To Plus or not to Plus.., our experience

[Jersey42]

2 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

I'm not following this math.  If you are going to spend $32 per day on Staff Appreciation and $7.50 per day for WiFi, that equals $39.50.  So you need to drink $120-$39.50 (or $80.50) per day to break even.  And while that may sound like a lot, at the raised price of dinks, it can get absorbed quickly.  And this assumes no coffee consumption.  Or any other beverage whatsoever that is included in Plus but must be paid for under Standard. 

My math assumed that I used onboard credits to purchase WiFi and Staff Appreciation and I could not use onboard credits to purchase Plus.  We usually have a few hundred dollars of OBCs on every cruise so it is like getting free Staff Appreciation and WiFi on a 7 day cruise.

 

Can I now purchase Plus on embarkation day using my OBCs?  On my last cruise in January, I could not.  But I understand there was a change in late February that may make this possible.  If I can use my OBCs toward the Plus package, then your calculation make sense and we only need to drink $80.50 a day to break even.  If not, I would end up "wasting" the OBCs in something like the shops, and then paying for items in the Plus package that were essentially free for us.  Thus my comment that we need to drink $120 per day to break even.

[Buckeye10640]

3 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

I'm not following this math.  If you are going to spend $32 per day on Staff Appreciation and $7.50 per day for WiFi, that equals $39.50.  So you need to drink $120-$39.50 (or $80.50) per day to break even.  And while that may sound like a lot, at the raised price of dinks, it can get absorbed quickly.  And this assumes no coffee consumption.  Or any other beverage whatsoever that is included in Plus but must be paid for under Standard. 

 

If one is not a wine drinker, then it is definitely possible to come out ahead under Standard.  And obviously, if one does not drink any alcohol, then Standard is a no-brainer.  But if there is any sort of wine consumption whatsoever, $80 goes very quickly these days.  Add in coffee and BAM!  It is gone before dinner.  We ARE wine drinkers, and even though we never, ever approached our 15 drink limit, (I think our highest number of drinks per day per person was 6 on a Sea Day, but usually hovered closer to 4), three of us averaged $77.88 per person, per day of drink consumption had we paid out-of-pocket.  Add in coffee, espressos and Cappuccinos and that would have been around $85 person per day.  Of course one has to do their own math based on their own habits.  But I think what a lot of people are underestimating is that the drinkable glasses of wine on the ship these days cost $15-18.  With gratuity (which is included in Plus), that comes out to $17.70-$21.24 per glass.  Two glasses per person per day at an average cost of $20 gets you to the $80 that I calculated above.  The days of doing the math and using $8-$10 as the estimated cost of a glass of wine are long gone.  If you want to drink good wine, you have to double that.    

Good point about the wine. We are not wine drinkers and would be hard pressed to hit $80/day in drinks! But I never thought about wine prices. 

[JimmyVWine]

27 minutes ago, Jersey42 said:

My math assumed that I used onboard credits to purchase WiFi and Staff Appreciation and I could not use onboard credits to purchase Plus.  We usually have a few hundred dollars of OBCs on every cruise so it is like getting free Staff Appreciation and WiFi on a 7 day cruise.

 

Ah. got it.  But the below was what was throwing me.

 

27 minutes ago, Jersey42 said:

Can I now purchase Plus on embarkation day using my OBCs?

My understanding is that you can buy the package on Day One, and it gets charged to your account.  Once there, normal payment rules apply, meaning that OBC gets credited first.  I haven't done this personally, so I can't verify from first person information, but I think that they are selling the package for a limited time. 

[JimmyVWine]

1 minute ago, Buckeye10640 said:

Good point about the wine. We are not wine drinkers and would be hard pressed to hit $80/day in drinks! But I never thought about wine prices. 

On prior cruises, I budgeted, and was able to hold to, about $40 per person per day for drinks.  Granted, without Plus, we were much more judicious with our drinks.  But it would have been impossible to hold to $40 with current pricing and selections.  Having Plus eliminates both the rise in cost as well as the need to exhibit self-control.   

[Sweetrosie]

5 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

 

Ah. got it.  But the below was what was throwing me.

 

My understanding is that you can buy the package on Day One, and it gets charged to your account.  Once there, normal payment rules apply, meaning that OBC gets credited first.  I haven't done this personally, so I can't verify from first person information, but I think that they are selling the package for a limited time. 

May 5 onboard crown we purchased plus pkg after we had 2 drinks each.  Used cruise chat to request plus and to reimburse 2 drink prices.  They used our obc  easy peasie.  Hope this helps.  

