A Different Way of Looking at Plus/Premier

[rideev]

We did Plus on one cruise.  It was great to be able to get "free" bottles of water all day.  I think I drank them out of San Pellegrino at dinner.  However, my last four cruises without Plus I didn't drink any San Pellegrino and haven't bought one at the grocery store in 4 years. 

 

While in the cruise with Plus I also noticed we spent a lot of time wasting away on Facebook and Cruise Critic while on the cruise, LoL.

 

For us, the package was convenient, but it cost way more than PAYG.  We have never been surprised or overwhelmed at our final bill, but then again we don't go to the spa or indulge on alcoholic drinks.  We like our coffee black (DW like a touch of cream) and specialty coffees are just too sweet.  And definitely don't want any ice in the coffee.

 

I can definitely see where some people would see value in Plus or Premier.  But for us it's a hard no.  Tried it once and quickly realized we spent much more money with Plus than we would of without Plus.

[dreams_of_travel]

14 hours ago, bumble_b62 said:

$65AUD no gratuities included on sailings not in Australia &NZ.

Australia and NZ cruises have gratuities built into our price.

 

 

I don't think I explained my question very well.  I have a cruise in Australia/NZ coming up that was booked without Princess PLUS. When I get onboard I have the option to buy Princess Plus.  Since I bought my cruise in the US, gratuities are not included in the cruise fare price.  If I buy when onboard in Australia it is ONLY drinks and wifi?  I am just confused about if or how they will charge me gratuities.  Further more, if i don't buy a package, will they still try to charge me the daily gratuity fee to my folio b/c I booked via US Princess booking site.   

Edited April 21 by dreams_of_travel
grammar

[bumble_b62]

3 hours ago, dreams_of_travel said:

I don't think I explained my question very well.  I have a cruise in Australia/NZ coming up that was booked without Princess PLUS. When I get onboard I have the option to buy Princess Plus.  Since I bought my cruise in the US, gratuities are not included in the cruise fare price.  If I buy when onboard in Australia it is ONLY drinks and wifi?  I am just confused about if or how they will charge me gratuities.  Further more, if i don't buy a package, will they still try to charge me the daily gratuity fee to my folio b/c I booked via US Princess booking site.   

Sorry, I didn't realise you were booking from US. I honestly don't know what the charge or inclusions would be for the US. Contact Princess on their chat and they can confirm for you. We cruised NZ in November last year on the Princess Royal, it was wonderful.. safe travels 🌞

[reedprincess]

7 hours ago, dreams_of_travel said:

I don't think I explained my question very well.  I have a cruise in Australia/NZ coming up that was booked without Princess PLUS. When I get onboard I have the option to buy Princess Plus.  Since I bought my cruise in the US, gratuities are not included in the cruise fare price.  If I buy when onboard in Australia it is ONLY drinks and wifi?  I am just confused about if or how they will charge me gratuities.  Further more, if i don't buy a package, will they still try to charge me the daily gratuity fee to my folio b/c I booked via US Princess booking site.   

If you buy the Plus or Premier Cruise Package aboard the ship in Australia/NZ, it's the Australian/NZ package and daily crew appreciation is not included in those packages - and the lower price reflects that. ($65aud being approximately $42usd, give or take some change. Or, approximately the difference of upper end crew appreciation per day). 

If you bought the package before you leave, ie in advance of sailing, at the USD $60/80 price, it'll include the daily crew appreciation...but you wouldn't be able to use OBC for it.  

No package - yes, daily crew appreciation is charged aboard.

[MacMadame]

On 4/21/2024 at 2:26 AM, MyriamS said:

And finally the drinks: I don't like wine. I don't like beer. I don't like (gasp!) coffee. 

I thought I was the only one who didn't like coffee, wine, or beer!

[Krozulo]

I've seen it said many times, some people get the package so they don't have to worry about a bill at the end of the cruise. They can order whatever they want whenever they want. There's some freedom with that, I get it. For me it would be the opposite.

 

When I look at the Plus package and subtract the things I would pay for (like gratuities), and ignore things I wouldn't pay for (like specialty desserts), I'm left with a balance that's all drinks. I made a list of drinks we would enjoy, with prices including gratuities, and I told my wife, "We're on vacation. Not driving anywhere. No plans tomorrow. What would you drink without reservation?" and we each could maybe make the package work each day. Add one drink before, with, or after dinner and Plus would make sense. But our 8 day cruise has 4 port days. We'd have to make up for those drinks on the sea days and I don't know that we can. 

 

So, for me, having the package would be stressful because I'd be counting drinks and dollars to make sure I come out ahead. I would rather get an $80 bill at the end knowing the package cost $100 extra than to pay the $100 and find out I missed out in $20 worth of drinks.

