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

[cruising.mark.uk]

1 hour ago, Jeter02 said:

As i look at the current statistics here on my poll, it's showing its pretty much 50 / 50 between standard and plus. So the whole hoopla of them pushing for people (especially the standard people) to upgrade to an actual package That's not going to happen, as the second poll shows that most people are content with the package that they have always gotten and, have no intentions of changing the package they have bought in the past. It's also very interesting to see the number of people who actually plan on downgrading the package that they would typically get.

 

Also between this thread, and the mega thread of all the talk on the changes... there seems to be quite a vast majority of guests who really just don't drink alcohol, mocktails, soda, coffee, or drink enough to justify the need or cost of a package. This brings zero value to them to, let's say upgrading to at least the plus package.

 

In my personal, honest opinion: I truly believe that this sales tactic to push people to buy packages or upgrade their packages is going to backfire. In fact it's putting a terribly sour taste into people's mouths In regards to how the company is going about with all this.

I’d be very careful about extrapolating anything from the results of the poll or from this and related threads because I don’t think they are anything like representative of the current or intended future customer base of Princess.  Even if 1000 members answer the poll and 1000 separate members post a view on the threads, that will only represent a fraction of 1% of those who cruise on Princess.  And, I think responders on here probably skew towards a certain demographic and are more experienced than most cruisers, both of which may impact on their answers to the questions / views on the changes, i.e. they are atypical of the target audience for Princess cruises looking forward. 

 

I’d be very surprised if the overall figures for Princess customers are 50/50 between standard and plus and I’d be even more surprised if across the whole customer base there is, as you claim, ‘a vast majority’ who either don’t drink or don’t drink enough to make a package economically viable.  It’s clear that Princess wants to focus on those for whom it is viable and to nudge more towards a package by making it a more attractive option because more things will be chargeable outside of the package.  Almost all other lines in their market sector are doing something very similar. 

[808cruisers]

New cruiser here. Thought I was sold out on Princess but adding 1/4 cost of my cruise for.....room service- that's all I really wanted--sigh! No thanks.

My mom said Princess nickel and dimes and I was like noooooooo, but I guess so.

 

We have two booked but I will pay ala carte (minimally) and actually enjoy myself less so as a result. It's super disappointing that they instituted it for all cruises already booked. If they said, going forward for cruises not yet booked, that would have been fair enough for decision making. What about the people who are past their cancellation deadlines....😦

Edited July 29, 2023 by 808cruisers

[Anastas617]

Based on the coffee and alcohol I consume, the Plus still works as a no-brainer for me. My only PCL cruise so far was on Caribbean Princess and they didn't have an Alfredo's/GiGi's, but I would think two visits would be fine with me on cruises that have this option.

 

I have 5 cruises booked over the next 18 months and I am pretty sure I will get Plus on 4 of them. The one I am not sure about is a 12-night British Isles cruise that my brother is joining me on (I usually travel solo). I imagine I will be off the ship more often and for longer periods at those ports and my brother is less of a drinker than I am, so it is something we will figure out together.

[d9704011]

1 hour ago, cruising.mark.uk said:

I’d be very careful about extrapolating anything from the results of the poll or from this and related threads because I don’t think they are anything like representative of the current or intended future customer base of Princess. 

Ha!  That's for sure, but this is great fodder for a community discussion board.

[EllieinNJ]

We are frequent cruisers but only cruise Princess (Ruby) about once every two years.  We do not get any packages because we do not drink alcohol often but we always got the coffee card because we are big coffee drinkers.

 

We were disappointed when they did away with the coffee card in February.  It was nice to have specialty coffees but not totally necessary but we do so need to have the fresh brewed coffee.  I figure it would add about $60 more to our 14 night Enchanted cruise next year.

 

When we were on the Enchanted last year we discovered Gigi's.  We had their pizza twice and it was good.  But we also liked the pizza at the pool deck.  What we loved about Gigi's is their tiramisu which we got most nights of those 14 nights.  So much better than what the IC has. Will still probably get it again a few nights at the a la carte price if they still have it.

 

It was nice having the medallions sent to our home but if we have to pick them up at the pier it is not a deal breaker, just a little inconvenience.  We never order room service so a non entity to us.

 

Will this stop us from cruising Princess?  No.   If we see a good price on a good itinerary we are in.

[Jeter02]

3 minutes ago, EllieinNJ said:

We are frequent cruisers but only cruise Princess (Ruby) about once every two years.  We do not get any packages because we do not drink alcohol often but we always got the coffee card because we are big coffee drinkers.

