Is the Medallion Plus experience on Princess worth the money?

[beshears]

I see Princess advertising the Medallion Plus experience. If YOU have paid for this, was it worth it, and what did you received in return for what you paid, and how much was it?

[capriccio]

Everyone needs to do the math for themselves. 

 

See the website for more info:  https://www.princess.com/cruise-deals-promotions/plus-premier-cruise-packages/.  For many passengers the calculation comes down to the value of the drink portion:  it includes up to 15 alcoholic drinks a day $15 and under (which is most cocktails and shots and some wines; on more expensive drinks you just pay the difference between their price and $15) plus unlimited mocktails, fancy coffees and teas, juice, and bottled water.

 

There are a number of threads that discuss the Plus and Premier Packages too.

 

 

[c-boy]

🤔    subject to interpretation, so ...... 

 

Edited June 5, 2023 by c-boy

[cr8tiv1]

All else being even (wifi and crew appreciation), it comes down to how many cocktails will you have a day.  3 is breakeven point.  After that, all the non-alcoholic drinks, coffees, desserts, cake, gym classes....are FREE.

[Expat Cruise]

1 hour ago, cr8tiv1 said:

All else being even (wifi and crew appreciation), it comes down to how many cocktails will you have a day.  3 is breakeven point.  After that, all the non-alcoholic drinks, coffees, desserts, cake, gym classes....are FREE.

But it is really not this simple. Wi-Fi & Crew appreciation are not even for all. For example, We need the 4 device Wi-Fi plan, which would mean upgrading to the higher price package. We also have a 50% discount on Wi-Fi because of our Captain's Circle level. We paid thousands of dollars in cruise fares to earn this, and Princess gives us no credit in these packages. Therefore, for many, the Wi-Fi is not fair or even. 

 

The Crew Appreciation is not a set or required fee, it is only a suggestion, as per the terms of the contract with Princess. The contract they made and want guests to follow. So this amount also is not settled. Then throw in some people do not drink alcoholic drinks for many reasons. 

 

And if you look at all sides, Princess Cruises is not offering these packages because they lose money on them. They are a profit center for them. Which means for some people the packages do not work. For others, they may work, and those guests should select them. For us, they don't work. 

[cruzsnooze]

If you don't drink and need only one wifi device it's not worth anything. 

[Buckeye10640]

Fact is, despite tons of people continually asking 'is Plus or Premier worth it', only each person can  decide for themselves based on their particular wants and needs.  I can say generally its not worth it to me, and I sailed  both with Plus and without.  But I certainly cannot advise anyone else whose circumstances may be different. Do the math folks, or just decide if its worth it regardless to pay upfront and not worry about it even if you dont drink, are a light drinker, dont care about wifi, etc.....

[SargassoPirate]

You gotta put the pencil to it.  For me, the math doesn't work, so I go ala carte.  

[Lady Arwen]

Works for us.  We enjoy cocktails, wine with dinner, specialty coffees (with or without alcohol), Perrier and occasional sofas.  We need wifi, always do prepaid gratuities, etc.  We also like the convenience of not having to be concerned about what we’re adding to our onboard account.

Does it work for everybody?  Of course not.  Only you know your own particular needs and the value you put on them.  Does Princess make money on the packages?  Of course they do.  They make money on all aspects of your cruise.  Cruiselines are a business not a charity.

[JimmyVWine]

9 hours ago, Expat Cruise said:

The Crew Appreciation is not a set or required fee, it is only a suggestion, as per the terms of the contract with Princess.

But it is still easy to do the math.  Just plug in what you plan to tip to see if buying Plus and using its tip amount makes more sense to you.  For example, let's say that the suggested gratuity is $16 for your level of cabin.  You don't plan to tip that amount, and instead plan to tip $20 per day.  It would still make sense to get the Package and then add in $4 per day to get to your planned tip amount.  And let's say that you were planning to tip only $12 a day. It would still make sense to get the Package with its $16 gratuity if the rest of the package was going to save you $4 or more per day in drinks and coffee. The same holds true for WiFi discounts.  Here's he math:

• I get WiFi for $7.50 per day with my discount.
• I plan to tip $12 per day
• I am going to consume $8 in coffee drinks per day
• I am going to have 2 glasses of wine at $15 per day and one cocktail for $9 each day.

 

My daily total is going to come to $66.50.  Eschewing the Plus Package so that I can monetize my Wi-Fi discount that I spent thousands of dollars earning, and shaving down the gratuity amount because...well...I won't go there, is cutting off one's nose to spite one's face.  Better to get the Plus Package even if you won't sleep well at night knowing that you over-tipped.   

