Princess Can’t Figure out Upgrade from Plus to Premium

[ROXIETHEHORSE]

We have the Plus Package on our 7 day cruise on the Ruby out of Galveston on 2/12/23.

 

I wanted to upgrade to the Premium. Website personalizer says to contact princess. Try chat…they want to charge me $4600. Try calling, wait 30 mins on hold, guy has no idea. Puts me back on hold. No one comes back. Try chat again. Am told that it is $20 per person per day…so that’s $280. He keeps trying to re-fare the cruise and comes up with all sorts of wild amounts to charge me. Ends up saying I have to pay the port fees and taxes again and buy the Princess insurance which I can remove later. WHAT?!?!

 

So after 4 hours, instead of an upgraded drink package we have nothing.

 

Someone at Princess also changed my sister in law’s birthdate after she had uploaded all her passport info and was in the green lane. Now she cannot log into the website to see her booked excursions or spa appointments. Her app works after 2 hours on phone with Princess, but unable to access anything on website. 
 

what the actual heck?!?!

[PacnGoNow]

18 minutes ago, ROXIETHEHORSE said:

We have the Plus Package on our 7 day cruise on the Ruby out of Galveston on 2/12/23.

 

I wanted to upgrade to the Premium. Website personalizer says to contact princess. Try chat…they want to charge me $4600. Try calling, wait 30 mins on hold, guy has no idea. Puts me back on hold. No one comes back. Try chat again. Am told that it is $20 per person per day…so that’s $280. He keeps trying to re-fare the cruise and comes up with all sorts of wild amounts to charge me. Ends up saying I have to pay the port fees and taxes again and buy the Princess insurance which I can remove later. WHAT?!?!

 

So after 4 hours, instead of an upgraded drink package we have nothing.

 

Someone at Princess also changed my sister in law’s birthdate after she had uploaded all her passport info and was in the green lane. Now she cannot log into the website to see her booked excursions or spa appointments. Her app works after 2 hours on phone with Princess, but unable to access anything on website. 
 

what the actual heck?!?!

OMG.

It seems so easy on the website!

1. I already purchased my cruise. Can I upgrade to either Princess Plus or Princess Premier?
   Absolutely! You can upgrade from Princess Standard to Princess Plus for only $60 per day or to Princess Premier for $80 per day. If you already have Princess Plus on your reservation, you can upgrade to Princess Premier for the difference, either $20 or $30 per-day, based on the price of your original package. To do so, simply contact Princess via our Contact Center, or contact your Travel Advisor. Please note that you may upgrade from Princess Plus to Princess Premier pre-cruise or on board the ship.

 

If you have a TA or CVP, have them do it.

If not, do it OB at GS.

 

[Lady Arwen]

Oh my, I feel your pain, as do many members here.  Trying to get reliable, consistent information can be frustrating at times.  May I suggest that you get a Princess Cruise Vacation Planner (CVP) or a travel agent to get this resolved.  You could also try doing it yourself online.  I’m sure there is an option to upgrade your package in Manage My Cruise on your booking.  If you click on Upgrade you should be able to see the price and then add it to your booking.  I’m hoping that another member might chime in with an even better option for you.  Good luck!

[Tedferg]

On website, Manage this Booking / Payments, there is an option to Upgrade to Plus or Premiere, we have Standard. Clicking on Upgrade shows three options Std / Plus / Premiere. What happens if you try that route to upgrade?

 

BTW did you check current fare for new booking? In our case the fare is lower and OBC is higher YMMV.

[ROXIETHEHORSE]

I know…who would think it was impossible? They just couldn’t figure it out. Problem is, I don’t think you can upgrade it once on board since it’s part of your cruise fare. I am just dumbfounded that they can’t do it.

[ROXIETHEHORSE]

16 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

On website, Manage this Booking / Payments, there is an option to Upgrade to Plus or Premiere, we have Standard. Clicking on Upgrade shows three options Std / Plus / Premiere. What happens if you try that route to upgrade?

 

BTW did you check current fare for new booking? In our case the fare is lower and OBC is higher YMMV.

When I click to upgrade to Premier, it says I have to contact Princess . Lit of good that did! 😵‍💫

[PacnGoNow]

28 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said:

Advisor. Please note that you may upgrade from Princess Plus to Princess Premier pre-cruise or on board the ship

It does say you can in the last sentence. Q & A on the website.

