Yet another Princess Sale begins July 9th

[Cruise Junky]

I totally agree. Our bar bill would never reach $900' date=' but it would definitely exceed $250, which makes the package worthwhile for us.

 

To each their own :)[/quote']

 

It would if we were sailing with you :p

[Alaskanb]

We drink very little so the OBC works well for us. I calculate it covers our tips and coffee card with enough left over for a short excursion and whatever alcoholic drinks we indulge in.

[High C's]

It would if we were sailing with you :p

 

That's an understatement! :D:eek:

[petlover]

Is this only for new bookings? We have a November 19, 2016 cruise booked that's listed (3 mini suites) that we booked in June.

Edited July 10, 2015 by petlover

[hurstbear]

No - it can be used for current bookings, I have an Alaska cruise in May 2016 that I had booked and was able to get the drink package added.

[Thrak]

It seems like there is a + (cross?) after the word stateroom - was there any explanation for this asterix somewhere below (did it specify the category of stateroom required)?

 

You are looking at the entirety of the statement. If you look you will see that the little cross (it is actually called a dagger in typography) is found directly after the initial statement and says:

 

†"All-Inclusive Beverage Package is applicable to voyages and cruise fares advertised in this promotion only, valid only for guests one and two per stateroom, and is not applicable during the land portion of Land & Sea Vacations."

 

Note: If you hold down the Alt key and then press 0134 on the numeric keypad you will get the dagger symbol. †

Edited July 10, 2015 by Thrak

[partybarbie]

Just checked the 19 day Island RT Los Angeles Nov. 2016 and the MB mini looks like it has gone down by $400 PP and includes the promo. Hopefully I'm looking at this correctly. Will have the travel agent check it out in the morning.

 

Thanks for suggesting this cruise. Even though this will be my sixth time through the canal, most of the ports sound great and not having to fly home from Fort Lauderdale sounds even better. :D DH and I are booked and ready to "Sip and Sail", lol. :D

[Colo Cruiser]

Is this only for new bookings? We have a November 19, 2016 cruise booked that's listed (3 mini suites) that we booked in June.

 

 

 

 

Better call! :D

[Thrak]

What annoys me about the "balcony and higher" deal is that, in theory, they are rewarding you for spending more money on the cabin. I can get that. However...

 

I have an inside cabin booked for Connoissieur Cruise Tour OB6. The date of the cruise is June 23 and the cost of the inside cabin is $3,399. The exact same cruise but on the date May 12 you can get a balcony - and therefore the Sip & Sail promo - for a cost of $3,274. This is $125 per person LESS than I am paying but, because it is a balcony, it qualifies for the promo.

 

It is obviously not a reward for spending more money on your cabin. It seems to be more of a class system where balcony people are "better" or "more important" than lowly inside or OV passengers.

Edited July 10, 2015 by Thrak

[Working 2 Cruise]

What annoys me about the "balcony and higher" deal is that, in theory, they are rewarding you for spending more money on the cabin. I can get that. However...

 

I have an inside cabin booked for Connoissieur Cruise Tour OB6. The date of the cruise is June 23 and the cost of the inside cabin is $3,399. The exact same cruise but on the date May 12 you can get a balcony - and therefore the Sip & Sail promo - for a cost of $3,274. This is $125 per person LESS than I am paying but, because it is a balcony, it qualifies for the promo.

 

It is obviously not a reward for spending more money on your cabin. It seems to be more of a class system where balcony people are "better" or "more important" than lowly inside or OV passengers.

 

Remember that cruising to Alaska in May is usually quite a bit less expensive than at the end of June...

[Astro Flyer]

I don't see it as a "class" issue but a supply & demand system because more passengers want to sail in June due to the possibility of having better weather & for families who travel during summer vacation.

 

A truer comparison would be to compare the prices for insides on both cruises which is probably also less in May than in June. I didn't check the prices but it's likely that balcony passengers are still paying more in May than those in inside cabins & thus eligible for the AIBP promotion & not because of a class distinction,

Edited July 10, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[Zooguy]

What annoys me about the "balcony and higher" deal is that, in theory, they are rewarding you for spending more money on the cabin. I can get that. However...

 

 

 

I have an inside cabin booked for Connoissieur Cruise Tour OB6. The date of the cruise is June 23 and the cost of the inside cabin is $3,399. The exact same cruise but on the date May 12 you can get a balcony - and therefore the Sip & Sail promo - for a cost of $3,274. This is $125 per person LESS than I am paying but, because it is a balcony, it qualifies for the promo.

 

 

 

It is obviously not a reward for spending more money on your cabin. It seems to be more of a class system where balcony people are "better" or "more important" than lowly inside or OV passengers.

 

 

What is a Connoisseur Cruise? WhatShip?

[shredie]

It is obviously not a reward for spending more money on your cabin. It seems to be more of a class system where balcony people are "better" or "more important" than lowly inside or OV passengers.

 

It's a promotion to make some money. No one at Princess is weighing the importance of anything except the bottom line.

[Colo Cruiser]

It's a promotion to make some money. No one at Princess is weighing the importance of anything except the bottom line.

 

For sure. :)

[caribill]

Is this only for new bookings? We have a November 19, 2016 cruise booked that's listed (3 mini suites) that we booked in June.

 

It can be used for an existing booking, but it will be at the current price which might be lower, higher or the same as what you booked.

[caribill]

What is a Connoisseur Cruise? WhatShip?

 

It is not a Connoisseur Cruise.

 

It is a Connoisseur Cruisetour.

 

A cruisetour is part cruise and includes before or after the cruise, a tour on land.

 

For Alaska, the land part can be purchased as a regular Cruisetour or as a Connoisseur Cruisetour.

