Gulp. I just booked Experience 360. Is it worth it?

[Steelers36]

On 12/1/2023 at 1:27 AM, mrmarklin said:

It’s really not. 
Just ate tonight at Delmonico's steakhouse in the Venetian, here in Las Vegas. It was $560, including tip for three of us. We do not drink alcohol. One of the mains was split between two people, and the dessert was split three ways. Food and service was excellent.  It was a great experience. I have done 360, and it is a bargain. 

Ouch!  I think I would look elsewhere, but if you enjoyed the experience and it gave you good value, then who's to judge?

[2MellowCruisers]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

NO judgment here, but contrasting booking a suite and not liking to spend money, sounds a but incongruous.  Hey, you should get a freebee to 360 unless they take that perk away.

 LOL!  I get what you are saying.  Maybe "Neither one of us likes like to spend money" were not the right words.  I was actually expecting someone to call me out on not liking to spend money while also being a casino player.

 

Our decisions about spending money depend on the value we put into something.  We often laugh at ourselves because we will be in a store and not want to buy something because it seems frivolous or a dollar more than we think the price should be, but have no problem throwing a $20 in a slot machine!  We just think of the value it would add to our lives, for any reason and decide if we really want it or not.  We are no saints and have made purchases that we wonder what we were thinking about but have also looked back on things we wanted and were thankful we didn’t spend on them.

 

The value to us is that we enjoy the entertainment of the casino so can spend money there, within reason of course.  We get free cruises because we play in the casino.  The value is we enjoy the casino experience and get free cruises.  We know that the cruise is really not free because we spend the money in the casino but usually come out ahead because we don’t gamble more than the fare would have been if not free.  Sometimes we come out ahead and sometimes, maybe not.  We love cruising so we get the same value of the cruise while also getting the casino experience without having to spending more. And sometimes get a better cabin than we would normally book.

 

As for the suite, we got a free suite on the Discovery earlier in the year.  I booked it online and everything was $0 on all rooms for the cruise so I laughed and booked the suite.  Afterwards, I called Princess twice to be sure this was correct because I didn’t believe it and booking online for casino deals was kind of new.  We don’t spend enough in the casino to get a suite but this ended up being an ultimate VIP cruise so I guess over time it was enough.  I didn’t even believe it up until the day of the cruise.  Generally, we book balcony and below.

 

We had never been in a suite and would have never booked one because it is usually out of the price range that we like to spend on a cruise.  Well, we ending up loving it!  We booked the upcoming suite by cancelling the Solar Eclipse cruise we paid full price for and by using the casino discount got the suite on the Discovery for about the same price.  We thought long and hard on that one.  We were really looking forward to the Solar Eclipse cruise but started to think that it would be just too crowded for us on a 10 day cruise.  The value ended up being the suite perks that we really enjoyed last time on a more relaxed cruise even though just 7 days.

 

As for the dinner, we really enjoyed the food and experience so while I put the conditional value that the presentation change, my DH would just do it again and pay if needed.

 

Sorry for the long-winded reply.  I think everyone has their own ways of looking at finances and what is great for one may seem odd to others.  I have friends and family that like to spend money on things that leave me scratching my head wondering WHY!  And I’m sure many of those same people look at us wondering the same thing.  No judgments, it’s just the way things are. 🤪

[arxcards]

On 12/3/2023 at 6:55 AM, Steelers36 said:

NO judgment here, but contrasting booking a suite and not liking to spend money, sounds a but incongruous.  Hey, you should get a freebee to 360 unless they take that perk away.

True. If given the option of getting the suite for $150pp cheaper without 360, would that still feel like a freebie. Similarly, saying no to Royal class concierge lounge to save some more. These are included in the inflated suite price, not freebies.

 

We have just booked a suite on Discovery for March 2026, and 360 was one of the reasons in choosing a full suite vs a mini. Until I saw that we could reserve 360 on the app, I assumed it was invite only. It better be still a site perk by the time we get there, as it could well be a relevant $360pp by then.

[SDWalt]

I read free is going away on the 360 for full suites.  I believe those booked before December 1(?) will be grandfathered in for the free benefit, after that everyone will have to pay $150.

