Are platinum members always allowed in elite lounge?

[Colo Cruiser]

1 minute ago, Hlitner said:

That there are apparently times when it is open to those who are Platinum and other times when it is not.  Personally we have "blown off" all the Elite events (including parties, lounges, etc) for many years although we still like some of the Elite benefits such as free laundry,  tender priority  and the mini-bar (which we exchange for coffee cards (now digital).  But we have never seen the wisdom of waiting in a long queue (at the Captain's reception) for a free drink.  And the slightly reduced price drinks in the Elite lounge thing....are of no interest since we prefer other type drinks (such as a real Martini, scotch, bourbon, etc).

 

Speaking of free laundry, Princess seems to have a lot of "difficulties" doing laundry.  It is very normal to get a notice that laundry will take at least 3 days (this does discourage many folks).  On HAL, they somehow are able to return laundry by the end of the following day....even when a majority of passengers are 4-5 Star (qualify for free laundry).  As to the so-called "Elite Lounge" the benefit pales by comparison to Celebrity where one can get a large selection of cocktails for FREE!  

 

Hank

But the thread is about the PSE Lounge.

 

What does any of that have to do with this thread?

It is beaten to death in other threads.

[Daniel A]

3 hours ago, Colo Cruiser said:

No, I think it is a misinterpretation of the PSE lounge which has not changed and IMO has nothing to do with what you list in your post.  😉

I hope so...

[blackie50]

We were on the Pacific Princess in July and went to the lounge the first night. After I felt guilty for crossing the border to the Elite lounge and "stealing" snacks I sheepishly walked back from where I sat. As we left I looked back and saw the sign Platinum, Elite and Suite guests. Being Platinum I felt pardoned of my misdeed. But we never in 14 nights saw anyone checking cards other than to charge off the drinks.

PS: We loved this ship so much we leave this December 5th for 17 nights. Can't wait.

 

Dave

[Daniel A]

3 hours ago, MissP22 said:

Not getting an invitation was an oversight by the cabin steward and what they told you at the PSD was wrong.

I hope you're correct.  I have a 28 Day cruise booked on Star and one of the posts here said platinums weren't allowed in the lounge on the Star, but cannot back up the statement. 

[XBGuy]

We have seen the invitation to the nightly PES reception, but have never been interested.  We prefer to make a run to the buffet or to the International Cafe for a nosh and enjoy it with a glass (or two or three) of wine on our balcony in the late afternoon.  Heck, we've even dug deep once or twice and ordered a vegie plate from Room Service.

 

To my way of thinking, this PES reception is a money maker for Princess.  I do not understand the logic of those who want to call its rumored elimination a cost cutting measure.

 

They are not giving away free alcohol.  My understanding is that they offer a discount on a few cocktails every evening.  I am absolutely positive that, even at a discounted price, Princess is not losing money on them.  I have seen numerous complaints from posters here on Cruise Critic that they are not interested in the discounted cocktails, and, so, they order their preferred drink and pay the nondiscounted price for them.

 

The noshes that they are offering are not particularly expensive at all.  Look at the menu that in post #43 of this thread,  Chips and Salsa?  Chips and salsa are available in the buffet every afternoon to every passenger on the ship.  Lox with Onions?  Available every morning in the buffet.  Sushi?  Available in Vines on most of the ships at no cost to passengers who order a glass of wine.  

 

I'm pretty sure that the PES reception is a profitable offering for Princess.

[MissP22]

55 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

I hope you're correct.  I have a 28 Day cruise booked on Star and one of the posts here said platinums weren't allowed in the lounge on the Star, but cannot back up the statement. 

 

If Platinum's are excluded it will be a change to Princess's rules lately, which I doubt. As you can see from other posts they are still clearly invited so I wouldn't worry about it. 

 

10 minutes ago, XBGuy said:

We have seen the invitation to the nightly PES reception, but have never been interested.  We prefer to make a run to the buffet or to the International Cafe for a nosh and enjoy it with a glass (or two or three) of wine on our balcony in the late afternoon.  Heck, we've even dug deep once or twice and ordered a vegie plate from Room Service.

 

To my way of thinking, this PES reception is a money maker for Princess.  I do not understand the logic of those who want to call its rumored elimination a cost cutting measure.

 

They are not giving away free alcohol.  My understanding is that they offer a discount on a few cocktails every evening.  I am absolutely positive that, even at a discounted price, Princess is not losing money on them.  I have seen numerous complaints from posters here on Cruise Critic that they are not interested in the discounted cocktails, and, so, they order their preferred drink and pay the nondiscounted price for them.

