How is the new digital coffee package working

Now that the Princess paper "coffee card" is now a thing of the past, how is the new "digital" plan working out? I have purchases many cards and uses them on multiple cruises, being that I don't have coffee's every day, it worked out well for me. For my next cruise, I purchased the "Celebrations Balcony Breakfast" which includes breakfast, two mugs, and a coffee card months before the new program rolled out. When the digital plan rolled out and saw I could not use additional "punches" on my next cruise and don't want to waste money, I canceled the package and went with just the breakfast.

Has this also deterred others from purchasing the "digital package"

Do you think that now that they have gone digital should Princess be offering various levels? 15 coffees' for a 7 nighter is a LOT of coffees'. Maybe 6, 12 and 18 depending on your liking.

So at this point they lost a $49 on a sale from me, how many others have also started rethinking their purchases.

I agree. I can't/don't want to drink 15 coffees in 7 days so I will just be paying as I go from now on.

Now that the Princess paper "coffee card" is now a thing of the past, how is the new "digital" plan working out? I have purchases many cards and uses them on multiple cruises, being that I don't have coffee's every day, it worked out well for me. For my next cruise, I purchased the "Celebrations Balcony Breakfast" which includes breakfast, two mugs, and a coffee card months before the new program rolled out. When the digital plan rolled out and saw I could not use additional "punches" on my next cruise and don't want to waste money, I canceled the package and went with just the breakfast.

 

Has this also deterred others from purchasing the "digital package"

 

Do you think that now that they have gone digital should Princess be offering various levels? 15 coffees' for a 7 nighter is a LOT of coffees'. Maybe 6, 12 and 18 depending on your liking.

 

So at this point they lost a $49 on a sale from me, how many others have also started rethinking their purchases.

How is it digital?

How is it digital?

They put it on our medallions. I’ll let you know how it goes. How are you. Are you sailing this year. I want to do a door decorating contest!!

Maureen

Hasn't deterred me one jot and tbh it's one less thing to carry around onboard. I always max out even on a 5 nighter - espresso to kick start the metabolism every morning, followed by 1 (or 2) lattes later in the day - not forgetting the fresh drip. All that is going to happen is I need to get creative should Mrs SoCal fancy a nice cuppa or a drip coffee. I suspect we'd still have cards though if they hadn't of cropped-up with alarming regularity on Ebay and which gave the bean-counters at Carnival Corp an excuse...

They put it on our medallions. I’ll let you know how it goes. How are you. Are you sailing this year. I want to do a door decorating contest!!

 

Maureen

Hey Maureen...thanks, after all the uproar over the discontinuing of the paper cards, haven't heard to much grumbing about having it on ones cruise card.

Anyway, Great, Yes, leaving a month from tomorrow, and why not, we had a great time....email me we can chat further.--in case you forgot it..its in my signature

They put it on our medallions. I’ll let you know how it goes. How are you. Are you sailing this year. I want to do a door decorating contest!!

 

Maureen

We sail in 12 days! What medallions?

We sail in 12 days! What medallions?

Multiple threads on here...it's been talked to death.

EVENTUALLY, all ships will be using medallions instead of cards. The roll out has been bumpy and they're still trying to fine tune and get it to work.

You will almost certainly will still have a card. What ship will you be on?

So are people using excess paper cards with out a problem? On cards not punched can you get fleshed brewed?

I like the idea of having the coffee card on your cruise card/medallions.

The only reason we have extra coffee cards is trading out the minibar when we have had the AIBP & PBP...but the policy change, in Nov. On our last 3 cruises, we on 2 just gave away the mini bar, kept a few canned ginger-ales and the other we kept as we did not have the PBP.

I do not drink coffee or tea....DH only drinks espresso..so trading out the mini-bar for electronic coffee cards would be of no benefit to us.

Might as well have DH purchase his espresso outright.

Multiple threads on here...it's been talked to death.

EVENTUALLY, all ships will be using medallions instead of cards. The roll out has been bumpy and they're still trying to fine tune and get it to work.

You will almost certainly will still have a card. What ship will you be on?

We are on Sapphire Princess sailing out of Southampton to the Norwegian Fjords and Arctic Circle. It is still described as a coffee card on our travel summary.

Do you mean it will be on the cruise card? I'm struggling to understand medallion

Multiple threads on here...it's been talked to death.

EVENTUALLY, all ships will be using medallions instead of cards. The roll out has been bumpy and they're still trying to fine tune and get it to work.

You will almost certainly will still have a card. What ship will you be on?

Everything is talked to death on these boards:D What's new?????

We are on Sapphire Princess sailing out of Southampton to the Norwegian Fjords and Arctic Circle. It is still described as a coffee card on our travel summary.

 

Do you mean it will be on the cruise card? I'm struggling to understand medallion

Yes, according to posts from people who have experienced it. it will be on your cruise card, at this time medallion does not apply to Sapphire, so no worries.

What is on the U.S. Princess site:

The New Grounds Coffee Package has gone digital(which means on your cruise card)for voyages beginning in June 2018.

We'll be on the Sapphire in two weeks with Jo and Rob. We have two old coffee cards. Are we still able to use them?

