To Plus or not to Plus.., our experience

[wowzz]

1 minute ago, sirclean said:

Is Juice really $12?

(Orange juice is free in the buffet in the mornings, so I ve never asked for anything else)

That is not freshly squeezed Orange juice.

[BamaVol]

1 minute ago, wowzz said:

That is not freshly squeezed Orange juice.

It certainly isn’t.  It’s somewhere between that and Sunny Delight.

[sirclean]

• "That is not freshly squeezed Orange juice. "

I am aware it was once frozen, but for $12, assuming I required it freshly squeezed, I d hit the buffet, grab a bunch of fruit and squeeze my own! 

[Lady Arwen]

Just now, sirclean said:

• "That is not freshly squeezed Orange juice. "

I am aware it was once frozen, but for $12, assuming I required it freshly squeezed, I d hit the buffet, grab a bunch of fruit and squeeze my own! 

It’s not just a glass of fresh orange juice.  Fruit and/or veggie blends custom made to order.  No comparison to the other stuff.

[BamaVol]

4 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

It’s not just a glass of fresh orange juice.  Fruit and/or veggie blends custom made to order.  No comparison to the other stuff.

I never encountered the juice bar in March on the CB.  I’ll be paying closer attention in September.  Although I’m less excited about a cold glass of OJ while  cruising Alaska.

[Mary loves to travel]

26 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

 

What do you consider A LOT?  Is the below scenario "for people who drink a lot"?

 

Hitting $34 per day per person is a juice, a latte and two cocktails, that's actually MORE.  

 

$12 Juice

$6 Latte

$12 Cocktail

$12 Cocktail

 

SUB TOTAL $42

SERVICE CHARGE: $9.56

 

TOTAL $49.56 

 

 

 

I think we're in agreement here -- if you run the numbers based on what you'd spend without the package, you have a fair comparison.

OR, if having the package simply adds to your vacation enjoyment, then, again, you have your answer.

 

for us .... we drink a couple of bottles of water a day each.

A latte in the morning (are they really $6 each now?).

We're not big juice drinkers at home, so with a package we might ask for the fresh squeezed, without the package we're fine with the included orange, grapefruit, or tomato juice, or no juice at all.

 

I like a diet soda with lunch, but if I'm off the ship most days, then I'll be buying that myself anyway.

 

I might have a glass of wine at night, occasionally two, or none.    DH drinks way less than that, but sometimes will have a cappuccino after dinner.    On a rare hot day, we'll get a cold beverage when we get back on the ship (say a mojito).

So, the package just doesn't make a lot of sense for us.

 

OTOH, if we we're talking 2-3 specialty coffees a day each, sodas, 4 bottled waters each, some mocktails, fresh squeezed OJ, juices from the juice bar, fancy deserts, then sure, the package would make sense even with little to no alcohol.

 

It just comes down to running the numbers, or deciding you want the "all inclusive" for your vacation.

 

As far as the packages making money for the cruise line, they're not selling them as loss leaders 😂

Sure, some people come out way ahead, but if the majority did, something would change & fast.

 

Speaking of change, at least one ship came out of dry dock with the casino bar removed.

Coincidence?    I doubt it.

 

Mary 

[BamaVol]

5 minutes ago, Mary loves to travel said:

 

I think we're in agreement here -- if you run the numbers based on what you'd spend without the package, you have a fair comparison.

OR, if having the package simply adds to your vacation enjoyment, then, again, you have your answer.

 

for us .... we drink a couple of bottles of water a day each.

A latte in the morning (are they really $6 each now?).

We're not big juice drinkers at home, so with a package we might ask for the fresh squeezed, without the package we're fine with the included orange, grapefruit, or tomato juice, or no juice at all.

 

I like a diet soda with lunch, but if I'm off the ship most days, then I'll be buying that myself anyway.

 

I might have a glass of wine at night, occasionally two, or none.    DH drinks way less than that, but sometimes will have a cappuccino after dinner.    On a rare hot day, we'll get a cold beverage when we get back on the ship (say a mojito).

So, the package just doesn't make a lot of sense for us.

 

OTOH, if we we're talking 2-3 specialty coffees a day each, sodas, 4 bottled waters each, some mocktails, fresh squeezed OJ, juices from the juice bar, fancy deserts, then sure, the package would make sense even with little to no alcohol.