 

If Connoisseur in Alaska, it includes almost all meals on land, a dedicated guide for the entire land part of the trip, and an upgrade for the Denali park bus tour.

[chamima]

What annoys me about the "balcony and higher" deal is that, in theory, they are rewarding you for spending more money on the cabin. I can get that. However...

 

I have an inside cabin booked for Connoissieur Cruise Tour OB6. The date of the cruise is June 23 and the cost of the inside cabin is $3,399. The exact same cruise but on the date May 12 you can get a balcony - and therefore the Sip & Sail promo - for a cost of $3,274. This is $125 per person LESS than I am paying but, because it is a balcony, it qualifies for the promo.

 

It is obviously not a reward for spending more money on your cabin. It seems to be more of a class system where balcony people are "better" or "more important" than lowly inside or OV passengers.

 

Remember that cruising to Alaska in May is usually quite a bit less expensive than at the end of June...

 

Agree.

You just can't compare cruises on different weeks.

We currently have a B2B booked for Feb. of 2017. Same itinerary. Same cabin. One is $200/pp more than the other. Who knows why?

 

A better example might be the cruise we took last December (early December so off season) that was about $2500 and the same cruise booked for this winter that's about $4000.

Off season vs. high season.

 

 

It's not a class system and it's not a reward. It's an incentive to book a more expensive cabin.

Edited July 10, 2015 by chamima

[Thrak]

What is a Connoisseur Cruise? WhatShip?

 

Island Princess or Star Princess depending on the date chosen:

Connoisseur Escorted - Tour OB6

 

13 Days From Fairbanks to Vancouver, British Columbia

 

 

http://www.princess.com/find/cruiseDetails.do?voyageCode=2620&tourCode=T6AOB6

[critterchick]

What annoys me about the "balcony and higher" deal is that, in theory, they are rewarding you for spending more money on the cabin. I can get that. However...

 

I have an inside cabin booked for Connoissieur Cruise Tour OB6. The date of the cruise is June 23 and the cost of the inside cabin is $3,399. The exact same cruise but on the date May 12 you can get a balcony - and therefore the Sip & Sail promo - for a cost of $3,274. This is $125 per person LESS than I am paying but, because it is a balcony, it qualifies for the promo.

 

It is obviously not a reward for spending more money on your cabin. It seems to be more of a class system where balcony people are "better" or "more important" than lowly inside or OV passengers.

 

What does a balcony cost on the cruise on which you are booked? And what does an inside cost on the May 12 cruise? I would be a dollar that the balcony is higher priced on both cruises and that's why they get the "free" drink package.

 

And if your schedule allows it, why not change to the May 12 sailing?

Edited July 10, 2015 by critterchick

[caribill]

And if your schedule allows it, why not change to the May 12 sailing?

 

Maybe because there are areas are not accessible that early in the season.

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

I just don't understand people's anger over not getting a deal for their specific cruise. This isn't a charity. Princess is discounting certain cruises to get people to buy them. If you don't want that cruise, don't buy it.

 

This isn't some sort of "gift" that Princess is giving to some people and not others. Its called business.

Edited July 10, 2015 by Sox Fan Cruiser

[Steelers36]

IDK why the posters who are saying their price stayed the same and they'll take the free drink package even though they would never buy it nor get the value out.

 

Why not take the OBC instead?

 

Our cruise is 17 days. Buying the AIBP would cost somewhere over $900. Here, we're getting it essentially in place of $250 OBC. That makes it a darned good deal. At cruise ship prices, my normal vacation consumption would easily be more than $250.

 

Even though I would never spend $900 for the package, I can easily enjoy the convenience of having two or three drinks during the day and a glass of wine or two with dinner without having to worry about the cost.

 

Jim

 

I understand and agree with you in your case. I guess I didn't think about what it broke down to per day for a 7 day cruise and the much greater possibility to exceed the OBC value as opposed to the actual AIBP value. I wasn't thinking then that they were only giving back a partial value with the OBC option.

[Colo Cruiser]

I just don't understand people's anger over not getting a deal for their specific cruise. This isn't a charity. Princess is discounting certain cruises to get people to buy them. If you don't want that cruise, don't buy it.

 

This isn't some sort of "gift" that Princess is giving to some people and not others. Its called business.

 

 

I agree.

[jasbo49]

I wasn't thinking then that they were only giving back a partial value with the OBC option.

 

Yes, that's the big thing to me. I did the math, and the package would cost $958 per person for a 17-day cruise. If I can get it for $250, I'm happy as a clam. You are getting it for 26% of the retail value.

 

For once, I can order what I want and not worry about it. If I want a martini, I don't have to say "Oh, a gin and tonic would be cheaper." If I want a $9 or $10 glass of wine (kind of a splurge for me), I don't have to say, "Well, this one's only $6.95."

 

Jim

[Capt. Johnny]

We just got off of a princess cruise in April and had not decided what our next cruise would be, but did pre-pay our next cruise deposit while on board. When this sip and sail deal hit my email, it took us less than a day to crunch the numbers. It is a great deal, maybe not for everyone. While we will take advantage of the drinks a little more than we did last time:D, we will also hit the specialty coffee's too, as it is for more than just the alcohol.

Not one to be pushed I did upgrade to a mini-suite to get the specialty dining for two package as well. :rolleyes: I checked the prices on the cruise I booked and they did not raise it one dollar before this offer, so maybe, just maybe this is a really nice promotion for those that can utilize it.

So they transferred our deposit money and no we are booked into late 2016. I think this works well for them to offer such a deep discount this far out. Sorry if not everyone is receiving this offer, not sure how they decided it as we have only sailed Princess once.

While I know what they say the unlimited beverage package is worth :eek: I do not yet know what the specialty dining package is worth, but I do know they are competing against other cruise lines and Norwegian has been offering something similar to us for several months.