Steelers36

The new service level for Medallions is that you receive them about 11 days before sail date.

I could be wrong, but I really don't think they are going to charge Elite and Suite guests $5 to do the mini-bar swaps. I try to get order in as soon as board to save the extra trip anyway.

Have not been in one, but I'd be more concerned about no cover (if that is the case) than a neighboring view.

Pay $15 once if planning to order things to where you are or to the cabin and you are good to go. If one person can do all the ordering, then just do it that way and save extra $15.

Princess ships both Medallions together for the typical couple. Or presumably a family of three or four in one box as well. Is this a single charge of $10? Is PCL charging each guest $10? I don't think so, but not so sure today. I realize sometimes friends may sail sharing a cabin who live in different cities. If order separately, is each one charged $10? If so, would think one person nominated to receive and then hand over when meet up at the terminal for check-in.

Do you really think there is value there? If someone is Platinum or Elite, the Crew Appreciation and Medallion Net are worth $23.50/pp/day. This package costs about $35.40 once you add the 18% gratuity. Now you are at virtually $59/pp/day. Plus is $60, so why would anyone do this package? Even dropping the Internet would let you have one alcohol drink per day easily covered.

He is quite funny for me.

Were they ever nightly offerings?

It used to be a separate pool for bartenders and bar waitstaff. Not same as hotel pool for DR waiters and cabin stewards.

In retrospect, we are probably lucky it lasted that way as long as it did.

Premier = 2x $80/pp/day = $160/day (you do the math for your cruise length). Crew Appreciation = $16/pp/day (unless in a Mini-Suite or Suite) = $32. 4-Device Internet Plan = $40/day. SD Credits = 2x2x $39 = $156/voyage (you get 2 SD credits each for the voyage). Your a la carte spending before beverages is: $72/day x # days + $156. Take that total and subtract from Premier cost of $160 x # days. This net balance is your pot of money for beverages. Now divide that balance by the # days of your voyage and you have an average dollar amount for beverages each day. Now, divide that daily amount by 1.18 to get to a "bar menu price" total. Question: Will the two of you combined spend that much in beverages each day? You can get start pack(s) of 500ml bottled water (12 in a pack) for about $7 and will be in your cabin. Must be ordered pre-cruise. On board, I think each bottle is about $2. Bar drinks seem to range from $10/$11 up to $18 or so for most part. Beer is about $7 or more depending on brand. Every drink price you see on the menu - including non-alcohol - attract 18% gratuity on top. Regular coffee from specialty cafe locations is $2 and up for cappucino, etc. Real fruit juice I forget cost. There is a juice bar you can visit unlimited I believe with the Premier (you can read all the inclusions on Princess.com). They just have changed things so Premier guests can also go to the "for-fee" Casual Dining locales unlimited times, so IDK how much you might do that as not mentioned. You may not have to get into the weeds as you may find there is so much money on the table from Premier package cost that a la carte consumption works for you If it looks close value, then get the package and no worries. ETA: Example using 10-night voyage. Premier cost is $1,600. A la carte = ($72 x 10) + $156 = $876. Net balance = $724. Divide by 1.18 to remove bar gratuity = $724 / 1.18 = ~$613.50 Beverage allocation per day = $61.35. As mentioned above, this is an amount for two of you combined and you would add up bar/beverage menu prices and see how close you get. You might think about a sea day versus a port day off the ship. You might also consider amounts for any Casual Dining you want to go to that costs if not on the package.

I vote the first post as the next Princess Forum Sticky.

@dides, I have something for you:

I have read in the past that Manhattan may be used if the stop is a mid-cruise port day, but Red Hook is the start/stop port.

I am not so sure anymore as have been reading all the fine print of late. It USED to be that the 18% bar gratuity was shared among all of the bartenders and bar waiters. The auto-gratuity - now called Crew Appreciation (and Crew Incentive for a blink of an eye) - was generally for housekeeping staff and dining waitstaff. So, I am not sure if two separate pools are maintained, or whether they are mixing it all up. If the bar tip pool is separate, I also expect that it is fleetwide and managed similar to the CA pool. Note that these are distinct groups of tips - at least from where and how they are assessed and collected. Guests on packages are paying a bar gratuity component of the drink portion of the packages If PCL is putting in the same dollars as if guest had bought items a la carte, you have $16 min for CA and $17.70 min for beverages (PLUS). This is $27.70 of the $60, leaving only $32.30 for PCL to cover the provided benefits. And yet, they are making money on it, so thing is we don't know the numbers and it's not our business. PS - I realize some of the package benefits don't really "cost" PCL anything to provide.

It was part of the PCL announcements on July 13 concerning App boarding information and line processing. One of the big impacts is guests supposedly have to have Medallion in-hand (i.e. delivered in advance) in order to be in Green Lane on the App. This is a change as guest could be in GL if as long as ordered Medallion to the pier terminal for pick-up. There have been reports already from Florida that no priority line outside the terminal building before doors open. Seems odd to me. Anyway, if you are an early arriver cruise type, you get checked in and still sit in the Elite/Suite waiting area and do get onto the ship first. If arrive after boarding has opened, then you just stream onto the ship anyway and priority doesn't mean as much. It will be interesting to see how this is handled at various ports and if PCL makes more adjustments. (Personally, IDK why they had to change what they had going unless it was all about encouraging guests to pay for shipping or book a package).

Got my posters crossed I guess.

I like to go where everybody knows my name. And they're always glad I came.

I found after arriving in FL last Winter for three months that I had left my next medication supply of 90 days back home and was running out soon. Local Walgreens and CVS cannot fill prescription from a Canadian MD, so I am thinking same issue in Oz for a US MD. I had daughter mail it to me and no issue - but I was not on a ship. My question is can you not get an extra-large refill quantity as a 1-off since you are traveling? I would think your MD would do that for you, no?

When is your next voyage? Because the whole check-in screen content and look/feel is changing - supposedly on or after tomorrow (Aug 1). Who knows for certain when IT is doing the roll-out? I would wait until then and try the new one. The other thing to note is that you shouldn't see a QR code nor the new check-in screen until about 11 days ahead of your voyage date.

That is different now. By the time you board the ship and order it on board, you could well be charged the full cost of $60/pp/day x 10. If you ordered Medallions, you can also get $10 flat fee rebate.

Ticky-tacky. And I don't book Suites.

In Travel Summary, Princess shows each package item and list price so guest can see the tons of money they are saving by not purchasing separate drink package. Poster has the current package and gets the new "stuff".

I am surprised too, but if you were going to do it anyway, it some nice coin to have in your pocket.

Or BYOW with corkage.