 

The noshes that they are offering are not particularly expensive at all.  Look at the menu that in post #43 of this thread,  Chips and Salsa?  Chips and salsa are available in the buffet every afternoon to every passenger on the ship.  Lox with Onions?  Available every morning in the buffet.  Sushi?  Available in Vines on most of the ships at no cost to passengers who order a glass of wine.  

 

I'm pretty sure that the PES reception is a profitable offering for Princess.

I'm in total agreement with you outlook on the subject and besides that if you go to the lounge just before dinner for their snacks, it means you probably won't order as much food in the DR when you do sit down to eat.

The winner is Princess who sells drinks at a slight discount which many people seem to think they must purchase since it goes with the food they've offered.

[dockhl]

On 11/21/2019 at 3:17 PM, Daniel A said:

I have a 28 day cruise booked on the Star.  We are Platinum Level.  If Star is denying entry to platinum members in the PES lounge, then I will likely cancel the booking and look for a similar itinerary on another line.  I would encourage other platinum members to stop sailing on the Star or any other ship that is taking our lounge away.  After all, it is a loyalty program and loyalty is a two way street.  What satxdiver is reporting is clearly disloyalty to platinum members.

We are on the Sky....if you look at our “invitation”, which is really just a listing of what goodie is served every night, there is no mention of Platinum ON THE INTERIOR. However, if you look at the outside cover it says,” a special invitation for our elite, suite and platinum guests”. Look at the front cover.....I’ll bet it says the same. 

[Ombud]

3 hours ago, Hlitner said:

 As to the so-called "Elite Lounge" the benefit pales by comparison to Celebrity where one can get a large selection of cocktails for FREE!  

 

Hank

But doesn't the cruise cost more? When adding in the cost of a drink ($8 - $12l) isn't the overall cost less on Princess?

[dockhl]

1 minute ago, Ombud said:

But doesn't the cruise cost more? When adding in the cost of a drink ($8 - $12l) isn't the overall cost less on Princess?

Nothing is “FREE”...LOL!

[Hlitner]

2 minutes ago, Ombud said:

But doesn't the cruise cost more? When adding in the cost of a drink ($8 - $12l) isn't the overall cost less on Princess?

The cost of cruises really varies depending on the cruise and how efficient the customer is when they shop around (for those of us who do routinely shop around for the best deals).  On a cost per person day, Celebrity may or may not cost more then a comparable Princess cruise.  But for those of us who cruise on many different lines (and ships) the cost of a cruise is only one factor.  For example, Seabourn will generally cost more then Princess (unless you book a large suite) but it is an entirely different kind of product.  

 

As to Celebrity, we have previously gotten some amazing deals (even with premium drink packages).  But lately, Celebrity has been marketing much higher prices...especially for their new Edge.  On the other hand, we recently took a cruise on the Summit at a bargain basement price (cheaper then a recent Princess cruise).

 

As a frequent cruiser (who has been cruising for over forty years) we are sometimes reminded of just how naïve some cruisers are when it comes to the industry.  On our most recent Princess cruise (just returned on Monday) we met a nice couple who was surprised that we had booked back to back cruises on the Emerald.  They did not know how a customer could even find out about back to backs...much less how to book on their own.  Our entire table was surprised at the naivete of that couple.  

 

Hank

[grnyel05]

3 hours ago, Daniel A said:

I hope you're correct.  I have a 28 Day cruise booked on Star and one of the posts here said platinums weren't allowed in the lounge on the Star, but cannot back up the statement. 

I just found my invitation to the lounge from my Star Princess sailing earlier this month and while it says it is the "Exclusive Elite Lounge" on the inside of the invitation it says that it is "A special invitation for our Elite, Suite and Platinum guests" on the front of the invitation.  It seems like this is a misunderstanding given that no one who is platinum on Star Princess has reported not receiving the invitation or being denied entry to the event.

Edited November 22, 2019 by grnyel05

[Thrak]

Much ado about nothing...🙄

[4cats4me]

On 11/21/2019 at 10:15 AM, junglejane said:

Last month on the Royal it was open to all three categories.  Actually, what struck me was the total absence of any effort to check who was entering.   Anyone could walk in and sit down.  If an "ineligible passenger" tried to order drinks, perhaps they would have been refused service and ejected, but I doubt it.  

