Putting The Pencil To Princess Plus

[Dar & Bob]

For us it was only $40 pppd extra on our last 2 cruises. The gratuities were $15 pppd -so that left us at $25 pppd - one coffee and a couple of glasses of wines and we were at break even.  Bottles of water, sodas and several other cocktails made it a deal for us. I also don't like to think about the fact of spending money once on board.  It's one and done.

[sonomaphil]

4 hours ago, partybarbie said:

It is definitely worth it to us. We have five cruises booked under the old pricing of $40 PP per day. Before Princess Plus, our bar tab would run at least $100 per day (no judgement, lol). It's a money saver for us. 

This is exactly the situation for my wife and me.  Makes perfect sense for us. 

[sonomaphil]

2 hours ago, BDevilCruiser said:

Just booked a week on Regal.  I don’t drink alcohol, so the Plus package doesn’t appeal to me.  Adding up crew “appreciation”, one device Wi-Fi and the soda package, it’s ~$250 instead of the ~$350 for Plus.

 

Edited October 1, 2022 by sonomaphil

[Dar & Bob]

1 hour ago, FrugalVoyager said:

Best possible way to sail is to find a person who is on a casino comp cruise offer to get ALL your alcohol drinks at the casino and only order water/coffee/soda as an exception at the pool deck only if you must.

 

For gratuities cancel them right away when you get on board and wifi I usually knock on my neighbour's door and ask if they are using all their devices as wifi you can use multiple devices, you can piggy back off someone's device for free.

 

This way you are essentially eliminating $50/day all together, I am amazed people aren't doing this more often as I feel far superior and smarter doing these tips.

I am assuming you are stating this in jest but if not I hope your toothbrush is used to clean your toilet 🙂

 

[JimmyVWine]

The great thing about Plus and Premier is that the pricing is so transparent and that the packages are optional. Takes no more than a couple of minutes to figure out if your drinking patterns make one of the packages worthwhile. I don’t think that anyone ever anticipated that a package would be best for everyone. There are plenty of people who do not drink alcohol either by choice or medical concerns. It is hard to imagine that a package could ever make sense for a non-drinker. 
 

All that said, I have no earthly clue what a chi chi coffee is so I don’t know how to factor those in.  Is that a regional name for something like an Irish coffee that has alcohol in it?  Or is it a coffee consumed by a decorated PGA golfer who hailed from Mexico?

[LACruiser88]

49 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

The great thing about Plus and Premier is that the pricing is so transparent and that the packages are optional. Takes no more than a couple of minutes to figure out if your drinking patterns make one of the packages worthwhile. I don’t think that anyone ever anticipated that a package would be best for everyone. There are plenty of people who do not drink alcohol either by choice or medical concerns. It is hard to imagine that a package could ever make sense for a non-drinker. 
 

All that said, I have no earthly clue what a chi chi coffee is so I don’t know how to factor those in.  Is that a regional name for something like an Irish coffee that has alcohol in it?  Or is it a coffee consumed by a decorated PGA golfer who hailed from Mexico?

Chi Chi Rodríguez was actually from Puerto Rico.

[jwattle]

On 10/2/2022 at 4:56 PM, FrugalVoyager said:

Best possible way to sail is to find a person who is on a casino comp cruise offer to get ALL your alcohol drinks at the casino and only order water/coffee/soda as an exception at the pool deck only if you must.

 

For gratuities cancel them right away when you get on board and wifi I usually knock on my neighbour's door and ask if they are using all their devices as wifi you can use multiple devices, you can piggy back off someone's device for free.

 

This way you are essentially eliminating $50/day all together, I am amazed people aren't doing this more often as I feel far superior and smarter doing these tips.

The word "theft" comes to mind for the alcohol and internet... I would be watching as they gave you the "time to shove off" at the next port, no refund, no accommodation, do not pass go...and hope they don't press charges. 

[geoherb]

I did not get Plus on my 16-day cruise to Greenland. One consideration, though, was that the price for me was going to be $56.25 per day instead of the usual $50 a day because of the last-minute deal I booked as a solo.

 

I ended up spending around $80 for drinks. I did have my minibar and brought on two bottles of wine. I was prepared to pay the corkage for the second bottle, but no one mentioned it. I also took advantage of free drink events: martini demo, Captain's Circle party, and champagne waterfall. 

 

I'll have Plus on my partial Panama Canal cruise after Thanksgiving. I drink a little bit more on warm weather cruises.

Edited October 11, 2022 by geoherb

[caribill]

On 10/1/2022 at 8:45 AM, Coral said:

Always look at both. I booked a 16 night TA recently. The price was $1700 for an inside and a balcony with Princess plus (as a single) - same price! I didn't even bother to look at pricing for non-Princess plus as this seemed like a steal.