[555]

47 minutes ago, Krozulo said:

I've seen it said many times, some people get the package so they don't have to worry about a bill at the end of the cruise. They can order whatever they want whenever they want. There's some freedom with that, I get it. For me it would be the opposite.

 

When I look at the Plus package and subtract the things I would pay for (like gratuities), and ignore things I wouldn't pay for (like specialty desserts), I'm left with a balance that's all drinks. I made a list of drinks we would enjoy, with prices including gratuities, and I told my wife, "We're on vacation. Not driving anywhere. No plans tomorrow. What would you drink without reservation?" and we each could maybe make the package work each day. Add one drink before, with, or after dinner and Plus would make sense. But our 8 day cruise has 4 port days. We'd have to make up for those drinks on the sea days and I don't know that we can. 

 

So, for me, having the package would be stressful because I'd be counting drinks and dollars to make sure I come out ahead. I would rather get an $80 bill at the end knowing the package cost $100 extra than to pay the $100 and find out I missed out in $20 worth of drinks.

You're definitely not along in your thinking. Not everyone is such a heavy drinker, which is the main part of the charge in their packages.

[FancyPants21]

1 hour ago, Krozulo said:

I've seen it said many times, some people get the package so they don't have to worry about a bill at the end of the cruise. They can order whatever they want whenever they want. There's some freedom with that, I get it. For me it would be the opposite.

 

When I look at the Plus package and subtract the things I would pay for (like gratuities), and ignore things I wouldn't pay for (like specialty desserts), I'm left with a balance that's all drinks. I made a list of drinks we would enjoy, with prices including gratuities, and I told my wife, "We're on vacation. Not driving anywhere. No plans tomorrow. What would you drink without reservation?" and we each could maybe make the package work each day. Add one drink before, with, or after dinner and Plus would make sense. But our 8 day cruise has 4 port days. We'd have to make up for those drinks on the sea days and I don't know that we can. 

 

So, for me, having the package would be stressful because I'd be counting drinks and dollars to make sure I come out ahead. I would rather get an $80 bill at the end knowing the package cost $100 extra than to pay the $100 and find out I missed out in $20 worth of drinks.

Then don't count.

 

Once you have made the decision to get the package then forget numbers and just go and do whatever you want knowing you have a fixed price.

 

It isn't about "making it up" or making sure you drink enough drinks. It is about not having to count anything... you pay a fixed price and that is what it costs regardless of what you do. Just go and enjoy yourself. 

 

I really don't understand it... people go on a cruise, costing thousands usually, and then spend time worrying and stressing over the cost of a few drinks. To me that isn't why I go on a cruise. I do that at home... on a cruise I want to know I can do what I want and to know how much it is costing me up front.

 

So I will always get a package and NEVER count drinks.

 

If after the cruise I feel that I didn't get the value from the package that I expected then may be I don't get it next time but even then... I wouldn't count drinks. That is not the point of cruising IMO.

[Lady Arwen]

7 minutes ago, FancyPants21 said:

Then don't count.

 

Once you have made the decision to get the package then forget numbers and just go and do whatever you want knowing you have a fixed price.

 

It isn't about "making it up" or making sure you drink enough drinks. It is about not having to count anything... you pay a fixed price and that is what it costs regardless of what you do. Just go and enjoy yourself. 

 

I really don't understand it... people go on a cruise, costing thousands usually, and then spend time worrying and stressing over the cost of a few drinks. To me that isn't why I go on a cruise. I do that at home... on a cruise I want to know I can do what I want and to know how much it is costing me up front.

 

So I will always get a package and NEVER count drinks.

 

If after the cruise I feel that I didn't get the value from the package that I expected then may be I don't get it next time but even then... I wouldn't count drinks. That is not the point of cruising IMO.

I have to agree with you.  If I had to spend any of my precious vacation time adding up the cost of a drink or coffee or specialty dining, I would be so stressed out just thinking about the numbers.  We just pay for the package and forget about it.  When we get home we only have memories of the good time we had and not whether we lost money or broke even or any of that.

 

I certainly understand that not everyone can or wants to do that.  Some people thrive on budgets and spreadsheets and daily calculations.  The packages are for people who know they’ll get their money’s worth and for people who don’t really care.  To each their own.

[Krozulo]

38 minutes ago, FancyPants21 said:

Then don't count.

 

Once you have made the decision to get the package then forget numbers and just go and do whatever you want knowing you have a fixed price.

