Standard Rate

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

I am sure if Princess wanted to remove the standard fare they could make the maths work but is that a good idea for them or us? From the passenger POV it would remove choice. From the many posts here there are many cruisers who do not benefit from a package and for them standard is the way to go. If the standard fare was removed it would increase the price of the lowest fare and that might price out some.

 

IMO The issue is that if the numbers of standard fare passengers is so low that the loss of those passengers could be made up with additional revenue from the remaining ones then removing standard might be attractive to Princess. It would push Princess a little more towards becoming all-inclusive for everyone.

 

I get Premier on every cruise but I still wouldn't want to lose standard... I believe that choice is important.

[IndyKid]

I guess it would be useful to know the percentage of cruisers who do Standard, Plus and Premier. If Princess is trying to become more upscale they might just bump up their base fare to the Plus levels and just call it the new Standard level with all the same amenities as the current Plus. With the way things are going they'll still fill every cabin.

[camper49]

11 hours ago, startedwithamouse said:

Still or Spring?  Not sure what your question is. 

Just regular bottled water 

[kywildcatfanone]

34 minutes ago, IndyKid said:

I guess it would be useful to know the percentage of cruisers who do Standard, Plus and Premier. If Princess is trying to become more upscale they might just bump up their base fare to the Plus levels and just call it the new Standard level with all the same amenities as the current Plus. With the way things are going they'll still fill every cabin.

My TA told me a while back that Princess told them on a call that 75-80% get a package. 

If they had another package or a new base package make it a non alcohol AI for $30-35 a day.  I would buy that.

[dog]

13 hours ago, startedwithamouse said:

Plus is a great value for a lot of cruisers. We notice most of the Blue and Gold have drinks in hand and are enjoying the plus packages.  They're the future of cruising for years to come.

 

You don't need to drink alcohol to find that Plus is a good value. 

 

Princess, if you're listening, you should really eliminate the standard option, like they've done on the world cruise, and build some type of Standard Plus into the fare. 

Oh lord,   Princess if you are listening- I have cruised for 45 years. Tried the Plus packages twice. Never again.

I pay standard fare and book BW to Pent House suites.

Take startedwithamouse’s advice and I will be gone!

[Rick&Jeannie]

12 hours ago, Potstech said:

Just because a person has a drink in hand DOES NOT mean they have the plus package. 

Agreed! You beat me to it... There's NO WAY of knowing how a person obtained a drink simply by "observing".  For all we know, they simply picked it up off of someone else's table! 😄

[Potstech]

3 hours ago, IndyKid said:

I guess it would be useful to know the percentage of cruisers who do Standard, Plus and Premier. If Princess is trying to become more upscale they might just bump up their base fare to the Plus levels and just call it the new Standard level with all the same amenities as the current Plus. With the way things are going they'll still fill every cabin.

Love how some posters seem to want to help Princess take more money from passengers, raise prices and give them things they do not need or want.Why does adding drink packages, desserts and fitness classes make it "more upscale"?

[dog]

You know, Princess also makes money on those who spend in other ways- not only drinks, desserts. For example: casino, art auctions, jewelry shops, excursions, photography & electronics they sell. The upscale is nice to see in the new Sun Princess with several inviting dining options. Quality matters to some of us.

princess is marketing to standard fare, older folks like me.

[memoak]

2 hours ago, dog said:

Oh lord,   Princess if you are listening- I have cruised for 45 years. Tried the Plus packages twice. Never again.

I pay standard fare and book BW to Pent House suites.

Take startedwithamouse’s advice and I will be gone!

That is fine as long as you don’t like to hang out in bars   The plus package is designed for people like us who will partake more than 8 drinks a day and like to use WiFi to keep up with the world on long cruises with lots of sea days

[Rick&Jeannie]

23 minutes ago, dog said:

You know, Princess also makes money on those who spend in other ways- not only drinks, desserts. For example: casino, art auctions, jewelry shops, excursions, photography & electronics they sell. The upscale is nice to see in the new Sun Princess with several inviting dining options. Quality matters to some of us.

princess is marketing to standard fare, older folks like me.

I can tell you unequivocally that I am keeping Princess afloat (pun intended) by my frequent casino runs! 😄

[dog]

10 minutes ago, memoak said:

That is fine as long as you don’t like to hang out in bars   The plus package is designed for people like us who will partake more than 8 drinks a day and like to use WiFi to keep up with the world on long cruises with lots of sea days

Of course, to each their own. We have a choice. Don’t take it away.

[c-boy]

memberships, packages, clubs ...  are part of modern business models. Retail, food and beverage establishments ... offer some type of deal for their consumers. Most consumers see value in them, some do not. The cruise industry isn't any different from retail industry, both need to make a profit. Arguing the amount of profit can be futile. Consumers and corporation's make choices every day,  and as consumers we are free to come and go as we please. Princess, if not all the other cruise lines are looking to the future. Packages are here to stay, the cost will rise and cruise industry will soldier on while there are rumblings from the grand stand. The real value will be the next generation of travelers and meeting their demands might be easier than meeting today's demands.

