What are the freebies on Princess...

[Terre]

I saw this question on the Carnival boards and since we will be sailing Princess for the first time this fall, I thought I'd check with the seasoned Princess cruisers for information.

 

What are the freebies you can get on Princess ships that they don't tell you about or that you learn about from past cruises?

For instance, you used to be able to get a free deck of cards from the Purser's Desk on Carnival (now they're $1 each!)

[cruiserforlife]

I saw this question on the Carnival boards and since we will be sailing Princess for the first time this fall, I thought I'd check with the seasoned Princess cruisers for information.

 

What are the freebies you can get on Princess ships that they don't tell you about or that you learn about from past cruises?

For instance, you used to be able to get a free deck of cards from the Purser's Desk on Carnival (now they're $1 each!)

 

...I think they are currently trying to figure out how to charge for given out information...

[Toto2Kansas]

Check out the library for free playing cards, that is where they were kept last year. Of coarse, they may have them under lock and key now, since everything else is changing. :eek:

[Clay Clayton]

Hey Terre - I hope you won't mind...but how about not just freebies but other secrets that Princess doesn't tell you about - for example maybe tendering starts 1/2 hour before they annouce or other little tricks that only experienced Princess cruisers know about.

 

Thanks!

Clay

[Cruiseknut]

We were on the Diamond Princess in January and we got playing cards from the Pursers desk for free. There is ice cream available at no charge in the Horizon court every afternoon for about an hour. Robes are available for your use ...just ask your room steward. Fresh fruit is provided in your room daily.

 

Cheers

[judynorth]

Don't ask for a bandaid. They charge $1.25 for one. Be sure to bring your own and keep one in your pocket.

[Frugalist]

Free booze: at the Captain's Welcome party waiters walk around with trays of foo foo drinks, and wine. However, you can ask for a drink of your choice to be made at the bar. Some waiters will balk at this, but be pleasantly assertive. Same thing at the Past Passengers' party. Free champagne at the Champagne Waterfall celebration around midnight the last formal night. Free champagne at a couple of art auctions -- the Patter will tell you which ones.

 

Surprisingly NO free booze for gamblers in the casino.

 

Hope this helps.

[Iamthesea]

There is ice cream available at no charge in the Horizon court every afternoon for about an hour.

What! :eek: Does this mean that Princess does not provide free ice cream/frozen yogurt to passengers at all times during the day? Every ship I have ever been on has this "treat." I may have to rethink Princess. :D

[Terre]

Clay,

 

Great idea...anybody know of any "secrets" that we should know about? Secret doors leading to special places....etc.

 

Also, I know they probably put samples of shampoo, etc. in the bathroom -- anything else that is really handy?

:D

[coiran]

If free ice cream is important to you - better book with someone other than Princess. No offense meant - you can get ice cream at lunch, dinner, afternoon horizon court - and probably breakfast, although I have never tried it.

 

Enjoy!

 

Ron

[judynorth]

Clay,

 

Great idea...anybody know of any "secrets" that we should know about? Secret doors leading to special places....etc.

 

Also, I know they probably put samples of shampoo, etc. in the bathroom -- anything else that is really handy?

:D

 

Conditioner, lotion, shower cap, hair dryer, safe, 2 kinds of soap, tissues, fresh fruit in the cabin, robes, beach towels for the pool, egg crate matterss pads upon request, feather pillows upon request.

 

Ice cream at the ice cream bar costs about $3.50. The ice cream at lunch and dinner is wonderful and it is different from that at the ice cream bar.

[Frugalist]

What! :eek: Does this mean that Princess does not provide free ice cream/frozen yogurt to passengers at all times during the day? Every ship I have ever been on has this "treat." I may have to rethink Princess. :D

 

I certainly understand your consternation at the thought of paying a couple of dollars for ice cream that should rightfully be yours for free any time you want it. You need to do what we did on a recent cruise. We brought a big Coleman ice chest from home. You know the one on wheels with a nice long handle? We filled it with dry ice and several gallons of our favorite ice cream. When we got to the pier we just rolled it on board and stored it on our balcony. We were able to enjoy free ice cream any time we wanted! Nobody blinked an eye or said a word. Our room stewardess even replenished the dry ice for us during the cruise. This might be the perfect solution. It would be a shame to forego the entire Princess experience for want of a little free ice cream.

[Frugalist]

What are the freebies you can get on Princess ships that they don't tell you about or that you learn about from past cruises?

 

I like to take advantage of a little-known service that Princess provides. Early in the morning, several off-shift Princess staff members go to the pools and place a wide variety of books and magazines on the pool lounges closest to the main pools (I know they're off-shift because they're not in their uniforms yet -- just plain clothes). I like to go up to the pool and browse through the selection and take a couple of the best-looking ones back to my room for some leisurely reading on my balcony. They really should advertise this service more.

[Iamthesea]

Frugalist - You are kidding...right? I can't imagine that you would be so frugal as to bring your own ice cream and cooler, yet you would book a balcony stateroom.;)

 

Anyway, if you all noticed the grin at the end of my post, you would know that I was only kidding about rethinking a Princess cruise. As long as we can get ice cream in hte casual eateries during lunch hours and have it at dinner if we choose, no need to buy the stuff.

