JimmyVWine

With price increases, 2 glasses of wine + wifi +Gratuities = $54. Add in coffee and $60 is the number. At 3 glasses of wine, (with price increases), $60 is a no brainer. These numbers shrink a bit if one's choice of alcohol is a spirit-based drink, and yes, 3 drinks is probably needed to make the math work.

I think you will see a binary division. People who consume alcohol will almost be forced into a package unless they are really, really light drinkers. People who have 2+ drinks per day on average will buy packages if the bottom level drinks are $14.

I actually don't think that this is the reason. PCL already did a significant price increase in 2022 when Premier was introduced. Wines that were $11 jumped to $16 or more. I think that there are two other factors at play here. 1. As to drink prices, Princess wants 100% of all passengers to buy Packages. The best way to get them to do that is to have them do the math and realize that when a below average glass of wine costs $14, you might as well buy a package that includes that glass, and also causes the consumer to strongly consider levelling up to Premier to unlock the good stuff. I know the wine industry inside and out and can tell you that wine prices have not moved nearly as much as Princess' price increases. Even those who want to interject "the current economy" and "record inflation" into the conversation have to admit that the inflation percentage at its worst is/was in the high single digits. That would bring a $10 glass of wine up to $11 with rounding. You don't go from $10 to $14, and then from $14 to $16 due to "inflation". $10 to $16 is a 60% increase in less than a year. And again, the low-end wines that are being poured have not gone up in price and if they have, it is by pennies. (Or maybe $0.50 is more accurate.) The customer base that buys those wines would be chased away. The wine producers have largely kept pricing relatively steady and are simply making less money until this blows over. I think what we are really seeing is a movement to drive customers into a different mindset--one that makes purchasing profitable packages a "no brainer." 2. Aside from drink prices, the bigger picture price increases (Packages and Specialty dining) are designed to level-set with the rest of the industry. As pointed out in this thread and in many others, Princess has been well below market on its AI Packages and SD prices for years. Somebody finally woke up and said that there is no advantage to being the lowest price at sea. Sure, it makes Princess attractive, but it results in leaving money on the table and that can't be tolerated right now. The "huge" jump in SD pricing STILL leaves Princess $10-$25 below what other mass market cruise lines are charging.

I agree that it is clearly a lack of proper team coaching. There is a tendency for people to think that large corporations, especially their promotions and legal departments are idiots when in fact it is far more likely that they are a very talented group. There is no way that that the wording of the Cruise Summaries that people are seeing could have slipped past those departments without it meaning exactly what it says. Somebody in the conference room or Zoom call would have said: "Wait a second. If we word it this way, people who previously purchased Plus will be misled into thinking that they are getting drinks up to the $15 limit. If we don't intend to do that, we had better change the wording." This is way too big of a slip-up to have gone unnoticed and uncorrected. So the conclusion one must draw is that the wording, having been drafted, edited ad nauseum, vetted, run by legal and ultimately approved, does in fact means what it says, and that the reps on the phone are not being coached properly.

Fishing gear is allowed. (Pretty common for Alaska itineraries.). Casting from your balcony is discouraged.

I think you mean procrastination. But, yes.

Princess must have conceded the obvious that it would be a burden on their servers and their top-notch IT department to try to have some passengers on a ship entitled to $12 and under drinks and others entitled to $15 and under drinks. (Not to mention Premier). If they tried to operate this way, there would be countless arguments with guests who would make all the arguments made here about "entitlement" even if the published information was crystal clear that you get what you paid for and no more. And then, in the "customer is always right" world, they would probably have to make concessions after all the fighting. Better to just grandfather the drink price for prior bookings. This was the outcome that I predicted way back when the new package was first announced.

This. It is very clear that for the price you paid, you get EVERYTHING that does not have the word "NEW" next to it. Couldn't be more clear.

It appears that way, but that won't matter when the price of the wines now being sold for $12 likewise jumps to $15.

To me, the worst thing is that for $12 a glass, all you can order is a generic varietal without any idea what country, region or producer you are getting. And when the wine arrives, it is plonk that aspires to be as good as Yellowtail. The anecdotal stories are funny/maddening, but in the end can be laughed off. What cannot be laughed off is paying $60 per day for a package that includes wine the likes of which you cannot discern. $12 is not a small sum for a glass of wine, and at that price, one should be getting something that can be identified. At $7 or $8 I can see moving toward generics. But not for $12. As noted in some of the posts above, if you hunt, haggle and persist, you might be able to find something familiar to you. But the level of effort expended and frustration endured whilst on vacation is hardly worth it.

I called the basic number on the website. The last time I did this was in September, so I can’t be certain that they haven’t changed things.

I’ve always thought that the glove thing was bizarre. Touch a contagion with a bare hand or with a glove and it makes no difference. The next thing the person touches will cause the contagion to be passed along.

