cruise4mom

It seems that some people that have the package it is being recognized whereas the 1/2 it does not. Some people have had to pay for the specialty dining and then are reimbursed once on board. Again it is hit and miss and it has been chalked up

to an app issue. 

Casual dining meal is outlined: on Princess Plus and Princess Premier packages will enjoy savory prix fixe dining options in the ship's casual restaurants, including Vines, Salty Dog Pub, O’Malleys, Ocean Terrace, Planks, Steamers, Alfredo’s, and GiGi’s. The addition of new three-course, pre-fixed menus gives Plus and Premier guests more food options than ever before without any extra charges. For those who prefer sailing on Princess Standard, the casual prix fixe dining will be $14.99 and individual selections will continue with a la carte pricing.

its a 3 course meal….you would get 2 meals, total, with Plus. Unlimited with Premier 

I have sailed Carnival, Royal Caribbean, HAL, Celebrity, and Princess. I found Carnival and Royal to be way too crowded for me. Our last Celebrity cruise last year was

crowded. It also seemed that they placed all the activities in the smallest bar area. Princess seems to be able to spread things out.

if there is something in the Atrium it can get a bit tight. 

I have used the attachment below. You can add it to your watch band. I have a crossbody phone case and I place it on the strap holding the phone. It works amazing and it is cheap. 

On 2/19/2024 at 2:36 PM, mamafun said:

I've tried searching the forum, but having trouble collecting the info I'm looking for.  I am currently booking our first cruise in 24(!) years, on Ruby Princess in November.  I am 90% sure we will be taking advantage of the Plus or Premium packages, but I want to price everything out to make the final decision.  Is there anywhere I can find the ala carte pricing for the individual components?  The Princess website doesn't seem to have a place where you can clearly compare costs, or I'm missing it. 

 

Looking for prices on wifi, casual dining, and specialty dining, I think I have the info I need on crew appreciation, OceanNow, beverages, and room service.  Thanks in advance!

1. Wi-Fi is $24.99 per person per             day for one device.

2. casual dining is $14.99 plus 18%service charge per person per meal. 
3. Crew appreciation is charged at $16-$18 per person per room depending on cabin. 
4. Ocean now requires a $14.99 one time fee plus service charge. 
5. Room service has a fee of $5 per item If ordered on your stateroom

phone.

6. speciality dining runs $30-$39 per person per night. 
7. beverages packages run from 

   A.  Soda package is $14.99 plus 

         Service charge 

   B. Zero alcohol package is $29.99.  

        Plus service charge

   C. Plus drink package is $64.99 

        Plus service charge. 
   D. Premier drink package is 

        $84.99 plus service charge. 
8. Premium desserts are $12.00

9. Fitness classes are $10.00 each 

10. The juice bar runs $8-$10 

this is all US funds. 
 

We have done 3 back to backs and have no problem. Sometimes the guarantee cabins are the best. 

On 2/19/2024 at 4:06 PM, gertz said:

My husband and I did 30 cruises on Princess and he died of cancer. I'm thinking of booking a shorter cruise and test the water since I really enjoyed cruising and listening to the water while sitting on the balcony. The only drawback is Princess doesn't have any single rooms you have to pay double. I'm concerned about feeling alone in a pond of doubles. I've heard go on tours get active on the ship. Any suggestions out there. Thanks appreciate any help

Princess’ ew ship the Sun has 4 solo cabins. Look up the cruises for that boat and see if you can get one. You will also have the advantage of sailing on a brand new ship. 

Let me just this…crew appreciation is $16-$18 per person per day. A zero alcohol package would cost $35.39 per day per person. The total cost would be $51.39-$53.39 just for those two. If you were to add WiFi you would save money by buying the Plus package for him. That would also give him the 2 casual dining and some other things he might like. 
 

If you are not going to buy your son any beverage package then perhaps the package isn’t worth it. You will have to sit down and think about what options he would use. A lot of people are happy with the included food and drinks and do not wish to pay extra for packages. It truly is a personal decision. 

This may be long so I will apologize in advance. 
 

