Just got an email outlining the "NEW" offerings

[startedwithamouse]

27 minutes ago, mcship said:

"increase profits"

They have to get back to profit first.  Right now they are not forecast to do that until 2024.   Current quarter is looking estimated positive, but not enough to pull the whole year up.

That wasn't meant overall.

 

If you have a coffee shop - your supplier raises prices.  You start to lose money on every cup of coffee.  You raise prices for your customers to INCREASE PROFITS on each cup of coffee.

Edited August 17, 2023 by startedwithamouse

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, mcship said:

The OceanNow, being part of the standard offering, but no longer being free is apparently a major sticking point for folks.  That and pizza (which I don't understand, but anyway).    It would have been easy to do it the same way as gratuity increases.  So if you are fully paid by X (even if that means you pay in full early) then you still get oceanNow and pizza free.  If you wait past X, you do not.   Or they could have simply had folks choose to make their deposit non-refundable by X, and "lock in" the free pizza.  There are a bunch of very simple things they could have done, which again, would not appease everyone, but would reduce the number.

Same could be said for everything.    

The point is that all of the increases have been have been independent of booking dates. for some one could prepay. if one wasn't aware or did not prepay they got the new amount did not matter when they booked.

 

In these cases no way to prepay so everyone gets the prices. but Princess has been consistent price increases on optional items are not tied to booking dates. Notj ust for these but other increases as well.

[villauk]

57 minutes ago, mcship said:

The OceanNow, being part of the standard offering, but no longer being free is apparently a major sticking point for folks.  That and pizza (which I don't understand, but anyway).    It would have been easy to do it the same way as gratuity increases.  So if you are fully paid by X (even if that means you pay in full early) then you still get oceanNow and pizza free.  If you wait past X, you do not.   Or they could have simply had folks choose to make their deposit non-refundable by X, and "lock in" the free pizza.  There are a bunch of very simple things they could have done, which again, would not appease everyone, but would reduce the number.

Same could be said for everything.    

 

Exactly. Paid months ago, all non-refundable because that’s what the T&Cs are over here and still haven’t received any emails about the change, even though we sail in 2 days! 

Edited August 17, 2023 by villauk

[villauk]

15 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

That wasn't meant overall.

 

If you have a coffee shop - your supplier raises prices.  You start to lose money on every cup of coffee.  You raise prices for your customers to INCREASE PROFITS on each cup of coffee.

 

Not if they bought a package for X number of coffees you don’t. You keep what they have pre-paid and charge any new customers the new rates. I pre-buy a television and go to collect my item; the shop doesn’t ask for more money when they hand it over at my collection point, but they would to a new customer who hasn’t already paid!

[CruizinSusan70]

5 hours ago, whitecap said:

So true.  So let me ask the question:  What are "we", the loyal Princess cruisers, going to do about it?  Vent on social media, then pay their fees?  Vent to Princess, then pay their fees?  Maybe let them know by not purchasing their drink package or cancelling one if you have it, to send a message that we know what they're doing and we don't like it and don't want it?  Ummm, since I don't purchase the package (four booked cruises) I don't have a dog in this fight, other deciding $5.00 vs. $14.99 vs walking to the buffet/IC for late night snack, it will be interesting to see how others decide to handle it.

We don't use room service and we go to the bar for our drinks.  The reduction in free Alfredo's visits stinks, but certainly not going to cry about it.  Even with these changes, in our opinion, they far and away have the best value afloat with the Plus package.  Not worth the extra 40 per day to upgrade to premier since we cruise on 7-14 day cruises.

[villauk]

15 minutes ago, ldtr said:

The point is that all of the increases have been have been independent of booking dates. for some one could prepay. if one wasn't aware or did not prepay they got the new amount did not matter when they booked.

 

In these cases no way to prepay so everyone gets the prices. but Princess has been consistent price increases on optional items are not tied to booking dates. Notj ust for these but other increases as well.

 

Some people are not aware of what they aren’t getting when they board. They purchased a Plus/Premier package when they booked the cruise (a decision which would have been on the information provided by Princess at that time i.e. free Medallion usage, free room service and free Alfredo’s). Now, in our case, in 2 days’ time, we will be boarding and if you are not on social media, you will have no idea that those items, which you paid for months ago, are now not included in your cruise experience unless you fork out more money.

