New today - Extra Stuff in Princess Plus & Premier

[OzKiwiJJ]

3 hours ago, compozer said:

We did our first Regent cruise last January and loved it.   We have always booked full suites with Princess but have been disappointed since the perks are disappearing.  We are also trying out several other lines.  But we will book with Regent again.

The cruise I'm comparing costs against will be our first Regent cruise. I'm very much looking forward to it. 

 

The only downside to Regent and most of the other luxury lines is that they tend to do one way itineraries in our part of the world so there is always the added inconvenience of air travel. 

 

We've always enjoyed being able to cruise Sydney return on Princess but we don't like the bigger ships that now homeport in Sydney and the recent changes, since the post-pandemic restart, are really downgrading the product. The Plus fares sounded like such a great deal when they were first announced but it was obvious the original $40pp per day cost wouldn't last, $50 was more reasonable but I object to paying an extra $15 for crap I don't want and will never use. Plus they have not delivered on the number of wines by the glass that the package supposedly offers - 9 choices is nowhere near the promised 25. 😡

[compozer]

I agree about the new packages,  OzKiwiJJ

[arxcards]

Dollars aside, loyalty is also being diluted. Aside from a small number of suites, priority boarding was set aside for loyal passengers. Now you can add another couple of hundred to the priority line. 

 

I am surprised they haven't changed the PES lounge to the PEPS lounge. 😉

[arxcards]

Something for those that are carrying the old packages to check.

 

I asked our T/A about paying (grrrr) the $10pp per day upgrade, and he said it won't let him. On the following page where you can upgrade your package, it lists us having the $95 version and upgrading isn't possible. 

https://book.princess.com/cruisepersonalizer/onboard/cruisePackages.page (or click the package upgrade link within your personaliser).

 

I don't know if I upset someone, or if these have been quietly grandfathered for premier or both premier & plus. On other tabs such as "onboard services" it still lists the contents of the old package, but I have to think if they wont let me to access the upgrade it must be taken care of already.

[LittleFish1976]

21 minutes ago, arxcards said:

Something for those that are carrying the old packages to check.

 

I asked our T/A about paying (grrrr) the $10pp per day upgrade, and he said it won't let him. On the following page where you can upgrade your package, it lists us having the $95 version and upgrading isn't possible. 

https://book.princess.com/cruisepersonalizer/onboard/cruisePackages.page (or click the package upgrade link within your personaliser).

 

I don't know if I upset someone, or if these have been quietly grandfathered for premier or both premier & plus. On other tabs such as "onboard services" it still lists the contents of the old package, but I have to think if they wont let me to access the upgrade it must be taken care of already.

 

You're lucky! I paid for the old Premier version ($85); sailing in October. The app tells me I have no packages whatsoever! I have to go into the voyage personaliser web-based document to see that I paid for something. Tells me I can 'upgrade' for $95! Will I start my first Princess cruise being a bit cranky?!

 

[arxcards]

1 minute ago, LittleFish1976 said:

 

You're lucky! I paid for the old Premier version ($85); sailing in October. The app tells me I have no packages whatsoever! I have to go into the voyage personaliser web-based document to see that I paid for something. Tells me I can 'upgrade' for $95! Will I start my first Princess cruise being a bit cranky?!

 

I haven't looked at the app, but just the personaliser, as that has pages that can be printed and furiously waved if needed. 😂

[LittleFish1976]

6 minutes ago, arxcards said:

I haven't looked at the app, but just the personaliser, as that has pages that can be printed and furiously waved if needed. 😂

 

I'm a big believer in the hard-copy-evidence fan, ready for waving.

 

I thought perhaps the app was the gold standard for Princess. Even so, I'm just going to fill in what I can and arrive at the port ready for them to help me check in.

 

It would be nice if they grandfather all of us who are already booked and paid and sailing soon, into the new system.

[Tripmode33]

6 hours ago, LittleFish1976 said:

 

You're lucky! I paid for the old Premier version ($85); sailing in October. The app tells me I have no packages whatsoever! I have to go into the voyage personaliser web-based document to see that I paid for something. Tells me I can 'upgrade' for $95! Will I start my first Princess cruise being a bit cranky?!

 

Similar.  App says we have no packages. I'll check personaliser tomorrow.  Hopefully we won't need to upgrade although I seriously doubt that we'd be that fortunate.

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, Tripmode33 said:

Similar.  App says we have no packages. I'll check personaliser tomorrow.  Hopefully we won't need to upgrade although I seriously doubt that we'd be that fortunate.

Check the Travel Summary for that cruise. 

 

However I'm not sure even it is accurate.

 

For our upcoming Japan cruise we booked the Plus fare at $65pp per day. That should mean we get the three newly announced extras included.

