Premium Beverage Package

[skynight]

12 minutes ago, better_at_sea said:

If I remember for Princess the Premium Package is about $60/day. That would amount to about 6 cocktails per day. For some it's worth it. 

With the plus fares the Premium Beverage Package portion of the fare nets to around $20 to $25/pp/day depending on how important wi-fi is to you. The breakeven is right around two cocktails or maybe 3 beers and a few non-alcoholic beverages/pp/day. If you purchase the PBP separately the cost is $70.79/pp. The breakeven is way higher. 

[Tedferg]

1 hour ago, Tedferg said:

 Separate ordering would only apply to Pax on Saver package.

And come to think about it. Pax ordering two drinks with Saver Package would probably charge them to one account anyway !

[trey420]

4 hours ago, hpeabody said:

@trey420  Thank you for posting the bar menu.  Is it at all possible for you to copy/paste the link where you got that from.  It would be much appreciated.

Sure it was found by just typing princess bar menu and searching the pics through Google search.  The post was about 5 days ago. 

 

https://cruisingkids.co.uk/princess-cruises-drinks-packages/

 

If link not ok please erase.

[Steelers36]

3 hours ago, skynight said:

Wondering. What if you only have one device for the two of you?

 

2 hours ago, Tedferg said:

I finally see where you might need to have separate Medallion accounts. Up to now I can do everything with one login. I guess you would need to login separately and place orders, As others have pointed out, this means two separate deliveries - huge design flaw since both pax have to have Plus package and so the system should allow orders to be placed to each account. Separate ordering would only apply to Pax on Saver package.

 

1 hour ago, RJAM3 said:

I just had the same thought.  

 

With one device, person 1 logs in and orders.  Then person 2 logs in and orders (or person 1 logs in for person 2 and orders).  Works okay if together, but if apart and person 1 has the device and person 2 wants a drink, it's a challenge.  So, person 2 goes to a bar and presents their Medallion and the system knows the drink is free.

[Steelers36]

20 hours ago, florence11 said:

Hi,

 

We have just booked our 1st cruise on Emerald princess for March 2023 and I can't wait. I was wondering if anyone had any info on what you can get on this package as I really like a cocktail.

 

Thanks

You didn't state, but presumably you booked the PLUS fare.  If not, you would likely want to do thagt and not be buying the PBP.  It is too expensive and doesn't make sense to buy it.  You and cabinmate can get PLUS for $80 total per day and PBP is virtually $71 total I think - for ONE person - so if you were willing to pay the big dollar for a PBP for one person, far better to just book the PLUS fare and cover both in the cabin.

 

[RJAM3]

2 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

 

 

 

With one device, person 1 logs in and orders.  Then person 2 logs in and orders (or person 1 logs in for person 2 and orders).  Works okay if together, but if apart and person 1 has the device and person 2 wants a drink, it's a challenge.  So, person 2 goes to a bar and presents their Medallion and the system knows the drink is free.

Thank you!  That makes sense.

[hpeabody]

@trey420  Thank you!  The link worked just fine and is what I was looking for.

[PMGS247]

1 hour ago, skynight said:

With the plus fares the Premium Beverage Package portion of the fare nets to around $20 to $25/pp/day depending on how important wi-fi is to you. The breakeven is right around two cocktails or maybe 3 beers and a few non-alcoholic beverages/pp/day. If you purchase the PBP separately the cost is $70.79/pp. The breakeven is way higher. 

 

This. It's kind of a math problem in terms of how many drinks you need to break even.  In a package it's less, purchased separately it's more. 

 

Even purchased separately it may be worth it.  You just have to bounce it against how much you intend to use it...math-wise it's like 6-8 drinks depending on the price of your go-to drinks.

 

I always recommend it to anyone who thinks they'll even get close to the breakeven.  There's value in the mindset change from worrying about your final bill to making sure you get the most out of your package.  I find the latter a lot more enjoyable.

 

15 drink limit...I've hit it twice over I guess 18 cruising days now where I've had an active drink package.  15 is plenty by any measure, but on a lazy sea day starting at lunchtime and continuing into a late night comedy show it's barely more than a drink an hour, so it's definitely doable. 

[Steelers36]

21 minutes ago, PMGS247 said:

 

This. It's kind of a math problem in terms of how many drinks you need to break even.  In a package it's less, purchased separately it's more. 

 

Even purchased separately it may be worth it.  You just have to bounce it against how much you intend to use it...math-wise it's like 6-8 drinks depending on the price of your go-to drinks.

