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21 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

Here's my math.

Assume the purchase of Premier at $80 per day.  Even though the package comes with lots more stuff, all we really care about is the value of the wine/cocktails, coffee drinks, crew appreciation, wi-fi and Specialty dining Credits.  Adding all those up, about $35 per day per person of the $80 fee is allocated to the 15 alcohol drinks per day.  So for a 7 day cruise, two people would be paying $490 for 15 drinks per day, and the wine that you get for that money is pretty average stuff.  Nothing to get excited about.

 

Compare that to bringing your own wine on that 7 day cruise.

Assume that you bring on 10 bottles of wine that you purchase for an average of $30 per bottle.  This is going to get you into the realm of the quality that you would get from the ship.  Belle Glos Pinot Noir, Whispering Angel Rose, Silverado Cabernet.  So your sunk cost of purchase is $300.  Two bottles get on for free and the others get assessed the corkage fee.  I have seen both $15 and $20 as the fee.  Let's use $15.  8 corkage fees is $120.  So for $420 you've got your wine covered.  But those 10 bottles might not be nearly enough to drink over a full week, especially on Sea Days.  And we haven't accounted for coffee drinks.  So let's say that each person adds two more drinks and some coffee each day, on average, to their drinking total and those cocktails average $12 per drink and you spend $5 per day on coffee drinks. After the 18% gratuity, those drinks over 7 days will cost about $480.  So the new total for the couple is $900 as compared to $560 for the Package.  And you haven't elevated your game, as the bottles that you brought on board are on par with what the ship is pouring for the Premium Package.

 

So your assumption is spot on.  If you want to drink about as well as you would with the ship's wine, you do much better with a Package.  If you want to raise your game, you can bring on your own wine, but you are going to spend far more.  If the average price per bottle is $50 instead of $30, you are now up to $1,100 compared to $490.  But again, this assumes that you are supplementing your wine consumption with an average of 2 additional cocktails per day plus some coffee.  If you forego all other alcohol and coffee, the even-up comparison for better wine would be $620 for better wine versus $490 for the package.     

Since COVID  everything has changed, prices have gone up and employees that have terribly stressful jobs are demanding more money; stewards are responsible for more cabins post COVID due to lack of people applying for such jobs.  Have you ever noticed that most cruise lines don't hire Americans to be stewards because we wouldn't work so many hours for so little money!  I have no problem with the crew appreciation cost.

On 2/9/2024 at 4:21 PM, satxdiver said:

The crew works long hours and very hard so I certainly do not consider the daily fee exorbitant and have never reduced the amount.  I just consider a part of the fees to cruise.  We do give certain crew members (room steward, etc) extra tip at the end of the cruise.  Don't cruise if you cannot afford it. 

 

Ditto!

On 2/16/2024 at 11:54 AM, shanna135 said:

It keeps crashing on me?  Are others having this problem?

I got an email this morning from Princess stating that I could now book excursions for my cruise in November;  my nephew had also been having problems with the website.

Whenever I'm cruising, I go to www.toursbylocals.com and complete the questionaire with the city, date, etc; then a list of tour quides will come up with the deals they offer and whether they speak English.  They will indicate if they are handicapped friendly.  Many times they will to decide the itenerary.  I've done this a couple of times in NYC, Vancouver and Quebec.  Sometimes I try to find a taxi cab driver that will give me a brief tour of the city.

I have done the Chef's Dinner several times;  each time the procedure seems to be different for signing up.   What is the procedure now for signing up for the Chef's Dinner on the Regal Princess?

Perhaps they are just doing the Pub Lunch on the royal-class ships on sea days.

Walkers are very difficult to use on a cruise ship in areas where there is carpeting and thresholds.  When I cruise,  I use a collapsible wheelchair;  I don't ride in the wheelchair,  I stand behind it and push it.  The larger wheels on the wheelchair allows me to walk without difficulty in areas with thresholds and carpefting

Just make sure you don't miss the muster drill.

I look at the itinerary,  if there is an evening that your in port until 10 PM or later, I schedule a specialty dinner for that night.

Thank You Champagne 123!

I have Cabin D 302 booked on the Royal Princess in Oct. I recently had a left shoulder replacement and still have difficulty using that arm. Does anybody know whether you would use your right or left arm on the grab bar near the toilet in this cabin?

Where do I sign up for the Chef's Table on the Royal Princess? :champagne-toast::champagne-toast::wine-glass:

Anticipate a long walk from the bus to the city square . . . buses are required to park about a mile away. The round trip taxi ride for $100 includes the tip and the driver will drop you off in the city square.

The Matre D on the Regal Princess told us that the special area for the Chefs Table cost a million dollars to construct.

The Regal Princess will go to dry dock in Hamburg, Germany after passengers disembark from a TA cruise on April 17th.

We were in Victoria last year and did a pedicab tour with Victoria Pedicab Co. The tour guide put my manual wheelchair on the back of the pedicab. It was

$ 75 per person for a 2 1/2 hour tour. I would highly recommend this tour.

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

Has anybody done Princess's canal excursion on the glass-domed motor launch in Amsterdam? I have mobility challenges and want to know if the boat is difficult to embark and disembark. Also, would I be able to to put my collapsed wheelchair in the boat?

Thank you for the responses!

Can anybody tell me how long it takes to travel from Phillipsburg to Marigot. Thanks!

The only problem we had in a HA cabin on the Coral was with the ramp leading to the balcony; the ramp kept moving, creating a gap between the ramp and the balcony. They need to put rubber under the ramp to prevent it from sliding.

I normally use a cane. When I travel I take a collapsible wheelchair and use it as a walker; if I get tired, somebody pushes me. The wheels on the wheelchair are larger than a walker; a wheelchair doesn't absorb the bumps as much as a walker or a transport chair. A collapsible wheelchair can be placed under the tour bus.

Thank you Lois for your awesome river cruise review. I am considering the same river cruise for next year. One question . . . Can the heated pool be used on every cruise or only during summer months? Thanks!

I am considering a regular cabin on the Regal Princess. Has anybody requested an elevated toilet seat on the Regal Princess? If so, did it fit ok? Thanks!