Princess extra cost in Standard tariff

[Nemanoxer]

Good morning fellow cruisers.

 

During Celebrity´s lowest performing, I decided to give Princess a try. I thought they will give their very best when starting a new ship class, so I am booked on Sun Princess in October 2024.

 

The majority of the yet available reviews very much make me doubt my decision, and I am thinking about getting rid off my Princess booking and go back to Celebrity.

 

I booked the Standard tariff, no Plus, no Extra Plus, no beverage package or anything like that. I hardly drink alcohol nor do I book specialty restaurants.

 

Can you please let me know what extra cost I will have to expect on Sun Princess other than shore excursions and beverage packages? Where does Princess differ from Celebrity in side charges?

 

If reviews do not improve soon, I guess I will mainly base my decision on this factor. So, your input will be very appreciated, thank you. 

[dog]

I stopped purchasing the plus packages after two tries. 
I am standard fare:

As elite I pay 1/2 price for wifi.

I order 12 pack of small bottle water to have in my cabin.

I am allowed to bring on 12 cans of soda per person.

i pre pay the daily pp gratuities.

No need to eat at Speciality restaurants.

i tried OceanNow delivery $14.99 to have drinks, room service delivery once, but will not anymore. We get up and go get our own.

So you can cut out quite a bit.

i like Celebrity but refuse to pay more for a refundable deposit.

 

[Nemanoxer]

Forgot to mention I have never cruised Princess or any other Carnival line, so no bonuses for me.

 

Package prices still do not look like they would make sense for me. I hardly do anything that costs extra. Just some sodas, specialty coffees maybe.

[BamaVol]

15 minutes ago, Nemanoxer said:

Forgot to mention I have never cruised Princess or any other Carnival line, so no bonuses for me.

 

Package prices still do not look like they would make sense for me. I hardly do anything that costs extra. Just some sodas, specialty coffees maybe.

As with other lines, there is also Crew Appreciation.  

[dog]

Extras:

bingo

casino

shops

gelato

spa

excursions

photos

medallion shipping

 

Included:

pick up medallion at pier

slice pizza, burgers, tacos, soft serve ice cream, popcorn

most shows, music, movies, etc

water, tea, lemonade

pastries, fruit at International Cafe, buffet

 

 

[skynight]

You will have a daily crew appreciation charge to your on board account. The amount is US$ 16, 17 or 18 depending on the category of your cabin.

You will pay for wifi internet. I believe it's $30/day, single device, if you purchase for the entire cruise for those without loyalty status. Single days are available and I believe the cost is higher.

You will pay for any alcoholic beverages and most non alcoholic ones. Coffee & tea in the DR and at the buffet are no charge. Breakfast juices are no charge. Ice tea and lemonade are also no charge as are glasses of water.

Food items in the DRs, buffet, International Cafe, as well as the locations by the pool are also no charge. Room Service food is also no charge, but there is a one time fee of $15 to order using the app and a $5 fee each time you use the phone to order room service. The breakfast door hang tag is no extra charge. There are some special food items that have an upcharge.

If you want specialty coffee/espresso drinks there is a charge in the range of $4/$5. Sodas are in the $3 range.

Plus Fare. I have done the calculations many different ways. I always come up with a similar answer. It takes around 3 alcoholic beverages per day to break even. But, if you do not intend to use the internet on board and will not purchase it, the number of alcoholic beverages to break even would increase to around 5 to 6. 

[BamaVol]

Correction to post above: 1 device wifi charge is $25 a day when purchased for the length of the cruise..

[Potstech]

It always comes down to how many alcoholic beverages that can be consumed.

[mtnesterz]

Since you have not been on Princess before, terms others have mentioned above will be new to you. Crew Appreciation is Princess' term for a prepaid tip. It is automatic, but adjustable, or removable, at the business desk onboard if you don't buy a package. If you do buy a package, you are "buying" the tip. It has been years since we've sailed X, so I don't recall how they worked tipping, except that they provided envelopes in the cabins Years ago, Princess and Celebrity were considered close, but reviews lately suggest the satisfaction gap is widening.

Edited April 8 by mtnesterz

[roxievegas]

high five to "dog" - we cruise the same as him.  

We currently have a 17 day Alaska cruise coming up in 2025.  I have already prepaid for 2 cases of water, and prepaid the gratuities.  We will have $400 on board credit and that will be used to pay for our coffee in the morning, and soda for my husband - he gets one a day with dinner.

We will not get the internet (we are elite and pay half price) because we will be getting off the ship almost every day and we will take our phones and use the internet to check emails and text messages then.

We do not alcohol drinkers and we do not need the gelato.  We eat in the MDR, buffet, and all the freebie eats.

