Percentage of passengers with a 'Package'

[Marronnier]

Without wanting to start another debate on the pros and cons of the Plus and Premier packages, I would be really interested to know what percentage of passengers take up either of the packages.

I don't suppose there are any official figures available, perhaps we could take a poll of CC Princess board contributors. Or someone might have a 'feel' for the numbers. 

[voljeep]

2 minutes ago, Marronnier said:

Without wanting to start another debate on the pros and cons of the Plus and Premier packages, I would be really interested to know what percentage of passengers take up either of the packages.

I don't suppose there are any official figures available, perhaps we could take a poll of CC Princess board contributors. Or someone might have a 'feel' for the numbers. 

the non 'package'😄 posters on CC are way more likely to respond ...

[DUCHESSRN]

4 minutes ago, Marronnier said:

Without wanting to start another debate on the pros and cons of the Plus and Premier packages, I would be really interested to know what percentage of passengers take up either of the packages.

I don't suppose there are any official figures available, perhaps we could take a poll of CC Princess board contributors. Or someone might have a 'feel' for the numbers. 

We have package next cruise Oct 24th , intend to really pay attention to how much we would have spent without it . I bet we barely break even . Interested to see how it works out , the desserts are a total waste for me and smoothies as Diabetic .I do however enjoy my Specialty Teas and coffees.

[Marronnier]

2 minutes ago, voljeep said:

the non 'package'😄 posters on CC are way more likely to respond ...

I don't imagine it will be an unbiased scientific survey😂

[Paula_MacFan]

What difference does it make? 

 

I would expect that kind of data to be in quarterly or annual corporate reports.

[Lady Arwen]

22 minutes ago, Marronnier said:

Without wanting to start another debate on the pros and cons of the Plus and Premier packages, I would be really interested to know what percentage of passengers take up either of the packages.

I don't suppose there are any official figures available, perhaps we could take a poll of CC Princess board contributors. Or someone might have a 'feel' for the numbers. 

The problem is that only about 1% or less of cruisers are  Cruise Critic members, so you would not be getting a true picture.  Also, the people who don’t want it are very vociferous compared to those who do.   I would say that once you board, you may get a better picture.  To be honest, I’ve never been interested in the numbers, for or against.  I just do my own thing and let others do theirs.

Edited October 17, 2023 by Lady Arwen

[skynight]

Wild, very wild guesses. Cruisers that take one week cruises, a high percentage. Experienced cruisers that know how they tend to spend their funds, probably a lower number, but still fairly high.

Only Princess knows and I don't believe they will publish that information anytime soon if ever. Princess does not have an annual report. This information may or may not be included in the Carnival Corp stockholder's report. 

[Cruise Raider]

Shorter cruises definitely tend to have more people that have purchased the packages.  
 

[dweeb]

A lot of people don't realize that THEY purchased a package (they know that they have it, just not purchased it).  Many people don't even know that there is a standard package, TA's and PVP's tend to sell them and say that they will gift them the package.  Then it shows this as a gift when looking at their travel summary.  Since the commission on these are at about 10-15%, as per the webinar that was shown when Princess rolled this out, I don't blame the TA's & PVPV's.

Edited October 17, 2023 by dweeb
spelling

[Lady Arwen]

1 minute ago, dweeb said:

A lot of people don't realize that THEY purchased a package.  Many people don't even know that there is a standard package, TA's and PVP's tend to sell them and say that they will gift them the package.  Then it shows this as a gift when looking at their travel summary.  Since the commission on these are at about 10-15%, as per the webinar that was shown when Princess rolled this out, I don't blame the TA's & PVPV's.

You are correct!  I always laugh when I look at our travel summary and it indicates “complimentary” from Princess when I know for a fact I paid for either the Plus or Premier package.  This is quite deceptive and I’m surprised by how many people are fooled by it.  Not nice, Princess.

[luv2kroooz]

3 hours ago, Marronnier said:

Without wanting to start another debate on the pros and cons of the Plus and Premier packages, I would be really interested to know what percentage of passengers take up either of the packages.

I don't suppose there are any official figures available, perhaps we could take a poll of CC Princess board contributors. Or someone might have a 'feel' for the numbers. 

Correct. This is proprietary information that is not publicly released by the cruise line. Just curious why the heightened interest in the stats? 

[memoak]

We always have the plus package since we like some drinks  Since we do go to bars we are generally around drinkers who also have packages. If you look at folks who just sit around the piazza with water glasses listening to music and watching games there are probably a lot less packages

[Guardsy]

We enjoy drinks, so we always purchase it.  We more than break even with just the drinks, gratuities and wifi for my wife.  Now, if we ever do Alaska again, I may not do it.  Just don't drink as much up north, even coffee drinks.

