whitecap

With the emphasis on "moron". 😃

Boy, you two sound just like the DW and me. We eat 95% of our meals at the buffet; 5% at the Lido grill/pizza and the IC. We go to a specialty restaurant only if it is gifted. We have sailed the Caribbean, with Princess, 39 times and have done about every excursion so none of those. A slow stroll through the port area and back to the ship is our usual activity. Relax, and decompress. Now that Princess has decided to try being more like Royal Caribbean, Sun Princess, with two entire decks for kids/families (don't get me wrong, I have nothing against kids or families as long as the kids are seen and not heard and the parents maintain control 😂), and adding additional fees with less and less benefits for loyalty, the atmosphere aboard Princess ships might be changing. We'll see and then make whatever change we need to in order to continue to cruise and enjoy ourselves without the feeling of being taken to the cleaners.

As I said in one of my earlier post, the communication efforts by PrincesS, over the last year or so, have been so misleading, misspelled, misinformed and lacking clarity that you really have to wonder where they get these people.

No. Thats convenient for Princess....... Especially with the information contained in this thread that the entire amount of "crew appreciation" goes into the Princess bank account for them to decide who may get some of it, "throughout the year". Your "crew" may never see a dime of it!

THANK YOU!!!

Confused: it has been stated here that the $15 fee "does not cover room service". Are you saying that it does?

So if I use the tv in the cabin, I pay a one time fee of $14.95? No delivery?

In reading through most of the post on this thread, some from individuals who, one way or another, experienced the webinar, there appears to be much confusion and or unanswered questions. Like, what does the $14.95 cover, anywhere on the ship delivery except stateroom or anywhere you are regardless? Will the "new and improved" drink packages add ons be given to those already booked and or paid for the older packages? Once again, as with several previous announcements over the last year or so, Princess has failed to communicate thoroughly with passengers. As was mentioned in a prior post, they must believe that we are stupid or non-caring or not able to blow the fog away and see it for what it really is. Now, I for one, only grad gi ated from 3d grade, but by taken my shoes off, I can add and subtracted. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, well, I ain't gonna let you fool me the second time.

I do agree with your comment about "as long as customers keep showing up". Like so many situations today, the only way to combat what you believe is unjust or unfair or unmoral, is to take action that "cost" those trying to force others into the situation. Don't like the high prices a store has started charging, go somewhere else or find another alternative. If enough people do the same, that store sees a drop in profit and will change back. Don't just complain about it, then book. Don't book, don't order room service, don't go to these enhanced dinning venues and when they see that no one is participating, things will change. I for one, will not pay a room service delivery fee and tip the person delivering. Let Princess share that $5.00 with the person who delivered. I had been looking forward to going to the new Irish venue, but I will not if I am charged $14.95 just to walk through the doors. I can certainly find enough to consume between the buffet and International Cafe and other venues that come with the cruise fare I am paying. Next up: Charge to enter the theatre; No more free laundry for Elite; A charge to enter the Elite Lounge. Loyalty goes both ways and should it become a one way street, then loyalty no longer exist. Just my two cents!!!

So, after trying to understand all these post, many of which contradict each other, I continue to be very confused. I am booked on several upcoming cruises under the Standard fare. If I order room service to my cabin, I must pay a $5.00 fee for each delivery, right? Can I pay the $14.95, one time fee, and use the app to order room service and not have to pay the $5.00 delivery fee?

If that is the case, my 14 days worth of gratuities, $448, might not be seen by my room steward, head waiter or anyone else on my ship. Handing my room steward an envelope seems more advantageous to him or her than paying into a "fleet wide pool".

It is however, when will all the nickel and dimming stop. Before to much longer you will be required to pay a fee to the dock workers who stand by the gangway or the ones who let go the lines. I realize that cruise lines are business. I am a stockholder in several and today was a very good "business day" but I am also a customer and I don't like when benefits are removed and fees are added. So, what is a stockholder/customer suppose to do?

I find it interesting that gratuities are, as you say it, "a major part of their compensation". Do you tip the produce manager at your local grocery store? Or the farmer who delivered the corn? Maybe the cruise lines should be paying their workers a better salary and then all the tipping wouldn't be "a major part of their compensation".

So I'll begin my next post with this: I am a loyal Princess cruiser; have been since 2010; have 39 sailings on Princess; have never had a issue that didn't get resolved amicably; we currently have 4 booked cruises totaling 55 days. Now, over the last several months we have seen the benefits of loyalty begin a slow decline while cruise fares have risen, daily gratuities have increased, cost for wifi have risen, loyalty OBC has disappeared, and other amenities have been removed. Today, we are told that some food services will no longer be free and new charges will begin for delivery of food/drinks all in an effort to convince passengers to book beverage packages that on their face value, are not worth the cost. All of this is being done in the name of reducing cost and increasing income/profit. So here is my suggestion: I too wish to lower cost and as a result increase my financial balance sheet and one of the ways I can accomplish this goal is to begin with the daily gratuities. At the current $16 per day per guest ($32 for a couple) that comes to $448 on a 14 day cruise. By having the automatic gratuities taken off my account, I have just saved $448 minus any tip that I might give to my room steward or other crew member who does a great job providing services to me, my DW and our cabin. We will be able to provide our room steward an amble gratuity and still be well ahead and enough to splurge on a couple of nights of room service and pay the $5 per delivery (no need to tip the person delivering since the $5 fee should cover that). Princess convinces some to pay the higher/new fees and thus increases their profit/income, we found a way to decrease our expenditures and still be able to enjoy our cruise. Win Win.

So who can participant in the one time $14.95?

I agree 100%. We usually order room service a couple of times on a 14 day cruise and tip the delivery person pretty well. I'm not now going to pay the $15 bucks or the $5 bucks and tip as well.

I know that this is less than other lines but as an Elite Member I am starting to tire of all the added fees that Princess has started and the removal of Elite benefits.

And have they confirmed that there will now be a room service fee?

Believe me, no one wants to see "all of this" in a speedo, much less a "birthday suit"!! 🤮

Thanks. Pack a suit on our very first cruise back in 2010. Not since.

Items removed from packing list: dress pants, dress shoes, bow tie. Items added to packing list: shorts, flip flops and add back the bow tie!! 🤣

Note taken: No swimming before dinner! 😃

Thank you. As these answers are coming in, I'm removing items from my packing check list!! 🤣

Thank you.

Thank you