Unpopular Opinion: I'm excited about the changes to Plus and Premier

[Princessfan20]

Just now, mikjr said:

And as a Shareholder, I'm also interested in their bottom line!!  

 

OMG!  I am pretty sure just about everyone on the Princess CC boards are a shareholder.  Next!

[Z0nker]

2 hours ago, New2cruise2022 said:

How would you compare entertainment between Carnival and Princess?

Production show was surprising good on carnival so I’d say that’s on par. Musicians in bars, lounges and piazza/atrium much better on Princess. Trivia and other games are fun on both lines. Carnival may have an edge on poolside games but Princess will keep you entertained. 

Edited August 6, 2023 by Z0nker

[Wink87]

1 hour ago, memoak said:

Embarkation times only mean anything unless you want to show up at like 10 am and wait in a lounge. We show up about 11 get on board without a wait. So called Priority Embarkation is not really a big deal

And now they eliminated scheduling an embarkation time.

[New2cruise2022]

1 hour ago, mikjr said:

I realize the profit is in the beverage packages, and they are not going away... but it would be nice if NON beverage packages could be offered.  We all like to save money...  

If you truly can’t get the value out of the current packages, then your savings is being smart enough to know that YOU aren’t actually saving and having the discipline to cruise a different way. 
 

That being said, if I ran a cruise for a day and could figure out all of the pricing so the company was profitable, I would roll out build-a-package. There would still be a Premier, king-of-the-castle package, but I would also offer custom package tiers. Each tier would have a price, and that price would include a set amount of segment points. (I know, I’m not a fan of converting dollars for points, but it works for this.) 

 

For example: 
Let’s say Tier 1 is 30 pts and costs $500 for a 7-nt cruise. And the points menu looks something like:

10 pts - crew appreciation (gratuities) 

5 pts - 2x casual dining

15 pts - 15 alcoholic drinks/day under $15

8 pts - 15 beers/day under $15

10 pts - 10 wine glasses/day under $15

12 pts - 8 liquor beverages/day $15

8 pts - Unlimited mocktails and water 

8 pts - Unlimited specialty coffees and tea and water

8 pts - Some sort of photo package

4 pts - Fitness class package 

2 pts - Limited Gelato package

 

Obviously these numbers are VERY arbitrary and represent almost ZERO research. Please don’t try to do the math, but realize that you would be able to cobble together points until you got to your tier total — in this example 30. 
 

The downside of this is that Princess can find more things to package. (Reserved loungers. Prime MUTS seating, early buffet access, etc) But I do think something like this could appeal to cruisers. 
 

BUT … to make this fair, it would have to be required of both passengers in a cabin to get the same package. Otherwise, the propensity for building super packages and sharing would be too tempting. 

 

[New2cruise2022]

17 minutes ago, Z0nker said:

Production show was surprising good on carnival so I’d say that’s on par. Musicians in bars, lounges and piazza/atrium much better on Princess. Trivia and other games are fun on both lines. Carnival may have an edge on poolside games but Princess will keep you entertained. 

Thank you for the review!

[New2cruise2022]

1 minute ago, New2cruise2022 said:

If you truly can’t get the value out of the current packages, then your savings is being smart enough to know that YOU aren’t actually saving and having the discipline to cruise a different way. 
 

That being said, if I ran a cruise for a day and could figure out all of the pricing so the company was profitable, I would roll out build-a-package. There would still be a Premier, king-of-the-castle package, but I would also offer custom package tiers. Each tier would have a price, and that price would include a set amount of segment points. (I know, I’m not a fan of converting dollars for points, but it works for this.) 

 

For example: 
Let’s say Tier 1 is 30 pts and costs $500 for a 7-nt cruise. And the points menu looks something like:

10 pts - crew appreciation (gratuities) 

5 pts - 2x casual dining

15 pts - 15 alcoholic drinks/day under $15

8 pts - 15 beers/day under $15

10 pts - 10 wine glasses/day under $15

12 pts - 8 liquor beverages/day $15

8 pts - Unlimited mocktails and water 

8 pts - Unlimited specialty coffees and tea and water

8 pts - Some sort of photo package

4 pts - Fitness class package 

2 pts - Limited Gelato package

 

Obviously these numbers are VERY arbitrary and represent almost ZERO research. Please don’t try to do the math, but realize that you would be able to cobble together points until you got to your tier total — in this example 30. 
 

The downside of this is that Princess can find more things to package. (Reserved loungers. Prime MUTS seating, early buffet access, etc) But I do think something like this could appeal to cruisers. 
 

BUT … to make this fair, it would have to be required of both passengers in a cabin to get the same package. Otherwise, the propensity for building super packages and sharing would be too tempting. 

 

BTW — CC boards would have never ending posts about the “best” and “worst” package creations along with how the money to points make no sense. 

