Princess Plus and Family of 5 w/ 2 Staterooms.

[enzeno]

We are booked on an Alaskan cruise on Princess with a couple of families.  We are being told two different things when it comes to the way Princess Plus works.  

 

We are a family of 5 (3 kids under 18) which means we have to get two state rooms.  So we just wanted to get Princess Plus for the adults.  This kids do not need a package.  We had to put one adult in each stateroom so just 1 person in those rooms would get Princess Plus.  We called and they set this up for us no issue.  We will just pay gratuities for the 3 kids.

 

However, friends that are going with us are in a similar situation are being told that the first 2 people in the cabin HAVE to get plus regardless of the situation, even though they are minors, and are being charged the same thing as adults. 

 

Has anyone else been in this scenario?  What has Princess done?  It seems rather unfair after already booking 2 rooms because we have 5 people to then also require princess plus for 4 out our 5 instead of just the 2 adults.

 

Would love any feedback you may have.  Thanks!

[memoak]

As far as I know the first 2 in a room have you get Princess Plus or no one can get it. If the person number 3 is a minor they get the no alcohol version

[malba2366]

The terms and conditions state "One guest’s participation in Princess Plus may be dependent on the other guest in his/her stateroom’s participation, as determined by booking method."  You were able to get it, so they are obviously making exceptions in certain circumstances.  Unfortunately not all of the representatives at Princess are on the same page, so it may take repeated calls for your friends to get the plus package just for the two adults.

[cr8tiv1]

Haven't looked it up, but it has been mentioned a couple of times.  Families traveling together are able to have the adults in one room and children in nearby cabins or adjoining cabins.  

 

Maybe someone can chime in on this.

[nattie]

I was told the same thing, both people in the cabin have to get Plus/Premier. We have 2 cabins with DH and I in each plus a kid. I bought Plus for one cabin and Premier for the other (it was cheaper to buy Plus that pay gratuities/soda package/internet separately). My plan is to ask Guest Services to switch my son with my DH on the premier package since DH will actually be staying in cabin with me. Hopefully this will work.

[enzeno]

Nattie, please let us know how this turns out.  It really is bad that you would have to wait until you get on the ship to know how it is going to be.  When do you cruise?

[Steelers36]

On 3/14/2023 at 1:31 PM, enzeno said:

We are booked on an Alaskan cruise on Princess with a couple of families.  We are being told two different things when it comes to the way Princess Plus works.  

 

We are a family of 5 (3 kids under 18) which means we have to get two state rooms.  So we just wanted to get Princess Plus for the adults.  This kids do not need a package.  We had to put one adult in each stateroom so just 1 person in those rooms would get Princess Plus.  We called and they set this up for us no issue.  We will just pay gratuities for the 3 kids.

 

However, friends that are going with us are in a similar situation are being told that the first 2 people in the cabin HAVE to get plus regardless of the situation, even though they are minors, and are being charged the same thing as adults. 

 

Has anyone else been in this scenario?  What has Princess done?  It seems rather unfair after already booking 2 rooms because we have 5 people to then also require princess plus for 4 out our 5 instead of just the 2 adults.

 

Would love any feedback you may have.  Thanks!

 

On 3/14/2023 at 8:22 PM, nattie said:

I was told the same thing, both people in the cabin have to get Plus/Premier. We have 2 cabins with DH and I in each plus a kid. I bought Plus for one cabin and Premier for the other (it was cheaper to buy Plus that pay gratuities/soda package/internet separately). My plan is to ask Guest Services to switch my son with my DH on the premier package since DH will actually be staying in cabin with me. Hopefully this will work.

IMO, parents with kids shouldn't sweat this any longer.  Just book Standard fare and then order either Plus or Premier package on board.  

 

 

Edited March 17, 2023 by Steelers36

[Steelers36]

On 3/14/2023 at 4:55 PM, cr8tiv1 said:

Haven't looked it up, but it has been mentioned a couple of times.  Families traveling together are able to have the adults in one room and children in nearby cabins or adjoining cabins.  

 

Maybe someone can chime in on this.

My understanding has been that technically, you cannot have just kids under certain age in a cabin - although we know this happens on the ships.  To get past booking restrictions, parents book Mom + Kiddo1 and Dad + Kiddo2 and then swap cabins on board.  The details about age of kids and such are in Passage Contract I believe.

 

[cr8tiv1]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

My understanding has been that technically, you cannot have just kids under certain age in a cabin - although we know this happens on the ships.  To get past booking restrictions, parents book Mom + Kiddo1 and Dad + Kiddo2 and then swap cabins on board.  The details about age of kids and such are in Passage Contract I believe.

