Princess Plus drink package and ordering through the medallion app

[ChanaC]

Apologies if this is a stupid question, I just want to be 100% sure on this. We purchased the Princess Plus drink package (we booked the sailing and the "old" version of the package before the recent changes, if that makes a difference). We should get all drinks, including specialty coffees and alcoholic drinks, included, up to $12. My question is if this also included drinks purchased on the medallion app? For example, if I wanted a specialty tea drink delivered to my room in the morning, would I have to pay extra for it? I'm almost sure the answer is "yes," but once again I wanted to check before getting on board, ordering stuff on the app, and then realizing I had a huge bill. 

 

And off this question, on the medallion app can you add notes and requests about the drink? For example, would I be able to ask for a matcha latte with a milk alternative instead of dairy milk, or ask for a plain hot tea to come with some honey?

[JimmyVWine]

First of all, even under the old plan, you will be permitted to order drinks up to $15 as long as your cruise is after February 19.  If you are leaving this week or next, then yes, the limit is $12.  As far as room delivery, I don't really know anything about "specialty tea" so I don't know how that is treated.  But as far as everything else is concerned, if the drink is included in the package and can be ordered on the app, the place of delivery is irrelevant. You can have your drink handed to you at the bar, delivered to you by the pool, or sent to your cabin and there is no additional charge for any of these. 

[Thrak]

Items delivered to your cabin are the same as items purchased at a bar or dining room. If it's normally included in the beverage package it's delivered for free. (Although many tip for room service delivery.) We had many drinks and food selections delivered to our cabin.

 

As for special requests:  Some customization is possible but not all. We usually did our room service orders on the TV as it's much larger and easier to deal with for us. We were able to customize many orders but if you want changes that aren't "usual" types of changes that isn't going to be possible via the TV or the app. You can, of course, always put in a call to room service for your custom drinks. Again, if it's included in the beverage package, there is no charge.

[Sunchaser46]

Our cruise is this March and made final payment in December... we have princess plus beverage package- will our drink limit be $12 or $15?

1 hour ago, JimmyVWine said:

First of all, even under the old plan, you will be permitted to order drinks up to $15 as long as your cruise is after February 19.  If you are leaving this week or next, then yes, the limit is $12.  As far as room delivery, I don't really know anything about "specialty tea" so I don't know how that is treated.  But as far as everything else is concerned, if the drink is included in the package and can be ordered on the app, the place of delivery is irrelevant. You can have your drink handed to you at the bar, delivered to you by the pool, or sent to your cabin and there is no additional charge for any of these. 

 

[JimmyVWine]

18 minutes ago, Sunchaser46 said:

Our cruise is this March and made final payment in December... we have princess plus beverage package- will our drink limit be $12 or $15?

 

$15. On February 20 Princess is rolling out the new Packages that it began selling in December when the price of Plus went up to $60 per day.  Once the new Packages rollout, and until the last of the "$50 per day Plus Packages cycle through (which is what you have), Plus will be treated as follows.  Everything that is NOT preceded by the word "NEW" will be available to everyone with Plus, whether you paid $50 per day or $60 per day.  Items that are preceded by the word "NEW" are only available to the people who paid $60 per day.  If you paid $50 but want the "NEW" stuff, you can contact Princess or your travel agent and pay the difference for the change:

 

• Princess® dining, accommodations and entertainment
• MedallionClass® experience
• Plus Beverage Package
  (drinks up to $15 each)
• Wi-Fi (1 device per guest)
• Crew appreciation
• NEW Premium desserts (2 per day)
• NEW Fitness classes (2 per cruise)
• NEW Unlimited juice bar

 

All that said, don't get too excited about the bump up in allowance until we see how drink prices change on 2/20.  It may be that the $15 allowance will get you exactly the same thing you would have had without any change.  

Edited February 6, 2023 by JimmyVWine

[Sunchaser46]

1 minute ago, JimmyVWine said:

$15. On February 20 Princess is rolling out the new Packages that it began selling in December when the price of Plus went up to $60 per day.  Once the new Packages rollout, and until the last of the "$50 per day Plus Packages cycle through (which is what you have), Plus will be treated as follows.  Everything that is NOT preceded by the word "NEW" will be available to everyone with Plus, whether you paid $50 per day or $60 per day.  Items that are preceded by the word "NEW" are only available to the people who paid $60 per day.  If you paid $50 but want the "NEW" stuff, you can contact Princess or your travel agent and pay the difference for the change:

 

• Princess® dining, accommodations and entertainment
• MedallionClass® experience
• Plus Beverage Package
  (drinks up to $15 each)
• Wi-Fi (1 device per guest)
• Crew appreciation
• NEW Premium desserts (2 per day)
• NEW Fitness classes (2 per cruise)
• NEW Unlimited juice bar

 

 

Thank you!

[Rick&Jeannie]

1 hour ago, Sunchaser46 said:

Our cruise is this March and made final payment in December... we have princess plus beverage package- will our drink limit be $12 or $15?