 

It isn't about "making it up" or making sure you drink enough drinks. It is about not having to count anything... you pay a fixed price and that is what it costs regardless of what you do. Just go and enjoy yourself. 

 

I really don't understand it... people go on a cruise, costing thousands usually, and then spend time worrying and stressing over the cost of a few drinks. To me that isn't why I go on a cruise. I do that at home... on a cruise I want to know I can do what I want and to know how much it is costing me up front.

 

So I will always get a package and NEVER count drinks.

 

If after the cruise I feel that I didn't get the value from the package that I expected then may be I don't get it next time but even then... I wouldn't count drinks. That is not the point of cruising IMO.

Thing is, I feel like I can order what I want when I want, without counting, and come out ahead without the package. It's the port days that would really make it up. 

 

I just hate to lose at a corporation's game. They push the packages hard for a reason, and it's not because it's such a great value to everyone. 

[Lady Arwen]

23 minutes ago, Krozulo said:

Thing is, I feel like I can order what I want when I want, without counting, and come out ahead without the package. It's the port days that would really make it up. 

 

I just hate to lose at a corporation's game. They push the packages hard for a reason, and it's not because it's such a great value to everyone. 

I get it.  You do what you feel works for you.  I’m not worried about the corporation making money on the packages.  Every corporation is out to make money, not just the cruiselines.  Every single day we lose the game, one way or another.  It’s a part of life we’ve come to expect.  

Perceived value is in the eye of the beholder.  For us it’s great value and I enjoy it.  For you, not so much.  The point is, do what makes YOU happy!

[EclipseChaser9]

3 hours ago, Krozulo said:

I've seen it said many times, some people get the package so they don't have to worry about a bill at the end of the cruise. They can order whatever they want whenever they want. There's some freedom with that, I get it. For me it would be the opposite.

 

When I look at the Plus package and subtract the things I would pay for (like gratuities), and ignore things I wouldn't pay for (like specialty desserts), I'm left with a balance that's all drinks. I made a list of drinks we would enjoy, with prices including gratuities, and I told my wife, "We're on vacation. Not driving anywhere. No plans tomorrow. What would you drink without reservation?" and we each could maybe make the package work each day. Add one drink before, with, or after dinner and Plus would make sense. But our 8 day cruise has 4 port days. We'd have to make up for those drinks on the sea days and I don't know that we can. 

 

So, for me, having the package would be stressful because I'd be counting drinks and dollars to make sure I come out ahead. I would rather get an $80 bill at the end knowing the package cost $100 extra than to pay the $100 and find out I missed out in $20 worth of drinks.

So here is my update after my 15 day cruise.  I’m glad that I purchased the Plus upgrade.

 

Every morning we enjoyed having speciality coffees delivered to our cabin.  It was fun to try the different speciality coffee varieties. 
 

I don’t drink many alcoholic beverages, at most two a day.  I enjoyed trying different drinks that I hadn’t ever had before.  My cabin mate likes to drink Bailey’s before bed, so we had Bailey’s delivered to our cabin at night.

 

We drank a lot of Perrier and bottled water, and some sodas.  
 

We enjoyed sampling speciality desserts, although there were plenty of baked goods and sweets available without a Plus upgrade.

After the eclipse servers walked around the deck serving a special eclipse drink (alcoholic) which was quite good.  Available at no charge with Plus upgrade,  and it was fun to celebrate the eclipse with others in our area. 
 

We could order Mimosas with breakfast too.

 

I really enjoyed the juice bar, but wouldn’t have paid $8 for freshly squeezed juice or $12 for a smoothie if it wasn’t included with the package.  I had two juices every day and my cabin mate had smoothies.

 

When I figure in the cost of WiFi and gratuities I think the Plus package was a good value. The WiFi was actually very good, and while I realize many or most people want to go offline during cruises I needed to connect my laptop for a few minutes every day to check my work emails.   The price I had to pay for taking 17 days off during a busy time at work.   Besides my work laptop, it was nice to be able to send pictures to friends and family so I did like using WiFi.

 

So did it make sense financially?  I didn’t count, and don’t intend to go back and add it up. I was on vacation, and having the Plus package made my vacation more enjoyable.  
 

Besides, if  looked too closely into the financial aspect I might question whether I should actually spend the money to take a cruise at all, instead of using the money to pay down my mortgage or pay off my vehicle 🙂 

 

[MacMadame]

1 hour ago, Krozulo said:

They push the packages hard for a reason, and it's not because it's such a great value to everyone. 

They push them because it's upfront revenue and it's a known amount so easier to budget for and manage.

