Internet (MedallionNet) pricing

[lstone19]

Timely email from Princess regarding my cruise on Coral Princess later this month. Context of the entire email suggests that it only went to Platinums and Elites (another suggestion talks about Captain's Circle minutes).

unlimited package discount

No need to log on or log off. 

Purchase a voyage-length package on board at an additional 25% discount, and enjoy unlimited internet access. Choose from a single or four device package.

 

Note that it even says additional discount on board. So FWIW, this seems to be saying Platinum and Elite customers will ge the best price on board, not by purchasing in advance.

[Steelers36]

6 hours ago, lstone19 said:

 

See post #57 in https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2632792-medallionnet-voyage-package/page/3/

 

I am fairly certain this is the same price sheet the Internet Manager showed me on Ruby Princess in May (I was on the one-night to Seattle so didn't actually purchase - my minutes were more than adequate for my needs that night).

 

That link pulls up a PDF of a sheet that has to be old and out of date.  It was mentioned by one or two in that thread.  It also has higher prices than you posted at #22 above on this thread.  What you posted at #22 does line up with the pricing plan I have from Princess.  But yours has a finer breakdown by exact length instead of ranges.  Not saying it is not in use - just have not seen it or been aware before now.

 

[lstone19]

3 minutes ago, steelers36 said:

That link pulls up a PDF of a sheet that has to be old and out of date.  It was mentioned by one or two in that thread.  It also has higher prices than you posted at #22 above on this thread.  What you posted at #22 does line up with the pricing plan I have from Princess.  But yours has a finer breakdown by exact length instead of ranges.  Not saying it is not in use - just have not seen it or been aware before now.

 

 

Are you sure you went to the right post? While the sheet itself is undated, the poster gave it a filename that includes Apr2019 in the name (five months ago). And the prices are exactly (after rounding) the same as I posted in #22 (I posted the 1 device prices).

 

[Colo Cruiser]

6 hours ago, lstone19 said:

 

See post #57 in https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2632792-medallionnet-voyage-package/page/3/

 

I am fairly certain this is the same price sheet the Internet Manager showed me on Ruby Princess in May (I was on the one-night to Seattle so didn't actually purchase - my minutes were more than adequate for my needs that night).

 

IMO that does not "jive" with any of my currently booked cruises or anything that I have seen for that matter.

What Steelers36 has posted is "right on the money".  😎

[Steelers36]

24 minutes ago, lstone19 said:

 

Are you sure you went to the right post? While the sheet itself is undated, the poster gave it a filename that includes Apr2019 in the name (five months ago). And the prices are exactly (after rounding) the same as I posted in #22 (I posted the 1 device prices).

 

All I can say is that I went to the post and clicked on the link. 

 

When I am next on a ship (CROWN in NOV), I will make further inquiries.  Before then, there may be more info posted here.  I only know what I know until I know more.  (Did someone say that?).

[paradiselivin1]

This may have been asked and answered on another thread but I'll ask anyhow...  We're doing our first TA out of Barcelona in November and wonder what to expect on Emerald as we cross the Atlantic. i.e does buying unlimited minutes make sense or is there sketchy service in the middle of the ocean? Trying to remember what posters said last year when they did a crossing on a ship that had Medallion.Net and thought the service wasn't great that far off shore. Have our platinum/elite minutes but would pay for upgraded service on board if it made sense.

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, paradiselivin1 said:

This may have been asked and answered on another thread but I'll ask anyhow...  We're doing our first TA out of Barcelona in November and wonder what to expect on Emerald as we cross the Atlantic. i.e does buying unlimited minutes make sense or is there sketchy service in the middle of the ocean? Trying to remember what posters said last year when they did a crossing on a ship that had Medallion.Net and thought the service wasn't great that far off shore. Have our platinum/elite minutes but would pay for upgraded service on board if it made sense.

I believe it is just latitude that affects the service - not longitude.  If you are Platinum/Elite, then wait until Embarkation Day to book your internet package.  You could then ask the Internet Cafe manager if there is any expectation to lose the fast speed satellites during the cruise.

