so the AIBP is now the premier package

The increase started this cruise...we had friends on the previous PNG cruise, we had coffee with them before boarding and they said the changes started on our cruise, so yes they are very recent.

Just had our CC meet n greet and apparently lots of unhappy cruisers who planned to buy onboard at $59 to find out it is $86.

Just having a coffee and the coffee card is still $36 onboard.

Specialty restaurants still $29.

We have 2 old coffee cards and got the free hot chocolate without an extra punch so depends on server.

Staff are as lovely as ever!!!

Sent from my GT-P3110 using Tapatalk

Sorry having trouble quoting on tapatalk.

But will try and answer .......beers from $5.50 to $8, vodka and soda $7.75.

Bottle of wine at dinner started from $30 but not much choice at that price range.

Sent from my GT-P3110 using Tapatalk

Interesting comments, so if you take the AIBP package for $86 per diem pp and you want a bottle of wine for dinner in the MDR @ dinner, say priced @ $40, you will get 25% discount off that = $30, add that on to the $89 and bingo you could have $119 per diem. Ouch !!:(

It appears that '15% gratuity' has been hidden in the AIBP.

The bean counters at Carnival HQ will be happy.:evilsmile:

Personally I drink twice as much at home then I do on the ships. :loudcry: For obvious reasons.:rolleyes:

As many on here have said, reduce the on board booze prices, whether it be bottles of wine, beer, spirits, cocktails etc, then human nature says the passenger will buy more and not try and sneak booze on board in rum runners, sports bottles, etc, etc.

I am onboard the Golden now.....yes the AIBP is $86 AUD.per day....cocktails $13.95 and the drinks in Skywalkers elite/suite etc are $8.50.

 

Sent from my GT-P3110 using Tapatalk

Thanks Chez, my wife is a Mohito freak so are the good cocktails $8.50 in the Elite lounge for pre dinner aperitifs? ;p

Mohitos were US$10 in March on QM2 and the same on Island Princess year before. I think my Strongbow Ciders - 440 ml can were US$3.95, plus ye olde 15% gratuity of course. That drink gratuity has disappeared from Princess Australia ships, but no doubt 'hidden' in the total price.

I am onboard the Golden now.....yes the AIBP is $86 AUD.per day....cocktails $13.95 and the drinks in Skywalkers elite/suite etc are $8.50.

 

Sent from my GT-P3110 using Tapatalk

I am guessing they also put the price of the soda & more up as well? Do you happen to know what that is now?

Soda and more is $7 a day....still good value if you are a soda mocktail drinker.

Sent from my GT-P3110 using Tapatalk

So at least something hasn't gone up yet.........

Soda and more is $7 a day....still good value if you are a soda mocktail drinker.

 

Sent from my GT-P3110 using Tapatalk

Hate that word 'soda. ' Soda to most us Aussies is 'Soda Water.' Like if we go into a shop and ask for soda, we get a bottle of Schweppes Soda Water. More appropriate word for the 'soda package' is 'soft drink package.' :p

Americans call all soft drinks soda, from Coca Cola to 7 Up to ginger ale to Dr.Peppers, confusing to say the least.:rolleyes:

Like the Americans don't call Beer - alcohol. It is beer and alcohol is spirits, or they call all booze 'Adult Beverages. Now I am confused.lol.

But back to the topic, $89 per diem is serious money for one's daily adult beverage' fix on Princess's 'Strayan' ships.

I am curious to see if those who have already prepaid for the AIBP online get a refund for the difference between the $59 and whatever the dodgy website conversion charged them at the time? Or will Princess make a nice little extra claiming it is now $89? Most people would have been charged between $79 to $84 on the personaliser anyway (it is now $90 to $96 btw so the dodgy conversion seems to be a little closer)

Interesting comments, so if you take the AIBP package for $86 per diem pp and you want a bottle of wine for dinner in the MDR @ dinner, say priced @ $40, you will get 25% discount off that = $30, add that on to the $89 and bingo you could have $119 per diem. Ouch !!:(

 

It appears that '15% gratuity' has been hidden in the AIBP.

 

The bean counters at Carnival HQ will be happy.:evilsmile:

 

Personally I drink twice as much at home then I do on the ships. :loudcry: For obvious reasons.:rolleyes:

 

As many on here have said, reduce the on board booze prices, whether it be bottles of wine, beer, spirits, cocktails etc, then human nature says the passenger will buy more and not try and sneak booze on board in rum runners, sports bottles, etc, etc.

If you take the AIBP don't you get wine by the glass included? Why would you buy a bottle of wine (even if it is discounted by 25%) when you can drink the contents by the glass for free as part of your package. People on packages often complain it is hard to get your waiter to top up your wine glass in the MDR once they know you have the package.

If you take the AIBP don't you get wine by the glass included? Why would you buy a bottle of wine (even if it is discounted by 25%) when you can drink the contents by the glass for free as part of your package. People on packages often complain it is hard to get your waiter to top up your wine glass in the MDR once they know you have the package.

Yes, you can get wine by the glass in the MDR as part of the 'package' but indeed, how long would you wait for a refill? It would be controlled for sure, one could not walk into the MDR and ask for 6 glasses of Shiraz straight up. Don't think so anyway.:halo: Service would be one drink at a time, to stop pax with package spinning the drinks around the table. Like on a table of 6 or 8 which always ask for on Princess, well on any ship really.

Yes, you can get wine by the glass in the MDR as part of the 'package' but indeed, how long would you wait for a refill? It would be controlled for sure, one could not walk into the MDR and ask for 6 glasses of Shiraz straight up. Don't think so anyway.:halo: Service would be one drink at a time, to stop pax with package spinning the drinks around the table. Like on a table of 6 or 8 which always ask for on Princess, well on any ship really.

