Changes to Princess Plus, room service fees, Alfredo's and others. Fee changes. Etc

[CalLuvsCrusingToo]

 

Can someone cut to the chase for me.... have AK cruise in Sept.

We are Elite with Plus.

I'm getting confused about Room service charges on Medallion vs. RS order on cabin Tv.

(Not talking about the white card RS menu you hang on the door knob)

Can I order off our cabins TV,  Room service menu....is it still Free like before?

 

 

[cruzsnooze]

21 minutes ago, CalLuvsCrusingToo said:

 

 

Can I order off our cabins TV,  Room service menu....is it still Free like before?

 

 

It was never free but it was included in your cruise fare, now it is not if you call or use the TV it is $5 per order. The room service paper menu for breakfast will still be included with no extra fee.

Edited July 31, 2023 by cruzsnooze

[Steelers36]

22 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

Salty Dog is 2 plates and a dessert for the $14.99 cover charge (or free if on the packages). Steamers and Planks were on Caribbean but I thought they had been done away with - the menus were updated recently, so I may be wrong. I haven't sailed Caribbean in a long time.

My thanks for all the PDF's (I have downloaded and saved for reference).  I had missed that page earlier for some reason in this huge thread even though thought I was keeping up.  I am thinking PCL would not have gone to trouble of making up menus if not bringing back Steamers and Planks. 

 

Perhaps they knew long ago something like this was coming and decided to defer bringing them back even though Covid protocols went away some time back (which I believe was a reason they were not yet back, or also was due to staffing shortages a while back).  

 

Like everything else, time will tell.  August is going to be an interesting month on the ships and no doubt we will get trip reports on this forum.

[macandlucy]

35 minutes ago, CalLuvsCrusingToo said:

 

Can someone cut to the chase for me.... have AK cruise in Sept.

We are Elite with Plus.

I'm getting confused about Room service charges on Medallion vs. RS order on cabin Tv.

(Not talking about the white card RS menu you hang on the door knob)

Can I order off our cabins TV,  Room service menu....is it still Free like before?

 

 

Yes, since you have the plus package, room service and ocean now (app ordering via your phone) is included. You should not be charged for room service and you should not be charged the ocean now activation fee. 
Only those who book standard fare (no package) will be charged 14.99 for ocean now activation and $5.00 per room service order. 
That is how I read it.

Edited July 31, 2023 by macandlucy

[dlh015]

14 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

August is going to be an interesting month on the ships

Oh my goodness, indeed it will be. Would *not* want to be working the GS desk for the next few months!

[caribill]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

Yea, it was.  See post 1699.  It was specifically mentioned in webinar.  Who knows if it will stick?

 

There are a number of things that work differently if a B2B is a single booking number or two booking numbers.

 

Sometimes an item is repeated for each segment even if you booked it as a single cruise. (Don't want to get too specific about this as not to give Princess ideas about more they can eliminate).

 

And sometimes an item is occurs just once if you book a B2B as a single cruise.

 

I am not sure that the people who put on the webinars have full knowledge of those details.

[Steelers36]

9 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

There are a number of things that work differently if a B2B is a single booking number or two booking numbers.

 

Sometimes an item is repeated for each segment even if you booked it as a single cruise. (Don't want to get too specific about this as not to give Princess ideas about more they can eliminate).

 

And sometimes an item is occurs just once if you book a B2B as a single cruise.

 

I am not sure that the people who put on the webinars have full knowledge of those details.

Carmen Roig is the VP of Sales.  I would think the top dog ought to know what is what.  TPTP my not have sorted through some of the nitty-gritty on these changes. 

 

I am not sure what you refer to, but everything I can think of is the same up to now if booked as multiple physical or single logical.  I mean I can think of certain benefits that won't apply to all guests and a major one applies no matter how booked. 

 

I suppose anyone on the current/previous Premier is affected because they can get more SD with separate bookings (I think).  (IMO, booking separate physicals when doing B2B travel is the way to go anyway because the potential $50 loss in SOBC or MOBC is out-weighed by other things - including EZ-Air - and pricing is not much different and can be better in parts).

Edited July 31, 2023 by Steelers36

[kml246]

8 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

The non alcohol drink package is $30/day per person.  For a 7 day cruise that is $210 or for a couple $420.  Three packs of soda at a store near the port is $15. Coffee will cost me $80 last I checked. So $95 vs $420. And we used to get the coffee free with minibar trade in.  Ah, another benefit lost. I consider the savings worth the effort. Not to mention the limited options onboard.

And for clarity, just like everyone else, I pay what Princess charges for the cruise fare, tips, wifi, etc.