 

[SDCruiser13]

This is our first cruise on Princess (Coral Princess 14 night So. America - Feb 6 2020) and we are trying to decide what internet package is best for us and when is the best time to buy it. We will only be using two phones (no tablets). 

 

1.  How does the 4 device package work?  Can we share that plan for our two phones, or do we need to buy two individual pkgs if we want simultaneous access? 

 

2.  Our Personalizer shows package prices of $14.99 per day for 4-device pkg, and $99.99 for individual pkg.  (We have no status with Princess, so no discount for us.)  From your experience, are these pre-cruise prices the same or better than what we would pay onboard? 

 

3. If the pre-cruise offers are better than onboard pricing, are they available all the way up to departure, or are they limited time offers? (No mention of this online.) Trying to figure out timing since just booked our shore excursions. We would rather wait a bit before purchasing internet package(s), if possible. 

 

For those who have prior experience with MedallionNet packages, any other info or advice you have to offer would be most appreciated.

 

[Steelers36]

47 minutes ago, SDCruiser13 said:

This is our first cruise on Princess (Coral Princess 14 night So. America - Feb 6 2020) and we are trying to decide what internet package is best for us and when is the best time to buy it. We will only be using two phones (no tablets). 

 

1.  How does the 4 device package work?  Can we share that plan for our two phones, or do we need to buy two individual pkgs if we want simultaneous access? 

Yes, you can share that plan.  One person buys it and share credentials for logging in.  You can also buy two individual packages and save $10 ($200 versus $210 - forget the pennies).  You can also buy one individual package and share credentials.  However, only one of you could be on internet at a time and that may not work for you.  You can have simultaneous access with either two individual plans or the 4-device plan.

 

2.  Our Personalizer shows package prices of $14.99 per day for 4-device pkg, and $99.99 for individual pkg.  (We have no status with Princess, so no discount for us.)  From your experience, are these pre-cruise prices the same or better than what we would pay onboard? 

Since you have no status with Princess, your best price is now - pre-cruise via Personalizer.

 

3. If the pre-cruise offers are better than onboard pricing, are they available all the way up to departure, or are they limited time offers? (No mention of this online.) Trying to figure out timing since just booked our shore excursions. We would rather wait a bit before purchasing internet package(s), if possible. 

You can book CLOSE to departure.  Sometimes three days, sometimes five days.  If your Personalizer doesn't specifically state a last date, I would play it safe and book at least five days ahead.  You have plenty of time.  Risk??  Only that Princess may implement a general price increase.  But my money is on not until they have MedallionNet rolled out across the fleet.

 

For those who have prior experience with MedallionNet packages, any other info or advice you have to offer would be most appreciated.

 

See above in purple. 

 

ETA - South America is a great trip.  Wish you were going for more of it than two weeks.  Enjoy!!

Edited September 7, 2019 by steelers36

[SDCruiser13]

2 minutes ago, steelers36 said:

 

Thank you steelers36!!  This is our fourth different cruise line this year.  Each time we try a new one, we have much to learn and the CC community has been immensely helpful!

 

Since we will only have two devices, I think 2 individual plans would be the best bet so we can both be online at the same time.  We put them in our cart and will pull the trigger closer to our departure date.

[lstone19]

39 minutes ago, SDCruiser13 said:

Since we will only have two devices, I think 2 individual plans would be the best bet so we can both be online at the same time.  We put them in our cart and will pull the trigger closer to our departure date.

You may be misunderstanding. A four device plan allows four devices to be online simultaneously. 

 

All plans allows an unlimited number of devices - the limit (one or four) is how many can be online simultaneously. So with a one-device plan, you can have a phone log on, later have the phone log off and a computer log on, then have the computer log off and a tablet log on, then have the tablet log off and go back to the phone.

 

If you only have two devices, then two individual plans saves you $10. But if you more than two devices and one of you may want more than one on simultaneously, then for the extra $10 get the four-device plan and you can have four on at a time out of however many you might have.