 

I always recommend it to anyone who thinks they'll even get close to the breakeven.  There's value in the mindset change from worrying about your final bill to making sure you get the most out of your package.  I find the latter a lot more enjoyable.

 

15 drink limit...I've hit it twice over I guess 18 cruising days now where I've had an active drink package.  15 is plenty by any measure, but on a lazy sea day starting at lunchtime and continuing into a late night comedy show it's barely more than a drink an hour, so it's definitely doable. 

Missed my point I think.  Not about justifying the package, rather you have decided the drinks package is a good deal, you should be booking the PLUS and not buying a PBP.  Doesn't make sense to pay almost as much for ONE person to have the drink package on it own versus TWO having it for a bit more with the PLUS.  

 

[nini]

2 hours ago, better_at_sea said:

If I remember for Princess the Premium Package is about $60/day. That would amount to about 6 cocktails per day. For some it's worth it. 

Actually, if you get the beverage package with the current special, i.e. Princess Plus; then the TOTAL is only $40.00 per day which package which includes:

** Premium Beverage Package (which includes gratuities

** Crew Incentive gratuities

** WiFi

 

A great deal... no adding and figuring out if it is worth it.

[Steelers36]

22 minutes ago, nini said:

Actually, if you get the beverage package with the current special, i.e. Princess Plus; then the TOTAL is only $40.00 per day which package which includes:

** Premium Beverage Package (which includes gratuities

** Crew Incentive gratuities

** WiFi

 

A great deal... no adding and figuring out if it is worth it.

Yes, you are right.  I should have not been using the $40 figure to compare to the PBP separate package.  That is because the PLUS portion for beverages is about $23 if you are Platinum or Elite in a regular cabin.  And the $60 figure you mention is before the obligatory 18%.  

 

I don't even understand why Princess still offers the PBP for sale.  I just cannot imagine a situation where anyone would actually order and pay for it when the PLUS fare option is there. 

 

[scott4020]

33 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

 

I don't even understand why Princess still offers the PBP for sale.  I just cannot imagine a situation where anyone would actually order and pay for it when the PLUS fare option is there.

 

How long will the PLUS fair last? 

 

One of the reasons I like the drink package is simple peace of mind. I don't have to worry about the bill at the end of the cruise or worry about how much I am paying for drinks. I can get a drink and not think about finishing it and feeling bad about wasting money. I can experiment with drinks I wouldn't ordinarily get and if I don't like it who cares. It just make the cruise experience better for me. 

[Thrak]

49 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

I don't even understand why Princess still offers the PBP for sale.  I just cannot imagine a situation where anyone would actually order and pay for it when the PLUS fare option is there.

 

Long ago I managed a convenience store.  <shudder>  At one point we had a BOGO special on cigarettes. I was always boggled when I had a customer who got a bit miffed because they "didn't want" two packs of smokes or they "didn't ask for" two packs of smokes. When I tried telling them the second pack was free they tended to get a bit testy about the whole thing so I would just sell them the single pack at full price. There is no understanding people. Don't even try.

[nini]

48 minutes ago, scott4020 said:

 

How long will the PLUS fair last? 

 

One of the reasons I like the drink package is simple peace of mind. I don't have to worry about the bill at the end of the cruise or worry about how much I am paying for drinks. I can get a drink and not think about finishing it and feeling bad about wasting money. I can experiment with drinks I wouldn't ordinarily get and if I don't like it who cares. It just make the cruise experience better for me. 

It has been offered for a VERY long time, even though it may be called something different. I do not see it going away anytime soon. Platinum and Elite NO LONGER get free WiFi. With the Princes Plus, if you would like a drink that costs more than the $12.00 amount, then typically you would just pay the difference; JUST LIKE YOU WOULD ON THE $60.00 PACKAGE!

[scott4020]

34 minutes ago, nini said:

It has been offered for a VERY long time, even though it may be called something different.

Yes there have been different sales in the past but nothing like this.

Every cruise and all dates.

Edited August 19, 2021 by scott4020

[Tedferg]

2 hours ago, scott4020 said:

Yes there have been different sales in the past but nothing like this.

Every cruise and all dates.

Scott this is not a sale it is a new pricing model that has been in place for some time. One aspect is that all passengers in a cabin must take it. Seems too good to be true, bat has lasted a long time. 

[PMGS247]

5 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Missed my point I think.  Not about justifying the package, rather you have decided the drinks package is a good deal, you should be booking the PLUS and not buying a PBP.  Doesn't make sense to pay almost as much for ONE person to have the drink package on it own versus TWO having it for a bit more with the PLUS.  

