I guess we missed the announcements. So now we pay for…?

[JGmf]

12 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

My DH and I only indulge while we're on vacation, so a slow day would be about 10 and a good day over 15 between the two of us.  Plus iced espresso, San Pellegrino to stay hydrated and cans of Coke Zero.  Great value for us, even @60 per day.

 

Hopefully we're on the same cruise one day.  I'd like to hang out and keep up with you two!

[dockman]

About the only elite perk worth anything is free laundry so i hope the bean counters don't set their sights on cutting that out or decide to add some delivery charge....

[Potstech]

2 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Multiple threads on the Princess boards, possibly the one that was recently shut down.  

SO other than on the internet nowhere else. Again no factual basis. "If it is on the internet it must be true."

[whitecap]

3 minutes ago, dockman said:

About the only elite perk worth anything is free laundry so i hope the bean counters don't set their sights on cutting that out or decide to add some delivery charge....

Based on what I have seen, as an Elite passenger along with what I have read here about the experiences of others, I predict that the cost of the self-serve laundry will be increased, again, and there will be a cost associated with Elite laundry.  It will be sold to everyone as a "new benefit" when in reality it will be another Elite benefit/amenity that is no longer free but comes with a charge (much like the internet minutes versus charges).  Laundry will be add to the drink packages and the cost for the packages will go up.  My prediction.  

[Bgwest]

17 minutes ago, whitecap said:

Based on what I have seen, as an Elite passenger along with what I have read here about the experiences of others, I predict that the cost of the self-serve laundry will be increased, again, and there will be a cost associated with Elite laundry.  It will be sold to everyone as a "new benefit" when in reality it will be another Elite benefit/amenity that is no longer free but comes with a charge (much like the internet minutes versus charges).  Laundry will be add to the drink packages and the cost for the packages will go up.  My prediction.  

Patience, Grasshopper. 
All things in due time!! 
I expect this is being discussed. 

[Mike07]

1 hour ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Then by all means move to a higher tiered line.  True, you get a more comprehensive product and of course since you get what you pay for, you will be getting a lot more and at the same time paying a lot more, which is the antithesis of what a bare bones cruiser is.  

You can't say you want a no frills don't spend another dollar on board cruise and then a minute later get upset and move to a higher end cruise line and spend substantially more for your cruise just because the rules of the game changed a bit.  Pick a lane and stay in it,  if you go bare bones and wish to change lines, then you need to go value and cruise on MSC or Carnival.  If you go with a package and are upset with Princess, then you go to the more expensive line with the comprehensive package.

 

 

Fortunately, there's competition and princess better play their cards right otherwise you'll be disappointed about what they've turned into like some of us are.

[hankandteri]

I have a dozen or so prior cruises with various lines, so more than some of you but much less than others here. I will be taking my first cruise with Princess in February. 
 

What we are all experiencing (higher prices, fewer perks, more extra charges) is happening with all of the mass market lines right now. Sadly, the grass isn’t any greener at Royal or NCL or any of their subsidiaries. If you want to take a cruise on a mainstream line right now, you’re going to have to put up with some of the  pricing shenanigans and the loss of amenities.
 

Part of this is the lines trying to recapture their pandemic shutdown losses as quickly as they can. Part of it is pent up demand causing ships everywhere to sail at or near capacity, so they can get away with it. 
 

When the pricing power pendulum swings back to the customer side (and it will), I hope those of us who are chronic cruisers will remember who did the best job of providing the best value for our extremely discretionary vacation dollars right now. Sadly, I don’t think any of the big three (CCL, NCL, RCCL) are showing they have our best interests at heart. 
 

My next two cruises are on Princess and Celebrity. After that I will need to decide if the naked greed has made cruising the big three too annoying to continue (I’ve already written off NCL and all its subsidiaries for good after a recent cruise on Oceania), if I should consider a more inclusive line like Viking or Virgin, or if I need to consider a different kind of vacation altogether. 
 

The lines can all afford to drive away loyal customers as long as they are sailing full, but I don’t think that’s always going to be the case. Time will tell. 

[dockman]

25 minutes ago, whitecap said:

Based on what I have seen, as an Elite passenger along with what I have read here about the experiences of others, I predict that the cost of the self-serve laundry will be increased, again, and there will be a cost associated with Elite laundry.  It will be sold to everyone as a "new benefit" when in reality it will be another Elite benefit/amenity that is no longer free but comes with a charge (much like the internet minutes versus charges).  Laundry will be add to the drink packages and the cost for the packages will go up.  My prediction.  

Yep sounds about right. 

 

New elite perk:  For small extra fee the stewards will clean your room.  Don't laugh as lot of hotels are now trying it out that you pay extra for maid service.

