New military benefit: Princess Premier for the price of Princess Plus

[R&Ccruisin]

On 1/23/2023 at 12:27 PM, Hlitner said:

No. we just use a very good discount cruise agency.  But the Princess Military OBC has been a staple for many years.  Once you register with Princess (done with a DD214 or some other official document) it just works automatically on any booking as long as you use your Princess Captains Club number.  The new benefit (upgrade from Plus to Premiere) is still a question in terms of will it be permanent, temporary, etc.  We first heard about that new benefit here on CC through a post that mentioned they had heard about the benefit from their Princess rep.  Our own cruise agent, who is very experienced, told me she first heard about the benefit about 30 minutes before I had e-mailed her to check it out.

 

For whatever reason, Princess does not seem to have done anything to publicize the benefit.  But the new benefit appeared on our booking without we or our cruise agent making any request.  

 

Hank

 

 

I am sorry to continue to bother you on his subject but I am on this quest and have another idea.   Do you mind answering if you are  retired or active duty?     I saw something in one of the posts here or on line that certain people were eligible.   What certain people, I wonder?  

 

 

[Colorado Coasty]

14 minutes ago, R&Ccruisin said:

 

 

I am sorry to continue to bother you on his subject but I am on this quest and have another idea.   Do you mind answering if you are  retired or active duty?     I saw something in one of the posts here or on line that certain people were eligible.   What certain people, I wonder?  

 

 

I am retired. I sent Princess a copy of my  retired ID many years ago and have never had a problem until now. I did get the OBC for the cruise we booked earlier this month but the rest is still up in the air.

[Hlitner]

21 minutes ago, R&Ccruisin said:

 

 

I am sorry to continue to bother you on his subject but I am on this quest and have another idea.   Do you mind answering if you are  retired or active duty?     I saw something in one of the posts here or on line that certain people were eligible.   What certain people, I wonder?  

 

 

Don't mind at all and thank you for your service :).  Am simply a Vietnam Vet who served about 4 years..  The Princess Military benefits apparently include active, retired, and honorably discharged vets.  I believe (not 100% sure) that they also include folks who served in the armed forces of some of our allies.

 

Hank

 

 

[bjkTX]

51 minutes ago, R&Ccruisin said:

 

 

I am sorry to continue to bother you on his subject but I am on this quest and have another idea.   Do you mind answering if you are  retired or active duty?     I saw something in one of the posts here or on line that certain people were eligible.   What certain people, I wonder?  

 

 

From the Princess website: 

• Active personnel currently serving in the following service divisions:
  i - United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard or Reserves with a copy of a military verification certificate confirming active duty status available for free online at Servicemembers Civil Relief Act website.
  ii - Canadian National Defense -- CF1FC Silver Card with the word Veteran in the lower left corner for retired or the initials CAF for active military.
   
• Retired Personnel defined as A) enlisted personnel or officers with a minimum of 20 years of service, B) medically retired, or C) 100% disabled. Proper identification for United States is DD214, WD AGO (War Department Adjunct General Form) or NAVPERS (Naval Personnel Discharge Form). For Canadians, NDI 75 - Record of Service Identification Card or CF 75 or certificate of discharge; is used.
   
• Veterans with an Honorable Discharge serving a minimum of 2 years or 6 months in an active war zone in any of the United States service divisions listed above or in the Canadian National Defense. Proper identification in the form of a DD 214, plus a current photo ID is required. For Canadians, Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) Health Identification Card is used.

[R&Ccruisin]

1 hour ago, bjkTX said:

From the Princess website: 

• Active personnel currently serving in the following service divisions:
  i - United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard or Reserves with a copy of a military verification certificate confirming active duty status available for free online at Servicemembers Civil Relief Act website.
  ii - Canadian National Defense -- CF1FC Silver Card with the word Veteran in the lower left corner for retired or the initials CAF for active military.
   
• Retired Personnel defined as A) enlisted personnel or officers with a minimum of 20 years of service, B) medically retired, or C) 100% disabled. Proper identification for United States is DD214, WD AGO (War Department Adjunct General Form) or NAVPERS (Naval Personnel Discharge Form). For Canadians, NDI 75 - Record of Service Identification Card or CF 75 or certificate of discharge; is used.
   
• Veterans with an Honorable Discharge serving a minimum of 2 years or 6 months in an active war zone in any of the United States service divisions listed above or in the Canadian National Defense. Proper identification in the form of a DD 214, plus a current photo ID is required. For Canadians, Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) Health Identification Card is used.