If I choose not to take ship excursions or pay  exorbitant prices for drinks, or pay food upcharges,  they currently are not requiring me to.  When it ceases to be optional, then I will vacation elsewhere.  They are headed there for sure.

I didn't say you're reasoning wasn't sound, just that Princess isn't all that concerned about losing your bookings. They make little or no money on passengers that sail barebones In inside cabins. They make their money on higher-priced categories and/or up selling packages or other add-ons. 

 

You have every right to do Ty what you are doing. 

[caribill]

On 7/28/2023 at 8:34 AM, Jeter02 said:

Just curious, has anyone ever asked a crew member what the percentage of people on board who book with premiere? I'd be very curious to know if it's a decent amount or not who opt for that package.

 

On CCL stock analysts conference calls, management says they expect 50% of passengers to have Plus and 25% to have Premier.

 

If they are not meeting those goals on the Princess brand, I doubt they would have been able to successfully significantly raise the price of both last year.

[CruizinSusan70]

14 hours ago, EDVM96 said:

1.4k replies and 66.1k views on a "Can I eat pizza for free at Alfredo's" thread?
Something is wrong. 

In order for less people to go to Alfredo's at lunchtime, the two options would be to open up the MDR on port days or improve what is offered in the buffet.  Port days for lunch is when we would go to Alfredo's.  Sea days and embarkation day we went to the MDR.  Was not impressed at all with the majority of the lunch offerings on the Discovery and the Majestic at the buffet.

[caribill]

On 7/28/2023 at 8:46 AM, Jeter02 said:

So if you know you plan on making three or more room service orders then it's best for you to activate the app for 15 bucks.

 

Not everybody has a digital device that Princess supports the app to work on.

 

Have the latest IPhone or android phone. Great.

 

Have one from several years ago, not so great.

[Wanderers2]

I don’t know if this has been mentioned in this forum as yet. 
 

Green lane boarding now comes with Plus & Premier if you have your medallion delivered to your home. 
 

We live in Australia & home delivery of a medallion is not available to us, so does that mean we can never be green lane before arriving at the dock.

We are Elite with Princess & normally have priority boarding, that was one of the perks of being loyal to Princess 

 

 

[CruizinSusan70]

12 hours ago, Tedferg said:

We share a pizza at Alfredos, so does that mean we are each charged a visit?

No, you would be able to split a salad or bowl of soup, a pizza and either tiramisu or apple torte.  This way you would get four visits over the course of your cruise with each of you presenting your medallion for payment twice.

Our predicament is my DH loves their calzone and I don't.

[Wanderers2]

4 minutes ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

No, you would be able to split a salad or bowl of soup, a pizza and either tiramisu or apple torte.  This way you would get four visits over the course of your cruise with each of you presenting your medallion for payment twice.

Our predicament is my DH loves their calzone and I don't.

We don’t eat multiple courses at Alfredo’s just share a salad & a pizza. I’m hoping we can still do that 🤞

[BlerkOne]

4 minutes ago, wilsonhold said:

Based on several recent critical reviews on the time it took to receive various medallion orders recently, I suspect the motive of these charges are not just  monetary but instead to reduce overall demand. Princess mgt has invested heavily in the medallion technology, does not want to add more staff to delivery food,  and the only remaining option is to control the number of orders processed by raising rates.

 

 

I think getting warmer.

 

Resources on cruise ships are limited - including cabins available for staff. There is a limit to the number of staff unless they are going to start bunking with passengers.

 

It is cheaper for the customer and easier for Princess to bundle instead of offering a la cart pricing. Of course some people will balk at the packages and it will serve to limit demand.

 

All cruise lines are raising prices and trying to manage costs. Trying to live in the past will only become exponentially higher in cost, but some will try to hang on. The only constant is change.

[CruizinSusan70]

12 hours ago, emeraldlake said:

It is not very clear.  Menu calls it a cover charge of $14.99 to cover appetizer, pasta or pizza, and dessert.  However,  you can also order a la carte and not pay $14.99.  So I would think if you have Plus, one could get 3 course meal for free and other can order appetizer and pay for it.

Or one can get the 3 course meal for free and the other can order nothing and pay nothing. Saw nothing on the new menu about a sharing charge.  This way you could go four times over the course of the cruise.  If still hungry 2 hours later, go to IC.

[caribill]

1 hour ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

In order for less people to go to Alfredo's at lunchtime, the two options would be to open up the MDR on port days or improve what is offered in the buffet.  Port days for lunch is when we would go to Alfredo's.  Sea days and embarkation day we went to the MDR.  Was not impressed at all with the majority of the lunch offerings on the Discovery and the Majestic at the buffet.

 

Option 3: Just have the buffet be more crowded without any improvement in what is offered there.

