Princess Plus/Premier Experiences

[2Long2NxtCrz]

1 hour ago, rheathslc said:

The cost difference between Plus and Premier is $20/person per day and you can upgrade online or with your TA or Princess Cruise Vacation Planner if you have one.

 

I really like Premier for cruises that are 7 days or fewer. For me and what I like to eat and drink it makes sense financially for shorter cruises. Once you get beyond 7 days the extra cost might or might not be worth it dependingon what parts of the package you'llmake use of. I made a calculator using google sheets to check because I'm an accounting nerd.

 

I would probably still get Premier for an 11 day cruise even though it might be a little more expensive in the end than paying a la carte because I like not having to worry or think about how much I'm spending on board, especially now that they added the charges for casual dining. Before that change I might have gone with Plus for anything over 7 days.

 

Casual now includes Alfredo's/Gigi's Pizzeria, Ocean Terrace sushi, Salty Dog Gastropub (or Vines depending on the ship). I think that covers it but others can correct me if I missed any. 🙂

Thanks for all of that, especially what is casual dining.

 

That $40/day for both of us might be too much. Since it seems like it's not a time based thing where we cannot upgrade if we wait, I'll deal with that math once we're closer to the day.

 

 

[rheathslc]

38 minutes ago, ExploringTheGlobe said:

If you haven't cruised since before the casual dining change, how do you know you aren't a fan of the new option in Vines?  They didn't have it before. 

I meant since the addition of the charge for casual dining and the inclusion of 2 each in the Plus package and unlimited for the Premier package. So since before last August. But the "tapas" that they served in Vines that was complimentary with wine purchase before changed a while ago. I want to say with the restart. But I don't recall for sure. I just know they used to serve sushi with wine purchases at Vines and on my recent cruises (from Oct 2021 through May 2023) they did not.

[MacMadame]

2 hours ago, rheathslc said:

I made a calculator using google sheets to check because I'm an accounting nerd.

I made one because I'm obsessive. LOL

[hiccups]

9 hours ago, 2Long2NxtCrz said:

Thanks for all of that, especially what is casual dining.

 

That $40/day for both of us might be too much. Since it seems like it's not a time based thing where we cannot upgrade if we wait, I'll deal with that math once we're closer to the day.

 

 

You can check on the upgrade price on the website.  When I looked at ours, it was $18/day instead of $20.  We didn't book it yet, but I plan on doing it soon and hope that is still the price.

[cnice515]

Does anyone know if there is a casual meal (included with plus & premiere) venue ever open for lunch on the Emerald? 

[memoak]

1 hour ago, cnice515 said:

Does anyone know if there is a casual meal (included with plus & premiere) venue ever open for lunch on the Emerald? 

On the Crown they opened Vines at 11:30 on sea days. That was the only one Salty Dog Gastropub was only open at night

[Don-AnneLaguna]

We haven't cruised on Princess since the casual meals change. We're on the 33 day Sydney cruise in April on the Majestic and have selected the Plus plan. If we're missing the casual meals too much by the middle of the cruise, will Princess allow us to upgrade to the Premier plan prorated for the remaining days of the cruise?

 

Also, I read somewhere that Alfredo's only considers prix fixe meals as an 'extra charge casual meal' dining during lunch times, does anyone know if that is true? We love their calzones.

[rheathslc]

6 minutes ago, Don-AnneLaguna said:

We haven't cruised on Princess since the casual meals change. We're on the 33 day Sydney cruise in April on the Majestic and have selected the Plus plan. If we're missing the casual meals too much by the middle of the cruise, will Princess allow us to upgrade to the Premier plan prorated for the remaining days of the cruise?

 

Also, I read somewhere that Alfredo's only considers prix fixe meals as an 'extra charge casual meal' dining during lunch times, does anyone know if that is true? We love their calzones.

My understanding is that you can only add/upgrade a package through the 2nd day. But since the difference is $20 US per person per day and the Casual Dining meals are $14.99 US each, unless you think you'll eat a casual meal every day and/or use some of the other things that are included with Premier, you're probably better off sticking with Plus and paying a la carte for the extra Casual meals and other extras you want. 

Based on my math, Premier starts being less of a savings over Plus on anything over a 7 day cruise. But that's based how we cruise and what we will and won't use from the packages.

[startedwithamouse]

12 minutes ago, Don-AnneLaguna said:

We haven't cruised on Princess since the casual meals change. We're on the 33 day Sydney cruise in April on the Majestic and have selected the Plus plan. If we're missing the casual meals too much by the middle of the cruise, will Princess allow us to upgrade to the Premier plan prorated for the remaining days of the cruise?

 

Also, I read somewhere that Alfredo's only considers prix fixe meals as an 'extra charge casual meal' dining during lunch times, does anyone know if that is true? We love their calzones.

Only first two days of the cruise you can change plans, there's no prorated option, and we'd all be changing to Premier for the last couple days of the cruise, to get specialty dining, photos, etc. 