[Mike07]

6 minutes ago, hankandteri said:

 

My next two cruises are on Princess and Celebrity. After that I will need to decide if the naked greed has made cruising the big three too annoying to continue (I’ve already written off NCL and all its subsidiaries for good after a recent cruise on Oceania), if I should consider a more inclusive line like Viking or Virgin, or if I need to consider a different kind of vacation altogether. 
 

The lines can all afford to drive away loyal customers as long as they are sailing full, but I don’t think that’s always going to be the case. Time will tell. 

 

 

Thanks for the level headed response. I wish that there was an easy way to follow your posts because I'd be curious what your thoughts are on X and Princess.

[memoak]

5 minutes ago, dockman said:

Yep sounds about right. 

 

New elite perk:  For small extra fee the stewards will clean your room.  Don't laugh as lot of hotels are now trying it out that you pay extra for maid service.

All you have to do is get Covid and will you get to clean your own room and get paid for it

[spunks]

On 8/6/2023 at 1:37 PM, gottagocit said:

Eating at Alfredo’s is no complimentary?  is this correct?
What about the burger/sandwich shop on Lido? International cafe?

 

AND If you don’t pay for the overpriced plus or premier packages and decide to order anything to eat or drink using the medallion app we’ll have to pay $14.99 for the privilege of using the app to order something? Is this correct? 

Am I reading all the references to these changes accurately? We last cruised in April of this year and none of these were in effect. WTH?  I’ve been away from the Princess board for a few weeks and come back to stumble on this. Sorry if this has been beaten to death already but I tried to read back thru several pages of threads to understand what I think I reading. 
 

What else will now cost us more onboard and what Captains Circle benefits did we loose since recently?  
It seems every time we turn around we’re getting hit with a new cost if we want to continue to cruise with Princess! Just wow!

what has been taken away recently?////hmmmmm Oh yeah, Platinum and Elite no longer get free internet.....wait! that went away about 4 years ago....ok, How about all free room service?....No, all but breakfast went away several years ago as well...... The only thing they recently took away is free coffee delivery....Rats!...Let's see....OK...I have it....stacking benefits for OBC?...Sure as heck, you now have to pick between getting Stockholder benefit or Veterans benefit!...Loyalty bonus!....yep, now you no longer get any OBC for cruising over 20,30,40 or 50 times with Princess....Free laundry for Elites!...still there for now, but it now takes 72 hours for return.

 

The main thing that has been taken away from me on Princess is my desire to sail with Princess.

[SargassoPirate]

With over 50 cruises on different lines - HAL, RCI, Celebrity, Viking, NCL, and Princess - I am as loyal to any one cruise line as they are to me.  They have the right to change their product and I have the right to choose which cruise line fits the bill for me.  I put the pencil to every cruise, and factor in where I want to go, when I want to go, if there is a full promenade, and how much the cruise fare is.

 

For the most part, as long as I can find a cabin with PAX above, below, and across the corridor, someplace to get something to eat, and a wee dram of two in the evening, I'm good.  Loyalty perks are a plus not the be all end all.

 

All that being said, I'm finding booking with  Princess more and more confusing with the packages and new charges, but I can still find a way to enjoy my cruise.

 

It's still a free market economy.  They have the right to charge what the traffic will bear, and I have the right not to pay for things I don't want or can't understand how they benefit me.

 

 

Edited August 7, 2023 by SargassoPirate

[MissP22]

3 hours ago, Mike07 said:

 

 

I think Princess is relying on age demographics for the conversion to happen.

I don't think it will happen fast enough for them. 

The new ship is already adding things to attract the younger crowd.

 

 

 

1 hour ago, dockman said:

About the only elite perk worth anything is free laundry so i hope the bean counters don't set their sights on cutting that out or decide to add some delivery charge....

We hardly use the laundry but I foresee a $$ cap being implemented in the near future, in order to cut down on sharing.

[Steelers36]

So much grumbling.  I could go on about how much more we are paying for food - both grocery and restaurant sources.  Fuel has been up for some time now (and both N.A. major governments are trying to kill the industry while saying they are not).  Have you read about the cost of vehicles lately - both new and used?  All kinds of travel costs up - it gets reported on here on a regular basis. 

 

Without doing my own research, I am inclined to believe all I have read about fares, packages and fees costing a lot more on other mass market lines.  No way I am ever going to consider down-grading my cruise experience as @CruizinSusan70 suggests.  No interest in (more-or-less) sideways to RCL.  And it doesn't seem like I will get that much more for increased cost for same thing we book on X.  Might try out HAL sometime (itinerary makes a huge difference).

