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

[memoak]

22 hours ago, cheese please said:

I don't look at this as a 18% service charge. As it really is just a 18% increase to the cost of specialty dinning. That is a big increase any way you look at it. With our last few experiences with the Crown and Sabatini's I am not convinced a 18% extra cost is a worthy expense for us.

Did you see that another cruise line just upped some of their restaurants by 50%. ?  Makes this increase seem like nothing 

[Crystaltipps67]

5 minutes ago, memoak said:

Did you see that another cruise line just upped some of their restaurants by 50%. ?  Makes this increase seem like nothing 

For me it's about the value for money. I've already paid for (decent quality) dining, so to pay a further $46 per person for a meal on board is something that I struggle with as I'd be paying twice for a single meal. What other lines are doing is not really relevant to me, although I get why you're saying it. It's what the ship/line I'm on is charging that matters. If I've got some free OBC that needs to be spent then I'll look forward to trying The Catch, but otherwise I'll eat what I've already paid for! 

[caribill]

On 11/30/2023 at 10:52 PM, startedwithamouse said:

Do you ever leave a specialty restaurant without leaving a tip? Sounds like it's just going to be included in the 18%. 

 

The difference is that the staff in the specialty restaurants have always been included in the tipping pool for food service personnel. You are paying for that in your daily gratuity charge where it is part of a plus or other package or on your daily onboard account.

 

On 12/1/2023 at 2:14 AM, Mud_Shark said:

Just looking for clarification - it says for all paid beverage items.  Wasn't this always the case?  If you bought a drink without a package, were you not automatically charged a gratuity as well?  I assumed we were, so if not, I guess I have been stiffing the servers for the past few cruises.

 

The restaurant  servers are included in the daily gratuity charge.

 

The bar staff are not, so their tips have always come from the gratuity charged when you purchased a beverage or as part of a beverage package.

[caribill]

Will this apply to the Chef's Table and/or the Winemaker Dinner?

[caribill]

On 11/30/2023 at 10:36 PM, cruisedoctor said:

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

 

What a poor excuse.

 

Let's become more like the competition instead of being unique and differentiating the brand from other cruise lines.

 

From this change to now also charging for room service to building larger and larger ships that can no longer go to many unique ports that used to be on Princess itineraries, Princess looks more and more like the competition.

 

If one is going on a Caribbean cruise or an Alaska cruise on similar size ships with almost identical itineraries (different private islands in the Caribbean), why pick Princess unless there is a price advantage?

[memoak]

49 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

What a poor excuse.

 

Let's become more like the competition instead of being unique and differentiating the brand from other cruise lines.

 

From this change to now also charging for room service to building larger and larger ships that can no longer go to many unique ports that used to be on Princess itineraries, Princess looks more and more like the competition.

 

If one is going on a Caribbean cruise or an Alaska cruise on similar size ships with almost identical itineraries (different private islands in the Caribbean), why pick Princess unless there is a price advantage?

I get a minimum of 30% discount as a casino player free laundry and mini bar for being Elite. If another line would offer me the same I would consider it but no one has

[cruisedoctor]

7 hours ago, caribill said:

Will this apply to the Chef's Table and/or the Winemaker Dinner?

I believe so.  According to the "Princess Customer Support Knowledge Base" only the 360 Experience is being exempt.  *At this time, the service charge will not be charged for the 360 Experience.     

And, their wording "At this time", makes me believe that it too will be fair game soon.

[Steelers36]

On 12/7/2023 at 1:14 PM, CruizinSusan70 said:

Cheaper than Celebrity, Royal, Carnival and MSC.

Do any of those lines have higher quality beef?

[CruizinSusan70]

On 12/11/2023 at 4:27 PM, tere247 said:

I purchased the plus plan when it was offered at $50 per day.  I had planned on upgrading to what I thought was the new plus plan with the on board credit I have. Since the 2 casual dinings were not included in the original package, if I upgrade on board will I be paying the additional dining gratuity?  I’ll upgrade and pay the extras anyway, just curious. 

No, if you upgrade to the 60 per day plus, you get two credits of 14.99 pp to visit a casual dining venue.  If you visit a third time and get the 14.99 3 course meal or go another day and split an 8.50 pizza, then those would be subject to the 18% gratuity.  The first two visits of 14.99 have the gratuity already included.

