Premier Beverage Plan - Rehashed

[cruzin4us]

Now that Princess has officially posted the Premier Beverage Plan, I thought I'd mention one of the things a lot of us were concerned about.   

 

If you have the PLUS Package which limits your beverages to $12 and you order a drink for $14, you will ONLY pay the difference of $2.00 plus the 18% gratuity.

 

You must purchase any of the beverage packages within 4 days of sailing or you are SOL.....you can't purchase them 3 days before or on the ship

 

I'm also posting a picture of the price difference for a 16 day Iceland/Greenland cruise (standard balcony) so you can see the price difference and determine if it would me worth it.   I found it odd how they just reworded the packages and didn't put them in the same chronological order so you could do a comparison.    Bottom line, you are getting drinks up to $18, Wifi for up to 4 devices, Photo Pkg and a chance to win a prize.     The coffee & sodas are included in both packages.

 

Let the discussion begin

 

 

 

 

[INeedAMaiTai]

I am all about the Princess Plus!  It's nice to not have to have the extra worries about gratuities (even though I always do extra), being able to access my email, and drinks!  I used to be one of those to smuggle booze in listerine bottles, but still ended up racking up a larger bill just from dinner drinks or drinks at a show.  Highly worth it if you like your cocktails!

[voljeep]

$41 per person per day for the premier over plus .

 

specialty dinners 'worth' about $3.50 per person per day ( based on 16 day ) obviously worth more 'per day' on the shorter cruises

[Potstech]

Not worth it to us as we drink very little. Almost $1500.00 extra for a 16 day cruise?  Sorry I will let others feed the beast.

[prmssk]

I encourage you to check prices on your specific sailing before you upgrade $25/person/day that the promotional materials claimed the upgrade would be.  On my upcoming sailing, the difference in price between Plus and Premier is only $19/person/day (and the fare I'm paying is roughly the same as the going rate for Princess Plus).  It looks like the difference in the example above is approximately $41/person/day.  That's quite a difference.  In some cases, asking to have your cruise re-fared at the Premier rate may be cheaper than paying the $25/person/day upgrade fee.

[voljeep]

3 minutes ago, Potstech said:

Not worth it to us as we drink very little. Almost $1500.00 extra for a 16 day cruise?  Sorry I will let others feed the beast.

having multiple choices is a beautiful thing ... in all walks of life 

[JeffT237]

We had the Plus on our recent sailing and enjoyed it.  I heard it's going up but we paid $40pp per day so it was a value to us.  We usually purchase WiFi and pre pay our gratuities so at that price point it was of value for us.  We had specialty coffees delivered to our room, got bottled water often especially when going to the gym, and a few cocktails and wine with our dinners so we got our moneys worth.  We're fine with the $12 drinks.  First time with a drink package on any line, it was nice but for what other lines charge we'd never get the value out of it.  Not really interested in the Premier package as we often book through a TA who gives us OBC or a voucher for speciality dining and we've long ago stopped purchasing photos and really don't have our pics taken by the ship's staff.  I really thought for $40pp per day was a great deal, above that we'd reconsider.

[pris993]

I am happy with Princess Plus.  Have it on 15-day cruise in December.   My DH and I have 2 drinks at lunch, 2-3 drinks with wine at dinner, maybe a coffee later.  At most 6 drinks a day each, with tips covered too, well worth it.  We did a 15-day cruise in 2019, did not have the package, paid as much and did not enjoy more than a couple of drinks a day with tips.   Princess plus fits our budget.  Would not pay more, don't need more. 

[voljeep]

2 minutes ago, pris993 said:

I am happy with Princess Plus.  Have it on 15-day cruise in December.   My DH and I have 2 drinks at lunch, 2-3 drinks with wine at dinner, maybe a coffee later.  At most 6 drinks a day each, with tips covered too, well worth it.  We did a 15-day cruise in 2019, did not have the package, paid as much and did not enjoy more than a couple of drinks a day with tips.   Princess plus fits our budget.  Would not pay more, don't need more. 

Plus works for us - even at $50 ( which is $35 for "drinks" )...

I like to stay well hydrated and lubricated 😎

[JimmyVWine]

Some very odd language.  In comparing the two Packages,  Plus includes ...

• the Plus Beverage Package
• Plus Drinks with Service Charge 
• the Plus Coffee & Soda Package and
• Plus Coffee and Soda (minors only)

They break this out as if it is four separate things, when the Plus Beverage Package already includes coffee and soda.  And who know what "Plus Drinks with Service Charge" is or how it enhances the offering.

 

Meanwhile, the Premier Package includes...

• The Premier Beverage Package and
• The Premier Coffee and Soda Package

Up until now I have seen no mention of two different coffee and soda packages, or how Plus and Premier differ in this regard. 

Edited May 25, 2022 by JimmyVWine

[voljeep]

3 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

Some very odd language.  In comparing the two Packages,  Plus includes ...

• the Plus Beverage Package
• Plus Drinks with Service Charge 
• the Plus Coffee & Soda Package and
• Plus Coffee and Soda (minors only)

They break this out as if it is four separate things, when the Plus Beverage Package already includes coffee and soda.  And who know what "Plus Drinks with Service Charge" is or how it enhances the offering.

 

Meanwhile, the Premier Package includes...

• The Premier Beverage Package and
• The Premier Coffee and Soda Package

Up until now I have seen no mention of two different coffee and soda packages, or how Plus and Premier differ in this regard. 

did you find that under "smoke" or "mirrors" in the terms and conditions?

[JimmyVWine]

1 minute ago, voljeep said:

did you find that under "smoke" or "mirrors" in the terms and conditions?