[memoak]

52 minutes ago, Sweetrosie said:

May 5 onboard crown we purchased plus pkg after we had 2 drinks each.  Used cruise chat to request plus and to reimburse 2 drink prices.  They used our obc  easy peasie.  Hope this helps.  

You can buy on board but must be done on embarkation day. After that no

[Teechur]

17 minutes ago, memoak said:

You can buy on board but must be done on embarkation day. After that no

An added bonus is that by waiting to buy onboard, the additional cost is not reflected in your insurance price (assuming you buy insurance from Princess).

[CruizinSusan70]

On 5/23/2023 at 3:26 AM, dreaminofcruisin said:

Also, remember that a lot of people are still cruising with 'old Plus'. We have cruises booked through February 2024 that we paid $50/day for Plus. At $40/day it was a no-brainer. At $50 / day, I thought a bit, but think it is still worth it. Now that it is $60/day I will be evaluating my next few cruises while using it to decide whether or not I buy it in the future. We are in that gray area where we drink some, but do we drink enough to continue to justify the package? We'll be analyzing it. Regardless, we do enjoy having it as one doesn't have to think whether they want another beverage--with or without alcohol, as it has already been paid for. 

At 60 per day, it's 44 for WiFi and drink package.  If WiFi is important to you, it's a no brainier.  If wifi isn't important, four alcoholic drinks a day @11.00 and you're even.

[CruizinSusan70]

On 5/23/2023 at 1:51 PM, KatRangoon said:

The other issues is we still have to pay on the days we are off the boat all day at the ports. 

 

If you're off the ship in port for 8 hours a day, that means you're on the ship for 16 hours a day.  If you sleep 8 hours, that leaves you 8 hours to drink.  If you have a single drink every TWO hours, that's four drinks per day, which gives you your monies worth.  But you have your  math and I have mine 

 

[CruizinSusan70]

On 5/24/2023 at 9:11 PM, Teechur said:

An added bonus is that by waiting to buy onboard, the additional cost is not reflected in your insurance price (assuming you buy insurance from Princess).

Or looking at it the other way, if you pay for the plus package upfront, you can get an additional discount from your travel agent.

[Expat Cruise]

Addressing the costs of these packages. Does anyone think that the level of alcoholic drinks being offered in the packages is far too much? Every guest is free to drink whatever they want. But, with the daily drink number set so high that they are just encouraging excess alcohol drinking. Which for many reasons including passenger safety could be an issue. 

 

The NIH sets these levels as excessive drinking. For women, 4 or more drinks during a single occasion, or 8 drinks per week. For men, 5 or more drinks during a single occasion, or 15 drinks per week. Clearly, the packages reach the level that are excessive, 

 

Therefore, it is reasonable to assume most people will be nowhere near the daily limit. So why set package limits so high for the number of alcohol drinks?  Why not cut the drink numbers and offer a package that would appeal a better mass appeal? They could then offer a discount on the prices for those who have the packages and wanted to drink more package number, using the savings from the lower package prices. 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 7, 2023 by Expat Cruise

[CruizinSusan70]

1 hour ago, Expat Cruise said:

Addressing the costs of these packages. Does anyone think that the level of alcoholic drinks being offered in the packages is far too much? Every guest is free to drink whatever they want. But, with the daily drink number set so high that they are just encouraging excess alcohol drinking. Which for many reasons including passenger safety could be an issue. 

 

The NIH sets these levels as excessive drinking. For women, 4 or more drinks during a single occasion, or 8 drinks per week. For men, 5 or more drinks during a single occasion, or 15 drinks per week. Clearly, the packages reach the level that are excessive, 

 

Therefore, it is reasonable to assume most people will be nowhere near the daily limit. So why set package limits so high for the number of alcohol drinks?  Why not cut the drink numbers and offer a package that would appeal a better mass appeal? They could then offer a discount on the prices for those who have the packages and wanted to drink more package number, using the savings from the lower package prices. 

 

 

 

 

On the other hand, why does Carnival Corporation have a drink limit of 15 per day?  I can see possibly why because of the sharing aspect that occurs on Carnival, but sharing would be at a minimum on Princess and HAL.  There is no limit to drinks within the  packages on other lines such as Celebrity, RCI, NCL or MSC.

The bottom line is the lines want to make money, so they are not going to offer a drinks package with a 5 or 6 limit, especially since the majority of lines are unlimited.

When it comes to excessive drinking, my DH and myself exceed the numbers you quoted while on vacation, but since we are teetotalers at home like I will assume you are 52 weeks a year, it all balances out in the end.

