Your cost of "non-included" dining is going up...

[MissP22]

2 hours ago, memoak said:

Isn’t 18% of zero zero ?

In my case, that's true.

 

 

2 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Have you forgotten that Alfredos and other venues used to be "included in fare"?

They prefer you forget about it. 😉

[suzyed]

On 11/30/2023 at 11:36 PM, cruisedoctor said:

Princess has found a way of increasing YOUR cost of dining in a SPECIALTY or CASUAL DINING restaurant, without raising the cover charge.  In the past, the cover charge included the gratuity, (although you could leave an additional amount if you felt the service warranted it).  That is changing, as an 18% service fee will now be added to "a la carte paid food" NOT part of a Princess Plus or Premiere Package.  Here is the notice sent to the travel agent community today.  

 

What's new on board

Gratuities now added for a la carte paid food & beverage items To better align with the rest of the cruise industry, Princess is adding an 18% service charge to all paid food and beverage items and experiences, including specialty and casual dining. This would apply for guests who book with Princess Standard fares. Guests sailing with Princess Plus or Princess Premier, however, will not incur the new charges on items included in their packages, such as casual dining, premium desserts and specialty dining (Premier only). Just another reason it pays to Plus (and Premier)!

 They make it sound like this isn't going to effect the passengers with the Plus or Premier packages.  But, it does if those package holders exceed the number of meals that are included in their package. 

 

But wouldn't it affect those with the Plus package since Specialty dining is not included? And as you stated anyone who exceeds the two included in the Premier.  
How long have we been told that the servers in the Specialty restaurants were part of the tip pool? 
Just a way to try and push us to the Premier package.

[suzyed]

On 12/1/2023 at 10:10 AM, MissP22 said:

I doubt they'll eliminate the standard fare since it's used by many people for initial comparisons when deciding which cruise line to book. Once the decision is made to sail princess, it becomes easier to upsell them down the line. Just look at the "upgrade program" they introduced a year or so ago. They've got people to actually think of it as an upgrade when in fact it's an upsell in disguise, which make they feel better about it.  😄

Exactly! I think maybe more and more, the decision to sail princsess is getting less and less.

[suzyed]

On 12/1/2023 at 12:47 AM, memoak said:

And so how will this apply to first dinner embarkation night for full suites ?

I guess I will never know...LOL!

 

[suzyed]

On 12/1/2023 at 12:48 PM, Mary loves to travel said:

Same here -- it's been clearly marked that the service charge is part of the price for SD.   also noted that none of the servers seemed to expect it.

Right...they don't even give you a check any more unless you purchase a bottle of wine.

[suzyed]

9 hours ago, MissP22 said:

The service was outstanding. 

It's was the main course that left us disappointed. We both ordered rack of veal and it was so tough my husband left a good portion of it on the bone. We should have spoken up & said something, but didn't.

Their grade of meat has gotten really bad in the Crown Grill, but the funny thing is that all our meals in the DR were excellent. 

We had our best Crown Grill meal and service  in October on the Regal!

[MissP22]

10 minutes ago, suzyed said:

We had our best Crown Grill meal and service  in October on the Regal!

Yep, were done with the older Crown class ships & headed back to the Royal class only. We were very happy with them & decided to return to the Ruby for a change.

[Host CJSKIDS]

I booked my 2 dinners with the premier and then booked and paid for 2 others.  Since the bill is zero for both, so they now hand me a bill for 18% for the other 2 dinners?  

[dog]

9 minutes ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

I booked my 2 dinners with the premier and then booked and paid for 2 others.  Since the bill is zero for both, so they now hand me a bill for 18% for the other 2 dinners?  

This is what I’ve been asking.

 

[dog]

2 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Not sure why you think that would have happened in your situation.

 

11 minutes ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

I booked my 2 dinners with the premier and then booked and paid for 2 others.  Since the bill is zero for both, so they now hand me a bill for 18% for the other 2 dinners?  

We will have to wait and see.

[jennybenny]

23 minutes ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

I booked my 2 dinners with the premier and then booked and paid for 2 others.  Since the bill is zero for both, so they now hand me a bill for 18% for the other 2 dinners?  

curious about the same thing.... 

I wonder if it will be like adding the drink package, you pay gratuity when you book the extra meals?

[Steelers36]

On 12/1/2023 at 3:53 PM, antsp said:

My Brother and Sister in law very often will go over the 15 limit, especially if they have a late night in the Casino, ourselves nowhere near, they use our quota early on in the day, and keep there 15 in reserve 

SMH.

[Steelers36]

4 hours ago, Lady Arwen said:

I have not forgotten.  However, the MDR and outdoor grill are the mainstays of the cruise industry.  If they became extra charge, you can kiss cruising goodbye.  It will never happen.  

Agree.  They are simply casual meal options to the buffet IMO.  Sit-down dining is a more elevated experience since you have linen and are served, etc.  If they were going to cut-back or charge extra, I would think MDR breakfast and lunch would be targets and not the Lido.

[Steelers36]

33 minutes ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

I booked my 2 dinners with the premier and then booked and paid for 2 others.  Since the bill is zero for both, so they now hand me a bill for 18% for the other 2 dinners?  

IMO, I see nothing posted that indicates PCL is going to surcharge guest on Premier package using their included benefits.

[Steelers36]

So, I have read this thread and nothing else on the subject.  Perhaps not everyone was aware, but all special dining (by that I mean "for-a-fee" dining) has a baked in gratuity.  Has always been the case.