[CruizinSusan70]

On 12/11/2023 at 5:21 PM, jagoffee said:

What other cruise lines have you tried?

 

Even after this increase, I think Princess’s Speciality dining is very reasonable.  They are much less expensive than Celebrity’s SD (but not a true comparison).  Oceania has great SD that is including in their base fare, but they are usually significantly more expensive.

 

Is NCL and Carnival less expensive?

 

On 12/11/2023 at 6:00 PM, cheese please said:

It is not just the cost that is the deciding factor. But value for money. So is the 6-7 dollar extra they are now charging worth the quality of the service and food they present. The last 5 times, 3 have not and that was before the increase. Making value for money with the increase rather shaky. This holds true on any ship that has extra cost dinning. You have paid for a dinning meal and these are a charge over and above what you have already paid.

There is a difference comparing cost versus value.  Cost wise, after including the new 18%, Princess is still cheaper with the Crown Grill compared to comparable locations on Celebrity, Carnival, Royal and MSC.  Only you can determine whether the additional 18% cost wise still brings you value with what you're paying and that is totally subjective as opposed to the dollar amount which is not.

[CruizinSusan70]

2 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Do any of those lines have higher quality beef?

Celebrity does.  And we only go to the steakhouse on Royal for lunch when we get it for under 25 pp with gratuity for a filet, shrimp cocktail, side and dessert.

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

Deleted. I am talking rubbish again... please don't tell the wife 😉

Edited December 13, 2023 by Snaxmuppet

[kywildcatfanone]

11 hours ago, memoak said:

I get a minimum of 30% discount as a casino player free laundry and mini bar for being Elite. If another line would offer me the same I would consider it but no one has

They all have loyalty perks, but most of Princess are gone now.  You still get the laundry, well, if they don't lose some of it, and you get the mini bar and a couple of inexpensive swap options.  If you attain loyalty status on other cruise lines, you will get at least similar perks, however watered down they might be.

[Steelers36]

On 12/11/2023 at 6:00 PM, cheese please said:

It is not just the cost that is the deciding factor. But value for money. So is the 6-7 dollar extra they are now charging worth the quality of the service and food they present. The last 5 times, 3 have not and that was before the increase. Making value for money with the increase rather shaky. This holds true on any ship that has extra cost dinning. You have paid for a dinning meal and these are a charge over and above what you have already paid.

The cost for CG now is getting more like a restaurant meal rather than a surcharge over the included MDR meal.  I agree on the value.  If the cut of beef isn't anything special anymore, then it isn't worth the charge just to sit in a different venue, IMO.  I would try CG again on our next cruise, but if the beef doesn't measure up, I'd move on.  Actually, I prefer to get UBD now and you get a steak that is more like what they serve at WMD or CTL.

[Steelers36]

On 12/11/2023 at 2:38 PM, Cruisemeister2002 said:

We have gone for the Plus Package up to 15 drinks, up to $15 plus two casual dining, although we will probably take in a few Specialty one's as well. Presumably depending on which tier you are in you then get that % off your bill ? So $14.99 minus $1.49, am I correct ? as we are Elite ( Not us personally you understand). All will depend on the standard of meals in the MDR. If anyone has recently cruised Princess would be grateful for any feedback on the standard of food in the MDR's. Thanks. 

What makes you think you get a 10% discount?  Am I missing something?

[memoak]

37 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

What makes you think you get a 10% discount?  Am I missing something?

Don’t get that either. The 10% applies to shops and excursions not meals

[rj59]

One thing I appreciate about Princess and its medallion system is that I don't have to sign for drinks, with a space left for an extra tip. I've gotten attitude from bartenders on other lines when I cross that out, and it's irritating having to deal with slips and signings at a crowded bar. If specialty dining had an automatic tip baked into the price and I wasn't hit up for something more, I'd feel more comfortable about going to specialty dining. I think that happened on Cunard, where I had a free specialty meal, and they never brought me a check, so I didn't have the stressful decision of whether or not to tip on something that was free and for servers who part of the same gratuity pool as MDR staff, I presume. 

