Princess raising prices of plus and premier packages

[wrongwaywatson]

1 hour ago, billco said:

Good grief!

Good grief?  Why so rude?  People are discussing what they think of the rate increase and if they think it is worth it.  For us, it isn't with the price increase. We don't drink enough.  

 

Edited December 2, 2022 by wrongwaywatson

[billco]

20 minutes ago, wrongwaywatson said:

Good grief?  Why so rude?  People are discussing what they think of the rate increase and if they think it is worth it.  For us, it isn't with the price increase. We don't drink enough.  

 

Then why do you keep buying it?

[wrongwaywatson]

I bought it the past 2 cruises because it wasn't much more than buying the cruise, wifi, gratuities, coffee card and soda card, because our fares were discounted enough from our TA.  With the price increase, and possibly higher fares, that won't be the case.

[billco]

1 minute ago, wrongwaywatson said:

I bought it the past 2 cruises because it wasn't much more than buying the cruise, wifi, gratuities, coffee card and soda card, because our fares were discounted enough from our TA.  With the price increase, and possibly higher fares, that won't be the case.

I apologize. I was rude.

[wrongwaywatson]

1 minute ago, billco said:

I apologize. I was rude.

No worries.  Sometimes people come across rude or blunt on the internet, because it is hard to tell intent when we type.  I know I sometimes do!

[JimmyVWine]

10 hours ago, Tedferg said:

Just curious, what do you use internet for on a cruise?

To keep my Wordle streak going. That’s about it. 😁

[JimmyVWine]

12 hours ago, minnesotasisu said:

The article mentioned some new fancy desserts. Will this be only for those who paid the extra new price or will it also be available for those who already have the packages? Asking for a friend.

We shall see, but I have a hard time believing that the MDR servers (or the program coders) are going to be bothered with trying to figure out if a diner has Plus_1.0; Plus_2.0; Premium_1.0 or Premium_2.0. Nothing in it for them. Much easier to grandfather in everyone who has a package. 

[wrongwaywatson]

12 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

To keep my Wordle streak going. That’s about it. 😁

We were doing Wordle on our recent cruise, 😁

 

[capriccio]

"Two premium crafted desserts and two fitness classes/day, unlimited juices, and free shipping of Medallions prior to cruises are the new additions to the Princess Plus package."

 

I read that and thought to myself, aren't unlimited juices already included in the Princess Plus package?  Sure enough according to the current on-line description https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/food-and-dining/beverages/ :

"Cocktails, wine by the glass, beer, specialty coffees fountain sodas, water to go, juices, fruity mocktails and crafted cocktails by Mixologist Rob Floyd."

 

Nothing like trying to proclaim an additional benefit when it already exists!

Edited December 2, 2022 by capriccio

[cr8tiv1]

Dear Princess,

 

How about enhancing some of the suite perks for your passengers?  I'm paying much more than the premier beverage package and only getting a complimentary mini-bar (and granted, a few "extra" perks).  I would like to be included in the reserved theater seating group.  How much would that cost your bottom line? 

 

Thank you. 

Your loyal and obedient servant.

[caribill]

15 hours ago, Tedferg said:

Just curious, what do you use internet for on a cruise? I use it a lot at home but on a cruise, apart from occasional check of email. I see no purpose. I can always check email in port.

 

a) communication with vendors of private excursions

b) access to credit card web sites to monitor the foreign transactions during the cruise

c) on longer voyages, access to web sites for bill paying including credit cards

[caribill]

14 hours ago, PRINCESS Sweet Pea said:

  Wonder how much seating will be blocked off for that?  But, that is only for the premium package.

 

 

Another question is where in the theater the reserved area will be.

 

Not all passengers like to sit in the same area. Some like up front, some in the middle, some in the rear. I assume they would just have one area set aside, so not all those eligible will like where that area is.

 

Before this new price increase, Princess expected that 25% of passengers would book the Premier package, so on the larger ships, that could be more than the capacity of the Princess theater for a single show time.

