No more free internet for platinum & elite

[TM]

12 minutes ago, Astro Flyer said:

 

• Internet: The reason given for eliminating all minute based plans was due to the problems created when accidentally remaining logged in & needing to have the Internet manager correct the problem.

Astro Flyer - Not shooting the messenger here.

 

But how can they possibly think that pissing off a whole bunch of elites is worth the effort of 1 internet manager on the ship needing to correct the problem?  Now with Princess Plus and unlimited internet folks will never log off and this will create a different bandwith problem.

Edited July 2, 2021 by TM

[Steelers36]

18 minutes ago, Astro Flyer said:

A 50% discount is added to your folio as a non-refundable OBC because it’s a Captain’s Circle benefit.

Oh, ugh.  Well, are they doing the same thing if purchasing on board?  If a plan costs $100 on board are they billing my on board account $100 + $50 non-ref credit, or billing my account $50?  All should be treated the same.  Another question to see what happens when cruises begin as I would just wait until on board and order Day 1 as has been my past habit to get the old 25% off. 

 

Also, I am not convinced of the $10 and $20 daily pricing - which was for buying by the day.  I am expecting full-voyage pricing plans as well.  But maybe they won't give us 50% off those if they term them as "specials" and we will be a flat $5/day.  (I really do not think  the $15 is correct - seems like different Princess reps have different pricing info.  Also, TA's have posted $10 and $20.  Also, 4-device plan has traditionally been 2x single-device plan).

Edited July 2, 2021 by Steelers36

[Steelers36]

13 minutes ago, Astro Flyer said:

• Priority Boarding: There are no plans to inform Elite passengers about when Arrival Group times are available. They plan to have Priority Boarding within each Arrival Group time. I explained that by not allowing Elites to be first to board if desired that’s another lost benefit but nothing is planned to change.

I wish that I knew about terminating the Elite Loyalty OBC benefit so I could have expressed my unhappiness. She was very pleasant & said she’d pass on my concerns.

 

Apparently Princess is proud of their changes but losing 3 benefits (internet minutes, priority boarding, Loyalty OBC) isn’t a way to welcome back loyal Princess passengers to cruising by downgrading Captain’s Circle benefits.

That is not good and not sound judgement.  So, we have to monitor for when we can access.  The LEAST they could do is publish a policy - such as opens on FP date or 4 weeks ahead of sail date.  By then, people know their travel plans and can pick a realistic arrival time. 

 

I don't see how they are going to have priority boarding as it appears everyone will just proceed on board when checked in.  Arrival times don't start until 11:30am as it is now and ship is ready to board by then 90+% of time.

[Bwana Tom]

20 minutes ago, Astro Flyer said:

I received a call from a Princess customer service rep in response to my email expressing my disappointment over the changes to the Captain’s Circle benefits.

• Internet: The reason given for eliminating all minute based plans was due to the problems created when accidentally remaining logged in & needing to have the Internet manager correct the problem. The unlimited internet plan will cost $9.99 in advance & $14.99 onboard. A 50% discount is added to your folio as a non-refundable OBC because it’s a Captain’s Circle benefit.
• Priority Boarding: There are no plans to inform Elite passengers about when Arrival Group times are available. They plan to have Priority Boarding within each Arrival Group time. I explained that by not allowing Elites to be first to board if desired that’s another lost benefit but nothing is planned to change.

I wish that I knew about terminating the Elite Loyalty OBC benefit so I could have expressed my unhappiness. She was very pleasant & said she’d pass on my concerns.

 

Apparently Princess is proud of their changes but losing 3 benefits (internet minutes, priority boarding, Loyalty OBC) isn’t a way to welcome back loyal Princess passengers to cruising by downgrading Captain’s Circle benefits.

I haven't even gotten over Princess eliminating the Happy Hour at the bars a few years back. Now this. I don't think it will play well for the company's bottom line.

[maggie777]

2 hours ago, Renmar said:

All the comments & complaining here on these boards don't mean anything to PCL management. The only way they will find out how we think about these changes is with our wallets. 

Just in case Princess is monitoring these boards I will put my money where my mouth is and cancel our cruise we booked for September 2022. 

On top of the earlier cutbacks (like the removal of the 2nd chair) these last set of changes is for us the straw that broke the proverbial camels back. Maybe we will be back in the future if things change for the better.

 

Theo

Last week I emailed customer service my concerns about the App. I jokingly stated that the chair removal was the beginning of the end. This evening I received a PHONE CALL replying to the email. She began by asking me what did I mean about the "chair"? I had to explain what chair I was referring to. Her solution was the old one...ask your cabin steward for a chair. I moved on from there. to discuss the issues that I see with the App and she told me to call and have an Ocean Navigator assist me if needed. When I asked her what they would do for me she refused to answer. I then described my feelings about Princess removing internet minutes and loyalty obc. The conversation ended soon after. I love so many things about Princess but they are knowingly or unknowingly encouraging me to move on to other cruise lines!