 

Yes, I agree but from a conversation with Princess I was told the T&C's on this particular promotion code, part of the BSE campaign carries an additional requirement of "licensed teacher or active military".   She checked two additional cruises for me within the parameters of the BSE campaign which ends 1/31 and neither one loaded the promo code.   Not sure I am finished on my quest yet but she would not forward that info to me so until I can find it in writing not sure where to go next.      Except to change TA's and book with Hank's agent (lol).

[R&Ccruisin]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

Don't mind at all and thank you for your service :).  Am simply a Vietnam Vet who served about 4 years..  The Princess Military benefits apparently include active, retired, and honorably discharged vets.  I believe (not 100% sure) that they also include folks who served in the armed forces of some of our allies.

 

Hank

 

 

 

I am remiss.  Thank you for your service to our country.   My husband is a Vietnam vet with a total of 24 years active and reserve.  

 

Thank you also for your service to this conversation and your insight.   Maybe you would like to share your travel agents info.   They seem to be on top of their game.   

 

Carol

[Ken the cruiser]

On 1/17/2023 at 6:36 PM, ChangeOrder said:

It works! My TA was able to re-fare my March 2024 cruise to get this new benefit, and I saved a bit from a slight fare drop. All I gave her was the screenshot from OP. 
 

I’ll post any proof of the benefit from the Princess site once it shows up in my personalizer.
 

Edit: It must have required a full re-book, as I can see my booking code is different now. 

We just booked a new July 2023 Princess cruise and the Princess “manager” our TA talked with said there was no such promotion. There isn’t by chance a promotion code listed on your Princess confirmation associated with the new Plus to Premier promotion?

[Ken the cruiser]

On 1/20/2023 at 4:45 PM, Hlitner said:

We just did a new booking (Sky Princess) on 1/18.  It was done, online, using my cruise agencies booking engine (which immediately flows to the Princess system).   I booked the Princess Plus option and am a Veteran who has been registered with Princess for many years.  I just checked our reservation (on the Princess site) and we were automatically given our $250 military OBC and our Princess Plus was upgraded to Princess Premiere.  

 

We did not make any special request.  Once a Veteran has established their bona fides (generally with a DD214) with Princess it is tied to the Captain's Club number.  On subsequent bookings the credit is given without any additional verification (in most cases).  It seems like this new benefit (Plus to Premiere) now works in a similar manner.

 

Hank

 

If I might ask you the same question. We just booked a new July 2024 Princess cruise through our TA and the Princess “manager” our TA talked with said there was no such promotion. There isn’t by chance a promotion code listed on your Princess confirmation associated with the new Plus to Premier promotion?

[Ken the cruiser]

On 1/17/2023 at 7:00 PM, ChangeOrder said:

Here is the relevant part from my new Princess receipt. 

Just to follow-up on this post of yours if I might. Was there any type of promotion code listed in the COMMENTS section or any other place on your Princess confirmation that my TA might be able to use to prove that this military promotion actually exists? Just trying to formulate some "evidence" for our TA to show the "manager' she talked with today who said it doesn't exist. Fun fact: She talked with a different "manager" last week when I was refaring a different booking who told her the promotion is only valid with new bookings. 

 

 

[R&Ccruisin]

50 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Just to follow-up on this post of yours if I might. Was there any type of promotion code listed in the COMMENTS section or any other place on your Princess confirmation that my TA might be able to use to prove that this military promotion actually exists? Just trying to formulate some "evidence" for our TA to show the "manager' she talked with today who said it doesn't exist. Fun fact: She talked with a different "manager" last week when I was refaring a different booking who told her the promotion is only valid with new bookings. 

 

 

 

I was told the code is mgr   or   maybe mrg.   She said mgr a couple times and mrg once.   I think mgr.   

 

 

[Hlitner]

Our Princess account clearly shows the Premiere stuff and simply says "complements."  Since we do not book direct with Princess we do not get an invoice directly from Princess which might display the codes.  We also have two other invoices from our cruise agency which clearly show the Premiere Package added, but there are no displayed codes.  The normal $250 Military OBC also shows on our Princess account and invoices.

 

I will reiterate that we booked a 14 day cruise, with the Plus package, and the Premiere Package showed on all of our invoices and Princess account, the following day.  Neither our cruise agent (who we have used for years) or we made any kind of special request.   We first learned of this military credit from a post here on CC, and our cruise agent learned about it a few minutes before she noticed it had been applied to our account.

 

My cruise agent and I assume that if one has the military credit info on their Princess file, and they book a cruise with the "Plus" package, that the rest is automatic.

