To Plus or not to Plus.., our experience

[voljeep]

19 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

I'm sure they could come up with some calculations to justify the expense. 😁 LOL

let's just say the 'breakeven' for a COUPLE on PLUS is 12 drinks for the $80 price - about $60 after grats and nominal wifi - so $120 of BOOZE at an average of $10 per drink

 

12 drinks between 2 people - well below the 30 allowed

 

a mojito ... 2 glasses of wine ... a Dunes Martini - that's 4 even on a port day, easy

 

2-3 beers, 3-4 glasses of wine, couple of single malts - that's 8 even on a port day, easy

 

but's whose counting, right? - now throw in the Pelligrino's, couple of specialty coffees , a soda

[Steelers36]

11 minutes ago, voljeep said:

let's just say the 'breakeven' for a COUPLE on PLUS is 12 drinks for the $80 price - about $60 after grats and nominal wifi - so $120 of BOOZE at an average of $10 per drink

 

12 drinks between 2 people - well below the 30 allowed

 

a mojito ... 2 glasses of wine ... a Dunes Martini - that's 4 even on a port day, easy

 

2-3 beers, 3-4 glasses of wine, couple of single malts - that's 8 even on a port day, easy

 

but's whose counting, right? - now throw in the Pelligrino's, couple of specialty coffees , a soda

Right, but we don't want to be giving PCL any ideas.

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

Right, but we don't want to be giving PCL any ideas.

Oh, I'm sure the bean counters are calculating an increase as we post. 

[Happiest when cruising]

4 hours ago, memoak said:

Yes it would still be a good deal for us at $81. We both average at least 6 to 10 drinks a day plus waters and coffees 

Thanks for your response. I’m waiting for a really great sale where I just won’t want to say no to it. 

Edited June 10, 2023 by Happiest when cruising

[Happiest when cruising]

4 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

That figure was supposed to be the CAD equivalent of $60 USD.  It is using PCL's current exchange rate of 1.35m but folks can do a little better these days if they have their own source of USD and a USD credit card.   I believe the poster was confused in some way.

 

That said, I have no doubt at all that a subset of cruisers on Princess who pay $60 now for Plus would find value if they had to pay $80.

What would I be confused about? 60 USD is currently around 81 CAD. I am using 35% as an average…of course people might be able to do a bit better through some online searching.
I actually have a USD credit card and USD bank account and I was a banker for 25 years, so I’m pretty sure I understand how to get the best rate on the exchange. 
You still need to have the available funds to buy the USD. 
 I still need to pay attention to how much I am willing to spend on vacation extras. Maybe one day, I won’t need to do that. 
 

I had not considered the Premium package where people are already paying 80, I think. 

Edited June 10, 2023 by Happiest when cruising

[JimmyVWine]

7 hours ago, voljeep said:

at an average of $10 per drink

And I still maintain that people are underestimating the true out of pocket cost of drinks after prices were raised. A $10 drink is $11.80. And while there are plenty of cocktails offered at that price, there are no wines being poured at that price and no decent Scotch, Bourbon or Whisk(e)y either. And after adding in the gratuity, I think that people should be calculating $13-$14 per drink (minimum) when doing their “break even” math. On our recent cruise using Plus, our average was a bit more than $14 (using the out of pocket equivalent which adds gratuity) which equates to a menu price of $12 per drink before gratuity. 

Edited June 11, 2023 by JimmyVWine

[Steelers36]

44 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

And I still maintain that people are underestimating the true out of pocket cost of drinks after prices were raised. A $10 drink is $11.80. And while there are plenty of cocktails offered at that price, there are no wines being poured at that price and no decent Scotch, Bourbon or Whisk(e)y either. And after adding in the gratuity, I think that people should be calculating $13-$14 per drink (minimum) when doing their “break even” math. On our recent cruise using Plus, our average was a bit more than $14 (using the out of pocket equivalent which adds gratuity) which equates to a menu price of $12 per drink before gratuity. 

