Changes to Princess Plus, room service fees, Alfredo's and others. Fee changes. Etc

[Jeter02]

44 minutes ago, homeinboca said:

Having just spent a rainy Saturday morning reading through all these comments, I thought I would add my own. We are not purchasing a drink package and don't ever expect to. For the same reason we don't go to all-inclusive resorts, it just doesn't pay for us to do so. We aren't big drinkers. Maybe one or two a day. When we look back at our cruising history, we have never ordered room service. We do use the card to hang on the door for an early morning delivery to our cabin for a few things for DW. There are some cruises we went on, where we never used Alfredos Pizza and some where we did one time. The IC, Buffet, MDR, Slice and Burger Grill by the pool are more than enough for us. We usually do a specialty restaurant once a cruise also. 

 

Are we upset about price increases - of course we are. I get upset every time I go to the grocery store too. Everything is up in our post-Covid world. Airfares, hotels, utilities, fuel, cars, nothing is exempt. 

 

Having said all that, we enjoy being at sea, looking out at the ocean and spending a relaxing day by the pool or just going ashore and walking around the port in the Caribbean. We've been to most of the islands a few times now, so we don't do excursions either. If Princess doesn't like the type of cruiser that I am, so be it. These changes won't impact our future decisions on whether or not to cruise with Princess. 

 

I'm right there with you. I love cruising for the simple aspect of starring at the ocean and waking up to new scenery /destinations every morning, and meeting new people along the way. Oh don't forget the people watching, cruising is great for that. That's really why I cruise, it's for that simplicity and relaxation. 

[Steelers36]

4 hours ago, charliedalrymple said:

Wait, what?  I thought Alfredo's was available at no cost to all cruisers throughout the cruise.  We've eaten there three or four times on some cruises.  Has something changed that I don't know about?

Joking, or you have not seen the hottest Princess Forum thread of all time that now has over 1,000 posts concerning the changes in casual dining and service fees?

 

[PacnGoNow]

15 minutes ago, spunks said:

No...I had a free cruise, but did not have a free drink package. I had VIP status which meant I could get drinks in the Casino when it is open.

 

My complaint is that things that I liked about Princess which included coffee ( plain old black coffee) delivery each morning,,,, occasional meals at Alfredo's. .free internet and such are now gone. This makes Princess cruises not worth the effort for me, even for free passage. I can get the same benefits on RCCL ( well....actually much better) with less trouble. The free laundry and Most traveled guest luncheons with the Captain mean less and less to us.

You can still get your plain old black coffee in the morning free.  Just fill out the RS card for breakfast and hang on the door.  Your steward should supply

them, if not In your room.

 

The morning continental breakfast is still free, just don’t call RS, use the card instead.

 

 

[coo359a2]

9 minutes ago, spunks said:

  . I can get the same benefits on RCCL ( well....actually much better) with less trouble. The free laundry and Most traveled guest luncheons with the Captain mean less and less to us.

I wonder if someone has made a comparison chart showing actual costs (i.e. gratuities/drinks/internet/"tax" on drinks and other benefits) between Princess, RCL, NCL, Celebrity, other CCL lines so that someone could see these differences.  Then add the basic cruise costs to costs of benefits  and you could tell if the grass is greener on the other side. 

[Steelers36]

4 hours ago, annlee said:

I only order pizza at Alfredo's. I have Princess Plus. Will I be paying extra for this privilege come November?

(I do not care about the 2 free 3-course meals, although I supposed I could order pizza twice if it turns out they'll start charging for a pizza pie).

I really do wish another thread had not been started, but here is the answer once again.

 

First it depends on which Plus package you have - older $50 one or newer $60 one.  The cutover date mentioned in the PCL webinar was Dec 14.  If you have the old one, you get nothing of the new changes and pay a la carte for service charges and for-fee restaurants.

 

If you have the $60 Plus, you can dine 2X per booked voyage in any of the for-fee casual dining locations.  Dining means you are entitled to food up to a $15/pp 3-course meal.  The only change to for-fee casual dining locations is to include Alfredo's into the mix.  Other previous casual dining remains free.  You can also order items a la carte from casual dining menus and you might not spend $15 each time (we wouldn't as we go at lunch and share a pizza, for example).

 

The other new fees are service charges for Ocean Now delivery at your location or for calling Room Service to get food or drink.

 

If you have Premier, you get unlimited casual dining.  But must be the $80 price point to get this.

