Princess raising prices of plus and premier packages

[KLM3164]

1 hour ago, dalsnibba said:

Another thing.. there is no longer the possibility to buy medallion net
at the moment, the option has disappeared from the cruise personalizer......

Princess removed the internet purchase from the Cruise Personalizer awhile ago. You now purchase internet through the Medallion App. If you go into the app you should have an option for Medallion Net. This is where you can purchase internet. I just checked on a November 2023 cruise and I’m able to purchase it for the current (lower) price.

[Steelers36]

12 hours ago, Torfamm said:

It is as stated - 2 per cruise. Good value on a 4 night? Maybe. Not so much on a world cruise.

The equitable way to do this would have been to allow X number of SD credits per days of cruising.  It wouldn't surprise me if their IT dept fell over in a dead faint if they had to update system to accommodate.

[Steelers36]

6 hours ago, peterhof said:

Just received this from my TA

 

Good Afternoon,

 

Your Princess plus package cost was locked in at the time of booking. So if Princess are increasing the price for this package, it won't affect you.

 

Nothing new about that.

 

3 hours ago, peterhof said:

That’s not what my TA says - anyhow, if that’s the case I want those drinks that are now higher than $12 reinstated. Of course everyone will get the same package! Could you imagine the mayhem that would ensue if they didn’t - will the medallions have “pre Dec 12th” and “after 12th “ designations attached - I THINK NOT

IDK what you are on about in your posts.  Princess re-badged their packages when they introduced the new Premier Cruise Fare option.

 

Before, they had the Plus Fare option only.  One of its components was an all-inclusive beverage package which could be purchased on its own (lord knows why anyone would).  That package had/has a $12 cost limit and anything over that you pay the difference, plus 18%.

 

That beverage package was called Premier - even before the Plus fare option.  They should have renamed it back then.

 

When Premier Fare option came out, they upped the ante with the drinks package portion.  They also decided to offer it separately for sale (puts a high sticker on it for marketing purposes to make the Cruise Fare option look like a bargain).

 

In order to align things better, they re-badged the drink packages to align with the Cruise Fare options.  So, now you have Plus drink package and Premier drink package. 

 

The Plus drink package is exactly the one you booked with and included in your booking when you bought the Plus Cruise Fare option. 

 

You have lost nothing.  You are not going to get the new Premier package, just because the Plus package used to be called Premier.  This is quite clear and I don't see how anyone has a leg to stand on, but if you want to complain to Guest Services on board, go right ahead, but you have no grounds.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Edited December 5, 2022 by Steelers36

[caribill]

3 hours ago, peterhof said:

That’s not what my TA says - anyhow, if that’s the case I want those drinks that are now higher than $12 reinstated. Of course everyone will get the same package! Could you imagine the mayhem that would ensue if they didn’t - will the medallions have “pre Dec 12th” and “after 12th “ designations attached - I THINK NOT

No, but those paying the new pricing could have the number of free desserts set to 2 and those with the old pricing have the number set to 0.

 

If they can count how many alcohol drinks you have on a 24 hour period, they can easily add logic to count how many desserts are available for the booking.

[caribill]

31 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

The equitable way to do this would have been to allow X number of SD credits per days of cruising. 

 

I wonder if the number of desserts (2) is per booking or per segment. If you book a B2B with a single booking number do you get just 2 desserts or would you get 4 even if not booking it with a different booking number for each segment.?

[Steelers36]

2 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

I wonder if the number of desserts (2) is per booking or per segment. If you book a B2B with a single booking number do you get just 2 desserts or would you get 4 even if not booking it with a different booking number for each segment.?

For consistency - and we know this to be a challenge for the folks in Santa Clarita - it should work like other things and you get 2x2 desserts.

 

PS - They do continually find more and more ways to put themselves into corners with odd policies that don't make sense.

Edited December 5, 2022 by Steelers36

[Jadn13]

Can someone confirm please that prepaid Elite Wifi discount is still reimbursed as OBC?

I have a 20 day in 2024 and will prepay now to save the $50 

[caribill]

22 minutes ago, Jadn13 said:

Can someone confirm please that prepaid Elite Wifi discount is still reimbursed as OBC?

I have a 20 day in 2024 and will prepay now to save the $50 

 

a) I called a couple of days ago and was told I had to pay in full now and the discount would be refunded on the ship as OBC, so it appears to still be the policy.