You can spend as much or as little as you like, but for us the packages make no sense.

We also enjoy Celebrity, but they do not do cruises out of Los Angeles and that is our home port.  

As with any cruiser, it depends on why you are cruising, is it for the location, the getaway, the food, the adventure, etc.  I read this column every day and can't wait to get on board, but I have a 13 month wait.  I enjoy the ship and being on vacation.

[Nemanoxer]

This cruise, actually, was planned for the ship @roxievegas - and for trying a new cruise line that is head to head with Celebrity.

 

As mentioned before, I was so dissatisfied with Celebrity that the announcement of a new Princess ship class finally caught me for Princess. BUT in the meantime I went on my supposed-to-be last Celebrity cruise with the Edge, and "sadly" that was over average. It´s too loud and not as relaxing as their older ships, but apart from that they won me back over. I suppose Sun Princess is more cozy and relaxing (?!?!?!?).

 

And now, Princess also seem to jump the gun with the Sun. 

First world problems, I know.

[dog]

I will add that I have spent money in the shops, spa, casino & specialty restaurants, but much less recently.

My cabin mate is very good at entering draws and lucky at bingo, so we’ve ended up with a few excellent freebies.

Edited April 8 by dog

[ldubs]

6 hours ago, Nemanoxer said:

Good morning fellow cruisers.

 

During Celebrity´s lowest performing, I decided to give Princess a try. I thought they will give their very best when starting a new ship class, so I am booked on Sun Princess in October 2024.

 

The majority of the yet available reviews very much make me doubt my decision, and I am thinking about getting rid off my Princess booking and go back to Celebrity.

 

I booked the Standard tariff, no Plus, no Extra Plus, no beverage package or anything like that. I hardly drink alcohol nor do I book specialty restaurants.

 

Can you please let me know what extra cost I will have to expect on Sun Princess other than shore excursions and beverage packages? Where does Princess differ from Celebrity in side charges?

 

If reviews do not improve soon, I guess I will mainly base my decision on this factor. So, your input will be very appreciated, thank you. 

 

Prices may vary, but otherwise I think you will find the basic fare "extras" on Princess to be about the same as Celebrity.  Assuming no perks of course. 

 

Negatively has always been widespread on these forums and it is worse since covid, in many cases for valid reasons.  We would all like the experience of 20 years ago, especially at today's prices.  Those days are gone for mass market lines.   

[Nebr.cruiser]

6 hours ago, Nemanoxer said:

Forgot to mention I have never cruised Princess or any other Carnival line, so no bonuses for me.

 

Package prices still do not look like they would make sense for me. I hardly do anything that costs extra. Just some sodas, specialty coffees maybe.

We've never bought a Plus or Premier package because it just doesn't make sense for us.  We rarely drink, are Elite on Princess, so wifi is relatively cheap, and don't even drink much pop.  I'm fine with the included coffee.  The only real benefit is tips are included, since the cost is usually around $500pp for a cruise, the numbers don't work out.

 

Once in a while we do a specialty restaurant, but usually using OBC.  You can spend practically nothing extra, except for gratuities, which we always pay, and have a great time.  All the other things are discretionary and up to you.  Sometimes we even can cash in OBC we haven't used.

[Nemanoxer]

3 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

I think a couple of other factors are that the first few voyages of a new ship will likely be rough around the edges, and a lot of people are very focused on finding fault with what is the newest ship, not to mention a departure from the Princess template.   Long sentence, but I'm too lazy to fix it.  😃

 

The template thing is one of the factors why I booked. Princess always seemed a biiiiiiiiiiit too oldschool for me where Celebrity's Edge Class was a biiiiiiiit too fancy. Which is why I stayed with Solstice class for a long time.

 

A new Princess class seemed like it might eventually be right there.

[ldubs]

13 minutes ago, Nemanoxer said:

 

The template thing is one of the factors why I booked. Princess always seemed a biiiiiiiiiiit too oldschool for me where Celebrity's Edge Class was a biiiiiiiit too fancy. Which is why I stayed with Solstice class for a long time.

 

A new Princess class seemed like it might eventually be right there.

 

I'm really interested in hearing what folks think of the new layout.   One of the things I really like about Princess ships are the variety of very comfortable areas available to just chill.   

[telecheck]

7 hours ago, dog said:

I stopped purchasing the plus packages after two tries. 
I am standard fare:

As elite I pay 1/2 price for wifi.

I order 12 pack of small bottle water to have in my cabin.

I am allowed to bring on 12 cans of soda per person.

i pre pay the daily pp gratuities.

No need to eat at Speciality restaurants.

i tried OceanNow delivery $14.99 to have drinks, room service delivery once, but will not anymore. We get up and go get our own.

