POLL: How Will You Sail Now, With All of the Upcoming Package Changes?

[Jeter02]

How will you sail now with all the upcoming package changes? As a lot of new changes are on its way debuting ship by ship in the next few weeks, there's a lot of unhappy feelings about these changes amongst many. Will it change the way you book? Or will you continue to book the way you always have?

Edited July 28, 2023 by Jeter02

[david63]

Cannot select an option for either of those questions as it will depend on itinerary, price and what offer is available at the time of booking.

[justafem]

We've gotten the plus package since it started.  We'll continue to get the plus package.  

 

It really is the best value out of all the cruise lines. 

[LMaxwell]

I've never had enough to drink to justify a package, my wife doesn't drink at all.  So I'll just be base onboard fare for these cruise lines and, I don't know, pay for french fries or to rent a deck chair I guess. 

[dreaminofcruisin]

For me, regardless of the bells and whistles Princess adds, it comes down to the price,

I have 4 cruises booked currently all with Plus at $50 pp pd. I could justify that price point with the things available at the time. When booking my next cruise now that it is $60 pp pd, I will have to get out the pencil. It's in the gray area whether or not I book it. The new 'value' added does nothing to change that decision. Although I think ordering from the app is kinda fun, I've had limited success with actually getting things delivered. I don't use RS. I will miss Alfredo's, but not enough to pay for Plus just because of it. On my next cruise, I will be tracking my drinks to see whether or not I can justify the $60. If the price goes up again...I'm out...no more Plus package.

[roadster08]

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, david63 said:

Cannot select an option for either of those questions as it will depend on itinerary, price and what offer is available at the time of booking.

Hmm.  the cost of the packages is fixed per person per day.  Does that not let you decide value?  Or maybe you are borderline on package or not and might for a certain cruise length or with sea days, but not on a longer voyage or with ports?

 

[Jeter02]

4 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Hmm.  the cost of the packages is fixed per person per day.  Does that not let you decide value?  Or maybe you are borderline on package or not and might for a certain cruise length or with sea days, but not on a longer voyage or with ports?

 

For some people the amount of sea days makes a world of a difference apparently when it comes to deciding the package or which package is the way to go. I've always read that more people tend to drink when they're doing a Caribbean ceiling versus let's say a European sailing.

[Steelers36]

I checked off Standard without really thinking much about it.  I don't see us changing.  It comes down to drinks for the most part.  

 

We get Elite mini-bar which gives us 10 beers and 10 Perrier (after swapping).  We get the starter water package for ~$7 (last price I knew).  I BYOW and accept that I can be charged $20/bottle after the first two.

 

CA is $16/pp for us.  Medallion Net is $15 total (we get 50% off).  $47 per day in "fixed costs" versus $120 for Plus, leaves $73/day to spend on beverages and such.

 

I have never used the Ocean Now feature other than back when you got first drink free.  Long gone.  Also, in the rare occasion I might order a bar drink, my drink isn't on their menu and they don't (or didn't) have a custom order option to type in your own drink.  So, useless to me.  I just go to the bar and get what I want.  

 

We have never ordered room service that I can recall. 

 

I will accept that PCL is now going to charge us a nominal fee to eat at Alfredo's/Gigi's - not dissimilar to O'Malley's, Salty Dog.  We typically go to Alfredo's on a Sea Day for lunch and share a pizza and perhaps one other item.  So, we won't be spending $30 for two full meals anyway. 

 

That means Standard wins the day still for us.  If PCL removes that, well then we have to reconsider.

 

 

[Justpackingmybags]

I’ve enjoyed all the cruises I’ve been on but with all the Penny pinching going on (on most lines) coupled with the fact that I’m now a solo traveller, after I’ve been on all my booked cruises I’ll be back on dry land. The pleasure of not having to keep packing and unpacking whenever the scenery changes is hugely diminished. 

[Jeter02]

41 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

I checked off Standard without really thinking much about it.  I don't see us changing.  It comes down to drinks for the most part.  

 

We get Elite mini-bar which gives us 10 beers and 10 Perrier (after swapping).  We get the starter water package for ~$7 (last price I knew).  I BYOW and accept that I can be charged $20/bottle after the first two.

 

CA is $16/pp for us.  Medallion Net is $15 total (we get 50% off).  $47 per day in "fixed costs" versus $120 for Plus, leaves $73/day to spend on beverages and such.

 

I have never used the Ocean Now feature other than back when you got first drink free.  Long gone.  Also, in the rare occasion I might order a bar drink, my drink isn't on their menu and they don't (or didn't) have a custom order option to type in your own drink.  So, useless to me.  I just go to the bar and get what I want.  

 

We have never ordered room service that I can recall. 

 

I will accept that PCL is now going to charge us a nominal fee to eat at Alfredo's/Gigi's - not dissimilar to O'Malley's, Salty Dog.  We typically go to Alfredo's on a Sea Day for lunch and share a pizza and perhaps one other item.  So, we won't be spending $30 for two full meals anyway. 