No TA or CVP?

[PacnGoNow]

2 minutes ago, ROXIETHEHORSE said:

When I click to upgrade to Premier, it says I have to contact Princess . Lit of good that did! 😵‍💫

Are you on a casino discount or casino fare?  Your fare type may be the problem. Not sure.  

[ROXIETHEHORSE]

1 minute ago, PacnGoNow said:

It does say you can in the last sentence. Q & A on the website.

No TA or CVP?

Oh cool, thanks!

[ROXIETHEHORSE]

Just now, PacnGoNow said:

Are you on a casino discount or casino fare?  Your fare type may be the problem. Not sure.  

No, full paid regular fare.

[ROXIETHEHORSE]

Ha, don’t know where the weird emojis are coming from. Sorry about that.

Edited January 11, 2023 by ROXIETHEHORSE

[jeromep]

This exact issue, upgrading and managing the ever changing status of the Princess Plus or Princess Premier, is why I transferred my booking to a TA.  That and I also had a number of issues with canceling cruises and the status of "trapped" funds during the events surrounding the illness that I shall not mention, and my CVP at the time was not super accommodating or knowledgeable about how Princess was going to handle canceled bookings during "the event".  If I have to face canceled bookings again, I'd at least like to talk to somebody familiar and who's will do the leg work for me.

 

I booked before the number of included items increased and the prices increased on Princess Premier (and Plus for that matter).  And frankly, I had 3 different Princess cruise vacation planners in a 2 month period, and when I did contact them for something it was 24 hour turn-around on email, and they were never available on the phone.  Consider that I had the same CVP for about 4 years and I considered them like a TA, but with all the shuffling of support staff shore side at Princess, I don't feel it is my responsibility to make up for their lack of staffing by waiting on hold or getting a call center worker that is reading material off a computer screen.  End of rant.

 

That said, the travel agent that was recommended to me looked into the feature changes and price increases related to the packages.  While we were going through the process of moving the booking from Princess direct to TA she did some more research on the upgrades and on her end found that the "coding" necessary to upgrade to the new features at the new price weren't available yet.  She has flagged my booking in her work as needing to be examined at a later date to ensure that the most complete Princess package is on my booking, something I shouldn't have to worry about again as my TA will just handle it when appropriate.  Sure, trust, but verify, however I'll chat with them again in a couple of months and ensure that it is all taken care of.

 

So far, my experience working with a TA is far superior to working with Princess direct.

[ceilidh1]

1 hour ago, jeromep said:

This exact issue, upgrading and managing the ever changing status of the Princess Plus or Princess Premier, is why I transferred my booking to a TA.  That and I also had a number of issues with canceling cruises and the status of "trapped" funds during the events surrounding the illness that I shall not mention, and my CVP at the time was not super accommodating or knowledgeable about how Princess was going to handle canceled bookings during "the event".  If I have to face canceled bookings again, I'd at least like to talk to somebody familiar and who's will do the leg work for me.

 

I booked before the number of included items increased and the prices increased on Princess Premier (and Plus for that matter).  And frankly, I had 3 different Princess cruise vacation planners in a 2 month period, and when I did contact them for something it was 24 hour turn-around on email, and they were never available on the phone.  Consider that I had the same CVP for about 4 years and I considered them like a TA, but with all the shuffling of support staff shore side at Princess, I don't feel it is my responsibility to make up for their lack of staffing by waiting on hold or getting a call center worker that is reading material off a computer screen.  End of rant.

 

That said, the travel agent that was recommended to me looked into the feature changes and price increases related to the packages.  While we were going through the process of moving the booking from Princess direct to TA she did some more research on the upgrades and on her end found that the "coding" necessary to upgrade to the new features at the new price weren't available yet.  She has flagged my booking in her work as needing to be examined at a later date to ensure that the most complete Princess package is on my booking, something I shouldn't have to worry about again as my TA will just handle it when appropriate.  Sure, trust, but verify, however I'll chat with them again in a couple of months and ensure that it is all taken care of.

 

So far, my experience working with a TA is far superior to working with Princess direct.