[caribill]

7 hours ago, wrongwaywatson said:

With all of the desserts in the dining room, IC and buffet, why would 2 additional desserts be a selling point?  Makes no sense to me.

 

 

With the advent of specialty dining, food options in the main dining rooms decreased in offerings and quality.

 

Princess has already reduced the the number and types of deserts in the MDR. The Premier package desserts (I assume available to everyone else for a price) could mean even less desert variety in the MDR and buffet.

[MissP22]

9 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

In practice, you will most likely find those held seats will be opened up a couple minutes before showtime.  I really doubt they are going to keep a row of prime seats open for an entire show if not claimed.

On the Enchanted they held 2 or 3 rows of seating in the middle center right in front of the railing for the parents & guests of the performers since it was the first time they were working together. They didn't remove the reserved signs throughout the whole performance. 

 

[2catsand2kids]

Does anyone know if this price increase will also apply to those booking from the UK? We currently have to pay £40 for plus and I haven’t yet added it to my cruise for next July but will do it now if the price is going to increase. 

[wrongwaywatson]

3 hours ago, MissP22 said:

On the Enchanted they held 2 or 3 rows of seating in the middle center right in front of the railing for the parents & guests of the performers since it was the first time they were working together. They didn't remove the reserved signs throughout the whole performance. 

 

We were wondering what those were for!

[MissP22]

1 minute ago, wrongwaywatson said:

We were wondering what those were for!

I suppose we'll be seeing a large section being reserved in the future depending on how many people sign up for this new program. I wonder how (or if) they'll release those seats to the general public at some point before the show begins. 

We always get there early anyway so it doesn't bother me one bit. 

[SargassoPirate]

As with any "enhancement" or "for your convenience", it's wise to put the pencil to it with big consideration to your own personal cruise style.  Sometimes I do Plus and others it's steerage since I get a mini bar setup anyway.

[mfanderso]

Royal Caribbean has a roped off section of seats reserved for Suite passengers.  About 5 minutes before the show, the seats are released to others.  Maybe Princess will handle it like that.

[caribill]

1 hour ago, mfanderso said:

Royal Caribbean has a roped off section of seats reserved for Suite passengers.  About 5 minutes before the show, the seats are released to others.  Maybe Princess will handle it like that.

 

So, do people line up hoping to get one of the released seats or do people who are already seated relocate to the newly released seats when they see they are available?

[Tedferg]

16 hours ago, justafem said:

I'm self employed and have to answer questions.  And I like to play games. 

I understand, thanks and thanks to other responders. It's just that we rarely used our free platinum minutes, previously. So, when considering packages Wi Fi is a non-event for us, especially with poor response times.

[Tedferg]

13 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

To keep my Wordle streak going. That’s about it. 😁

Our Wordle experience is with granddaughter in the back seat on a long drive 🙂

[crawford]

Seems like Princess is not keeping up with the times except when it comes to increasing prices. The latest BF/CM sale (?) was a joke.  Maybe it's just me, but reading CC boards and following some cruise vloggers, other lines are making some nice changes to their brands. IMHO, Princess seems to trying to be the new HAL, with HAL going in the right direction. 

 

[MissP22]

25 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

So, do people line up hoping to get one of the released seats or do people who are already seated relocate to the newly released seats when they see they are available?

Good question.

In the case of Princess there should be many more seats in question depending on how many bought into the package.

I suppose we'll see a mad scramble for seating depending on what time the seats are released for "open seating".

It should provide for some interesting entertainment before the main show. 😁🤪🤪

[caribill]

3 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

 

In the case of Princess there should be many more seats in question depending on how many bought into the package.

 

 

Princess expects about 25% of bookings to include the Premier package.

 

So for a ship like the Royal class with around 3600 passengers, that could be 900 seats needed.

 

Of course they will not reserve 900 seats at a performance for this, so like DMW which promises you a time to show up and be seated, but no table is available when you show up, many who book the Premier package will be disappointed when they cannot get the reserved seating they paid extra to get.