New Coffee Card/Package Available

[Ellipooh]

Oh jeez...

[Colo Cruiser]

11 hours ago, voljeep said:

then you're really going to be P.O'd to find out they expire tomorrow

 

or did that change ??

PO'd.   🤣

[joybook]

Over the months that this has been a hot topic I have remained silent. I really don't understand why you all complain and do nothing about it. I had a card with unused punches and was not cruising before the expiry date so I wrote to Princess and set out a number of factors in which they had mislead me when I first purchased the card. Also suggested that they we misappropriating my money and mentioned a few other things. While at first they were going to do nothing I again repeated my complaint to them and more strongly expressed my argument. I was then reimbursed for the unused punches. Now completely satisfied. So don't just complain to each other, do something about it. Although I would suggest that it is probably too late to do anything.

[Colo Cruiser]

11 hours ago, Lady Arwen said:

 

To my knowledge, the cut off date for the expired cards is August 31st.

Halloween......😁

[EllieinNJ]

Today is 8/31 and we are on the Crown Princess using up an old coffee card.  Everyone from the IC to the main DR is telling us it expires tonight at midnight.  We will purchase the medallion one tomorrow because there are still 10 days left of our cruise.

[framer]

I just started paying the going rate per drink.  It would take me 3 weeks to use up 15 punches.

 

I also prefer regular size so the difference in almost nothing.  Cheaper because I've been know to lose a few cards over the years. 

 

 

[Adventures ahead]

A lot of people don't care if they use up the 15 specialty coffees that can be shared. They buy the package for the convenience of getting unlimited fresh brewed coffee for themselves, with or without meals or snacks, 24/7 at the International Cafe.  

Edited September 2, 2019 by Adventures ahead

[2ferfun]

3 hours ago, Adventures ahead said:

A lot of people don't care if they use up the 15 specialty coffees that can be shared. They buy the package for the convenience of getting unlimited fresh brewed coffee for themselves, with or without meals or snacks, 24/7 at the International Cafe.  

I get why people are upset about this change.  That was a great deal.  But surely no one thinks it was the intention of the cruiseline to sell you one 15-punch card that you could then use to get free coffee for decades with! 😂

 

Frequent cruisers figured this out and Princess chose to honor it for a long time.  I too am sad to see it go.  But I completely understand from a business perspective why they are discontinuing the practice.

[Lady Arwen]

31 minutes ago, 2ferfun said:

I get why people are upset about this change.  That was a great deal.  But surely no one thinks it was the intention of the cruiseline to sell you one 15-punch card that you could then use to get free coffee for decades with! 😂

 

Frequent cruisers figured this out and Princess chose to honor it for a long time.  I too am sad to see it go.  But I completely understand from a business perspective why they are discontinuing the practice.

I agree with you.  I think the New Grounds coffee package is just fine for me since I can use 15 coffees very quickly.  I didn't expect it to be a lifetime offer.  I've been using the old cards for years and never had any left over.

[MGAfhc]

On 8/30/2019 at 9:21 PM, land lover said:

a positive from me for the new system.....no more card to carry around or lose.

Easy to ask your for your count. Triple espresso is only one punch used to be 2.

 

Unfortunate when we have had the drink package, that the mini bar can no longer be switched for 'cards", but a bottle of wine or giving away the mini bar works.  DH is the coffee drinker not me...but we still have  used up 2 cards on a 7 day cruise...because of drinking specialty coffee minus the added coffee or tea...and treating someone in line to a drink.

Is this something new? The mini bar could be switched for coffee credits in February.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

On 8/30/2019 at 5:21 PM, land lover said:

a positive from me for the new system.....no more card to carry around or lose.

Easy to ask your for your count. Triple espresso is only one punch used to be 2.

 

Unfortunate when we have had the drink package, that the mini bar can no longer be switched for 'cards", but a bottle of wine or giving away the mini bar works.  DH is the coffee drinker not me...but we still have  used up 2 cards on a 7 day cruise...because of drinking specialty coffee minus the added coffee or tea...and treating someone in line to a drink.

 Were you unable to switch out the elite mini bar or the suite mini bar for coffee cards or both? 

[voljeep]

24 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

 Were you unable to switch out the elite mini bar or the suite mini bar for coffee cards or both? 

note "cards" not package ... with the PBP, the coffee package is included ... so there is no benefit with swapping

a mini bar for a package ... except to use the package 15 to buy coffees for other people ...

 

mayble

[MsSoCalCruiser]

6 minutes ago, voljeep said:

note "cards" not package ... with the PBP, the coffee package is included ... so there is no benefit with swapping

a mini bar for a package ... except to use the package 15 to buy coffees for other people ...

 

mayble

Oh, I missed the PBP part.  I’m afraid I will always call it the coffee card... my bad.

[voljeep]

1 minute ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

Oh, I missed the PBP part.  I’m afraid I will always call it the coffee card... my bad.

no problem, of course .... i'm more interested  in how those 'coffee cards' with punches remaining are working out now

[npcl]

3 hours ago, 2ferfun said:

I get why people are upset about this change.  That was a great deal.  But surely no one thinks it was the intention of the cruiseline to sell you one 15-punch card that you could then use to get free coffee for decades with! 😂

 

Frequent cruisers figured this out and Princess chose to honor it for a long time.  I too am sad to see it go.  But I completely understand from a business perspective why they are discontinuing the practice.