[JGmf]

18 hours ago, SDWalt said:

I read free is going away on the 360 for full suites.  I believe those booked before December 1(?) will be grandfathered in for the free benefit, after that everyone will have to pay $150.

 

Hopefully that's not true.  Given the exponential cost difference for a suite, Princess falls way short on amenities and upgrades compared to other cruise line's top tier rooms.  Charging for this would be kind of petty.

[memoak]

18 hours ago, SDWalt said:

I read free is going away on the 360 for full suites.  I believe those booked before December 1(?) will be grandfathered in for the free benefit, after that everyone will have to pay $150.

If you look at suite perks when you look at deck plans for the Discovery it does not show 360 as a perk

[jagoffee]

18 hours ago, SDWalt said:

I read free is going away on the 360 for full suites.  I believe those booked before December 1(?) will be grandfathered in for the free benefit, after that everyone will have to pay $150.

 

7 minutes ago, memoak said:

If you look at suite perks when you look at deck plans for the Discovery it does not show 360 as a perk

I am fairly certain that the 360 dining experience has never been documented as a suite perk.  It has been reported as being the practice on current cruises.  Those of us in a suite obviously hopes that it continues.  I would guess it might depend on many now suite guests are booking the 360 experience.  

[startedwithamouse]

2 hours ago, jagoffee said:

 

I am fairly certain that the 360 dining experience has never been documented as a suite perk.  It has been reported as being the practice on current cruises.  Those of us in a suite obviously hopes that it continues.  I would guess it might depend on many now suite guests are booking the 360 experience.  

On the Discovery, it's been promoted in the past as a suite perk. When booking on the Princess website, there was verbiage promoting 360 when you book a full suite. 

[memoak]

2 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

On the Discovery, it's been promoted in the past as a suite perk. When booking on the Princess website, there was verbiage promoting 360 when you book a full suite. 

I knew I had seen it before but it is no longer there when I look

 

[jagoffee]

Maybe someone has a screenshot. 

Edited December 18, 2023 by jagoffee

[Womble99]

6 hours ago, startedwithamouse said:

On the Discovery, it's been promoted in the past as a suite perk. When booking on the Princess website, there was verbiage promoting 360 when you book a full suite. 

It is listed on our Travel summary for a Nov 2025 cruise on Discovery as a Suite Entitlement cost listed at $0

[startedwithamouse]

2 hours ago, jagoffee said:

Maybe someone has a screenshot. 

Why?  It was listed for a few months back when it was new. 

 

It was included when booking suites. 

 

There was also a mailer sent to us promoting 360 is included when booking a suite. 

 

"An experience that is as memorable as it is priceless, 360 is currently available exclusively for guests booked in suite accommodations on Discovery Princess and Enchanted Princess or for guests sailing on the Discovery Princess or Enchanted Princess that book a future cruise with suite accommodations on any Princess ship including Princess Premier at non-cancelable rates. Invitation access may also be gained from participation in specific “VIP” casino gaming and retail event sailings."

Edited December 18, 2023 by startedwithamouse

[jagoffee]

14 hours ago, startedwithamouse said:

Why?  It was listed for a few months back when it was new. 

 

It was included when booking suites. 

 

There was also a mailer sent to us promoting 360 is included when booking a suite. 

 

"An experience that is as memorable as it is priceless, 360 is currently available exclusively for guests booked in suite accommodations on Discovery Princess and Enchanted Princess or for guests sailing on the Discovery Princess or Enchanted Princess that book a future cruise with suite accommodations on any Princess ship including Princess Premier at non-cancelable rates. Invitation access may also be gained from participation in specific “VIP” casino gaming and retail event sailings."

Thanks.  I confirmed that is listed as a benefit on my two April cruises.

[startedwithamouse]

17 minutes ago, jagoffee said:

Thanks.  I confirmed that is listed as a benefit on my two April cruises.

You will love 360!  It was an amazing experience for our family. 

 

 

[DANCING GRANDMOMMY]

On 11/26/2023 at 10:30 PM, Steelers36 said:

You cannot do the old WMD.

Please, what is WMD?

[Steelers36]

14 minutes ago, DANCING GRANDMOMMY said:

Please, what is WMD?

Winemaker's Dinner.