Best.Sale.Ever. Promotion-Math Question

[dog]

22 hours ago, dog said:

In Canadian dollars- BSE for my 10 day Caribbean cruise:

 

wifi $134.50     per person

drinks/tips $924.80  per person

gratuities $145.00  per person

specialty dining $39.15  per person

 

2 adults in cabin- upgrade.

____________________________________________________________

 

both are getting coupon book

1 gets casino  offer OBC (VIP)

1 is elite with mini bar set up / wifi etc. benefits

1 is platinum/ benefit- wifi

going back to my post, it is obvious the BSE perks show gratuities in US dollars

while

they Have converted the Specialty dinner into CAD dollars 

 

thanks to those trying to figure it out 

[trbarton]

I’m booked on the Emerald Princess, 13 days New Zealand, & when I inquired with my T/A about adding the package it was around $60 more, when you figured the Utilities costs for 13 days. I felt it was a good deal. 
 

Tom😀

[Steelers36]

IDK why my fellow Canucks are trying to work in CAD.  First of all, right now the exchange rate Princess is using is usurious and punitive at 35% compared to the market rate.  Princess is often very slow to react to changes.  No one should even think to be paying in CAD these days if at all possible.  

 

Also, as rates do change, then different people are going to have been billed different rates, so numbers are not absolute as they are in USD. 

 

The poster above who got $41.40 is wrong.  The Princess Plus package is and has been $40 USD/pp/pd for ages now and that is consistent anytime I see pricing.  Same with the current promo situation.

 

I need/want unlimited Internet, so the Elite free minutes are of no interest to me.  I do get a small discount on the unlimited packages (by trading in the minutes), but we are often sailing with friends and share a 4-device package.  That benefit is not worth so much then as Princess claims.  Several posters above attribute no value to it. 

 

As many suggest, the value depends on your preferences.  I like to bring my own wine on board, so that is a different cost than paying Princess daily for wine. 

 

Anyway, rather than trying to work in CAD, realize that Princess works in USD and you can comparison shop in USD with the cost of the always-available Princess Plus (also a part of the B.S.E.) versus the cost of individual items of interest.  

 

Grats are a given at $14.50/pp/pd for most cabins. 

 

It always comes down to the drinks portion.  An appropriate allocation is something between ~$20 to ~$25/pp/pd, depending on how you value the internet.  For some, the drinks allocation could dip down to ~$15/pp/pd (if Internet is going to be as much value as $10/pp/day range). 

[dog]

2 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

IDK why my fellow Canucks are trying to work in CAD.  First of all, right now the exchange rate Princess is using is usurious and punitive at 35% compared to the market rate.  Princess is often very slow to react to changes.  No one should even think to be paying in CAD these days if at all possible.  

 

Also, as rates do change, then different people are going to have been billed different rates, so numbers are not absolute as they are in USD. 

 

I book in CAD $. I compare with sites pricing in US$ First. 
I usually use a FCD to book several months prior to final payment. 
I call for price drops frequently and have saved quite abit before & after final payment. 
I prefer to know my exact cost in CAD $   , realizing that my rate could be lower, but will not increase because of exchange rates changing. 
——————

in regards to my earlier posts I was trying to figure out why some of the perks in my BSE are listed in CAD$, while other perks are listed in US$. This

is found in my travel summary. 
 

Anyway thanks for responding with your point of view. 
 

[dog]

My quote for a cruise with BSE plus in CAD $ by calling Princess is:

$7678.82. CAD

 

the same cruise with BSE plus in an online agency priced in US$ is:

$7208. US$

This converts to

$9175..CAD. 

————————-

 

I am happy paying in Canadian dollars with Princess quote. 

Edited January 2, 2021 by dog

[voljeep]

14 hours ago, dog said:

I am certain the gratuities are $14.50 US / day. 
 

why then is the Specialty dinner $39?

is it CAD or US$?

 

others say it is worth $29 US 

 

Re: BSE perks

if your ship has SHARE by Curtis Stone as a specialty restaurant, I believe that cost is $ 39 , so maybe that has something to do with the 'up to "value" '

[skynight]

1 minute ago, voljeep said:

if your ship has SHARE by Curtis Stone as a specialty restaurant, I believe that cost is $ 39 , so maybe that has something to do with the 'up to "value" '

According to the sample menus on the Princes site Share, Crown Grill, Harmony, Bayou Cafe, La Mer are all US$29. Sabatini's Trattoria is US$25. 

