Purchasing Princess Plus Onboard - What have been your experiences?

[Real NHDOC]

So being relatively new to Princess I was curious about the option I saw on their website to add Princess Plus to your booking once onboard and I called princess and asked about whether I could use my OBC then to pay for it as that would be a great way to spend the OBC I got from our TA.  The answer was yes, but the price may be higher...wait, what? 

 

Yes, they confirmed that you do have the option to buy it on the first or second day of the cruise but the price is only guaranteed to be $60PP/Day if you buy it beforehand.  What the price will be onboard, they cannot say beforehand.  Of course the website doesn't mention this little catch. 

 

So, has anyone bought Princess Plus once onboard and if so what have been your experiences with that?   Were you able to use OBC to pay for it and was the price higher than $60PP/Day?

[Crystaltipps67]

On our last cruise we bought Plus on board rather than in advance. We just visited Guest Services as soon as we boarded and it was added straight away. We didn't have any OBC so I can't answer that, but have no reason to doubt that it could have been used if we'd had it. For our next cruise in March 2024 we have pre-bought Plus as we were concerned that the price might rise again before then (we are in the UK and don't have the ability to cancel for any reason as UK insurers won't do that). Of course you're always going to be charged the going rate at the time you purchase, so if you wait until you're on board and the going rate for Plus at that time is $70 a day because princess has hiked the price then that's what you'll be charged. It's a gamble. As you'll have seen they've just made changes to the included dining options so it wouldn't be a huge leap to think that they might raise the package price sometime soon.

[Real NHDOC]

Thanks for the reply.  I got the impression from the customer service rep that the price was "dynamic" when you wait to purchase onboard - it won't be the same as the $60PP/Day they sell it for beforehand.  Not necessarily that the "going rate" price rises across the board but they adjust the price onboard to account for how many other passengers on that cruise have it and there's no way to know beforehand what it will be. 

Edited August 23, 2023 by Real NHDOC

[gtcruisers]

We purchased PLUS  onboard using OBC on August 4th.

I purchased PLUS on the app once we were connected to MedallionNet and it was reflected immediately allowing us to enjoy cool drink within minutes of boarding.

 

 

[Steelers36]

36 minutes ago, Real NHDOC said:

So being relatively new to Princess I was curious about the option I saw on their website to add Princess Plus to your booking once onboard and I called princess and asked about whether I could use my OBC then to pay for it as that would be a great way to spend the OBC I got from our TA.  The answer was yes, but the price may be higher...wait, what? 

 

Yes, they confirmed that you do have the option to buy it on the first or second day of the cruise but the price is only guaranteed to be $60PP/Day if you buy it beforehand.  What the price will be onboard, they cannot say beforehand.  Of course the website doesn't mention this little catch. 

 

So, has anyone bought Princess Plus once onboard and if so what have been your experiences with that?   Were you able to use OBC to pay for it and was the price higher than $60PP/Day?

All they were communicating is that PCL could increase the cost of the packages between now and when you sail.  Obviously, it would then cost more on board.  However, you will know this is coming and could then purchase it sooner if desired.

[Real NHDOC]

19 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

All they were communicating is that PCL could increase the cost of the packages between now and when you sail.  Obviously, it would then cost more on board.  However, you will know this is coming and could then purchase it sooner if desired.

Thanks.  If that's the case then I am OK with it.  I just got the impression they were saying the ship sets the price for that particular sailing. If that's a mis-impression I would be willing to accept the risk of a "across the board" price increase in exchange for being able to use OBC to pay for the package as I would have little use for OBC if I pre-bought it.

[ggprincess2004]

There are a few benefits to waiting until one is onboard to purchase, assuming there is no price increase being announced, First, OBC can be used to purchase it, and second, the cost of the Plus package is added to the cost of your cruise fare if you book ahead of time, and this increases the price of your cruise insurance if you are using the Princess cruise insurance. If you wait until you are onboard the price of your cruise insurance will not increase. 

[chamima]

2 hours ago, Real NHDOC said:

Thanks.  If that's the case then I am OK with it.  I just got the impression they were saying the ship sets the price for that particular sailing. If that's a mis-impression I would be willing to accept the risk of a "across the board" price increase in exchange for being able to use OBC to pay for the package as I would have little use for OBC if I pre-bought it.

 

 

I understand why you got that impression.

I think the rep you spoke to was just trying to "sell" to a customer she already had rather than take the chance you might change your mind.

 

[Real NHDOC]

3 hours ago, ggprincess2004 said:

There are a few benefits to waiting until one is onboard to purchase, assuming there is no price increase being announced, First, OBC can be used to purchase it, and second, the cost of the Plus package is added to the cost of your cruise fare if you book ahead of time, and this increases the price of your cruise insurance if you are using the Princess cruise insurance. If you wait until you are onboard the price of your cruise insurance will not increase. 

Yes, and for people like me who NEVER buy the insurance why risk the extra $$$ before you actually board the ship? 

 

I think it's great they allow you to add it once onboard and even if I couldn't pay using OBC I would wait for that reason alone but the added benefit of being able to use OBC to buy it is great.   

[10cruise]

I find it hard to believe that the cost of the insurance won't increase if you purchase the Plus Package on board.  Your insurance covers many items that doesn't go away once your board the ship.  You could become ill on board and require an emergency evacuation and your insurance will cover the cost, up to your maximum benefit.  Has anyone actually purchased the Plus Package on board and can verify there was no increase in the insurance amount?  Does anyone know if we can use gift cards to purchase the Plus Package before arriving on board?  