 

Fair enough. I wasn’t addressing your post, just speaking in more generality for times when PLUS isn’t an available package. With plus in the picture, absolutely, it’s a no brainer.

[caribill]

3 hours ago, scott4020 said:

Yes there have been different sales in the past but nothing like this.

Every cruise and all dates.

 

With the plus fares Princess no longer has to offer sales that include gratuities or the PBP.

 

Shrewd marketing having passengers always pay for those instead of getting one of them free with a sale.

 

Yes, the added price of the Plus is less than just buying the PBP. This helps steer people to booking the Plus fare. But even at $40/person/day, Princess is making mucho $$$ off the price of Plus or they would not be offering it.

[yamanid]

8 hours ago, nini said:

It has been offered for a VERY long time, even though it may be called something different. I do not see it going away anytime soon. Platinum and Elite NO LONGER get free WiFi. With the Princes Plus, if you would like a drink that costs more than the $12.00 amount, then typically you would just pay the difference; JUST LIKE YOU WOULD ON THE $60.00 PACKAGE!

 

I read somewhere that with the Plus fare Package, if you purchase a drink more than $12 you don't just pay the difference, you have to pay full price + 18%  ??   I read it recently and cannot for the life of me remember where

[trey420]

7 hours ago, Tedferg said:

Scott this is not a sale it is a new pricing model that has been in place for some time. One aspect is that all passengers in a cabin must take it. Seems too good to be true, bat has lasted a long time. 

The way the CSR spoke to me about it made it seem like it was a temporary price, kinda a introductory thing that's lasted a bit longer due to covid.  We can only wait and see.  Hopefully it sticks around at that price for a while.

[Steelers36]

3 hours ago, yamanid said:

 

I read somewhere that with the Plus fare Package, if you purchase a drink more than $12 you don't just pay the difference, you have to pay full price + 18%  ??   I read it recently and cannot for the life of me remember where

Old news.  You are charged the difference (up-charge), plus 18% gratuity on that difference.

[Steelers36]

49 minutes ago, trey420 said:

The way the CSR spoke to me about it made it seem like it was a temporary price, kinda a introductory thing that's lasted a bit longer due to covid.  We can only wait and see.  Hopefully it sticks around at that price for a while.

It certainly wouldn't surprise me that one day, the PLUS will cost more.  They will certainly need to up the price if any of the three components are going to increase in price.  The internet is already well up in price for longer voyages (say, > 3 weeks).

[skynight]

13 hours ago, scott4020 said:

 

How long will the PLUS fair last? 

 

One of the reasons I like the drink package is simple peace of mind. I don't have to worry about the bill at the end of the cruise or worry about how much I am paying for drinks. I can get a drink and not think about finishing it and feeling bad about wasting money. I can experiment with drinks I wouldn't ordinarily get and if I don't like it who cares. It just make the cruise experience better for me. 

It is a pricing policy which Princess began to offer in 2019 as part of a promo, and has changed into the plus fares. It has no end date like promos do. Believe the concept is here to stay. The current additional fare is $40/pp/day which includes the gratuity, approx $15, wi-fi and the PBP.

[muchofamuchness]

At least in the UK, it's the fare inclusive of Princess Plus that they've been promoting of late - certainly when they launched the Summer Seacations. I think they've realised that if they want to lure people away from all-inclusive resorts (definitely becoming more of an expectation amongst premium customers) then they need to be offering an equivalent product in that respect. Certainly many people I've spoken to in the past who have been curious about cruises have appeared surprised when I've said drinks aren't included normally.

 

Equally most people in the UK aren't used to budgeting for tips in the same way so Princess Plus manages to avert the issue that this might bring.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if the daily price increases but I suspect at least in the UK they will continue to promote the Plus-inclusive fare as the mainstream offering.

[Tedferg]

2 hours ago, muchofamuchness said:

I wouldn't be surprised if the daily price increases but I suspect at least in the UK they will continue to promote the Plus-inclusive fare as the mainstream offering.

Good thinking, easier for Princess not to have periodic Sales. People had become used to these Sales popping up at the same time each year, waiting for a promo and then re-faring if they see a better promo. Much easier for Princess to have smooth flow of bookings. Also making both passengers in a cabin take Plus makes pricing work better and avoids Sharing under PBP. I think it is fine tuned to make it easy for passengers to go with Plus. Increasing cruise fare is also simpler than fiddling with perks.

 

Also I don't think Gratuities are viewed in the same way that Tips usually are in that they are not discretionary in the way that a tip at a restaurant is. In Oz they are baked into the price right ?

Edited August 19, 2021 by Tedferg