No more free internet for platinum & elite

[Steelers36]

3 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Math teacher brain kicking in (think common core):

 

What is the cost of 50% off medallion internet price for elite or platinum loyalty membership level?

 

Do you pay by day?

Is a day 24 hours or calendar day?

Is it for one device (again....penalizing solo passengers if it is for 4 devices).

Can you pay as you go or upfront for x number of days?

 

 

2 hours ago, mjmalino said:

Yes, it is a per day charge, for 24 hours. They have a 1 device and a 4 device plan (and maybe others).

 

I believe that it is all up front, but I also THINK that you can purchase it later in the cruise, but will still be required to purchase through disembarkation.

Yes a day is 24 hrs, but the correct answer is cruise day if you will.  Package starts when you are on board and have selected/purchased it and ends when you disembark.  So there is a partial day at begin and end of voyage.  Time starts for the day you buy it on.  It may be easier to think of it as paying for each night of the voyage.

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, dog said:

I can purchase unlimited internet for $10/day for my 12 day cruise at $120, but since I am elite it will cost me $60 

is this correct?

 

 

2 hours ago, Ombud said:

Thats what my PVP said. Elite = $5 day for 1 device, $10 for 4 devices. It used to be $14.99 [$15] for 4 devices so a mild increase

I am going to disagree until I see official new pricing.  The $10/day is not what they really used to charge.

 

For @dog, 12 night cruises used to cost $100 on board Day 1, so new price should be $50 with discount.

 

See my charts posted here:

 

[dog]

6 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

 

I am going to disagree until I see official new pricing.  The $10/day is not what they really used to charge.

 

For @dog, 12 night cruises used to cost $100 on board Day 1, so new price should be $50 with discount.

 

See my charts posted here:

 

 

thanks

 

i just looked at my Travel Summary with Plus package 12 night Sky March 22

 

says value of:

 

internet is $150 CAD

 

drinks $1035 CAD 

 

gratuities  $174 CAD————

 

 

without Plus I would pay:

 

internet ( single).  )50-$75 CAD?

 

drinks. ( mini bar$0), bottle water $8US, other drinks $100 US

 

grats $174 CAD

 

 

Edited July 1, 2021 by dog

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, Ombud said:

Thats what my PVP said. Elite = $5 day for 1 device, $10 for 4 devices. It used to be $14.99 [$15] for 4 devices so a mild increase

I am remembering something else about internet packages pre-cruise when offered in Personalizer.  IIRC, when booked on a physical voyage, the offer would be a set price for length of voyage.  If booked on a logical voyage - one that is actually made up of smaller voyages that can be bought separately,  the Personalizer was not smart enough to quote the full voyage package price and would either be missing or quote $10/day.

 

In any case, the pre-cruise offer was to be ignored by Platinum and Elite who needed to wait until on board and order the package day 1 to get the 25% benefit discount in lieu of free minutes.  People did report getting 25% off another price if booking package later in the cruise.

 

For B2B, the Internet Mgr or staff would quote and sell the full voyage package rather than having to buy several small packages.  Better pricing that way.

 

Don't see why this would have to change,  but with Princess who knows?

[Steelers36]

12 minutes ago, dog said:

 

thanks

 

i just looked at my Travel Summary with Plus package 12 night Sky March 22

 

says value of:

 

internet is $150 CAD

 

drinks $1035 CAD 

 

gratuities  $174 CAD

 

 

Well, that's marketing and they did same thing pre-Covid.  Doesn't mean the pricing was true representative of various internet packages.  CAD prices can be misleading as what cnvn rate did they use when providing the "value".

 

ETA... although you typed CAD above, those numbers have to be USD.

Edited July 1, 2021 by Steelers36

[dog]

4 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Well, that's marketing and they did same thing pre-Covid.  Doesn't mean the pricing was true representative of various internet packages.  CAD prices can be misleading as what cnvn rate did they use when providing the "value".

 

ETA... although you typed CAD above, those numbers have to be USD.

oh yes I think you are right. The ones in Plus Package will be US! 
 

what I pay for excursions, dinners is CAD 

 

they value the free specialty dinner at $36. So I was thinking. Must be CAD 

[Redwing55]

16 hours ago, tillys mom said:

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

For like less than $50?  Likely less (depends upon cruise length) Interesting.

