Drinks Package for under 18 year old.

[windsurferfirst]

I am traveling in August with my daughter and 2 granddaughters on Sun Princess. One is 18 the other 17 and will still be 17 when traveling. In the past we have bought a soft drinks/ mocktails package for the girls with wifi added on. For this booking we have booked princess plus for 3 of us no problem. I was told the 17 yr old would also have to have the princess plus package even though she cannot obviously have the alcoholic drinks. Surely this isn't right? I would like to get the experience of the people on CC before I sit in a queue for over an hour on the phone to Princess.

 

Thanks for reading.

[karatemom2]

10 minutes ago, windsurferfirst said:

I am traveling in August with my daughter and 2 granddaughters on Sun Princess. One is 18 the other 17 and will still be 17 when traveling. In the past we have bought a soft drinks/ mocktails package for the girls with wifi added on. For this booking we have booked princess plus for 3 of us no problem. I was told the 17 yr old would also have to have the princess plus package even though she cannot obviously have the alcoholic drinks. Surely this isn't right? I would like to get the experience of the people on CC before I sit in a queue for over an hour on the phone to Princess.

 

Thanks for reading.

 
She does not have to have the Plus package, but there is no other package offered that provides just soft drinks and WiFi. She will either need to have the package or you will be paying for those items ala carte which in her case may be more cost effective. The Plus package does offer a Zero Alcohol Package which includes basically all the same benefits of the Plus with no alcohol for those underage - but as far as I know, it’s the same price. 
 

There is a stand alone soda package you can purchase - no WiFi or Crew Appreciation bundled in - that provides unlimited soft drinks, mocktails, and smoothies. It costs $14.99 per day plus 18 percent service charge.   
 

By the way, the drinking age on Princess is 21, so the 18 year old will not be able to purchase alcoholic beverages with the Plus package either. 

[EDVM96]

7 minutes ago, karatemom2 said:

By the way, the drinking age on Princess is 21, so the 18 year old will not be able to purchase alcoholic beverages with the Plus package either. 

No. The Sun is in Europe in August.

 

"When sailing from North America, the legal drinking age on Princess Cruises is 21. However, when sailing from Europe, Asia, South America, Australia and New Zealand, the legal drinking age is 18."

 

https://www.princess.com/en-int/cruise-deals-promotions/plus-premier-cruise-packages

 

 

[karatemom2]

1 minute ago, EDVM96 said:

No. The Sun is in Europe in August.

 

"When sailing from North America, the legal drinking age on Princess Cruises is 21. However, when sailing from Europe, Asia, South America, Australia and New Zealand, the legal drinking age is 18."

 

https://www.princess.com/en-int/cruise-deals-promotions/plus-premier-cruise-packages

 

 

 
Thanks for noting that correction. I never realized that it changed based on the area from which the ship was cruising, but it makes sense I guess if those countries have a lower drinking age. I’m glad my kids were not aware of this when it would have allowed them to drink “underage” on a couple of our cruises. 😊

[windsurferfirst]

23 minutes ago, karatemom2 said:

 
She does not have to have the Plus package, but there is no other package offered that provides just soft drinks and WiFi. She will either need to have the package or you will be paying for those items ala carte which in her case may be more cost effective. The Plus package does offer a Zero Alcohol Package which includes basically all the same benefits of the Plus with no alcohol for those underage - but as far as I know, it’s the same price. 
 

There is a stand alone soda package you can purchase - no WiFi or Crew Appreciation bundled in - that provides unlimited soft drinks, mocktails, and smoothies. It costs $14.99 per day plus 18 percent service charge.   
 

By the way, the drinking age on Princess is 21, so the 18 year old will not be able to purchase alcoholic beverages with the Plus package either. 

Thanks for your reply. The Sun is in the Med in August where the legal drinking age is 18. I live in France where 16 year olds can drink alcohol is they have an adult family member with them.

[reedprincess]

3 hours ago, windsurferfirst said:

I am traveling in August with my daughter and 2 granddaughters on Sun Princess. One is 18 the other 17 and will still be 17 when traveling. In the past we have bought a soft drinks/ mocktails package for the girls with wifi added on. For this booking we have booked princess plus for 3 of us no problem. I was told the 17 yr old would also have to have the princess plus package even though she cannot obviously have the alcoholic drinks. Surely this isn't right? I would like to get the experience of the people on CC before I sit in a queue for over an hour on the phone to Princess.

 

Thanks for reading.

Your 17 year old will have all the Plus Cruise Package benefits, ie WiFi, casual dining, crew apprecireciation, juice bar, etc - and the Zero Proof drink package.  She can order all the mocktails, sodas, waters, specialty coffees, whatever non-alcoholic as she likes .