 

That means Standard wins the day still for us.  If PCL removes that, well then we have to reconsider.

 

 

I'm the same exact way on everything you have mentioned, except different swap out orders for my mini bar. I'm like a cheap date and only ask for bottled water.

Edited July 28, 2023 by Jeter02

[Jeter02]

Just now, Jeter02 said:

 

 

Edited July 28, 2023 by Jeter02
Posted twice

[Northumberland]

We experienced our first Princess cruise with the Princess Plus package last year on a 26 day Mediterranean/TA cruise and thought the upgrade worth the extra charge.

However, I’m not exited about the new perks.

I can’t see myself eating one of those fancy desserts every day and if I want a pizza, I think I can make my way to Alfredo’s as we’ve always done.

As for the other perks, Never had them and wouldn’t miss them.

[Steelers36]

5 minutes ago, Northumberland said:

We experienced our first Princess cruise with the Princess Plus package last year on a 26 day Mediterranean/TA cruise and thought the upgrade worth the extra charge.

However, I’m not exited about the new perks.

I can’t see myself eating one of those fancy desserts every day and if I want a pizza, I think I can make my way to Alfredo’s as we’ve always done.

As for the other perks, Never had them and wouldn’t miss them.

Pizza will be a for-fee item there and remains free from the Slice location on Lido deck.

[loge23]

We normally book Plus on Princess but we're getting tired of the big ships in general - and we haven't exactly embraced the new ships on Princess. That said, we still like the heft when crossing the ocean - and we love the TA's, but for everything else we prefer the small ship experience. Been with PCL since '92 and have seem lots and lots of changes, At this point we prefer an truly all-inclusive experience with a good wine selection and fine dining, but there's always going to be "more of that and less of this" on any line. No casino and no kids are also a draw for us. 

As for the latest big change on PCL, I continue to be dismayed by the inability of PCL marketing to hit the target. I'm pretty sure PCL really doesn't know what the target is. It's really become a shotgun approach to see what sticks. In the process, they are letting their long-term guests know that they really don't care if we stay or not. Many are migrating, like us, to the more exclusive smaller-ship lines while PCL seems to want to settle into the mass-market family-friendly crowd - and that's fine; it's just not for us.

 

[ebeluga]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

I checked off Standard without really thinking much about it.  I don't see us changing.  It comes down to drinks for the most part.  

 

We get Elite mini-bar which gives us 10 beers and 10 Perrier (after swapping).  We get the starter water package for ~$7 (last price I knew).  I BYOW and accept that I can be charged $20/bottle after the first two.

 

CA is $16/pp for us.  Medallion Net is $15 total (we get 50% off).  $47 per day in "fixed costs" versus $120 for Plus, leaves $73/day to spend on beverages and such.

 

I have never used the Ocean Now feature other than back when you got first drink free.  Long gone.  Also, in the rare occasion I might order a bar drink, my drink isn't on their menu and they don't (or didn't) have a custom order option to type in your own drink.  So, useless to me.  I just go to the bar and get what I want.  

 

We have never ordered room service that I can recall. 

 

I will accept that PCL is now going to charge us a nominal fee to eat at Alfredo's/Gigi's - not dissimilar to O'Malley's, Salty Dog.  We typically go to Alfredo's on a Sea Day for lunch and share a pizza and perhaps one other item.  So, we won't be spending $30 for two full meals anyway. 

 

That means Standard wins the day still for us.  If PCL removes that, well then we have to reconsider.

 

 

This is great mental exercise for Standard Fare people!  Who needs Sudoku?  I meant it sincerely.

[BabySarge]

We've had the Plus Package for our last two cruises, which was before they added things on to it and upped the price and at least for those cruises the Plus Package at the price we paid and what we got seemed to be a decent value.  Currently have it booked for our upcoming 26-day cruise and there have been lots of changes to it since we booked so I'm going to actually pay much more attention to costs and things so I can determine if it really is worth it for DH and me.  There are so many items included with it now that we will never use that I'm not sure it is a value for us or not especially since we find ourselves not consuming as much alcohol as we did a few years ago.  Although there is a wine bar on our upcoming cruise so that may change our consumption.  I really just don't like the appearance of paying for things I won't use like those ridiculous (to me) so called premium deserts and the exercise classes to name two things and now with the other changes I'm seeing posts about but don't have all the info on I'm not sure what's included, what's not, what's an up charge, etc.  

 

We've been loyal Princess cruisers since the early 90's but with so many changes I'm not sure how much longer we'll stay as it is becoming not a good fit for us anymore and I'm not sure if that is because of us and the way we have changed or if it is because of how Princess has changed.  This next cruise will be a good indicator.