[Steelers36]

49 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

So, obviously, the agent was able to do what I had requested but why nothing is showing to book still is beyond me. I have taken screen shots in case these also disappear...

Most of us believe they have always held back some table space from the pre-cruise booking ability.  They certainly did so when booking SD was in the Cruise Personalizer.

[SCX22]

48 minutes ago, whitecap said:

You apparently missed this sentence:  Now, chances are they are going to implement some change, but how nice to have been given the opportunity to voice one's opinion BEFORE.

 

The response will always be negative from cruisers when it comes to what is being coined as "nickel and diming" regardless of whether or not the cruise line polls before or after, so why go through the effort?  

[govanguy]

11 minutes ago, villauk said:

 

Some people are not aware of what they aren’t getting when they board. They purchased a Plus/Premier package when they booked the cruise (a decision which would have been on the information provided by Princess at that time i.e. free Medallion usage, free room service and free Alfredo’s). Now, in our case, in 2 days’ time, we will be boarding and if you are not on social media, you will have no idea that those items, which you paid for months ago, are now not included in your cruise experience unless you fork out more money.

We leave on Sky Princess too this Saturday. No communications received.

There's going to be a big line at Guest services. .... a big line of angry customers.

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, villauk said:

 

Some people are not aware of what they aren’t getting when they board. They purchased a Plus/Premier package when they booked the cruise (a decision which would have been on the information provided by Princess at that time i.e. free Medallion usage, free room service and free Alfredo’s). Now, in our case, in 2 days’ time, we will be boarding and if you are not on social media, you will have no idea that those items, which you paid for months ago, are now not included in your cruise experience unless you fork out more money.

Yep and that is consistent with Princess and other lines in the past. Services might change, prices on optional services might be added or increased. In some cases one can delay the impact, if they are aware of the change prior to the implementation date by paying in advance.  Princess honors such items if they had been paid for. Otherwise optional services are subject to change in availability and cost without regard to booking date.

 

Same as with these changes.

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, SCX22 said:

 

The response will always be negative from cruisers when it comes to what is being coined as "nickel and diming" regardless of whether or not the cruise line polls before or after, so why go through the effort?  

To distribute the complaints over a longer period, reducing the peak level of complaints. 

[villauk]

Just now, ldtr said:

Yep and that is consistent with Princess and other lines in the past. Services might change, prices on optional services might be added or increased. In some cases one can delay the impact, if they are aware of the change prior to the implementation date by paying in advance.  Princess honors such items if they had been paid for. Otherwise optional services are subject to change in availability and cost without regard to booking date.

 

Same as with these changes.

 

As I previously stated, not a good way to start a cruise: walk on board and find out you haven’t got what they said you had when you paid! Great customer service there - wait until the person is on board to find out. No excuse for that, no matter how many times you keep stating that they can do it!

[whitecap]

20 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

 

The response will always be negative from cruisers when it comes to what is being coined as "nickel and diming" regardless of whether or not the cruise line polls before or after, so why go through the effort?  

So if I understand you correctly, if your Governor asked the public's opinion about building a moat around the Governor's home, although you may be opposed, you would just remain silent because, well, he's gonna do what he's gonna do.  

Edited August 17, 2023 by whitecap

[SCX22]

7 minutes ago, whitecap said:

So if I understand you correctly, if your Governor asked the public's opinion about building a mote around the Governor's home, although you may be opposed, you would just remain silent because, well, he's gonna do what he's gonna do.  

 

Cruising isn't a democracy and it doesn't use taxpayer money.  Cruising is privilege and you're free to come and go as you see your budget fits.

Edited August 17, 2023 by SCX22

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, villauk said:

 

As I previously stated, not a good way to start a cruise: walk on board and find out you haven’t got what they said you had when you paid! Great customer service there - wait until the person is on board to find out. No excuse for that, no matter how many times you keep stating that they can do it!

Not can do. That is how they have done it. Normal practice. Even when it is announced in advance the percentage that catch it is pretty low. The number that move to take advantage of potential ways to delay the impact even longer.