[New2cruise2022]

7 minutes ago, New2cruise2022 said:

BTW — CC boards would have never ending posts about the “best” and “worst” package creations along with how the money to points make no sense. 

PS — Not only can people select ONLY the benefits they deem important, passengers with loyalty status can maximize their benefits and use OBC to pay for items they don’t put in their “package”

[capriccio]

12 minutes ago, New2cruise2022 said:

BTW — CC boards would have never ending posts about the “best” and “worst” package creations along with how the money to points make no sense. 

Does anyone that has been on this board during the roll out of the Medallion app think anyone at Princess (or the IT contractors they hire) could even manage the development, implementation and customer support of such a program? 

[New2cruise2022]

2 minutes ago, capriccio said:

Does anyone that has been on this board during the roll out of the Medallion app think anyone at Princess (or the IT contractors they hire) could even manage the development, implementation and customer support of such a program? 

I know I throw it out like it is easy, but I understand the difficulties that would arise in creating and implementing. But … if there is a way to increase profits AND customer satisfaction, they will find a way. Not to mention, the data provided by the medallions is already there to see what people want. The data is there to know that X percent of people NEVER go to the gym. (Great, we can include a basic gym entry, but have better hours and equipment for people that purchase the upgraded gym.) The data is there to know how many people only go to the buffet and what time they go to the gym. X percent like to be in the buffet when it first opens. (Great, breakfast buffet for standard is 7-9 am. Upgrade to have exclusive access at 6:30 am and come in at 9:30 am for late breakfast.)

 

If they are smart and understand the value of data, Princess has ALL of this at their fingertips. 

[New2cruise2022]

Just now, New2cruise2022 said:

I know I throw it out like it is easy, but I understand the difficulties that would arise in creating and implementing. But … if there is a way to increase profits AND customer satisfaction, they will find a way. Not to mention, the data provided by the medallions is already there to see what people want. The data is there to know that X percent of people NEVER go to the gym. (Great, we can include a basic gym entry, but have better hours and equipment for people that purchase the upgraded gym.) The data is there to know how many people only go to the buffet and what time they go to the gym. X percent like to be in the buffet when it first opens. (Great, breakfast buffet for standard is 7-9 am. Upgrade to have exclusive access at 6:30 am and come in at 9:30 am for late breakfast.)

 

If they are smart and understand the value of data, Princess has ALL of this at their fingertips. 

The Medallion data will (should) help Princess build their next ship. If the data is good enough to pinpoint the movement of passengers, they will know what percentage take stairs and what percentage use elevators and how often they use each. They will know how many people live on the lido deck and how many like to be down at the Piazza. They will have data on migrations from MDR to the theater for shows and improve waiting areas and traffic flow. 
 

If used correctly, the medallion data puts princess in position to stop guessing and be agreed of every cruise line to make the smartest changes. 

[drwbrt]

1 minute ago, New2cruise2022 said:

If they are smart and understand the value of data, Princess has ALL of this at their fingertips. 

I am sure someone is smart enough to realize what they have and how valuable it is.  Do they have the resources to utilize that data?  And even if they do, does that person have the influence or authority to suggest or implement changes based on that data?  I think the medallion data gives them a home run.  My worry is that Princess employs base coaches that have never even watched the sport.

[memoak]

1 hour ago, Princessfan20 said:

 

OMG!  I am pretty sure just about everyone on the Princess CC boards are a shareholder.  Next!

Wrong 

[CruizinSusan70]

On 8/3/2023 at 12:10 PM, Selion said:

.  I prefer Viking because no kids.

Best of luck with that since your next three cruises are all on MSC, LOL.

[CruizinSusan70]

On 8/3/2023 at 12:17 PM, Mike45LC said:

I think the increased revenue will not offset the loss in customer loyalty.  The stock will continue to tank.

Carnival Corp consists of nine different cruise lines and a small percentage of disgruntled Princess cruisers that may choose other lines is a drop in the bucket in the overall picture. 

 

And of course, many who are puffing out their chest via the boards and threatening to leave for other pastures may not leave at all or if they do may come back with their tail between their legs since the grass is not always greener elsewhere.

[drwbrt]

1 minute ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Carnival Corp consists of nine different cruise lines and a small percentage of disgruntled Princess cruisers that may choose other lines is a drop in the bucket in the overall picture. 

 

And of course, many who are puffing out their chest via the boards and threatening to leave for other pastures may not leave at all or if they do may come back with their tail between their legs since the grass is not always greener elsewhere.

Or they leave after all...........for another Carnival line.  Haha.

[CruizinSusan70]

On 8/3/2023 at 12:32 PM, drwbrt said:

It’s hard to not have a glass half full when they keep refilling it. Cheers.

But that glass only gets refilled 14 times.

