A few questions re bar set-up for Elites

[crochetcruise]

Yes you can.

 

Please, what about swapping the cans of beer for bottles of vodka? Thanks for generously sharing your knowledge with those of us who are still in the learning stage.

[Astro Flyer]

Please, what about swapping the cans of beer for bottles of vodka? Thanks for generously sharing your knowledge with those of us who are still in the learning stage.

 

I have exchanged the bottles of liquor for beer but as I recall it's not possible to exchange beer for liquor.

 

The FAQ's previously posted indicate it's possible to swap types of liquor but nothing about swapping beer for liquor: "Miniature bottles of liquor (50 ml) may be exchanged on a one-for-one basis with other miniature bottles".

 

I've learned so many things from those on CC and we enjoy sharing our experiences.

Edited July 9, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[paul929207]

Please, what about swapping the cans of beer for bottles of vodka? Thanks for generously sharing your knowledge with those of us who are still in the learning stage.

No, you cannot switch beer, soda, or water for booze

[blkspy]

I travel alot as a single. I dont drink. It makes no sense for me to trade mini bar for 2 coffee cards--32 coffees. I called Princess and finally landed a reasonable manager at the corporate office.

 

I wanted to trade in one half of my mini bar...2 bottles of Gin...2 vodka. ...3 soda...1 beer....1 water...1 perrier. For one coffee card.16 punches......This was on the Royal.

 

I was told YES......a notation of this was placed in my reservation. ....once onboard.....I was told to speak to a supervisor at the purser deck---which I did....the nice lady said she would get back to me.

 

About 4 hours after sailaway I received a call to come to the pursers deck.....The Supervisor handed me an envelope with one coffee card:) She call the room service people to pick up the half of the mini bar...which I had set to the side on top of the fridge.

 

Im not saying this will happen for anyone else. ...but it happened for me......I plan to repeat the phone call prior to my upcoming cruises.

 

I called Princess BEFORE the cruise not puting my faith in a call to room service. .....

 

This worked for me because I was a solo traveler and it made sense........Happy cruising.

[crochetcruise]

No, you cannot switch beer, soda, or water for booze

and Astroflyer, THANK YOU BOTH for sharing your knowledge.

 

IIRC, I can swap the cans of beer for cans of soda, so 1 extra Coke and an extra Sprite can be enjoyed.

 

I have a recipe that uses vodka, so I was thinking of swapping the Gin and Scotch for vodka, and bringing the miniatures home with me. I will have a sealed container with me, and will have the miniatures in my carry on. The recipe has more vodka required, but I can easily calculate the different proportions.

 

I'm not fussed about Soda costing less than beer, I prefer Soda to beer so knowingly accept the lesser value for something that is more useful to me.

 

Tomorrow is 70 weeks to Embarkation Day, time is passing with plenty of entertainment several times a day courtesy of Cruise Critic posters. I learn something useful every day!

[EddieCruzer]

I travel alot as a single. I dont drink. It makes no sense for me to trade mini bar for 2 coffee cards--32 coffees. I called Princess and finally landed a reasonable manager at the corporate office.

 

I wanted to trade in one half of my mini bar...2 bottles of Gin...2 vodka. ...3 soda...1 beer....1 water...1 perrier. For one coffee card.16 punches......This was on the Royal.

 

I was told YES......a notation of this was placed in my reservation. ....once onboard.....I was told to speak to a supervisor at the purser deck---which I did....the nice lady said she would get back to me.

 

About 4 hours after sailaway I received a call to come to the pursers deck.....The Supervisor handed me an envelope with one coffee card:) She call the room service people to pick up the half of the mini bar...which I had set to the side on top of the fridge.

 

Im not saying this will happen for anyone else. ...but it happened for me......I plan to repeat the phone call prior to my upcoming cruises.

 

I called Princess BEFORE the cruise not puting my faith in a call to room service. .....

 

This worked for me because I was a solo traveler and it made sense........Happy cruising.

 

May I ask you who contacted at Princess to arrange this? I had tried to use the same logic on the Coral last year and was told a definite NO. I even went to the Capt. Circle host and he told me the same thing. All or nothing, no splitting. :(

[Tweedy]

Good to know that it can be all switched out for water if one desires.

[USN59-79]

So if we take a 7-day cruise we get one setup. I had heard that on our upcoming 71 day cruise (Ocean, Dover to Rome) we will get two setups. Is that the way it works?

[skf]

) we will get two setups. Is that the way it works? __________________

Yes, any cruise with multiple "sea legs" gets you a new set-up for each leg. We got a surprise second set-up last May in Royal...our first leg was 15 days and the second was 3 days. We thought we had booked one 18-day but it was booked as two cruises of 15 & 3.

