traceytd

[Earthworm Jim]

Looking at it a slightly different way, the Plus Package costs $60 a day, but $16 of that you're going to pay in gratuities anyway, so it's really $44 a day for drinks (incl. coffees) and wifi. I'm ignoring the other little stuff you get because I don't value it, though one could argue two visits to Alfredos has some value.

 

I wouldn't pay for wifi separately if I didn't get the package, but I like having it. Without the package I might have 2-3 drinks a day. With it add about 1 or 2 because I'm likely to have wine with dinner in that case. So I'm probably losing a little money by getting it, but I get it anyway.

[phoebe2m]

When Plus was $40 a day we bought it and figured we broke even or close to it. But $60 a day just doesn't work for us. We never use room service so that is not a factor for us. We spend as little time in our cabin as possible. 

 

 

[reedprincess]

4 hours ago, dream54ing said:

Did you include the 18% for each drinks? What about if you have the the plus or premier package, do they still charge you the 18%? Everywhere i read, it says this "plus an additional 18% gratuity or service charge." 

Wonder if this is on top of the cost of the package for each drink?

hope that make sense. 

The 18% is charged on the package price IF you buy the standalone Plus or Premier Beverage Package

 

 

The Plus or Premier Cruise Packages include the drinks gratuities, in addition to daily crew appreciation, etc.. there's nothing additional charges on the Cruise Packages. Nor is there anything additional charged on any drink covered y the respective beverage package within each Cruise Package... When they say $15/20usd cap, any drink $15 or under, or $20 or under is covered.. 

[awatt]

Trying to do the math.

 

Can anyone share cocktail menu ( standard, nothing exotic) or wines by the glas menu?

 

Also, what do lattes or cappucinos cost?

 

Thank you!

[reedprincess]

4 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

If you don't drink a decent amount the math doesn't work.  

 

I wish they offered an AI for non alcohol drinks for $30, that might make it worth it.

 

Till then, I will bring on my own soda and water.

 

But, as I typically say in these threads a lot of people put a lot of emphasis on the simplicity of the package not .asking them think about how much they would spend without, so it seems peace of mind is worth a lot to some.

I view it as a win/win/win.  Passengers buying it seem happy, the cruise linebis happy,  and I like to think with so many buying them, it's keep cruise fares reasonable, and that is a win for those of us without packages.

$30 doesn't even cover lowest Crew Appreciation amount and the WiFi cost.. (outside those who have a 50% discount).

 

With the lowest Crew Appreciation at $16, and WiFi for one device at $15 - both per night  - equaling $31 per night: how would a $30 a night package make any sense for Princess?  Have a mini-suite or suite? $17 9r $18 for crew appreciation - driving the amount of $$ spent on drinks, classes, Casual dining, desserts, shipping and so forth to even less ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 25, 2023 by reedprincess

[Tkhalaska]

We are sailing on the Crown Princess to Hawaii in a couple of weeks and have the Plus package.  We decided since it is a cruise with a lot of sea days it might be worth it.  This is also my test case as we want to do the 33 day Tahiti/Hawaii cruise next year, which is another heavy sea day cruise.  My math looks like this so far:

Crew appreciation $16 a day x 2 people x 16 days = $512

Wi-fi $15 a day x 2 people x 16 days = $480 (we are not eligible for 1/2 price wi-fi on this cruise but will be eligible on the next one.  We each will have 1 device)

Plus package $60 a day x 2 people x 16 days = $1920

 

1920 package cost - 512 to the crew - 480 wi-fi = 928

 

$928 coffee+alcohol budget/ 16 days / 2 people = $29pp/per day

Which works out to essentially 2 alcoholic drinks per day per person to break even.  While we may not do that every day, I do like my morning latte and we also would be getting bottled water and an occasional smoothie.

 

Our consumption of premium deserts ( 2/day/pp allowed) will not significantly factor in, we may each have 2 or 3 the entire cruise

I will probably utilize the 2 fitness classes/cruise, DH will not.  Not a cost buster.

We only use room service occasionally for breakfast, I believe only meals other than breakfast incur a charge, so room service fees are not a factor either.