18 year old, full plus beverage package included in Plus Cruise Package, as legal drinking age aboard is 18.

 

Or, you can oot to only purchase the Plus Cruise Package for the first 2 passengers in the cabin, assuming the 17 year old is listed as the third passenger..   the Cruise Packages only have to be purchased for passengers one and two in the same cabin. Passengers 3 and 4 don't have to have them 

Of course, if you're going to be paying her crew appreciation, buying WiFi and the zero Proof package separately, it's more economical to purchase the bundled Cruise Package for her, even though she can't buy alcohol.. 

 

[sherryf]

You'll have to do the math and figure out what makes most sense.  Add the cost of her gratuities, wifi package, non-alcohol drink package.  Figure out what other perks she will use, such as the 2 casual dining meals.  If the rest of you have the casual dining perk and want to go together, you would have to pay the cover charge for her.  Would she use the exercise classes? It might be worth it to just add the Plus package for her if she will use a lot of the perks, even without the alcohol.

 

[flhokie]

Technically, the 3rd person in a cabin (assuming she's the 3rd in the cabin on the reservation) does not have to have the package. However, it may be more cost effective for her to have it....it covers the non-alcohol drink package, wi-fi and gratuities (plus the casual dining 2 times, etc.). If she doesn't do that, she'd have to pay for the drink package, wifi and gratuities separately. 

 

If you have 2 people in each cabin, then yes, she would have to have it as passengers 1 and 2 in a cabin must have the same package.

Edited April 8 by flhokie

[antsp]

Most people don't bother getting a package for underage passengers, they just get them the soft drinks on their package 

[memoak]

6 minutes ago, antsp said:

Most people don't bother getting a package for underage passengers, they just get them the soft drinks on their package 

But then do they not pay crew appreciation. I cannot believe any young person could live without 1 or 2 devices needing WiFi 

[antsp]

Most people don't bother getting a package for underage passengers, they just get them the soft drinks on their package 

 

Not sure what they do, most people you speak to here in the UK remove tips and pay by the envelope system

[NavyVeteran]

6 hours ago, windsurferfirst said:

I am traveling in August with my daughter and 2 granddaughters on Sun Princess. One is 18 the other 17 and will still be 17 when traveling. In the past we have bought a soft drinks/ mocktails package for the girls with wifi added on. For this booking we have booked princess plus for 3 of us no problem. I was told the 17 yr old would also have to have the princess plus package even though she cannot obviously have the alcoholic drinks. Surely this isn't right? I would like to get the experience of the people on CC before I sit in a queue for over an hour on the phone to Princess.

 

Thanks for reading.

I am assuming you are getting two cabins with two passengers in each cabin. If you purchase the Plus fare, you must purchase it for the first two passengers in the cabin. You do not need to purchase it for a third or fourth passenger.

The Plus fare is a much better deal than the standalone Plus beverage package. It may be a better deal to purchase the Plus fare for two passengers than to pay recommended gratuities for two passengers, to purchase the standalone Plus beverage package for one passenger, to purchase the standalone nonalcoholic drink package for one passenger, and to purchase Internet for two passengers. You need to do the math and determine which is better for you.

[NavyVeteran]

1 hour ago, antsp said:

Most people don't bother getting a package for underage passengers, they just get them the soft drinks on their package 

 

Not sure what they do, most people you speak to here in the UK remove tips and pay by the envelope system

You cannot legally purchase soft drinks on your package and share them with others. Sharing in violation of the rules is the reason Princess puts a log of restrictions on the packages that make it difficult for the rest of us. If Princess catches you sharing drinks from a package with someone else, they have the right to cancel the entire package with no refund. Read the terms and conditions.

[antsp]

21 minutes ago, NavyVeteran said:

You cannot legally purchase soft drinks on your package and share them with others. Sharing in violation of the rules is the reason Princess puts a log of restrictions on the packages that make it difficult for the rest of us. If Princess catches you sharing drinks from a package with someone else, they have the right to cancel the entire package with no refund. Read the terms and conditions.

It's happening all the time, don't worry about it

[memoak]

24 minutes ago, antsp said:

It's happening all the time, don't worry about it

At your own risk. Sit down at a table and order 4 drinks they will ask for 4 packages. Unless they drink a lot of sodas or coffees just pay as you go

[karatemom2]

Another good option, if you opt not to purchase a package for your 17 year old grandaughter and she enjoys sodas, is to preorder the 6 packs of sodas that will be delivered to your room when you board. You can also order bottled water as well. Very cost effective as the sodas end up costing about $1.95 each and the water about 65 cents each - a big savings over what they charge at the bars, and you have the convenience of being able to keep the in the fridge in your stateroom.