[Nightowl11]

On 5/24/2023 at 8:58 PM, Sweetrosie said:

May 5 onboard crown we purchased plus pkg after we had 2 drinks each.  Used cruise chat to request plus and to reimburse 2 drink prices.  They used our obc  easy peasie.  Hope this helps.  

Because you bought it onboard, did they add taxes for being in Vancouver?  Or were you already out in international waters?

[KatRangoon]

13 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

If you're off the ship in port for 8 hours a day, that means you're on the ship for 16 hours a day.  If you sleep 8 hours, that leaves you 8 hours to drink.  If you have a single drink every TWO hours, that's four drinks per day, which gives you your monies worth.  But you have your  math and I have mine 

 

Yup, different math. 4 drinks for me means 2 fancy coffees (say $5 each) and 2 cans of soda (no more than $3 each). So that's $16 for me. 

 

I also enjoy a fair bit of water to stay hydrated and that is thankfully free. 🙂

Edited June 7, 2023 by KatRangoon

[Lady Arwen]

13 hours ago, Expat Cruise said:

Addressing the costs of these packages. Does anyone think that the level of alcoholic drinks being offered in the packages is far too much? Every guest is free to drink whatever they want. But, with the daily drink number set so high that they are just encouraging excess alcohol drinking. Which for many reasons including passenger safety could be an issue. 

 

The NIH sets these levels as excessive drinking. For women, 4 or more drinks during a single occasion, or 8 drinks per week. For men, 5 or more drinks during a single occasion, or 15 drinks per week. Clearly, the packages reach the level that are excessive, 

 

Therefore, it is reasonable to assume most people will be nowhere near the daily limit. So why set package limits so high for the number of alcohol drinks?  Why not cut the drink numbers and offer a package that would appeal a better mass appeal? They could then offer a discount on the prices for those who have the packages and wanted to drink more package number, using the savings from the lower package prices. 

 

 

 

 

Since everyone here is an adult, capable of making their own decisions regarding alcoholic beverages, your opinion applies to only you.  We certainly don’t need to be told by you what’s appropriate.  This is not the first time we’ve heard this from you, but please let it be the last.

[MissP22]

14 hours ago, Expat Cruise said:

Addressing the costs of these packages. Does anyone think that the level of alcoholic drinks being offered in the packages is far too much? Every guest is free to drink whatever they want. But, with the daily drink number set so high that they are just encouraging excess alcohol drinking. Which for many reasons including passenger safety could be an issue. 

 

The NIH sets these levels as excessive drinking. For women, 4 or more drinks during a single occasion, or 8 drinks per week. For men, 5 or more drinks during a single occasion, or 15 drinks per week. Clearly, the packages reach the level that are excessive, 

 

Therefore, it is reasonable to assume most people will be nowhere near the daily limit. So why set package limits so high for the number of alcohol drinks?  Why not cut the drink numbers and offer a package that would appeal a better mass appeal? They could then offer a discount on the prices for those who have the packages and wanted to drink more package number, using the savings from the lower package prices. 

 

 

 

 

What you posted is very true and although the number of drinks is relatively high they know that most people won't be able to consume that much, especially on a port day.

There's lots of profit to be made no matter how much you think you can drink. 

[voljeep]

How much does it cost Princess for the product?

 

a glass of wine - retail at $15 from Publix/Total Wine

a beer - domestic 

bacardi and coke, no fruit

 

I fully realize the add'l cost to acquire, ship, store, serve

[Jersey42]

19 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

At 60 per day, it's 44 for WiFi and drink package.  If WiFi is important to you, it's a no brainier.  If wifi isn't important, four alcoholic drinks a day @11.00 and you're even.

I still can't understand why people think what is a no brainer for them must be a no brainer for everyone else.  This also includes those that think Plus doesn't work for them and therefore it is not a good deal for anyone.  I think most people understand Plus and are smart enough to figure it out for themselves.  As I have said before, if the math is close, it is probably worth trying Plus to see if it works for them.

 

On our recent seven day cruise we spent less that $60 per day for the two of us combined on crew appreciation, wi-fi and beverages.  So it was a "no brainer" for us not to purchase Plus at $120 per day.

 

We shared a wi-fi package at half price, I know we were not charged for all of our beverages and the 18% gratuity was only added some of the time.  I also did not include an extra cash tips for our room steward. Even with all that factored in, we would never come close to $120 per day.