 

[skynight]

I haven't checked other cruise line fares, but believe use of the medallion instead of a cruise card, medallion experience, does not increase fares. Speaking about the plus fares then you have to do the math. Included  are crew grats and wifi (internet). This amounts to $26 to $28 pp/day. That leaves a plus fare difference of around $40/pp/day for both alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages pp/day, About 4 martinis or a combo of a few alcoholic beverages, some expresso drinks, sodas and other items included in the package.

Edited June 5, 2023 by skynight

[JimmyVWine]

9 hours ago, Expat Cruise said:

And if you look at all sides, Princess Cruises is not offering these packages because they lose money on them. They are a profit center for them.

Actually, no.  The are a loss leader to get people to choose Princess over the competition.  Yes, in a way they are a profit center, but only because the sunk cost of the component parts is less than the price of the package, but that would be true even if they offered the Package at $30 per day.  The wholesale price of coffee beans and the per-once cost of liquor would make these plans profitable at half the current cost.  But Princess would make more money per passenger if each passenger paid out-of-pocket for all that they get in the package.  See my post above.  $66.50 is more than $60.  Princess "loses" $6.50 per day on the hypothetical customer I described above. And I don't think that the assumptions that I built in for that hypothetical are extreme.  People who aren't going to consume much if any alcohol simply aren't going to buy the packages.  But if one is a drinker at virtually any level, Princess is not "making a profit" on selling Plus in comparison to out-of-pocket spending.  It is only making a profit based on the wholesale sunk cost of the items offered.  Yes, Princess is making money on Plus.  But just not as much as it would if guests paid out of pocket. The value to Princess is that it is selling Plus at quite a bit below the cost set by other cruise lines in the hopes that Princess can capture more market share. 

[gah_cruise]

9 hours ago, Expat Cruise said:

The Crew Appreciation is not a set or required fee, it is only a suggestion, as per the terms of the contract with Princess. The contract they made and want guests to follow. So this amount also is not settled. Then throw in some people do not drink alcoholic drinks for many reasons. 

Curious.......do you not pay crew appreciation?

[JimmyVWine]

1 minute ago, gah_cruise said:

Curious.......do you not pay crew appreciation?

I'm sure that what he was implying is that having spent thousands of dollars with Princess to earn a Captain's Circle loyalty level that is so high that he gets a discount on Wi-Fi, he knows that value that the crew brings to the overall experience, has seen first hand how hard they work, and that he intends to reward them with a gratuity that EXCEEDS the suggested amount.  Right?  It couldn't possibly be the other way around.   

[Hlitner]

Lets talk a little about the "watering down" of Elite Benefits.  We cruise many different cruise lines (16 to date) and have high status with quite a few.  Nearly all cruise lines (even the luxury lines) have some kind of Loyalty program and just about every line has various benefit packages that go along with the status.  Traditionally, Princess has had one of the best package of benefits for those who have Elite Status (we have been Elite for a very long time).  

 

As the cruise industry grew, and many folks took more cruise vacations, the cruise lines ran into a problem that might be best described as "loyalty creep" where a lot of folks reached the higher levels.  The cruise lines found themselves in a situation where all these free beneftis were becoming problamatic in terms of cost.  We first saw this problem on RCI where Diamond members used to get access the the relatively small Concierge Lounge.  The lounges became too crowded, so RCI had to roll back the benefit (they later built Diamond Lounges on the new ships) which caused a lot of angst among Diamond folks.

 

So the cruise lines had to deal with the benefit situation and did not want to tick off its loyal members.  The solution was to make the loyalty benefits redundant which can be accomplished by the packages.  We have run into this issue on quite a few cruise lines.  It is just the way it is!  

 

Hank

[JimmyVWine]

8 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Lets talk a little about the "watering down" of Elite Benefits.  We cruise many different cruise lines (16 to date) and have high status with quite a few.  Nearly all cruise lines (even the luxury lines) have some kind of Loyalty program and just about every line has various benefit packages that go along with the status.  Traditionally, Princess has had one of the best package of benefits for those who have Elite Status (we have been Elite for a very long time).  

 

As the cruise industry grew, and many folks took more cruise vacations, the cruise lines ran into a problem that might be best described as "loyalty creep" where a lot of folks reached the higher levels.  The cruise lines found themselves in a situation where all these free beneftis were becoming problamatic in terms of cost.  We first saw this problem on RCI where Diamond members used to get access the the relatively small Concierge Lounge.  The lounges became too crowded, so RCI had to roll back the benefit (they later built Diamond Lounges on the new ships) which caused a lot of angst among Diamond folks.