 

At least that's why most companies have packages. 😄

[Drew B 58]

7 hours ago, Krozulo said:

I've seen it said many times, some people get the package so they don't have to worry about a bill at the end of the cruise. They can order whatever they want whenever they want. There's some freedom with that, I get it. For me it would be the opposite.

 

When I look at the Plus package and subtract the things I would pay for (like gratuities), and ignore things I wouldn't pay for (like specialty desserts), I'm left with a balance that's all drinks. I made a list of drinks we would enjoy, with prices including gratuities, and I told my wife, "We're on vacation. Not driving anywhere. No plans tomorrow. What would you drink without reservation?" and we each could maybe make the package work each day. Add one drink before, with, or after dinner and Plus would make sense. But our 8 day cruise has 4 port days. We'd have to make up for those drinks on the sea days and I don't know that we can. 

 

So, for me, having the package would be stressful because I'd be counting drinks and dollars to make sure I come out ahead. I would rather get an $80 bill at the end knowing the package cost $100 extra than to pay the $100 and find out I missed out in $20 worth of drinks.

Would you or would you not get WiFi?  That seems to be the big difference maker.  If you would pay for gratuities and WiFi, then it’s less than a $20 difference per day to go with Plus.  It seems to me it is easy to make up that $20 with just one alcoholic drink and a couple of nonalcoholic drinks a day.  Even on port days, I can’t imagine that being an issue.  And that’s not even considering casual dining, Ocean Now activation, medallion delivery, etc.  

 

And if one day you DON’T happen to “break even” and only get $50 in value, you’ll probably more than make up for it on another day when you get $70/$80/$90 value.  And if, at the end of the cruise, you figure out that you paid $560 (assuming it’s 7 days) and you only got $535 in value, is that really a big enough “loss” to stress you out?

 

Now if you WOULDN’T otherwise purchase the WiFi, then you’d have to get over $40 per day in value from the other benefits (drinks in particular), and that is considerably harder to do if you’re not a big drinker…

[Krozulo]

1 hour ago, Drew B 58 said:

Would you or would you not get WiFi?  That seems to be the big difference maker.

No, I wouldn't pay for wifi. If I had it, I'd probably use it but since I wouldn't pay for it I don't include it when calculating the package value.

You're right. If at the end of the trip I "missed out" on 2 drinks, is it worth being upset over? Not at all. But during the trip I'd be keeping a running total of drinks, lattes, bottled waters, etc and struggling to come out ahead.

I just think it's funny how the package is freedom for most people, but it would be stressful for me. It's just how my brain works I guess. 

[FancyPants21]

8 hours ago, Krozulo said:

Thing is, I feel like I can order what I want when I want, without counting, and come out ahead without the package. It's the port days that would really make it up. 

 

I just hate to lose at a corporation's game. They push the packages hard for a reason, and it's not because it's such a great value to everyone. 

Fair enough... that is you and that is fine. But they are great value for me and remember, it isn't just about tangible value... there is value to many (me included) in having a fixed price cruise. If you see it as a financial battle between you and the cruise line then that must detract from the cruise experience IMO.

[kywildcatfanone]

Value is in the eye of the beholder.  Princess has enough data to know that 75%+ of passengers buy a package and that many do it as suggested by most on here for the convenience of not having to worry about an end of cruise bill being unexpectedly higher than planned.  It makes sense for the cruise line to offer it, and it makes sense for the consumer to buy it if it fits their lifestyle.

We don't buy the package because when I do the math for us, it would cost us more than double the cost of wifi and tips to have it for what value it provides.  Lucky or unlucky, we cut out things like sugary drinks a couple of years ago, and so basically we bring onboard what we want to drink outside of what is included, and it works perfectly well for us.  If most people buying the packages keeps the cruise fare from going up as quickly, then it's a win for everyone along the way.

Packages also allow the cruise line to lock in tips and wifi for those who might not normally include those items or use them.  Again, a win/win.

[555]

8 hours ago, Drew B 58 said:

Would you or would you not get WiFi?  That seems to be the big difference maker.  If you would pay for gratuities and WiFi, then it’s less than a $20 difference per day to go with Plus.  It seems to me it is easy to make up that $20 with just one alcoholic drink and a couple of nonalcoholic drinks a day.  Even on port days, I can’t imagine that being an issue.  And that’s not even considering casual dining, Ocean Now activation, medallion delivery, etc.  

 

And if one day you DON’T happen to “break even” and only get $50 in value, you’ll probably more than make up for it on another day when you get $70/$80/$90 value.  And if, at the end of the cruise, you figure out that you paid $560 (assuming it’s 7 days) and you only got $535 in value, is that really a big enough “loss” to stress you out?

