Questions re: 360 on Discovery

[elycelynne]

I know that this "experience" will only be for suite guests when it goes fully into effect, but ccertain passengers are receiving invitations in the meantime.  I'm wondering if these passengers are all suite guests, or if they're extremely well-traveled on Princess?  Maybe VIPs in the industry?

 

I have no illusion that I would ever get an invitation, but I was just curious and would like to hear from those who have attended as to whether they fall under one of these categories.  Thanks!

[shellbeachjim]

We were in a Club Class mini-suite and were invited by the manager of the Club Class dining area. We are elite, but I don’t think that had anything to do with our invitation . It was an amazing experience and highly recommended. 

[azbirdmom]

They have said that it's free for suite passengers and for some casino invited guests but as you have said others are being invited too.  It seems to be all over the place, I don't think there is a rhyme or reason to it.

 

As for it being for suite passengers only when it goes fully into effect, I'm not sure we can count on that.  I had been told when we were part of the trial back in October that it would have a $150 price tag.  That hasn't happened - yet.  But we can't expect Princess to offer something like this and not have it generate revenue.  So I strongly suspect that when they deem it ready, it will be open to all at a cost.

[cptlapcat]

We were on the Christmas cruise with three suites. I had not received an invitation when we boarded so I quickly headed to the concierge who immediately called the 360 people and was able to squeeze in our 6 adults (another reason for a concierge?) I was told that they invited high rollers, and special circumstances besides suite guests.

 

As far as 360 goes it was fabulous. 

[AVCruzers]

It truly is an amazing experience and you'll understand why it is called an experience rather than a dinner.  But--without Rafael, who could possibly be a substitute for him????  I am sure he is the one who trained the servers and he has such a distinctive personality!!!!  We were not in a suite when invited.  I was told by a staff member that it truly is a lottery system but did she really know?   I was also told that it would only be on the Discovery, Sky and Enchanted.  Hope you get to go!!!

[elycelynne]

Funny you should post this now.  I’m currently on the Discovery and had a reservation for tonight, or so I thought, because someone pulled some strings to get me an invitation and I got the phone call from someone at Princess to set up the date and time.  I got concerned when I didn’t receive a confirmation with details by yesterday, so I called Guest Services and to my dismay they had no record of my reservation!   Someone screwed up somewhere and I’m extremely disappointed.  I happened to also voice my displeasure with one of the assistant dining room managers tonight at dinner, and he called the 360 manager to see if there were any openings.  There weren’t, but I was put on a waiting list in the event there was a cancellation during the remainder of the cruise.  I’m not holding my breath.  

[flhokie]

Is there a minimum age for the 360 experience? It will be me, my mother and my 12 year old daughter in a suite (mother is also elite). The 12 year old is a major foodie and loves trying new and adventurous foods so I'm thinking this is something we'd all enjoy if we were to be invited, but want to set realistic expectations if there is a minimum age. 

[MissP22]

.

[donswife]

On 2/10/2023 at 7:40 AM, flhokie said:

Is there a minimum age for the 360 experience? It will be me, my mother and my 12 year old daughter in a suite (mother is also elite). The 12 year old is a major foodie and loves trying new and adventurous foods so I'm thinking this is something we'd all enjoy if we were to be invited, but want to set realistic expectations if there is a minimum age. 

There were 3 "young" people in our seating. I did not get to visit with them,  but I would have guessed ages around 12, 14, and 16, give or take.  They were given special nonalcoholic beverages and appeared to be having a great time. 

[flhokie]

16 hours ago, donswife said:

There were 3 "young" people in our seating. I did not get to visit with them,  but I would have guessed ages around 12, 14, and 16, give or take.  They were given special nonalcoholic beverages and appeared to be having a great time. 

Thank you! That is very helpful.

[I want to cruise]

Was on Discovery back in October and we received a invitation for a dining experience. We met a group of other invited guests in the atrium where we started off with cocktails and photos. We were escorted by a string quartet to the venue. After speaking with others that evening we realized why we were chosen to participate.  It was because we all had some issue on embarkation day. It was a wonderful evening with unforgettable food, drinks and conversation. I will never forget the unique and memorable night we all had. Thank you Princess.