 

Here is a link to a CC post on the subject

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2902222-new-military-benefit-princess-premier-for-the-price-of-princess-plus/

 

Hank

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

I'm on the Princess Live Chat right now and "Nikko" is trying to get us the promotion but it's taking some time as he is continually having to reach out for advice.

 

Here's what Nikko just found out, and as they say the devil is in the details!

 

Thank you for patiently waiting, Ken. I've tried to check further to see why we are unable to apply this promotion, it's because this offer is only applicable for Mexican Rivera with La Paz cruise on Emerald Princess, Classic California Coast Cruise on Emerald Princess, Eastern Caribbean with Puerto Rico Cruise on Regal Princess, Panama Canal with Costa Rica& Caribbean Cruise on Emerald Princess, Canada & New England Cruise on Emerald Princess, Mediterranean with France & Italy Cruise on Enchanted Princess, Inside Passage (with Glacier Bay National Park) Cruise on Royal Princess, Alaska Cruisetour AAX Cruise on Grand Princess.

[vjmatty]

18 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I'm on the Princess Live Chat right now and "Nikko" is trying to get us the promotion but it's taking some time as he is continually having to reach out for advice.

 

Here's what Nikko just found out, and as they say the devil is in the details!

 

Thank you for patiently waiting, Ken. I've tried to check further to see why we are unable to apply this promotion, it's because this offer is only applicable for Mexican Rivera with La Paz cruise on Emerald Princess, Classic California Coast Cruise on Emerald Princess, Eastern Caribbean with Puerto Rico Cruise on Regal Princess, Panama Canal with Costa Rica& Caribbean Cruise on Emerald Princess, Canada & New England Cruise on Emerald Princess, Mediterranean with France & Italy Cruise on Enchanted Princess, Inside Passage (with Glacier Bay National Park) Cruise on Royal Princess, Alaska Cruisetour AAX Cruise on Grand Princess.

 

Well that explains it.  Thank you for this, I could not find a listing of which cruises apply for this promotion.  Ours is a transatlantic on Island in 2024 so now I can stop pursuing this.

[PurpleHays]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I'm on the Princess Live Chat right now and "Nikko" is trying to get us the promotion but it's taking some time as he is continually having to reach out for advice.

 

Here's what Nikko just found out, and as they say the devil is in the details!

 

Thank you for patiently waiting, Ken. I've tried to check further to see why we are unable to apply this promotion, it's because this offer is only applicable for Mexican Rivera with La Paz cruise on Emerald Princess, Classic California Coast Cruise on Emerald Princess, Eastern Caribbean with Puerto Rico Cruise on Regal Princess, Panama Canal with Costa Rica& Caribbean Cruise on Emerald Princess, Canada & New England Cruise on Emerald Princess, Mediterranean with France & Italy Cruise on Enchanted Princess, Inside Passage (with Glacier Bay National Park) Cruise on Royal Princess, Alaska Cruisetour AAX Cruise on Grand Princess.

Hmm. I'm on one of these, but it was already booked. Ugh.

[R&Ccruisin]

2 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I'm on the Princess Live Chat right now and "Nikko" is trying to get us the promotion but it's taking some time as he is continually having to reach out for advice.

 

Here's what Nikko just found out, and as they say the devil is in the details!

 

Thank you for patiently waiting, Ken. I've tried to check further to see why we are unable to apply this promotion, it's because this offer is only applicable for Mexican Rivera with La Paz cruise on Emerald Princess, Classic California Coast Cruise on Emerald Princess, Eastern Caribbean with Puerto Rico Cruise on Regal Princess, Panama Canal with Costa Rica& Caribbean Cruise on Emerald Princess, Canada & New England Cruise on Emerald Princess, Mediterranean with France & Italy Cruise on Enchanted Princess, Inside Passage (with Glacier Bay National Park) Cruise on Royal Princess, Alaska Cruisetour AAX Cruise on Grand Princess.

 

And I was told active military and licensed teachers only which as proven inaccurate.   We know it is who to talk to.    Anxiously awaiting news if he was able to work it out for you.   

[HaveDogWillTravel]

2 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I'm on the Princess Live Chat right now and "Nikko" is trying to get us the promotion but it's taking some time as he is continually having to reach out for advice.

 

Here's what Nikko just found out, and as they say the devil is in the details!

 

Thank you for patiently waiting, Ken. I've tried to check further to see why we are unable to apply this promotion, it's because this offer is only applicable for Mexican Rivera with La Paz cruise on Emerald Princess, Classic California Coast Cruise on Emerald Princess, Eastern Caribbean with Puerto Rico Cruise on Regal Princess, Panama Canal with Costa Rica& Caribbean Cruise on Emerald Princess, Canada & New England Cruise on Emerald Princess, Mediterranean with France & Italy Cruise on Enchanted Princess, Inside Passage (with Glacier Bay National Park) Cruise on Royal Princess, Alaska Cruisetour AAX Cruise on Grand Princess.