I agree - but when sitting down for a 3/4 course meal it is not over the top to ask for a 2nd or 3rd glass per couple spread over the duration of that meal. Buying a bottle and having it at the table is certainly more convenient but the package rules encourage you to order wine by the glass.

I agree - but when sitting down for a 3/4 course meal it is not over the top to ask for a 2nd or 3rd glass per couple spread over the duration of that meal. Buying a bottle and having it at the table is certainly more convenient but the package rules encourage you to order wine by the glass.

Exactly, Princess don't want pax to 'flog' the package.:halo: If one was allowed to have a full bottle of wine at dinner included in the package, I might consider it, but currently, not worth it to us.:halo: Not going to beg for a second or third glass of vino at dinner.:evilsmile:

If you take the AIBP don't you get wine by the glass included? Why would you buy a bottle of wine (even if it is discounted by 25%) when you can drink the contents by the glass for free as part of your package. People on packages often complain it is hard to get your waiter to top up your wine glass in the MDR once they know you have the package.

some people only buy 1 package and purchase the wine for there partner which might last 2 days but now only 25% discount down from 40%.

My mind boggles at the thought of spending all that money on alcohol,how does a person drink all that much ? I wouldn't have found time.

Maybe they don't go ashore.

Cheers

If you take the AIBP don't you get wine by the glass included? Why would you buy a bottle of wine (even if it is discounted by 25%) when you can drink the contents by the glass for free as part of your package. People on packages often complain it is hard to get your waiter to top up your wine glass in the MDR once they know you have the package.

Because the wine by the glass is not very good quality and Princess doesn't top up glasses, you have to order another glass and if your waiters are busy that extra glass can take a long time to arrive.

We're on Royal at the moment, in the Med. After doing three 17-21 night cruises with the drinks package we were sick and tired of the boring wines by the glass. This time we've chosen to try the Gold wine package which, as far as I know, Princess hasn't offered in the Aussie region yet. It worked very well for the first week but then Royal started running out of some wines. They claim it's a supply problem. :confused:

So far, 14 days into a 22 day cruise we're well under the drinks budget we set.

We won't be buying the drinks package on any subsequent Princess cruises, which means we will probably spend less on drinks than we used too. Tough luck, Princess!

Incidentally the AIBP was always borderline for us. We chose it for the convenience ... but no more!(n)

We won't be buying the drinks package on any subsequent Princess cruises, which means we will probably spend less on drinks than we used too

Roll on August 2018 - you are so going to enjoy All Inclusive on Crystal....and yes you can have more than 15 alcoholic drinks a day (although that sounds an awful lot!)

These extras charges and gratuities are starting to make a Crystal per diem quite reasonable - certainly on v.8218 anyway

Seriously this new Premier price is ridiculous. My husband drinks beer so that he can have a few without getting drunk. Plus his coffee and he loves his water so it was worth getting the package. Not anymore. If we continue to cruise with princess then we will avoid anything Princess as in tours, shopping etc... very disappointing.

Also is it correct that our Sip and Sale promotion is for softdrink and not alcohol?? Not the same as the US??

Sent from my iPad using Forums

The $89 price for the AIBP package that is AU$89 right ? On the Princess ships based in Australia, Golden, Sun, Sea Princesses?:halo:

Just a quick calculation for what I usually drink works out at a significant discount to the new beverage package price……….based on current prices and what it says is offered, never done the 5 for 4 beer deal but says its available?

Based on our up coming 12 night Cruise around NZ

I buy a coffee card, that give me 15 coffees, I usually only have 1 each morning anyway, so $46, I get the 5 for 4 Heineken deal each day, now I believe you can buy in the bar of your choice and they keep track??? So that’s $33 each day, I usually have 2 glasses of wine with dinner, so I need to buy 3 bottles over the duration of the cruise at say $50 each.

I enjoy a night cap of a Whisky each evening but hey I justbuy a 375ml bottle for the room at $23, We also bring a bottle of wine each onboard(which I don’t usually do), wife doesn’t drink but rather than pop to a bar for a drink before dinner while she is getting ready I have glass of wine in the room, yeh not ideal when on holiday but although I can stomach a price rise and can afford to pay the new price, a rise of this magnitude deserves some backlash………

Total cost is $615 or rounded up is $52 a day, now even if Ithrow in a cocktail each day at $13, that still brings me up to $65, then a 500ml bottle of Water we are still only at $70 and that is still a huge difference to buying the package at $87.

Whomever at Carnival came up with this :mad:, may well regret it,and wont surprise me to see it reduced or special discount pricing offered ifyou pre book.

The $89 price for the AIBP package that is AU$89 right ? On the Princess ships based in Australia, Golden, Sun, Sea Princesses?:halo:

Yes. Sounds like this price per day could be the tipping point.

Yes. Sounds like this price per day could be the tipping point.

Yes, Princess could regret increasing the package price, many will be turned off it.:cool: The 'Alkies' might persist.

Yes, Princess could regret increasing the package price, many will be turned off it.:cool: The 'Alkies' might persist.

Too many "alkies", versus those who don't get "good value" from the package price, will affect the cruise line's bottom line. They may have to adjust their projected alcohol income.

Sorry having trouble quoting on tapatalk.

But will try and answer .......beers from $5.50 to $8, vodka and soda $7.75.

Bottle of wine at dinner started from $30 but not much choice at that price range.

 

 

Sent from my GT-P3110 using Tapatalk

Thanks for that. Some food for thought. I'd have to drink 12 Vodka/sodas to break even, any less in 24hrs and I'll be paying more.

Also in the T&C's it states that all non alcoholic are NOT limited and do not add towards the maximum number. So for those worried about bottled water and coffees etc. these are unlimited.