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

[avonlady6390]

Pre fixed meals consists of an appitizer entree and dessert.

[nasa1974]

1 hour ago, ldtr said:

Yep you are one of those that get impacted.  Keep in mind that if you try another CCL owned line HAL, Cunard, P&O, etc. they also have the shareholder benefit so unless you only sail on Princess you may want to keep it.  Since the change does not impact the benefit on other CCL owned lines.  I have gotten it this year on HAL and P&O. 

Not really.

Sailed CCL once, not for me. HAL twice, maybe but not any time in the near future. Cunard and P&O, probably not. If I did book one of these 4, would I get both MOBC and SOBC or just SOBC? I have friends that sail Princess and Royal, so the odds are I'll book with one of these cruise lines.

[Thrak]

I'm just happy they are still waving the 50¢ per sheet toilet tissue fee.

 

For those who are unhappy about gratuities: We are booked 32 days in Australia with Plus. The gratuities are baked into Plus but are also already baked into the fare for Australia cruises. This reduces the value of Plus by $16 per person per day. Princess specifically mentions that there will be no adjustments made for this "double billing" situation.

 

With the new fees the first 14 day segment of our cruises have also lost some value as that segment is booked with the old Plus 50. The second (4 day) and third (14 day) are booked with Plus 60 so we will be allowed to eat a couple of pizzas at Alfredo's without paying extra on those segments. Since the cruises are on Grand Princess pizza is the only offering in Alfredo's.

 

I'm not pleased by the changes but it's not going to ruin my trip and I'm not going to storm off in anger and swear to never cruise Princess again. (There are some folks who swore they were done with Princess forever a couple of years ago but they still seem to be here in the Princess forums...)

[Guest ldtr]

12 minutes ago, nasa1974 said:

Not really.

Sailed CCL once, not for me. HAL twice, maybe but not any time in the near future. Cunard and P&O, probably not. If I did book one of these 4, would I get both MOBC and SOBC or just SOBC? I have friends that sail Princess and Royal, so the odds are I'll book with one of these cruise lines.

On HAL you can now add veterans to your account before you book and get $100 in addition to shareholder.  If you are from the UK you can also get a veterans benefit  on P&O in addition to shareholder.  Do not know about Cunard.

[spunks]

1 hour ago, SCX22 said:

At this point this topic has been discussed ad nauseum.

 

Cruisers need to put their money where their mouth is.  If you're so incensed by these changes don't book with Princess and venture out to competition.  Cancel the remaining cruises you have booked with Princess if that window is open.  The changes are coming and complaining won't change that fact.  IMO, when Princess cruisers see the prices of the "adult focused" competition many will continue to sail with Princess.

 

The effects of a change always lag.  It'll be a while before Princess can quantify if this change was for the better or the worse.  It's also at this time that they will decide if a pivot in strategy is in order or if they should continue in the same trajectory.

I am not trying to tell Princess how to run their business......I am merely explaining why they may no longer have mine.

 

I find it curious that there are people on here that are minimizing my issues with this new policy while proclaiming these issues do not mean what I think they mean. I have been loyal to Princess for over 60 cruises. I simply wish they were loyal back.

[kathy49]

I think people should start shopping around. Have done so for some time now and Celebrity offers a much better experience and often price is not that different. They have some great sales. Food is excellent and service tops.  Also some other lines such as Azamara that are perceived as luxury when you start comparing $ for $ as to what you get included price is again comparable and experience more personal. Time to branch out folks.

[CruizinSusan70]

11 hours ago, duckey.l said:

I already have one NCL booked for 2024- just haven’t added it to my signature yet. They do seem to have the best loyalty program IMHO. May also use this as as an opportunity to try something new!

Try the Prima Class.  We were on her for 3 sailings totalling 25 days.  The Indulge Food Hall is a step above.

[Cruisen Elf]

OK, I finally made it through all 50 pages of this thread and feel like Alice falling down the rabbit hole!  The way Princess has handled this is poor business IMHO.  It is classic Bait & Switch -  Buy one thing and get another completely different product!