Just to follow up on my pre post on this thread last week. I am still waiting for a definitive answer from my CVP. He hasn’t ignored me, we’ve discussed this and he is pushing harder past the immediate “active only” reply he gets from Customer Relations. The cruise we want is definitely included on the promo and my DH is a veteran registered with princess who routinely gets the other military benefit of OBC. 
 

I will report back when all is said and done. 

[SKCruiser007]

My advice is to ask your TA to simply refare your booking from Princess Plus to Princess Premier using Best Sale Ever. I think the code is NZR. Worked for me today. All the Premier benefits are now listed on the booking.

[Thrak]

It is truly appalling how many uninformed and clueless employees are with Princess Cruises.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

4 hours ago, SKCruiser007 said:

My advice is to ask your TA to simply refare your booking from Princess Plus to Princess Premier using Best Sale Ever. I think the code is NZR. Worked for me today. All the Premier benefits are now listed on the booking.

I did and we will see what happens. Thank you. 

[ChangeOrder]

My cruise is not on that list, and all I gave my TA was the original screenshot of the promotion that OP posted.

 

There is nothing in any of my Princess nor TA paperwork that shows a promotion code of any kind. There is no wording in anything I can see that shows I have a special military promotion applied. I simply have all of the line items of the "gift" items in the screenshot I posted above.

 

For those having trouble booking, does the Veteran perhaps need to be the primary person on the booking? 

[Ken the cruiser]

51 minutes ago, ChangeOrder said:

My cruise is not on that list, and all I gave my TA was the original screenshot of the promotion that OP posted.

 

There is nothing in any of my Princess nor TA paperwork that shows a promotion code of any kind. There is no wording in anything I can see that shows I have a special military promotion applied. I simply have all of the line items of the "gift" items in the screenshot I posted above.

 

For those having trouble booking, does the Veteran perhaps need to be the primary person on the booking? 

Both my DW and I are retired military, so that rules out if the primary person has to be the veteran.  Personally for us after getting the above answer regarding the limited number of applicable cruises from the Online Chat, we’re done. The minor upgrade perks, to include the 2 SR dinners just isn’t worth all the agony, especially since it’s not listed anywhere on the website. 

[ED49404]

Just booked a 14-day cruise for Feb 2024.  I asked my TA to book it through the Princess Plus package and see if Princess will upgrade it to the Princess Premium.  When my TA confirmed the reservation, I asked her if Princess upgraded us to the Premium package.  The TA stated, "it was put on your booking because you had the offer as a veteran" and also the $250 OBC.  Apparently, according to my TA, Princess sent out the offer to all their Military Benefit cruisers.  Since there was no expiration date, I hoping this will be a permanent benefit.

[Ken the cruiser]

21 minutes ago, ED49404 said:

Just booked a 14-day cruise for Feb 2024.  I asked my TA to book it through the Princess Plus package and see if Princess will upgrade it to the Princess Premium.  When my TA confirmed the reservation, I asked her if Princess upgraded us to the Premium package.  The TA stated, "it was put on your booking because you had the offer as a veteran" and also the $250 OBC.  Apparently, according to my TA, Princess sent out the offer to all their Military Benefit cruisers.  Since there was no expiration date, I hoping this will be a permanent benefit.

If I might ask, is your itinerary one of those I listed at post 137? Also, is there anyway your TA can provide you with that offer Princess sent out to all of their Military Benefit cruisers, of which none of us have received (except for the OP)?

Edited January 27, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[ED49404]

13 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

If I might ask, is your itinerary one of those I listed at post 137? Also, is there anyway your TA can provide you with that offer Princess sent out to all of their Military Benefit cruisers, of which none of us have received (except for the OP)?

No - on the itinerary post 137.  But it is on the Emerald for the14 day Caribbean.  My TA did not know of this offer.  I sent her a copy of mine, which is the same that has been shown first on this thread.  We have been looking at this itinerary for a long time now and did not think this promotion was good enough, we are not big drinkers and were deciding on the Standard or the Plus package and were going to wait to see if there would be a better offer later.  The TA put in the booking and that was the response she got from Princess.  Our TA just submitted the booking like she normally does and didn't have any problems.  

 

[Happy2cruise]

Never received a letter regarding this promo and my husband is a veteran.