Last October we took a 4-day on Caribbean Princess and each of us Elites booked separate cabins. We sailed with our Sisters-in law and shifted cabins. We left them the set-up; that is about the only way to get two on one cruise.

Steve & Pete

[Colo Cruiser]

Please, what about swapping the cans of beer for bottles of vodka? Thanks for generously sharing your knowledge with those of us who are still in the learning stage.

 

As stated no, only liquor for liquor or less.

No trading up to liquor.

[Colo Cruiser]

May I ask you who contacted at Princess to arrange this? I had tried to use the same logic on the Coral last year and was told a definite NO. I even went to the Capt. Circle host and he told me the same thing. All or nothing, no splitting. :(

 

 

What you experienced was correct.

The policy is not to split up the coffee cards.

 

Every ship puts their own spin on everything.

[blkspy]

May I ask you who contacted at Princess to arrange this? I had tried to use the same logic on the Coral last year and was told a definite NO. I even went to the Capt. Circle host and he told me the same thing. All or nothing, no splitting. :(

 

As I stated.....I called Princess directly and eventually connected with a Customer service manager at the corporate offices......waiting until on the ship always proves fruitless......

 

Captain Circle host are really only good if you need pins.

[bhopal21]

You can change beer for water or soda. You can change liquor for water or soda. You can change soda for water.

 

And on our last 3 cruises I have been able to exchange the beer for two more bottles of Beefeater.

 

Mike:)

[blkspy]

What you experienced was correct.

The policy is not to split up the coffee cards.

 

Every ship puts their own spin on everything.

 

My experiences may well be different than others....as ive noted......I will continue to 'call' and make my personal arrangements prior to boarding my next cruise. Getting satisfaction once on board seems a lost cause....

 

Good luck and Happy Cruising to all.

[Colo Cruiser]

My experiences may well be different than others....as ive noted......I will continue to 'call' and make my personal arrangements prior to boarding my next cruise. Getting satisfaction once on board seems a lost cause....

 

Good luck and Happy Cruising to all.

 

 

I am glad calling ahead of time worked for you.

I just prefer not having to argue with anyone, either ashore or onboard.

Its not worth it. IMO ;)

[Colo Cruiser]

And on our last 3 cruises I have been able to exchange the beer for two more bottles of Beefeater.

 

Mike:)

 

 

Good deal! :)

[caribill]

May I ask you who contacted at Princess to arrange this? I had tried to use the same logic on the Coral last year and was told a definite NO. I even went to the Capt. Circle host and he told me the same thing. All or nothing, no splitting. :(

 

As it says in post #15 above:

 

Question: What if I don't want any alcohol in my Elite mini-bar?

Answer: If you do not wish to have any alcohol in your mini-bar we will be happy to exchange your mini-bar for one of the following:

•Alcoholic beverages may be exchanged for non-alcoholic beverages on a one-for-one basis

•Full mini-bar may be exchanged for two (2) Coffee Cards

•All water mini-bar setup will consist of eight (8) 1.5 liter bottles of water

 

So anyone who told you you could not exchange half for one coffee card was 100% following the policy and rules.

 

It has nothing to do with the logic some would like to apply. This is the published policy.

 

And this is a much better policy than before when trading for coffee cards was not an option at all.

[blkspy]

As it says in post #15 above:

 

Question: What if I don't want any alcohol in my Elite mini-bar?

Answer: If you do not wish to have any alcohol in your mini-bar we will be happy to exchange your mini-bar for one of the following:

•Alcoholic beverages may be exchanged for non-alcoholic beverages on a one-for-one basis

•Full mini-bar may be exchanged for two (2) Coffee Cards

•All water mini-bar setup will consist of eight (8) 1.5 liter bottles of water

 

So anyone who told you you could not exchange half for one coffee card was 100% following the policy and rules.

 

It has nothing to do with the logic some would like to apply. This is the published policy.

 

And this is a much better policy than before when trading for coffee cards was not an option at all.

 

Glad rules aren't written in stone.......water...beer...booze....soda.....what ever you prefer while cruising.....hopefully everyone enjoys themselves with whatever adjustments they may obtain to satisfy their beverage needs. Glad I still have parts of the 2 coffee cards I received on the Royal and CB for the half Mini bars I exchanged.....Happy Cruising.

Edited July 9, 2015 by blkspy

[ChiefBoats]

We just made Elite on our last cruise in May but will trade in the bar set up for the two coffee cards. DW can't drink and I drink only a few times during the cruise (mainly a couple of the specialty beers). However I like my brewed coffee and sometimes the specialty coffees.