 

So the cruise lines had to deal with the benefit situation and did not want to tick off its loyal members.  The solution was to make the loyalty benefits redundant which can be accomplished by the packages.  We have run into this issue on quite a few cruise lines.  It is just the way it is!  

 

Hank

Simply put, seasoned cruisers know how to game the system more so than less seasoned cruisers, and sit on their wallets when it comes to things like ship-run excursion, gift shop purchases (that aren't made using up hundreds on OBC) and events like wine tastings.  The cruise lines are well aware of this and tolerate high elite level guests more than they celebrate them.  If I were CEO for a day, I would revisit how benefits are doled out, increasing them on longer cruises and all but eliminating them on shorter cruises.  Cruise lines need long-term customers to fill ships on longer itineraries that newbies don't book.  But a typical 7 day Caribbean cruise out of Port Everglades?  Princess would probably just as soon sail without anyone on board who is on their 24th cruise.  

[Expat Cruise]

20 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

But it is still easy to do the math.  Just plug in what you plan to tip to see if buying Plus and using its tip amount makes more sense to you.  For example, let's say that the suggested gratuity is $16 for your level of cabin.  You don't plan to tip that amount, and instead plan to tip $20 per day.  It would still make sense to get the Package and then add in $4 per day to get to your planned tip amount.  And let's say that you were planning to tip only $12 a day. It would still make sense to get the Package with its $16 gratuity if the rest of the package was going to save you $4 or more per day in drinks and coffee. The same holds true for WiFi discounts.  Here's he math:

• I get WiFi for $7.50 per day with my discount.
• I plan to tip $12 per day
• I am going to consume $8 in coffee drinks per day
• I am going to have 2 glasses of wine at $15 per day and one cocktail for $9 each day.

 

My daily total is going to come to $66.50.  Eschewing the Plus Package so that I can monetize my Wi-Fi discount that I spent thousands of dollars earning, and shaving down the gratuity amount because...well...I won't go there, is cutting off one's nose to spite one's face.  Better to get the Plus Package even if you won't sleep well at night knowing that you over-tipped.   

 

Those are your numbers, mine are completely different. From me and many others, the packages do not work. And those that the packages don't work, it is their choice not to take them. 

 

10 minutes ago, gah_cruise said:

Curious.......do you not pay crew appreciation?

If you're asking about my personal choice, I follow the terms of the contract of passage and stay within that contract. But I also have relationships with many crew members outside of Princess cruises.

 

50% of the service crew on Princess Cruises is from the Philippines. Having lived in the Philippines for almost 25 years (duel residency Philippines & United States)  I have many more options than most guests. Also know much more than any guest every should know in the eyes of the cruise line.  Which controls how I handle my own affairs, dealing with the crew. 

 

12 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

Actually, no.  The are a loss leader to get people to choose Princess over the competition.  Yes, in a way they are a profit center, but only because the sunk cost of the component parts is less than the price of the package, but that would be true even if they offered the Package at $30 per day.  The wholesale price of coffee beans and the per-once cost of liquor would make these plans profitable at half the current cost.  But Princess would make more money per passenger if each passenger paid out-of-pocket for all that they get in the package.  See my post above.  $66.50 is more than $60.  Princess "loses" $6.50 per day on the hypothetical customer I described above. And I don't think that the assumptions that I built in for that hypothetical are extreme.  People who aren't going to consume much if any alcohol simply aren't going to buy the packages.  But if one is a drinker at virtually any level, Princess is not "making a profit" on selling Plus in comparison to out-of-pocket spending.  It is only making a profit based on the wholesale sunk cost of the items offered.  Yes, Princess is making money on Plus.  But just not as much as it would if guests paid out of pocket. The value to Princess is that it is selling Plus at quite a bit below the cost set by other cruise lines in the hopes that Princess can capture more market share. 

That is one opinion, it just does not happen to be the correct one. CCL and Princess Cruises under CCL are a publicly traded stock. Therefore, buried in the hundreds of pages of accounting is the truth. Mainstream cruise lines do make their money on the basic cruise fare, it is made on the upselling of products and services like these packages. 

[JimmyVWine]

20 minutes ago, Expat Cruise said:

Those are your numbers, mine are completely different. From me and many others, the packages do not work. And those that the packages don't work, it is their choice not to take them. 

 

If you're asking about my personal choice, I follow the terms of the contract of passage and stay within that contract. But I also have relationships with many crew members outside of Princess cruises.