 

Alfredos serves the same menu when it's open - no lunch or dinner. That's our experience. 

 

[MacMadame]

On 3/12/2024 at 11:53 AM, rheathslc said:

Based on my math, Premier starts being less of a savings over Plus on anything over a 7 day cruise. But that's based how we cruise and what we will and won't use from the packages.

I'd think it would be more of a savings because Plus only gives you 2 casual meals and 2 fitness classes but Premier gives you unlimited. And Premier also gives you 2 Specialty Dining while Plus doesn't have any. The fitness classes seem to be in the 20-30 range, the SD is around $40-50 (because gratuity isn't included anymore) so it doesn't take too many casual dining and fitness classes for Plus to pay for itself not even counting the SD.

 

The Plus option giving you only two of various things means it's less of a savings over Standard when the cruise gets longer. (Though it still makes sense for us.)

[memoak]

12 hours ago, MacMadame said:

I'd think it would be more of a savings because Plus only gives you 2 casual meals and 2 fitness classes but Premier gives you unlimited. And Premier also gives you 2 Specialty Dining while Plus doesn't have any. The fitness classes seem to be in the 20-30 range, the SD is around $40-50 (because gratuity isn't included anymore) so it doesn't take too many casual dining and fitness classes for Plus to pay for itself not even counting the SD.

 

The Plus option giving you only two of various things means it's less of a savings over Standard when the cruise gets longer. (Though it still makes sense for us.)

It also depends on what ship you are on   Royal class ships have more casual venues than others. In fact as far as I know the Coral only has popup venues for casual and most Grand class have Vines and Gastropub and most are only for dinner except Vines on sea days

[rheathslc]

13 hours ago, MacMadame said:

I'd think it would be more of a savings because Plus only gives you 2 casual meals and 2 fitness classes but Premier gives you unlimited. And Premier also gives you 2 Specialty Dining while Plus doesn't have any. The fitness classes seem to be in the 20-30 range, the SD is around $40-50 (because gratuity isn't included anymore) so it doesn't take too many casual dining and fitness classes for Plus to pay for itself not even counting the SD.

 

The Plus option giving you only two of various things means it's less of a savings over Standard when the cruise gets longer. (Though it still makes sense for us.)

I think it really depends on what parts of the package you'll take advantage of. We wouldn't eat casual dining more than a few times. We don't really use the fitness classes. We definitely don't get those overwhelming looking premium desserts. So the extra $20 per person per day is not worth it for us on longer cruises. But if you are someone who would use those and especially if you would pay for them if you didn't have a package then it's a big savings. In fact it's probably a savings even if you only use the fitness classes. Those are pricey.

 

We always book Plus at least since the advent of that package because we would pay for wifi, gratuity, and specialty coffee and drinks anyway. And of course now that it includes the one time OceanNow fee and medallion shipping those are factors as well. Those are things we would always pay for if there wasn't a package. The rest are unimportant to me.

 

I calculate the savings based on what we would pay for if we didn't have a package at all or what extras we would pay for if we only got Plus - specifically the Specialty Dining. If we didn't book Premier we would certainly not pay for photos or sign up for Princess Prizes either. Although I enjoy both when we choose to spring for Premier.

 

It really all comes down to each individual's cruising style and habits. 🙂

[MacMadame]

2 hours ago, rheathslc said:

It really all comes down to each individual's cruising style and habits. 🙂

Yep. And I agree about the desserts and Princess Prizes. 😄 

[TheMichael]

We got onboard our last cruise thinking we'd try it without a package, and by the end of dinner that first day, we immediately realized our mistake. Fortunately, the MDR staff saw that we hadn't booked a package, and took it upon themselves to upsell! (We actually turned it down at dinner but went to Guest Services to ensure our OBC was applied and our previously prepaid gratuities would be credited as well.)

 

So you CAN upgrade on the ship, but I think you have to do it on embarkation day.

 

For me, espresso drinks alone eat up any slack between the price of Plus and the "a la carte" cost for everything. I also avail myself of smoothies, soda water (there's a charge for soda water), and gelato. Oh yes, and a few alcohols.

 

I'm kind of miffed that we're now limited to 2 "casual dining" meals, which is a downgrade for everyone but Premier passengers. And we're on a two-week cruise next, so it's a double downgrade. Every time I've been to a casual dining venue since the change, it's been quieter than before. We only ate at "casual dining" a few times per cruise before the change, so it's not such a huge deal, although I imagine it is to the people who go "a la carte."

[CPs4591]

Semi newbie.  What’s the difference between Plus and Premier.  If there is a link, I can read myself,  thanks.

[rheathslc]

37 minutes ago, CPs4591 said:

Semi newbie.  What’s the difference between Plus and Premier.  If there is a link, I can read myself,  thanks.

