No more free internet for platinum & elite

[voljeep]

14 minutes ago, RRFan said:

“Wonder if that daily rate could be purchased for only a few days. I want internet 90% so I can check on airline and hotel connections.”

 

No, the WiFi is now unlimited for the entire voyage or nothing. The $5/day rate is based on 50% of what they were charging per-covid.(as a new Plat/Elite “benefit”)  Until they set sail on 7/25, we won’t know the actual cost.  For us, the number of free Elite minutes were plenty. Unhappy to lose that benefit (as well as the OBC based on number of days cruised). ☹️
 

 

pre 'rona ( everything is pre-'rona until it is not ) Princess would advertise in the Patter a last day internet special for limited minutes which could work.

[PaperSniper4]

6 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

You could purchase by the day before.  It was a higher price than full voyage package.  There is no clarity on pricing going forward, but you can likely still purchase individual days.

Thanks, I thought I remembered that from our last cruise. I will likely do that. Just a couple of days to check on airline reservations, etc.

Edited July 15, 2021 by PaperSniper4

[Steelers36]

3 hours ago, RRFan said:

“Wonder if that daily rate could be purchased for only a few days. I want internet 90% so I can check on airline and hotel connections.”

 

No, the WiFi is now unlimited for the entire voyage or nothing. The $5/day rate is based on 50% of what they were charging per-covid.(as a new Plat/Elite “benefit”)  Until they set sail on 7/25, we won’t know the actual cost.  For us, the number of free Elite minutes were plenty. Unhappy to lose that benefit (as well as the OBC based on number of days cruised). ☹️
 

 

Did someone at Princess tell you individual days can no longer be booked?  IDK - I think we have to see once ships set sail as this wasn't the case before.

[PaperSniper4]

23 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Did someone at Princess tell you individual days can no longer be booked?  IDK - I think we have to see once ships set sail as this wasn't the case before.

Good question to ask. I didn't read his/her reply you quoted about the "or nothing". I thought they were talking about the absence of the Platinum perk vs the "package".

 

Doug

[RRFan]

1 hour ago, PaperSniper4 said:

Good question to ask. I didn't read his/her reply you quoted about the "or nothing". I thought they were talking about the absence of the Platinum perk vs the "package".

 

Doug

Apologies, yes I was referring to the P/E perk. No one at Princess has clarified anything other than what was in our letter about the new perks, but I doubt they will let us buy 1 or 2 days only at the discounted rate. If so, I would only purchase sea days. I think we’ll have to purchase the whole 7 days to get the discount.  We’re all anxious to hear back from the July cruisers to get the details. 😃

[Thrak]

Princess may well still offer "by the day" Internet access. After all, they do advertise their Princess Plus as including unlimited WiFi with a "value" of $9.99 per day.  There is no way to know at this point how they will handle things and, even if we did know how the initial rollout will be handled Princess may well change things before long. Look at the various changes the beverage package went though.

Unlimited - everybody in the cabin had to buy it

Unlimited - no longer required that everybody in the cabin buy it

Limited - 15 drinks per day and no requirement that everybody in the cabin buy it

Princess Plus Version - Limited to 15 drinks per day and everybody in the cabin must buy Princess Plus if anybody in the cabin wants that package

 

There's simply no way to know what Princess will do with the Internet access.

 

 

[cr8tiv1]

47 minutes ago, Thrak said:

Princess may well still offer "by the day" Internet access. After all, they do advertise their Princess Plus as including unlimited WiFi with a "value" of $9.99 per day.  There is no way to know at this point how they will handle things and, even if we did know how the initial rollout will be handled Princess may well change things before long. Look at the various changes the beverage package went though.

Unlimited - everybody in the cabin had to buy it

 

Unlimited - no longer required that everybody in the cabin buy it

 

Limited - 15 drinks per day and no requirement that everybody in the cabin buy it

Princess Plus Version - Limited to 15 drinks per day and everybody in the cabin must buy Princess Plus if anybody in the cabin wants that package

 

There's simply no way to know what Princess will do with the Internet access.

 

 

 

Thanks Thrak.  Good to know this is a revolving door.  Just maybe...just maybe...just maybe

 

they will go back to allowing only the passenger who wants this package to do so.  

 

PS....soap box...Princess really penalizes the solo sailor.  I want Princess Plus, but my cabin mate doesn't.  It's an all or nothing.  

[cr8tiv1]

18 minutes ago, CarelessAndConfused said:

 

I'm not sure how that's even a "solo" sailing.  If you were truly on a solo cruise, that "penalty" would not exist.

 

Semantics.  I will replace the term with single (verses couples).  And it is not just this one instance.  But too long a list to go into details.  Individuals should be treated as an entity of one.  Shouldn't matter what the other. person does.

[Thrak]

Just now, CarelessAndConfused said:

 

No it isn't semantics.  We all get the solo situation and I myself am a solo cruiser. 