 

It just comes down to running the numbers, or deciding you want the "all inclusive" for your vacation.

 

As far as the packages making money for the cruise line, they're not selling them as loss leaders 😂

Sure, some people come out way ahead, but if the majority did, something would change & fast.

 

Speaking of change, at least one ship came out of dry dock with the casino bar removed.

Coincidence?    I doubt it.

 

Mary 

Good points.  I spent the first half of my career in cost accounting.  Princess runs the numbers too. They are buying liquor without tax.  There are maybe 20 shots in a bottle and they’re charging $8-15 for a drink where the other ingredients and supplies are relatively insignificant. Ignoring labor and overhead which are relatively fixed, those drinks purchased without a package have one heck of a contribution margin.  I’m betting they make a lower profit on each beer they sell.  Of course I drink beer because I like it and it’s good for me.  But those who are looking to stick it to Princess because they resent “nickeling and diming” by a company searching for a way to return to profitability should switch to craft beer.

[MissP22]

That does it... from now on I'm not getting off the ship any more and drinking myself to death all day long on the ship.

I'm going to get my money's worth. 🤪

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, Mary loves to travel said:

Yes, it can take a few minutes to do the math.

the Platinum 4-device internet is $10 per person per day.

Tips are $16 per person per day.

So, with the basic package @ $60 per day, we'd each have to drink $34 in bottled water, coffees, mixed drinks, wine, soda, etc.   Every single day.   We just don't drink that much!

Pre-paid for a couple of the 12-packs of water at $7 each.

 

For people who drink a lot of bottled water, coffees, sodas, alcoholic beverages, the package can make sense.    For us, not.    Seeing the daily spend needed to break even convinced me.

 

Best,

Mary

 

If you are doing math analysis - a good idea - it is important to work with the correct numbers.  MedallionNet pricing has been increased for some time now and the 4-device package is priced at $40/pp/day now, so $20/pp/day with the discount.  Also, since you are going for that, it is not likely you need two of them if were not on an inclusive package.

 

If you are looking at the PLUS package, Crew Appreciation ($16), plus included single-device MedallionNet ($15 or $7.50 with discount) will give you the correct differential for the drinks (excluding over-the-top desserts).  In your case, the balance for beverages is $60 - ($16 + $7.50) = $36.50/pp/day.  A small difference, but just wanted to correct the record for those reading.

Edited May 7, 2023 by Steelers36

[Mary loves to travel]

@BamaVol  Oh, that time in cost accounting gives you an interesting perspective.   
what you say about the price of mixed drinks makes sense.   
I’ve read that the restaurant industry makes their money on drinks and desserts.   
 

one of our sons told me that a glass of wine is priced at what the bar/restaurant had to pay for the full bottle.   That way, they’ve covered their cost when they open a bottle. 

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, Jareds_mommytoo said:

So for us this was my shipboard math 😜😉, when I compared the base price of just the cruise, to the cruise with plus it worked out plus is $52 US  or $72 canadian a day for my cruise…..I subtract my gratuities ($16 US or $21.50 canadian) and we would buy internet because we have older teens staying home alone for the first time ($15 us or $21 canadian), the rest of the package doesn’t interest me so that means i am paying $22 us or $30 Canadian for the drink package after I subtract what I feel are fixed fees for me. I do not drink but if i was to buy the zero alcohol package it is $29 a day US or $39 Canadian. If I was to buy a bottle or 2 of water a mocktail, maybe a specialty coffee, a sparkling water with dinner i would probably hit that $22 US a day easily. Now if i did drink, looking at the menu 2 glasses of wine or a cocktail or two i would break even before i even ordered any non alcoholic drinks. My US to Canadian conversations were more estimations.  The advantage for me to add the plus in canada and pay in canadian, if i ordered as I go on the ship and being charged in US my credit card adds a service fee for U.S. transactions so that would have added about an extra 3% plus they charge one or 2 percent exchange rate then the posted, so it could be an extra 5% on top of the ballpark 30% exchange. 
 

Aside from your analysis, if you tend to travel a lot, why not have a bank account in USD and a credit card in USD to avoid a lot of the costs you mention?  Also, there are credit cards that do not have the currency conversion surcharge and they are great for the world beyond the USA.

[voljeep]

13 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

That does it... from now on I'm not getting off the ship any more and drinking myself to death all day long on the ship.