 

50% of the service crew on Princess Cruises is from the Philippines. Having lived in the Philippines for almost 25 years (duel residency Philippines & United States)  I have many more options than most guests. Also know much more than any guest every should know in the eyes of the cruise line.  Which controls how I handle my own affairs, dealing with the crew. 

 

That is one opinion, it just does not happen to be the correct one. CCL and Princess Cruises under CCL are a publicly traded stock. Therefore, buried in the hundreds of pages of accounting is the truth. Mainstream cruise lines do make their money on the basic cruise fare, it is made on the upselling of products and services like these packages. 

You are trying to make too many points at once and are tripping over yourself.  Go back to the post that you quoted and responded to.  It said:

 

"All else being even (wifi and crew appreciation), it comes down to how many cocktails will you have a day."

 

To which you replied:

"But it is really not this simple."

 

And from there you went on to discuss how some people don't drink, and that the numbers I used weren't accurate for you.  But step back and look at the post you quoted and your immediate response.  It all comes down to how much one drinks. (Including all beverages, not just alcohol.)  That is a true statement and it isn't worth debating the point further.  THAT is the key consideration.  Full stop.  If you don't drink beverages, you don't benefit from Plus.  If you do drink beverages, it is very easy to determine if Plus will work for you.  None of the other discounts really matter.  Now, all that said, this assumption has built into it the notion that one is going to pay a gratuity that is in line with the suggestion.  I can certainly see that if one refused to pay any gratuity, the $16 per day "savings" will move the meter on the value of Plus.  But no one is ever going to do that, right?  As shown above, IF ONE DRINKS BEVERAGES, even lowering the tip still makes Plus a value.  If one ELIMINATES the tip, then things change.  And I am beginning to think that this is what this debate is really about.

 

And yes, Princess is a publicly traded company.  But last time I checked, such companies use loss leaders all the time to generate other sales.  You can believe what you want.  In my most recent Journal and Review I detailed day by day what our out-of-pocket costs for alcohol alone would have cost in comparison to having Plus and it wasn't even close.  And our drinking habits were not unusual among people who have Plus.  Around 4 drinks per day on average.  More on Sea Days, fewer on long Port Days.  Look.  If teetotalers are buying Plus then I surrender and you are correct.  But I just don't see that happening.  But people who consume coffee, soda and alcohol and who intend to pay the suggested gratuity are paying less on Plus than without it.  That is not an opinion.   

 

Edited June 5, 2023 by JimmyVWine

[gah_cruise]

34 minutes ago, Expat Cruise said:

So am I correct in assuming that you do remove crew appreciation, as is you right, and reward staff directly as you see fit.?

[beshears]

Oh my, thank you EACH of you who have responded to my question. Without even doing the "math" as has been suggested, I believe I know my answer. I very rarely drink alcohol or soda on the ship, and as for tipping, I ALWAYS tip, so I don't worry about that issue.

[EmilyColwell]

Absolutely worth it for me and my partner.

considering premier this time for the photos since the trip will be with our families.

[JimmyVWine]

39 minutes ago, beshears said:

I very rarely drink alcohol or soda on the ship

There's your answer.  No matter how much anyone tries to overcomplicate things!

[Roberto256]

6 hours ago, Expat Cruise said:

That is one opinion, it just does not happen to be the correct one. CCL and Princess Cruises under CCL are a publicly traded stock. Therefore, buried in the hundreds of pages of accounting is the truth. Mainstream cruise lines do make their money on the basic cruise fare, it is made on the upselling of products and services like these packages. 

 

It might be a good idea for you to actually proof read what you write.

Your last sentence makes no sense as it is.  As it is written, it has no point.

 

It would make a lot more sense if you wrote:

Mainstream cruise lines do NOT make their money on the basic cruise fare, it is made on the upselling of products and services like these packages. 

 

If you are going to mock others' opinions, you might want to be more exact with yours.

 

[Grayce]

When booking our upcoming b2b cruise I did the math. We get 50% off WIFI. We don't drink alcohol, wine or coffee, but we do drink soft drinks. We booked the basic fare, bought a WIFI package for each of us and prepaid our tips. The fare, WIFI and prepaid tips was just over $1600 CDN less than buying the plus package. That is over $1100 US. We would never drink $1100 worth of soft drinks so it was not worth booking the plus package for us. It really depends on what/how much someone drinks if the package is worth it. 

[beshears]

Well, I may have had a change of mind, but I haven't decided as yet. My son was over looking at the computer again of what the different packages Princess had to offer, and although I really don't do much drinking of anything, by the time he read the different packages, including tips, pictures, dinners, deserts, WiFi, etc.,it almost made me thing that I might get one of those packages after all.