Best Sale Ever Starts December 11th

[ceilidh1]

Just an update - off the phone with Princess just now to confirm what I suspected. My client who is in a sold out category (one of those amazing new window suites on Discovery) is unable to refare since the category is sold out. She can, however, do the add-ons. Where this promo fails (in my opinion) is that there is no option for opt out of beverage package when 3rd/4th guests are kids (as in my client's case). These are younger kids so she has no interest in the soda/coffee package for them but would still need to pay for it if she did the add on. She has opted to buy the drink package for herself, independently of the sale. I will run the numbers for her later, but I believe that will be the most cost effective. The whole family is already elite (kids and all) so no need for the wifi, either!

 

My other client who basically got all three amenities FREE under the refare is thrilled!!!

[caddion]

4 hours ago, eamondzhang said:

I have Princess cruise planner chatting about the package to me (and yes I live in Australia)..... Will update  you if they are able to offer me anything from that promo

That would be great, thanks. 

[Tedferg]

48 minutes ago, tonit964 said:

Exactly. If you get a drink in the afternoon and wine with dinner, you're ahead of the game at the $15 add on. Not counting coffee/tea in the morning.

It's so worth it to me.

Good point, I would just about benefit from PBP only if I am cruising with my drinking buddy and DW would never benefit. She does have a drink in the afternoon and wine with dinner, daily coffee and bottle of water and so free PBP saves her ~ $300 over 10 days.

[Tedferg]

3 hours ago, PaperSniper4 said:

However, I have been playing with the numbers for re-faring our cruise to the BSE.

Broken Record - Doug you do not have to re-fare, you can add new perks to prior booking.

BTW Kim my TA emailed the canned Princess announcement of Best Ever Sale and I followed the link to Princess site. If I had not seen it here I would not have been aware that I could do add ons to prior booking.

Edited December 12, 2019 by Tedferg

[Cruise Raider]

Does anyone know if you can book the basic fare and add on the perks separately?  In other words, is the add on only to be used on bookings made previously?  I would save a couple hundred by doing it this way on a new booking because we wouldn't make full use of the unlimited WiFi.  

 

 

[Daniel A]

1 hour ago, chamima said:

As for your statement about having to re-fare because you have Sip and Sail - you don't have to re-fare - just add on the wifi and gratuities package, which I think is $25/pp/day,

I didn't see a rate code for a wifi & grats only add on package.  Has anyone been able to add on just grats and wifi without the PBP?  I know there was for a short time on the chart a wifi & grats package but the Final Retro chart states that refare is the only option for Sip'n'sail bookings.  Has anyone been able to add on just grats and wifi without the PBP?

 

[Jnsplace1]

9 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

Does anyone know if you can book the basic fare and add on the perks separately?  In other words, is the add on only to be used on bookings made previously?  I would save a couple hundred by doing it this way on a new booking because we wouldn't make full use of the unlimited WiFi.  

 

 

I was under impression that perk addon is for existing booked cruises. 

 

At least, that's the statement attachment from earlier pages.

[ceilidh1]

12 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

Broken Record - Doug you do not have to re-fare, you can add new perks to prior booking.

This is true BUT you should definitely look at the re-fare, too. As stated in my example above - my client got all three added under the refare and the cruise price stayed the same. So she effectively got the three amenities completely free. It's definitely a numbers game - consider the pricing under a refare and what, if anything, you stand to lose in terms of other perks (my client booked with no perks other than TA credit, which was protected). Also consider the cost of what you are paying for the add-ons, remembering this is per person, per day - that isn't too bad with only 2 passengers, but for 4 in a cabin that might not be cost effective if two of them don't drink or don't need wifi, or already have free wifi minutes, for example. For many this deal really will be a great deal - for others, might be better just paying a la carte for what you really want!

[ceilidh1]

4 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

I didn't see a rate code for a wifi & grats only add on package.  Has anyone been able to add on just grats and wifi without the PBP?  I know there was for a short time on the chart a wifi & grats package but the Final Retro chart states that refare is the only option for Sip'n'sail bookings.  Has anyone been able to add on just grats and wifi without the PBP?