 

We were onboard your cruise, as I recall, on Oct 4.  We never once made it to the lounge. That wa a first for us.  I don’t even know where they had it. Usually it is in Club 6, but with the sheer amount of Elites and platinums, not to mention suites,  that was around 2,000 people.   I haven’t see no anyone carding anybody since at least 2007.  

 

As for thosec who are worked up about it, it really just is not a big deal.   And since they’ve switched the hours to 4-6 instead of 5-7, it holds zero appeal for us since when we did bother to attend in the past we usually went to the Lounge from 6:00 to 7:00 after getting back on the ship. 

[lstone19]

1 minute ago, 4cats4me said:

 

We were onboard your cruise, as I recall, on Oct 4.  We never once made it to the lounge. That wa a first for us.  I don’t even know where they had it. Usually it is in Club 6, but with the sheer amount of Elites and platinums, not to mention suites,  that was around 2,000 people.   I haven’t see no anyone carding anybody since at least 2007.  

 

As for thosec who are worked up about it, it really just is not a big deal.   And since they’ve switched the hours to 4-6 instead of 5-7, it holds zero appeal for us since when we did bother to attend in the past we usually went to the Lounge from 6:00 to 7:00 after getting back on the ship. 

 

Hours seem to vary depending on the traditional dining times. On Regal Princess earlier this month, TD times were 5:30 and 7:45 and the PES lounge hours were 5:00 to 7:00 (except the first night when it was 6:00 to 8:00 - probably due to the Vista Lounge being a muster station and conflicting with them setting it up for the PES lounge).

[4cats4me]

7 hours ago, Daniel A said:

 

 

I wonder if this is another example of Princess not enforcing consistent policies fleet wide.  Between ships handling early cabin access differently, erratic dress code enforcement in MDR , continuing to honor coffee cards on some ships and not others, and now it may be that only elites are getting access to the pre dinner lounge.  I'm really beginning to wonder what to expect on a Princess cruise anymore.  I starting to think that it's time to start looking elsewhere.

 

Sadly, many of the lines we travel on are inconsistent as well.  Celebrity, for one. 

 

[Doug R.]

20 hours ago, XBGuy said:

We have seen the invitation to the nightly PES reception, but have never been interested.  We prefer to make a run to the buffet or to the International Cafe for a nosh and enjoy it with a glass (or two or three) of wine on our balcony in the late afternoon.  Heck, we've even dug deep once or twice and ordered a vegie plate from Room Service.

 

To my way of thinking, this PES reception is a money maker for Princess.  I do not understand the logic of those who want to call its rumored elimination a cost cutting measure.

 

They are not giving away free alcohol.  My understanding is that they offer a discount on a few cocktails every evening.  I am absolutely positive that, even at a discounted price, Princess is not losing money on them.  I have seen numerous complaints from posters here on Cruise Critic that they are not interested in the discounted cocktails, and, so, they order their preferred drink and pay the nondiscounted price for them.

 

The noshes that they are offering are not particularly expensive at all.  Look at the menu that in post #43 of this thread,  Chips and Salsa?  Chips and salsa are available in the buffet every afternoon to every passenger on the ship.  Lox with Onions?  Available every morning in the buffet.  Sushi?  Available in Vines on most of the ships at no cost to passengers who order a glass of wine.  

 

I'm pretty sure that the PES reception is a profitable offering for Princess.

So making a profit is wrong? I am sure the stockholders would disagree. Princess is a business, not a charity. If the offerings of the PES repel you and others so much, then don't go. I am sure it will improve the atmosphere of the lounge as it was pretty much a sourpuss convention the nights we went on my last cruise on the Regal. But then again i am a mere platinum, what do I know?

[Daniel A]

28 minutes ago, Doug R. said:

So making a profit is wrong? I am sure the stockholders would disagree. Princess is a business, not a charity. If the offerings of the PES repel you and others so much, then don't go. I am sure it will improve the atmosphere of the lounge as it was pretty much a sourpuss convention the nights we went on my last cruise on the Regal. But then again i am a mere platinum, what do I know?

Don't you know, Platinums should be seen and not heard? 

Edited November 23, 2019 by Daniel A

[Yehootu]

21 hours ago, XBGuy said:

We have seen the invitation to the nightly PES reception, but have never been interested.  We prefer to make a run to the buffet or to the International Cafe for a nosh and enjoy it with a glass (or two or three) of wine on our balcony in the late afternoon.  Heck, we've even dug deep once or twice and ordered a vegie plate from Room Service.