 

We booked an upcoming October cruise back in 2021, and added the Plus Package.  At the time we booked, there were no charges to activate The Ocean Ready app or for Room Service delivery.  There are no "casual restaurants" on the ship, so that's a non issue.  Now I'm learning these things are no longer included, and since it's past final payment date we have no recourse.  It is a 14 day cruise, so obviously we are not planning to pay an extra $10.00 a day per person for the new "extras."

 

We have heard nothing from Princess or our Travel Agent about the changes.  Naturally, I think the honorable thing to do is "grandfather" in the existing customers who purchased cruises in good faith prior to the changes, and not charge them the new extra fees.  But I won't be holding my breath on that, as I want to live!

[Gwendy]

8 hours ago, azbirdmom said:

I had to giggle when I saw this on the Princess website a few minutes ago.  Maybe there is a new package for "Princes"?

 

Maybe Harry is behind it?  Just another example of poor media.  And using Gonna.  Did these advertising gurus learn proofreading or plain English.

Another reason Princess is losing status.

[PacnGoNow]

1 hour ago, nasa1974 said:

These new changes won't really affect me. I haven't used room service (don't plan to), will order my drinks from one of the bars (not sure why you would wait 20 minutes for a drink when using the app) and haven't tried all the other eateries (but maybe now I might since I have Princess Plus) The biggest change that will affect me is the MOBC & SOBC. I now travel solo and since I'm a veteran I'll get my MOBC but I won't get my SOBC. If that doesn't change, I'll sell my stock. 

SOBC: Hold onto it for a while, it’s doing well!

 

Thank you for your service. 🇺🇸 

[CruizinSusan70]

11 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Agree.  That's he reasons packages are being pushed so hard, and increasing in price.  The cost to the cruise line is minimal and the profits are 10x on every pour.

But those who are teetotalers and those who only cruise on Princess are possibly oblivious to the fact the Plus package @ 60 per day is the best value in the entire cruise industry for anyone looking for a close to all inclusive experience.  The 60 gives you drinks, wifi and grats all wrapped up together. On other lines if packaged together like Celebrity and if purchased a la carte on the other lines, it's substantially more than 60 bucks. On some Royal sailings it could be close to double that price.

 

The reason that the packages are increasing in price is because those cruisers that are looking for value still realize that it's a value purchase at 60.  On other lines you can't get the drink package with the drink package tips for 60 a day.  

[nasa1974]

2 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said:

SOBC: Hold onto it for a while, it’s doing well!

 

Thank you for your service. 🇺🇸 

Yeah, bought at $10. Other than making a few bucks on the stock if I sell there isn't any benefit to keep it since it doesn't pay dividends and Princess is taking away the SOBC. I honestly don't see myself sailing on the other 4 cruise lines for the SOBC benefit.

[PacnGoNow]

48 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

I'm just happy they are still waving the 50¢ per sheet toilet tissue fee

 

Who’s going to count the pieces, Thrak?🤣Waving or waiving? 😂

Edited July 29, 2023 by PacnGoNow

[pilot]

5 hours ago, spunks said:

OK...here is our look at the differences between RCCL and Princess:

 

It used to be that RCCL was always cheaper than Princess, but Princess allowed us to "stack" OBC benefits so that the money usually came out about the same....i.e....being a military veteran would pay something like $100.00 , being a stockholder of CCL stock paid $100.00..having cruised over 50 times with Princess paid $100.00, plus any TA given benefits...so a total of $300.00 plus on a 7 day cruise. This is onboard credit that could go toward tips, drinks, etc or even specialty restaurants. RCCL would only give a stockholder benefit, and even then if you did not have any discounts....plus 1 Princess!

 

Princess gives a one time mini bar setup of 8 little bottles, 2 bottles of beer, 2 Perrier and 6 soft drinks per cruise no matter how many days the cruise. RCCL gives 4 drinks PER DAY at any bar for Diamond, 5 per day for Diamond plus and 6 per day for Pennical.....plus 1 RCCL

 

The sad thing is that within the last year Princess has done away with the over 20-30-40-50 times cruise bonus....gone. Next they took away the benefit stacking. You can now take EITHER the Vet bonus or the stockholder, but not both.....minus 1 Princess.

 

Princess does still allow unlimited free laundry service for Elite members( 15 cruises), but they now take up to 72 hours to return it.