As a TA myself, I was about to post something very similar to this. From what OP is describing, it sounds as if the agent at Princess is attempting to refare/rebook rather than simply adding the code for Premier. I took a quick look in Polar and don't see such a code currently, which would explain the confusion. It SHOULD be available in personaliser but maybe Princess have removed it with the new pricing/packages. (I hear everyone gasping with shock and disbelief right now at the thought that Princess might have rolled out something that they aren't quite ready for...🤣)

 

OP, not sure when you sail, but I would say give it a few days/weeks/months - at some point they will be happy to take your money for the upgrade!

[PacnGoNow]

14 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

As a TA myself, I was about to post something very similar to this. From what OP is describing, it sounds as if the agent at Princess is attempting to refare/rebook rather than simply adding the code for Premier. I took a quick look in Polar and don't see such a code currently, which would explain the confusion. It SHOULD be available in personaliser but maybe Princess have removed it with the new pricing/packages. (I hear everyone gasping with shock and disbelief right now at the thought that Princess might have rolled out something that they aren't quite ready for...🤣)

 

OP, not sure when you sail, but I would say give it a few days/weeks/months - at some point they will be happy to take your money for the upgrade!

Say it ain’t so!  😂Thank you for the response.

 

I think it is a secret 🤐 code.  😝 

Edited January 11, 2023 by PacnGoNow

[EDDY0827]

OP is past final payment date, sailing Feb. 12, 2023.

[ROXIETHEHORSE]

1 hour ago, ceilidh1 said:

As a TA myself, I was about to post something very similar to this. From what OP is describing, it sounds as if the agent at Princess is attempting to refare/rebook rather than simply adding the code for Premier. I took a quick look in Polar and don't see such a code currently, which would explain the confusion. It SHOULD be available in personaliser but maybe Princess have removed it with the new pricing/packages. (I hear everyone gasping with shock and disbelief right now at the thought that Princess might have rolled out something that they aren't quite ready for...🤣)

 

OP, not sure when you sail, but I would say give it a few days/weeks/months - at some point they will be happy to take your money for the upgrade!

We sail 2/12, so about a month. I have not actually ever had any problems with any booking before. No one is willing to say “I don’t know, let me get you someone who can help.” That would go a long way. 
 

interesting that there is no coding to allow an upgrade. 

[PacnGoNow]

4 minutes ago, ROXIETHEHORSE said:

We sail 2/12, so about a month. I have not actually ever had any problems with any booking before. No one is willing to say “I don’t know, let me get you someone who can help.” That would go a long way. 
 

interesting that there is no coding to allow an upgrade. 

They’ll get it fixed.  Not sure when, but that’s money…

Hopefully, they won’t break something else when they fix it. 

[jeromep]

4 hours ago, EDDY0827 said:

OP is past final payment date, sailing Feb. 12, 2023.

The new Princess Plus and Premier are on sailings after 2/20.  So, my TA is going to go looking for the coding closer to 2/20.  The OP, who's sailing is on 2/12 wouldn't be affected by the new pricing or new features.  However they do want to upgrade to Premier, so, I can understand wanting to get that all taken care of before the cruise begins.  Honestly, should be an easy change.

[Shelly97060]

11 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

 

If you have a TA or CVP, have them do it.

If not, do it OB at GS.

 

 Onboard sales begin with voyages 2/20/23

 

[PacnGoNow]

4 hours ago, Shelly97060 said:

 Onboard sales begin with voyages 2/20/23

 

Thank you so much for finding this.  So, the  Q&A section of the website does not state the same. 

 

Says:

 

I already purchased my cruise. Can I upgrade to either Princess Plus or Princess Premier?
Absolutely! You can upgrade from Princess Standard to Princess Plus for only $60 per day or to Princess Premier for $80 per day. If you already have Princess Plus on your reservation, you can upgrade to Princess Premier for the difference, either $20 or $30 per-day, based on the price of your original package. To do so, simply contact Princess via our Contact Center, or contact your Travel Advisor. Please note that you may upgrade from Princess Plus to Princess Premier pre-cruise or on board the ship.

 

Another PCL contradiction.  @ROXIETHEHORSE want to make sure you see this date.  Not sure of your sail date.  
Sorry if this affects you.  