 

A married couple deals with the same dilemma as you in this situation.  If the husband wants it an the wife doesn't, they have the same exact financial issue that you do.

 

 

The point is, if one is sailing with a friend they should still be able to purchase Princess Plus even if the friend who is sharing the cabin doesn't want to purchase that package.

[Steelers36]

I imagine the PLUS pricing model relies on two charges per cabin.  Just a SWAG.  They end up perhaps with several who are light drinkers, but are on the package due to cabinmate.

[Thrak]

This is why they stopped making all parties purchase the beverage package in the first place. Now they have re-instituted the stupidity with the implementation of Princess Plus.

[caribill]

6 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

The point is, if one is sailing with a friend they should still be able to purchase Princess Plus even if the friend who is sharing the cabin doesn't want to purchase that package.

 

But that is not the way it works no matter how much we would like it to be allowed.

[caribill]

I calculated the cost of losing the free  Internet minutes for an upcoming 33 day cruise.

 

With the old benefit the two of us would have had 1000 free minutes, more than enough over 33 days using one device at a time.

 

Now with the 50% discount, it will cost $165 for one device at a time.

 

The Plus fare would have added $2640 to our cost. Of course we still will pay the "crew incentive", but because we would not make effective use of the beverage package, we will save plenty not using Plus.

[vjmatty]

17 hours ago, RRFan said:

“Wonder if that daily rate could be purchased for only a few days. I want internet 90% so I can check on airline and hotel connections.”

 

No, the WiFi is now unlimited for the entire voyage or nothing. The $5/day rate is based on 50% of what they were charging per-covid.(as a new Plat/Elite “benefit”)  Until they set sail on 7/25, we won’t know the actual cost.  For us, the number of free Elite minutes were plenty. Unhappy to lose that benefit (as well as the OBC based on number of days cruised). ☹️
 

 

From what I recall you could sign up during the cruise for however many days are left, so the “entire voyage” would just be the remaining voyage. For those who only want access to check flight status and other post cruise plans, they can wait until one of the last few days and save quite a bit as compared to purchasing before the cruise. 

[PaperSniper4]

13 hours ago, RRFan said:

Apologies, yes I was referring to the P/E perk. No one at Princess has clarified anything other than what was in our letter about the new perks, but I doubt they will let us buy 1 or 2 days only at the discounted rate. If so, I would only purchase sea days. I think we’ll have to purchase the whole 7 days to get the discount.  We’re all anxious to hear back from the July cruisers to get the details. 😃

I never got any letter from Princess. Our cruise is Feb 2022, a 10 day from California. I think Princess is far behind with administrative tasks. That is understood. However, I will they would post more info, like on the perks, costs of the internet plan and such that are NOT affected by the current COVID issues. We had another Princess cruise canceled this month that was to sail fall of 2022. That cruise still shows on our planner at Princess.com. I was hoping for a quick refund of our large deposit, but nothing after two weeks. TA said it might take a few MONTHS! Oh MY!😲

 

Doug

[PaperSniper4]

12 hours ago, Thrak said:

Princess may well still offer "by the day" Internet access. After all, they do advertise their Princess Plus as including unlimited WiFi with a "value" of $9.99 per day.  There is no way to know at this point how they will handle things and, even if we did know how the initial rollout will be handled Princess may well change things before long. Look at the various changes the beverage package went though.

Unlimited - everybody in the cabin had to buy it

Unlimited - no longer required that everybody in the cabin buy it

Limited - 15 drinks per day and no requirement that everybody in the cabin buy it

Princess Plus Version - Limited to 15 drinks per day and everybody in the cabin must buy Princess Plus if anybody in the cabin wants that package

 

There's simply no way to know what Princess will do with the Internet access.

 

 

Our first couple of cruise cost close to that per day! And I mean the CRUISE itself, not those "extras"!  😳

 

If I even had 5 drinks per day, I'd probably stumble drunkenly overboard on the second day! When I compare cruise prices, I use about $45-$55 per day as MY valuation of those perks (excluding gratuities). Hopefully cruise lines will continue individual drinks and internet purchases. We drink very little, and use the internet only sparingly, so perks generally don't attract us. We are usually much better off financially purchasing a bottle<s> of booze for cabin consumption and getting a few days internet to check our airline reservations, etc. I realize we all have our unique needs/wants on cruises, and I hope the cruises lines have that same realization.

 

Doug

[caribill]

5 hours ago, PaperSniper4 said:

We had another Princess cruise canceled this month that was to sail fall of 2022.

 

What was the reason Princess cancelled a cruise over a year away?

 

Does not seem pandemic related.

[PaperSniper4]

46 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

What was the reason Princess cancelled a cruise over a year away?

 

Does not seem pandemic related.

