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No more free internet for platinum & elite

1965

By 1965,
in Princess Cruises

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Ombud

Ombud

Posted
Posted (edited)

Although I'm disappointed there are work-arounds. As suggested on another thread, I have free internet off the ship. I could unplug. I could buy it at 1/2 price. Or since I log on / download emails / log off / answer emails / log on for 1 minute to auto send / log off = 2 minutes × 7 day cruise = negligible cost. Nah .... I'll just unplug and relax. 

 

That said, I'm disappointed that most elite benefits are discounts off something. 

Edited by Ombud
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Ombud

Ombud

Posted
Posted
8 minutes ago, 1965 said:

I can think of 5 perks I would gladly trade to get back my minutes. 

I'll trade:

1. 10% discount in stores

2. 10% discount on excursions

3. 10% discount in spa

4. 10% discount on photos 

5. Deluxe canapés selection on formal nights

6. Complementary afternoon tea in stateroom

 

Benefits to me (and its all subjective):

1. Priority tender 

2. Laundry

3. Wine tasting

4. Minibar 

5. Loyalty OBC (will now be spent on internet pkg)

6. Shareholder OBC

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Sea Hag

Sea Hag

Posted
Posted
23 minutes ago, dog said:

Not a way to keep my Loyalty  

 

 

Or mine! Especially when they take away my best benefit and give me worthless discounts on goods and services that I don't buy anyway. 

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Lady Arwen Holiday Sharing Rare

Lady Arwen

Posted
Posted

This is a good way for Princess to encourage their customers to purchase the perks packages, which includes internet.  We must have internet service to keep in touch with our dog sitter.  We drink very little alcohol, and everything else in the package is really not important to us.  We’ve always relied on our loyalty status for the perks that did matter.  Not impressed, Princess!

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pms4104

pms4104

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

This is a good way for Princess to encourage their customers to purchase the perks packages, which includes internet.  We must have internet service to keep in touch with our dog sitter.  We drink very little alcohol, and everything else in the package is really not important to us.  We’ve always relied on our loyalty status for the perks that did matter.  Not impressed, Princess!

Sure, push the Plus pricing ... then drop the Basic fares and increase fares by, oh, maybe $50 or $60pppd ... 

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espmass

espmass

Posted
Posted

Do we get the minutes for cruises booked prior to the change?  I did not purchase the higher prices fare because I didn't really need anything other than the internet minutes and have (or had) that as a Platinum member.  

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pms4104

pms4104

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, espmass said:

Do we get the minutes for cruises booked prior to the change?  I did not purchase the higher prices fare because I didn't really need anything other than the internet minutes and have (or had) that as a Platinum member.  

No ... these new CaptCircle benefits are effective with the end-July restart.

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jhannah

jhannah

Posted
Posted

Sad. Eliminating perks that have been longstanding is a terrible move, IMO. If it was because the service is no longer available, that would be another matter. Covid-19 inflicted near-fatal blows to the company, so now they're trying to make up for those losses however they can.

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Sea Hag

Sea Hag

Posted
Posted
32 minutes ago, TonyM99 said:

That is not good news and I'm certainly surprised we have not been told by email asa we get bombarded with everything else - Although I note they haven't updated their open website !

https://www.princess.com/cruise-tips-vacation-ideas/cruise-destinations/cruise-tips-advice-and-information/cruise-membership-benefits.html

Well, they did notify me by email - sort of. There was an email yesterday talking about Dine My Way. At the bottom, there was a section about loyalty benefits, with a link to click through. I did that, and there was a link to the updated pdf that shows the new set up. So, they sort of notified me.

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ceilidh1 "Live from...." Rare

ceilidh1

Posted
Posted

When the changes to benefits was sent to TAs a few weeks back, it sounded as if the discount was off the Medallion Net (unlimited) package, but you would still get the free minutes if you chose to do the regular Internet. Is this not the case? I probably should look more into it, but I haven't had chance just yet. It's disappointing if that has been taken away - as many others have said, I have no use for the discounts off products but the free minutes were great!

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RRFan

RRFan

Posted
Posted
41 minutes ago, espmass said:

Do we get the minutes for cruises booked prior to the change?  I did not purchase the higher prices fare because I didn't really need anything other than the internet minutes and have (or had) that as a Platinum member.  

No because the "fine print" always said "subject to change at any time without prior notification".  Also the new loyalty benefits were prefaced by "on cruises after July 24, 2021".  Aaaaaand, all PCL cruises will re-start July 25. . . .   I really expected them to do a wholesale reworking of all loyalty levels and downgrade all of them.  Seems just P & E are getting the shove-off though (which I agree was too easy to reach those levels anyway, but still they are hurting their most loyal customers the most).

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Bgwest

Bgwest

Posted
Posted

Losing minutes?? What am I not understanding about this part of the link provided by TonyM99?

Platinum Membership Benefits

A lot of travel deserves a lot of benefits. Level up your perks after sailing on your 6th-15th cruise with Princess or after embarking on a 51 to 150-day itinerary. In addition to all Gold and Ruby benefits, skip the lines during embarkation and revel in priority check-in, so you can go from curbside to poolside even quicker. When it’s time to head home, get the same deluxe treatment with access to our Disembarkation Lounge. Sip on light refreshments in a serene setting alongside those sailing in the same stateroom. During your time on board, you’ll also be able to connect with loved ones at home with a complimentary internet package. Whether you want to video chat with your family and friends or share photos on social media, Princess makes it easy with the Platinum-level cruise loyalty program.

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donaldsc

donaldsc

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, Ombud said:

Although I'm disappointed there are work-arounds. As suggested on another thread, I have free internet off the ship. I could unplug. I could buy it at 1/2 price. Or since I log on / download emails / log off / answer emails / log on for 1 minute to auto send / log off = 2 minutes × 7 day cruise = negligible cost. Nah .... I'll just unplug and relax. 

 

That said, I'm disappointed that most elite benefits are discounts off something. 

 

There is a much better work around.  Cancel all your upcoming Princess cruises and switch to another line.  Make sure that Princess knows why you have cancelled.

 

DON

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