Princess drink package

[cusematt4]

Hi all,

 

Is the drink package 64.99 per person per day on all sailings, or does the price fluctuate?

 

also, if only one of the two people on a cabin drinks and the other doesn’t, is only one person in the cabin allowed to purchase a drink package.

 

Thank you.

[J13C85]

1 hour ago, cusematt4 said:

If only one of the two people on a cabin drinks and the other doesn’t, is only one person in the cabin allowed to purchase a drink package

I can't speak to the first point but am fairly certain that w/ Princess each adult in the cabin is required to purchase.

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, cusematt4 said:

Hi all,

 

Is the drink package 64.99 per person per day on all sailings, or does the price fluctuate?

 

also, if only one of the two people on a cabin drinks and the other doesn’t, is only one person in the cabin allowed to purchase a drink package.

 

Thank you.

No, the information above in post #2 is wrong ( @J13C85 ).  For the separate beverage packages, yes, one person can purchase, but let's step back a minute and review.

 

The Plus beverage package is the same cost on all ships.  However, the actual cost is nearly $77/pp/day because 18% in gratuities is added to the $65 base amount.  Same with Premier.

 

So, let's say you did that.  You both need to pay Crew Appreciation and that is at least $32/day for the cabin.  We are now at $109/day for the cabin.  

 

Is one or both of you getting Internet?  That is $15/day minimum for 1 device and you could share the access as long as only one of you on at a time.  Otherwise $30/day for both to be connected.  Once you achieve Platinum or Elite member level with Princess, you get 50% off those rates.

 

Now, is the other guest going to drink anything at all?  Coffee, bottled water, soda, mocktails?

 

You can both have the Plus Cruise Fare package for $120/day and we were at $109/day, just $11 shy of that before considering internet or the other person.

 

Generally, it makes zero sense to purchase Princess separate beverage-only packages as they are inflated in price to make cruise fare packages look very economical.  

 

I recommend reconsidering what you are thinking and consider what beverage consumption might be for the voyage.

 

PS - For greater certainty, while the standalone beverage package can be purchased by one person, the first two in the cabin must both purchase the Plus Cruise Fare option if elect that.

 

Edited July 21, 2023 by Steelers36

[SCX22]

Just to make it super clear...

 

Princess Plus Cruise Package and Princess Premier Cruise Package have crew appreciation, wi-fi Internet, drinks, and other amenities added for $60 and $80 per person per day, respectively.  These packages can be purchased as part of your cruise fare OR onboard on embarkation day, so you can use any OBC you've accumulated towards the purchase of these packages.

 

Plus Beverage and Premier Beverage packages only cover drinks and are $64.99 and $84.99 per person per day, respectively, plus 18% gratuity.  These packages have to be purchased no later than 3-days before embarkation day

 

All packages sold by Princess that include alcohol limit alcoholic beverages to 15 per 24 hour period, where the clock resets every day at 6:00 a.m.  Non-alcoholic beverages are unlimited, but not limited to bottled water, specialty coffees, soft drinks, etc.

 

As has been stated above, the the Plus/Premier BEVERAGE packages, kind of don't make sense when you do the math.

 

[skynight]

Fully agree with postings #3 & #4. Purchasing the stand alone beverage package makes no financial sense. The plus or premier fares are the better cost options.

https://www.princess.com/cruise-deals-promotions/plus-premier-cruise-packages/

[Hlitner]

In the past few years we have moved into a new era of cruise booking strategies.  Most of the mass market lines (including Princess) now use "packages" as a marketing and pricing ploy.  Nothing is written in stone and promotions are always changing the cost/benefit if packages.  For many years, we have suggested that those of us who cruise on many different lines, and want to do comparisons, should try to value packages at their real worth to the cruiser (not the value put on them by the cruise line) and back into the true "cost per person/day."  Once you do this, some interesting strategies can surface.  You can sometimes find a luxury line (such as Seabourn) is less costly (and a much better value) than a higher category cabin/suite on a line like Princess or Celebrity.  And some of the ship within a ship concepts, like MSC's Yacht Club, can often be a bargain when compared to booking a different line and buying the various packages.