[coo359a2]

6 minutes ago, CruzinNoony said:

Hi Tina,

You should have been on our Hawaii cruise on the Emerald (July 6 - 22).  LOTS of kids and teens.  No supervision by their parents.  Yikes!!  Sure would like to see you and Ken sometime on a cruise!!  We mostly sail out of LA.

Hi back.  We are on Ruby this spring with one cruise out of LA.

[Doug R.]

Observations:

 

• I have Plus/60 on my September cruise on the Emerald, while my travel summary has not changed, when I bring up Upgrade Packages it shows the list of all the new bells and whistles under Plus and the word purchased at the bottom. I presume it will take a while for the chages to show up on the travel summary.
• When I selected dining on the website for my cruise, all descriptions of dining options on the Emerald are gone, I guess they are revising the page to reflect the new information. It directs the user to the app. If I were a new cruiser, I would find this very confusing.

[Steelers36]

14 minutes ago, palolake said:

Just getting the pizza at Alfredos is a $12 charge.

 

Yeah.. seems high.  I was expecting something like $10 max.  Doesn't take much to get to the $15 all-in.  (And why did they come up with stupid $14.99 all-in and yet each item is an even $ amount? Whatever...)

[CruzinNoony]

5 minutes ago, coo359a2 said:

Hi back.  We are on Ruby this spring with one cruise out of LA.

Panama Canal or Pacific Coastal?

[PacnGoNow]

2 hours ago, pilot said:

We usually have coffee delivered to the cabin in the morning for our wake up. Guess now one of us will pay the $15 one time delivery fee or a couple of days $5 RS fee.

 

At least won’t need to worry about keeping small bills anymore for tip. 

No the Continental breakfast, using the card to hang on your door, the night before is still free.  Ask your steward for the cards.  You can order just coffee, if you want.

 

If you use the phone it’s a $5 RS delivery

fee.  Or, if you use the App on your phone or TV, then it’s a one time activation fee $15 to order, whether it’s in your cabin or anywhere on the ship.

 

[Steelers36]

13 minutes ago, coo359a2 said:

I wonder if someone has made a comparison chart showing actual costs (i.e. gratuities/drinks/internet/"tax" on drinks and other benefits) between Princess, RCL, NCL, Celebrity, other CCL lines so that someone could see these differences.  Then add the basic cruise costs to costs of benefits  and you could tell if the grass is greener on the other side. 

Job is yours,  Please report back by next Tuesday.  😉

[Astro Flyer]

16 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said:

The morning continental breakfast is still free, just don’t call RS, use the card instead.

Wasn’t it possible to previously order it on the app? Guess it’d cost me $14.99 per cruise to do it on the app or TV? Where is the cost savings for Princess by requiring using a card instead of simply on the app?
 

Another example of a not well thought out change by Princess.

 

 

[gah_cruise]

17 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said:

If you use the phone it’s a $5 RS delivery

fee.  Or, if you use the App on your phone or TV, then it’s a one time activation fee $15 to order, whether it’s in your cabin or anywhere on the ship.

 

Why the $5 charge for room service if you use the phone?  Is it a better service (eg quicker and hotter) than the app?

[dlh015]

24 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Job is yours,  Please report back by next Tuesday.  😉

Dang...I was gonna post that!! lol...

[PacnGoNow]

18 minutes ago, Astro Flyer said:

Wasn’t it possible to previously order it on the app? Guess it’d cost me $14.99 per cruise to do it on the app or TV? Where is the cost savings for Princess by requiring using a card instead of simply on the app?
 

Another example of a not well thought out change by Princess.

 

 

1. Yes

2. Yes

3. IDK

 

Yes, I agree. 

[Ken the cruiser]

18 minutes ago, coo359a2 said:

I wonder if someone has made a comparison chart showing actual costs (i.e. gratuities/drinks/internet/"tax" on drinks and other benefits) between Princess, RCL, NCL, Celebrity, other CCL lines so that someone could see these differences.  Then add the basic cruise costs to costs of benefits  and you could tell if the grass is greener on the other side. 

I do know NCL just implemented their Free At Sea Plus package, which I must say is a pretty good deal for an additional $49 pp/day on top of the $21 pp/day for the FAS beverage package for a total of $70 pp/day. 
 