If this is the requirement, then they would still need to purchase at least 4 beverage packages?  
 

cabin 1:  mom + kiddo 1

cabin 2:  dad + kiddo 2

 

Princess will get their $$$$ one way or another.  

[reedprincess]

30 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

If this is the requirement, then they would still need to purchase at least 4 beverage packages?  
 

cabin 1:  mom + kiddo 1

cabin 2:  dad + kiddo 2

 

Princess will get their $$$$ one way or another.  

Stand-alone beverage packages do not have to be booked by all in a cabin, or none can buy. Or even all in a cabin having to have a beverage package of some sort.

So, cabin 1 - mom can buy beverage package and kiddo 1 doesn't have to have any. Same for cabin 2.

 

However, if the OP is talking Princess Cruise packages, Plus and Premier, with the gratuities, beverage package, wifi, and so forth all bundled together, then yes, the current rule is that passengers 1+2 have to have same package, and minors are defaulted to the Zero Alcohol package versus the Plus or Premier beverage package .. any additional guests do not have to purchase the cruise package..

 

Some the OP doesn't specify whether they're talking stand-alone Plus beverage packages or the bundled fare Plus Cruise package, were left to guess.

 

And curses, again and again, on Princess for calling them the same thing and complicating something that should be quite easy to sort out . 

 

@Steelers36 is 100% correct. Easiest and least stressful way to handle it is to book everyone under Standard fare and the OP and spouse buy Plus or Premier once aboard. No mess, no fuss. No bump in insurance if OP buys Princess insurance.. can have once applied of bought aboard. And so forth.

Removes any issues of who's in what cabin, kids being minors, blah blah blah...

 

[enzeno]

Thanks for the responses everyone.  As said in the original post, when I called Princess they let me set it up just as we wanted.  Which is the adult in each room gets the "Bundled Fair" Cruise package and the kids have none.  The other couple is being told otherwise, the the first two passengers in each cabin MUST be plus booked regardless of them being minors.

So I appreciate the thought that you can just set this up once you get on the ship.  I had not done a drink package or any cruise for that matter with Princess, and I know that normally these packages are discounted sometimes heavily by booking them in advance.  Maybe Princess has the same price for the package, pre-cruise or once you get on the boat?

 

@reedprincess I was unaware that there was a standalone plus drink package vs the plus booked cabin packages.  The only one I was referring to was the larger plus package that includes alcohol, some deserts or something and some other minor perks.  The only stand alone ones I was aware of was the Classic Soda package and the no alcohol package.  Any further detail on this would be appreciated, because we really only want the drink package anyway... The rest of the perks that come with "plus" booked cabin are not that important to us.

 

In the end, absolutely agree this is overly complicated, and very frustrating to navigate especially when not even the Princess customer service agents are not all on the same page.  As the first time booking princess this has not been a good process.

[Steelers36]

3 minutes ago, enzeno said:

Thanks for the responses everyone.  As said in the original post, when I called Princess they let me set it up just as we wanted.  Which is the adult in each room gets the "Bundled Fair" Cruise package and the kids have none.  The other couple is being told otherwise, the the first two passengers in each cabin MUST be plus booked regardless of them being minors.

So I appreciate the thought that you can just set this up once you get on the ship.  I had not done a drink package or any cruise for that matter with Princess, and I know that normally these packages are discounted sometimes heavily by booking them in advance.  Maybe Princess has the same price for the package, pre-cruise or once you get on the boat?

 

@reedprincess I was unaware that there was a standalone plus drink package vs the plus booked cabin packages.  The only one I was referring to was the larger plus package that includes alcohol, some deserts or something and some other minor perks.  The only stand alone ones I was aware of was the Classic Soda package and the no alcohol package.  Any further detail on this would be appreciated, because we really only want the drink package anyway... The rest of the perks that come with "plus" booked cabin are not that important to us.

 

In the end, absolutely agree this is overly complicated, and very frustrating to navigate especially when not even the Princess customer service agents are not all on the same page.  As the first time booking princess this has not been a good process.

No one HAS to book with the Plus or Premier package.  Princess offers the "no frills" Standard and you pay separately for Crew Appreciation, MedallionNet Internet, and any drinks.  NEVER think of purchasing the stand-alone drink packages - they are way over-priced and you may as well book the Cruise Fare option Plus/Premier.

 

If Princess will allow two adults booked in Cabin 1 and two kids booked in Cabin 2 - the kids can be booked Standard. Parents can book Plus or Standard.  It is up to you to figure out if the additional $60/pp/day is of value (depends on your spending habits on the ship, particularly amount and which type of beverages).