I'm going to get my money's worth. 🤪

yep, I'm not gonna change either...🤑

[Steelers36]

10 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

If you are doing math analysis - a good idea - it is important to work with the correct numbers.  MedallionNet pricing has been increased for some time now and the 4-device package is priced at $40/pp/day now, so $20/pp/day with the discount.  Also, since you are going for that, it is not likely you need two of them if were not on an inclusive package.

 

If you are looking at the PLUS package, Crew Appreciation ($16), plus included single-device MedallionNet ($15 or $7.50 with discount) will give you the correct differential for the drinks (excluding over-the-top desserts).  In your case, the balance for beverages is $60 - ($16 + $7.50) = $36.50/pp/day.  A small difference, but just wanted to correct the record for those reading.

@Mary loves to travel, another way I like to look at it is as a couple.  Often each person in a couple have differing drink habits - types of, alcohol or non, etc. 

 

In your case a 4-device package seems to suffice for two of you.  That is now $40, which is more than 2x 1-device ($30), unlike previous pricing where they were the same.  I have also read where the upgrade charge being applied on board (from 1-device to 4-devices) is not $25 as one might expect ($40 - $15), but rather $10!!! (the old differential).  Now, this may not last long because likely a system pricing bug, but there is also no financial reason to pre-book MedallionNet as there was before.  Same pricing on board as pre-cruise. 

 

So, Crew Appreciation is $32/day combined.  Plus is $120/day combined.  Balance is $88.

 

MedallionNet (with discount) is going to cost you $15/day for 2x 1-device, $20/day for 1 x 4-devices, or perhaps as low as $12.50/day if you buy a single device plan @ $7.50 and can immediately upgrade it for $10 x 50%/day.  Figure out this number and the balance is drinks for the two of you.

 

[BamaVol]

57 minutes ago, Mary loves to travel said:

@BamaVol  Oh, that time in cost accounting gives you an interesting perspective.   
what you say about the price of mixed drinks makes sense.   
I’ve read that the restaurant industry makes their money on drinks and desserts.   
 

one of our sons told me that a glass of wine is priced at what the bar/restaurant had to pay for the full bottle.   That way, they’ve covered their cost when they open a bottle. 

One of my boys is a restaurant GM.  I will have to ask him what the price to cost ratio is.  Of course, it may differ by restaurant category. I think his sells more beer and alcoholic milkshakes than anything else.

 

My background was technology and heavy industry so none of my employers was strictly a reseller.  But people tend to make incorrect assumptions about the relationship between cost and price.  Some businesses consciously sell some products below cost.  I don’t think that statement is true of Princess Cruise Line.

[MTNest93]

5 hours ago, MissP22 said:

I'm sure if you priced out the cruise with another TA, you would find that your TA's price was very high. No TA can afford to give their customers a gift of that size. There just isn't that much profit to be made in booking cruises.

 

Our TA is our daughter so I’m sure we didn’t over pay for the cruise.  

[SmedonSeas]

🙂

Edited May 7, 2023 by SmedonSeas
:)

[SmedonSeas]

3 hours ago, MissP22 said:

That does it... from now on I'm not getting off the ship any more and drinking myself to death all day long on the ship.

I'm going to get my money's worth. 🤪

What a great idea. I say you stay on the ship! This gets my vote.

[Happiest when cruising]

7 hours ago, Boiler Cruiser said:

I did the math for my wife and I, knowing what we drink and also our percieved value of 24 hour WiFi.  On 2 cruises now our savings over the $60/ day price was tremendous.  Princess is not making much money on my liquor bill if I am having 4-5 coffees a day ($2.50 each), a glass of wine with dinner ($19), and 3-4 cocktails before and after dinner ($20 each), for a total of $80-$100/ day I'm not spending out of pocket on drinks alone for each of us.  That's a savings of more than $2,000 on a 10 day cruise.

I’m just curious to know if that daily intake of all kinds of beverages would be the same if you were at home. Of course, if it’s your usual pattern then of course it makes sense to purchase it. 

[Happiest when cruising]

8 hours ago, MTNest93 said:

I’m just happy our Plus packages are included at no additional cost as a gift from our TA.  No math required 😀

Are you sure?  It does show as complimentary on the cruise summary, even though you paid for it as part of choosing the plus or premium booking package. Even on a 7 night, for 2 people it would 840.00, so that seems like a very generous gift. 