 

We were disappointed when they did away with the coffee card in February.  It was nice to have specialty coffees but not totally necessary but we do so need to have the fresh brewed coffee.  I figure it would add about $60 more to our 14 night Enchanted cruise next year.

 

When we were on the Enchanted last year we discovered Gigi's.  We had their pizza twice and it was good.  But we also liked the pizza at the pool deck.  What we loved about Gigi's is their tiramisu which we got most nights of those 14 nights.  So much better than what the IC has. Will still probably get it again a few nights at the a la carte price if they still have it.

 

It was nice having the medallions sent to our home but if we have to pick them up at the pier it is not a deal breaker, just a little inconvenience.  We never order room service so a non entity to us.

 

Will this stop us from cruising Princess?  No.   If we see a good price on a good itinerary we are in.

Initially I was a little worried about having to pick up the medallions at the port. My last cruise just a short few weeks ago just proved that it truly was no big deal as it was maybe an extra 10 seconds to wait for them to go grab it. That was at a port in London where a good majority of The passengers were picking up at the pour it as medallions are strictly only sent out to US residents. They truly do a very good job at the ports and regards to this.

[traveldayz]

12 hours ago, rideev said:

Let's see, since I booked and made final payment for my 15 day cruise already, if I want the same experience as I thought I was getting it will cost me $30 to set up ocean now, $5 for each RS delivery (last cruise was at least once a day), and $30 each time we want to go to Alfredo's (and this is a TA so it is heavy on sea days.)

 

Don't drink alcohol and only drink one soda per day, don't drink foo foo coffee (just black thank you) and would only waste time if I had the internet on the cruise (had plus last cruise and spent to much time on Facebook for some reason) and would enjoy it less.  Have already given the family the information on how to call us if there is an emergency.  So no need there.  Could always go to the internet cafe if there was a real emergency (and couldn't get off in the middle of a TA anyway.)

 

 

So yeah, not pleased with princess taking away things I thought I had paid for.  And let's not mention the possibility of losing either the veteran's OBC or the shareholder OBC.

It has already come to pass that you can no longer claim the veteran AND the shareholder OBC - 1 only.

[Jeter02]

2 hours ago, cruising.mark.uk said:

I’d be very careful about extrapolating anything from the results of the poll or from this and related threads because I don’t think they are anything like representative of the current or intended future customer base of Princess.  Even if 1000 members answer the poll and 1000 separate members post a view on the threads, that will only represent a fraction of 1% of those who cruise on Princess.  And, I think responders on here probably skew towards a certain demographic and are more experienced than most cruisers, both of which may impact on their answers to the questions / views on the changes, i.e. they are atypical of the target audience for Princess cruises looking forward. 

 

I’d be very surprised if the overall figures for Princess customers are 50/50 between standard and plus and I’d be even more surprised if across the whole customer base there is, as you claim, ‘a vast majority’ who either don’t drink or don’t drink enough to make a package economically viable.  It’s clear that Princess wants to focus on those for whom it is viable and to nudge more towards a package by making it a more attractive option because more things will be chargeable outside of the package.  Almost all other lines in their market sector are doing something very similar. 

By no means is this poll accurate to what it really may be. It's just fun to kind of get a rough idea of what it could possibly be. This poll was really conducted just for my own curiosity, like many others. I'm always interested especially on the cruise critic community what their thoughts are and their travel styles. I respect the way everyone chooses to vacation and travel as we have all our own ideas of what that may consist of.

 

I do agree with you in regards to how Princess wants to focus on certain groups. Yes travel is a business and these cruise lines will push for anything that seems palatable and attractive in order to bring the money in. Businesses business.

[Jeter02]

5 minutes ago, traveldayz said:

It has already come to pass that you can no longer claim the veteran AND the shareholder OBC - 1 only.

The veteran and shareholder OBC completely different topic Yes, but I am so very curious on how many veterans were shareholders where the company clearly got to a point of canceling them out by only giving them one or the other to claim for OBC. I personally find it such a shame as I would think it's such a small gesture to thank them for their service for what they have / currently done for us in our country. I will give Princess credit in regards for the availability of OBC for veterans as most cruise lines do not acknowledge them. As silly as it may sound to some My dad who is a Vietnam vet does get very excited when we do cruise knowing he gets this extra on board credit for his service. I just feel like a small gesture does go a long way.

[JGmf]

15 hours ago, LMADAMS91 said:

  I don't know of any land based retail company that can sell something for one price, collect your money and then refuse to give you what you purchased unless you pay them more money.

 

I can think of many, many companies: other cruise lines, hotels (resort fees), service companies (fuel surcharges), airlines (sorry, no more snacks), etc. 