 

Princess Plus is $60/pp/day and Premier $80/pp/day and same price pre-cruise as on-board.  Perhaps you might find a sales promo with a TA that discounts the Plus, but then do they also discount the Standard.  It's just a math exercise.  Assuming you use Internet, that is $15/day and Crew Incentive is $16/pp/day.  You could have one adult upgrade from the 1-device internet to 4-devices and then the kids don't need an internet package on their own. They do need to pay the $16 Crew Incentive. 

 

Family Internet = $15 + $15 + $25 = $55

Crew Appreciation = $16 x 4 = $64

Beverages = $??/day

 

[TN-Mountains]

3 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

 

IMO, parents with kids shouldn't sweat this any longer.  Just book Standard fare and then order either Plus or Premier package on board.  

 

 

I haven't checked the boards in a week, so maybe this question has already been answered...but I thought in one of the "live from" posts it was confirmed that even when purchasing Princess Plus or Premier onboard, guests 1 & 2 both had to purchase them.  I thought it was just the plus/premier beverage packages that could be purchased by a single cabin occupant.  I really hope I missed an update and someone else confirmed this not to be the case!  

[reedprincess]

13 minutes ago, enzeno said:

Thanks for the responses everyone.  As said in the original post, when I called Princess they let me set it up just as we wanted.  Which is the adult in each room gets the "Bundled Fair" Cruise package and the kids have none.  The other couple is being told otherwise, the the first two passengers in each cabin MUST be plus booked regardless of them being minors.

So I appreciate the thought that you can just set this up once you get on the ship.  I had not done a drink package or any cruise for that matter with Princess, and I know that normally these packages are discounted sometimes heavily by booking them in advance.  Maybe Princess has the same price for the package, pre-cruise or once you get on the boat?

 

@reedprincess I was unaware that there was a standalone plus drink package vs the plus booked cabin packages.  The only one I was referring to was the larger plus package that includes alcohol, some deserts or something and some other minor perks.  The only stand alone ones I was aware of was the Classic Soda package and the no alcohol package.  Any further detail on this would be appreciated, because we really only want the drink package anyway... The rest of the perks that come with "plus" booked cabin are not that important to us.

 

In the end, absolutely agree this is overly complicated, and very frustrating to navigate especially when not even the Princess customer service agents are not all on the same page.  As the first time booking princess this has not been a good process.

The Plus and Premier stand-alone beverage packages are actually more expensive than the Plus and Premier cruise packages (bundled fare packages)

Plus beverage package is $64.99+18% gratuity per night. (76.69)

Premier stand-alone beverage package is $84.99+18% gratuity per night. ($100.28)

 

It's ridiculous that Princess named the Cruise Packages same as beverage packages as it creates endless confusion. 

 

Princess has not ever discounted beverage packages in advance of sailing, unlike other cruise lines. It's the same price whether in advance or onboard..

Same for the cruise fare packages, ie bundled fares. $60/80 whether in advance or aboard... 

Edited March 17, 2023 by reedprincess

[TN-Mountains]

On 3/14/2023 at 1:31 PM, enzeno said:

We are booked on an Alaskan cruise on Princess with a couple of families.  We are being told two different things when it comes to the way Princess Plus works.  

 

We are a family of 5 (3 kids under 18) which means we have to get two state rooms.  So we just wanted to get Princess Plus for the adults.  This kids do not need a package.  We had to put one adult in each stateroom so just 1 person in those rooms would get Princess Plus.  We called and they set this up for us no issue.  We will just pay gratuities for the 3 kids.

 

However, friends that are going with us are in a similar situation are being told that the first 2 people in the cabin HAVE to get plus regardless of the situation, even though they are minors, and are being charged the same thing as adults. 

 

Has anyone else been in this scenario?  What has Princess done?  It seems rather unfair after already booking 2 rooms because we have 5 people to then also require princess plus for 4 out our 5 instead of just the 2 adults.

 

Would love any feedback you may have.  Thanks!

I don't know the answer, but as another family of 5, I'll be following this!  Any chance you are booked in connecting cabins and your friends aren't?  If so, maybe they do allow both adults to be booked in one cabin and all the kids in the other?  

[enzeno]

@Steelers36To clarify, I know that plus or premier are not required, I was just saying that they were being told that the first two(adult and child) would have to book plus even if only the adult wanted it.  They were not allowing just one passenger in the room to get plus.

 

Princess did not allow all kids to be in the same cabin without an adult, which is why this is even an issue in the first place.