[dog]

12 minutes ago, Redwing55 said:

For like less than $50?  Likely less (depends upon cruise length) Interesting.

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. 

Edited July 1, 2021 by dog

[caribill]

12 hours ago, Treasure Hunter said:

And the chocolate covered strawberries are disgusting.

 

They were dropped from the available list several years ago.

 

You may find them disgusting, but many have posted they were the only decent option on the selection list.

[caribill]

13 hours ago, Omega1 said:

Would it be possible for people travelling together on different booking numbers (2 couples) to share the 4 device package? So one person buys the 4 device  package at $14.99 per day (less 50%) and all four people log in on a device each.

This would be $1.87pp per day for unlimited internet. Asking for a friend!😂🤣

 

12 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Yes.  Not sure where your $15/day number is from and what length of voyage.  But 4 people can share the 4-device package.  Or 2 or 3 people.  The person with the login info who booked it controls the usage.

 

Certainly the sharing is OK if you do purchase at full price the 4 device option.

 

But I wonder if the 50% discount will apply to that option.

 

When it was minutes, the benefit was limited to the platinum/elite people in the cabin. Each eligible person received the minutes. If only one person was eligible, only one person received the minutes.

 

What we do not know (and can only speculate) is if the new discount benefit which would be limited only to each eligible person would only be for the single device option. Or, as we might hope, the eligible person can purchase the 4 device option at a 50% discount and share the benefit with three other people whether they are or are not platinum/elite.

[caribill]

11 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

 

No one who is Platinum and higher should be booking pre-cruise.  The discount was always applied on board to those prices.  IDK if they are going to apply a discount to any pre-cruise internet order.  Remains to be seen. 

 

 

 

Information says they will apply the discount as OBC to a pre-cruise purchase.

[caribill]

10 hours ago, dog said:

oh, so sad 

 

I take photos and have wonderful memories of places Princess & Celebrity ships have taken me. Russia, Egypt, Med , Falkland Islands, Japan, N.Korea, Australia, New Zealnd , Tahiti & the Cook Islands, Mexico, Caribbean, Bermuda, etc.  
 

no internet needed. 

 

What cruise took you to a N. Korea port?

[ericfromri]

8 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

What cruise took you to a N. Korea port?

People's Republic Carribean Cruise Line?

[caribill]

9 hours ago, mjmalino said:

 

 

Back before Medallion Net you, I believe that you could only buy packages of minutes, there was no unlimited (please correct me if I am wrong).

 

Originally platinum/elite/suites (PES) had unlimited internet.

 

This was back when nobody had personal devices such as cell phones or lap tops. The only computers were about a dozen in the Internet Cafe and the ones provided in full suites, probably a total of about 50 computers that could be online at the same time.

 

Then came the advent of laptops and smart phones. This meant that potentially every passenger on the ship (plus any crew off duty) might want access at the same time, with PES passengers having it for free and others paying by the minute.

 

There was no way the technology at that time could support anywhere near that amount of usage. So that is when the unlimited was taken away from PES. The PE received free minutes based on the length of the voyage. Suites had no Internet benefit anymorte (other than if being PE) and the computers were removed from those cabins. To make up for the loss of the Internet, full suites were given the benefit of a free specialty restaurant meal on the first evening.

 

So the progression has been for eligible passengers:

a) Free unlimited with old technolgy

b) Free limited minutes

c) Now you pay for access, either via Princess Plus pricing or a discount on the unlimited use of the new technology Internet.

 

Thus this is a loyalty benefit that has lost loyalty value over the past few years.

[caribill]

10 hours ago, cnd crsr said:

4 can share, done it with our son & DIL, however only one can be on the internet at a time and you have to all use the same log in.

That is if you have the 1 device package.

 

Before the Pandemic, you could also purchase a 4 device package for the price of two 1 device packages. This would allow up to four devices (four people) to use it at the same time.