My family calls it the Viking Ship and it has been ordered and loved on every cruise we’ve been on since its introduction. It is as much a staple for us as the Fettuccine Alfredo and Escargot.

A friend of mine who is a hospital physician and has worked on many Covid patients has told me that this distinction is overstated, probably by people who want to press a particular narrative. At his hospital the only Covid deaths counted or reported were/are people who expire in the ICU being treated specifically for deteriorating respiratory and lung function due to the confirmed virus. If someone comes in with a lacerated liver and dies, but tested positive for Covid, they have never been included in the Covid numbers. They are very particular about only counting people who die on respirators and the like. So at least in his hospital, there is no “from” or “with” ambiguity. I assume many ir most health care facilities do likewise. The CDC and local authorities rely on numbers in order to take corrective or ameliorative actions. There is no advantage to the hospitals to play fast and loose with numbers knowing that others rely on them.

I didn’t write the article so I have absolutely no idea, none whatsoever, what you are referring to or are insinuating. But it seems like you are attempting an insult or a jab. You missed.

I think that sums it up as well. It’s the middle of the information curve with irrational exuberance and irrational pessimism removed, not to mention both ends of political agendas.

I’m not sure that the fallout will be changing lines (for the reason you state) but instead might be a precipitous drop in the percentage at people who buy packages. I know that for me, there is no way I will buy a package that departs from any domestic port where bringing on my own wine is convenient. It was stated here that 75% of passengers are booking packages. I have no way of confirming that. But I can’t help thinking that the recent changes will make the lower end package (Plus) much less attractive. I really think that they need to keep the $50 Plus with gratuities, drinks and Wi-Fi and if they want to, add a middle level with desserts and spin classes. (Kind of oxymoronic if you ask me). And top it off with the Premium package. But eliminating the “Three For Free” level of Plus will prove to be a mistake. I am certain of this.

“Hospitalizations” refers to admitted patients, not presenting patients. Of course there are people who show up who are seen and released because they aren’t sick enough to need hospital care. But they are not counted in the numbers. Here’s a current article that is actually based in fact and not chat board supposition. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/its-beginning-to-look-a-lot-like-another-covid-surge/ar-AA1568p0?ocid=sapphireappshare

And if it was $13.49 at Publix, then Carnival Corp. probably paid about $7-$8 for it. So an $8 wine pours out at a cost to the consumer of $78.

Hadn't thought about that! Problem solved while sipping a Dirty Banana by the Pool.

I find this especially true if the wine prices increase as we predict they will. Very, very average to below average wines jumped from $7-$8 up to $11-$12 when Premier was introduced. If those same wines go up to $14-$15 after February, Princess will have gone from one of the best cruise lines in terms of wine selection and pricing to one of the worst. Bottles that they pay $4 for will be poured out at $84 (6 x $14) which is unconscionable.

Tax. Also, I assume that the hypothetical passenger in question will find some value in paying $1 for the remaining features of the $60 Plus Package. If it were me, I would pay the $10. Just in case I have a fourth drink, or want a special dessert. I am guessing most people would do likewise.

See above.

This looks like new information: "Complimentary Medallion shipping to a guest's home or office will continue for guests purchasing Princess Plus or Princess Premier. Guests who book with Princess Standard on or after Dec. 14, 2022 can receive their Medallions at their port of embarkation, or they can elect to have the Medallions shipped for a nominal fee of $10 per stateroom." Based on this, there is no grandfathering necessary for anyone who booked a package. Both pre and post-Dec. 14 packages include free delivery. (I assume this is for U.S. delivery, but the release does not say that.) The $12 versus $15 drink price cap for Plus is interesting. The wording of the release says that you get to keep what you had at the time of booking, so there would seem to be two different Plus prices that have to be dealt with on board. the computer can easily be set up to record Plus-50 or Plus-60 and charge overages as appropriate. But theory and practice are often times very different. Also, if drink prices increase, and a wine that was $12 when Plus was purchased months ago costs $14 after February, then while the person is still getting the same bundle as they had before, they aren't getting the same functionality. This, I think, is problematic. Those of us whose cruises are far enough out from February will be able to get real time feedback from those who cruise before us. But the first group of cruisers in February may be in for a surprise. But it does say that upgrading can be done on board. So the early birds will have to scrutinize the wine lists carefully on day one of their cruises to see if the extra $10 per person per day is worth paying. If the wine you love went from $12 to $15 and you drink 3 glasses a day, it would appear that upgrading is going to make sense.

It says: "Bookings made before Dec. 14, 2022 with Princess Plus or Princess Premier will include the fare bundle at the time of booking." Further on down it says: "In addition to the changes to our fare bundles noted above, the following changes will also go into effect with new bookings made on or after December 14, 2022: Crew Appreciation: The daily Crew Appreciation charge..." And then it goes on to list the new prices. So there is your answer. It really is perfectly clear.