A Different Way of Looking at Plus/Premier

[Nic6318]

18 minutes ago, Drew B 58 said:

It depends how you define justifying it financially.  For my seven night cruise, Premier will cost me $560.  

Will I get more than $560 in expenditures?  Absolutely.  I will make sure of it!

 

Would I spend that much without the package?  Absolutely not…

 

So is that financially justifiable?  I guess that’s up to each person to decide…

 

 

Hi

 

This is how it usually adds up. 

 

The bottom line is that if you don't drink (much), there is no way any package of this sort makes sense financially.

 

I don't need specialty dining, or the internet. Certainly don't need any extra deserts. 

 

I can buy what I want, when I want, and don't have to worry about how much I am spending, because I am just not spending that much. I control my spending to what I need when I am at home and I can do the same when vacationing. Now that I am retired, that is a lot of vacationing. I am not going to give away hundreds of $$$ each trip just because it is convenient.

 

A long time ago, I realized that people who drink and gamble on cruises are subsidizing those who don't. All those upgrades and extras are how the cruise lines make that extra money and are able to keep down the costs of housing, feeding, and bringing us to all those destinations. Most of the time I find myself spending more on the pre and post accommodations and transport, than I do on the cruise itself.

 

If someone wants to treat themself, good for them. Enjoy. Just don't lose yourself in the excitement of it all. It's your money, be a smart consumer.

[memoak]

2 hours ago, conifercruiser said:

We're also currently on Emerald Princess, first time with a Plus package. It is SO MUCH FUN. We only get about 4 alcoholic drinks per day, but we love the bartender/server Joe in Crooners and sit in there for a while trying a few different drinks before dinner. Ask for a martini and Joe can carry a completely full one without spilling a drop. We never hung out in any bar before but feel free to do so now.

 

We also get a few cappuccinos every morning, bottles of water (sparkling or still), and wine if we eat in the dining room. Just a whole different cruise vibe for us. We're having a ball!Of course, the high from seeing a fantastic eclipse at sea hasn't worn off yet 🙂

4 drinks a day makes you an ideal candidate for the plus package. That plus tips plus WiFi is a savings right there 

[memoak]

1 hour ago, Drew B 58 said:

So the cost differential between Plus and Premier is $140 pp for a seven day cruise.  The two specialty dining meals cover $92 of that ($39 + 18% x2).  If we do casual dining more than twice, that will cover more.  What tipped the scales was the photo package.  You get 3 prints plus ALL of the digital copies.  This seems like a bargain for < $50…

 

Again, I have never actually SPENT $50 on cruise photos.  However, getting them as part of the package adds a lot of value…

 

Also, I drink whiskey and it might be nice to try some higher-end brands!  🥃

Try that on a 15-21 day cruise and the difference really adds up and you still only get 2 specialty dinners. Plus for us all the way

[memoak]

30 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

The photo idea is intriguing. We never let the ship's photographers take our photos, because we know we will never purchase them. We have Premier for our May sailing on the Enchanted and I plan to get our photos taken anywhere and everywhere since we will get all the digital files included. I don't care about the prints, but I do like the idea of having some professionally taken digital photos of us.

I am not sure I would call them professional photographers 

[memoak]

28 minutes ago, Nic6318 said:

 

 

Hi

 

This is how it usually adds up. 

 

The bottom line is that if you don't drink (much), there is no way any package of this sort makes sense financially.

 

I don't need specialty dining, or the internet. Certainly don't need any extra deserts. 

 

I can buy what I want, when I want, and don't have to worry about how much I am spending, because I am just not spending that much. I control my spending to what I need when I am at home and I can do the same when vacationing. Now that I am retired, that is a lot of vacationing. I am not going to give away hundreds of $$$ each trip just because it is convenient.

 

A long time ago, I realized that people who drink and gamble on cruises are subsidizing those who don't. All those upgrades and extras are how the cruise lines make that extra money and are able to keep down the costs of housing, feeding, and bringing us to all those destinations. Most of the time I find myself spending more on the pre and post accommodations and transport, than I do on the cruise itself.

 

If someone wants to treat themself, good for them. Enjoy. Just don't lose yourself in the excitement of it all. It's your money, be a smart consumer.