Premier includes everything that Plus includes with the following "additions"

 

• $20 drink limit vs. $15 with Plus

 

•Two Specialty Dining meals per person per cruise (regardless of cruise length)

 

•Unlimited "Casual Dining" meals vs. 2 per person per cruise with Plus. There was previously no charge or limit for Casual Dining

 

• Unlimited Premium Desserts vs. 2 per person per day (how anyone can ever eat more than one per CRUISE is a mystery to me and I have a major sweet tooth)

 

• Multi Device wifi (4 devices per person) vs. 1 device wifi with Plus

 

Unlimited Fitness Classes vs. 2 per person per cruise with Plus

 

•  Reserved seating in the Theater (for production shows only)

 

• Three 8×10 Prints per person plus digital copies of all photos

 

• Enrollment in Princess Prizes ($10 per person per day without Premium)

 

I THINK this covers the differences

 

Oh! And you get a "Premium" medallion accessory which is just cheap plastic.

 

[beshears]

MacMadame, I agree with you about the Premier package. Did I get ALL that I should have done from what I paid, no, but that is OK, as it was my choice. I was especially happy with the pictures, as that was one of my main things that I was interested in.

[CruizinSusan70]

On 2/24/2024 at 9:55 AM, louden said:

The "Plan" has always been promoted as "Princess Plus"  initially sold at $50 then increased to $60.  Last fall the press release simply stated that the "Princess Plus" plan now included the two casual meals with no reference to when one subscribed to the plan or any suggestion that if you wanted this "perk" you could upgrade.  The language was inclusive with no exclusion for early purchases.  Old Plus packages were included in the new provision for $15 drink limit but did not provide for the "Juice Bar".  We were on a 10 day trip.  Why would I pay a $100 upcharge to obtain a $30 meal promotion?

In actuality, Princess Plus started @ 40.00 per day.

[TheMichael]

22 hours ago, rheathslc said:

• Unlimited Premium Desserts vs. 2 per person per day (how anyone can ever eat more than one per CRUISE is a mystery to me and I have a major sweet tooth)

I think that’s what Princess is banking on. 

[MacMadame]

On 3/15/2024 at 4:58 PM, TheMichael said:

I think that’s what Princess is banking on. 

It's all so weird. I think if they advertised Plus as 1 a day, then people might consider it a real benefit because some people might actually eat 1 day (now that gelato and the IC big cakes seem to be included). But 2 day is just a joke to me. 

[Thrak]

On 3/14/2024 at 5:07 PM, CPs4591 said:

Semi newbie.  What’s the difference between Plus and Premier.  If there is a link, I can read myself,  thanks.

 

To us the difference is basically $20 per person per day.  😉

 

We book Plus and it's all we want or need. We don't use the fitness classes. We don't eat the fatness desserts. We don't need the better wines (although they would be nice to have!) nor do we need the liquor that is more than $15. (The $15 liquor limit includes the liquor I drink and my wife only drinks a few types of mixed drinks so we are fine with that limit.) We don't really book the Specialty Dining venues such as Crown Grill and Sabatini's, etc. as they serve waaaaaaaay more food than we can eat. (Unlike many others, we are fans of smaller portions in the main dining room.)

[DallasGuy75219]

On 3/15/2024 at 6:58 PM, TheMichael said:

I think that’s what Princess is banking on. 

The entire change from $50 to $60 per day was just a money grab... add inclusions that 90% of cruisers don't want (exercise classes and "premium" desserts) and start charging for things that used to be free (Alfredo's/Gigi's, OceanNow, room service delivery, and medallion shipping) to increase overall demand for packages and try to justify the $10 price increase.

[TheMichael]

6 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

The entire change from $50 to $60 per day was just a money grab... add inclusions that 90% of cruisers don't want (exercise classes and "premium" desserts) and start charging for things that used to be free (Alfredo's/Gigi's, OceanNow, room service delivery, and medallion shipping) to increase overall demand for packages and try to justify the $10 price increase.

The deal still pencils out if one does a moderate amount of drinking and/or espressos/smoothies/desserts. Break-even is not much more than 3 cocktails and the daily gratuity.
 

The people taking it in the shorts are the folks without packages paying ridiculous amounts for wi-fi (although I’m sure Musk charges through the teeth for Starlink) and being charged for “casual dining” and OceanNow. 

[HMSDingy]

On 2/24/2024 at 12:04 PM, memoak said:

3 drinks would not even get me through lunch. For us the plus plan is the best deal in town

Love your response. DW and I are Italian and we like a glass or 2 or 3 or what the heck, a bottle of wine with our meals. Let's not forget the mimosa's with breakfast and cocktails. The Plus package works for us. 

[alexand278]

We’re trying Princess Plus for the first time after doing the math for the WiFi, gratuities, fancy coffees and a couple drinks a day. We figure to come out out ahead with the free room service, which we love in the morning. 
 

Alexandra

Edited March 18 by alexand278
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