all inclusive drinks package and gratuities

[delgirl]

Have been looking at princess staycations. Looking at the small print it says gratuities on bar drinks not included also dining room. If that is so it's not really all inclusive or am I reading it incorrectly. Would love some clarification.

[Esprit]

With the drinks packages you don't get charged the tips. So they are All Inclusive.

 

I will enjoy "max'ing" my daily drinks package limit IF I get on board Enchanted Princess this July!

[skynight]

1 hour ago, delgirl said:

Have been looking at princess staycations. Looking at the small print it says gratuities on bar drinks not included also dining room. If that is so it's not really all inclusive or am I reading it incorrectly. Would love some clarification.

Gratuities referred to are the hotel gratuities for cabin steward, waitstaff in the DR and all other dining locations, and some other crew in these areas that you never really see.  DR waitstaff are included.

 

Beverages. The normal practice is for every beverage you purchase on board you are charged the menu price + 18% beverage gratuity. When the beverage package is included in the booking promotion the 18% gratuity is included and no extra gratuity is charged per drinks included in the package. Included drinks are somewhere around 95% of all beverages offered.

[beg3yrs]

1 hour ago, Esprit said:

With the drinks packages you don't get charged the tips. So they are All Inclusive.

 

I will enjoy "max'ing" my daily drinks package limit IF I get on board Enchanted Princess this July!

Right, tips are included in the all-inclusive. If you purchase the drink package separately the tips are added on to the package's price so you've already paid tips.

[delgirl]

Was reading the small print and it stated bar gratuities and dining room was exempt from AI. Am I reading this wrong. Hope someone can clear up the confusion.

[rumbalizw]

So you can tip waiters and bar staff if you like . 

 

[c-boy]

3 minutes ago, rumbalizw said:

So you can tip waiters and bar staff if you like . 

 

you sure can, especially when the service at the bar or floor is outstanding. 

Edited March 30, 2021 by c-boy

[delgirl]

What about dining room, does that mean the same or is that if you have a bottle then not on offer of AI

[voljeep]

sorry, but are you talking about the Princess Beverage Package ?

 

and where exactly is 'west midlands'

 

and which cruise itinerary are you considering ?

[JF - retired RRT]

1 hour ago, voljeep said:

sorry, but are you talking about the Princess Beverage Package ?

 

and where exactly is 'west midlands'

 

and which cruise itinerary are you considering ?

I've always wondered where exactly is Altered State?

[voljeep]

1 minute ago, JF - retired RRT said:

I've always wondered where exactly is Altered State?

a state of mind ... a state of being ...

[Earthworm Jim]

1 hour ago, voljeep said:

and where exactly is 'west midlands'

 

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Midlands_(region)

[skynight]

2 hours ago, delgirl said:

Was reading the small print and it stated bar gratuities and dining room was exempt from AI. Am I reading this wrong. Hope someone can clear up the confusion.

Can you copy and post all the terms and conditions. Beverage gratuities are normally covered under the Premier Beverage Package and DR waiter's gratuities are normally covered under the hotel gratuity. We can't access the fine print here in the U.S. 

[c-boy]

2 hours ago, delgirl said:

What about dining room, does that mean the same or is that if you have a bottle then not on offer of AI

Nope, wine by the bottle the is not included in the package. However a 40% discount on purchasing wines in the dining room is offered. Some times if you get a great head waiter ( oh say at the end of their contract), you will only pay the difference in price 😉

 

*Please note: Beverage packages are calculated based on the total number of days of your cruise. All inclusive beverage package does not include bottles of wine; however, when purchased in the bars, dining rooms, or in the stateroom, will be available at a 40% discount from the menu price. Applicable to all bottles below $100 retail. All inclusive beverage package is not currently offered on Sun Princess, Sea Princess or Diamond Princess, Emerald Princess and Golden Princess voyages departing from and returning to Australia and New Zealand.

[jennybenny]

6 minutes ago, c-boy said:

Nope, wine by the bottle the is not included in the package. However a 40% discount on purchasing wines in the dining room is offered. Some times if you get a great head waiter ( oh say at the end of their contract), you will only pay the difference in price 😉

 

*Please note: Beverage packages are calculated based on the total number of days of your cruise. All inclusive beverage package does not include bottles of wine; however, when purchased in the bars, dining rooms, or in the stateroom, will be available at a 40% discount from the menu price. Applicable to all bottles below $100 retail. All inclusive beverage package is not currently offered on Sun Princess, Sea Princess or Diamond Princess, Emerald Princess and Golden Princess voyages departing from and returning to Australia and New Zealand.

It’s not 40% off bottles anymore, is it? I thought it was 25% or 20%.

 

Started bringing my own wine when they decreased the bottle discount. At 40% we’d get the drink package and purchase bottles regularly.

 

I’ll be back to buying bottles instead of bringing them if that’s changed!

Edited March 30, 2021 by jennybenny

[jennybenny]

@c-boyToo late to fix my post, just checked my next cruise which has 2019 Ts and Cs

its a 25% discount on bottles😭 Bummer, I was so excited thinking they reverted back... and I doubled checked for April fools day too 

oh well, I’ll keep bringing my bottles with my wine carry on 😂

[seapals2]

Can you still get wine by the glass included in the package in the speciality dining restaurants?  I saw you can get a full bottle of water.  😊

[franktown]

1 hour ago, seapals2 said:

Can you still get wine by the glass included in the package in the speciality dining restaurants?  I saw you can get a full bottle of water.  😊

Yes.  Had no problem with wine by the glass under $12.

[franktown]

7 hours ago, beg3yrs said:

Right, tips are included in the all-inclusive. If you purchase the drink package separately the tips are added on to the package's price so you've already paid tips.

Never had tips added to the price of the package.  We are probably saying the same thing.  The price of the package includes tips.

[tanyaewa]

The original poster is referring to the cruises out of the UK this summer.  
the T&C and gratuities being quoted are in reference to cruises from the US 

[jennybenny]

1 hour ago, tanyaewa said:

The original poster is referring to the cruises out of the UK this summer.  
the T&C and gratuities being quoted are in reference to cruises from the US 

Is the Princess drink package different on European cruises? I didn’t realize the discounts and what was included could be different. I just assumed there were different drink values and different prices depending on the ship currency.

[wowzz]

4 hours ago, jennybenny said:

Is the Princess drink package different on European cruises? I didn’t realize the discounts and what was included could be different. I just assumed there were different drink values and different prices depending on the ship currency.

Ship currency in Europe is still USD.

[beg3yrs]

13 hours ago, franktown said:

Never had tips added to the price of the package.  We are probably saying the same thing.  The price of the package includes tips.

We probably are saying the same thing. Here's a snippet from a current booking. You can see in the fine print how the final price is broken down to separate drinks and tips. Early on in the introduction of these packages Princess often featured the lower price as a teaser and then added the 18% gratuity during the purchase. Now they're much more up-front about the total price and I appreciate that.

[jennybenny]

3 hours ago, wowzz said:

Ship currency in Europe is still USD.

But are the parameters of the package different? I didn’t think they were and that’s why I asked the question when someone pointed out that the Ts and Cs were different.

[delgirl]

18 hours ago, voljeep said:

sorry, but are you talking about the Princess Beverage Package ?

 

and where exactly is 'west midlands'

 

and which cruise itinerary are you considering ?

Sorry thought AI was princess beverage package. West midlands is in the middle of the UK slightly towards wales in the west. Looking at Staycations from Southampton for UK citizens only.