 

However the Travel Summary is is only showing items covered by Plus at the time we booked.

 

Edited August 6, 2023 by OzKiwiJJ

[OzKiwiJJ]

I think Princess have screwed up big time with this latest stuff. They have taken away things that were always part of the Princess deal for many years and have implemented the changes in a totally confusing manner.

 

For the Japan cruise it really doesn't matter to us as it's only a 9 night cruise, on Diamond Princess, with only two sea days so anything morecthan the drinks package and internet package is irrelevant - well almost depending on the quality and selection of wines by the glass on that cruise. 

 

However it's a different story for the world cruise we have booked next year. We're starting to feel we are being ripped off by Princess. Since they've changed the rules some of the conditions under which we booked that cruise no longer apply, plus I suspect the wines by the glass will still be the same cheap and nasty rubbish, and less than half the selection they promised.

[arxcards]

10 hours ago, Tripmode33 said:

Similar.  App says we have no packages. I'll check personaliser tomorrow.  Hopefully we won't need to upgrade although I seriously doubt that we'd be that fortunate.

Plus and Premier fares are not stand-alone packages. Separate packages booked via the personaliser will show in that part of the app.

[arxcards]

17 hours ago, arxcards said:

Something for those that are carrying the old packages to check.

 

I asked our T/A about paying (grrrr) the $10pp per day upgrade, and he said it won't let him. On the following page where you can upgrade your package, it lists us having the $95 version and upgrading isn't possible. 

https://book.princess.com/cruisepersonalizer/onboard/cruisePackages.page (or click the package upgrade link within your personaliser).

 

I don't know if I upset someone, or if these have been quietly grandfathered for premier or both premier & plus. On other tabs such as "onboard services" it still lists the contents of the old package, but I have to think if they wont let me to access the upgrade it must be taken care of already.

Turns out it is another Princess bum steer on their site. It doesn't matter what version of plus or premier you have, that page shows you having the current version. Below those boxes that show your purchased package (per Julie's post) is some fine print and a link to your travel summary. Select items may not be included in your current package. You can review your travel summary for a full list of included items. Please contact us or your travel agent to make changes to your package. The travel summary is your print-out docs, and it lists all of the components of you package at the time of purchase. 

 

If upgrading form old plus to new plus; or old premier to new premier you can't do it via the personaliser, but through your T/A or phoning Princess. That makes sense, as it is part of the fare.  It looks as if T/A's also have to do this the old- fashioned way over the phone with Princess.

[Tripmode33]

51 minutes ago, arxcards said:

Turns out it is another Princess bum steer on their site. It doesn't matter what version of plus or premier you have, that page shows you having the current version. Below those boxes that show your purchased package (per Julie's post) is some fine print and a link to your travel summary. Select items may not be included in your current package. You can review your travel summary for a full list of included items. Please contact us or your travel agent to make changes to your package. The travel summary is your print-out docs, and it lists all of the components of you package at the time of purchase. 

 

If upgrading form old plus to new plus; or old premier to new premier you can't do it via the personaliser, but through your T/A or phoning Princess. That makes sense, as it is part of the fare.  It looks as if T/A's also have to do this the old- fashioned way over the phone with Princess.

Thanks for information on this topic.

Do you know if, for the people who bought their package after the magic date in December, whether their Travel Summaries have been updated yet to show new recent inclusions?  Or still showing item list from time of purchase, even though they'll have the benefit of the new items.

[Tripmode33]

2 minutes ago, Tripmode33 said:

Thanks for information on this topic.

Do you know if, for the people who bought their package after the magic date in December, whether their Travel Summaries have been updated yet to show new recent inclusions?  Or still showing item list from time of purchase, even though they'll have the benefit of the new items.

I now see Ozkiwi Travel Summary above, and appears not updated for new items.  What was the $13.05 charge for? Is this related to Package?

[arxcards]

3 minutes ago, Tripmode33 said:

Thanks for information on this topic.

Do you know if, for the people who bought their package after the magic date in December, whether their Travel Summaries have been updated yet to show new recent inclusions?  Or still showing item list from time of purchase, even though they'll have the benefit of the new items.

Still showing as for date of purchase, at least our is on Coral cruise in February.

We also have that extra DND line (do not display ???) which I hadn't seen before.

 

At least with the latest update, they have said that these recent inclusions will be included. No Aussie departures will be affected until mid-September, so we have a bit of time to see what happens on the other ships - next week, grab some popcorn & keep an eye on the Princess board.

[arxcards]

Much of this angst has been around the pizzeria menus, which are replacing a price inclusive menu with a price additional menu without changing the content of the menu. Locally for Coral, that sucks. For Majestic, it sucks a bit less as they also have options at Vines & Ocean Terrace that were not inclusive.