Unless all you drink is Bud Light.  (I am thinking the cruise lines could get a bulk order at a good discount these days).

Edited June 11, 2023 by Steelers36

[Steelers36]

1 minute ago, Steelers36 said:

Unless all you drink is Bud Light.  (I am thinking the cruise lines could get a bulk order at a good discount these days).

A bit too soon for some perhaps?

[CruizinSusan70]

4 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Unless all you drink is Bud Light.  (I am thinking the cruise lines could get a bulk order at a good discount these days).

That's all they had on the Majestic.  No Coors Light or other light beers at all.  My DH did a few Irish Car Bombs over the last two nights, said it was the first time he's done them in over 30 years.

[Steelers36]

5 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

That's all they had on the Majestic.  No Coors Light or other light beers at all.  My DH did a few Irish Car Bombs over the last two nights, said it was the first time he's done them in over 30 years.

I had to look that one up.  I had guessed correctly on two ingredients.

[remydiva]

As the OP I just want to reiterate that for us, the big deterrent was that BOTH of us HAD to buy the Plus.

 

Only I drink; hubby pretty much a teetotaller.

 

We did not want/ need TWO free wifis. I only bought one End of Cruise package to check in for return flights.

 

So the ONLY part of $60 USD / day Plus hubby would use is the $16 USD/ day gratuities. 
 

When both in the cabin MUST upsize it’s not worth it when only one will use.

[memoak]

30 minutes ago, remydiva said:

As the OP I just want to reiterate that for us, the big deterrent was that BOTH of us HAD to buy the Plus.

 

Only I drink; hubby pretty much a teetotaller.

 

We did not want/ need TWO free wifis. I only bought one End of Cruise package to check in for return flights.

 

So the ONLY part of $60 USD / day Plus hubby would use is the $16 USD/ day gratuities. 
 

When both in the cabin MUST upsize it’s not worth it when only one will use.

In the early days of drink packages they did not require 2 to buy them but then the sharing started especially when they were unlimited drinks hence the requirement 

[Sweetrosie]

On 6/6/2023 at 11:19 PM, Nightowl11 said:

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

Honestly I didn't even pay attention sorry

[Samkitty1]

DH and I just returned from a very nice 12 day British Isles cruise on the Regal.So much fun!

 

When I originally booked the cruise the plus package was $50/day so we went for it. ..DH doesn't drink alcohol, but he looks forward to specialty coffees and bottled sparkling water on board.   On day 4 of the cruise all of the bars on the ship ran out of Pellegrino and Perrier, and there was no alternative bottled sparkling water available. DH does not drink juice or soda,(too much sugar)  so his drink package basically paid for specialty coffee.  He was annoyed that he had pre paid and no alternative was offered other than club soda from the fountain, which he does not care for.  Since both people in the cabin must purchase the package, we will take a pass on it next cruise and just pay  for drinks and specialty coffee's as we go.  

  

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, Samkitty1 said:

DH and I just returned from a very nice 12 day British Isles cruise on the Regal.So much fun!

 

When I originally booked the cruise the plus package was $50/day so we went for it. ..DH doesn't drink alcohol, but he looks forward to specialty coffees and bottled sparkling water on board.   On day 4 of the cruise all of the bars on the ship ran out of Pellegrino and Perrier, and there was no alternative bottled sparkling water available. DH does not drink juice or soda,(too much sugar)  so his drink package basically paid for specialty coffee.  He was annoyed that he had pre paid and no alternative was offered other than club soda from the fountain, which he does not care for.  Since both people in the cabin must purchase the package, we will take a pass on it next cruise and just pay  for drinks and specialty coffee's as we go.  

  

Did you ask for a total refund for his half? 

[Samkitty1]

1 hour ago, MissP22 said:

Did you ask for a total refund for his half? 

Is that a real question?