As far as household duties go bills, pets, house security etc can all be handled. The bills can be placed on auto pay or paid in advance. You could also pay them on a sea day if you wished. For the let’s I would ask a family member or friend to keep the pets during this time. As far as household security you can have a neighbor family member etc stop by and keep an eye on it. Stop your mail during the sailing. I saw that your son assisted during your previous tours so perhaps you could enlist some other people to help. If not perhaps a pet sitter could address the issue of pets and house security at the same time. 
 

As far as parking and the costs, I would spend the money on a flight and transfers instead of the fees for parking. 
 

I fully understand your head spinning  due to all the planning but as you said it is a once in a lifetime trip. If you just wait for the perfect or better time it will never happen. Good luck! 

On 1/24/2024 at 11:12 AM, CrazyTrain2 said:

I'm onboard the Discovery Princess in April.  I signed up for the Premier package and I usually don't drink that much.  What top shelf (at least on board) cocktails/brands should be on the list to sip and toss overboard (I know overboard is a No-No)?

 

If Princess would offer an alcohol free package, I would have chosen it. The basic package makes no sense for anybody unless you are stiffing the crew, it's simply being used as marketing eye candy.

Princess does offer a Zero Alcohol package however it is not an option with the Plus and Premier packages. The Zero alcohol package is $35.39 per day with fees. When adding that prices with the Crew Appreciation of $16-$18 per day totaling $51.39-$53.39 per day per person. When you see those figure just for tips and non alcoholic drinks taking a package can be more cost effective. I think people see sticker shock when they see the additional $60-$80 a day in addition to the cruise fare. It is all a personal decision and there are those who don’t use WiFi, want anything but basic coffee, tea, tap water and whatever flavored drink in the buffet and prefer just to eat the MDR and buffet meals. I am not a big drinker but I like to experiment and not feel bad if I order something and don’t drink it. 

From my understanding the first two passengers in the cabin have to purchase the same package (Plus or Premier) if one does. Since she is underage her drink package will be changed to the Zero Alcohol Package. If it just the two of you then yes she would. 

Medallion shipping is included if you have purchased the Plus or Premier package. The medallion is only shipped to US passengers with a physical address no PO Boxes. 

I have also traveled Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Holland American; Princess, Celebrity and some others that are no longer in business. 
 

I have had good and bad cruises on Carnival and Celebrity. You will find your question will solicit a million different responses. Everyone has an opinion however it isn’t your opinion. I can tell you I had an amazing time and someone else on the same cruise can say it was horrible. 
 

you have to read between the lines and sometimes judge for yourself. I used Holland American to go thru Alaska and I was not happy. The trip itself was amazing some of the other passengers tainted my trip. 
 

Personally, I think you have no need to worry. If something goes wrong roll with it. Make a complaint to guest service and don’t let it affect you. If it is a major issue then please make them do right to correct it. Each and every princess cruise I have been on if there is as an issue it was handled quickly. If the issue involved a severe inconvenience compensation was provided. I honestly think you will enjoy yourself. If you are worried about the food, don’t. Food is subjective and Princess also has options be it the MDR, Buffet( room service etc. Don’t worry just go have fun!!!

I have a pacemaker and the medallion does not affect it. The only thing that cannot be utilized with a pacemaker is the scanner when returning from port. You have to tell them you have a pacemaker and then they will use a hand scanner. 

On 2/10/2024 at 10:51 PM, SCX22 said:

You have no choice but to accept the Medallion presented to you by the port agents at check-in.  The port agents have no access to the software/machine that will program cruise cards.  The Medallions already come pre-personalized and pre-programmed; all the port agents job is to confirm that you have presented the correct documentation and activate the Medallion by pressing a box on their tablet.  When you get on board, you can go to Guest Services and request that your Medallion be deactivated and swapped out for a cruise card.  TBH, it's a toss up if GS will swap out your Medallion.  They refused my cruise card request on the Enchanted in November 2023 and Emerald Princess in January 2024, citing that they were out of blank cruise cards.  Up until then, I was able to do the swap with no problems.  Not sure why the change because the crew still use crew cards to exit/enter the ship and open their cabins.  Don't know what will happen if you say that you have a pacemaker because it's stated that the magnet in the Medallion can interfere with pacemakers.  YMMV.