 
Celebrity’s All Included hovers around $85 pp/day, depending on their supply and demand algorithm that day, and then figure another $35 pp/day, for a total of $120 pp/day, if you want to upgrade their AI Basic Internet service and Classic Drink package to Premium.

All Included: All Included applies to inside, ocean view, veranda, Concierge Class, or AquaClass® stateroom who book with the All Included Rate (“Eligible Bookings”). All guests in an Eligible Booking will receive a Classic Drink Package, Gratuities (“Tips”) Included, and an unlimited Basic Wi-Fi Package. All guests with an Eligible Booking in The Retreat will receive a Premium Drink Package, Tips Included, OBC and an unlimited Premium Wi-Fi Package. OBC amount varies by length of sailing and will be credited to guests’ stateroom folios. OBC has no cash value, is applicable to cruise only, non-transferable, not redeemable for cash, and will expire if not used by 10:00 PM on the final night of the cruise. Guests with Wi-Fi Packages will receive instructions for Wi-Fi access in their staterooms on the first day of the cruise. All guests in the same stateroom must choose the same rate.

 

[dlh015]

36 minutes ago, Doug R. said:

I have Plus/60 on my September cruise on the Emerald, while my travel summary has not changed, when I bring up Upgrade Packages it shows the list of all the new bells and whistles under Plus and the word purchased at the bottom. I presume it will take a while for the chages to show up on the travel summary.

That is precisely what I see in mine, too. I booked mine on June 4th this year. Figure I should get the new stuff. I have a little over 2 months before the cruise sails...hopefully I will get an update before then...

[PacnGoNow]

11 minutes ago, gah_cruise said:

Why the $5 charge for room service if you use the phone?  Is it a better service (eg quicker and hotter) than the app?

IDK.  They are charging for RS now. Unless you purchase the App $15 one time fee or you have purchased the drink package that qualifies.

 

Poster just wanted continental breakfast or coffee in the morning and according to the webinar, you can still get it for free using the door tag.

 

I didn’t see it quicker or hotter using the phone before.  It still wasn’t hot. 😳

[bubbaed]

9 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I do know NCL just implemented their Free At Sea Plus package, which I must say is a pretty good deal for an additional $49 pp/day on top of the $21 pp/day for the FAS beverage package for a total of $70 pp/day. 

Last time I priced NCL, they charge you separately for the beverage gratuities on these packages. That would add 18% (or is it 20%?) to the cost making it $82.60 per day and that still doesn't include daily crew gratuity.

 

Princess is still a better deal, IMO.

Edited July 29, 2023 by bubbaed

[charliedalrymple]

54 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Joking, or you have not seen the hottest Princess Forum thread of all time that now has over 1,000 posts concerning the changes in casual dining and service fees?

 

 

I had not seen it when I posted, but I have since then. Sheesh.  What will they come up with next?

 

[2+2]

This blue collar worker and occasional cruiser we be chosing the Premium package. No worry about extra cost. Just relax and enjoy the cruise. And I will try gelato for the first time. 

[emeraldlake]

55 minutes ago, coo359a2 said:

I wonder if someone has made a comparison chart showing actual costs (i.e. gratuities/drinks/internet/"tax" on drinks and other benefits) between Princess, RCL, NCL, Celebrity, other CCL lines so that someone could see these differences.  Then add the basic cruise costs to costs of benefits  and you could tell if the grass is greener on the other side. 

Stay tuned.  At end of this video she states she is going to do that.  

 

[getaway101]

My question is....We already have Premier for our upcoming September cruise.  Will it be included or do we have to upgrade yet again for a fee of course.

[Ken the cruiser]

9 minutes ago, bubbaed said:

Last time I priced NCL, they charge you separately for the beverage gratuities on these packages. That would add 18% (or is it 20%?) to the cost making it $82.60 per day and that still doesn't include daily crew gratuity.

 

Princess is still a better deal, IMO.

That’s why I mentioned the $21 pp/day for the FAS beverage package. You have to initially pay that when you book your cruise, otherwise you won’t be able to take advantage of the “free” FAS beverage package. You also won’t be able to upgrade to their new FAS Plus package.
 

Add that $21 pp/day to the $49 pp/day for the FAS Plus package for a total of $70 pp/day. We just got finished adding the Plus package to 5 bookings we currently have with the .

[suekel]

13 hours ago, vjmatty said:

Sharing meals would only be half the orders, half the cooking and therefore half the volume. 

My hubby is 6' 7" 275. There is no sharing!  Be nice though.