Is the Medallion Plus experience on Princess worth the money?

[cr8tiv1]

38 minutes ago, beshears said:

Well, I may have had a change of mind, but I haven't decided as yet. My son was over looking at the computer again of what the different packages Princess had to offer, and although I really don't do much drinking of anything, by the time he read the different packages, including tips, pictures, dinners, deserts, WiFi, etc.,it almost made me thing that I might get one of those packages after all.

 

You have the right to change your mind, until 3 days before sailing.  But then again, you can also buy it on the first day.

 

Keep in mind that the first two passengers in the cabin need to have the same:  None or both.

 

You can share the Medallion Net with anyone/device, as long as only one is logged in at a time, if you just purchase wifi.  iMessages work (sometimes) without having an internet connection.   On a recent cruise, it worked for me seamlessly.  For the others, it was a hit and miss.  User error?  Most likely.

 

I've had the dessert once...and that will keep me away from it for years to come.

 

For light drinkers like me, it is more of a convenience at $40/$50.  A huge stretch at $60 or $80.  

 

Enjoy your experience.  You might like it.

[Mike45LC]

Beshears, I have been given the Plus package on my last three cruises.  Definitely NOT worth the price if I had to pay, for this almost-teetotaler.  I drink tea, iced tea, lemonade (all complimentary) and sodas.  And a total of three alcoholic beverages over my last 16 day cruise.  

Do the math and figure it out for yourself!!  And if it is close, get the plus package for peace of mind. 

[JanetAlice]

21 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

But it is still easy to do the math.  Just plug in what you plan to tip to see if buying Plus and using its tip amount makes more sense to you.  For example, let's say that the suggested gratuity is $16 for your level of cabin.  You don't plan to tip that amount, and instead plan to tip $20 per day.  It would still make sense to get the Package and then add in $4 per day to get to your planned tip amount.  And let's say that you were planning to tip only $12 a day. It would still make sense to get the Package with its $16 gratuity if the rest of the package was going to save you $4 or more per day in drinks and coffee. The same holds true for WiFi discounts.  Here's he math:

• I get WiFi for $7.50 per day with my discount.
• I plan to tip $12 per day
• I am going to consume $8 in coffee drinks per day
• I am going to have 2 glasses of wine at $15 per day and one cocktail for $9 each day.

 

My daily total is going to come to $66.50.  Eschewing the Plus Package so that I can monetize my Wi-Fi discount that I spent thousands of dollars earning, and shaving down the gratuity amount because...well...I won't go there, is cutting off one's nose to spite one's face.  Better to get the Plus Package even if you won't sleep well at night knowing that you over-tipped.   

 

Where did you find a price for wifi?  I’m also Platinum so does it mean it’s $15 and then a $7.50 onboard credit? I have Princess plus on an upcoming cruise but am thinking about canceling because my husband doesn’t drink and I would only have 1 glass of wine at dinner. Neither one of us drink coffee or soda. 

[JimmyVWine]

2 hours ago, JanetAlice said:

Where did you find a price for wifi?  I’m also Platinum so does it mean it’s $15 and then a $7.50 onboard credit?

I do not know if the half-price discount comes on the front end with you charged the price of $7.50 or on the back end as a $7.50 per day credit after paying $15.  Sorry.

[Buckeye10640]

6 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

I do not know if the half-price discount comes on the front end with you charged the price of $7.50 or on the back end as a $7.50 per day credit after paying $15.  Sorry.

I have been able to book WIFI at the discounted price, most recently for a cruise last month. 

[JimmyVWine]

3 minutes ago, Buckeye10640 said:

I have been able to book WIFI at the discounted price, most recently for a cruise last month. 

Thanks.  I have only purchased WiFi as a standalone product twice.  Once before I was eligible for a discount and once when I paid $5 per day up front instead of $10.

[voljeep]

no drinks - no package(s)

5 drinks or more - easy - either package

 

2-3 drinks - decide for yourself

 

now should I get Plus or Premier if I drink 5 or more per day?

 

5 day cruise - Premier

7 day - ??

10 or more - Your decision if you like better wines and can find them on board, specialty dinners, etc

 

Also depends on how much OBC you have ...😈🤑

Edited June 6, 2023 by voljeep

[JimmyVWine]

30 minutes ago, voljeep said:

no drinks - no package(s)

5 drinks or 3-4 glasses of wine or more - easy - either package

 

2-3 drinks or 1-2 glasses of wine- decide for yourself

 

now should I get Plus or Premier if I drink 5 drinks or 3-4 glasses of wine or more per day?

 

5 day cruise - Premier

7 day - ??

10 or more - Your decision if you like better wines and can find them on board, specialty dinners, etc

 

Also depends on how much OBC you have ...😈🤑

I made a few edits.  The matrix changes considerably depending on whether one drinks primarily cocktails or wine.  The increase in the wine prices since the introduction of Premier makes them no longer fungible with cocktails.  A typical "vacation cocktail" (think "Captain's Bounty" or "Dirty Banana" or "Mai Tai") is $10.  A typical glass of wine included in Plus is $12-$15 so let's average that out to $13.50.  5 cocktails paid for our-of-pocket comes to $59 after tip. 3 to 4 glasses of wine paid for out of pocket comes to $47.79-$63.7.  So when doing the math, cocktails no longer equal glasses of wine.  (If you tried to equate the two, then 5 glasses of wine paid for out-of-pocket comes to $79.65 which is considerably more than $59).  Reliable math now requires one to estimate how many of each one will have each day.   