 

Again, these changes from Princess are $5 or $15 here or there.  If that kind of cost drives people away from Princess, then they probably did their job in replacing this group with a more profitable customer base.

 

That said, I bet virtually no one will actually follow through and 'never sail Princess again' over these minimal changes in cost.

[Jeter02]

Just now, JGmf said:

 

I can think of many, many companies: other cruise lines, hotels (resort fees), service companies (fuel surcharges), airlines (sorry, no more snacks), etc. 

 

Again, these changes from Princess are $5 or $15 here or there.  If that kind of cost drives people away from Princess, then they probably did their job in replacing this group with a more profitable customer base.

 

That said, I bet virtually no one will actually follow through and 'never sail Princess again' over these minimal changes in cost.

I think the problem here is kind of if the price had just increased let's say $30 like some people have said on the boards most people most likely would not have noticed or just set off the price might look a little higher but that's the inflation that's going around the world it is what it is.

 

However with the way princesses handling it with how people are calling it nickel and diming is saying hey if you want this pay the extra $5 or $15 you know and some people's eyes you see the dollar signs and here's a cha-ching sound of things that are adding up as you go along. I think people just don't like the breakdown of calculating all the prices that soon to add up quickly. And yes it absolutely does sting to know things that were once complimentary are going to now be at a cost. I think that part makes it look like a company is cheapening itself in a sense would that nickel and diming attitude. Nobody likes anything to be taken away from them especially those of us let's say who have been loyal to a company changes just never easy. I know I don't usually do well with change but overtime I clearly do get used to it but it's that initial sting.

[Ombud]

20 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

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

Yes but Slice pizza isn't worth the calories to me. Prefer a crisp crust not a floppy one

[MissP22]

For us, the cost of either plus or premium package has always been questionable. Now they've made the decision easier for us to go with the standard package and just buy what we want.

Whenever someone wants to sell me an extra add on option and goes to great length to explain just how great the value is, they obviously have an incentive to gain extra profit from my decision.

They've made my choice even easier. 

[Ombud]

17 hours ago, Jeter02 said:

17 hours ago, SB05 said:

We also get coffee only very early in the am and from what I am reading, we will now be charged $5.00

Correct 

Or you could just order it as part of your breakfast order as early as I think 6-630?? Dunno. Not up until 7

[JGmf]

3 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

Whenever someone wants to sell me an extra add on option and goes to great length to explain just how great the value is, they obviously have an incentive to gain extra profit from my decision.

They've made my choice even easier. 

 

Yes, like the guy selling you undercoating for your new car!  Sorry, no thanks.

 

But in the case of the Plus package, at least for me and others who drink, it was a no-brainer from the start.  The value made sense without further explanation.

 

 

[Jeter02]

11 minutes ago, Ombud said:

Yes but Slice pizza isn't worth the calories to me. Prefer a crisp crust not a floppy one

Alice definitely is a different type and quality of pizza in my opinion. My problem the last few years with slice is they're not cooking it long enough like they used to do. I do give applause to the Regal. My last cruise on her in March they cooked it exactly the way I like it where it is slightly cooked on the darker side which is my preference. Now that was delicious.

[Jeter02]

3 minutes ago, JGmf said:

 

Yes, like the guy selling you undercoating for your new car!  Sorry, no thanks.

 

But in the case of the Plus package, at least for me and others who drink, it was a no-brainer from the start.  The value made sense without further explanation.

 

 

I remember years and years ago when Princess used to had the old school soda package. Once you got on board the ship they used to have tables for you to purchase that and then you got a Coca-Cola cup as a souvenir. I want to say back in the day I used to cost like $34. My dad used to love that package and that would be the first thing he would do once you step foot on the ship, on the way to our cabin. When they did away with that package my dad had to learn to survive without drinking soda for a weeks long cruise. He managed to survive. These days I can say he has cut out soda 100% (Which is something I gave up on many many years ago).

 

As far as drink packages that included alcohol, Yes you guys are making out like crazy well compared to what a drink package would cost back in the day. Now it's at a price point that is definitely much lower for the length of a cruise. 

[SargassoPirate]

25 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

For us, the cost of either plus or premium package has always been questionable. Now they've made the decision easier for us to go with the standard package and just buy what we want.

Whenever someone wants to sell me an extra add on option and goes to great length to explain just how great the value is, they obviously have an incentive to gain extra profit from my decision.

They've made my choice even easier. 

Ditto.

 

I'm always skeptical when someone offers something "for your convenience", a chance to opt into a new "retirement" plan, or an "inclusive package" for an upcharge:  If these things weren't a good deal for the company, they wouldn't be offering them.