[CynCyn]

I would pay for the experience on EVERY cruise.  It is so difficult to describe- but wonderful!

[CynCyn]

On 1/17/2023 at 10:38 PM, AVCruzers said:

It truly is an amazing experience and you'll understand why it is called an experience rather than a dinner.  But--without Rafael, who could possibly be a substitute for him????  I am sure he is the one who trained the servers and he has such a distinctive personality!!!!  We were not in a suite when invited.  I was told by a staff member that it truly is a lottery system but did she really know?   I was also told that it would only be on the Discovery, Sky and Enchanted.  Hope you get to go!!!

Where is Rafael? He’s awesome!

[elycelynne]

I’m the person who originated this thread and subsequently was upset while on my cruise on the Discovery in January because there was a screw up with Princess and my reservation was lost.  So it turns out that this “squeaky wheel” got the grease (read upthread for an explanation) because Rafael managed to do some schedule juggling and got me a spot on the last night.  

 

It was a really unique and memorable experience and I couldn’t imagine anyone but Rafael as the host.  That man has more charm in his little finger than most people have in their whole body!

Edited March 6, 2023 by elycelynne

[AVCruzers]

Rafael is on vacation break and will most likely be returning but??  Magdalena is his replacement and she does a great job too.  

[NeutralNovice]

Sorry to piggyback off this thread but just wanted to clarify...

 

Is the 360 experience still free for suite guests?

 

I am trying to book through the app but it is showing that there will be an upcharge.

 

My cruise isn't until April 2025.

[worldtraveller]

From my understanding it depends on when you had booked the cruise but I don't know the cut off date. We were able to get it free on our trip last month but we had booked the cruise over a year ago. However I had to email them to get it for free (someone from promotions then called me about it).

Edited April 7 by worldtraveller
adding more info

[karatemom2]

From what has been shared here that benefit has been discontinued and is only available on your cruise if you made the booking prior to the end of December 2023.   
 

Not sure when you booked, but if it was after the beginning of this year, it will not be offered for free as a suite benefit. If it was prior to then end of year deadline, you should still get it as a perk, but may have to call ahead to get it worked out or have your concierge arrange it onboard.  
 

I can say based on our experience doing it on the Discovery on New Year’s Eve, it is well worth the price if you do end up having to pay for it. 

[jagoffee]

46 minutes ago, karatemom2 said:

From what has been shared here that benefit has been discontinued and is only available on your cruise if you made the booking prior to the end of December 2023.   
 

Not sure when you booked, but if it was after the beginning of this year, it will not be offered for free as a suite benefit. If it was prior to then end of year deadline, you should still get it as a perk, but may have to call ahead to get it worked out or have your concierge arrange it onboard.  
 

I can say based on our experience doing it on the Discovery on New Year’s Eve, it is well worth the price if you do end up having to pay for it. 

I received an email stating that since I booked a suite prior to 12/1/2023 I received a free 360 experience.  Dining there tonight.

[Atomic2024]

On 2/10/2023 at 8:40 AM, flhokie said:

Is there a minimum age for the 360 experience? It will be me, my mother and my 12 year old daughter in a suite (mother is also elite). The 12 year old is a major foodie and loves trying new and adventurous foods so I'm thinking this is something we'd all enjoy if we were to be invited, but want to set realistic expectations if there is a minimum age. 

It shows 13+…

[NeutralNovice]

16 hours ago, worldtraveller said:

From my understanding it depends on when you had booked the cruise but I don't know the cut off date. We were able to get it free on our trip last month but we had booked the cruise over a year ago. However I had to email them to get it for free (someone from promotions then called me about it).

 

14 hours ago, karatemom2 said:

From what has been shared here that benefit has been discontinued and is only available on your cruise if you made the booking prior to the end of December 2023.   
 