 

Now if you WOULDN’T otherwise purchase the WiFi, then you’d have to get over $40 per day in value from the other benefits (drinks in particular), and that is considerably harder to do if you’re not a big drinker…

Last cruise my wife didn't use the Wi-Fi for one minute & I used it sitting around the pool for maybe 10 minutes a day to read my local news, which is a complete waste of time even at home.

It's hardly something we feel is a need, especially when on a ship with so many other things to do. 

[Muffinz]

4 minutes ago, 555 said:

Last cruise my wife didn't use the Wi-Fi for one minute & I used it sitting around the pool for maybe 10 minutes a day to read my local news, which is a complete waste of time even at home.

It's hardly something we feel is a need, especially when on a ship with so many other things to do. 

but then there are others who really want / need the wifi to keep in touch with loved ones by video link / zoom / whatsapp on a daily basis

The plus package works for some and doesn't for others - simple as that

[555]

10 minutes ago, Muffinz said:

but then there are others who really want / need the wifi to keep in touch with loved ones by video link / zoom / whatsapp on a daily basis

The plus package works for some and doesn't for others - simple as that

That makes it a complete waste of money for us. We can use our WhatsApp when we reach port very nicely a fraction of the cost.

The alcohol portion is questionable as long as you keep drinking, which we don't. A few a day is more than enough.

All the other included things are just fluff for us. 

[insidecabin]

1 hour ago, 555 said:

Last cruise my wife didn't use the Wi-Fi for one minute & I used it sitting around the pool for maybe 10 minutes a day to read my local news, which is a complete waste of time even at home.

It's hardly something we feel is a need, especially when on a ship with so many other things to do. 

We find on most of our cruises the times we can get a decent data mobile signal is sufficient for our internet needs(In port and 1-3 hours arriving/leaving)
Data is cheap(£1-£2 15GB unlimited calls/txt in UK) for us in the UK/Europe and for the times we need non covered areas there are SIMS available for the £10-£20 with enough data.. 

[memoak]

10 hours ago, Krozulo said:

No, I wouldn't pay for wifi. If I had it, I'd probably use it but since I wouldn't pay for it I don't include it when calculating the package value.

You're right. If at the end of the trip I "missed out" on 2 drinks, is it worth being upset over? Not at all. But during the trip I'd be keeping a running total of drinks, lattes, bottled waters, etc and struggling to come out ahead.

I just think it's funny how the package is freedom for most people, but it would be stressful for me. It's just how my brain works I guess. 

If you  struggle to make the plus package work for you then it is probably a service not designed for you. We will drink coffees, waters and a minimum of 6-8 alcoholic drinks a day each. It is designed for us

Edited April 26 by memoak

[memoak]

3 hours ago, insidecabin said:

We find on most of our cruises the times we can get a decent data mobile signal is sufficient for our internet needs(In port and 1-3 hours arriving/leaving)
Data is cheap(£1-£2 15GB unlimited calls/txt in UK) for us in the UK/Europe and for the times we need non covered areas there are SIMS available for the £10-£20 with enough data.. 

Most of our cruises are long with maybe 8 or more sea days. We need the internet to access our investments, news (most of the tv news on ship are biased one way or the other, email to check in on friends and family and as sports fans we need to be able to get premier league scores

 

[susancruzs]

I haven't cruised with a Plus package but have it for my 14 day NE and 23 day Panama Canal positioning cruises.  Reading all the comments has been interesting.

 

I was on a 30 day So. Amer. cruise without Plus in 2018, judging by my habits that cruise, a no brainer to have it.  I do water, specialty coffee, wine with lunch and dinner, maybe a Margarita in the afternoon and being a carb queen, love desserts.

 

I've never been one for budgets, a casino person, I'm in my 70s and enjoy myself.  I have to pay double for my cruises with what they cost, worrying about my on board $ spent, not happening!

I'm on vacation, plus package sounds like a breeze!

[Drew B 58]

WiFi is actually something I really value. I like to wake up and check my email, my Facebook, the news…. If I’m not getting it on the ship, I feel pressured to spend a lot of time on port days looking at those things.  And a LOT of time catching up when the cruise ends.  It’s much easier and less stressful if I just keep up for a few minutes here and there while sailing.

 

Also, it does wonders for my patience if I can pull out my phone and futz around when I’m waiting for anything.  If I don’t have internet and am stuck waiting (say for my travel companion to get ready), I get bored and frustrated.

 

On my first twelve cruises, I got no WiFi and on the next three, I shared a plan.  That was better, but I still sometimes had to wait my turn or get bumped when my friend wanted to use it.  This time, thanks to the package, I will have my own and I’m really happy about it!