Reduced Captain Circle benefit on Golden Princess

[isisdave]

We've just boarded Golden Princess in San Francisco and attended the first special event for Elite, Suite, and Platinum guests. We're Platinum.

 

As you know, Princess usually has either a nice lounge for a free drink or three in the evening, or equivalent coupons to use around the ship.

 

Now the party is in the Vista Lounge, and the only free thing is special appetizers. The "special" drinks offered -- about eight cocktails, which aren't of interest to us -- were a "special" price of $6.50 and everything else was regular price.

 

Last trip on Princess for us. Unless of course Celebrity, RCI, and HAL do the same. Another silly thing to have to check before booking.

[pms4104]

Are you alluding to the nightly p/e/s gathering?  Or the once-per-sailing Captain's Circle party/event?

[Kamloops50]

Princess doesn’t have free drinks in the Platinum , Elite and Suite lounge. Only the Captains Club reception and the champagne waterfall have free drinks.

14 minutes ago, isisdave said:

We've just boarded Golden Princess in San Francisco and attended the first special event for Elite, Suite, and Platinum guests. We're Platinum.

 

As you know, Princess usually has either a nice lounge for a free drink or three in the evening, or equivalent coupons to use around the ship.

 

Now the party is in the Vista Lounge, and the only free thing is special appetizers. The "special" drinks offered -- about eight cocktails, which aren't of interest to us -- were a "special" price of $6.50 and everything else was regular price.

 

Last trip on Princess for us. Unless of course Celebrity, RCI, and HAL do the same. Another silly thing to have to check before booking.

 

[Essiesmom]

Celebrity are the ones with the free drinks or coupons.  Never did that on Princess.  Nor were there free drinks at the P E S nightly reception.  Just special reduced drinks...  Get your cruise memories straight before you start bashing a cruise line.  EM

[pms4104]

2 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

Celebrity are the ones with the free drinks or coupons.  Never did that on Princess.  Nor were there free drinks at the P E S nightly reception.  Just special reduced drinks...  Get your cruise memories straight before you start bashing a cruise line.  EM

Thank you for clarifying ... was starting to think I'd lost more of my marbles ... as I don't ever recall coupons and such.

 

Actually pretty funny to talk of abandoning a cruiseline for lack of a couple of free drinks ... and the "offending" line isn't even Princess.

[jasbo49]

24 minutes ago, isisdave said:

 

As you know, Princess usually has either a nice lounge for a free drink or three in the evening, or equivalent coupons to use around the ship.

 

 

None of this is true. I don't know where you got it.

 

Jim

[memoak]

Someone is dreaming.  Only get free cocktails once a cruise when they announce most traveled

 

 

[atdahop]

Mixing Princess with Royal Carib..  I think??

[polmcs]

One way to get a free cocktail is to travel on a short cruise where there is no official Captains Circle reception as they will leave a drinks voucher in your cabin in lieu of the reception. We usually use it for a glass of wine at dinner one evening.

[idahospud]

Yep, I don’t ever remember free drinks at P/E/S. 

 

For those ready to ask what the drinks are, here’s the menu from the Golden but it’s the same on all the ships.

 

Just be happy they are serving drinks at all...This past week we had over 1,000 Platinum and Elites onboard so it had to be moved out of Skywalkers to Vista, and we had an 11pm sailaway from Vancouver. Canadian authorities came in and shut P/E/S down. Zip tied the liquor doors closed, even. (Ships can’t have more than one bar opened per deck when docked in Canada.) Since the Promenade Bar was already opened, Princess violated the regs by opening the P/E/S Lounge in Vista. I was there watching it all play out. Big drama, ship facing a potential huge fine. Other nights were okay because we weren’t docked in Canada during P/E/S hours.

 

[Doug R.]

1 hour ago, isisdave said:

We've just boarded Golden Princess in San Francisco and attended the first special event for Elite, Suite, and Platinum guests. We're Platinum.

 

As you know, Princess usually has either a nice lounge for a free drink or three in the evening, or equivalent coupons to use around the ship.

 

Now the party is in the Vista Lounge, and the only free thing is special appetizers. The "special" drinks offered -- about eight cocktails, which aren't of interest to us -- were a "special" price of $6.50 and everything else was regular price.

 

Last trip on Princess for us. Unless of course Celebrity, RCI, and HAL do the same. Another silly thing to have to check before booking.

Really???? Frankly I have heard better excuses, especially factual ones, for leaving Princess,.

Edited September 29, 2019 by Doug R.
, especially factual

[Colo Cruiser]

Oooops.........🙁

 

Oh no Princess is losing another customer?

[mildly_satanic]

1 hour ago, polmcs said:

One way to get a free cocktail is to travel on a short cruise where there is no official Captains Circle reception as they will leave a drinks voucher in your cabin in lieu of the reception. We usually use it for a glass of wine at dinner one evening.

I was hoping for that, but no voucher this time, in person or in cabin.  This was 3-days on the Royal Princess.

 

I don’t know how much has changed, but I got vouchers the last 2 cruises 4-5 years ago.  One was 10 days and one was 5 days.

[idahospud]

24 minutes ago, mildly_satanic said:

I was hoping for that, but no voucher this time, in person or in cabin.  This was 3-days on the Royal Princess.

