Tell Me About Being "Elite" w/Princess, Is It That Much Better Cruise Experience?

I just was elevated to Ruby on my last cruise.

Obviously many cruises to go before being Elite.

Does your Elite status keep you sailing Princess?

One of, but not the only factor.

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We like the stocked mini bar, priority boarding, free included wi-fi minutes, free laundry and priority tendering. Yes these perks keep us coming back along with the service, dining and entertainment. Princess treats us very well and appears to appreciate our loyalty. Will be doing our 21st Princess cruise on Regal on Dec. 10, 2017. Love the Royal class ships. Alfredo's is a favorite for lunch. The buffets on the Royal and Regal are among the best at sea. We always dine at least one time in the Crown Grill. Looking forward to trying the new Sabatini's Trattoria menu on the Regal.

Keep cruising and you will be Elite before you know it.

I just was elevated to Ruby on my last cruise.

Obviously many cruises to go before being Elite.

 

Does your Elite status keep you sailing Princess?

It helps, but I suppose if I had the highest loyalty level on another line I would alternate.

We keep coming back to Princess because we enjoy that experience better than the other cruise lines we've tried. It fits our style. We are considering trying another line, but I suspect it will take a lot for us to change our preferred line.

Why do you keep coming back to Princess?

It does. But, with all the free stuff that Norwegian offers, I will probably do them at some point.

Yes, the free laundry, free internet minutes & minibar are a part of why I return to Princess. I mostly sail solo, so I'm paying double or nearly double fare on most cruise lines. The elite "freebies" are factored into the final price. Those items cost me extra on another line. However, if another line has an itinerary that I really want, I'll take it.

It does. But, with all the free stuff that Norwegian offers, I will probably do them at some point.

We were just in port with an NCL ship & from the looks of the types of passengers I know why we stick to Princess.

Next time we sail with Princess we will get free internet minutes, as we were promoted from Ruby( earned via P&O) to Platinum at the end of our last sailing. For their excellent web site ( as opposed to Celebrity) and for that perk I would certainly consider another sailing on Princess.

We were just in port with an NCL ship & from the looks of the types of passengers I know why we stick to Princess.

Sounds like you should be on Cunard with comments like that.

The best perk is free laundry. The internet minutes are no big deal. My DW and I hardly use them - there are better things to do on a cruise than keep your nose in a computer - I check my email often which takes about five minutes. Some folks like to spend their minutes trolling on Cruise Crtic

[Quite]- I check my email often which takes about five minutes.

Even checking e mail costs money unless you are in port. We were 6 days at sea ( to & from the Med from Southampton) so the internet cost us. Now it won’t.

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The Elite benefits are a factor, but certainly not the only one. For us the most important is the itineraries. We have been fortunate to sail all over the world with Princess

We were just in port with an NCL ship & from the looks of the types of passengers I know why we stick to Princess.

Care to elaborate on those types of people? Perhaps they were dressed in guayabere shirts, jeans with rum runners strapped to their overweight bodies? Or perhaps, they are the type of people to skip or sleep through muster drill? Because those are the type of people you ought to avoid.

OP, the elite status and it's perks are only byproducts of the cruise line that that one enjoys. Try some other lines. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. We have found that Princess has been quite consistent in delivering a quality product with good itineraries.

We were just in port with an NCL ship & from the looks of the types of passengers I know why we stick to Princess.

Bless your heart.

IMO - Princess Elite + Club Class (albeit some dupe perks) = One Fantastic On Board Cruise Experience!

Sounds like you should be on Cunard with comments like that.

Couldn't agree more. Actually, let's not wish "that" on Cunard guests. Makes one wonder what people say about certain Princess passengers seen in port.

Yes if itinerary is same

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We were just in port with an NCL ship & from the looks of the types of passengers I know why we stick to Princess.

same as the bogans getting off a p&o ship in australia

We were just in port with an NCL ship & from the looks of the types of passengers I know why we stick to Princess.

I just did the NCL Getaway in spring and I can tell you that the only exception in passengers compared to Princess was perhaps the age demographics. Granted it was a spring break cruise so there were more families than normal and I was in a Haven suite but unless it age related, there wasn’t much difference.