[SDCruiser13]

2 hours ago, steelers36 said:

ETA - South America is a great trip.  Wish you were going for more of it than two weeks.  Enjoy!!

Actually, we will be gone for 4 weeks.  We are doing a cruise tour and will be going to Macchu Picchu before we board the Coral Princess.  Then, after we disembark in Buenos Aires, we are flying to Iguazu to see the falls and the San Ignacio Jesuit ruins (as in the movie "The Mission").  Longest trip we have taken (so far).  I just retired 2 years ago and we are having a having a great time traveling!  

[VirginiaVacationer]

On 9/5/2019 at 1:13 AM, steelers36 said:

 

 

Hi, All.

 

The "rule of thumb" for Medallion Net internet (unlimited plans) is to book pre-cruise in the Personalizer if you do NOT have Platinum/Elite status.  This is because that price is better than the on board price, but has no Platinum/Elite discount.  If you ARE Platinum/Elite, then wait to book on board (embarkation day offer) because you will receive a 25% discount in lieu of your old free minutes benefit.  That discount is off the regular price to non-status folks (but that regular price is higher than what was offered in the Personalizer).  Your bottom line as a Platinum/Elite is less than it would be if you had booked pre-cruise, but it is certainly not 25% of that lower pre-cruise price - it is 25% the now-higher price on board. 

 

Here is my table of Princess pricing for the single-device plan (I don't do $0.95/$0.99 crap, so these numbers all rounded to nearest $):

 

CRUISE LENGTH	PRE_CRUISE PERSONALIZER		ON BOARD PRICE (Day 1)
(nights)	List Price	Member Discount	On Board Price	Member Discount Price
<7	$45.00	n/a	$55.00	$41.25
7	$60.00	n/a	$70.00	$52.50
8 - 10	$70.00	n/a	$75.00	$56.25
11 - 12	$75.00	n/a	$90.00	$67.50
14	$100.00	n/a	$120.00	$90.00
15 - 30	$130.00	n/a	$150.00	$112.50
31+	$180.00	n/a	$200.00	$150.00

 

So this doesn’t reflect what my cruise personalizer shows for my updicming 10night Panama Canal cruise on CB...it is 100 for a 10 night cruise (10/day). 

[Steelers36]

27 minutes ago, VirginiaVacationer said:

 

So this doesn’t reflect what my cruise personalizer shows for my updicming 10night Panama Canal cruise on CB...it is 100 for a 10 night cruise (10/day). 

Hmm. I would call Princess and inquire why you are seeing $100.

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, SDCruiser13 said:

Actually, we will be gone for 4 weeks.  We are doing a cruise tour and will be going to Macchu Picchu before we board the Coral Princess.  Then, after we disembark in Buenos Aires, we are flying to Iguazu to see the falls and the San Ignacio Jesuit ruins (as in the movie "The Mission").  Longest trip we have taken (so far).  I just retired 2 years ago and we are having a having a great time traveling!  

Terrific.  We did a self-arranged one day flight in and out of Iguazu off our round S.A. trip.  I booked a guide thru Tours by Locals.  He was great and maximized our day. 

 

On Machu... we need to go back as I didnt think it was a good idea to try amx squeeze it in off the ship.  But some do.  You are smart as have time before and after.  If I was doing S.A. a second time I would just go to B.A. to begin.  Have a great trip.

[gjkov]

This will be our 2nd Princess Cruise, this time on Grand. In August we were on Sapphire and the internet was still packages of minutes. In my personalizer there are 3 different “levels” of internet access. Two questions (at the risk of going a little off topic)....

I assume this ship doesn’t have Medallion Net?

What is your experience with the difference between the levels? We will generally be doing email, social media, hubby reading the news, etc. But I might have to download some small work files and enjoy sending or posting some photos.

 

Thanks for any help from the more experienced Princess folks among us here! I’m in agreement with SDCruiser13. We’ve also been trying out different lines and they all do things a little differently.