[happy42cruise]

My problem with the new price and premier package is they rolled it out as of December 14th but the "New items are not available until February 20th", so you are paying $30 a day pp for $20 per day pp benefits.  You don't have access to the enhancements which is blatantly unfair.  Not to mention the inability of their customer service personnel to handle what should be a simple transaction and the very long wait times to reach one.  We sail in January and we will just pay the cost for any items we want that are not included in the plus package.  You might want to just calculate what the cost would be ala cart.  For us it would not be worth it.

[ROXIETHEHORSE]

1 hour ago, happy42cruise said:

My problem with the new price and premier package is they rolled it out as of December 14th but the "New items are not available until February 20th", so you are paying $30 a day pp for $20 per day pp benefits.  You don't have access to the enhancements which is blatantly unfair.  Not to mention the inability of their customer service personnel to handle what should be a simple transaction and the very long wait times to reach one.  We sail in January and we will just pay the cost for any items we want that are not included in the plus package.  You might want to just calculate what the cost would be ala cart.  For us it would not be worth it.

We initially just got the basic fare. But, my husband always drinks A LOT on a cruise. So while I don’t drink near as much, the Plus still worked out in our favor. So I upgraded to Plus. The I began seeing posts about Plus level wines not being that great, so I decided we should bump up to Premier because I really enjoy wine.

[cruiser113]

19 hours ago, ROXIETHEHORSE said:

We have the Plus Package on our 7 day cruise on the Ruby out of Galveston on 2/12/23.

 

I wanted to upgrade to the Premium. Website personalizer says to contact princess. Try chat…they want to charge me $4600. Try calling, wait 30 mins on hold, guy has no idea. Puts me back on hold. No one comes back. Try chat again. Am told that it is $20 per person per day…so that’s $280. He keeps trying to re-fare the cruise and comes up with all sorts of wild amounts to charge me. Ends up saying I have to pay the port fees and taxes again and buy the Princess insurance which I can remove later. WHAT?!?!

 

So after 4 hours, instead of an upgraded drink package we have nothing.

 

Someone at Princess also changed my sister in law’s birthdate after she had uploaded all her passport info and was in the green lane. Now she cannot log into the website to see her booked excursions or spa appointments. Her app works after 2 hours on phone with Princess, but unable to access anything on website. 
 

what the actual heck?!?!

I  am  sailing in  a  week  for  a  B2B.  Yesterday I called and upgraded both cruises  from plus  to  Premier   for  $25 P/P  per  day.  I  paid the  extra  amount  yesterday.

These are  both casino comped cruises

Sorry  you  are  having  so  much  trouble.  Hope  you  can  get  it  fixed.

[ceilidh1]

3 hours ago, happy42cruise said:

My problem with the new price and premier package is they rolled it out as of December 14th but the "New items are not available until February 20th", so you are paying $30 a day pp for $20 per day pp benefits.  You don't have access to the enhancements which is blatantly unfair.  Not to mention the inability of their customer service personnel to handle what should be a simple transaction and the very long wait times to reach one.  We sail in January and we will just pay the cost for any items we want that are not included in the plus package.  You might want to just calculate what the cost would be ala cart.  For us it would not be worth it.

Yes, I questioned this when the packages were first rolled out - it's not right to pay for extra benefits that you won't receive. No one at Princess seemed to think it was a problem, so I just gave up.

 

 

[ceilidh1]

2 hours ago, ROXIETHEHORSE said:

We initially just got the basic fare. But, my husband always drinks A LOT on a cruise. So while I don’t drink near as much, the Plus still worked out in our favor. So I upgraded to Plus. The I began seeing posts about Plus level wines not being that great, so I decided we should bump up to Premier because I really enjoy wine.

OP - since you are sailing before the upgraded packages kick in, this "might" be the issue. I would suggest calling again and asking them specifically to upgrade your package and NOT to refare you! I just went back in to Polar and it seems that there is an area in the booking (it's changed from a code as far as I can see) under "Special Requests and Gifts" where the Plus package can be removed and the premiere package added. Doing it this way is no longer an "upgrade" but it works out the same way (it used to be that a code was added to charge the $25 per day but now it seems it takes off the costs of Plus and then you re-add the cost of Premiere and it all comes out correct). I just did a trial with one of my bookings (though it is after the new packages kick in) and it worked, so maybe you can talk the agent through it. You may well get an agent that actually knows how to do their job on the next call!

 

The other option is to stick with Plus and just pay the difference in the cost of the wine you drink...