 

Having our usual costs taken care of, I used our $1100 OBC to book excursions, with a little left over in my account for the spa.  In 2 of the ports we have shore activities planned not involving Princess.

 

So in our case we will likely be slightly better than even with the Plus.  I will see what our actual usage is to determine if it will be worth it for next time, taking into consideration lower internet costs!

 

[Cruisintimer]

7 hours ago, phoebe2m said:

We were on the Discovery Princess for two 7-night cruises. We did not buy the Plus package but I kept track to see how much money we saved. 

 

Week One

Crew appreciation $16 a day x 2 people x 7 days = $224

Wi-fi $7.50 a day x 7 days = $52.50 (we pay half price for internet, my husband doesn't use wi-fi)

Wine, beer, cocktails = $168.29

Total $444.79 

Plus package $60 a day x 2 people x 7 days = $840

Savings: $395.21

 

Week Two

Crew appreciation $16 a day x 2 people x 7 days = $224

Wi-fi $7.50 a day x 7 days = $52.50 (we pay half price for internet, my husband doesn't use wi-fi)

Wine, beer, cocktails = $85.16

Total $361.66 

Plus package $60 a day x 2 people x 7 days = $840

Savings: $478.34

 

If we had purchased the Plus we would have had a few more drinks, had a few coffees at International Cafe. We wouldn't have gone to the casual restaurants or the exercise classes. We probably would have had one or two specialty desserts.

 

So my point is, do the math before you decide.

 

 

 

 

Math works agree, such an individual decision and choice to be made.  Kuddos to you for making the best choice for yourselves and sharing it politely.  We like the convenience of a package and plan to keep purchasing them.  Happy Sailing!  🥂🙂

[Carnevale]

4 hours ago, Earthworm Jim said:

Looking at it a slightly different way, the Plus Package costs $60 a day, but $16 of that you're going to pay in gratuities anyway, so it's really $44 a day for drinks (incl. coffees) and wifi. I'm ignoring the other little stuff you get because I don't value it, though one could argue two visits to Alfredos has some value.

 

I wouldn't pay for wifi separately if I didn't get the package, but I like having it. Without the package I might have 2-3 drinks a day. With it add about 1 or 2 because I'm likely to have wine with dinner in that case. So I'm probably losing a little money by getting it, but I get it anyway.

We are currently on Discovery and have Plus.  Tonight we ate at the Salty Dog Gastro Pub and it was hands down best meal we have had onboard plus it was walk in (with so many doing reservations for MDR it’s getting harder to get a two top as a walk in).  We aren’t enjoying the MDR food as we have on past Princess sailings.  Food is very subjective but, for us, the MDR isn’t cutting it. We are now really glad we have the Premium pkg for our February sailing as the value of the better wines and included unlimited dining in alternative venues will be worth it along with the two specialty dinners.

[dream54ing]

2 hours ago, reedprincess said:

The 18% is charged on the package price IF you buy the standalone Plus or Premier Beverage Package

 

 

The Plus or Premier Cruise Packages include the drinks gratuities, in addition to daily crew appreciation, etc.. there's nothing additional charges on the Cruise Packages. Nor is there anything additional charged on any drink covered y the respective beverage package within each Cruise Package... When they say $15/20usd cap, any drink $15 or under, or $20 or under is covered.. 

thanks for the clarification. I’m new to the cruising scene and wont travel till feb, so trying to absorb as much info as possible. We have the premier package so searching for tips to utilize it 🙂 

[Torfamm]

It seems like you made the perfect choice for you. For people who aren’t going to drink specialty coffees, bottled water or alcoholic beverages, the packages aren’t likely to be a cost saver

[MissP22]

12 hours ago, dream54ing said:

Did you include the 18% for each drinks? What about if you have the the plus or premier package, do they still charge you the 18%? Everywhere i read, it says this "plus an additional 18% gratuity or service charge." 

Wonder if this is on top of the cost of the package for each drink?

hope that make sense. 

The tip is included automatically. Actually it's included for all the drinks, even for those you didn't order and no way to remove them. 

Keep on ordering. 😄