[drwbrt]

Just now, CruizinSusan70 said:

But that glass only gets refilled 14 times.

I am open to refills on my coffee, coke zero, and san pellegrino too.  Top it off again, please.

[CruizinSusan70]

On 8/3/2023 at 2:29 PM, rosevew said:

Not much good on the ships that have none of those options though!

So that's a good reason to no longer cruise on a rust bucket and cruise on a Royal Class or, gasp, a Sphere Class ship.

[CruizinSusan70]

On 8/3/2023 at 2:35 PM, getaway101 said:

Princess is the last one that allows stockholders to still claim the OBC even though they got a special deal or have other OBC. 

Carnival still allows it, but according to your signature you've never cruised on her so you wouldn't know.

[LittleFish1976]

14 hours ago, cruising.mark.uk said:

Thank you.  This is a really clear explanation.  

 

But it takes me back to my earlier comment (where someone thought I was mocking you, but I was not).  I have never seen in my contract / invoice / conditions of travel etc any mention of being able to eat for free in a specific restaurant / dining venue.  Unless that is in there specifically it seems to me as a non-lawyer that it would be difficult to counter the argument that the contract with Princess was that they would feed you for free and that is what they have done.  And I guess the reasons you've explained are the reasons why they don't make specific promises in their 'contracts' with passengers - setting aside this discussion over prices, what happens if you feel you've paid to eat in Alfredos every day and when you go on your cruise it is closed for the duration because they haven't got the staff to run it or there's major equipment failure or similar?

 

 

 

Surely the product, as described in their advertising material at the time of booking, is what one has contracted with Princess to purchase.

 

They don't have to mention each individual pizza or each delivery of room service or use of the medallion app in their Contract of Passage; when one purchases a passage it incorporates the product as presented by Princess.

 

Free use of the app to order items and free room service would be fundamental to the product as offerred at time of booking prior to the recent changes and should be honoured by the company.

 

 

[cruise_critical]

I've been a RCCL cruiser till now but I booked my first ever Princess cruise (13 nights on Royal Princess) for end of this year for my family of 4 with the Premier package and it was MUCH cheaper than the RCCL cruise with similar inclusions / stateroom during equivalent sale promotion cruise. Hence it was a no brainer tbh.

Princess = $743 AUD/night (mini suite reserve class + 2A premier package) on Royal

RCCL = $1150 AUD/night (junior suite + the key + 2A deluxe drink package) on Ovation

 

(both are during kids sail free promotion with black friday sale prices for RCCL packages)

 

Now, with the recent package change announcement, we now seem to benefit even more with the inclusion of newly included meals on venues that were previously not (Vines, Ocean Terrace etc.) and also potential for it to be less busy at Alfredo's and potentially (hopefully) faster room service / oceannow delivery service due to less people doing them.

 

But yeah, I fully get why many people are upset by the change, and really, Princess should have grandfathered the benefits to previously booked customers, and only change/omit them for new bookings post-change-date.

 

Edited August 6, 2023 by cruise_critical

[Nightingale0208]

17 hours ago, Jim_Roberts said:

And I'm a retired lecturer in English Law and boy are they in trouble.

I would have appreciated an e mail at least, it's not as though they don't have it. I got through to customer services today and the poor girl couldn't answer my questions it seems that 

[robncruise]

The problem with these changes is that they are not "enhancements" to the Plus and Premier Packages.. They were already there for all cruisers. If you have the package and want to eat at Alfredos more than twice you will now have to pay 

The "spin" is so annoying. All  Princess needed to do was say we are introducing  charges for casual restaurants and Ocean now/ room service delivery. Would have been frank and honest and would not have created  all this for/against confusing discussion.  And if I book a cruise today on the NZ website it states quite clearly ( in 2 different pages of the booking process) that one of the benefits is "complimentary 24 hr room service"

[MissP22]

8 hours ago, mikjr said:

As an Elite for many years, what does that do to our embarkation status??    

It's just watered down the boarding process for Elites.

I'm surprised they didn't include priority tendering also.

[rosevew]

18 hours ago, cruising.mark.uk said:

Thank you.  This is a really clear explanation.  

 

But it takes me back to my earlier comment (where someone thought I was mocking you, but I was not).  I have never seen in my contract / invoice / conditions of travel etc any mention of being able to eat for free in a specific restaurant / dining venue.  Unless that is in there specifically it seems to me as a non-lawyer that it would be difficult to counter the argument that the contract with Princess was that they would feed you for free and that is what they have done.  And I guess the reasons you've explained are the reasons why they don't make specific promises in their 'contracts' with passengers - setting aside this discussion over prices, what happens if you feel you've paid to eat in Alfredos every day and when you go on your cruise it is closed for the duration because they haven't got the staff to run it or there's major equipment failure or similar?

 

 

It was clearly advertised as such on the website at the time of booking.