So you can cut out quite a bit.

i like Celebrity but refuse to pay more for a refundable deposit.

 

 

I am in a similar boat.

 

As a platinum member, I only pay half price for wifi. Typically, I opt for the 4-device plan because it is cheaper than purchasing two single-device plans separately.

I usually have some OBC from the cruise line itself, my TA, or the casino department. I use them to cover the daily gratuities.

No need to dine at specialty restaurants. There is already plenty of food available elsewhere on the ship.

Due to my health restrictions, I stick to drinking water or iced tea and avoid soda and alcohol. These are readily available in the buffet area.

Same reason as above, I skip desserts also.

I don't need the Medallion shipped to me. I can pick it up at the port.

 

Overall, I don't see much value in the plus package for me.

[ldubs]

9 minutes ago, telecheck said:

 

I am in a similar boat.

 

As a platinum member, I only pay half price for wifi. Typically, I opt for the 4-device plan because it is cheaper than purchasing two single-device plans separately.

I usually have some OBC from the cruise line itself, my TA, or the casino department. I use them to cover the daily gratuities.

No need to dine at specialty restaurants. There is already plenty of food available elsewhere on the ship.

Due to my health restrictions, I stick to drinking water or iced tea and avoid soda and alcohol. These are readily available in the buffet area.

Same reason as above, I skip desserts also.

I don't need the Medallion shipped to me. I can pick it up at the port.

 

Overall, I don't see much value in the plus package for me.

 

Yup, for some it makes sense and for others it doesn't.  I don't understand the endless posts about why or why not the purchase is justified.  It isn't exactly rocket science.  

[BamaVol]

3 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

Yup, for some it makes sense and for others it doesn't.  I don't understand the endless posts about why or why not the purchase is justified.  It isn't exactly rocket science.  

And I think most people are able to figure it out for themselves.  It’s when someone thinks they have figured it out for everybody else based on their requirements that the fireworks start.  This thread has been quite civil, without the judgement of others that causes the tempers to flare.

[dickinson]

Try it out!  You won't know til you do.  We do the standard package because we don't drink alcohol or coffee so the numbers make more sense.  Our extra costs on board are very small.  

[kywildcatfanone]

7 hours ago, dog said:

I stopped purchasing the plus packages after two tries. 
I am standard fare:

As elite I pay 1/2 price for wifi.

I order 12 pack of small bottle water to have in my cabin.

I am allowed to bring on 12 cans of soda per person.

i pre pay the daily pp gratuities.

No need to eat at Speciality restaurants.

i tried OceanNow delivery $14.99 to have drinks, room service delivery once, but will not anymore. We get up and go get our own.

So you can cut out quite a bit.

i like Celebrity but refuse to pay more for a refundable deposit.

 

Are we the same person? Although I never tried OceanNow, and stopped going to specialty restaurants when I noticed the quality was degrading.

[nini]

@Nemanoxer You are to be commended for trying a new cruise line. We have cruised with Princess 8 times and Celebrity twice. After the last Celebrity cruise, we will not return. Is Princess perfect? No.

In what I have been reading about the new Sun, it does not appear that it would present to us the Princess that we know and really like. It is "a horse of a different color"... not bad, just different, and will probably will create quite a following.

Just know, that you may also prefer some of the older Princess ships versus the new Sun.

We will be on the Sky for the 2nd time this June and really enjoyed our time on it last June.

 

Happy Cruising!

[dreaminofcruisin]

1 hour ago, ldubs said:

 

I think a couple of other factors are that the first few voyages of a new ship will likely be rough around the edges, and a lot of people are very focused on finding fault with what is the newest ship, not to mention a departure from the Princess template.   

 

This is SO true. I've been on these  boards long enough that every time there is a new ship that comes out, the complaints are rampant. Then time goes by and suddenly those ships (now no longer the newest)  are the 'favorites' of everyone!  😁

[Lady Arwen]

We sail both Celebrity and Princess.  Our last Celebrity cruise was in January on Ascent.  Probably one of the best cruises we’ve ever had.  So, I would choose Celebrity over Princess, depending on itinerary.  
 

I don’t know if it matters to you, but on Princess smoking is allowed in the casino and it tends to waft out into the surrounding areas.  Of course, Celebrity has been indoor smoke free for years.

Sun Princess is not a ship I would be interested in, personally, so I can’t help you there.

 

Good luck with whichever ship you choose.

[capriccio]

10 hours ago, ldubs said:

We would all like the experience of 20 years ago, especially at today's prices.  Those days are gone for mass market lines.   

 

Pricing is the thing that everyone yearning for the good old days of cruising seems to forget.