[CruizinSusan70]

5 hours ago, KatRangoon said:

Yup, different math. 4 drinks for me means 2 fancy coffees (say $5 each) and 2 cans of soda (no more than $3 each). So that's $16 for me. 

 

I also enjoy a fair bit of water to stay hydrated and that is thankfully free. 🙂

Once again, you're a teetotaler so we should not even be having this back and forth.  The Plus package could be 30 bucks and you would not buy it since you don't "drink".

[CruizinSusan70]

3 hours ago, MissP22 said:

What you posted is very true and although the number of drinks is relatively high they know that most people won't be able to consume that much, especially on a port day.

There's lots of profit to be made no matter how much you think you can drink. 

The port day versus sea day consumption doesn't hold water.  If you're back on board at 500 and go to bed at 1100, that's 6 hours to consume a few adult beverages.  If you are a light drinker and have one every 90 minutes, that's 4 drinks, which more than covers the cost of plus after factoring in the gratuities and WiFi.

Many look at the 15 drink maximum as a goal, when in fact only 3 alcoholic drinks supplemented by coffees, waters and soda covers the package cost after WiFi/grats.

[CruizinSusan70]

11 minutes ago, Jersey42 said:

I still can't understand why people think what is a no brainer for them must be a no brainer for everyone else.  This also includes those that think Plus doesn't work for them and therefore it is not a good deal for anyone.  I think most people understand Plus and are smart enough to figure it out for themselves.  As I have said before, if the math is close, it is probably worth trying Plus to see if it works for them.

 

On our recent seven day cruise we spent less that $60 per day for the two of us combined on crew appreciation, wi-fi and beverages.  So it was a "no brainer" for us not to purchase Plus at $120 per day.

 

We shared a wi-fi package at half price, I know we were not charged for all of our beverages and the 18% gratuity was only added some of the time.  I also did not include an extra cash tips for our room steward. Even with all that factored in, we would never come close to $120 per day.

If you spent less than 28 per day on reduced price WiFi and a couple of drinks then obviously you're a borderline teetotaler that doesn't drink.  There are many people in this situation including a certain poster that takes it to an extreme. But on the other hand, there are many people that like to imbibe while they are in vacation as I can tell first hand on our current 14 days on the Majestic in Alaska.  Many of the bars are full all of the time, so obviously there are more cruisers on board that like to imbibe versus those that are teetotalers.  There is no right or wrong answer, just that what is considered a no brainer for those that imbibe is not a no brainer for those that are light drinkers.

The Plus package worked for us at 40 a day for 14 days last year and our current 14 days.  It will work again at 60 per day on our future 42 days that are in the future pipeline in 2024 and 2025.

[neverbeenhere]

Sorry, It appears that some cruisers are misinformed as to the suggested limit of alcoholic drinks per day suggested for women and men. 4 and 5 are the suggested drink limits on land, however, the suggested limit doesn't apply while in international waters. It has something to do with the salinity of the ocean water, I believe.

[Steelers36]

23 minutes ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Once again, you're a teetotaler so we should not even be having this back and forth.  The Plus package could be 30 bucks and you would not buy it since you don't "drink".

I get that to Plus or not Plus is a personal thing based on your life habits, etc, when on a cruise.  However, one doesn't need to be a teetotaler to justify no Plus.  For example, we BYOW and have Elite mini-bar benefit, so there are quite enough drinks to suit and purchasing the odd bar drink still leaves us ahead of the game.  Just wanted to point out that there are some non-teetotalers for whom the Plus math doesn't work.  We often have a drink while ashore and of course that comes out of pocket.  So, call us light drinkers and lump us in with the teetotaler crowd who don't need the Plus.

[cr8tiv1]

I have done both, since the restart.

 

5 cruises at $40.

    In a suite on these cruises:  2 mini-bars and free water bottles.

2 cruises without; since it would have cost me @$60.

    Mini-bar but no water.  Purchased a "case" of water on one.

2 upcoming cruises at $40 and $50; pre-paid before the increases.

    In a suite on these cruises:  2 mini-bars and free water bottles.

 

Most of my mini-bars were given to the crew.

 

Probably won't jump over the fence at $60.

 

It was worth it to me to get the beverage package at the lower rate without all the bells and whistles.

 

Loved the convenience of ordering without having to do mental math.

 

Fun trying different drinks.  I am not a drinker.

 

Came no where close to 15 drinks a day.

 

Everyone needs to do a self assessment as to what will work out for them.  

 

It is a wait and see for me as to when Princess will make more changes.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jayred1]

The fact that this thread has gone on for 12 pages is both hilarious and asinine.