 

It would be nice to try out one of the upscale lines like O, someday.  We'll see, because that is a big chunk of change and we do have interests in other vacation trips via land where we do our own thing.  We are not "cruise crazy" and have had many great experiences.  If I had to walk away tomorrow, I could at least say we did about 200+ days and it was good.

 

So, we have always enjoyed the Princess experience and ambiance and that part still reads as fine to me.  If we can continue to do what we are doing, I am all for fitting more cruise experience into our lives, but if they knock me out (explanation below), so be it and we can be good doing other things unless we decide to go more upscale on a ship. 

 

These are things we have been doing/getting that will keep me booking Princess:

• Standard Fares
• FCD's (not critical)
• SOBC (NTH)
• Cabin selection with Refundable Deposits
• Elite Mini-bar with exchanges
• BYOW
• Ability to do independent port touring, in conjunction with like-minded guests if it suits
• Decent food
• Ability to get a set table in DR at a time of convenience with same wait staff

 

Start hacking at the above and the whole idea becomes sour.  So far so good and I can understand most of the changes and price increases.

 

 

[MissP22]

3 hours ago, ldtr said:

On 2 recent Alaska cruises I was on over 75% of the passengers on each cruise were first time Princess cruisers.

 

A lot of people are trying new things. Different cruise lines or for that matter trying cruising for the first time.

From what I read, most of the Alaskan cruises are first time cruisers. The tours are so expensive that it's usually a once in a lifetime trip. 

[voljeep]

4 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

So much grumbling.  I could go on about how much more we are paying for food - both grocery and restaurant sources.  Fuel has been up for some time now (and both N.A. major governments are trying to kill the industry while saying they are not).  Have you read about the cost of vehicles lately - both new and used?  All kinds of travel costs up - it gets reported on here on a regular basis. 

 

Without doing my own research, I am inclined to believe all I have read about fares, packages and fees costing a lot more on other mass market lines.  No way I am ever going to consider down-grading my cruise experience as @CruizinSusan70 suggests.  No interest in (more-or-less) sideways to RCL.  And it doesn't seem like I will get that much more for increased cost for same thing we book on X.  Might try out HAL sometime (itinerary makes a huge difference).

 

It would be nice to try out one of the upscale lines like O, someday.  We'll see, because that is a big chunk of change and we do have interests in other vacation trips via land where we do our own thing.  We are not "cruise crazy" and have had many great experiences.  If I had to walk away tomorrow, I could at least say we did about 200+ days and it was good.

 

So, we have always enjoyed the Princess experience and ambiance and that part still reads as fine to me.  If we can continue to do what we are doing, I am all for fitting more cruise experience into our lives, but if they knock me out (explanation below), so be it and we can be good doing other things unless we decide to go more upscale on a ship. 

 

These are things we have been doing/getting that will keep me booking Princess:

• Standard Fares
• FCD's (not critical)
• SOBC (NTH)
• Cabin selection with Refundable Deposits
• Elite Mini-bar with exchanges
• BYOW
• Ability to do independent port touring, in conjunction with like-minded guests if it suits
• Decent food
• Ability to get a set table in DR at a time of convenience with same wait staff

 

Start hacking at the above and the whole idea becomes sour.  So far so good and I can understand most of the changes and price increases.

 

 

I'm guessing BYOW eliminated would be deal breaker for you

[startedwithamouse]

2 hours ago, memoak said:

Same here for now on spare me Royal class ships with blue card families crammed 4 to a stateroom. All with backpacks slamming into me in the lift

But they've paid full price. Princess doesn't care about the standard or casino comp cruiser. 

[Steelers36]

3 minutes ago, voljeep said:

I'm guessing BYOW eliminated would be deal breaker for you

It would strike a dagger close to the heart for certain.  It would be a per day cost increase for certain.  I would be then looking for the best price/value combo on the wine list (no plonk, TYVM) and a bottle last us generally 2 meals.  Sometimes we have beer at dinner instead.  It's an even bigger increase than on paper since I have rarely been charged corkage.  I'd also be looking to see what HAL would do at that time (right now they have same corkage fee, but no first free bottle).

Anyway, it's a hypothetical exercise both on their side and my side, so just deal with it in the moment.  No point in getting into a debate about death by 10 cuts and which one is the death blow, so to speak.

[Cruise Raider]

5 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

Anyone with any sense or anyone who has taken a Business 101 course should know that it costs more to find a new customer than it does to satisfy and retain an existing one.

 

They should also know that a satisfied customer will tell one or two people about their experience, but a dissatisfied customer will tell as many as ten.

 

We are all seeing what happens when the bean counters get to sit at the big table.

 

Princess is still filling their ships .. new customers seem to be happier and freer with spending their discretionary funds that the older clientele, that seem to be the squeaky wheels.  