 

b) Not willing to loan Princess extra $$$ for a period of time or risk Princess saying they would reduce the OBC by the amount of the discounted price increase, I preferred to pay the discounted amount now and was able to do so with the App.

[Jadn13]

1 minute ago, caribill said:

 

a) I called a couple of days ago and was told I had to pay in full now and the discount would be refunded on the ship as OBC, so it appears to still be the policy.

 

b) Not willing to loan Princess extra $$$ for a period of time or risk Princess saying they would reduce the OBC by the amount of the discounted price increase, I preferred to pay the discounted amount now and was able to do so with the App.

Did the discounted amount show before you paid? I can buy it through the App

[caribill]

22 minutes ago, Jadn13 said:

Did the discounted amount show before you paid? I can buy it through the App

Yes, the App displayed the discounted price.

[Jadn13]

13 minutes ago, caribill said:

Yes, the App displayed the discounted price.

Thank You!

I thought it should, my status is displayed incorrectly in the App 😂 Seems About Right.

Edited December 5, 2022 by Jadn13

[malba2366]

Just got an email from princess clarifying this.  

"We'll share more details later, but for now know that you'll be able to keep your current Plus or Premier package at the existing price or upgrade to the new enhanced package. After all, we know you love options!

New packages go on sale starting December 14 and apply to cruises sailing February 20, 2023, and beyond."

 

 

It looks like the new packages include Fresh squeezed juices and smoothies.  Did the old packages include this?  Is this available on all ships, or just the Royal class?

[caribill]

The full content of the E-mail. (Makes it look like the best thing in the world since the last time they raised the price.) No mention is made of the increase in Internet rates.

You'll be able to upgrade to the new or keep the old at the current price We wanted you to be the first to hear that we're adding brand-new experiences and offerings to our existing packages ❯. What's new:     Princess Plus — now $60 per day per guest! premium desserts Juice Bar (smoothies and juices) fitness classes free Medallion® device shipping*       Princess Premier — now $80 per day per guest! premium desserts Juice Bar (smoothies and juices) fitness classes free Medallion device shipping* reserved theater seating Medallion accessory   *Free Medallion device shipping to US residents only. We'll share more details later, but for now know that you'll be able to keep your current Plus or Premier package at the existing price or upgrade to the new enhanced package. After all, we know you love options! New packages go on sale starting December 14 and apply to cruises sailing February 20, 2023, and beyond.^

More for our crew We're also increasing the daily crew appreciation for all cruises that depart on or after February 20, 2023. Our crew takes great care of you: we want to make sure they're taken care of too! Updated amounts will be:   - $16 per guest per day for interior, oceanview and balcony staterooms - $17 per guest per day for mini-suites (including Club Class) and cabanas* - $18 per guest per day for suites - applies to all guests in a stateroom, including children   Want to keep the current rates? Pre-pay before December 14 ❯†

 

^The new Princess Plus and Princess Premier packages will be subject to full updated terms, conditions, and restrictions, which will be available here ❯ by December 14, 2022 (the terms on such site before the update apply to the original Princess Plus and Princess Premier packages for which you booked). If you would like to upgrade to the new Princess Plus or Princess Premier package for voyages sailing February 20, 2023 and onward, you can visit Cruise Personalizer ❯ after December 14, and pay the difference in price. By upgrading, you must agree to the updated terms, conditions, and restrictions. †Guests have up until 11:59 pm PT December 13, 2022 to pre-pay at current rates. Excludes new programs launching December 13, 2022, at new rates.

[caribill]

1 hour ago, malba2366 said:

It looks like the new packages include Fresh squeezed juices and smoothies.  Did the old packages include this?  Is this available on all ships, or just the Royal class?

 

From the Princess web site:

Beverages up to $12 USD* each

Plus Beverage Package Includes:

• Cocktails, wine by the glass, beer, specialty coffees fountain sodas, water to go, juices, fruity mocktails and crafted cocktails by Mixologist Rob Floyd
• 50 spirits, 25 wines by the glass, 25 beers, all specialty coffees & non- alcoholic drinks
• 25% discount on wine bottles (including rare vintages)
• 25% discount on large bottles of water and cans of soda

 

*Price listed is in USD and excludes service charge. An 18% service charge will be applied to all itineraries excluding Australia. Purchase price may vary due to currency exchange rates. Beverage package charges are calculated based on the total number of days of your cruise. Packages must be purchased for full length of voyage, cannot be shared, are non-transferable and are non-refundable within 3 days of sailing.