[jeeper2]

40 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

My guess:

 

Tomorrow:  Only one OBC between CCL and military.

Friday: Non-refundable FCDs. 

Next week: Limited laundry. 
Next month: Elimination of minibar (since so many guests are choosing Princess Plus). 

 

it’s just a matter of time. 

Sad, but true, I’m afraid. 

[Roberto256]

49 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

Tomorrow:  Only one OBC between CCL and military.

 

There was a time ... 15-20 years ago, when the Shareholder OBC could not be combined with others.

Edited July 2, 2021 by Roberto256

[Waynetor]

After 8 pages or so of post about internet changes, now we have an even bigger change for the most loyal guest.  Taking away $200 OBC per cabin hurts on shorter cruises.  

 

Eliminating this loyality OBC plus eliminating the internet minutes takes away a major part of deciding on whether to book B2B as a single voyage or as 2 voyages.

[Astro Flyer]

58 minutes ago, TM said:

Astro Flyer - Not shooting the messenger here.

 

But how can they possibly think that pissing off a whole bunch of elites is worth the effort of 1 internet manager on the ship needing to correct the problem?  Now with Princess Plus and unlimited internet folks will never log off and this will create a different bandwith problem.

Did not see any shots fired at me.. ☺️
 

I attempted to keep most of my personal opinions out of that post & primarily the views expressed by Princess. Even though she is an upper level customer service rep she doesn’t set policy. I respectfully shared my concerns with her & she said she would pass them on up the chain of command.

 

I agree with you & for the internet it also affects Platinum which on most of my cruises the number of Elites & Platinum are well over half of the ship. On a November 2019 cruise those levels were over 75% of the passengers.

 

Edited July 2, 2021 by Astro Flyer

[Redwing55]

21 hours ago, dog said:

for me— it is the stinginess  Princess is showing their most Loyal passengers with this take away. 
 

I never choose a cruise line for their perks, but some do. 

Valid perspective.  But at the risk of getting flamed, the most loyal passengers likely are those that spend least per individual.  I think for the cruise world, loyalty bennies are a headscratcher.  It's not like airlines/hotels, etc.  Ones that are newer to cruising spend the most.  

So, I just figure any perk thrown to repeat cruisers is a bonus.  And FWIW, I wouldn't be surprised that overall, more folks save more with this perk as many would be signing up to wifi.. though not all.  It may actually be a win for both sides.  Users get a cheaper rate and it doesn't cost the supplier more per user.

Edited July 2, 2021 by Redwing55

[mjmalino]

6 hours ago, LACruiser88 said:

Wow, we must be wino's!  A bottle does not gets us to Dinner!    

I went through a bottle MAKING dinner tonight. In my defense I get really thirsty cooking since I tend to sing and dance while cooking.

[Astro Flyer]

35 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

That is not good and not sound judgement.  So, we have to monitor for when we can access.  The LEAST they could do is publish a policy - such as opens on FP date or 4 weeks ahead of sail date.  By then, people know their travel plans and can pick a realistic arrival time. 

 

I don't see how they are going to have priority boarding as it appears everyone will just proceed on board when checked in.  Arrival times don't start until 11:30am as it is now and ship is ready to board by then 90+% of time.

I agree & expressed my unhappiness at making boarding requests first come, first booked and having to be lucky to discover when Arrival Groups are available to board early. When a first time Princess passenger can board before an Elite level passenger who wants to board early then there is no priority boarding. I understand that boarding flights are different but could you imagine airlines allowing passengers to select a boarding preference that’s not based upon loyalty level…not going to happen yet Princess has no problem having such a system. 
 

The frustrating thing is that priority boarding doesn’t really cost them much & only requires an emailed notification. Although if it’s like their inconsistent email notifications to elite level passengers to book a day before the general public they too often fail to do it.

 

When their SVP of Sales expressed at his most recent webinar that priority boarding isn’t as important because of Arrival Group times, it is an indication to me that upper management doesn’t have a clue about the importance to many of us to board early with Priority Boarding.

[caribill]

1 hour ago, Astro Flyer said:

 

• Internet: The reason given for eliminating all minute based plans was due to the problems created when accidentally remaining logged in & needing to have the Internet manager correct the problem. The unlimited internet plan will cost $9.99 in advance & $14.99 onboard. A 50% discount is added to your folio as a non-refundable OBC because it’s a Captain’s Circle benefit.

 

So will the 50% discount be to the $9.99 price or the $14.99 price?