[Happiest when cruising]

1 hour ago, reedprincess said:

Stand-alone beverage packages do not have to be booked by all in a cabin, or none can buy. Or even all in a cabin having to have a beverage package of some sort.

So, cabin 1 - mom can buy beverage package and kiddo 1 doesn't have to have any. Same for cabin 2.

 

However, if the OP is talking Princess Cruise packages, Plus and Premier, with the gratuities, beverage package, wifi, and so forth all bundled together, then yes, the current rule is that passengers 1+2 have to have same package, and minors are defaulted to the Zero Alcohol package versus the Plus or Premier beverage package .. any additional guests do not have to purchase the cruise package..

 

Some the OP doesn't specify whether they're talking stand-alone Plus beverage packages or the bundled fare Plus Cruise package, were left to guess.

 

And curses, again and again, on Princess for calling them the same thing and complicating something that should be quite easy to sort out . 

 

@Steelers36 is 100% correct. Easiest and least stressful way to handle it is to book everyone under Standard fare and the OP and spouse buy Plus or Premier once aboard. No mess, no fuss. No bump in insurance if OP buys Princess insurance.. can have once applied of bought aboard. And so forth.

Removes any issues of who's in what cabin, kids being minors, blah blah blah...

 

Persons number number one and two in a cabin have to upgrade, even if you wait until you board. 
 

I believe that an experienced rep, can make the bookings work. It would take entering some incorrect ages to start with and some fiddling around, but it could be done. In the end, one cabin with standard fare, one with booking package of choice. 

[nattie]

8 hours ago, enzeno said:

Nattie, please let us know how this turns out.  It really is bad that you would have to wait until you get on the ship to know how it is going to be.  When do you cruise?

We are almost there 🙂 Sailing on April 2nd

[cjpj]

I thought if you purchased the Plus or Premier on board, you didn't have to follow the all people in the room stuff. So you could purchase on board, but only on day 1 or day 2.

[startedwithamouse]

4 hours ago, enzeno said:

@Steelers36To clarify, I know that plus or premier are not required, I was just saying that they were being told that the first two(adult and child) would have to book plus even if only the adult wanted it.  They were not allowing just one passenger in the room to get plus.

 

Princess did not allow all kids to be in the same cabin without an adult, which is why this is even an issue in the first place.

They do. One of the kids has to be 16. 

[wallyj]

23 minutes ago, cjpj said:

I thought if you purchased the Plus or Premier on board, you didn't have to follow the all people in the room stuff. So you could purchase on board, but only on day 1 or day 2.

This is why many have wondered why Princess has the same name for the ‘stand alone’  beverage package and the bundle with WiFi and Tips. 
 

My understanding is you can buy the stand alone Plus or Premier beverage package on day 1 and passenger2 does not. This really is for when passenger2 does not drink alcohol or other drinks and you should do the math if this will work for your situation. The plus beverage pkg ‘only’ is about $65 plus 18% per day.

 

You can also buy the Bundles on day 1 and possibly day 2 as reported , but both passengers must purchase, see post #17.

Edited March 17, 2023 by wallyj

[enzeno]

19 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

They do. One of the kids has to be 16. 

I stand corrected.  Didn't know that, ours are 12,12 and 14.

[startedwithamouse]

1 minute ago, enzeno said:

I stand corrected.  Didn't know that, ours are 12,12 and 14.

You're almost there then!  Eldest child has to be at least 16 years of age by the embarkation date.  We always book two cabins.

[Steelers36]

6 hours ago, TN-Mountains said:

I haven't checked the boards in a week, so maybe this question has already been answered...but I thought in one of the "live from" posts it was confirmed that even when purchasing Princess Plus or Premier onboard, guests 1 & 2 both had to purchase them.  I thought it was just the plus/premier beverage packages that could be purchased by a single cabin occupant.  I really hope I missed an update and someone else confirmed this not to be the case!  

True enough, but parents can buy it in their cabin and not for the kids cabin.

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, wallyj said:

My understanding is you can buy the stand alone Plus or Premier beverage package on day 1 and passenger2 does not. This really is for when passenger2 does not drink alcohol or other drinks and you should do the math if this will work for your situation. The plus beverage pkg ‘only’ is about $65 plus 18% per day.

True that only one person needs buy it, but it doesn't make sense at all to purchase their standalone drink packages.  Better to buy 2x Plus.  This has been established multiple times.

 

Plus Drink pkg = $77

Crew Appr'n = 2x $16 = $32

Internet = 2x $7.5 - $15 = $15 - $30

TOTAL = $124 - $139  (and doesn't count even $1 for cabinmate drinking anything)

 

2x PLUS = $120.