[coiran]

I like your style - your my kind of guy/gal - keep up the good responses!!

 

I really thought that the pax got up early and put out towels, paperbacks from the library, cheap sunglasses on the lounges - do you have to pay the attendants to do this for you??

 

Ron

[Frugalist]

Frugalist - You are kidding...right? I can't imagine that you would be so frugal as to bring your own ice cream and cooler, yet you would book a balcony stateroom.;)

 

The balcony was a free upgrade. We usually try to book room in the brig. I know it's not published in the brochures, but it's the cheapest room on the ship. Ooops...I just gave away a secret. Well at least I'm on topic. :)

[Frugalist]

I like your style - your my kind of guy/gal - keep up the good responses!!

 

I really thought that the pax got up early and put out towels, paperbacks from the library, cheap sunglasses on the lounges - do you have to pay the attendants to do this for you??

 

Ron

 

Thanks Ron. I'm glad someone appreciates me. :-)

 

The pool service is completely free (perfect for a Frugalist). Just another part of the wonderful Princess experience. Although for a modest gratuity, they've brought me a few of the "choicer selections" <wink, wink> they keep down in the Pool Attendants Office on Deck 2.

[bluehorizonlover123]

Free ice cream from 3-4pm in the buffet area but you have to look and look for it. It is not advertised. Free playing cards from the pursers desk.

[keepitnballance]

Frugalist - You are kidding...right? I can't imagine that you would be so frugal as to bring your own ice cream and cooler, yet you would book a balcony stateroom.;)

 

Anyway, if you all noticed the grin at the end of my post, you would know that I was only kidding about rethinking a Princess cruise. As long as we can get ice cream in hte casual eateries during lunch hours and have it at dinner if we choose, no need to buy the stuff.

 

We have cruised with RCI once before and our 8 year old daughter wanted to make sure ice cream is available 24/7 on Princess! I guess we can always call room service ;-) ! I thought "free" (like we didn't pay for it in the cruise price!) was on every ship-I don't know how to break this news to her! We may be on the "John Boat of the Seas" next time! Thanks for the info-I'll pass it along delicately-I thought I would make some "Toasted Almonds" drinks with the "free" alcohol I brought from home and the "free" ice cream!

[elliair]

There is nothing for free because you only PAID for your cabin and meals. Everything else you must pay extra for like soft drinks, alcohol, internet, ice cream, specialty restaurants, photos,and massages, tips for waiters, cabin steward, and bartenders, shore excursions (all those add up to another substantial price increase to your cruise).

 

Sad that you have to look and look for the "free" ice cream (that you already paid for), and be there between a certain time in a one-hour time frame in order to enjoy it. We enjoy eating at buffets, and we have been to some fabulous ones in our travels on land. We pay a certain amount of money to eat as much as we want, including the ice cream, heck even Hometown Buffet includes it in their price. Is Princess on such a tight budget that they can't offer ice cream all the time, or do they make $$$$ off the gourmet ice cream cone outside the Lido deck buffet...yep, that's your answer. They nickle and dime you to death even without you knowing it until it's too late. On Carnival Elation and Pride, they had ice tea, lemonade and ice cream 24/7 at no additional charge. What am I missing here?

[CroozBlooz]

No offense intended here, but I miss the good old days of cruising (20 years ago) when prices were a bit more, but the food was better and you didn't have to pay extra for everything. On the other hand, I am able to pay for a suite for the same fare as an inside cabin years ago. Thankfully, I can afford to pay for ice cream if I want it...I try to travel light and can't imagine bringing along a cooler full of dry ice and ice cream!:eek:

[Cruisin' Chick]

If you can hold out until dinner, there's a variety of ice cream and sorbet flavors available in the dining room (I don't think it's available at the Horizon except for the aforementioned brief time in the afternoon).

[Shelly97060]

Terre - We had free champagne at the last art auction. I had never been to one before, so I don't know if this is something they do at every one or not.

 

Kids club - both kids got free t-shirts and my daughter made lots of art projects and bead jewlery with no charge for supplies.

 

Spa - If you book a massage they let you use the thermal room at no added cost.

 

Library - you can borrow books, games and cards from the library.

 

Really not a lot of freebies...

[jackjoyus]

My husband always get the kids bananna split called the volocano, not everyone know about this. He usually has it for lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11.

[merela]

What! :eek: Does this mean that Princess does not provide free ice cream/frozen yogurt to passengers at all times during the day? Every ship I have ever been on has this "treat." I may have to rethink Princess. :D

 

only in the dining rooms for lunch and dinner. In the buffet areas, they are served either between 3-4pm or during dinner hours. Just ask the people working in the Horizon Court when the ice creams will appear. No soft cone ice cream though.

 

Besides the free pillow chocolates at night, I can't think of anything free off hand unless you are a platinum/elite member. If you are a platinum/elite member you get internet for free. Lots of perks.

 

You can ask the staff at the purser's office for free decks of cards.

 

There are lots of freebies if you are a kid. They give out free t-shirts and souvenirs if you are in the kids' club joining their activities.