[Tedferg]

11 minutes ago, 10cruise said:

I find it hard to believe that the cost of the insurance won't increase if you purchase the Plus Package on board.  Your insurance covers many items that doesn't go away once your board the ship.  You could become ill on board and require an emergency evacuation and your insurance will cover the cost, up to your maximum benefit.  Has anyone actually purchased the Plus Package on board and can verify there was no increase in the insurance amount?  Does anyone know if we can use gift cards to purchase the Plus Package before arriving on board?  

Yes, I can confirm this also we got a $10 refund each, apparently a refund of Medallion shipping charge, though we did not have Medallion shipped. Insurance goes up because the fare goes up. Adding Plus onboard is similar to adding Specialty Dining, Excursions etc. The Fare is not increased.

[DeeTO]

I can confirm it’s no problem buying plus once on board. Any waiter will do it for you, no need to go to guest services. Used gift cards and OBC and given $10 credit as medallion not shipped.

[Real NHDOC]

I am a little confused about the medallion shipping issue as it relates to buying Princess Plus onboard.  Are the medallions only sent out for Princess Plus purchases or would we expect to receive one with our "bare bones" booking?  We'll be traveling before our cruises so don't really have a way to receive them by mail anyway but was curious about the comments made about the shipping charges...could you please elaborate??

[palolake]

18 hours ago, 10cruise said:

I find it hard to believe that the cost of the insurance won't increase if you purchase the Plus Package on board.  Your insurance covers many items that doesn't go away once your board the ship.  You could become ill on board and require an emergency evacuation and your insurance will cover the cost, up to your maximum benefit.  Has anyone actually purchased the Plus Package on board and can verify there was no increase in the insurance amount?  Does anyone know if we can use gift cards to purchase the Plus Package before arriving on board?  

If you purchase Princess insurance, they wouldn't be able to charge you more once on board.  You pay for that insurance before boarding.  But in your scenario where you have an emergency evacuation while on the ship, you would lose the cost of Princess Plus because you didn't insure it.  Same with private insurance.  Princess Plus is lumped in with the cost of the cruise. We have a 32 day cruise coming up and we are waiting until we board to purchase.  It was going to add almost $200 to our non Princess insurance.  And we would add the cost of the package into figuring out how much insurance we would need.  One of the main reasons we get insurance is in case we can't make the trip. Odds are that we'll finish the cruise out once on board and we'll take our chances on that. 

[Tedferg]

2 hours ago, Real NHDOC said:

I am a little confused about the medallion shipping issue as it relates to buying Princess Plus onboard.  Are the medallions only sent out for Princess Plus purchases or would we expect to receive one with our "bare bones" booking?  We'll be traveling before our cruises so don't really have a way to receive them by mail anyway but was curious about the comments made about the shipping charges...could you please elaborate??

Someone might be more specific than I am, however you will be able to pick up Medallion at the port, I see no benefit to shipping to my home. I have seen several posts of people anxiously waiting for them to arrive. Medallions are not shipped to some countries and charges for shipping have changed over time. There is now a charge to ship them unless you have Plus or Premiere package. Some feel there is a benefit of walking straight on to the ship with a valid medallion, I find that one still needs to show passport etc.

[10cruise]

Thank all of you for your replies.  It is appreciated.  

[Real NHDOC]

1 hour ago, Tedferg said:

Someone might be more specific than I am, however you will be able to pick up Medallion at the port, I see no benefit to shipping to my home. I have seen several posts of people anxiously waiting for them to arrive. Medallions are not shipped to some countries and charges for shipping have changed over time. There is now a charge to ship them unless you have Plus or Premiere package. Some feel there is a benefit of walking straight on to the ship with a valid medallion, I find that one still needs to show passport etc.

Ah, now I understand.  So, if I had them ship the medallion to me before I bought Princess Plus they would have charged me for the shipping but if I had Princess Plus they would waive that charge.  But if I paid the shipping and then bought P-P onboard they would refund the shipping...makes perfect sense now, thanks!

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, 10cruise said:

Thank all of you for your replies.  It is appreciated.  

Aside from the fact that Princess insurance does not go up, another provider would not go up either as they wouldn't know what you are doing.  But the real kicker is you cannot alter your insurance coverage once the trip has begun.  You have what you have.

[10cruise]

That makes sense.   Thanks for the information.

[Thrak]

Question regarding payment for onboard package purchase:

 

Does the upgrade price automagically go onto your onboard folio or is it possible to pay for it onboard using a credit card at the time of the upgrade?

[NavyVeteran]

27 minutes ago, Thrak said:

Question regarding payment for onboard package purchase:

 

Does the upgrade price automagically go onto your onboard folio or is it possible to pay for it onboard using a credit card at the time of the upgrade?

What difference does it make? You can go to Guest Services anytime during the voyage and make a cash or credit card payment against your folio balance.

[memoak]

31 minutes ago, Thrak said:

Question regarding payment for onboard package purchase:

 

Does the upgrade price automagically go onto your onboard folio or is it possible to pay for it onboard using a credit card at the time of the upgrade?

Just buy wait till it hits your folio and then go to guest services and use a credit card to pay down your folio. We do this if our folio gets bigger than we want to look at

[Thrak]

1 hour ago, NavyVeteran said:

What difference does it make? You can go to Guest Services anytime during the voyage and make a cash or credit card payment against your folio balance.

 

1 hour ago, memoak said:

Just buy wait till it hits your folio and then go to guest services and use a credit card to pay down your folio. We do this if our folio gets bigger than we want to look at

 

Sounds good. Thanks. (I've never paid on my folio when onboard. I usually don't have anything to pay as it's all covered by a package or OBC.)