 

When it comes to Princess, watch for their promotions and last minute deals (for those that can handle last minute planning).   Would we pay $64.99 for a drink package on Princess?  No way!  DW and I know how much we spend, on an average cruise day, for drinks and it is not $130.   However, Princess does have "packages" that include drinks that are much more attractive.

 

Hank

[skynight]

" Would we pay $64.99 for a drink package on Princess? "

Hank, the cost is really $76.69, $64.99 + 18%.

[nasa1974]

For me the only thing that would make the Princess Plus something to think about is having to pay for 2 MedallionNet Wi-Fi packages. Is it worth the $30 a day for Wi-Fi.

Look, round it up to $77 per day. If you are in a mini-suite minus $17 per day for crew appreciation. That's $60/day. Now minus the $15 per day for the Wi-Fi and that equals $45/day left over for drinks, fancy coffees, fresh juice and their specialty ice cream deserts. Now remember this is per person. So, to just come out and say the Princess Plus isn't worth it, you have to do the math. Can I drink $45/day of coffee, juice, fountain sodas, beer, wine by the glass or fancy cocktails? For some it's a real deal for others not so much. You have to figure out if it's right for you. Compared to other cruise lines Princess Plus is a deal. 

[Steelers36]

23 minutes ago, nasa1974 said:

For me the only thing that would make the Princess Plus something to think about is having to pay for 2 MedallionNet Wi-Fi packages. Is it worth the $30 a day for Wi-Fi.

Look, round it up to $77 per day. If you are in a mini-suite minus $17 per day for crew appreciation. That's $60/day. Now minus the $15 per day for the Wi-Fi and that equals $45/day left over for drinks, fancy coffees, fresh juice and their specialty ice cream deserts. Now remember this is per person. So, to just come out and say the Princess Plus isn't worth it, you have to do the math. Can I drink $45/day of coffee, juice, fountain sodas, beer, wine by the glass or fancy cocktails? For some it's a real deal for others not so much. You have to figure out if it's right for you. Compared to other cruise lines Princess Plus is a deal. 

I do not understand your approach above. 

 

Plus is $60/pp/day, inclusive of gratuities.  Take out your $17 and your $15 and you are at $28/pp/day for the balance of benefits, including beverages.  Also, do you not get 50% off Medallion Net as yet?

 

[skynight]

nasa 1974. Your arithmetic is incorrect. 

[nasa1974]

 

33 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

I do not understand your approach above. 

 

Plus is $60/pp/day, inclusive of gratuities.  Take out your $17 and your $15 and you are at $28/pp/day for the balance of benefits, including beverages.  Also, do you not get 50% off Medallion Net as yet?

 

 

13 minutes ago, skynight said:

nasa 1974. Your arithmetic is incorrect. 

Never mind I did the same thing as others have. "Princess Plus" and "The Plus Beverage Package" are not the same thing. My mistake. So, I would not purchase "The Plus Beverage Package" unless I was a big drinker of coffee, beer, wine or cocktails. Then you still have to pay for crew appreciation and

Wi-Fi. Yes, Wi-Fi is 50% off if you are Platinum or Elite if purchased separately.

[memoak]

The only reason to get the drink package on its own is if your cabin mate is someone who doesn’t drink and refuses to pay for the plus package

[Steelers36]

23 minutes ago, memoak said:

The only reason to get the drink package on its own is if your cabin mate is someone who doesn’t drink and refuses to pay for the plus package

Right - would be drinking virtually nothing.  I think you and I touched on this before. 

 

It might be worth it for the other "desiring" cabin mate to pay a "couple" of dollars over the $60 to "make up" a shortfall on the other person in order for them to have the Plus.  After all, many folks find the Plus well justified even if the price for them was a little over $60/day.

 

[rideev]

Just curious, I'm on a cruise in the middle of the ocean.  What do I need Wifi for?  If there was an emergency at home, what an I going to do?  Jump off and swim?

[Steelers36]

5 minutes ago, rideev said:

Just curious, I'm on a cruise in the middle of the ocean.  What do I need Wifi for?  If there was an emergency at home, what an I going to do?  Jump off and swim?

Some people tune out.  Others like to be in touch with home or in contact with tour providers in upcoming ports.  Do whatever you like.