 

To my way of thinking, this PES reception is a money maker for Princess.  I do not understand the logic of those who want to call its rumored elimination a cost cutting measure.

 

They are not giving away free alcohol.  My understanding is that they offer a discount on a few cocktails every evening.  I am absolutely positive that, even at a discounted price, Princess is not losing money on them.  I have seen numerous complaints from posters here on Cruise Critic that they are not interested in the discounted cocktails, and, so, they order their preferred drink and pay the nondiscounted price for them.

 

The noshes that they are offering are not particularly expensive at all.  Look at the menu that in post #43 of this thread,  Chips and Salsa?  Chips and salsa are available in the buffet every afternoon to every passenger on the ship.  Lox with Onions?  Available every morning in the buffet.  Sushi?  Available in Vines on most of the ships at no cost to passengers who order a glass of wine.  

 

I'm pretty sure that the PES reception is a profitable offering for Princess.

Steak Tartar is the only night we go. Wifes favorite. I have drink package and she doesn't really drink, so no big profit from us.

[mamkmm2]

On 11/21/2019 at 11:15 AM, Doug R. said:

Let's wait until we have confirmation before we jump on the another cutback wagon. All I can say is the lounge was alive and well on my January Regal cruise. Can anyone confirm that fact in more recent cruises than mine? I have heard a lot of kvetching about the revised cocktail menu and food for the lounge which leads me to believe the lounge still exists.

 

Evening lounge was available PES on the Caribbean Princess in October.  It was in Skywalkers which is a popular place to hang out during the day so when the food started they checked to make sure only PES were using the venue at that time.  I have no clue how they do it on ships that don't have a Skywalker venue.

[Sweet Dreams]

On 11/21/2019 at 1:15 PM, junglejane said:

Last month on the Royal it was open to all three categories.  Actually, what struck me was the total absence of any effort to check who was entering.   Anyone could walk in and sit down.  If an "ineligible passenger" tried to order drinks, perhaps they would have been refused service and ejected, but I doubt it.  

Medallion may show status to bar tender when drink is orderered and as a matter of fact someone would not need to stand at door as passenger could be identified when you enter room based on your medallion and could be read by someone behind bar. 

Regarding captains reception I believe it is held two different  nights in order to accommodate  the two different traditional dining times. 

[Iamcruzin]

On 11/21/2019 at 10:17 AM, Daniel A said:

I have a 28 day cruise booked on the Star.  We are Platinum Level.  If Star is denying entry to platinum members in the PES lounge, then I will likely cancel the booking and look for a similar itinerary on another line.  I would encourage other platinum members to stop sailing on the Star or any other ship that is taking our lounge away.  After all, it is a loyalty program and loyalty is a two way street.  What satxdiver is reporting is clearly disloyalty to platinum members.

I’m Platinum. It’s really not that serious. It’s not like the drinks are free like they are on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean. I would never sacrifice an itinerary that I wanted to travel. Do you honestly think they care? This is the reason that these loyalty programs hold no value to me. There is nothing persuading me to book any particular line or ship other than price and itinerary.

[neverbeenhere]

20 hours ago, Thrak said:

Much ado about nothing...🙄

Since you brought it up.

 

was it a Comedy of Errors or was it All’s Well That Ends Well? 

[XBGuy]

3 hours ago, Yehootu said:

Steak Tartar is the only night we go. Wifes favorite. I have drink package and she doesn't really drink, so no big profit from us.

 

That is one that might tempt me also, Yehootu, and I agree that you can't just walk into the buffet and grab your own.

 

👍

[Thrak]

3 hours ago, Yehootu said:

Steak Tartar is the only night we go. Wifes favorite. I have drink package and she doesn't really drink, so no big profit from us.

 

42 minutes ago, XBGuy said:

 

That is one that might tempt me also, Yehootu, and I agree that you can't just walk into the buffet and grab your own.

 

👍

 

Bleh... That is one that never has tempted us. Something about raw ground beef with rag egg yolk just doesn't sound appealing. I've never seen the Princess presentation of Steak Tartare but have seen "classic" presentations and wasn't tempted.

 

Does anybody have a picture of the Steak Tartare as presented on Princess ships? I am curious as to what they are actually offering.

[lstone19]

3 hours ago, Yehootu said:

Steak Tartar is the only night we go. Wifes favorite. I have drink package and she doesn't really drink, so no big profit from us.

 

For me, it's the shrimp and the sushi nights that bring me in.