Increased Medallion Wifi Rates

[mikjr]

WOW.... can't believe the Wifi rates doubled!   As Elites, we paid $150 (4 devices) for 15 days to Hawaii back in March of this year.   Taking the same cruise in July (16 days), the cost is now $320.00 for 4 devices!!  UNREAL! 

[voljeep]

12 minutes ago, mikjr said:

WOW.... can't believe the Wifi rates doubled!   As Elites, we paid $150 (4 devices) for 15 days to Hawaii back in March of this year.   Taking the same cruise in July (16 days), the cost is now $320.00 for 4 devices!!  UNREAL! 

$5 per person per day - is that really all that bad?

 

have you considered PLUS or PREMIER packages that include wifi , grats, beverages?

Edited April 27, 2023 by voljeep

[memoak]

17 minutes ago, voljeep said:

$5 per person per day - is that really all that bad?

 

have you considered PLUS or PREMIER packages that include wifi , grats, beverages?

The packages include Wi-Fi for 1 device per person. If someone wants to get 4 devices for their individual plan it will cost extra 

[kiwimum]

Make sure in the Medallion App you are showing as Elite.  I am having an issue with the sea witch showing blue instead of black giving higher pricing no 50% discount.

[voljeep]

5 minutes ago, memoak said:

The packages include Wi-Fi for 1 device per person. If someone wants to get 4 devices for their individual plan it will cost extra 

sorry, but no ... "the packages" ... PREMIER includes 4 devices per person

[memoak]

39 minutes ago, voljeep said:

sorry, but no ... "the packages" ... PREMIER includes 4 devices per person

I stand corrected I am used to having the plus package

[2 cruises a year]

59 minutes ago, voljeep said:

$5 per person per day - is that really all that bad?

 

have you considered PLUS or PREMIER packages that include wifi , grats, beverages?

This is not really a logical point.  You could say 20.8 cents per hour.  It doesn't matter how much you break it down, it is still $320.  Now whether or not this is a good value is a very individual matter.

[voljeep]

Just now, 2 cruises a year said:

This is not really a logical point.  You could say 20.8 cents per hour.  It doesn't matter how much you break it down, it is still $320.  Now whether or not this is a good value is a very individual matter.

and having a choice is a beautiful thing ...

[AtlantaCruiser72]

12 minutes ago, 2 cruises a year said:

This is not really a logical point.  You could say 20.8 cents per hour.  It doesn't matter how much you break it down, it is still $320.  Now whether or not this is a good value is a very individual matter.

 

I'm grumpy that cereal has gone up to nearly $6-7 a box, so I can either a) suck it up and pay the price for my preferred brand/variety or b) shop the sales for alternates or c) do without - you have choices as a consumer.

 

Look at wifi pricing on ANY OTHER LINE - then come back here and complain about Princess' pricing - they are by far and away the least expensive when paying for wifi out of pocket, with or without the Elite discount

 

Edited April 27, 2023 by AtlantaCruiser72

[Reina del Mar]

I paid $135 for 18 days Wi-Fi on the Sapphire Princess in March/April for one device.  That was with Platinum/ Elite discount. The wi fi was dreadful and kept dropping off. I have no idea how Princess can advertise it as the best Wi Fi at sea !!!!!!!!!

[Princessfan20]

2 hours ago, mikjr said:

WOW.... can't believe the Wifi rates doubled!   As Elites, we paid $150 (4 devices) for 15 days to Hawaii back in March of this year.   Taking the same cruise in July (16 days), the cost is now $320.00 for 4 devices!!  UNREAL! 

 

The kicker is you will be very very lucky if you can even use the wifi once you pay the absorbent prince.  Good luck!

Edited April 27, 2023 by Princessfan20

[Cruise Raider]

2 hours ago, mikjr said:

WOW.... can't believe the Wifi rates doubled!   As Elites, we paid $150 (4 devices) for 15 days to Hawaii back in March of this year.   Taking the same cruise in July (16 days), the cost is now $320.00 for 4 devices!!  UNREAL! 

I believe it is possible that is the price without the elite discount.  If purchased ahead of time, you were charged the full price and got the 50% discount back in refundable onboard credit on your folio.  You can now simply purchase it on the ship via the app and the discount will be automatically applied.  
Could that be what is happening here?  
 

[kiwimum]

I posted earlier the app shows me as a first time cruiser and husband as Elite.  We have 2 booking numbers for our next cruise as we are taking the grandkids.   These are screenshots from our bookings indicating one is elite.

[mikjr]

9 minutes ago, kiwimum said:

I posted earlier the app shows me as a first time cruiser and husband as Elite.  We have 2 booking numbers for our next cruise as we are taking the grandkids.   These are screenshots from our bookings indicating one is elite.

 

how many days is your cruise??   Shorter cruises are cheaper, our Hawaii is 16 days, so it's more... but as mentioned, we took the same cruise in March at it was $150 for both of us!!  The price has doubled!!  

[kiwimum]

Cruise is 7 days, this is the pricing for the same cruise.   All tied back to incorrect status level for the two different prices.

[Rick&Jeannie]

29 minutes ago, kiwimum said:

Cruise is 7 days, this is the pricing for the same cruise.   All tied back to incorrect status level for the two different prices.