 

Is it being suggested that a meal in CG will now cost $39 + 18%?  PCL is already doing industry standard by including a gratuity.  Why not just raise the price to $46/pp and continue doing things the way they have been?

 

If there is a price increase, I just see it as a price increase and nothing else.  It just a marketing trick so they can advertise a SD meal at $39 and put the 18% in the teeny fine print.

 

Does anyone know for certain what exactly is happening?

[Host CJSKIDS]

16 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

So, I have read this thread and nothing else on the subject.  Perhaps not everyone was aware, but all special dining (by that I mean "for-a-fee" dining) has a baked in gratuity.  Has always been the case.

 

Is it being suggested that a meal in CG will now cost $39 + 18%?  PCL is already doing industry standard by including a gratuity.  Why not just raise the price to $46/pp and continue doing things the way they have been?

 

If there is a price increase, I just see it as a price increase and nothing else.  It just a marketing trick so they can advertise a SD meal at $39 and put the 18% in the teeny fine print.

 

Does anyone know for certain what exactly is happening?

 

https://www.princess.com/en-us/ships-and-experience/onboard-experience/food-and-dining/specialty-restaurants

 

Specialty restaurant cover charges applies. Specialty restaurants, pricing, and menu items vary by ship and are subject to change. All food and beverages, including cover charges, are subject to an 18% service charge which will be added to your check.

[Host CJSKIDS]

37 minutes ago, jennybenny said:

curious about the same thing.... 

I wonder if it will be like adding the drink package, you pay gratuity when you book the extra meals?

 

I didn't when I booked the 2 extra 2 months ago but I'm on the 12/9 Sky sailing so I'll let everyone know what happens. @dog

[Steelers36]

23 minutes ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

 

https://www.princess.com/en-us/ships-and-experience/onboard-experience/food-and-dining/specialty-restaurants

 

Specialty restaurant cover charges applies. Specialty restaurants, pricing, and menu items vary by ship and are subject to change. All food and beverages, including cover charges, are subject to an 18% service charge which will be added to your check.

Thanks.  I see they have revamped the page and also removed the menus.  No way to look up the price and they don't tell guests the price on the webpage.  So, who knows, but it does sound they are now going to assess the dining fee and then add the gratuity on top so it is clearly visible.  I imagine virtually no one is going to be tipping extra.

[memoak]

Issue this another great big rumor thread ?

[Host CJSKIDS]

1 minute ago, memoak said:

Issue this another great big rumor thread ?

 

I would say no since the link above is directly from the Princess website and it clearly states that the speciality dining is subject to an 18% gratuity and it will be added to your check. 

[hllwdcruiser]

47 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Thanks.  I see they have revamped the page and also removed the menus.  No way to look up the price and they don't tell guests the price on the webpage.  So, who knows, but it does sound they are now going to assess the dining fee and then add the gratuity on top so it is clearly visible.  I imagine virtually no one is going to be tipping extra.

I was able to see the Sabatini's menu by clicking on one of the links and it has the price as $35.
We certainly won't tip any extra if a gratuity is already added on top. I certainly hope the waiters get the "service charge" but somehow I doubt it.

[srpilo]

I wonder if they'll just flat out raise the price 18% for Australian cruises since the ships in OZ are supposed to have no gratuities for Aussie's ?

[hllwdcruiser]

So when I think about it, we will probably end up paying less out of pocket, but more out of OBC. Because we usually pay for SD with OBC, we are particularly generous with our cash tips, always at least 20%, but often more if we are giving tips to two waitstaff.
In SE Florida, when eating out near touristy areas, we need to be careful because gratuity is often added on to a check without any notification. We will then be presented with a hand held device which prompts us to add another 18 to 22 percent on top of the already added gratuity. I am sure that there are many unsuspecting folks who get caught in this gratuity trap (scam?). 
The thing is, when we see a gratuity already added to the check, we may add a couple of dollars more to bring it to 20%, but that's it. I don't see that this situation will be any different for us. 
However, I fear the biggest losers will be the servers who may or may not benefit from this additional charge.

Edited December 3, 2023 by hllwdcruiser

[dog]

5 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

You still can.  And PCL isn't charging you any extra with your package.

I have Standard fare.

I see a lot of posts since you posted telling me I was wrong.

 

No problem in my case I cancelled my 2 pre paid Crown Grill reservations and they have already issued the refund.

 

Crown Grill is $39 pp & Sabatinis is $35 pp.

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, dog said:

I have Standard fare.

I see a lot of posts since you posted telling me I was wrong.

 

No problem in my case I cancelled my 2 pre paid Crown Grill reservations and they have already issued the refund.

 

Crown Grill is $39 pp & Sabatini's is $35 pp.

Oh, my bad.  Sorry about that.  I was reading fast, catching up on threads and misunderstood I guess.  I am thinking you would have been locked in at the pre-paid price.  You could always cancel on board if it was going to cost more and didn't want to pay. 

 

Hope is goes well for you and others.  I think we don't know for sure if this is a lot of noise or if there is a price increase.  If the latter, in my mind, it won't be any different than it ever was because I always knew there was a baked-in gratuity, so if it is not there and is added separately (like a bar drink), so be it.  My decision to go or not go will be based on the cost per person and perceived value.  It will not surprise me to see a SD price increase for 2024.