[memoak]

9 minutes ago, dog said:

Of course, to each their own. We have a choice. Don’t take it away.

I really don’t see the standard fare going away as there are many cruisers who don’t drink and only eat in MDR and buffet 

[mtnesterz]

When I read these type of threads, it strikes me that there are basically two types of cruisers, with a generous mix of the somewhere in-betweens.

Some vacation with the ship as the destination. Princess offerers an vacation on a budget, instead of vacationing at something like Disney World, they will sell you all you might want onboard to make your vacation memorable.

At the other end, the ship is a conveyance between distant ports. After a day's excursion, get freshened up, dress for a nice dinner, an evening's entertainment and prepare for the next adventure. Which is more expensive than seeing Europe by carrying a backpack and staying at an Airbnb, as our daughter and son-in-law prefer. So to anyone who says Standard is going cheap, you might consider at that in a different light.

We don't drink alcohol. In Japan last month, the ship's internet was spotty. Only our phone with international service was consistently reliable. Excercise classes, Ice cream, Alfredo's a charge now? We don't care. It's not why we cruise, so why buy a package?

It's clear that people increasingly look to a cruise vacation as a resort. I think the time is coming we move on.

Edited December 10, 2023 by mtnesterz

[SargassoPirate]

1 hour ago, memoak said:

I really don’t see the standard fare going away as there are many cruisers who don’t drink and only eat in MDR and buffet 

My sentiments exactly.  I keep putting the pencil to Plus versus Steerage, and cannot make it work for my cruising style of a wee dram of two in the evening and  with SWMBO who doesn't drink at all.  We/I are satisfied with the included food and drinks.  

 

More often than not, we cruise transpacifics or transatlantics as transportation there or back.   

 

 

 

[camper49]

On 12/9/2023 at 11:15 PM, Moondogy said:

Yes, bottled water of I believe 16oz size is also included with the package. If that is what you was asking.

Thank you, yes!

[minnesotasisu]

On 12/9/2023 at 11:06 AM, startedwithamouse said:

With coffees, mocktails, sparkling waters, juice bar and fitness classes, it's a good value, even if you don't drink alcohol. 

We are platinum level members so we get wifi for 50% off which would be $7.50 per day. Crew appreciation is another $16 per day which totals $23.50. If you want to add another $1 per day for averaging out special dining and another $1 per day for food delivery and I'll even throw in another $1 per day to have my medallion sent to me. That is now $26.50 per day. That leaves me $33.50 per day to spend on coffees, mocktails, sparkling waters, juice bar and fitness classes. Sorry, I don't drink that much coffee or mocktails, I don't drink sparkling waters, or indulge in juice bars or fitness classes. So how again is that a good value?

[memoak]

2 minutes ago, minnesotasisu said:

We are platinum level members so we get wifi for 50% off which would be $7.50 per day. Crew appreciation is another $16 per day which totals $23.50. If you want to add another $1 per day for averaging out special dining and another $1 per day for food delivery and I'll even throw in another $1 per day to have my medallion sent to me. That is now $26.50 per day. That leaves me $33.50 per day to spend on coffees, mocktails, sparkling waters, juice bar and fitness classes. Sorry, I don't drink that much coffee or mocktails, I don't drink sparkling waters, or indulge in juice bars or fitness classes. So how again is that a good value?

The packages don’t work for everyone. Work out the math for yourself just don’t expect people with packages to gift you a mocktail, bottled water or sodas 

[minnesotasisu]

Just now, memoak said:

The packages don’t work for everyone. Work out the math for yourself just don’t expect people with packages to gift you a mocktail, bottled water or sodas 

If I want a soda I buy one. Still cheaper. And I would never ask anyone who had a package to gift me one. 

[Sea Hag]

17 minutes ago, minnesotasisu said:

If I want a soda I buy one. Still cheaper. And I would never ask anyone who had a package to gift me one. 

Neither would I, and I doubt very much that this is much of a problem. 

[memoak]

21 minutes ago, Sea Hag said:

Neither would I, and I doubt very much that this is much of a problem. 

After conversing with people at a bar I have been asked if I had an extra drink on my package they could use. This has happened on multiple occasions 

[Sea Hag]

2 hours ago, memoak said:

After conversing with people at a bar I have been asked if I had an extra drink on my package they could use. This has happened on multiple occasions 

Wow! People are unbelievable.

[Rick&Jeannie]

2 hours ago, memoak said:

After conversing with people at a bar I have been asked if I had an extra drink on my package they could use. This has happened on multiple occasions 

I would think that would be a "Walk The Plank" offense! 😄

[Potstech]

3 hours ago, memoak said:

After conversing with people at a bar I have been asked if I had an extra drink on my package they could use. This has happened on multiple occasions 

And you said something to the bartender to help stop this.  NOT

[memoak]

45 minutes ago, Potstech said:

And you said something to the bartender to help stop this.  NOT

The bartenders have enough problems dealing with people who complain their drinks are not strong enough, who insist they should not be cut off and complain about the prices   The last thing they need is to tell a passenger to “cut it out” and immediately get a complaint 

Edited December 11, 2023 by memoak