[Astro Flyer]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

Well, are they doing the same thing if purchasing on board?  If a plan costs $100 on board are they billing my on board account $100 + $50 non-ref credit, or billing my account $50?  All should be treated the same. 

She said whether booked in advance or onboard we’d get a 50% non-refundable OBC because it’s a CC benefit.

 

We won’t know for certain until cruising resumes & someone reports their experience. If I wanted to get an unlimited plan then I’ll pre-pay $9.99/day because getting a $35 NR OBC on a 7-day cruise would be used for crew incentive cost. As we get fewer & fewer OBCs the net cost continues to rise which I think is their goal to push P+ fares which isn’t cost effective for me.

 

Concerning the price she checked her records to quote those prices however I didn’t confirm whether it’s for the entire cruise or can be ordered daily which is doubtful to me.

 

I’ll decide if I really need any onboard internet or to follow their old advertising slogan…Escape Completely! My cell phone company provides free internet access in North America & most of Europe. And with our 3 booked cruises being two CA Coastals and a NE/CA cruise maybe we’ll just take a few minutes in port to check for any important emails.

[jonesbk]

I’d like to see if they give the internet 50% OBC to those that book PrincessPlus. Otherwise I’m not getting the benefits I earned. Princess won my loyalty, but as they continue to go the way of Carnival, I may be moving on to other lines, again (we used to LOVE Carnival cruises).

 

I really can’t wait for cruises to resume so we can hear back as to what “really” happens onboard because you know it always varies ship to ship…

[sterling2]

On 6/30/2021 at 7:52 AM, Ombud said:

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

Loyalty obc is gone.

[Waynetor]

With the 4 device internet package is there any issue with asking another couple on a roll call to split the cost each share the package using our own device?

[Astro Flyer]

28 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

So will the 50% discount be to the $9.99 price or the $14.99 price?

Both get a 50% discount…for example with a 7-day cruise:

• Pre-paid: $70 with a $35 non-refundable OBC added to the portfolio
• Pay onboard: $105 with a $52.50 NR OBC to portfolio.

The 50% discount is a CC benefit so either use it or lose it. That’s the way the customer service rep explained it but we won’t know for certain until some experiences the procedure. I used the email posted on one of these change in benefits threads & as I recall she was described as a customer service manager who would hopefully be knowledgeable & she said she’s worked for PCL for a long time.

 

Edited July 2, 2021 by Astro Flyer

[Ombud]

5 minutes ago, Astro Flyer said:

Both get a 50% discount…for example with a 7-day cruise:

• Pre-paid: $70 with a $35 non-refundable OBC added to the portfolio
• Pay onboard: $105 with a $52.50 NR OBC to portfolio.

 

That’s the way the customer service rep explained it but we won’t know for certain until some experiences the procedure. I used the email posted on one of these change in benefits threads & as I recall she was described as a customer service manager who would hopefully be knowledgeable & she said she’s worked for PCL for a long time.

 

Was that Kimberly Baldwin? Did she say if we could use OBC to buy internet pre-cruise?

[Amtrack Springfield]

Question, we have a cruise in February 2022 for 14 days. How do we order our internet? Can we do it before or on board?

[Lucky TGO]

On 6/30/2021 at 7:52 AM, 1965 said:

The new capt.'s circle benefits have been unveiled. No more free internet mins for platinum & elite. I'm very disappointed! 😪

Welcome to the New Princess Cruises DISAPPOINTED ELITE Membership Club. 
 

[Californian]

https://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/cc/captains-circle-loyalty-benefits.pdf
 

What is the Platinum and Elite Lounge mentioned in the Captains Circle Loyalty benefits?  

[Astro Flyer]

33 minutes ago, Ombud said:

Was that Kimberly Baldwin? Did she say if we could use OBC to buy internet pre-cruise?

I didn’t think about asking her that question. She said that many things need to be finalized hopefully before the first cruises sail. And she was cautiously optimistic about a more reliable MC app. 🤞

[paradiselivin1]

I got the e-mail a few hours ago but my husband has yet to receive his. Losing benefits on top of the huge price increases in our upcoming cruises is starting to wear thin (not the words I'd like to use..) A 22% increase in a cruise to Greenland and we lost $540 in OBC and I more than that for a world cruise. I hate to see an e-mail from Princess in my inbox any more....

[Astro Flyer]

51 minutes ago, Amtrack Springfield said:

Question, we have a cruise in February 2022 for 14 days. How do we order our internet? Can we do it before or on board?

For my 3 future cruises internet plans are not even shown in the Cruise Personalizer or MC app so there is no way for me to order it which others are posting as having the same experience.

 

Edited July 2, 2021 by Astro Flyer