Alaska on Ruby Princess: Newbies looking for pro-tips

[remydiva]

8 hours ago, wolfie11 said:

I believe it changed late last summer. Princess raised prices and started to charge for everything unless you fork out the extra ($60 per day?) for the plus package.  I’m still holding firm on not buying extra packages but have pretty much been relegated to steerage because I don’t.

Thank you Wolfie11 and Redtop101for your replies and info. I too ‘refuse’ to pay an extra $60/day/person on top of mini suite price for three. The perks for Elite have disappeared pretty much ( I never use the laundry) but I can eat the ‘$14.99 one time charge’ ( first I heard of this so thank you) to keep granddaughter fed at odd hours if need be.

Are drinks still delivered around the ship for free when ordered on the medallion? 

[memoak]

10 hours ago, remydiva said:

Well my last cruise was a TA April 2023 and didn’t get charged then on a standard fare. 

You realize that was a year ago. Life goes on and things change

[memoak]

8 hours ago, wolfie11 said:

I believe it changed late last summer. Princess raised prices and started to charge for everything unless you fork out the extra ($60 per day?) for the plus package.  I’m still holding firm on not buying extra packages but have pretty much been relegated to steerage because I don’t.

No one forces you to use room service or OceanNow. You can get food and beverage all over the ship. I would hardly call that steerage   Do the keep you out of the theatre or MDR ?  This is not the Titanic 

[jeromep]

21 minutes ago, remydiva said:

Are drinks still delivered around the ship for free when ordered on the medallion? 

A drink order through the app, if it were your first action on board, would be the trigger for the $14.99 one time charge.  Basically the first time you use the OceanNow service will trigger the fee.  And that is on a per user basis, so if your traveling companion logs in on their credentials and orders, that would be a 14.99 fee to them.  It would be possible with three passengers to have 3 $14.99 charges in the cabin.  If one of the passengers is a youth, there are things you can do to limit this for them.  My daughter does not have any of her own devices, so on board she doesn't have any access to OceanNow.  And if she orders through the TV, she is on my account or my wife's.  Either way, there are ways to be smart with these changes so you aren't taken to the cleaners.

[remydiva]

16 minutes ago, memoak said:

You realize that was a year ago. Life goes on and things change

Thank you 🙄 for explaining how the Gregorian calendar works.

Have a nice day. 🙃

[remydiva]

4 minutes ago, jeromep said:

A drink order through the app, if it were your first action on board, would be the trigger for the $14.99 one time charge.  Basically the first time you use the OceanNow service will trigger the fee.  And that is on a per user basis, so if your traveling companion logs in on their credentials and orders, that would be a 14.99 fee to them.  It would be possible with three passengers to have 3 $14.99 charges in the cabin.  If one of the passengers is a youth, there are things you can do to limit this for them.  My daughter does not have any of her own devices, so on board she doesn't have any access to OceanNow.  And if she orders through the TV, she is on my account or my wife's.  Either way, there are ways to be smart with these changes so you aren't taken to the cleaners.

Good helpful advice …thank you! 

[wolfie11]

10 minutes ago, memoak said:

No one forces you to use room service or OceanNow. You can get food and beverage all over the ship. I would hardly call that steerage   Do the keep you out of the theatre or MDR ?  This is not the Titanic 

I can get tap water all over the ship.  I can get iced tea, coffee, and Lipton tea at the International Cafe. I don’t go in the buffet ever, nor do I go to the shows (my choice, but I’ve also never gotten Noro or Covid on a cruise).  I actually live quite well in steerage.  I drink premium coffee, have my own soda and beer supply, get some “free” shore excursions, and eat a lot of gourmet local foods.  I don’t drink much, don’t gamble, and hate shopping, so I hardly spend any money, which allows me to cruise more.  

[jeromep]

1 hour ago, wolfie11 said:

I can get tap water all over the ship.  I can get iced tea, coffee, and Lipton tea at the International Cafe. I don’t go in the buffet ever, nor do I go to the shows (my choice, but I’ve also never gotten Noro or Covid on a cruise).  I actually live quite well in steerage.  I drink premium coffee, have my own soda and beer supply, get some “free” shore excursions, and eat a lot of gourmet local foods.  I don’t drink much, don’t gamble, and hate shopping, so I hardly spend any money, which allows me to cruise more.  

Sounds like you know exactly what you are doing, which is good.  There is no place on a cruise which is steerage (except maybe inside cabins, I can't do those, but to each their own).  Either way, you are totally correct, you can cruise very well without any packages if you know yourself and your needs.