[CruisinChris]

I'm really disappointed with this change and how it's been marketed as "Princess adds casual dining."  Princess hasn't "added" anything except fees for previously included items.  I get that Carnival Corp is drowning in overwhelming debt and they are looking to maximize revenue at every turn.  It's exhausting as a consumer though.  I'm sick of the "bid to upgrade" and the aftermath of that.  Book what you want and pay for it.  "bidding" is a joke and is only fueling the revenue-generation machine by allowing them to constantly balance stateroom availability against revenue maximization.  It is nearly impossible to discern availability or even book specifically what you want.

 

The only positive lately is that food seems to be improving along with menus.  

 

I don't know.  My enthusiasm is waning.

[ssawjo]

We have cruised on Princess at least 20 times over the years and have two booked for the near future.  However, we have sailed on some "luxury" cruise lines, e.g., Silversea, Regent, and Oceania.  The way Princess is headed, you might as well price out the same or a similar itinerary on one of all-inclusive cruise lines.  Oceania is not all-inclusive but have some very interesting itineraries and great food.  Oceania has changed up their pricing scheme but I don't know how that applies here.

[Steelers36]

36 minutes ago, loge23 said:

and that's fine; it's just not for us.

And that's fine too.

[memoak]

1 hour ago, Justpackingmybags said:

I’ve enjoyed all the cruises I’ve been on but with all the Penny pinching going on (on most lines) coupled with the fact that I’m now a solo traveller, after I’ve been on all my booked cruises I’ll be back on dry land. The pleasure of not having to keep packing and unpacking whenever the scenery changes is hugely diminished. 

If you are traveling on land trips you will be paying resort fees etc even if you don’t use any services. How is that different ?

[senior lady]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

I checked off Standard without really thinking much about it.  I don't see us changing.  It comes down to drinks for the most part.  

 

We get Elite mini-bar which gives us 10 beers and 10 Perrier (after swapping).  We get the starter water package for ~$7 (last price I knew).  I BYOW and accept that I can be charged $20/bottle after the first two.

 

CA is $16/pp for us.  Medallion Net is $15 total (we get 50% off).  $47 per day in "fixed costs" versus $120 for Plus, leaves $73/day to spend on beverages and such.

 

I have never used the Ocean Now feature other than back when you got first drink free.  Long gone.  Also, in the rare occasion I might order a bar drink, my drink isn't on their menu and they don't (or didn't) have a custom order option to type in your own drink.  So, useless to me.  I just go to the bar and get what I want.  

 

We have never ordered room service that I can recall. 

 

I will accept that PCL is now going to charge us a nominal fee to eat at Alfredo's/Gigi's - not dissimilar to O'Malley's, Salty Dog.  We typically go to Alfredo's on a Sea Day for lunch and share a pizza and perhaps one other item.  So, we won't be spending $30 for two full meals anyway. 

 

That means Standard wins the day still for us.  If PCL removes that, well then we have to reconsider.

 

 

I see your from Canada.   The remember everything is US on the ships.  So the $16 SC now becomes $20. The WiFi at 50% off becomes almost the regular price.   With my calculations all I need to drink per day to break even is 3 drinks.   It's so nice not getting a bill at the end of the cruise!!

[Justpackingmybags]

5 minutes ago, memoak said:

If you are traveling on land trips you will be paying resort fees etc even if you don’t use any services. How is that different ?

I don’t travel in the USA or Caribbean on land based holidays much any more, I stay in Europe or South East Asia. I’ve only ever paid Resort fees when I stayed in Las Vegas & thought it was a total rip off. I tend to book hotels on a bed and breakfast Basis & sample the local restaurants. And guess what? Even though I’m paying extra for them, it still costs me less than a solo cruise in a cabin category I want

[snoozecrooze]

There's nothing objectively good about the changes made to the packages. But I'm with @Steelers36 on the way they break down their budget. We hardly use or consume any of the things being impacted 🤷 so we definitely will not be getting any package. But I still like cruising in general because managing hotels, flights, land reservations etc are not getting any easier or friendlier for the wallet than still getting to be out on the open sea with room and board. There are always drawbacks with each vacation choice and thankfully, Princess is not the only cruise line out there anyways, so we have always have some variety.

[Steelers36]

21 minutes ago, senior lady said:

I see your from Canada.   The remember everything is US on the ships.  So the $16 SC now becomes $20. The WiFi at 50% off becomes almost the regular price.   With my calculations all I need to drink per day to break even is 3 drinks.   It's so nice not getting a bill at the end of the cruise!!

IMO, your mention is irrelevant since the ship currency is USD.  You either book and pay in USD or book and pay in CAD which is just the conversion rate.  I book in USD to USD credit card and control when I get or convert USD (I have a supply in any case).  Everyone's break even is independent of currency and best to analyze in USD.  It still costs you $60 USD for Plus however you look at it.  In CAD, it is $81.