Just to clarify...I *think* you probably realize this but it wasn't clear from your question.  The dollar "cap" is PER DRINK...not total per day.

[Kellyansapansa]

4 hours ago, ChanaC said:

Apologies if this is a stupid question, I just want to be 100% sure on this. We purchased the Princess Plus drink package (we booked the sailing and the "old" version of the package before the recent changes, if that makes a difference). We should get all drinks, including specialty coffees and alcoholic drinks, included, up to $12. My question is if this also included drinks purchased on the medallion app? For example, if I wanted a specialty tea drink delivered to my room in the morning, would I have to pay extra for it? I'm almost sure the answer is "yes," but once again I wanted to check before getting on board, ordering stuff on the app, and then realizing I had a huge bill. 

 

And off this question, on the medallion app can you add notes and requests about the drink? For example, would I be able to ask for a matcha latte with a milk alternative instead of dairy milk, or ask for a plain hot tea to come with some honey?

When you order in the app, it shows you the cost of your order. If the items are included in your package the cost will be $0. If they are not included you will see how much you will be charged before submitting your order.

 

The app allows some customisation for some items but you cannot add notes and requests.

[PaperSniper4]

Here's a dumb question, and I don't mean it sarcastically: If one is having drinks in a bar, but not sitting at the bar, is there any advantage to using the Medallion app to order a cocktail? I usually just walk up to the bar myself and order our two drinks. We don't use the waiter/waitresses walking through the bar usually either. But I wonder if most folks use the app: in which case it might be quicker to just continue walking up to the bar....or it might not be.....😆

 

 Doug

[Rick&Jeannie]

2 hours ago, PaperSniper4 said:

Here's a dumb question, and I don't mean it sarcastically: If one is having drinks in a bar, but not sitting at the bar, is there any advantage to using the Medallion app to order a cocktail? I usually just walk up to the bar myself and order our two drinks. We don't use the waiter/waitresses walking through the bar usually either. But I wonder if most folks use the app: in which case it might be quicker to just continue walking up to the bar....or it might not be.....😆

 

 Doug

I have always found that it will be MUCH quicker to just walk up to the bar.  It is not unheard of to wait up to 20 minutes for a medallion order...maybe longer with a food order.  Others will likely chime in and say "Oh no...I get mine in 5 minutes or less!"  Well...how long does it take to walk up to a bar 50 feet away and just order?

[PaperSniper4]

4 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

............ Well...how long does it take to walk up to a bar 50 feet away and just order?

Thanks Rick, sounds like I will stick with my usual habit of doing just that! <g>

 

 Doug

[lx200gps]

20 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

First of all, even under the old plan, you will be permitted to order drinks up to $15 as long as your cruise is after February 19.  If you are leaving this week or next, then yes, the limit is $12.  As far as room delivery, I don't really know anything about "specialty tea" so I don't know how that is treated.  But as far as everything else is concerned, if the drink is included in the package and can be ordered on the app, the place of delivery is irrelevant. You can have your drink handed to you at the bar, delivered to you by the pool, or sent to your cabin and there is no additional charge for any of these. 

To clarify, anyone with any plan (or without any plan) can order ANY drink they want regardless of cost, nobody needs "permission" to order a drink.. The level of plan you have merely determines the "deductible" you will pay over and above your $12 or $15 limit.  On the Sky this coming week, we will be ordering glasses of wine around $17 and paying $5 extra for each one.

[lx200gps]

2 hours ago, PaperSniper4 said:

Here's a dumb question, and I don't mean it sarcastically: If one is having drinks in a bar, but not sitting at the bar, is there any advantage to using the Medallion app to order a cocktail? I usually just walk up to the bar myself and order our two drinks. We don't use the waiter/waitresses walking through the bar usually either. But I wonder if most folks use the app: in which case it might be quicker to just continue walking up to the bar....or it might not be.....😆

 

 Doug

A lot may hinge on where you are in the ship when you place an order. If you're in an active bar, there should be no problems though service may take a few minutes, especially if the bar is busy. On the other hand, if you are in a "remote" location, delivery could be problematic. On the Sky last November, we liked to sit in the VERY quiet Take 5 during the day if we wanted to read. More often than not, when I ordered drinks to be delivered into Take 5, they never arrived.

[PaperSniper4]

Yeah, that's whey I'd expect also. So either you bring your drink with you to the remote place, or just skip it that time, right?

 

I was happy to read here that using the app we could also order for delivery to our cabin, although I doubt we'd do that more than maybe once per cruise. That would likely quality as a "remote" location I'd think, and for good reason.