[wowzz]

6 minutes ago, Happiest when cruising said:

Are you sure?  It does show as complimentary on the cruise summary, even though you paid for it as part of choosing the plus or premium booking package. Even on a 7 night, for 2 people it would 840.00, so that seems like a very generous gift. 

Good point. We pay for Princess Plus, but it shows up as a complimentary gift from our TA on our Princess account. 

Anyone who thinks their TA will gift them $60 a day for the Plus package is misguided.

 

[Buckeye10640]

7 hours ago, wowzz said:

I do think that the packages are not for everyone. 

But just to blithely say that they are not worth buying, even for drinkers, is plain wrong.

Absolutely agree, the worth is up to each individual. It amazes me how many posts I see saying "Should I buy the drink package?'   I wish they would create a lower priced alcohol package (like 5 drinks per day instead of 15) but logical me realizes that those of who are light drinkers and buy the $60+ package  is how Princess makes the most money!

[wowzz]

13 minutes ago, Happiest when cruising said:

I’m just curious to know if that daily intake of all kinds of beverages would be the same if you were at home. Of course, if it’s your usual pattern then of course it makes sense to purchase it. 

We drink more or less the same on a cruise, as at home. Probably less on a cruise, as we have to be up early for shore excursions.  

Even so, we will still have 6 or 7 alcoholic drinks per night.

[MTNest93]

26 minutes ago, Happiest when cruising said:

Are you sure?  It does show as complimentary on the cruise summary, even though you paid for it as part of choosing the plus or premium booking package. Even on a 7 night, for 2 people it would 840.00, so that seems like a very generous gift. 

I’m positive.  We booked last July and asked to have the Plus Package but our TA (daughter) was unable to add it so she called Princess.  We are her 1st Princess booking as she specializes in Disney.  Anyway, she was told it couldn’t be added because it was comped due to the volume of business the agency she works for does with Princess.  We only paid the base rate for the cruise.  I priced it out before calling her to book so I’m absolutely certain we did not pay for the package.  So it really has more to do with the agency than our individual TA but it’s free to us none the less. 

[memoak]

42 minutes ago, Happiest when cruising said:

I’m just curious to know if that daily intake of all kinds of beverages would be the same if you were at home. Of course, if it’s your usual pattern then of course it makes sense to purchase it. 

On weekends we average 7-8 drinks at home on weekdays a minimum of 5-6. So not a big difference plus we spend time in the casino and bars after dinner which we would not be doing at home

[Happiest when cruising]

6 hours ago, Coral said:

If I didn't have $600 OBC, I wouldn't even be considering this. I was thinking if they give me OBC for my Elite bar setup (ask about trading it in for coffee cards as I know they won't) - then the Plus package is almost covered for the 11 night cruise.

 

Yep - mind thing. I am cheap. I do like the convenience.

 

I have long port days and all day excursions on those days but we do have enough sea days....I guess I will find out next Friday which way I go. The past 2 cruises I have done Plus but it was cheaper and I didn't think twice. Lots of sea days.

Well, you might be waiting a few days for your mini bar set up when you board, ours came only I after I called room service on the third night.   They did not offer OBC as an exchange. Before it finally arrived, we just purchased a few cans of pop in the venues at about $3 each.  After that, we just took it to the venues and asked for a glass of ice and it was no problem, at all. We could have asked our room steward for a bucket of ice daily and used that, but we just didn’t bother.  If I had that much non refundable OBC, I’d probably just take the plus package, though. I had one fun drink at a deck party, it was about 13.00 plus 18% gratuity. I thought that was high, as I also am Canadian and with an exchange rate of almost 40 percent...it made it an expensive drink, so I just didn’t bother with any more.  
 

At $60 USD pp per day, having a package is just not worth it, for us.

We just paid the gratuities using some of our shareholder OBC, bought one Wi-Fi  package at the discounted price, just for the second half of our btb, as we had a family emergency and I needed more contact with some people at home. We brought on 2 bottles of wine, which was more than enough, too. I never thought I was being deprived of anything, and also I felt we drank a lot less calories that way, too. Those fun, sugary drinks can take a toll on my dessert intake. 
everyone needs to decide for the self which way works best. 

we still had a good time and didn’t feel