Not sure when you booked, but if it was after the beginning of this year, it will not be offered for free as a suite benefit. If it was prior to then end of year deadline, you should still get it as a perk, but may have to call ahead to get it worked out or have your concierge arrange it onboard.  
 

I can say based on our experience doing it on the Discovery on New Year’s Eve, it is well worth the price if you do end up having to pay for it. 

 

Thank you for the information.  This is a bit frustrating... I hope I'll be able to still get it comped.

 

I booked this cruise on 12/4/2023.  And Princess 360 was pretty much one of the main reasons I wanted to even book this short Alaska Sampler cruise and, from all that I was reading, it was supposed to be complimentary for suite guests.

 

I am on the phone right now hoping they can help me with it but the rep doesn't even seem to know that it was free for suite guests at any point.

 

I'll definitely pay for it but dang, that's another $300 I would need to spend when I was expecting it to come with the suite.

[jeromep]

We did 360 on Discovery last July.  It was a wonderful experience.  It was comped.  We were invited as Suite guests.  I got a random call from a call center at Princess about 2 weeks before the cruise to select an evening for 360.  I had to really dig into the itinerary to see what date would be best for us, but it worked out.  It is a stellar experience, however at like $150pp I'm not sure I'd do it again.  The food was very special, and I ate things I'd never had before (octopus) and the Mediterranean story line was interesting and visually striking, it felt a little out of place on an Alaska cruise.  However the talent (host) and wait staff were all top notch and the interactivity was something I've never seen before.  Ok, so maybe it is worth $150pp; and considering that I've pad that much for the old Ultimate Ship Tour, I guess it isn't outrageous, however with the old Ultimate Ship Tour you got a whole bunch of swag to take home.  With 360, we just got some photos from the pre-entry reception, and some nice memories.

[karatemom2]

16 hours ago, NeutralNovice said:

 

 

Thank you for the information.  This is a bit frustrating... I hope I'll be able to still get it comped.

 

I booked this cruise on 12/4/2023.  And Princess 360 was pretty much one of the main reasons I wanted to even book this short Alaska Sampler cruise and, from all that I was reading, it was supposed to be complimentary for suite guests.

 

I am on the phone right now hoping they can help me with it but the rep doesn't even seem to know that it was free for suite guests at any point.

 

I'll definitely pay for it but dang, that's another $300 I would need to spend when I was expecting it to come with the suite.

 

I certainly hope they honor it for you!! I thought it was bookings before the end of December, but according to the post by jagoffee, it was bookings by 12/1/23 and it sounds like yours was booked just a few days after that. Princess should really do the right thing and honor it since they were clearly still advertising it when you booked. Please let us know what happens when you finally find someone to assist you. Good luck!!

Edited April 8 by karatemom2
Listed September - meant December

[memoak]

10 minutes ago, karatemom2 said:

 

I certainly hope they honor it for you!! I thought it was bookings before the end of September, but according to the post by jagoffee, it was bookings by 12/1/23 and it sounds like yours was booked just a few days after that. Princess should really do the right thing and honor it since they were clearly still advertising it when you booked. Please let us know what happens when you finally find someone to assist you. Good luck!!

But if they honor a few days then someone will want a few weeks and then a few weeks. The ugly spiral 

[Lindy Sue]

On 4/7/2024 at 5:47 AM, NeutralNovice said:

Sorry to piggyback off this thread but just wanted to clarify...

 

Is the 360 experience still free for suite guests?

 

I am trying to book through the app but it is showing that there will be an upcharge.

 

My cruise isn't until April 2025.

We are booked on the May 18 Western Caribbean Cruise and received an email saying they were offering this experience complimentary to suite guest (we are in a Penthouse Suite) and we could call and reserve or they would call us shortly.  We did book before 12/23, however, I didn't see that mentioned in the email we received. The first time I called, the person who answered said we would have to reserve on ship at the Concierge Lounge. I called again yesterday and was able to get reservations booked.  I think it may be too early for a 2025 sailing, but I would suggest you call Princess to confirm.  Best of Luck to you.  We have heard great things and are looking forward to the experience!

Edited April 8 by Lindy Sue