 

RCCL allows a small bag of laundry per cruise for Diamond Plus...plus one for Princess

 

No more free internet for Platinum and Elite for Princess..RCCL gives 2 free days internet per Diamond Plus member in the cabin. ..Plus one for RCCL....internet is Voom starlink...very fast plus another for RCCL

 

Princess has been reducing benefits ....RCCL has not 

 

Doug

RCCL has gone to once a day cabin service, except JS and higher still get twice a day service. Plus for Princess. 

[dides]

On the topic of Casual Dining, I thought I would try and capture all the other qualifying Casual Dining options across the fleet, so those that get 2 free meals on Plus (and don't have or like Alfredos/Gigis) can spend their additional benefit wisely. And those on Premier can eat in as many as they like! 

 

The table below is a first stab so please copy, paste and edit to correct.

 

Ship	Alfredos/Gigis	Ocean Terrace	Salty Dog Pub	Vines	O'Malleys	Kai Sushi	Planks	Steamers
Caribbean Princess			Yes	Yes			Yes	Yes
Coral Princess	Pizza Sea days Sabatinis
Crown Princess				Yes
Diamond Princess						Yes
Discovery Princess	Yes	Yes
Emerald Princess			Yes	Yes			Yes	Yes
Enchanted Princess	Yes	Yes			Yes
Grand Princess	Pizza only			Yes
Island Princess	Pizza Sea days Sabatinis
Majestic Princess	Yes	Yes		Yes
Regal Princess	Yes	Yes		Yes
Royal Princess	Yes	Yes		Yes
Ruby Princess			Yes	Yes
Sapphire Princess	Pizza only			Yes
Sky Princess	Yes	Yes		Yes
Star Princess	Yes				Yes	Yes
Sun Princess	Yes				Yes	Yes

 

 

Disclaimers - .

• Aware that some ships without Alfredos had free Alfredos pizzas in Sabatini's on sea days - assume they will become chargeable should they survive
• I don't know if all Vines are equal (not being a wine drinker)
• Has Planks and Steamers come back yet?
• I'm not happy about the changes but let's make sure everyone is informed so we can make the most of it

 

Edited July 29, 2023 by dides

[SCX22]

38 minutes ago, spunks said:

I am not trying to tell Princess how to run their business......I am merely explaining why they may no longer have mine.

 

I find it curious that there are people on here that are minimizing my issues with this new policy while proclaiming these issues do not mean what I think they mean. I have been loyal to Princess for over 60 cruises. I simply wish they were loyal back.

 

Let the money do the talking.  Nothing talks louder than money.  When Princess sees the drop in cruisers and the cash flow that's coming in as causation/correlation with this change, I guarantee you Princess will change again.

 

I have posted before that Princess is making these changes to increase cash flow so that they can repay the astronomical debt that they took on during the pandemic.  They aren't making this change for no reason.

 

Just remember, if you venture off to another cruise line, you start from scratch with your loyalty.  Having said that, there's nothing wrong with moving on from Princess or choosing another cruise line.  Variety is the spice of life.

 

When airlines started to charge for checked baggage in economy, passengers complained.  Passengers continued fly these airlines and pay the checked baggage fee.  The airlines that made this change are still thriving.

[CruizinSusan70]

9 hours ago, gah_cruise said:

is it possible to remove/reduce crew appreciation if you have Plus/Premier package?

No, so go basic, save 60 a day, save another 16 a day by removing your tips.  Then you'll save money by spending less than 76 a day on a la carte drinks & wifi.

[PrincessLuver]

5 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

 

When airlines started to charge for checked baggage in economy, passengers complained.  Passengers continued fly these airlines and pay the checked baggage fee.  The airlines that made this change are still thriving.

 

LOL.....yes and we all know how popular flying is these days not to mention that "unruly passenger incidents" have increased dramatically in recent years.  

[CruizinSusan70]

8 hours ago, cargoagent said:

I will easily find other cruise lines to enjoy or other vacation options. 

