drwbrt

That wasn't my experience on NCL. After we booked in Nov 22 for our Jan 23 sailing we had several changes: loss of several premium wine and liquors from the Premium Plus package, loss of turn-down service, and increase of daily gratuity. In addition to these changes to inclusions, there were also several price changes on the add-on entertainment and dining. All inclusions and add-ons are subject to change per the terms and conditions. This isn't new for the industry. It doesn't feel good when it happens, and it feels much worse when the communication is lacking.

I kept track of all my drinks on NCL from January. I was averaging $55/day in non-alcoholic beverages. I had Starbucks on board twice a day, the rest was mostly San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, but there was some soda in there too.

I think that's a good thing to bring up at guest services.

You're right. That's where the other comment came from that we're talking about a fee for OceanNow (something no other line offers), a fee for room service (that all lines are charging a higher rate for), and a pizzeria. That's not an indictment. But even still, the drink package is worth much more than just booze. Between the gratuity, Wi-Fi, and non-alcoholic beverages I can still break even on Plus, add in the dining and I'm there on Premier.

You're on the sailing right after us. High five on the gangway. If you have been Plus in the past, and plan to in the future, then I think you are not going to be disappointed. I would consider Premier still.

Having the same name makes it very difficult to keep straight. This is a misstep by Princess.

Coke used to be $0.05. Those guys are so good at marketing.

Thanks for the response. One more question if I may. Does anyone know if there is a limit in how many "tiers" of upgrade are allowed? Can you bid from Inside to Suite? On NCL it was 2-tiers max. So a balcony could get into the Haven, but an inside could only get into a balcony.

This is frustrating, but it's part of the Terms and Conditions. There is no built-in hiatus when changes can be implemented. I absolutely do feel like better communication is always in order. This seems to be a plague within the industry. Perhaps this is something that you could address with guest services onboard? If put in their position, I would want to delight a current passenger with a specialty dining credit or similar for this transition period. @New2cruise2022 and I were surprised by some Free-At-Sea and gratuity changes for our NCL cruise after final payment. It's not fun, but it's a risk we accepted at time of booking.

The $/day vs benefit/day does seem to wane significantly beyond the 7-10 day mark. You get into some heavy sea-day itineraries and it does start to lose in value. I agree with that. That said, I haven't compared sailings of that length very much.

The casual, sit down, venue offers a menu that is both more expanded and sophisticated than pool-side food. I haven't tried either yet, but am excited to. Sit-down menu is different than the poolside menu.

Plus/Premier is the reason that we are trying Princess for the first time. I use my drink package; not just on alcohol. Pellegrino at meals, coffees in the morning and afternoon, occasionally a soda, etc. The drink offer and gratuity inclusion makes it worth it for me. Having this included is the reason we are on Princess and not Carnival, NCL, or RCL.

I realize this. Honestly, we're probably on the fence even going to the production shows, but not having to go super early for decent seatings makes it more enticing.

Genuinely curious, what do you feel like the shift is? Just losing unlimited access to GiGi’s?

I may need to post separately, but this seems to have the right knowledge base in here. If you bid upgrade to a suite, does the access to concierge lounge come with that upgrade? IIRC Royal Caribbean does not allow things like the genie the come with upgrades through the bid system. Was wondering if Princess did anything similar.

So well said. House of brands, figure out how to put customers in the right brand and collect the money.

We wanted to go back on NCL but the price was killing us. Princess won.

This has been us for almost 8 weeks now. We paid our deposits and looked at everything else. We’ve been on DCL, RCL, and NCL. We really tried hard to make NCL work, we tried to see if Carnival would work, but once the drinks and gratuities are added in, Princess Premier was similar value for equal money (Carnival) or better value for less money (NCL). We honestly probably would have done Carnival were it not for room availability and minor passenger policies conflicting. We couldn’t get the rooms close enough to one another. The price on Carnival was within $200 and did not include specialty dining for the five of us.

I’m confused. Which side are you arguing? It’s just a couple free pizzas; why are people upset about the change?

It’s hard to not have a glass half full when they keep refilling it. Cheers.

I'm surprised at some of these comments. My cruise I've booked on Princess, with Premier, is CHEAPER than what I could get on NCL, CCL, or RCL with a drink package, gratuities and wifi. The value is there. I think this only helps CCL. Passengers that want more included casual dining will migrate to something like Carnival. I think that plays to Princess' advantage. Carnival (parent) is getting very strategic about segmenting their customers and directing them to the cruise line that fits the customers view of value.

@Mike45LC my upgrade to Premier includes reserved seating so while those may not be less crowded, I won't be fighting for a seat. Thanks for pointing out additional value I'm getting!

We are booked on our first Princess cruise on Discovery early next year (traveling with my brother: @New2cruise2022). We were originally booked on a Plus fare. We couldn't see the value in photos, prizes, specialty dining and the small upgrade in inclusive drink costs to upgrade from Plus to Premier. The changes at casual dining, made the switch to Premier much more compelling. I know, it's weird to be excited to spend more money, but for us it is about value. While we were still Plus we weren't over the moon about Gigi's because we think Slice will deliver good pizza without the wait. We had little interest in paying the cover for the Salty Dog Gastropub or for paying for Ocean Terrace. We felt like we could rely on the buffet and the pool-side offerings for anything outside MDR. We got Plus for the drinks, WiFi, and gratuity. Once the changes were announced for casual dining, moving to Premier was a no-brainer for us. We anticipate a MUCH LESS CROWDED Gigi's. We can enjoy Ocean Terrace and the Salty Dog without any concerns about it not being worth the cover charge. We are crossing our fingers that OceanNow will provide included access to Ocean Terrace and Salty Dog menus. Overall, we feel that upgrading to Premier will provide two things: 1) more dining options to avoid waits, crowds, and improve quality of service; and 2) an true shot at an all-inclusive feeling. This is where we see the value. We know this isn't for everyone. A reminder/tip to others though: Premier is perhaps THE WAY to travel with teens. The parents, passengers 1 and 2 are premier, providing WiFi options for the rest of their traveling party. This only requires a cheaper soda package and gratuities to put a minor at "Plus" level. They can eat at the buffet while you get away for casual dining elsewhere.

My brother and I are looking at booking Enclave passes for our 7-day; we love a good schvitz. Our only worry is the size of the Enclave; will we walk in the door and find it is too busy to stay? I know it is capped, but how much do they "oversell" the Enclave?

I'm cruising with my brother and his three boys. They will be 17, 19, and 21. Do they track who is entering The Retreat by Medallion? Are they just looking and judging whether you look like an adult? If the boys are respectful and maintain the atmosphere in there, will no one care?