 

You booked during a Princess sale that priced a balcony for the cost of an inside cabin.

[ShakeDaddy]

On 10/2/2022 at 3:56 PM, FrugalVoyager said:

Best possible way to sail is to find a person who is on a casino comp cruise offer to get ALL your alcohol drinks at the casino and only order water/coffee/soda as an exception at the pool deck only if you must.

 

For gratuities cancel them right away when you get on board and wifi I usually knock on my neighbour's door and ask if they are using all their devices as wifi you can use multiple devices, you can piggy back off someone's device for free.

 

This way you are essentially eliminating $50/day all together, I am amazed people aren't doing this more often as I feel far superior and smarter doing these tips.

 

😜  Now that's putting the pencil plus to the princess........😘

[Coral]

5 hours ago, caribill said:

 

You booked during a Princess sale that priced a balcony for the cost of an inside cabin.

Yes.

[Steelers36]

I know I have posted similar, but I too have analyzed numbers.  When cruising with our friends, we share a 4-device package.  We all contribute to crew appreciation.  As always, it comes down to the drinks analysis.

 

MedallionNet is $2.50/pp/day = $5/day

Crew Appreciation = $14.50/pp/day = $29/day

SUB-TOTAL = $34/day

Drinks Balance = $66/day  (used to be $46/day)

TOTAL = $100/day (which is the new PLUS cost for two people).

 

We are Elite and get bar setup.  10 alcohol (beers) and 10 non-alcohol (Perrier or still).

I get the $7 starter water package and we refill bottles 2-3 times.

 

At most, we would finish a bottle of wine in two days.  That fits within $132 of drinks "budget" for two days.  I don't by $132 bottles of wine on board.  In fact, I normally bring my own on for much less.  We rarely have bar drinks.  

 

For cruises with lots of port days, would need to drink even more. 

 

Yes, we are fairly simple drinkers and we are cruising right now.  My wife has recently greatly reduced amount of wine she drinks, so a bottle is lasting longer.  Am really glad I didn't do PLUS even at $40 (and I was waffling). 

 

We are on a 7+7+11 B2B2B.  With THREE mini-bar fills, I added more water bottles to second fill and not decided completely about next week.  Don't need a lot more beer.  Maybe Stewart will benefit. 

 

I brought on 6 Italian wines bought in Civitavecchia.  After 10 days, they are not finished, and I can get more in ports to replenish.  I have only been charged one corkage fee and it was odd what our waiter did.  Charged me $12 + 18% (like a drink).  Didn't know about it until saw it on cabin account. 

 

For our drinking habits, it's a no-brainer now with PLUS costing $50/pp.  Even if we are cruising alone and MedallionNet cost is doubled due to only two of us with 4-device plan, still best for us to go Standard fare.

 

[kywildcatfanone]

It's a win for the cruise line regardless of how much you drink.  If you do the math, it's worth it if you drink more than say 3 drinks a day.  That's why they have priced it where they have, they get people to pay for it, then many do not drink much, and ultimately they make more money from it. 

 

Packages are a cash cow for the cruise lines now.

[roxievegas]

I think Princess would be smart to offer non alcohol packages.  

Wifi, gratuities, and non alcohol drinks - coffee, soda

 

If the cost was $30.00 a day I think they would get people to take it and they would still make money

 

Just saying Princess - not everyone drinks alcohol

[abqmommyof4]

9 hours ago, ShakeDaddy said:

 

😜  Now that's putting the pencil plus to the princess........😘

 

On 10/2/2022 at 7:56 PM, FrugalVoyager said:

Best possible way to sail is to find a person who is on a casino comp cruise offer to get ALL your alcohol drinks at the casino and only order water/coffee/soda as an exception at the pool deck only if you must.

 

For gratuities cancel them right away when you get on board and wifi I usually knock on my neighbour's door and ask if they are using all their devices as wifi you can use multiple devices, you can piggy back off someone's device for free.

 

This way you are essentially eliminating $50/day all together, I am amazed people aren't doing this more often as I feel far superior and smarter doing these tips.

Illegal, immoral, and  socially unacceptable.

I wont start a debate about removing tips  because its been  done over and over and over

[Sail away MK]

Gratuities are $15 per day you can prepay

 

Wifi is $10 per day you can get entire cruise or sea days only

Unlimited and Affordable Internet

Choose from one-device or four-device packages, starting at just $9.99 USD when you purchase pre-cruise through the MedallionClass app. Platinum and Elite guests get an exclusive discount of 50% off.*

 

Coffee and soda package is $20 per day

 

 

Get Your Caffeine Fix

Enjoy premium and specialty coffees and teas along with fountain sodas, fruit juices, hot chocolate and “zero-proof” mocktails throughout your entire cruise with this beverage package.