 

But then, I'm the guy who drives 20 year old truck, stayed in the old and much better retirement system, pay off the credit cards every month, and go a la carte for most everything.

 

 

 

Edited July 29, 2023 by SargassoPirate

[isosika]

We are Princess Elite.  Our last 3 cruises (Nov. 2022 and January 2023) totaled 56 days.  We sailed under the old Plus packages when we were charged only $40 pp/pd.

 

We just booked 2 Holland America cruises (never sailed with them before) totaling 64 days.  We booked their special offer called "Have It All" at $50 per day.  Here is what we get for $50.

 

These are per cruise:

 

1.Three (3) nights specialty dining.

2. $300 per person shore excursion credit.

3. Elite Beverage Package.

4. Premium Wi-Fi Package.

5. Pre-paid Crew Appreciation.

6. Low Price Guarantee.  (If this price drops for any reason, including after final payment or if we find an identical cruise at a lower price, we get the lower price.)

 

We will have to suffer through not having premium desserts though.

[Princessfan20]

2 hours ago, 808cruisers said:

 

My mom said Princess nickel and dimes and I was like noooooooo, but I guess so.

 

 

We would tell our friends who sell Viking, Oceania, etc that Princess is an excellent cruise line.  We were always a little baffled when they all would say that "they do not want to be nickeled and dimed" which we told them that it was not true.   Boy were we wrong.  Princess has gone from the Love Boat to the Cheap Boat.  Welcome aboard suckers! 🙂

 

 

[PrincessLuver]

1 hour ago, traveldayz said:

It has already come to pass that you can no longer claim the veteran AND the shareholder OBC - 1 only.

 

Of all the things Princess has taken away in the past year, especially for people at the Elite level, this move has left the strongest stench in ours mouths.  My wife and I are both veterans and also own CCL stock.  It makes no sense that as a group that Veterans have to choose one OBC or the other.  No other group is having to make a choice between the OBC's they get to use.  Princess really showed their disloyalty to veterans by this move.  It has been a major reason for us sticking with them over the years.

 

Their new management is just burning the gang planks as they go.  No reason to own their stock now and no real reason to keep coming back when they are targeting one group.  

 

I get the feeling. especially from our Princess CP,  that this is only the beginning and they are going to be limiting everyone in the future to one OBC of choice.

Edited July 29, 2023 by PrincessLuver

[no1racefan1]

50 minutes ago, JGmf said:

 

I can think of many, many companies: other cruise lines, hotels (resort fees), service companies (fuel surcharges), airlines (sorry, no more snacks), etc. 

 

Again, these changes from Princess are $5 or $15 here or there.  If that kind of cost drives people away from Princess, then they probably did their job in replacing this group with a more profitable customer base.

 

That said, I bet virtually no one will actually follow through and 'never sail Princess again' over these minimal changes in cost.

$5 to $15 'here and there' eventually adds up....

 

I booked a cruise vacation that included room service...except now it doesn't. I'm not going to cancel our trip over it, since we will have been planning it for over a year by the time we sail, but it certainly will drive me towards other vacation plans in the future. I just want to get the vacation that I paid for.

 

No plans to pay for OceanNow--half the reviews I've seen, people order drinks and never receive them, or receive them 2 hours later. Can't imagine PAYING for that service!

[Purplsmurf]

Just adding my two cents……..we are Celebrity cruisers. Taking a Princess cruise (only our second ever) in October because my parents wanted to and might be their last. Anyway, all cruise lines are making changes and cutbacks, I see people on Celebrity boards complaining about it every day. We have sailed 3 times this year on Celebrity and we haven’t noticed anything that people are complaining about. Maybe make a decision after sailing? It might not be as bad as you think 🤷🏻‍♀️

[HaveDogWillTravel]

6 hours ago, Jeter02 said:

As i look at the current statistics here on my poll, it's showing it’s pretty much 50 / 50 between standard and plus. So the whole hoopla of them pushing for people (especially the standard people) to upgrade to an actual package That's not going to happen, as the second poll shows that most people are content with the package that they have always gotten and, have no intentions of changing the package they have bought in the past. It's also very interesting to see the number of people who actually plan on downgrading the package that they would typically get.

Before you take your results too seriously please remember who your sample is. The sample does not represent the population of Princess cruisers so the results can not be extrapolated.  The results represent cruise critic members. I am pretty sure Princess did their due diligence and knows that this program is going to fly for a vast majority of their clients. 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

7 hours ago, Jeter02 said:

 

Edited July 29, 2023 by HaveDogWillTravel