[voljeep]

5 minutes ago, skynight said:

According to the sample menus on the Princes site Share, Crown Grill, Harmony, Bayou Cafe, La Mer are all US$29. Sabatini's Trattoria is US$25. 

I just looked it up and the price "I" saw stated $ 39

 

SHARE on Ruby Princess is a specialty dining option with a cost of $39.00 per person. If unsure of trying SHARE, Princess has made available a small selection of Curtis Stone’s menu in their dining rooms at no cost. The entire dining experience from appetizer to dessert will be around two hours.

 

 

might be 'old news' 

Edited January 2, 2021 by voljeep

[Steelers36]

4 hours ago, dog said:

in regards to my earlier posts I was trying to figure out why some of the perks in my BSE are listed in CAD$, while other perks are listed in US$. This

is found in my travel summary. 

I believe that is because items associated with the basic booking - such as the BSE or Princess Plus add-on - are priced in same currency as cruise fare.  Same for things you can order in advance.  But once on board I know you know all is in USD.  OBC's are going to be in USD.  If I saw one, I could probably understand/explain it, but I am always in USD.  (As you imply, different folks like to work it different ways).

 

One idea though - if using a USD credit card, or one with a zero-upcharge for foreign currency transactions, you can manage the exchange pretty well.  Another idea is to set aside enough USD when booking with the deposit to pay the balance and your exchange rate is locked in for all intents. 

 

It's just that often, the exchange rate is poor with Princess and they are slow to improve it.  Yes, sometimes they are slow to move it the other way (example, during the start of COVID they held off at 30% when they could have moved to 40%).  It would be farer to both customer and Princess if they could use a dynamic exchange rate. 

 

Canadians can book directly with Princess in USD as long as you call in to create the booking and don't do it on the website.  (I wish they offered a currency selection online, but do not).

 

[Steelers36]

3 hours ago, dog said:

My quote for a cruise with BSE plus in CAD $ by calling Princess is:

$7678.82. CAD

 

the same cruise with BSE plus in an online agency priced in US$ is:

$7208. US$

This converts to

$9175..CAD. 

————————-

 

I am happy paying in Canadian dollars with Princess quote. 

Your CAD quote is ~$5,688 USD at the current 1.35 exchange rate.  IDK what the cruise is or when and such, but that is the result.  There must be something seriously wrong with the agency site you are looking at.  Perhaps it was doing a conversion for you unknowingly???  No way a US agency is going to be selling the same product as Princess at an inflated price.

 

I book in USD with a discount US agency and save 15% off the base fare.  No way to get anything like that from a Canadian TA.  (In fact, by happenstance, our actual agent is a Canadian living in the Maritimes and working remotely).

 

 

[skynight]

17 minutes ago, voljeep said:

I just looked it up and the price "I" saw stated $ 39

 

SHARE on Ruby Princess is a specialty dining option with a cost of $39.00 per person. If unsure of trying SHARE, Princess has made available a small selection of Curtis Stone’s menu in their dining rooms at no cost. The entire dining experience from appetizer to dessert will be around two hours.

 

 

might be 'old news' 

It was originally $39. Has since been changed to $29. Look at the sample menu from the Princess site. Cover charge is on the bottom. We were on the Emerald in February/March 2019 and tried SHARE with our comp. dining voucher. It was $29 then. 

https://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/ships-and-experience/food-and-dining/curtis-stone/SHARE-by-Curtis-Stone-Menu.pdf

[dog]

52 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

 There must be something seriously wrong with the agency site you are looking at.  Perhaps it was doing a conversion for you unknowingly???  No way a US agency is going to be selling the same product as Princess at an inflated price.

 

My TA & Princess have offered me discounted fares from what you see on Princess website, most times. I know several others have posted on cc saying their TA s do too. 
again , thanks for your input 

[dog]

1 hour ago, voljeep said:

if your ship has SHARE by Curtis Stone as a specialty restaurant, I believe that cost is $ 39 , so maybe that has something to do with the 'up to "value" '

My Dec21 cruise is on Enchanted. 3 specialty restaurants say: Crown $29; 

sabatinis $25; Mer $39. 
I think my confusion relates to pricing in both currencies being used in my travel summary. 