[MissP22]

2 hours ago, Samkitty1 said:

Is that a real question?

It couldn't hurt to ask. Maybe they would have given you some cabin credit. 

[Samkitty1]

35 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

It couldn't hurt to ask. Maybe they would have given you some cabin credit. 

Probably should have complained on the medallion app...LOL

[Mary loves to travel]

On 5/7/2023 at 10:42 AM, 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.

Hi @Steelers36

 

your explanation is much clearer -- I took a shortcut.   You're right, the 4 device MedallionNet  is $40 pp/day; the Platinum discount puts the price at $20 pp/day.

We do share 1 MedallionNet 4-device package, as you suggest, so buying internet separately, I count that as $10 per day each (to compare to the price of one of the Plus etc packages).    I did leave too many steps "for the reader to solve themselves"  🙂

Mary

 

[Samkitty1]

2 hours ago, Mary loves to travel said:

Hi @Steelers36

 

your explanation is much clearer -- I took a shortcut.   You're right, the 4 device MedallionNet  is $40 pp/day; the Platinum discount puts the price at $20 pp/day.

We do share 1 MedallionNet 4-device package, as you suggest, so buying internet separately, I count that as $10 per day each (to compare to the price of one of the Plus etc packages).    I did leave too many steps "for the reader to solve themselves"  🙂

Mary

 

Hi Mary,  

Can you confirm that 40/day before platinum discount is the most recent price for on board internet?

 

We were on the Regal May 20th sailing and the internet cost for 1 device each was bundled into the plus package, so I don't have a breakdown of the cost. I'm considering an Alaska cruise, and not sure if it's worth it to pay for internet on a port intensive cruise with US ports of call where my cell phone data plan works.

 I was  on the Sky back in January without plus, and paid for a 4 device package, but I don't recall the price being that high at the time. 

[MissP22]

10 hours ago, Samkitty1 said:

Probably should have complained on the medallion app...LOL

Squeaky wheel. 😆

[Mary loves to travel]

33 minutes ago, Samkitty1 said:

Hi Mary,  

Can you confirm that 40/day before platinum discount is the most recent price for on board internet?

 

We were on the Regal May 20th sailing and the internet cost for 1 device each was bundled into the plus package, so I don't have a breakdown of the cost. I'm considering an Alaska cruise, and not sure if it's worth it to pay for internet on a port intensive cruise with US ports of call where my cell phone data plan works.

 I was  on the Sky back in January without plus, and paid for a 4 device package, but I don't recall the price being that high at the time. 

We were on the Regal then, too!

currently aboard the Sky.   
the internet packages prices only show up in the Medallion app for future crises.   BUT I can only access the current cruise now.   

I’ll check again when we get off Sky in a few days.  

[cruisers0708]

We have upcoming 11 day Alaska cruise August 2023 and Medallion app says $220 (20/day) with Elite discount for 4 device plan.

[Mary loves to travel]

On 6/15/2023 at 4:40 AM, Samkitty1 said:

Hi Mary,  

Can you confirm that 40/day before platinum discount is the most recent price for on board internet?

 

We were on the Regal May 20th sailing and the internet cost for 1 device each was bundled into the plus package, so I don't have a breakdown of the cost. I'm considering an Alaska cruise, and not sure if it's worth it to pay for internet on a port intensive cruise with US ports of call where my cell phone data plan works.

 I was  on the Sky back in January without plus, and paid for a 4 device package, but I don't recall the price being that high at the time. 

 

On 6/15/2023 at 9:15 AM, cruisers0708 said:

We have upcoming 11 day Alaska cruise August 2023 and Medallion app says $220 (20/day) with Elite discount for 4 device plan.

 

@Samkitty1  I think the price increase was after you had already paid for your MedallionNet package.

 

@cruisers0708thanks for verifying the current price for a 4-device package:

$40 per day; $20/day with the platinum/elite discount.

 

Mary