ronvoyage

13 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

It's too bad if you were not offered the pre-cruise prince on DAY 1.  Princess policy was supposed to be this because the MC App only offers full price for the time being and you get the 50% back as OBC.  If you were charged $15/pp/day instead of $10/pp/day (that's 50% more BTW), then you were over-charged and it should have been appealed to the IT Mgr.  If you are still on the ship, raise the issue with that person.  Raise it with the Captain's Circle Host.  If anyone gives you a hard time, suggest they check with HQ Customer Relations.  You can write them yourself.

I agree with your information above, but that's not what happened on the Majestic. I talked with everyone you suggested and was told the only rate available onboard was $87.50 and I should have prepaid $70 for a 4 devise plan on a seven day cruise, which is a 50% discount. The Princess app has issues too and should identify me as elite and offer the discounted rate, but that isn't the case. I hope Princess figures out WiFi is causing issues with high day Elite CC members.

The regular price for the prepaid one devise is $10 per day or $20 per day for four devises. If you want two plans the four devise plan is the same cost as two 2 devise plans. If you are platinum or elite you get a 50% discount. If bought onboard the price is 25% higher, but you can use OBC to pay for the WiFi. Princess says " Discount only available to Captain’s Circle Platinum and Elite guests, for MedallionNet® Wi-Fi packages on sailings embarking after July 24, 2021. MedallionNet® Wi-Fi packages purchased pre-cruise will be discounted on board and the guest will receive a refund credit in their folio. Discount is not combinable with any other MedallionNet Wi-Fi offers, discounts, or promotions. Discount is not transferable and has no cash value."

Last week on the 7 day cruise on the Majestic we had $450 OBC, so we didn't prepay the WiFi, but it cost 25% more. Prepay for 7 day four devise rate is $140 and we paid $87.50 onboard, but used OBC. On our next 20 day cruise on the Enchanted we don't have as much OBC, so we'll prepay $400 for four devises and hope to get $200 credited to our account. Hope this makes sense. I believe the WiFi OBC is refundable, but time will tell.

So here's a question to consider. What will happen when loyal clients have used all of their FCC? Will they still be loyal to Princess or become free agents? I admit I was not surprised that WiFi was no longer free on Princess, but when you have lots of days with Princess and a pile of OBC it's frustrating that the cost for WiFi is 25% higher onboard. We could have another discussion on the app and how it works or doesn't work. There are lots of cruise lines and I hope the Carnival Corp. companies realize there are lots of options. Take aways are a bad way of doing business. I can do the math and figure what's the best deal. All Princess is doing is supporting all inclusive companies like Viking so you are not nickled and dimed.

Just was on the Majestic Princess and was surprised as an "elite" Captain's Circle member I was charged for WiFi. Free minutes are gone. Seems like I could have bought a 1 or 4 device WiFi package at a lower rate if I would have purchased it before boarding the ship. The new "benefit" is elite and platinum

One of the stops on our cruise was Easter Island. In preparation for our visit, I researched the private tour operators on TripAdvisor, Cruise Critic, and the web and decided that Green Island Tours offered the most complete tour at a reasonable rate. I contacted GIT and started an email conversation with the owner and tour guide, Marc Shields and asked him to propose an all day itineary. Immediately, Marc responded with a very inclusive tour of all of the major attractions that would allowed during our time in port.

Marc suggested that we visit; Ranu Kau (volcano), Orongo (ceremonial village) Ranu Raraku (quarry where all the Moai where made) Tongariki (15 Moai and largest platform on the island), Anakena Beach, and finally Tahai and I accepted his offer. We decided on a group of seven (although GTI will accommodate larger or smaller groups) for our day to explore the mysteries of this tiny island. Easter Island requires a "tender operation" from a cruise ship to the port that is depended on weather. It is estimated that about 10% of the cruise ships are not able to stop because of the weather. GIT requested a small deposit to reserve our tour and the process was seamless by using a "PayPal" link that was provided by GIT.

We arrived the town of Hanga Roa at 9:15am and departed by tender at 4:10pm. In addition to the GIT fee, it is necessary to purchase a ticket to visit all of the sacred areas of the National Parks which makes up nearly 50% of the island for $60USD per person. All of the Moai are located in the National Park, as is the beautiful Anakena Beach, so buying a Park Ticket an essential purchase to effectively see the sites on Easter Island.

We had the privilege to have Marc Shields, the owner of GIT, as our guide. He also had five additional guides that conducted customized tours for other passengers on our ship. Marc is fluent in English and Spanish (the Chilean version too) and has a vast knowledge of the history of Easter Island. Our group was impressed that Marc knew how to take us to the beautiful sites before other tours arrived. He suggested an excellent restaurant in the Town of Hanga Roa for lunch and helped me buy stamps at the local post office. His Spanish language skills helped us numerous times.

In summary, all passengers on cruise ships have the option of using the ship's tours, find a independent tour operator like GIT, or try to see the sites on their own. Based on the conversations we have had on our ship since the tour of Easter Island, our group has become the envy of the ship. We saw more than any other tour, at fraction of the ship's tour cost, in our nicely sized group of seven. One advantage of using a ship's tour is that the vessel will not leave until all of their tours are back on board. On a stop like Easter Island, it seems like using an Independent tour operator like GIT, is an excellent option because there is minimal risk you will be stuck in traffic. Ten stars to GIT for a superior day on Easter Island!