Remember those people who gamble a lot are paying 30% to 100% less in their cruise  fare than you did

Edited April 11 by memoak

[Drew B 58]

7 minutes ago, memoak said:

Try that on a 15-21 day cruise and the difference really adds up and you still only get 2 specialty dinners. Plus for us all the way

Totally agree.  I don’t like that about the plan.  It should be one specialty dining meal for every 3-4 days of the cruise.

 

On a long cruise, though, I would probably forego Plus as well.  Drinking more than I usually would (and not just alcohol) is fun for a week but would get sad over a longer time period.  For me at least…

[memoak]

1 minute ago, Drew B 58 said:

Totally agree.  I don’t like that about the plan.  It should be one specialty dining meal for every 3-4 days of the cruise.

 

On a long cruise, though, I would probably forego Plus as well.  Drinking more than I usually would (and not just alcohol) is fun for a week but would get sad over a longer time period.  For me at least…

Even on a Saturday it home I would still have 6-8 drinks

[JamieLogical]

13 minutes ago, memoak said:

I am not sure I would call them professional photographers 

 

If you get paid to do a job, you are a professional. That doesn't mean you're good at it.

[sherryf]

We've sailed many times with no package, no drink package, no internet, etc. and it was fine.  We drank plain coffee, carried wine on board, used our phones in ports (Alaska, so in our US plan), and were careful about how many drinks we bought.

 

The first time we had a package was on HAL for my son's wedding cruise.  We all had their "Have it all" package and it was so nice to try different drinks with my (adult) kids, to have internet so we could all communicate easily, etc.  I think that trip spoiled me for doing it any other way. We will be getting Plus for our Alaska cruise this summer.

 

I've done the math, and it adds up for me.  I also found one of my folios from a cruise about 6 years ago, and just with drinks and gratuities, we spend nearly as much per person as buying Plus, especially if you allow a bit for inflation over the years.  I'm not sure if I could ever justify Premier, but Plus makes sense for us.

[memoak]

4 minutes ago, sherryf said:

We've sailed many times with no package, no drink package, no internet, etc. and it was fine.  We drank plain coffee, carried wine on board, used our phones in ports (Alaska, so in our US plan), and were careful about how many drinks we bought.

 

The first time we had a package was on HAL for my son's wedding cruise.  We all had their "Have it all" package and it was so nice to try different drinks with my (adult) kids, to have internet so we could all communicate easily, etc.  I think that trip spoiled me for doing it any other way. We will be getting Plus for our Alaska cruise this summer.

 

I've done the math, and it adds up for me.  I also found one of my folios from a cruise about 6 years ago, and just with drinks and gratuities, we spend nearly as much per person as buying Plus, especially if you allow a bit for inflation over the years.  I'm not sure if I could ever justify Premier, but Plus makes sense for us.

Even back in the 90’s we were paying $50 per day EACH just for cocktails 

[memoak]

21 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

If you get paid to do a job, you are a professional. That doesn't mean you're good at it.

Remember Ace on the original Love Boat series ?

[kywildcatfanone]

1 hour ago, Nic6318 said:

long time ago, I realized that people who drink and gamble on cruises are subsidizing those who don't. All those upgrades and extras are how the cruise lines make that extra money and are able to keep down the costs of housing, feeding, and bringing us to all those destinations. Most of the time I find myself spending more on the pre and post accommodations and transport, than I do on the cruise itself.

 

If someone wants to treat themself, good for them. Enjoy. Just don't lose yourself in the excitement of it all. It's your money, be a smart consumer.

This is still the case.  The AI packages are huge profit items for the cruise lines.  I'm good with it, as you mention. It keeps the cost of the basic cruise fare more affordable.

[Drew B 58]

13 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

This is still the case.  The AI packages are huge profit items for the cruise lines.  I'm good with it, as you mention. It keeps the cost of the basic cruise fare more affordable.

Princess’s is just so much better than Carnival’s or Royal Caribbean’s where you only get drinks but still have to pay for WiFi and gratuities…

[Nic6318]

52 minutes ago, memoak said:

Remember those people who gamble a lot are paying 30% to 100% less in their cruise  fare than you did

 

Hi

 

You don't need to contribute much to get casino offers and I have received a number of free cruises as well, but that has no bearing on the value of the plus packages if you don't drink much, and especially if you don't need an internet plan.