We'll be on the Sapphire in two weeks with Jo and Rob. We have two old coffee cards. Are we still able to use them?

The punches on the old cards are good until either the expiration date printed or written in on the card OR until 8/31/19, whichever comes first.

The punches on the old cards are good until either the expiration date printed or written in on the card OR until 8/31/19, whichever comes first.[/quote

 

So the old card with no punches or dates is not good for freshed brewed coffee....?

 

Has anyone come back to the boards to post their experience, regarding the fresh brewed?

 

I have not seen a post on it, have u?

it's been reported here - free, no -with a punch, yes

I have no firsthand knowledge...

So, let me ask again...I KNOW this topic has been beaten to death,PRE roll out, I don't need any opinions on Mediallion. but, I want to know HOW the "package" is working out. Say, with a couple, the husband has the package on HIS card, and SHE wants a coffee, are there any problems if she takes the card to get herself something? Is the 15 coffee number too many for shorter cruises.. Again let me say maybe packages of 6, 12, 18 more manageable, depending on your cruise length. Maybe that would get more takers.

Has this deterred you from purchasing it?

In addition to no longer having paper "cards" this no longer gives you the option of getting a "fresh brewed" coffee on your next cruise. So what you get on the initial cruise you purchased it for...that's IT.

it's been reported here - free, no -with a punch, yes

 

I have no firsthand knowledge...

Thanks..I must have missed it.

We had it on our cruise cards for a recent 14 day on the Sapphire. Worked well for getting our brewed coffee or tea as we so desired. I think I used 14 of my “punches” and DW used 13 or 14 as well. Some folks were finishing up some old paper cards but we did not see a lot of them. I agree that it would be hard for many of us to fully utilize the 15 speciality drinks on a shorter cruise. Like others I suspect the coffee package may have to be priced variably and adjusted to cruise length in the future. I will have to consider its value when I trade in my bar set up.

So, let me ask again...I KNOW this topic has been beaten to death,PRE roll out, I don't need any opinions on Mediallion. but, I want to know HOW the "package" is working out. Say, with a couple, the husband has the package on HIS card, and SHE wants a coffee, are there any problems if she takes the card to get herself something? Is the 15 coffee number too many for shorter cruises.. Again let me say maybe packages of 6, 12, 18 more manageable, depending on your cruise length. Maybe that would get more takers.

 

Has this deterred you from purchasing it?

Don't you love it when people hi-jack your thread....:D;p at least I got my question answered....

But I am curious about yours too....

But I did say on #9 ...my DH would not utilize the card any longer he will buy his coffees outright.

Yes, according to posts from people who have experienced it. it will be on your cruise card, at this time medallion does not apply to Sapphire, so no worries.

 

What is on the U.S. Princess site:

 

The New Grounds Coffee Package has gone digital(which means on your cruise card)for voyages beginning in June 2018.

Thanks that's a relief

Do you think that now that they have gone digital should Princess be offering various levels? 15 coffees' for a 7 nighter is a LOT of coffees'. Maybe 6, 12 and 18 depending on your liking.

Based on the New Grounds Coffee Package’s T&Cs the number of specialty coffees purchased is supposed to be based on the itinerary.

“The package includes the pre-purchase of a specified number of specialty coffees (numbers vary by itinerary) during the voyage of purchase, as well as complimentary brewed coffee and hot chocolate”.

However that has not been the situation on either of my future 7-day itineraries which are the same as on our 28-day...15 specialty coffees for $35.65. Princess states the program’s number of specialty coffees will vary but that is not true for my future cruises nor have I read any posts about it being less than 15 specialty coffees no matter the length of the cruise.

I don’t know about the effects on sales but it’d definitely deter me from purchasing 15 on a 7-day cruise.

Frank, We would also like

Princess to follow through on varying the # of drinks based on the itinerary. To get a better price, DW and I have booked an upcoming cruise as a 20 and 8 day cruise while DD is booked as a 28 day cruise. The same 15 drink package at a cost of $35.65 is offered on all three cruises. We will probably be exchanging our elite mini-bar for coffee packages on both legs.

Brian, it would be appropriate for Princess to follow their written policy. :eek:

I figured there could be some delay in implementing their policy based on itinerary however it’s been a month or more & have not read any posts about following their policy.

On our Spring 2019 B2B 7-day cruises from LA on the Royal we’ll probably get 20 beers & 20 Diet Cokes in exchange for our two minibars. I think that you agree that the HC filtered coffee is better which works for me. So we may just skip specialty coffees on those cruises & not purchase the coffee program which is no longer valid at Gelato’s even with an old card’s punch.

These rules about the old cards seem pretty self explanatory to me.

https://www.princess.com/html/global...mer/index.html

Basically after August 2019, you can pitch any paper coffee cards you have.

So, let me ask again...I KNOW this topic has been beaten to death,PRE roll out, I don't need any opinions on Mediallion. but, I want to know HOW the "package" is working out. Say, with a couple, the husband has the package on HIS card, and SHE wants a coffee, are there any problems if she takes the card to get herself something?