 

 Doug

[kevey]

Hi there.  Just adding my comments re Post No 5 from JimmyVWine.  Our cruise is in April on the Regal Princess and we purchased the Plus Package at the old price and we recently had an email from Princess which amongst other things listed our Plus perks as follows;

 

You've got perks with Princess Plus

Included in your fare:

• Plus Beverage Package with drinks (up to $15 USD each) like cocktails, beer and wine, speciality coffees and fountain sodas!
• Fast, reliable MedallionNet^® Wi-Fi
• Crew appreciation
• Premium desserts (2 per day)
• Fitness classes (2 per cruise)

 

Therefore it looks like we just miss out on the Unlimited Juice Bar. 

[JimmyVWine]

1 hour ago, kevey said:

Hi there.  Just adding my comments re Post No 5 from JimmyVWine.  Our cruise is in April on the Regal Princess and we purchased the Plus Package at the old price and we recently had an email from Princess which amongst other things listed our Plus perks as follows;

 

You've got perks with Princess Plus

Included in your fare:

• Plus Beverage Package with drinks (up to $15 USD each) like cocktails, beer and wine, speciality coffees and fountain sodas!
• Fast, reliable MedallionNet^® Wi-Fi
• Crew appreciation
• Premium desserts (2 per day)
• Fitness classes (2 per cruise)

 

Therefore it looks like we just miss out on the Unlimited Juice Bar. 

Interesting.  What I posted was pulled from the website just yesterday.  It could be that as rollout draws near they are re-thinking the logistics of having two tiers of "Plus".  Or, there could be Terms and Conditions referenced in your email that remove the last two items.  Back when they first announced the "New" Plus, it was my firm belief that the people who paid for the "Old" Plus would be grandfathered into everything for logistical reasons.  Then, as it became more clear that they intended to run the "Old" and "New" programs in tandem, I humbly admitted that I was wrong.  But I would love it if it turns out that I was right all along!  

[kevey]

Hi JimmyVWine.  Have just looked at the FAQ section on the Princess website and question 18 appears to back up my email as just references the juice bar being omitted from those who purchased the plus package at the cheaper price. 

[Thrak]

Just checked my Personalizer. We have 3 cruises booked this fall. One is with the "old Plus" package and the other two have the "new Plus" package. The listed perks are definitely showing as different in the On Board Services section of the Personalizer.

 

Cruise with the "old" package:

 

 

 

Cruise with the "New" package:

 

 

 

[memoak]

3 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

Interesting.  What I posted was pulled from the website just yesterday.  It could be that as rollout draws near they are re-thinking the logistics of having two tiers of "Plus".  Or, there could be Terms and Conditions referenced in your email that remove the last two items.  Back when they first announced the "New" Plus, it was my firm belief that the people who paid for the "Old" Plus would be grandfathered into everything for logistical reasons.  Then, as it became more clear that they intended to run the "Old" and "New" programs in tandem, I humbly admitted that I was wrong.  But I would love it if it turns out that I was right all along!  

The beverage package will be the same for old and new versions but the desserts, fitness classes and juice bar will only work under the new plan. I have 5 cruises booked for 2023 under the old plan and 1 cruise booked for 2024 with the new plan. The travel summaries are totally different with the old ones showing the beverage package only but the new one show the desserts fitness classes shown separately 

[JimmyVWine]

1 hour ago, memoak said:

The beverage package will be the same for old and new versions but the desserts, fitness classes and juice bar will only work under the new plan. I have 5 cruises booked for 2023 under the old plan and 1 cruise booked for 2024 with the new plan. The travel summaries are totally different with the old ones showing the beverage package only but the new one show the desserts fitness classes shown separately 

All literature up until today supports that. But kevey’s two posts cast some doubt on this. 

[DisneyDatknee]

Wish I was getting the next package, but my cruise falls on the 19th....... 🤣

[polmcs]

11 hours ago, lx200gps said:

To clarify, anyone with any plan (or without any plan) can order ANY drink they want regardless of cost, nobody needs "permission" to order a drink.. The level of plan you have merely determines the "deductible" you will pay over and above your $12 or $15 limit.  On the Sky this coming week, we will be ordering glasses of wine around $17 and paying $5 extra for each one.

Plus an 18% gratuity on the $5 delta

[jagoffee]

47 minutes ago, DisneyDatknee said:

Wish I was getting the next package, but my cruise falls on the 19th....... 🤣

Why? Are you hoping the drink prices do not increase?

[memoak]

3 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

All literature up until today supports that. But kevey’s two posts cast some doubt on this. 

Since it hasn’t happened who knows. But it would be pretty impossible for bartenders to figure out which liquors go to who

[caribill]

14 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I have always found that it will be MUCH quicker to just walk up to the bar.  It is not unheard of to wait up to 20 minutes for a medallion order...maybe longer with a food order.  Others will likely chime in and say "Oh no...I get mine in 5 minutes or less!"  Well...how long does it take to walk up to a bar 50 feet away and just order?

 

On a recent Ruby cruise, the Explorers Lounge was packed and the bar staff was only taking orders from waiters who were going around the room, taking the requests from the passengers.

 

Some found it quicker to the the app to order a drink as it came from elsewhere and was delivered faster than if ordering after a waiter finally came to where you were to take down your order.