You've cruised on NCL a half dozen times so just go back to them.  But, be forewarned, all of the main stream cruise lines are going through post Covid growing pains so changes are being made across the board and loyal cruisers of Celebrity, RCI, Carnival and NCL are all complaining.  Those that cruise on multiple cruise lines and keep up with the scuttlebutt on the various boards on Cruise Critic know that cruisers across various lines are upset about changes.

[SCX22]

7 minutes ago, PrincessLuver said:

 

LOL.....yes and we all know how popular flying is these days not to mention that "unruly passenger incidents" have increased dramatically in recent years.  

 

Airlines don't control unruly passengers just as Princess can't control it's rude/unruly passengers.  All that can be done is to kick them off.

 

Will concede that flying is a chore now a days, but airplanes are still flying full.  Just look at how swamped Europe right now is.  Not all of those tourists were brought by cruise ships.  

Edited July 30, 2023 by SCX22

[Princessfan20]

1 hour ago, spunks said:

I am not trying to tell Princess how to run their business......I am merely explaining why they may no longer have mine.

 

I find it curious that there are people on here that are minimizing my issues with this new policy while proclaiming these issues do not mean what I think they mean. I have been loyal to Princess for over 60 cruises. I simply wish they were loyal back.

 

I agree with what you posted and I think there are a number of Princess (cruise) travel agents on these boards who always have to pitch how great cruising is no matter what the cruise lines do.....it's their livelihood.  The good thing is there are so many other forms of travel that are just as good or not better than cruising and we have never been solely locked into cruising.  The airlines, hotels and rental car companies treat their elite travels way better than Princess does now.

[spunks]

21 minutes ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

No, so go basic, save 60 a day, save another 16 a day by removing your tips.  Then you'll save money by spending less than 76 a day on a la carte drinks & wifi.

I think it is a damned shame that people would consider removing tips to get at the cruise lines.

 

as for the idea of starting over with loyalty points mentioned above....we are close to top tier with RCCL as well

 

[rideev]

Just waiting for the newest update from Princess that will allow you to have the following with...

Premier

Cabin steward will refresh your room daily

Hot water will be unlimited in your shower

Unlimited Dining in Main Dining Room

 

Princess Plus

Cabin steward will refresh your cabin every third day.

You're shower will have water

4 meals of your choice in one of the MDRs

 

Steerage Class 

(Formerly known as Standard)

Balconies and above will have a bed.

Cabin Steward will refresh cabin (for a nominal charge of $15 per person per day)

Your bathroom will be unlocked for a one time fee of $25.  A nominal fee of $5 per shower will be added to your folio.

Buffet will be included at no charge!

 

 

 

[SCX22]

6 minutes ago, Princessfan20 said:

 

I agree with what you posted and I think there are a number of Princess (cruise) travel agents on these boards who always have to pitch how great cruising is no matter what the cruise lines do.....it's their livelihood.  The good thing is there are so many other forms of travel that are just as good or not better than cruising and we have never been solely locked into cruising.  The airlines, hotels and rental car companies treat their elite travels way better than Princess does now.

 

 

Cruising has never been a good option for those looking for an immersive experience.  After all you're only in port for a few hours.  Lucky you, if you have an overnight stop.  Dollar for dollar cruising is still a good value because at minimum lodging, some form of a meal, whether it be MDR or buffet, and evening entertainment is included.

 

Airlines can't keep their airfares down because of increased fuel costs and the need to pay increasing wages as agreed to by unions.  Centrally located hotels are between $200 to $400 a night to try and recover from lost revenue during the pandemic and because of increased demand.  Entrance fees to most attractions have increased.

 

Price increases aren't just a problem of Princess or cruise lines. 

[Guest ldtr]

2 hours ago, spunks said:

I am not trying to tell Princess how to run their business......I am merely explaining why they may no longer have mine.

 

I find it curious that there are people on here that are minimizing my issues with this new policy while proclaiming these issues do not mean what I think they mean. I have been loyal to Princess for over 60 cruises. I simply wish they were loyal back.

How you feel about cruising is up to you. How you react to any changes is up to you

 

The question of cuts to Elite and other loyalty benefits is a factual discussion. There are all kinds of claims about how Princess has been cutting Elite benefits, when in reality there have been very few cuts to the Elite benefits. Thus when someone makes that comment I ask exactly what has been cut?