The Coffee & Soda Package is $19.99 USD* per person, per day

[JeffT237]

For our upcoming second cruise with Princess we are again purchasing the Plus as we had it on our first Princess Cruise.  Great value for us even at the now $50pp per day, we always purchase Wi Fi and pre-pay gratuities anyways so although we don't drink a lot of alcohol we found with the bottled water, coffees and a few drinks a day it worked out in our favor.  Compared to what other lines charge for drink packages we find the Princess Plus bundled with tips, wi-fi and most drinks a real bargain.

[cruisingrob21]

TA group rates used to include PP as part of the package.  That is now changing with new itineraries later next year.  This means that some unadvertised TA rates will be a better discount than they sometimes have been, however PP won't be included.  But, if you dont find that PP works for you, this will be better because you'll save even more.  If you like PP, you can still get the TA group rates, and just have your TA add the PP package.  There is some customizability added too that will allow to just add for passengers 1 and 2.

 

Can't stand the way NCL does their "free" promos.  The drink package might be "free" but they usually charge an extra 30-40 per day in gratuities that gets added to the cruise fare when you select the "Free" drink promo.  Same thing with their specialty dining - extra gratuity added to cruise price.  And "free wifi" is time limited.

Edited October 11, 2022 by cruisingrob21

[Esprit]

Even with our port intensive Mediterranean cruise last summer I was "quids in" having the Princess Plus package.

A light drinker less so!

[odyssyus]

15 hours ago, jwattle said:

The word "theft" comes to mind for the alcohol and internet... I would be watching as they gave you the "time to shove off" at the next port, no refund, no accommodation, do not pass go...and hope they don't press charges. 

Don't feed him. 

[kywildcatfanone]

3 hours ago, roxievegas said:

I think Princess would be smart to offer non alcohol packages.  

Wifi, gratuities, and non alcohol drinks - coffee, soda

 

If the cost was $30.00 a day I think they would get people to take it and they would still make money

 

Just saying Princess - not everyone drinks alcohol

Yep.  Celebrity had this, it was $25/day.  But yes, if that were a package option for me, it would be what I get all day every day.

[LACruiser88]

7 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

I brought on 6 Italian wines bought in Civitavecchia.  After 10 days, they are not finished, and I can get more in ports to replenish.  I have only been charged one corkage fee and it was odd what our waiter did.  Charged me $12 + 18% (like a drink).  Didn't know about it until saw it on cabin account. 

@Steelers36  How have they been as far as bringing wine onboard in the ports?

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, LACruiser88 said:

@Steelers36  How have they been as far as bringing wine onboard in the ports?

Have not brought any back from ports of call and your question made me think and I don't recall even seeing the alcohol table after returning to the ship (not saying they weren't catching things).  I imagine wine is no issue.  I brought wine on at Civi port terminal.  Security didn't bat an eye and after clearing the scan, I saw where the wine table would be, but not manned few minutes after 10:00am.  We were boarding at 11:00am and among first on (love that).

[caribill]

12 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

I know I have posted similar, but I too have analyzed numbers.  When cruising with our friends, we share a 4-device package.  We all contribute to crew appreciation.  As always, it comes down to the drinks analysis.

 

MedallionNet is $2.50/pp/day = $5/day

Crew Appreciation = $14.50/pp/day = $29/day

SUB-TOTAL = $34/day

Drinks Balance = $66/day  (used to be $46/day)

TOTAL = $100/day (which is the new PLUS cost for two people).

 

 

 

 

9 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

It's a win for the cruise line regardless of how much you drink.  If you do the math, it's worth it if you drink more than say 3 drinks a day. 

 

Steelers36 did the math and showed for that set of circumstances if each person would spend more than $33/day on beverages in the package, the Plus package is worth getting.

[Ombud]

1 hour ago, caribill said:

Steelers36 did the math and showed for that set of circumstances if each person would spend more than $33/day on beverages in the package, the Plus package is worth getting.

Exactly.  I might spend $31.50 a day:

Wifi $5

Gratuities $14.50

At most 1 glass wine $12

Trade minibar for 2 coffee pkgs $0 (will run out on upcoming 22 day cruise) 

Total $31.50

 

I do carry 1 bottle onboard and have never been charged for additional minis in ports (187ml). Haven't carried a full bottle on mid-cruise. I guess that's $20 per website.