Edited June 6, 2023 by JimmyVWine

[roxievegas]

3 hours ago, JanetAlice said:

Where did you find a price for wifi?  I’m also Platinum so does it mean it’s $15 and then a $7.50 onboard credit? I have Princess plus on an upcoming cruise but am thinking about canceling because my husband doesn’t drink and I would only have 1 glass of wine at dinner. Neither one of us drink coffee or soda. 

if you don't drink more than one or two alcohol drinks per day, it is not worth getting the package.

currently we are booked with no plus package.  We will pay the gratuities before we go (price $203.00) for 7 days, and order a case of water ($7.00+ = 12 bottles) for our room.

We do not do pictures, desserts (would like to have the gelato, but not the new sundaes), exercise classes, or pay restaurants, so we only will be paying for coffee from international and soft drinks for my husband at dinner.  We are platinum and get discount on wifi for one device.

package plus would cost us $840 total, hard to drink $600 in alcohol for us.

[cr8tiv1]

When you get on board, you can order Medallion Net using your app.  It will charge you net price (discounted price).  No messing with OBC.  It will be charged to your onboard folio and use whatever OBC you have listed.

 

12 hours ago, JanetAlice said:

Where did you find a price for wifi?  I’m also Platinum so does it mean it’s $15 and then a $7.50 onboard credit? I have Princess plus on an upcoming cruise but am thinking about canceling because my husband doesn’t drink and I would only have 1 glass of wine at dinner. Neither one of us drink coffee or soda. 

 

[HikaruTsuki]

As a Canadian at Platinum level, if there is at At Par deal, Plus is absolutely worth it for us. At that rate it's about 3 alcoholic drinks to break even. Without the par deal and considering **Platinum gets 50% off wifi, it becomes more iffy (approx five alcoholic drinks per day). We also enjoy our speciality coffees but don't 'need' them by any means. The question is super subjective on our drinking habits. 

 

**But seriously Princess, when are you gonna discount Plus to account for Platinum/Elite's 50% off wifi? We get less value out of Plus which seems like a silly oversight. Offer even $5 off per day on Plus for Platinum/Elite and the question to "Plus or not" becomes less of an issue! 

[beshears]

OK, it may have already been mentioned, but I'm going to ask again. If there are "two" people in the room, do EACH of these people HAVE to purchase one of these packages, and I know they do NOT share anything with the package. I'm just thinking the one that might go with me may not want ALL that is offered. I'm just wanting to know if "I" can order it for just myself if I am in the room with someone else?

[cr8tiv1]

@beshears. It's an all or nothing deal for the first 2 passengers.  

[cr8tiv1]

@HikaruTsuki  What a novel idea?!#

 

Princess allows us to purchase Medallion Net for 50% off of $15 per day.  Even with a $5 off Plus/Premier package, they would still be "ahead" $2.50 over the life of the cruise.

 

Princess, if you are reading these threads:

 

First possible bargain for your Loyalty Members:  $55/day for Plus or $75 for Premier/day.

 

Option #2:  How about $50/$70 for no sundaes/no gym classes?  Imagine how much Princess would be "saving" not to have to provide 2 sundaes/day or 2 gym classes/day. WOW...

[Nightowl11]

4 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

@beshears. It's an all or nothing deal for the first 2 passengers.  

I know its an all or nothing deal for the first 2 passengers if you book and pay for it before the cruise, but once you are onboard, and now can pay onboard, is it the same?  Each person now has their own medallion app and has their separate payment methods.  A cabinmate can't charge on someone else's shipboard account.  And what if the 2nd person already bought the Soda package?  Can they be forced to upgrade without their authorization?  Originally, years ago, if one person wanted the drink package, the drink packages were forced on everyone in the cabin.  It was supposedly so there was no sharing.  But now it is the 1st and 2nd only with the option of the 3rd and 4th.  What's to prevent them from sharing?  Logically, it makes no sense. 

[beshears]

OK, let me see if I understand this right. It is stated that it is an all or nothing for the "first 2 passengers." Are you saying in "each room," or since we are getting 4 rooms, there will be 8 people. I just want to make sure you are saying "if" there are two people in the room and one wants one of the packages, the other HAS to do it too, is this correct????

[Torfamm]

On 6/5/2023 at 4:24 AM, beshears said:

I see Princess advertising the Medallion Plus experience. If YOU have paid for this, was it worth it, and what did you received in return for what you paid, and how much was it?

It’s a math problem. Plus is $60 per day. Internet and Gratuities are about $31.  If you feel you will drink more than about $28 (plus 18% gratuity) in specialty coffee, soft drinks, bottled water, beer, wine, and cocktails each day, you will come out ahead.

A $4 coffee and two $15 glasses of wine with dinner will make you a winner.

[Culinarycruiseguy]

This has so much to do with the individual but for us it is well worth it. I enjoy quite a lot of specialty coffee and we partake in plenty of cocktails and wines and more importantly it allows us to try some different drinks without the thought of "what if we don't care for it" which really make the vacation enjoyable and stress free. Certainly if one does not drink alcohol I think the deal goes right out the door, but again, it really depends on the person and to figure in your mind what you are going to use and how much.