 

BEST2WG is for the sip n sail

[Tedferg]

10 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

Does anyone know if you can book the basic fare and add on the perks separately?  In other words, is the add on only to be used on bookings made previously?  I would save a couple hundred by doing it this way on a new booking because we wouldn't make full use of the unlimited WiFi.  

What a great question - I think the answer is 'No', that add ons are only for prior booking. However are you saying, book basic fare and come back later with add on? That is intriguing.

[ceilidh1]

1 minute ago, Tedferg said:

What a great question - I think the answer is 'No', that add ons are only for prior booking. However are you saying, book basic fare and come back later with add on? That is intriguing.

From what I understand (and I could be wrong) the add-ons will only work on bookings made with the specific codes in the retro chart. I assume that a new booking would have a different booking code and thus would not combine? It's definitely worth a try, though!

[capriccio]

3 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

What a great question - I think the answer is 'No', that add ons are only for prior booking. However are you saying, book basic fare and come back later with add on? That is intriguing.

Post #115 has the Princess verbiage explaining that these offers are as add-ons to existing bookings.

[chamima]

15 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

I didn't see a rate code for a wifi & grats only add on package.  Has anyone been able to add on just grats and wifi without the PBP?  I know there was for a short time on the chart a wifi & grats package but the Final Retro chart states that refare is the only option for Sip'n'sail bookings.  Has anyone been able to add on just grats and wifi without the PBP?

 

 

 

[Cruise Raider]

27 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

What a great question - I think the answer is 'No', that add ons are only for prior booking. However are you saying, book basic fare and come back later with add on? That is intriguing.

 

In the cruise I am looking at, the add on costs $40.66 per day pp.  I would rather book the basic fare and just pay the $30 a day pp upgrade and forego the WiFi, as mentioned, we'd not really get a lot of use out of it.  It's a longer sailing so that would really add up for us. 

It's actually a little cheaper to book it that way, even with the WiFi ... but an insignificant amount.  I wonder why they did it that way?  

 

Edited December 12, 2019 by Cruise Raider

[Tedferg]

3 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

This is true BUT you should definitely look at the re-fare, too. 

Got it, thanks. Must admit I did a quick calculation of re-fare. Price went up and we lost $210 in prior perks. Question, if we re-fared would we have to redo EZ Air ? Because that also went up $200.

[Cruise Raider]

13 minutes ago, capriccio said:

Post #115 has the Princess verbiage explaining that these offers are as add-ons to existing bookings.

 

I did read that but, if I booked a sailing under the basic fare and down the road a week or two, would that be considered an existing booking?  It's not spelled out ... just looking at it from another angle.  Maybe still no, but not sure.  

[Cruise Raider]

6 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

Got it, thanks. Must admit I did a quick calculation of re-fare. Price went up and we lost $210 in prior perks. Question, if we re-fared would we have to redo EZ Air ? Because that also went up $200.

 

Yes, one of mine I don't want to refare as I will pay way more for my EZ air, lose out on some OBC, an included excursion, specialty dinner, etc ... so, the add on would work great for me for that sailing. 

My other sailing, I booked under the Sip and Sail with free grats, so refaring it might be the way to go....I'm having my TA look into both options.  She didn't get back to me yesterday, which means she must be really swamped!!  

 

[Tedferg]

20 minutes ago, capriccio said:

Post #115 has the Princess verbiage explaining that these offers are as add-ons to existing bookings.

Yes but if he booked Basic Fare today and came back next week for add on, then that would be an existing booking 🙂

I am sure Princess means Prior to BES offer.

[lstone19]

12 minutes ago, chamima said:

 

 

 

That confirms the $25pp/day for the short-lived and now gone again (unless it came back) for Internet and gratuities. So I'll say again, most people can get those for less than $25pp/day just by paying the regular rate for them. For it to make sense, you need some combination of being in suite or mini-suite, not Platinum or Elite, and being on a cruise under 7 nights.