Actually, the elevator situation was better as people actually held doors for others!

The Elite benefits are a factor, but certainly not the only one. For us the most important is the itineraries. We have been fortunate to sail all over the world with Princess

Totally agree.....we sail Princess for their wide variety of itineraries and not the Elite benefits. Compared to the airline, hotel and rental car perks you can get with their top Elite status free laundry does not excite us. Another major reason we sail with Princess is their generosity with OBC's and the fact that you can stack them. This is what is really of value to us!!!

Usually the long cruises we sail on most of the passengers seem to be Platinum or Elite so it is a real yawner.....:)

Does your Elite status keep you sailing Princess?

I hate waiting.

To me, the best benefits are priority tender, priority embarcation, and pick any dis-embarcation group.

Can someone explain the stocked mini-bar? I assume Princess stocks the bar for you, but at what cost? Or is it complimentary? And if so, do they restock it at no cost at different intervals or based on the length of the cruise? Just curious in case I ever get to Elite status. :)

We were just in port with an NCL ship & from the looks of the types of passengers I know why we stick to Princess.

It does. But, with all the free stuff that Norwegian offers, I will probably do them at some point.

I have Elite status on Princess and have sailed twice this year on 7-day cruises on NCL Escape with Bronze status, which is their beginning level.

Priority Check-in: For NCL, at about noon, there was a Disney-style line which moved fairly quickly, taking just 15 minutes to reach an agent. As we finished up, I was handed my key card, pointed towards the escalator, and as the agent looked at his watch, confirmed we would be boarding by the time I got upstairs. "Oh, boy," I thought excitedly, "just like Princess, upstairs and right on the ship!" At the top of the escalator I was handed my boarding pass for Group 25: it took another 90 minutes before I was called.

Internet Access: NCL sells unlimited internet for about $200 for the week. The first time I was randomly upgraded to "Premium" and the last cruise I had the standard. Both were much more reliable than the comp minutes given on on Princess. In fact, coming back to Princess, reiterated how SLOW internet is on Princess. Yes, my Elite status saves money, however, I the internet expense is for business use, and worth the money for less frustrating service on NCL.

Free Laundry: On Princess, this means a lighter suitcase, packing less, knowing I can wear freshly laundered clothing daily. I sent two button-down long sleeved shirts out for regular laundry service on NCL, and they were professionally cleaned and presented on plastic hangers. Perhaps a few dollars more than at home, but worth it. A few days in, NCL will offer a coupon for a Wash & Fold service: one price for everything that fits in the bag. It's $19.95 that I wouldn't have to spend on Princess, but it was reliable. A wicker basket arrived the next afternoon with clean clothes professionally and carefully folded.

Plat/Elite/Suite Lounge: NCL doesn't have this at the bronze level. I do enjoy the steak tartar and Stilton cheese featured on some nights with Princess, but I never partake in the drink specials, sticking with my preferred cocktail. Both NCL cruises included the drink package (paid about $96.00 for the gratuities associated with the package) so I didn't miss the cocktail hour.

Preferred Theater Seating: No, it's not a Princess Elite benefit per se. However Elites have the experience to know that one should arrive to the Princess Theater at least 30 minutes prior to showtime to secure a good seat. Given that a recent ode to broadway dancers show on Grand Princess this year was only 35 minutes (10 minutes shorter than the longest Princess production show) one waits for the show almost as long as the show lasts on Princess. On NCL production shows require reservations-- and they sell out. Out of habit, I did arrive early. Suite guests ("The Haven") had a reserved area of premium seats that was guarded by a concierge. There were plenty of good seats, as I arrived early. Both production shows were about 90 minutes and very well done.

Canapes, Tea, Bathroom Amenities, and Wine Tasting: While the canapes are tasty they weren't missed on NCL. I've never tried Afternoon Tea and after doing the wine tasting two times, that's been enough. Sure, my sister might miss the sachet of amenities I bring home to her, NCL had one set up of upscale amenities in my Spa Mini Suite. For $23.95 on NCL I did attend a Wine Lover's Musical which was a show the integrated a wine tasting with a filet mignon lunch.