You can board at any time after noon I think. The paperwork for your flights home will be with all the paperwork for debarkation on the last night of the cruise. 

 O as every passenger needs to pack their suitcase and have it outside the door that night. 

I have short thick hair and the hair dryer is horrible. Bring your own. I know it sucks but at least your hair will be dry and you know how

long it will take.

Please realize that the food quality, inclusions, options and pricing has all changed over the years. For those of us who have travel for over 40 years have lived thru growing pains of the industry. No longer are the incentives such as OBC, specialty dining, drink packages etc. Yes these are available thru TA sometimes where as they used to be a standard gift. 
 

Food options used to included midnight buffets, with extensive items. Lobster was true lobster and usually included a nice piece of meat was included. Food quality was excellent. The food quality isn’t like this anymore. Yes there is what they call lobster however as many have said it is like a huge prawn. If you want more than the little one they provide there is an extra cost. In the past we were allowed as many as we wanted. Yes food quality has declined. It isn’t just affecting Princess. Should be expect better yes. 
 

Service standards have also changed. We used to get turn downs and chocolate on the pillows but no more. Towel animals are almost extinct. The cruise lines seem to be short staffed which then causes long waits for drinks. 
 

It is unfortunate but sadly I do think food quality has significantly decreased and it is going to be part of the norm. I see so many complaints on this site with people complaining and stating they are leaving Princess to go to other lines because of these issues. My comment was to explain that the issues are industry wide not just limited to one particular line. 

4 hours ago, Over from NZ said:

You can't say it's going to "save them money".. because you don't know what their spend was going to be. I don't drink alcohol.. there's no way I would drink $45 worth of non-alcohol drinks a day. I would usually buy 3x long blacks and maybe 1 soda or zero alcohol beer a day. Couldn't get near $45. 

if you read my statement it list the Zero alcohol package($45 a day) with the gratuities ($16-18) together. Those two fees alone add up to ($61-$63) per day. So unless they are just doing the soda package and gratitudes purchasing the Plus package would save them money as long he plus package is only $60 a day thereby saving $1-$3 a day. In addition the original post she was talking about a coffee package or the zero alcohol package. That is why I stated what I did. So please re read the origibal

post  as to specific question!

The zero alcohol package is showing at $45 a day on the web. If you need to pay gratuities those are $16-$18 a day. Just those two items are $61 a day so the plus package would save you money and give you free room service and ocean now with some other things. 

Please realize that food quality and flavor has decreased on all cruise lines!!! Traveled preciously with celebrity  and was amazed pleased. Then we booked a cruise last May and and it was horrible!!! Not only the food but the entire cruise. Understaffed, 20-30 min wait for drinks, 1/2 the bars were closed, and staff never smiled. I think sometimes it is the staff and the ship. 

With Olus you get Ocean now and room service feee!

Gratuities are $16-$18 a day. If you only want soda, juice, cocktails and smoothies that is roughly $23. A day. If you don’t want anything else then you save more. 
 

if you do the gratuities and the zero alcohol package which includes bottled water, soda, coffees, juices, smoothies, hot chocolate, Gatorade, and Red Bull that will cost you $45. a day.. 

With the zero alcohol package and gratuities you total would be $61. A day. You would save a $1 a day by getting the plus package. You would also get items for free. 
 

We have used EZ air a couple of times and had no issues. Their price was always cheaper. 
 

I would suggest researching your own flights and see if there is a couple you like and submit them to EZ air and compare.  We did this for our next cruise and discovered that the cruise air was for economy and roughly $400 more than our chosen flights in Comfort Plus. 

I have had a pacemaker for over 13 years. Please do not walk thru any metal detectors.

Advise whomever is telling you to go thru that you have a pacemaker. They will have you bypass the metal detector and will use a wand to scan you. At the airport only go thru the total

body scanner, the one where you place your hands above your head, or get a pat down.