[Potstech]

We always buy just the standard fares.  We know what the price should be before we contact our TA. But each to their own.

[Outerdog]

9 hours ago, Paula_MacFan said:

What difference does it make? 

 

I can see someone unfamiliar with the Princess fare packages being curious about what a group chooses to do with them.

 

If a majority of posters indicated that they find value in them, that might be good info for someone starting their research and planning. On the other hand, if a majority seems to think it's a total ripoff, well, that might inform some decisions too.

 

The dynamics of a forum make getting a good sample challenging.

 

Here's a data point for OP: We get the Plus package on 7 or 10 day voyages. We have a couple of 5 day trips in the books and planned and no packages for those.

 

Edited October 18, 2023 by Outerdog

[cruzsnooze]

12 minutes ago, Outerdog said:

.

 

If a majority of posters indicated that they find value in them, that might be good info for someone starting their research and planning. On the other hand, if a majority seems to think it's a total ripoff, well, that might inform some decisions too.

 

 

 

I'm of the opinion it's a rip off. The packages dictate how much gratuity you pay.  Elite and Platinum internet is not 50% off  because all loyalty tiers pay the same amount.  I never buy either package.

[Cruise Craig]

 

11 hours ago, Paula_MacFan said:

What difference does it make? 

 

I would expect that kind of data to be in quarterly or annual corporate reports.

I am interested as it will help me understand how busy the casual dining venues will be and if the reserved seating in the theater is likely to fill up.

[wallyj]

59 minutes ago, Cruise Craig said:

 

I am interested as it will help me understand how busy the casual dining venues will be and if the reserved seating in the theater is likely to fill up.

I am not sure if this number is accurate, but in a previous thread, I believe I saw a post that said, Princess will reserve 20% of the number that have purchased the Premier package for the ‘reserved’ seats,  so this may help you estimate the number that have the Premier package. So the math would be if you see 100 seats reserved, then approx 500 passengers have Premier.

[Cruisintimer]

We started purchasing a package this year with our two most recent cruises.  With new Alfredo dining changes, room service changes and normal gratuities, wifi, drinks, coffees we just want to be able to board and have everything prepaid.  To each his own but it works for us.

[MissP22]

15 hours ago, Lady Arwen said:

You are correct!  I always laugh when I look at our travel summary and it indicates “complimentary” from Princess when I know for a fact I paid for either the Plus or Premier package.  This is quite deceptive and I’m surprised by how many people are fooled by it.  Not nice, Princess.

Of course ! Who doesn't like a "gift". 😁LOL

[CaptainPedantic]

Not sure that this offers any real insight but since I took a quick look out of personal interest, I thought I would share...

According to Carnival annual reports (which obviously don't only include Princess):

 

• 2019 - ticket revenue was around 68% of overall revenue
• 2022 - ticket revenue was around 58% of overall revenue

 

I believe beverages/packages would be considered onboard spending so this could suggest a significant uptake in packages (or maybe just more speciality dining, excursions etc.?)

 

Also interesting to see that there is a big difference by 'segment' - for 2022, the NAA (North America and Australia) segment had ticket revenue at 57% of overall revenue, and the EA (Europe and Asia) segment was at 75%.

 

You can make any number say what you want I suppose 🙂 but hope someone finds that interesting!

[ExploringTheGlobe]

19 hours ago, Paula_MacFan said:

What difference does it make? 

 

None but some people are just curious about some things.  I know I am curious about this topic even though it would not change whether I buy a package or not. 

[partybarbie]

Prior to the “package”, our bar tab was running $100 a day. It sounds like a lot of drinks, but not really when a cheap bottle of wine on the ship costs $40-$50. It’s a money saver for us.

[Bwana Tom]

My personal belief is that since the Plus package has gone from $40/person/day to $50 then within months to $60, not to even mention the Premier that could double the cost for someone staying in an inside cabin, fewer of us have reached the discussion it really is worth it. Of course, for some folks they will consider it worth the extra cost largely due to their own personal drinking habits. Nevertheless, I am thinking the number of cruisers currently buying into these packages has dropped significantly from only a couple of years ago.   

[BamaVol]

10 hours ago, Cruise Craig said:

 

I am interested as it will help me understand how busy the casual dining venues will be and if the reserved seating in the theater is likely to fill up.

Not everyone with a package will choose casual dining or watch a show in the theater. Anecdotal evidence says even fewer will order 2 gross deserts a day (am I showing my bias?). I think everything you read here is just an unscientific guess, generally based on what the poster does. I like data to inform my decisions too, but sometimes it’s simply not available. 

Edited October 18, 2023 by BamaVol