 

It does say juices (but does not say fresh squeezed). "All non-alcoholic drinks" seems to me to include smoothies.

 

Note it says: 50 spirits, 25 wines by the glass, 25 beers. I wonder if there are still 25 wines by the glass available under this plan on board.

[JimmyVWine]

On 12/2/2022 at 4:16 PM, JimmyVWine said:

That said, I think that those of us who already have Plus Package cruises booked for dates after February, we can all expect emails from Princess informing us that we can keep our current Plus Plan, or pay $10 per person per day to upgrade to Plus 2.0.  

Got my email today!

[buckeye7]

When the email says “Want to keep current rates? Pre-pay before Dec 14,” does that mean to pay the full balance by then, or just the down payment? We have a cruise in May and I want to keep the old Plus.

[AnyMajorCruiseDude]

8 minutes ago, buckeye7 said:

When the email says “Want to keep current rates? Pre-pay before Dec 14,” does that mean to pay the full balance by then, or just the down payment? We have a cruise in May and I want to keep the old Plus.

I believe this footnote applies to the crew appreciation, not the drink package bundle.

[caribill]

31 minutes ago, buckeye7 said:

When the email says “Want to keep current rates? Pre-pay before Dec 14,” does that mean to pay the full balance by then, or just the down payment? We have a cruise in May and I want to keep the old Plus.

 

Just pay the tips part.

 

Also going up is Internet. Single device by 50% Four devices by more. If you were going to purchase Internet, do it now (via the App) and pay the old rates.

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, caribill said:

The full content of the E-mail. (Makes it look like the best thing in the world since the last time they raised the price.) No mention is made of the increase in Internet rates.

 

PCL seems averse to publishing the full pricing for MedallionNet and simply seems to only inform that it starts at $10/day.

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, caribill said:

It does say juices (but does not say fresh squeezed). "All non-alcoholic drinks" seems to me to include smoothies.

The new advertising language posted above only mentions "juices" as well.  No details if natural, 100% fruit, made from frozen, etc.

 

PS - although "juice bar" has a certain connotation and implied product.

Edited December 6, 2022 by Steelers36

[Steelers36]

6 hours ago, Jadn13 said:

Can someone confirm please that prepaid Elite Wifi discount is still reimbursed as OBC?

I have a 20 day in 2024 and will prepay now to save the $50 

It's SUPPOSED to be sold to you at 50% of in the Princess (formerly MC) App.  If it isn't, then the System is 99% likely reflecting your incorrect Captain Circle status as Blue instead of Platinum or Black.  Someone at Princess has to fix the bad data in order for you to make the order as desired.

 

If this cannot be fixed, you get Refundable OBC.

[wrongwaywatson]

I'm not interested in the new fancy desserts.  I'm a fitness instructor, so the last thing I want to do on the cruise is take a class.  I'm good!

[Guest ldtr]

7 hours ago, caribill said:

 

a) I called a couple of days ago and was told I had to pay in full now and the discount would be refunded on the ship as OBC, so it appears to still be the policy.

 

b) Not willing to loan Princess extra $$$ for a period of time or risk Princess saying they would reduce the OBC by the amount of the discounted price increase, I preferred to pay the discounted amount now and was able to do so with the App.

Where exactly did you see that option on the App.  I just went through my booked cruises (roughly 95 days worth) all of them show current full price, with no other option.  On the 5 previous cruises I have done this year, I have paid full price and gotten the discount in OBC on board.

 

The AP clearly shows me as elite, both customer service and the medallion support folks say that there is no other option on the ap, only the full price charge, with the discount given as OBC, same as with excursions.

[Papa Yoda]

Just off Sapphire, upgraded Plus to Premier.  15 days @ $750 for 2.  Always drank Rombauer Chard at $18 / glass, even delivered to stateroom several times per day.  Asked Bar Manager to stage it at Churchills for Casino and Santa Fe DR.  Otherwise it was "go to Vines and get it, please" -- plus won $400 on Prizes so the package paid for itself.

[cr8tiv1]

Asking for a friend...right:

 

I am also confused.

 

We'll share more details later, but for now know that you'll be able to keep your current Plus or Premier package at the existing price or upgrade to the new enhanced package. After all, we know you love options!

 

Later does no one any good.  Does the wording mean that your old plan will not include those wonderful extras (desserts/classes/etc)?