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, gjkov said:

This will be our 2nd Princess Cruise, this time on Grand. In August we were on Sapphire and the internet was still packages of minutes. In my personalizer there are 3 different “levels” of internet access. Two questions (at the risk of going a little off topic)....

I assume this ship doesn’t have Medallion Net?

What is your experience with the difference between the levels? We will generally be doing email, social media, hubby reading the news, etc. But I might have to download some small work files and enjoy sending or posting some photos.

 

Thanks for any help from the more experienced Princess folks among us here! I’m in agreement with SDCruiser13. We’ve also been trying out different lines and they all do things a little differently.

The internet is the same speed for all those packages (Princess Connect I presume).  The Social one is really just for some basic Facebook and the like.  The Surf includes access to email sites and more.  The Premium one includes all access and you can stream or use apps like WhatsApp to make a call.  That's a rough overview.

 

We were on Majestic that had these plans as it is not Medallion.  I used the Surf package until the final three days (no ports) and paid $5/day extra to get the Premium.  It always offers you to upgrade each day and the price keeps going down as the cruise goes on.  I would go with the SURF package for yourselves and then only upgrade if you see you want to do more than allowed.

 

 

Edited September 8, 2019 by steelers36

[gjkov]

Thanks steelers36. You’re always very helpful!

[STCKcruises]

Bit confused here - looking for some help... My wife and I both have Platinum (one more cruise to Elite 🙂 ) and we are going on Regal for a 7 night voyage next week. If I have understood the above correctly the on-board price for a 7 day unlimited medallionnet package will be $70 but with a  25% discount for platinum so $52.50. I am in the UK so this converts to Sterling at about £43.75. The Princess Personaliser prepay price for this is £45 so the saving seems very small and I am therefore tempted just to prepay so that I don't need to join the line on embarkation day and can pay in advance in my home currency.

Does anyone see a flaw in this approach and/or have I got my understanding of the pricing wrong?

One other question - whether I prepay or buy on board I assume that I will then get a login that I can use across different devices eg phone/ipad/laptop but only 1 device at a time and that it could therefore be shared with my wife i.e. 2 access the same package but taking it in turns?

All help and tips appreciated!

[fredflint]

Quick question with the 4 device plan do you have one password for all 4 devices or 4 passwords?

[Steelers36]

3 hours ago, STCKcruises said:

Bit confused here - looking for some help... My wife and I both have Platinum (one more cruise to Elite 🙂 ) and we are going on Regal for a 7 night voyage next week. If I have understood the above correctly the on-board price for a 7 day unlimited medallionnet package will be $70 but with a  25% discount for platinum so $52.50. I am in the UK so this converts to Sterling at about £43.75. The Princess Personaliser prepay price for this is £45 so the saving seems very small and I am therefore tempted just to prepay so that I don't need to join the line on embarkation day and can pay in advance in my home currency.

Does anyone see a flaw in this approach and/or have I got my understanding of the pricing wrong?

One other question - whether I prepay or buy on board I assume that I will then get a login that I can use across different devices eg phone/ipad/laptop but only 1 device at a time and that it could therefore be shared with my wife i.e. 2 access the same package but taking it in turns?

All help and tips appreciated!

Your approach sounds fine and you have the access concept correct.   Connect to internet with cabin and birthdate.  Login to OCEAN Medallion with your ID/Pswd to have access to INTRAnet and ship app's such as ordering drinks, finding shipmates, etc.

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, fredflint said:

Quick question with the 4 device plan do you have one password for all 4 devices or 4 passwords?

Access to Internet is via cabin nbr and birthdate.  Same combination applies to each package purchased, so you would use this for up to four devices.  If you tried to login to a 5th device, system would tell you already logged in elsewhere and need to drop one to proceed.

[STCKcruises]

6 minutes ago, steelers36 said:

Your approach sounds fine and you have the access concept correct.   Connect to internet with cabin and birthdate.  Login to OCEAN Medallion with your ID/Pswd to have access to INTRAnet and ship app's such as ordering drinks, finding shipmates, etc.

Excellent, much appreciated.