They changed that a couple of years ago when they started limiting the free brewed coffee to the cruise during which the card was purchased.  I suspect that many of those most upset are the folks that got free cards as part of mini-bar swaps.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

2 hours ago, npcl said:

They changed that a couple of years ago when they started limiting the free brewed coffee to the cruise during which the card was purchased.  I suspect that many of those most upset are the folks that got free cards as part of mini-bar swaps.

Why don’t they just stop allowing the unlimited brewed coffee with those cards but still allow the punches until the cards are used up?

[MsSoCalCruiser]

I think my friend may still have punches left on a card but our cruise does not leave until the end of September.  

[npcl]

9 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

Why don’t they just stop allowing the unlimited brewed coffee with those cards but still allow the punches until the cards are used up?

I suspect that there some of messy accounting issues with the old cards, in addition to issues of dealing with a printed card.

 

Princess had been selling those for years, as well as issuing them as part of elite benefits (minibar trades). Enough that that the value of punches out standing would be material and need to be estimated in accounting. Easiest way to clean it up is to get rid of them and then make sure the new one expire and do not build up over time.

 

I also expect that some other reasons include  various types of abuse (people selling them even through they were supposed to be non-transferable, people trying to use old ones for free coffee, even heard some reports of fake ones showing up). The moving more electronic tracking with the start of medallion and being able to do away with printing costs might have contributed as well.

[mek]

On 8/30/2019 at 8:07 PM, Lido deck main said:

I wouldn’t purchase it for a cruise less then 15 days, I just like one speciality coffee per day while on a cruise.  I just drink regular coffee day to day, so having one speciality coffee per day is a treat. 

I just bought it for our 10 night cruise.  I will only drink one specialty coffee per day, but I can share some with my husband, so it's a good deal + I prefer the brewed coffee that is available and tend to drink more hot beverages in Alaska than on tropical cruises.

[wrongwaywatson]

9 hours ago, 2ferfun said:

I get why people are upset about this change.  That was a great deal.  But surely no one thinks it was the intention of the cruiseline to sell you one 15-punch card that you could then use to get free coffee for decades with! 😂

 

Frequent cruisers figured this out and Princess chose to honor it for a long time.  I too am sad to see it go.  But I completely understand from a business perspective why they are discontinuing the practice.

It never was unlimited free coffee with the card.  It was good for unlimited on the cruise you purchased it on and then on future cruises a cup of brewed coffee was one punch.   I never drink specialty coffees, just brewed coffee.  I would buy one, use it ONLY for brewed coffee on the initial cruise and then get it punched on the next cruise for 15 cups of brewed coffee.   It made it worthwhile to me, but now it will be more cost effective to just pay as I go.

[pamwigs]

On 8/30/2019 at 7:17 AM, FritzG said:

I hope the poster is right.  We’re sailing on September 9, and I’m bringing our 5 unused cards just in case they extended the expiration date. 

It won't be accepted. Those expired Aug 31.

[Midnight_Buffet]

11 hours ago, 2ferfun said:

I get why people are upset about this change.  That was a great deal.  But surely no one thinks it was the intention of the cruiseline to sell you one 15-punch card that you could then use to get free coffee for decades with! 😂

 

Well they USED to sell coffee cards that way. The good old "Queen of Steam" cards was 15 coffees and unlimited brewed coffee and the big deal about it back then was that it didn't expire so you were encouraged to hang onto it for future cruises. That was until Princess realized that wasn't such a good idea. I still have 1 half-punched card and one completely un-punched. Last time I tried to use one they still honored it (They punched it for brewed or specialty coffee). However a lot of times they are so impressed that I've still got the thing that they don't bother punching it.

 

Since I bought it back when they said it didn't expire ever.. I think I could make a case that it shouldn't. But.. Yeah.. things change.

[tip]

The bigger question is why do we have to pay “extra” to get a decent cup (ie. Brewed) of coffee?

Edited September 3, 2019 by tip

[Adventures ahead]

5 hours ago, tip said:

The bigger question is why do we have to pay “extra” to get a decent cup (ie. Brewed) of coffee?

... "extra" charge at the International Cafe and an opportunity for profit (that's also a 24/7 venue for complimentary food).

 

It's anyone's opinion whether or not the complimentary regular coffee in the dining rooms is good or not. It's definitely weaker but, IMHO (I don't like strong coffee), not as terrible as many coffee experts (no sarcasm intended) believe it is. A matter of taste (pun intended).

[Wishing on a star]

On the new ships, I hear that the standard coffee is better....

Anyhow, I am just curious.   We had one of the old coffee cards, and I believe sometimes the staff at the IC would punch them twice for a large (higher value) specialty drink.   (not sure how common this was) If this new package is good for "15 beverages",  then would that include the large and higher value drinks, as one beverage?

If so, the value of the new package could be greater than the old cards.

 

Edited September 3, 2019 by Wishing on a star