[CruizinSusan70]

12 hours ago, caribill said:

 

It is a cover charge.

 

If you go to a nightclub on land with a cover charge that includes two drinks, you pay the cover charge even if you do not order any drink.

No, there is no cover charge.  There are a la carte options.  At worst, one person orders the 14.99 prix fix and the other person orders a $3.00 dessert.  At best, one person is charged for the prix fix, the second person orders nothing but a drink and they share the meal.

[ceilidh1]

23 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

I think getting warmer.

 

Resources on cruise ships are limited - including cabins available for staff. There is a limit to the number of staff unless they are going to start bunking with passengers.

 

It is cheaper for the customer and easier for Princess to bundle instead of offering a la cart pricing. Of course some people will balk at the packages and it will serve to limit demand.

 

All cruise lines are raising prices and trying to manage costs. Trying to live in the past will only become exponentially higher in cost, but some will try to hang on. The only constant is change.

Or it could backfire completely and Princess finds itself with a host of passengers that paid for Ocean Now/Room Service delivery rather than having it included with their packages and expect to actually get a service that works well. On my last Princess cruise, room service would regularly take an hour, sometimes never even showed up. Ocean Now delivery was hit or miss - sometimes it came, sometimes it just got cancelled without explanation, sometimes the drinks were given to other guests. That's all well and good when it's not an out of pocket expense, but if I'm paying extra for this service I would expect it to be top notch.

[Tiredandgrumpy]

2 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

Or it could backfire completely and Princess finds itself with a host of passengers that paid for Ocean Now/Room Service delivery rather than having it included with their packages and expect to actually get a service that works well. On my last Princess cruise, room service would regularly take an hour, sometimes never even showed up. Ocean Now delivery was hit or miss - sometimes it came, sometimes it just got cancelled without explanation, sometimes the drinks were given to other guests. That's all well and good when it's not an out of pocket expense, but if I'm paying extra for this service I would expect it to be top notch.

Spot on, its risky business to monetise something thats broken in an attempt to fix it. 

 

[villauk]

2 hours ago, macandlucy said:

Yes, since you have the plus package, room service and ocean now (app ordering via your phone) is included. You should not be charged for room service and you should not be charged the ocean now activation fee. 
Only those who book standard fare (no package) will be charged 14.99 for ocean now activation and $5.00 per room service order. 
That is how I read it.

 

That is incorrect. If they booked Plus/Premier prior to Dec 22 on the ‘old’ Plus 50, then they will have to pay for Ocean Now and R/S; they also won’t get any free visit to Alfredo’s.

[ceilidh1]

4 minutes ago, Tiredandgrumpy said:

Spot on, its risky business to monetise something thats broken in an attempt to fix it. 

 

I'm also peeved about the fact that free medallion shipping is included in the packages yet, as a Canadian, I'm not eligible to get that shipping. If you can't make it available to everyone that participates in the package then don't add it as a perk (I know it's not just Canadians that can't have it shipped). Princess is touting the ease of embarking with your freely shipped medallion as one of the reasons to upgrade to a package, but those of us who pay for the package and can't get that aspect are SOL.

[Tiredandgrumpy]

3 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

If it is already broken, what's the worst that could happen? It become double broken? It hasn't even begun, and can always be modified. Time will tell.

The worse that can happen is you alienate even more people but this time they've actually paid for it with hard cash rather than it being part of a package 

[Tiredandgrumpy]

2 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

I'm also peeved about the fact that free medallion shipping is included in the packages yet, as a Canadian, I'm not eligible to get that shipping. If you can't make it available to everyone that participates in the package then don't add it as a perk (I know it's not just Canadians that can't have it shipped). Princess is touting the ease of embarking with your freely shipped medallion as one of the reasons to upgrade to a package, but those of us who pay for the package and can't get that aspect are SOL.

Same as, im UK and also dont offer shipping. 

[caribill]

13 minutes ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Sorry, but was included in our Plus package for 14 days on the Discovery in April of 2022 as well as 14 days on the Majestic in May/June of 2023. Had cans at every meal in the MDR for dinner as well as lunch on sea days.  Also had them each time we visited Alfredo's.

 

Supposedly cans are not included on any beverage package except the Zero-alcohol package, but are available at a discount.

 

I assume that when you did get the cans you were not charged anything, not even the discount price.

 

From the Princess web site: The package includes sparkling or still bottled water (500ml or less), fountain sodas, fresh juices and healthy smoothies (unlimited juice bar), specialty coffees and teas, Frappés at Coffee & Cones, and Red Bull energy drinks.

 

In the past canned soda has also not been available as part of a package on Princess Cays. I wonder if that has changed.