 

If you're Platinum or Elite, you will not pay more than $7.50 per day for unlimited Internet if you use the embarkation day special for a 7-night or longer cruise. No matter what your cabin category, combining that with gratuities will be less than $25pp/day.

[Cruise Raider]

2 hours ago, chamima said:

 

 

I think she worked really late last night!

 

 

 

Has Princess changed the terms of the drink package?

Last year if anything was above the $12 limit we had to pay the whole thing - not just the upcharge.

This would make a big difference to us because we like some of the more expensive wines.

I just copied this from the Princess site:

 

Terms and Conditions

• Alcoholic drinks are limited to 15 beverages per 24-hour period (6 a.m. to 6 a.m.). Alcoholic drinks requested above the daily limits are at the discretion of the shipboard management and crew and charged at regular menu prices.
• Non-alcoholic drinks do NOT have this limitation nor do they count toward this maximum.
• Only one beverage is allowed per passenger per order (alcoholic or non-alcoholic).
• Items selected that exceed the $12.00 USD or $16 .00 AUD price are charged at full menu price.
• Packages may NOT be shared, are NON-transferable and NON-refundable.
• Shipboard management reserves the right to add additional restrictions and revoke or cancel the Premier Beverage Package at any point during a guest’s voyage for any reason with or without a prorated refund. Additional actions may be taken if guests:
  •  

As for your statement about having to re-fare because you have Sip and Sail - you don't have to re-fare - just add on the wifi and gratuities package, which I think is $25/pp/day,

 

As of October, our neighbors had the drink package and just had to pay the overage.  Not sure how consistent that is throughout the line, but that's how it worked for them.  

 

[Cruise Raider]

I can't find the post again but someone asked about the casino discount and I pulled this off my TA's website:

 

Combinability

• Offer (fare and value add components) is combinable with Standard Groups (including amenities), Cruise Sales and Casino Discounts.  

Not Combinable with

• Offer is not combinable with Recipient-Only, Flash, Interline, Travel Advisors, Friends, and Family rate. The Anniversary Sale promotion is not applicable to incentive groups. The promotion will be subject to capacity control and is not transferable  

[Daniel A]

5 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

 

As of October, our neighbors had the drink package and just had to pay the overage.  Not sure how consistent that is throughout the line, but that's how it worked for them.  

 

Another example of Princess' inconsistent adherence to their own policies.  Good for your neighbors but bad for the rest of us when we try to figure out when does Princess really mean what they say.

[Daniel A]

7 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

I can't find the post again but someone asked about the casino discount and I pulled this off my TA's website:

 

Combinability

• Offer (fare and value add components) is combinable with Standard Groups (including amenities), Cruise Sales and Casino Discounts.  

Not Combinable with

• Offer is not combinable with Recipient-Only, Flash, Interline, Travel Advisors, Friends, and Family rate. The Anniversary Sale promotion is not applicable to incentive groups. The promotion will be subject to capacity control and is not transferable  

That may only apply to refares or new bookings, not add ons.  I'm not sure.

[Tedferg]

37 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

From what I understand (and I could be wrong) the add-ons will only work on bookings made with the specific codes in the retro chart. I assume that a new booking would have a different booking code and thus would not combine? It's definitely worth a try, though!

IMHO The list of prior cruises is just a quick reference for TA for a customer who asks TA "What option do I have". Makes it easier for TA to suggest perks not covered by prior booking. I believe the codes below can be applied to any prior booking - with limits.

[Daniel A]

54 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

BEST2WG is for the sip n sail

Thank you for that.  My main question was whether or not has anybody successfully used that rate code or is it gone.  Someone else here suggested that it's cheaper just to buy the wifi and grats without the $25/day.  That could be why they removed that line from the current chart. 

 

Someone on my roll call was disappointed because they had sip'n'sail.

Edited December 12, 2019 by Daniel A