I used my Ovaltine Captain Midnight Secret Squadron Decoder

[prmssk]

7 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

Some very odd language.  In comparing the two Packages,  Plus includes ...

• the Plus Beverage Package
• Plus Drinks with Service Charge 
• the Plus Coffee & Soda Package and
• Plus Coffee and Soda (minors only)

They break this out as if it is four separate things, when the Plus Beverage Package already includes coffee and soda.  And who know what "Plus Drinks with Service Charge" is or how it enhances the offering.

 

Meanwhile, the Premier Package includes...

• The Premier Beverage Package and
• The Premier Coffee and Soda Package

Up until now I have seen no mention of two different coffee and soda packages, or how Plus and Premier differ in this regard. 

I noticed that.  It was almost as if they wanted to make the list of inclusions the same length for both Premier and Plus so they just repeated the beverage packages and the wi-fi.

 

And their website doesn't even list a Premier Coffee and Soda Package so who knows what that is.

[cruzin4us]

What I find funny is:   How many times have people asked "Is the Plus Package Worth it?).    There was the normal debate that you need to buy X amount of drinks to make it pay for itself. 

Now, everyone thinks the Plus Package is the bomb 🙂.   I guess Princess was smart, because now everyone wants the Plus Package.....LOL

[mtnesterz]

It all comes down to pricing theory. People want good value, so they offer a premium package, which is expensive but inclusive. People won't buy that, but more will buy the Princess Plus to buy into what they think is value. About 50% of people buy Princess Plus now. Watch that number go up.

Same reason there's three sizes of popcorn in the theater. The middle size is the best seller.

The "smoke and mirrors" is intentional to make comparison difficult.

For a teatotaler, or internet vacationer, or envelope tipper, it makes no financial sense at all.

Edited May 25, 2022 by mtnesterz

[JimmyVWine]

3 minutes ago, cruzin4us said:

There was the normal debate that you need to buy X amount of drinks to make it pay for itself. 

Now, everyone thinks the Plus Package is the bomb 🙂.

Well, to be fair, (and I say this as someone who NEVER gets suckered in to upcharges), at $40 pp/pd, the Plus Package when bundled with the Plus Fare that includes wi-fi and gratuities was a no-brainer for anyone who consumes even the most modest amount of specialty coffees and alcohol.  It was really hard to come out on the wrong side of that price equation. A cocktail either before or after dinner and a glass of wine with dinner and you were at the break even point. At $50 pp/pd, you have to add an average of one and a third drinks per day to that tally, more or less, to get to the same value level.  So at the current price, people still need to do the math.  

[cruzin4us]

Just got this in my email.   It's a little better layout and easier to figure out.

[JimmyVWine]

3 minutes ago, cruzin4us said:

Just got this in my email.   It's a little better layout and easier to figure out.

Same here, and I had the same reaction.

[voljeep]

3 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

Same here, and I had the same reaction.

yep - ours referenced our November cruise - didn't read the details, but I guess it was about upgrading from Plus to Premier

[Lady Arwen]

Just checked my email and it’s there.  We already have Plus with our booking and have no intention of upgrading.

[BettyCruiser]

Wondering if they will eventually allow upgrading just the beverage package. I have no interest in wifi for more devices, photo packages or the possibility of a prize, but would like my drinks made with better than average alcohol. I didn't see this addressed in the FAQs. 

[Eno]

Hidden changes when trying to compare prices, mostly for those with more than 2 in a room.

I am using CDN dollars, Booked for 7 nights Alaska May 2023 in a Vista suite, all are booked but looked at the Penthouse suite to compare prices.  Prior to May 25th would have been 10,640.09 CDN for plus pkg - included WIFI, Crew appreciation and the then called premium drink with service charge for all three in the room. 87.22 WIFI, 115.50 Crew and 599.48 drinks. Also 50.00 OBC for all three.  I priced the penthouse today and comes in at 10,462.09 for the plus package, when looking closely still includes WIFI, Plus drinks and OBC for all three of us, but no Crew appreciation for the 3rd Guest.  Then tried the Premium package - 10,900.09 but includes nothing for the third guest.  I knew the drinks would be an add on but no WIFI, Crew appreciation or OBC for the 3rd.  Will see about upgrading our existing pkg as I do like my premium drinks and will make the most of the pkg, the third guest is my daughter who is over 21 but doesn't drink (not sure if she is mine 🙂 ) so no need to upgrade her. 

[cruzin4us]

7 minutes ago, BettyCruiser said:

Wondering if they will eventually allow upgrading just the beverage package. I have no interest in wifi for more devices, photo packages or the possibility of a prize, but would like my drinks made with better than average alcohol. I didn't see this addressed in the FAQs. 

 

If you want to order an expensive drink (over the $12 Plus Limit), according to the fine print (see post #1), you only need to pay the difference in price.

[BettyCruiser]

4 minutes ago, cruzin4us said:

 

If you want to order an expensive drink (over the $12 Plus Limit), according to the fine print (see post #1), you only need to pay the difference in price.

 

Paying the per drink difference could add up to more than the per day difference between packages. 

[doog442]

The plus package is one of the reasons we've returned to cruising and Princess have nailed it with the cost of this package. We'd diverted to land based all inclusive but we can now get a comparable price with the package and a balcony / mini suite than some of the typical resorts we go to. 

 

I appreciate they're different types of holidays but the cost of drinks / drink packages and wifi had pushed us away. I appreciate drinks packages are nothing new but many cruise lines have been taking the mick - this actually appears decent value when combined with the cruise cost.