[SCX22]

17 minutes ago, rideev said:

Just curious, I'm on a cruise in the middle of the ocean.  What do I need Wifi for?  If there was an emergency at home, what an I going to do?  Jump off and swim?

 

Can't answer for you.

 

I have to be connected.  Still have to check my work e-mails.  I do DIY when I get into port, so like to check transit times or book independent tours.  I stream content, when there's nothing to do and the connection permits because the on demand on the stateroom TVs is lacking.  Like to check the weather over the Internet because what's on the stateroom TV is notorious for being incorrect.  Like to check cruise pricing to compare to what Future Cruise is offering.  The wi-fi allows for independence from what info Princess is supplying on the ship.  Not sure about your age, but I'm in my mid-30s so disconnecting is a non-starter for me.

[memoak]

58 minutes ago, rideev said:

Just curious, I'm on a cruise in the middle of the ocean.  What do I need Wifi for?  If there was an emergency at home, what an I going to do?  Jump off and swim?

Check news to find out what is happening in the world for one thing   And yes if there is an emergency at home you could arrange flights home from the next port. Wouldn’t you love it if you wait till you get to the port and find all flights were booked the day before

[skynight]

1 hour ago, rideev said:

Just curious, I'm on a cruise in the middle of the ocean.  What do I need Wifi for?  If there was an emergency at home, what an I going to do?  Jump off and swim?

Some like to remain connected at all times. Some work or run their business while on board. Others don't require very much internet time. I was previously happy with the free minutes. Never ever came close to using them up.

Emergencies? Family at home could always get in touch with you on the ship even before cell phones and wide spread internet. Back then you were still in the middle of the ocean and you still had to wait until the ship reached port. Now it is easier to offer advice and plan what to do next when you have internet access.

By the way wifi on board is free. You are paying for internet access. Princess incorrectly calls it wifi. 

[MacMadame]

Why get wifi? I like to upload my pictures and video during my vacations because if I wait until I get home, I never get around to it. 😀

 

For the various Princess packages, I made a spreadsheet. And used Cruise Mummy's drinks calculator to see if I would drink enough to make it worth it once I subtracted out the things I would be paying anyway (wifi, gratuities, gym classes). It turns out it I would spend slightly more than the package on drinks so I got the package so I don't have to worry about how much I spend on drinks.

[MissP22]

11 hours ago, rideev said:

Just curious, I'm on a cruise in the middle of the ocean.  What do I need Wifi for?  If there was an emergency at home, what an I going to do?  Jump off and swim?

For us having an internet connection doesn't mean much at all. There's not much I can do about any emergencies that occur (there hasn't been in the last 30 years) and I can get internet email at ports for free anyway.

As for reading the news, we get anything we need from the TV which is mostly the same old babble every day anyway. 😊

[capriccio]

12 hours ago, rideev said:

Just curious, I'm on a cruise in the middle of the ocean.  What do I need Wifi for?  If there was an emergency at home, what an I going to do?  Jump off and swim?

You can communicate in an emergency as quickly as you can if you were on land.

 

We were on a 28 day cruise this spring.  Half way thru it we received a text from our DD who was being admitted to the hospital for emergency surgery.  She was in too much pain (which they were having trouble controlling) to speak at that point and couldn’t figure out the 14 hour time difference (she was in Virginia, we were off the southwest coast of Australia) and didn’t want to possibly wake us up.  Being able to text and FaceTime post-surgery with her over the 48 hours she was hospitalized was very reassuring to all of us.

 

 

[disneyochem]

17 hours ago, rideev said:

Just curious, I'm on a cruise in the middle of the ocean.  What do I need Wifi for?  If there was an emergency at home, what an I going to do?  Jump off and swim?

And then there are those of us who are addicted to our daily New York Times crossword, wordl, nerdl, sudoku and other games!  🤣🤣

[memoak]

18 minutes ago, disneyochem said:

And then there are those of us who are addicted to our daily New York Times crossword, wordl, nerdl, sudoku and other games!  🤣🤣

Amen to that plus getting local news and checking in with local tour operators. I also don’t think MSNBC and Fox are the best places for actual news