 

Helps cut down on the ala carte cost if you decide to skip the additional package.

[jean-lynd]

10 hours ago, windsurferfirst said:

I am traveling in August with my daughter and 2 granddaughters on Sun Princess. One is 18 the other 17 and will still be 17 when traveling. In the past we have bought a soft drinks/ mocktails package for the girls with wifi added on. For this booking we have booked princess plus for 3 of us no problem. I was told the 17 yr old would also have to have the princess plus package even though she cannot obviously have the alcoholic drinks. Surely this isn't right? I would like to get the experience of the people on CC before I sit in a queue for over an hour on the phone to Princess.

 

Thanks for reading.

Are you in 1 or 2 cabins? The first 2 in each cabin must have the same fare package. Plus is still a good deal if you are paying crew appreciation ($16-$18) and WIFI ($25). If you add a classic soda package ($18) you are at $59 and the Plus fare is $60. I hope this helps!

[phuac]

6 hours ago, memoak said:

But then do they not pay crew appreciation. I cannot believe any young person could live without 1 or 2 devices needing WiFi 

Unless you have premier for the multi device Wifi

[antsp]

8 hours ago, memoak said:

At your own risk. Sit down at a table and order 4 drinks they will ask for 4 packages. Unless they drink a lot of sodas or coffees just pay as you go

They always use the app

[chamima]

23 hours ago, windsurferfirst said:

I am traveling in August with my daughter and 2 granddaughters on Sun Princess. One is 18 the other 17 and will still be 17 when traveling. In the past we have bought a soft drinks/ mocktails package for the girls with wifi added on. For this booking we have booked princess plus for 3 of us no problem. I was told the 17 yr old would also have to have the princess plus package even though she cannot obviously have the alcoholic drinks. Surely this isn't right? I would like to get the experience of the people on CC before I sit in a queue for over an hour on the phone to Princess.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

If you're getting the Plus package the first two people in a cabin have to have the same thing. So make sure the 18 year old is passenger number 2. For the 17 year old , as passenger number 3, you could wait to decide once on board. We have a somewhat similar situation except that passenger number three is 9. MY wonderful TA also observed that if we wait until onboard we can use OBC to pay for her package if we decide to get it.

[ChutChut]

On 4/8/2024 at 9:55 AM, windsurferfirst said:

I am traveling in August with my daughter and 2 granddaughters on Sun Princess. One is 18 the other 17 and will still be 17 when traveling. In the past we have bought a soft drinks/ mocktails package for the girls with wifi added on. For this booking we have booked princess plus for 3 of us no problem. I was told the 17 yr old would also have to have the princess plus package even though she cannot obviously have the alcoholic drinks. Surely this isn't right? I would like to get the experience of the people on CC before I sit in a queue for over an hour on the phone to Princess.

 

Thanks for reading.

She'll have the Plus package with the zero alcohol drinks package. She'll be charged a bit less for it. My daughter (14) has had it twice. She gets everything but the booze.

[startedwithamouse]

12 minutes ago, ChutChut said:

She'll have the Plus package with the zero alcohol drinks package. She'll be charged a bit less for it. My daughter (14) has had it twice. She gets everything but the booze.

Plus doesn't have a kids discount. 

 

Our kids get charged the $60 pp per day. 

[ChutChut]

1 hour ago, startedwithamouse said:

Plus doesn't have a kids discount. 

 

Our kids get charged the $60 pp per day. 

Hmmm - mine has been charged less both times given no alcohol. Of course, I had to remind my TA to ensure my daughter was charged less. 

Edited April 9 by ChutChut
added text

[karatemom2]

1 hour ago, ChutChut said:

Hmmm - mine has been charged less both times given no alcohol. Of course, I had to remind my TA to ensure my daughter was charged less. 

 

What was the daily charge of the package for your daughter if it was priced lower due to the Zero Alcohol package? The general understanding is the Plus Package price is the same price for everyone, regardless whether it is the Zero Alcohol option so it would be interesting to know exactly what you paid per day for your daughter. Was it $50 a day, $40 a day? Surely if you paid a lower price, you could share what the actual cost was. It would be helpful for others here to know if in fact Princess does allow a reduced charge for minors.

[BamaVol]

On 4/8/2024 at 10:31 AM, karatemom2 said:

 
Thanks for noting that correction. I never realized that it changed based on the area from which the ship was cruising, but it makes sense I guess if those countries have a lower drinking age. I’m glad my kids were not aware of this when it would have allowed them to drink “underage” on a couple of our cruises. 😊

My kids always figured it out before I did.