 

I don’t know how much has changed, but I got vouchers the last 2 cruises 4-5 years ago.  One was 10 days and one was 5 days.

We got vouchers for our three day this week on the Golden. What did the Captain's Circle host say when you asked about them being missing?

Edited September 29, 2019 by idahospud

[Hlitner]

Both RCI and Celebrity have free drinks (nightly) for their frequent cruisers.  Princess......does not happen.  We have been Elite with Princess for over a decade and never waste our time going to the nightly "party."  The special drinks are nothing we want to drink and the hors d'oevres are not worth our time (or the walk to the appropriate lounge).  That being said, it is nice of Princess to do anything for those who find this stuff an important part of their cruise experience.

 

Hank

[Colo Cruiser]

2 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Both RCI and Celebrity have free drinks (nightly) for their frequent cruisers.  Princess......does not happen.

 

Hank

Yeah but...

[vampiress]

a free drink, which would probably be around a $12 value is what will make you leave princess after cruising enough to get to platinum? 

 

thanks for this comedy gold thread tonight.  i have yet one more thing to add to my list of things to giggle about when i cruise.

[sjfrany]

Hi I remember getting 2 free cocktails at the party for the most traveled sea days. Then later it was coupons. Are first cruise was in 2004. We have not gone to these parties lately. We now have cruised 27 times. I hope that others can agree with this.

[suzyed]

2 hours ago, mildly_satanic said:

I was hoping for that, but no voucher this time, in person or in cabin.  This was 3-days on the Royal Princess.

 

I don’t know how much has changed, but I got vouchers the last 2 cruises 4-5 years ago.  One was 10 days and one was 5 days.

I don't remember ever getting free drink vouchers.

[suzyed]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Both RCI and Celebrity have free drinks (nightly) for their frequent cruisers.  Princess......does not happen.  We have been Elite with Princess for over a decade and never waste our time going to the nightly "party."  The special drinks are nothing we want to drink and the hors d'oevres are not worth our time (or the walk to the appropriate lounge).  That being said, it is nice of Princess to do anything for those who find this stuff an important part of their cruise experience.

 

Hank

Not important....just nice.

[idahospud]

4 minutes ago, suzyed said:

I don't remember ever getting free drink vouchers.

Short cruises only when there is no Captain's Circle party.

[geoherb]

2 hours ago, sjfrany said:

Hi I remember getting 2 free cocktails at the party for the most traveled sea days. Then later it was coupons. Are first cruise was in 2004. We have not gone to these parties lately. We now have cruised 27 times. I hope that others can agree with this.

 

Sometimes I've had three or four drinks at a Captain's Circle party, other times it's been just two. It helps if you know one of the servers from having frequented his or her bar during the cruise. The coupons have only been on short cruises where there was no Captain's Circle party. On our current cruise on the Crown, they're having four separate Captain's Circle parties for Platinum and Elite passengers. They already had a gathering for the Gold and Ruby passengers. They may have passed out coupons at that one since it was in the theater. 

[leck57]

10 hours ago, isisdave said:

We've just boarded Golden Princess in San Francisco and attended the first special event for Elite, Suite, and Platinum guests. We're Platinum.

 

As you know, Princess usually has either a nice lounge for a free drink or three in the evening, or equivalent coupons to use around the ship.

 

Now the party is in the Vista Lounge, and the only free thing is special appetizers. The "special" drinks offered -- about eight cocktails, which aren't of interest to us -- were a "special" price of $6.50 and everything else was regular price.

 

Last trip on Princess for us. Unless of course Celebrity, RCI, and HAL do the same. Another silly thing to have to check before booking.

 

You would leave a cruise line for this reason? Are you fair dinkum?

[Steelers36]

11 hours ago, idahospud said:

Yep, I don’t ever remember free drinks at P/E/S. 

 

For those ready to ask what the drinks are, here’s the menu from the Golden but it’s the same on all the ships.

 

Just be happy they are serving drinks at all...This past week we had over 1,000 Platinum and Elites onboard so it had to be moved out of Skywalkers to Vista, and we had an 11pm sailaway from Vancouver. Canadian authorities came in and shut P/E/S down. Zip tied the liquor doors closed, even. (Ships can’t have more than one bar opened per deck when docked in Canada.) Since the Promenade Bar was already opened, Princess violated the regs by opening the P/E/S Lounge in Vista. I was there watching it all play out. Big drama, ship facing a potential huge fine. Other nights were okay because we weren’t docked in Canada during P/E/S hours.

 

 

I am embarrassed for my country with this ridiculous action.  Although it is a provincial jurisdiction that being British Colombia in this case.  Our liquor laws can be quite antiquated at times.  I wonder how they knew to even come on board to do this unless they always come to check what is going on.

 

 

[Pstcrik]

1 hour ago, steelers36 said:

I am embarrassed for my country with this ridiculous action.  Although it is a provincial jurisdiction that being British Colombia in this case.  Our liquor laws can be quite antiquated at times.  I wonder how they knew to even come on board to do this unless they always come to check what is going on.

 

 

Everywhere you go these days you have to be aware of stupid government interactions where people just want to enjoy themselves.  In lots of the U.S. Ports local governments like to get in on the action by charging their special tax on liquor sold while you are in port or where they decide is close to their shore.  Everyone wants to be rewarded with your money.