[Abercrombie2019]

7 hours ago, rj59 said:

If specialty dining had an automatic tip baked into the price and I wasn't hit up for something more, I'd feel more comfortable about going to specialty dining.

Specialty dining on Princess already had a 17% gratuity baked into the cover charge.

[memoak]

4 hours ago, Abercrombie2019 said:

Specialty dining on Princess already had a 17% gratuity baked into the cover charge.

But now the verbiage ont the website has changed to say there will be 18% added to the cover charge 

[MacMadame]

2 hours ago, memoak said:

But now the verbiage ont the website has changed to say there will be 18% added to the cover charge 

Are they going to lower the cover charge to take the 17% gratuity out? 😉 

On 12/12/2023 at 5:13 PM, memoak said:

I get a minimum of 30% discount as a casino player free laundry and mini bar for being Elite. If another line would offer me the same I would consider it but no one has

Virgin Voyages and MSC will honor your Princess loyalty. If you want to branch out.

[Kmkub]

On 12/12/2023 at 1:09 PM, Crystaltipps67 said:

For me it's about the value for money. I've already paid for (decent quality) dining, so to pay a further $46 per person for a meal on board is something that I struggle with as I'd be paying twice for a single meal. What other lines are doing is not really relevant to me, although I get why you're saying it. It's what the ship/line I'm on is charging that matters. If I've got some free OBC that needs to be spent then I'll look forward to trying The Catch, but otherwise I'll eat what I've already paid for! 

I’d offer back that there is nowhere on earth you can get the quality seafood meal, as in from The Catch, for the price of the upcharge. I look at it that way. Our meal at The Catch was easily a $250 meal at home, before tip. 

[memoak]

1 hour ago, MacMadame said:

Are they going to lower the cover charge to take the 17% gratuity out? 😉 

Virgin Voyages and MSC will honor your Princess loyalty. If you want to branch out.

They will hand me free balconies and often free drink packages   ?  Another plus for me on Princess is that there almost always bartenders, servers and managers I know from earlier cruises

Edited December 14, 2023 by memoak

[Crystaltipps67]

On 12/14/2023 at 9:49 PM, Kmkub said:

I’d offer back that there is nowhere on earth you can get the quality seafood meal, as in from The Catch, for the price of the upcharge. I look at it that way. Our meal at The Catch was easily a $250 meal at home, before tip. 

I get your point and agree that probably unable in the West to get that quality food for the price of the upcharge. But $250 - wow! In the UK three courses in Rick Stein's flagship seafood restaurant (one of our best known seafood chefs) would be around £110 (about $140) pre tip (which in the UK would normally be 12.5%) based on the most expensive seafood choices on the current menu. So the differential isn't quite so great for us. 

[Kmkub]

1 hour ago, Crystaltipps67 said:

I get your point and agree that probably unable in the West to get that quality food for the price of the upcharge. But $250 - wow! In the UK three courses in Rick Stein's flagship seafood restaurant (one of our best known seafood chefs) would be around £110 (about $140) pre tip (which in the UK would normally be 12.5%) based on the most expensive seafood choices on the current menu. So the differential isn't quite so great for us. 

 

I dunno; the closest single option I could find on his menu was: THE “FRUITS DE MER” half a lobster, crab, scallops, razor clams, oysters, clams, cockles, mussels, winkles, whelks and langoustines. 55 per person.

 

This was very close to one of our two appetizers; lobster, crab, clams, oysters, langoustines, scallops, mussels…. 

 

Plus the other two appetizers, plus the main, plus dessert. 

 

So, yes, your comparable appetizer at his restaurant = 110 for two, but we had three other courses to go with it.

 

 

[Iamcruzin]

This is such a common practice at land restaurants now that I'm not surprised that it has trickled down to cruise ships. Royal Caribbean has already put this in place I think pre covid. The club house cafe in our community adds a 20% gratuity.  My pet peeve is that at land restaurants they don't always tell you and many don't spot it on the check and leave an additional gratuity. I wouldn't be surprised if passengers remove this tip like they do with the auto gratuity for the staff. Tipping is an American custom and not recognized internationally. None of these ships are registered in the U.S. So when in Rome....