10% Boutique Discount: I do appreciate this perk on Princess though I seldom spend more that $100. While I haven't made it to high enough a level on NCL, they do offer a 10% discount for duty-free purchases at Bronze level. At higher levels there are higher discounts for excursions, spa treatments on port days, photos, and laundry.

Mini-bar Set-up: I do like taking the minitures home to stock my liquor cabinet, since I don't drink in my cabin. On NCL, begining at bronze level, everyone receives a bottle of sparkling wine, which comes home with me.

Priority Disembarkation: Usually I prefer to walk-off, and I have a feeling that my Elite status ensures I'm always given a Walk Off 1 card. On NCL, my first cruise this year was not as smooth an experience. The meeting point on NCL is the gangway: 30 minutes prior to the estimated disembarkation, the line snaked practically from one end of the ship to the other, where it made a U-turn to double back to the gangway. THANKFULLY my second NCL cruise pushed me to a higher Casinos at Sea Players Club level that included priority disembarkation that far exceeded Princess. I received a letter with gold printed PRIORITY luggage tags along with a special meeting point. As soon as Haven guests disembarked, I was personally escorted back-of-the-house to an elevator that brought me near the gangway. To my left, I saw the "Walk-off" passengers waiting behind a rope until priority guests completed disembarkation. In the customs area I had about a 10 minute wait because TSA had not opened yet. To be thorough, while there were Global Entry signs posted and I had my GE card out, NCL on neither cruise seemed to honor and permit it. The first cruise I was told that there were not enough TSA agents, and the second cruise I was told that with the elimination of customs forms, they didn't feel it necessary. Both comments were from the NCL hired contract workers, so perhaps not the official word.

Elite benefits certainly make it hard to try another line, but it didn't stop me. Yes, some were missed. But with NCL, my next cruise will elevate me to Silver where I can begin to enjoy all the discounts (they increase as a percentage as one escalates levels) mentioned above. NCL's abundance of specialty restaurants is a big draw to come back even without Elite benefits. So is there beautiful Manhattan Room MDR with live music and dancing.

However, even without status on Princess, everyone can enjoy better food in the MDR on Princess. (Though the chipping and cuts on Princess may one day change this.) Another Princess benefit is the rotating menus that don't seem to repeat even on a 15-day cruise, whereas NCL seems to have a 3 day rotation in the MDR.

Perhaps its more about an individual's ego and urge to be recognized. For us, its near meaningless except for the few real benefits that we get from loyalty status. Unlike some others we have met, we never book a cruise because of "loyalty" or loyalty benefits. As a result, after forty years of extensive cruising we find ourselves in high categories of most cruise lines. So what! One irony is that now that we have achieved higher status levels, we usually do not bother going to any of the status related functions. On our past 3 Princess cruises we have not gone to any of the Elite cocktail parties, Captain;s parties, wine tastings, etc. In fact, when we see folks lined up to get into the Captain's party...we know it will be easy to get great service in a bar :). On HAL when they have the "Mariners Luncheon" its the perfect time to go to the Lido for lunch (because so many passengers will be in the MDR with its very limited menu." We will admit that the free internet is our favorite perk. Consider that on long Princess cruises DW and I get a combined 1000 free minutes. On some cruise lines this is worth over $500, and its a great Elite benefit. Our mini bars are usually exchanged for coffee cards which is another nice perk. But none of that would be a reason for us to book a future Princess cruise.

But we have learned that to some folks, all this status stuff really matters. Some of would be laughable...if not true. A few years ago, HAL decided to eliminate its Medallion program which gives frequent cruisers near worthless large Medallions (you can wear them on a ribbon around your neck) to those who had a lot of cruise days. The HAL fans went crazy! "How dare you stop giving out those worthless Medallions." "I have worked hard to get my Medallion." etc etc. Its the same with the Pins. DW used to toss all of our cruise related stuff (medallions, certificates, pins, etc.) into a bottom drawer. But when we needed the drawer for other stuff, all that cruise stuff went into the trash. However, we have now noticed that some enterprising cruisers try to sell some of that garbage on e-bay! Anyone want a HAL Gold Medallion? How about some old Princess cruise cards (Elite of course)?

Hank