 

When Diamond arrives, the sushi wasn't free, but it will be included in the packages.

When Crown arrives as our full-time ship, Salty Dog gastropub wasn't free, but it will be included in the packages.

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, Tripmode33 said:

Thanks for information on this topic.

Do you know if, for the people who bought their package after the magic date in December, whether their Travel Summaries have been updated yet to show new recent inclusions?  Or still showing item list from time of purchase, even though they'll have the benefit of the new items.

No, the Travel Summaries haven't been updated - see my post #109 above. That cruise was booked early this year so after the magic date. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, Tripmode33 said:

I now see Ozkiwi Travel Summary above, and appears not updated for new items.  What was the $13.05 charge for? Is this related to Package?

I haven't got a clue what the $13.05 is. The "costs" shown alongside each item are the perceived value of the perk. It's only a 9 night cruise so the actual cost was $585pp.

 

It will be interesting to see if we get Kai Sushi free, if we decide to go there for lunch on one of the sea days.

[arxcards]

38 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I haven't got a clue what the $13.05 is. The "costs" shown alongside each item are the perceived value of the perk. It's only a 9 night cruise so the actual cost was $585pp.

 

It will be interesting to see if we get Kai Sushi free, if we decide to go there for lunch on one of the sea days.

According to their new mantra, you are entitled to do it twice per cruise if you have $65 plus. Kai is the "Casual" venue on Diamond.

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, arxcards said:

According to their new mantra, you are entitled to do it twice per cruise if you have $65 plus. Kai is the "Casual" venue on Diamond.

Yes, theoretically we should be entitled to do it twice but ... I guess we'll find out once we're onboard. We tried Kai Sushi on Sun Princess - it was OK but not worth paying for so we didn't bother going to it on Diamond. If we get it included it might be worth trying again. 

[arxcards]

28 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Yes, theoretically we should be entitled to do it twice but ... I guess we'll find out once we're onboard. We tried Kai Sushi on Sun Princess - it was OK but not worth paying for so we didn't bother going to it on Diamond. If we get it included it might be worth trying again. 

Hopefully a ship in Japan will have decent sushi, if not spectacular.

[OzKiwiJJ]

56 minutes ago, arxcards said:

Hopefully a ship in Japan will have decent sushi, if not spectacular.

🤞🤞🤞

 

The online menu shows Ahi Tuna Poke so that'll keep me happy.

Edited August 7, 2023 by OzKiwiJJ

[BuzzBuzzen]

8 hours ago, arxcards said:

Turns out it is another Princess bum steer on their site. It doesn't matter what version of plus or premier you have, that page shows you having the current version. Below those boxes that show your purchased package (per Julie's post) is some fine print and a link to your travel summary. Select items may not be included in your current package. You can review your travel summary for a full list of included items. Please contact us or your travel agent to make changes to your package. The travel summary is your print-out docs, and it lists all of the components of you package at the time of purchase. 

 

If upgrading form old plus to new plus; or old premier to new premier you can't do it via the personaliser, but through your T/A or phoning Princess. That makes sense, as it is part of the fare.  It looks as if T/A's also have to do this the old- fashioned way over the phone with Princess.

My experience of changing from the pre December 2022 Premier package to new Premier package this year was indeed completed by using my cruise personaliser page. My credit card was charged the difference immediately. It showed up on a new Travel Summary too. The only catch was a phone call from Princess Sydney Office, couple of days later,  stating I had to pay an outstanding amount or my cruise would be cancelled ! Questioning this, I was told I owed an amount to update my already paid deposit to a new amount. They were very patient with me while explaining the issue. I duly paid the amount via cruise personaliser and was issued  a new set of documents showing the new payments. Cheers, Brian.

[arxcards]

2 hours ago, BuzzBuzzen said:

My experience of changing from the pre December 2022 Premier package to new Premier package this year was indeed completed by using my cruise personaliser page. My credit card was charged the difference immediately. It showed up on a new Travel Summary too. The only catch was a phone call from Princess Sydney Office, couple of days later,  stating I had to pay an outstanding amount or my cruise would be cancelled ! Questioning this, I was told I owed an amount to update my already paid deposit to a new amount. They were very patient with me while explaining the issue. I duly paid the amount via cruise personaliser and was issued  a new set of documents showing the new payments. Cheers, Brian.

Thanks. It isn't letting me do that at present, as the upgrading link on the personaliser is currently mung'd.

[yes!yes!yes!]

Yes, it would really suck on the Coral, They have no casual dining.

What food does vines do? I never went in there on the Grand as it was just a tiny bar area.