[suzyed]

On 12/29/2020 at 6:29 PM, Mike45LC said:

Because I don't use the mini-bar, I am not exact on it, but there are two low-level airplane-sized bottles of scotch, gin and cognac (maybe rum as well?), a couple of bottles of beer, and I think four cans of soda.  More or less.

No rum.  Vodka is included.  You can change out for things you would prefer.

[skynight]

3 minutes ago, suzyed said:

No rum.  Vodka is included.  You can change out for things you would prefer.

Correct, rum has not been an option even for exchanges.

[richstowe]

Question  - 

With most taking this deal, what will this do to service . What will wi-fi be like if most everyone gets it , and what are the chances of getting a reservation at a reasonable time at a pay restaurant .We aren't big drinkers but have taken similar deals on Celebrity and Norwegian because the offer was great . Any thoughts ?

(This promo is worth about $40 PP to me) 

[trbarton]

6 hours ago, richstowe said:

Question  - 

With most taking this deal, what will this do to service . What will wi-fi be like if most everyone gets it , and what are the chances of getting a reservation at a reasonable time at a pay restaurant .We aren't big drinkers but have taken similar deals on Celebrity and Norwegian because the offer was great . Any thoughts ?

(This promo is worth about $40 PP to me) 

I’ve used this deal before & never had any problems with wi-FYI compared to no free offer.
 

I going on a 13 day cruise in 2021 & when I figured the cost of gratitudes it cost me $68 more which 3as a good deal. 
 

Tom 

[caribill]

9 hours ago, richstowe said:

What will wi-fi be like if most everyone gets it  ?

 

 

For the ships with MedallionNet, WI-Fi speed is very good even with a large number of users.

 

Performance will drop if the ship goes too far north or south when the needed satellites are not in range.

[dog]

So I am actually paying $600 CAD per person for the BSE fare with the drink, wifi, gratuities package on my 12 day cruise. 
sounds worth it to me. 

[suzyed]

On 1/2/2021 at 11:38 PM, trbarton said:

I’ve used this deal before & never had any problems with wi-FYI compared to no free offer.
 

I going on a 13 day cruise in 2021 & when I figured the cost of gratitudes it cost me $68 more which 3as a good deal. 
 

Tom 

We always take the free drink package if it's offered as part of a promo but have never actually had it for a sailing.  Inevitably, a cheaper fare or a better deal comes along and we lose the current promos for the newer ones.  
As far as the cruises we have booked right now, I wouldn't imagine there is going to be anything newer as far as promos that would make us change anything. It would have to be a majorly big reduction in fare to do so.

[CruiseNut24]

Just curious if anyone would know the answer.  When looking at he details for the Best Sale Ever, it indicates "BSE is available on all cruises while capacity last..."   Anyone have an idea of what the capacity is?  Do they stop offering if the ship has sold the deal to half the guest?  Not that it matters, as I already have it for my cruise.  We just curious to see if anyone's crystal ball is working.

[skynight]

2 hours ago, CruiseNut24 said:

Just curious if anyone would know the answer.  When looking at he details for the Best Sale Ever, it indicates "BSE is available on all cruises while capacity last..."   Anyone have an idea of what the capacity is?  Do they stop offering if the ship has sold the deal to half the guest?  Not that it matters, as I already have it for my cruise.  We just curious to see if anyone's crystal ball is working.

I believe it is just an escape clause. What appears to happen is that the promo lasts until its close out date, and fares are raised along the way as demand increases. Fares for our February 2022 cruise have increased approx. $500/pp since we booked while the BSE still remains. I have also seen certain voyages excluded from the next promo. There is always a next promo.

[JudithLynne]

We are Elite but have not taken a Princess cruise in four years.  We have booked a Princess cruise in Sept and purchased the BSE deal. Here is my question….can you purchase a glass of wine in the MDR that will meet the $12 limit?

[flying boat]

Yes at least pre Covid

[Barry H]

We booked the BSE for the November 2021 Sky Tropical Passage from Southampton to Fort Lauderdale, 15 days. When you sign in as a past passenger the BSE package is included at no additional cost. Best price and Best Sale Ever price are the same!!! In addition Princess Air is discounted by $400US each!!! I'm guessing that there has been little uptake on this cruise.

 

We took advantage and booked a mini-suite. We upgraded our flight to premium economy to UK.

Now we just have to wait for vaccination and hope that the UK relaxes the 14 day quarantine rule.

 

If you book an inside cabin the cost of the cruise portion (cabin and food) is almost free.