Gramgle

If you think that the Blue bags pegged you as a tourist, you’re correct. But if you leave the Blue bag on board the ship, Locals still know you’re a tourist. Easy as pie. I live in a tourist town (Key West). I can spot a tourist from 100 feet away. And none carry a blue bag.

On the Island Princess, Sabitini’s is Alfredo’s at lunch (Noon till 1:30) … casual dining and a $15 charge. My complaint is that I booked the Plus Package before there was Casual Dining. Alfredo was included dining. In the Summer of 2023 Princess created Casual Dining. If you booked the Plus Package after its creation, it included 2 Casual Dinings per cruise. I think that my early booking of the Plus Package should not have excluded the 2 Casual Dining options. It’s not about money. It about Princess not going the extra distance. In reality what would it have cost them to include early bookings? 3 months before Alfredo’s was free anyhow. Just more of the nickel & dime approach. As Elite… we use to get WiFi… now we pay for it. In the dining room, a sirloin steak was part of the Princess Favorites. Now if you want a steak it’s $19. Everyone use to get a Blue Princess bag for port shopping. Not any more. The sauna & steamrooms use to be included. Not any more. The new business model is to advertise a very inexpensive inside cabin price, then charge extra for every thing else.

Currently on the Island Princess. 28 days Rome to Ft Lauderdale (11/23-12/21/2023. I booked in December 2022 with the Plus Package. At the time of booking, there was no such thing as Casual Dining …. Alfredo’s ect were all included. In mid 2023 they decided to create Casual Dining charging $15 per head. If you book the Princess Plus Package recently you get 2 Casual dining options per head during the voyage. But if you booked early (before Casual Dining $15 per head) they won’t honor the 2 Casual dining options per voyage. I think that is very low class of them. I realize that Covid hit the cruise industry very hard. However; being cheap is not the way to win customers. I have been on a great many Princess Cruises including 3 this year totaling 60 days. Princess becomes more like the Greyhound Bus Line of Cruising.