__________________________________________

Island Princess 2008 Alaska, Island Princess 2009 (B2B) Alaska, Royal Princess (Old) 2010 Alaska, Golden Princess 2011 Alaska, Coral Princess 2012 Panama Canal, Star Princess 2012 Alaska, Island Princess 2013 Alaska, Crown Princess 2013 Western Caribbean, Caribbean Princess 2013 Western Caribbean, Royal Princess 2014 Eastern Caribbean, Royal Princess 2014 New England, Emerald Princess 2014 Western Caribbean, Ruby Princess 2015 Alaska

[piper28]

My wife keeps swapping for more vodka than she really ends up needing. I think we only need a couple more to have enough to fill an entire 750ml bottle now sitting in a cabinet here at home.

[nho9504]

Can I change the 2 plain water to 2 Perrier?

 

Wish I have found this thread earlier - too late to arrange for the 1/2 swap for a coffee card. We sail on Aug 15 and leave home on Aug 12.

[Astro Flyer]

I

Can I change the 2 plain water to 2 Perrier?

 

Wish I have found this thread earlier - too late to arrange for the 1/2 swap for a coffee card. We sail on Aug 15 and leave home on Aug 12.

You may be able to exchange 2 plain water for 2 Perrier waters however as you can read the coffee card exchange option is for the complete minibar & not half of it for 1 coffee card. I've only read of one person who sailed as a solo splitting the minibar but he had to make a stink to get it. Sometimes the squeaky wheel gets the grease & Princess will will sometimes waive their requirements to stop dealing with a passenger who insists the rules do not apply to them. :rolleyes: I wouldn't count on splitting the minibar because it is in writing that it's not allowed.

 

Also the exchange is done by calling room service & not in advance so you can do it on the ship. :)

 

 

Elite Mini-Bar

 

Question: What will my mini-bar consist of?

Answer: Elite members will get a one-time complimentary mini-bar set-up (1 per Elite stateroom) which consists of two (2) miniature bottles each of Cognac, Gin, Vodka and Scotch Whisky, two (2) 12 ounce cans of beer, two (2) 12 ounce cans/bottles of tonic water, two (2) 12 ounce cans of Coca Cola, two (2) 12 ounce cans of Sprite, two (2) 0.5 liter bottles of water, two (2) 11 ounce bottles of Perrier. The contents of the mini-bar are subject to change.

 

Question: What if I have a specific request for how I’d like my mini-bar stocked?

Answer: Your mini-bar will consist of a selection of liquors, soft drinks, beer, still and sparkling water. Once on board, you may contact Room Service to change your mini-bar selection. Certain restrictions apply.

 

Question: Can I exchange the items in my Elite mini-bar for wine?

Answer: You may exchange all of your mini-bar items for one bottle of wine. You can choose one of the following:

Chardonnay Kendall-Jackson

Sauvignon Blanc Nobilo

Cabernet Sauvignon Kendall-Jackson

Pinot Noir Robert Mondavi.

Unwooded Chardonnay, Kendall Jackson (Dawn Princess, Sea Princess, Sun Princess - when based in Australia)

Wyndhams, Bin 444 Cabernet Sauvignon (Dawn Princess, Sea Princess, Sun Princess - when based in Australia)

Brown Brothers, Shiraz (Dawn Princess, Sea Princess, Sun Princess - when based in Australia)

 

Question: Can I exchange the items in my Elite mini-bar for full bottles of liquor?

Answer: No. Miniature bottles of liquor (50 ml) may be exchanged on a one-for-one basis with other miniature bottles.

 

Question: Can I exchange the non-alcoholic items in my Elite mini-bar for alcohol?

Answer: No. Non-alcoholic beverages may be exchanged on a one-for-one basis with other non-alcoholic varieties.

 

Question: What if I don't want any alcohol in my Elite mini-bar?

Answer: If you do not wish to have any alcohol in your mini-bar we will be happy to exchange your mini-bar for one of the following:

Alcoholic beverages may be exchanged for non-alcoholic beverages on a one-for-one basis

Full mini-bar may be exchanged for two (2) Coffee Cards

All water mini-bar setup will consist of eight (8) 1.5 liter bottles of water.

 

https://book.princess.com/captaincircle/contactUs.page

Edited August 9, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[Happy2cruise]

We trade them. Don't like any of the supplied liquors anyway. ;)

We also trade them for water and pop as we are wine drinkers;)

[Colo Cruiser]

I liked it when they used to let me trade for 2 Rum/Coke packages. :(

[Astro Flyer]

I liked it when they used to let me trade for 2 Rum/Coke packages. :(

 

My tastebuds are not sophisticated with spirits so I miss the Canadian Club whisky for 7&7 drinks and the rum to drink with Coke. :(