Incorrect status being shown is probably the biggest issue that everybody has with the app in regards to purchasing WiFi.  We just avoid it altogether by always booking Plus.

[mikjr]

4 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Incorrect status being shown is probably the biggest issue that everybody has with the app in regards to purchasing WiFi.  We just avoid it altogether by always booking Plus.

Rick/Jeannie, I think that's the whole deal... they are raising the individual prices on items, trying to force people into the PLUS packages.   Problem is...  I drink very little alcohol, and don't drink sodas.  So the packages are a waste of money for me and my wife.  It's still cheaper for us to prepay gratuities and buy and Wifi package, so we'll continue with that for now.   Should be a GREAT CRUISE!!  

[mikjr]

6 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

I believe it is possible that is the price without the elite discount.  If purchased ahead of time, you were charged the full price and got the 50% discount back in refundable onboard credit on your folio.  You can now simply purchase it on the ship via the app and the discount will be automatically applied.  
Could that be what is happening here?  
 

 

It shows the price for 4 devices is $640, now $320 with Elite discount, and 1 device is $240, new $120 with discount.   Last time we had 2 IPAD and 2 IPHONES on the plan at $150 for 15 days.   We'll just get one device on the plan this time.   

[mikjr]

9 hours ago, voljeep said:

$5 per person per day - is that really all that bad?

 

have you considered PLUS or PREMIER packages that include wifi , grats, beverages?

not a drinker... so the extra money is wasted.  still cheaper to pay Wifi and gratuities.  We'll just get one device this time and not get plans for our IPADS....  

[mikjr]

8 hours ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

Look at wifi pricing on ANY OTHER LINE - then come back here and complain about Princess' pricing - they are by far and away the least expensive when paying for wifi out of pocket, with or without the Elite discount

 

I have heard that before, that Princess is the cheapest.  I guess the thing that bothers me, prior to COVID, Elite got a certain number of minutes for FREE, then our first cruise after Covid (March 2023), the Elite price was $150 for 4 device, which is now $320.00.   So I guess it's not the price as much as it is how quick it's been raised.  We only cruised two months ago... and now BOOM... double the price.  We'll just pair down to one device and move on.  We like to keep in tough with our kids and grandkids when gone

[travelin.sisters]

2 minutes ago, mikjr said:

I have heard that before, that Princess is the cheapest.  I guess the thing that bothers me, prior to COVID, Elite got a certain number of minutes for FREE, then our first cruise after Covid (March 2023), the Elite price was $150 for 4 device, which is now $320.00.   So I guess it's not the price as much as it is how quick it's been raised.  We only cruised two months ago... and now BOOM... double the price.  We'll just pair down to one device and move on.  We like to keep in tough with our kids and grandkids when gone

they actually raised the price shortly before our March Hawai'i sailing, but maybe you purchased before the price went up (mid Feb I believe)

[mikjr]

3 minutes ago, travelin.sisters said:

they actually raised the price shortly before our March Hawai'i sailing, but maybe you purchased before the price went up (mid Feb I believe)

 

YUP, I Pre-purchased online...  

Edited April 28, 2023 by mikjr

[rj59]

I've sailed on most lines, and Princess is not only cheaper, but they also don't have throttling or censoring, as other lines do--Celebrity basic wifi is almost unusable, because the speed is throttled so much and will block any video site. One way to cut down on cost is to simply buy for one device, and sign in and out. Another option is the usual response to inflation--cut back or do without. So on my Pacific coastal cruise on Sunday, I'm going to use cell service in SF and Victoria and then either suffer without wifi, or buy a 'remainder of voyage' plan, which is still 50% off for elite, or I also sometimes buy for 24 hours, if I need to check in for a Southwest flight. You can expect some degradation of service as all the ships are much fuller, but I believe Princess is upgrading to Starlink, which might help things. One of the drawbacks of one-level of wifi and more people getting it through Plus, is that more people are using it, expecting streaming-level quality, and so that slows down things for everyone, particularly in areas with poor wifi coverage, like Alaska. Personally, I think it's sort of sad to see people staring at phone or tablet screens while sitting overlooking the sea or in a beautiful piazza--the same older people who I suspect look down on young people for constantly staring at their phones, and I know that personally it keeps me sometimes from participating in activities or appreciating my surroundings or the beauty of the sea, so I find it better to unplug for at least some part of a cruise, even if it causes some discomfort and boredom. But overall, I don't like significant increases in fares or costs for wifi, drinks, or excursions, and if that happens I simply choose other options, since I don't care for the frequent cash grabs, decrease in service, and other blatant attempts to draw down the immense cruise line debts through the wallets of passengers.

[iamaqt2]

I have never understood the need to pay for more than one device anyway.  Just log off whatever device you were using before logging on to the next device you want to use.  It literally takes a moment, and because the wi-fi is so crappy, there's no way I'm dropping that kind of cash for subpar internet.  
And Princess is charging that because they know there are people who will pay it.  More's the pity.
 

[ldubs]

8 hours ago, Princessfan20 said:

 

The kicker is you will be very very lucky if you can even use the wifi once you pay the absorbent prince.  Good luck!

 

Just who is this "absorbent prince"?  😄  (Gotta love auto-correct. )