Because the old time cruisers will fade away (sorry to be morbid but it’s a fact), they will have to entice new cruisers to remain profitable.  
I don’t think the passengers that look at every single dollar they spend will keep them in business for very long.  
We are no spring chickens ourselves with 80+ cruises each under our belts.  We want Princess to become profitable once again.  We live in a society where profitability of a company may be the reason they will stay afloat or fold.  
Personally, I’m more offended by the prices at the fuel pumps and the grocery stores, my utility bills and my healthcare costs.  It’s way more than a $5 or $15 charge here and there.  And why everybody thinks cruising should remain exactly the same from years ago, while the whole world around them is changing is mind boggling to me.  

I first cruised in the early eighties and I can honestly say that I am actually getting much more value now than I did then.  I just think back to my first cruise.  It was $100 a day per person for an oceanview cabin and we had to also pay our gratuities, there was no WiFi, we had to pay for our drinks and there was no such thing as OBC given.  
If fast forward to 40+ years later, OMG .. I can sometimes still get that same deal now, plus some OBC and maybe some other freebies.  My goodness, it would be more than triple today for the same cruise fare and I’m just not seeing that.  It’s still the best bargain out there.  I refuse to squabble about a mere $15 charge.  

$100 in 1981 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $335.65 today, an increase of $235.65 over 42 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 2.93% per year between 1981 and today, 2023, producing a cumulative price increase of 235.65%.

 

 

 

[cheetosrevil]

2 hours ago, Mike07 said:

 

 

Thanks for the level headed response. I wish that there was an easy way to follow your posts because I'd be curious what your thoughts are on X and Princess.

@Mike07Not sure this is what you're looking for, but click on his username and you'll land on his activity page and can see his posts there.

Edited August 7, 2023 by cheetosrevil

[whitecap]

2 hours ago, Bgwest said:

Patience, Grasshopper. 
All things in due time!! 
I expect this is being discussed. 

You can rest assure that the most current changes they have made, were discussed for some time before the roll out and that there are already other changes that will take place.  It would only make sense.  

[CruizinSusan70]

3 hours ago, JGmf said:

 

Hopefully we're on the same cruise one day.  I'd like to hang out and keep up with you two!

On our last night after 14 on the Majestic in June, my DH decided he wanted to hit 15 so towards the end of the evening he had the bartender at Good Spirits split an 18 oz can of Guinness into two mugs and had him drop a mixed shot of Bailey's & Jameson in each to make two Irish Car Bombs.   About a half hour later, repeated the feat, knocking out 6 of his allotted drinks for the day.

[CruizinSusan70]

2 hours ago, Mike07 said:

Fortunately, there's competition and princess better play their cards right otherwise you'll be disappointed about what they've turned into like some of us are.

In 2023 we have or will have cruised on Princess, Celebrity, Carnival, RCI, NCL and MSC.  No Disney, HAL or Virgin.  So we have cruised on two thirds of the main stream US based cruise lines.  Been on 55 cruises since 1986.   That's substantially less than some on these boards and substantially more than many.

We are new to the Princess table and we 100% enjoy their product.  If we didn't we wouldn't have 9 future cruises booked on them.  Cruising, like most things in life is fluid and there are going to be changes to the rules and there will be changes to the participants.  If even half of the disgruntled cruisers move on to possibly greener pastures, they will be replaced by others and after cruising on whatever other cruise line they move on to, may come back to Princess, or they may not.  It's the cruising version of the Circle of Life.

[CruizinSusan70]

2 hours ago, Mike07 said:

 

 

Thanks for the level headed response. I wish that there was an easy way to follow your posts because I'd be curious what your thoughts are on X and Princess.

It's easy enough to do.  You write down the person's name.  When you see a posting, click on their name and then all of their activity and postings will appear for you to read.

[whitecap]

3 minutes ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

So, since you seem to imply that you know it all, what percentage of Princess cruisers are barebones versus what percentage purchase the Plus or the Premier?  Wherever the actual numbers land, it's not going to change the fact that the barebones cruiser brings practically nothing to the table to add to the profits of Princess unless they make donations to the casino.  On board spending is where the cruise lines make their profits and the top three areas are the bars, the casino and excursions.  If the bare bones cruiser doesn't add a dime to any of these three areas, they are like a drop of water in a large vat of water.

I sure would like to see some actual numbers to verify your statement.  Not that I'm saying you are wrong, I just find it hard to believe that a couple who spends thousands of dollars for cruise fare isn't adding to the profit margin more than "a drop of water in a large vat of water."  Do you really believe that if Princess sold out a ship and no one purchased a beverage package, played at the casino, ordered a drink at the bar or went on an excursion, that Princess would go broke?