[caribill]

7 hours ago, mtnesterz said:

Ombud, I always enjoy your posts, but with respect, I think you missed the point on this. No matter how you slice it, it is a take away from a handshake deal that was made. Whether it be something small, like a loyalty level pin or something of a few dollars charge, like internet, this perk was something earned by our loyalty; a deal we made with Princess over years of continued patronage.

 

The updated list of loyalty benefits still includes the loyalty level pin.

[caribill]

6 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

 

We had MedallionNet from Barcelona to FLL and it started out slow and then kind of fizzled out altogether. Lots of unhappy people on the ship.

 

And that was when the minutes benefit was free. If it did not work, you might be unhappy but it did not cost you any $$$.

 

With the new benefit of purchasing the package at a discount, it it does not work, you might be even more unhappy and it would cost you $$$.

[caribill]

5 hours ago, Ombud said:

Thats what my PVP said. Elite = $5 day for 1 device, $10 for 4 devices. It used to be $14.99 [$15] for 4 devices so a mild increase

 

 

 

The pre-pandemic package pricing was about $10/day for platinum/elite for one device, $20/day for the 4 device package.

[2 cruises a year]

14 hours ago, dockman said:

actually maybe and maybe not are the same thing

Spoken as a true parent. 😄

 

[Fletch1]

15 hours ago, Astro Flyer said:

No…only this benefit: 50% off MedallionNet package.

 

For me this is not a benefit but a downgrade in Captain’s Circle benefits. Eliminating free minutes to require everyone to pay for internet usage is a downgrade for me. I recall your sharing the new benefits they promoted to TAs…that was false news.

 

While requiring everyone to pay for internet increases their income the change to priority boarding does not. Based on their statements it’s not necessary because everyone can chose their Arrival Group. Currently there is no procedure to allow Platinum/Elite passengers to get first choice & if that’s early boarding it might not be available when noticing we can make an Arrival Group booking. Priority boarding has no cash incentive & only generates goodwill towards their most loyal passengers which currently is gone.

 

I agree.

[dog]

13 hours ago, dog said:

Corrected. To South Korea. 

 

13 hours ago, dog said:

Corrected. To South Korea. 

 

14 hours ago, dog said:

oh, so sad 

 

I take photos and have wonderful memories of places Princess & Celebrity ships have taken me. Russia, Egypt, Med , Falkland Islands, Japan, N.Korea, Australia, New Zealnd , Tahiti & the Cook Islands, Mexico, Caribbean, Bermuda, etc.  
 

no internet needed. 

 

13 hours ago, dog said:

Corrected. To South Korea. 

 

[dog]

3 hours ago, ericfromri said:

People's Republic Carribean Cruise Line?

SEE.  my correction- too late to correct it when I tried to edit. 
 

  To South Korea.  Busan.  Around JApan from Yokohama on celebrity in June 2017. 
also stayed in Tokyo, Kyoto & Yokohama. Took the bullet train. Used Pocket internet. Amazing experience. Princess did offer something similar, but this time pricing was better with Celebrity. 

[Ombud]

6 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

I am going to disagree until I see official new pricing.  The $10/day is not what they really used to charge.

 

For @dog, 12 night cruises used to cost $100 on board Day 1, so new price should be $50 with discount.

 

See my charts posted here:

 

Just posted (with email screenshot as verif)  what my Princess Vacation Planner wrote. If she's right then the table is obsolete.  I hope you're right that the pricing hasn't increased.

 

But I'll know 8/15/21 for sure if not before boarding. Hopefully someone on 7/25/21 cruise will post a screenshot of the cost once they board so we'll all know

[Ombud]

12 hours ago, tip said:

It is not what YOU can afford, it is what I can afford.  Please don't tell me what I can afford or not afford  and whether or not I should be cruising.

Correct if I cannot afford $5 a day for internet then I should not be spending 5k on a cruise. 

[ericfromri]

1 hour ago, dog said:

SEE.  my correction- too late to correct it when I tried to edit. 
 

  To South Korea.  Busan.  Around JApan from Yokohama on celebrity in June 2017. 
also stayed in Tokyo, Kyoto & Yokohama. Took the bullet train. Used Pocket internet. Amazing experience. Princess did offer something similar, but this time pricing was better with Celebrity. 

i try to have humor.  we all knew what you meant, just having some fun