[startedwithamouse]

2 minutes ago, whitecap said:

So if I understand you correctly, if your Governor asked the public's opinion about building a mote around the Governor's home, although you may be opposed, you would just remain silent because, well, he's gonna do what he's gonna do.  

What's a mote?

[villauk]

Just now, ldtr said:

Not can do

They can’t send an email to everyone it affects - ridiculous statement.

[startedwithamouse]

1 minute ago, SCX22 said:

 

Cruising isn't a democracy and it doesn't use taxpayer money.  Cruising is privilege and you're free to come and go as you see you're budget fits.

Exactly.  A lot of these cruisers think cruising is a right.

It's a luxury.

The middle class wasn't meant to cruise multiple times a year. 

The pendulum is swinging up and it will only be once a year again, if that. 

The cruisers of past who refuse to pay, will stay off the ships. 

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, villauk said:

They can’t send an email to everyone it affects - ridiculous statement.

you misread my response and quoted it out of context. you stated that I said they can do something

 

my answer was not that they can do something  NOT CAN DO.

 

Then to put it in context you need the next part.  THIS IS HOW THEY HAVE DONE IT.

 

Nothing about what choices they can make or what notices that they said out. Only that this is consistent for quite a while from Princess and other lines. Optional services may and sometimes do change without advance notice. Nothing new about that.

 

They not only can operate this way, but they have operated this way fairly consistently.

 

Notifications are often done to spread out complaints and reduce intensity, reducing the feedback loop. Probably the same reason RCCL is doing their survey.

 

Or they might be doing their survey to determine dining loads if they do put a price on their pizza place, or potentially if they want to replace it with something else. A lot more than a simple we will raise prices only if enough say that they will still eat there.

 

 

Edited August 17, 2023 by ldtr

[villauk]

5 minutes ago, ldtr said:

you misread my response and quoted it out of context. you stated that I said they can do something

 

my answer was not that they can do something  NOT CAN DO.

 

Then to put it in context you need the next part.  THIS IS HOW THEY HAVE DONE IT.

 

Nothing about what choices they can make or what notices that they said out. Only that this is consistent for quite a while from Princess and other lines. Optional services may and sometimes do change without advance notice. Nothing new about that.

 

And you misquoted my post totally. I was referring to SOME pax not even being aware of it because it appears that those who sail in the matter of days have NOT been notified, yet others who cruise later this year have!

[mcship]

52 minutes ago, ldtr said:

The point is that all of the increases have been have been independent of booking dates. for some one could prepay. if one wasn't aware or did not prepay they got the new amount did not matter when they booked.

 

In these cases no way to prepay so everyone gets the prices. but Princess has been consistent price increases on optional items are not tied to booking dates. Notj ust for these but other increases as well.

It is not "optional items".  They were included in the base fare (pizza and oceanNow).  If a company can arbitrarily change the terms of your purchase, then why bother?  Yes, in the fine print, some of this is covered from a lawyer perspective.  But lawyering up is not good customer service.

 

[SCX22]

9 minutes ago, mcship said:

It is not "optional items".  They were included in the base fare (pizza and oceanNow).  If a company can arbitrarily change the terms of your purchase, then why bother?  Yes, in the fine print, some of this is covered from a lawyer perspective.  But lawyering up is not good customer service.

 

 

This would mean none of the mass market cruise lines have good customer service because all of them engage/have engaged in the same practice.

 

The choice would be to move to more niche cruise lines or ride it out.

[ceilidh1]

Stay tuned! The next webinar claims "Big news for Canadians"

[ceilidh1]

2 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

Stay tuned! The next webinar claims "Big news for Canadians"

@Steelers36 August 24th - maybe finally we are getting medallion shipping?

[mcship]

3 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

 

This would mean none of the mass market cruise lines have good customer service because all of them engage/have engaged in the same practice.

 

The choice would be to move to more niche cruise lines or ride it out.

I dont disagree there.  

Worst part of all of this, is that is soooooooo simple to properly manage, but they dont.  From a human perspective having 1000 different fare categories, packages, etc is overwhelming, so they think it is "hard".  From a system design perspective it is childs play, so easy and trivial.  But management rarely understands - and that is well beyond just cruise lines.