It was not pandemic related, at least not  directly. It was reportedly due to a change in dry dock scheduling. This was for our cruise that was booked several months ago on the Crown Princess for Oct 2022 from Southampton. Then the ship was replaced with the Emerald Princess a few months ago, then last month the trip was cancelled for that date, and re-scheduled for about 3 weeks later. The itinerary and cruise length I believe were also changed. Those passengers who wished to take the new sailing could, but their original booking was canceled, refunded or whatever, and the balance applied to the new rate for the new sailing date.

 

The late sailing date did not fit with our plans, so we "jumped ship" for a Celebrity cruise leaving earlier.

 

Nice to see something changed for something other than the virus, isn't it?😎

[caribill]

21 minutes ago, PaperSniper4 said:

Nice to see something changed for something other than the virus, isn't it?😎

 

Not nice in my view.

 

I am tired of booking a cruise, getting emotionally involved in anticipating a great trip, and then having the cruise cancelled, not by a pandemic related reason, but by Princess unable to properly plan what their ships will be doing during the time period they are marketing those cruises.

 

If Princess wants its customers to book cruises for two years or so in the future, Princess needs to properly plan where and when the itineraries they are selling will actually sail.

[maritzarogerp]

On 6/30/2021 at 7:55 AM, tillys mom said:

Will definitely have me considering other companies based on price and itinerary since my most valuable loyalty perk is gone.

I agree, never have bought anything at any store on board, they are overpriced so the 10% discount is worthless. Our free internet minutes were the favorite and best used perk. We never used all of the minutes but it was great for the days at sea to connect with family. VERY SAD

[Jadn13]

5 hours ago, maritzarogerp said:

I agree, never have bought anything at any store on board, they are overpriced so the 10% discount is worthless. Our free internet minutes were the favorite and best used perk. We never used all of the minutes but it was great for the days at sea to connect with family. VERY SAD

For me in the past the 10% elite benefit  plus duty free was a good deal for Make up purchases. I saved a decent amount compared to the cost at my Macys/Sephora.

The internet was a great benefit and I’ll miss it but I’m going to make the most out of what is being offered. 
Happy Cruising! 

[Iamcruzin]

 

On 7/15/2021 at 7:48 PM, cr8tiv1 said:

 

 

PS....soap box...Princess really penalizes the solo sailor.  I want Princess Plus, but my cabin mate doesn't.  It's an all or nothing.  

I'm sure you could figure out why they have to do that.  

[Iamcruzin]

On 7/15/2021 at 8:40 PM, Thrak said:

 

The point is, if one is sailing with a friend they should still be able to purchase Princess Plus even if the friend who is sharing the cabin doesn't want to purchase that package.

If every passenger traveling double occupancy was Mother Teresa and the Pope that might work. An internet package for one device can be shared and at $5 a day for platinum and up that's a bargain.  It's the drink package that they are discouraging sharing so I can understand why the rule is in place. 

 

On Royal Caribbean if one person wants the Deluxe drink package which includes alcohol, the other person as to at least purchase the ultimate drink package which includes  everything except alcohol. That's the way we traveled.  This would probably still be an issue for the average Princess cruiser since from what I read most only drink the included beverages or don't hydrate at all.

Edited September 13, 2021 by Iamcruzin

[Ombud]

4 hours ago, Jadn13 said:

For me in the past the 10% elite benefit  plus duty free was a good deal for Make up purchases. I saved a decent amount compared to the cost at my Macys/Sephora.

The internet was a great benefit and I’ll miss it but I’m going to make the most out of what is being offered. 
Happy Cruising! 

IMHO it depends on the ship. Regal / Royal have 'regular' Chicos clothes (missing Princess logo) at less than at the store so 10% + their discount +  tax-free is something. Majestic just had Gucci, expensive jewelry (think effy on steroids), and I couldn't afford to walk into other stores. I'm hoping the Emerald & Ruby Princess stores are more reasonable 

 

But I am using the internet @ $5 a day and taking ship excursions for now (sticking to a bubble in Caribbean 12/21) so to me it is a benefit 😉 

 

Edited September 13, 2021 by Ombud

[Loreni]

My belief is that Princess was trying to shed their older, experienced cruisers pre-pandemic.  The pandemic gives them cover to do so in a big way.  If this was just about directly saving money, why has priority boarding been taken away from Platinum and Elite.  This would cost nothing to provide.  Taking it away does, however,  send an unambiguous signal.  Message received.
 

Princess obviously believes they will be better off financially without their most loyal cruisers.  Yet I wonder if there are enough younger people who want to cruise, both in general and specifically with Princess, to replace the older cruisers they wish to shed.  Maybe it is for the best that some of us reconsider if Princess is still a good fit.  DH and I do not like the design of the newer ships.  He calls them clip ships…. because of the elimination of balcony furniture (lounge chairs and decent tables), tiny balconies, and no promenades.  You can’t easily spend money while sitting comfortably on your balcony or on the promenade deck.  Gotta get inside where you can drink and gamble and shop…on the clip ship. Of course inside is the worst place to be for corona transmission.