[memoak]

15 minutes ago, Nic6318 said:

 

Hi

 

You don't need to contribute much to get casino offers and I have received a number of free cruises as well, but that has no bearing on the value of the plus packages if you don't drink much, and especially if you don't need an internet plan.

If you are a gambler like me you would always want to keep up on sorts scores. Since I get a free cruise it is a lot cheaper to pay for the plus and also get a bunch of drinks. I don’t know a lot of gamblers who like a drink or 5 or 7 or 9

[metairiegal]

OP, great post!  You summed it up very nicely and I feel the same way.  We have never cruised with a Plus package before, but finally decided to do so on our upcoming Enchanted cruise.  Can't wait!

Edited April 12 by metairiegal

[MacMadame]

5 hours ago, 2MellowCruisers said:

Since we are fiscally on the border with the packages, we decided not to book it on our next cruise to see how it comes out financially and if it changes our experience.

Please report back!

[Nattyg1723]

1 hour ago, memoak said:

Remember Ace on the original Love Boat series ?

Love Ted McGinley! 🙂

[MTNest93]

We had the Plus package on our 1st cruise last year. For us it was a no-brainer.  I budget tightly at home (YNAB for the win!) and we splurge on vacation.  On that cruise we had 2 specialty dinners and bought a $99 photo package on the last day.  Photos aren’t usually our thing, but they got some great shots of us that would be nice to use at our funerals some day (we know our youngest daughter has secretly started a folder). We booked our 2nd cruise a week after returning home and got 2 other couples to join us.  We’re all excited to try out the new Sun Princess.  This time we purchased Premier because we know we’ll want to do a couple specialty dinners again as well as casual dining (which wasn’t available on the CB last July), plus we’ll have a lot of fun with the photographers with this group, and my BFF and favorite sister-in-law will drag me to the fitness classes daily, something I never managed to get to last time.  We also accidentally exceeded the Plus pkg drink prices a few times last year, but dang those Old Fashioneds were worth it!  Premier math made sense for this trip, and we liked walking off the ship last year with a tiny bill (thank you TA OBC, and stock benies). Personally we would never not do a package but we all cruise differently so it’s nice to have options! 

[BamaVol]

Using the OP’s approach, a package is a no brainer for me.  On land, I drink alcohol, drink lots of coffee and water, dine out regularly (and tip generously), I spend hours on the internet.  Why would I suffer without those things on a cruise?

[memoak]

2 minutes ago, BamaVol said:

Using the OP’s approach, a package is a no brainer for me.  On land, I drink alcohol, drink lots of coffee and water, dine out regularly (and tip generously), I spend hours on the internet.  Why would I suffer without those things on a cruise?

Exactly 

[2MellowCruisers]

2 hours ago, MacMadame said:

Please report back!

Funny thing, once I put it in writing on here, my DH all of a sudden started to change his mind.  He is more fiscally conservative than me but he said he does like not worrying about the charges on a cruise and enjoys when we order drinks to be delivered to wherever we are.  Usually when playing cards together.  Our cruise is still a month and a half away so I told him we will go over the math again closer to the cruise.

 

Either way, I'll report back.  We still have another cruise later this year if we decide to get the Plus onboard for this one.

[p.pete]

4 hours ago, 2MellowCruisers said:

Funny thing, once I put it in writing on here, my DH all of a sudden started to change his mind.  He is more fiscally conservative than me but he said he does like not worrying about the charges on a cruise and enjoys when we order drinks to be delivered to wherever we are.  Usually when playing cards together.  Our cruise is still a month and a half away so I told him we will go over the math again closer to the cruise.

 

Either way, I'll report back.  We still have another cruise later this year if we decide to get the Plus onboard for this one.

If they are fiscally conservative then it's a great idea if you can stretch to a package to be able to just switch that part of their brain off for a few days.  

I think doing the math is important but it's obscured by several big things for me:

• The prices they list are often nonsense ~$30 for a 30-minute exercise class?  some people won't ever go near them anyway - I would but - I probably wouldn't for $10, maybe for $5...  So when I look at plus with 2 free classes, yes I'll do them but what's that worth to me?  Definitely not $60!
• I like wine, and booze generally, but I don't spend that much on it.  I can buy bottles of wine that I'm perfectly happy with for < $10 for home - $25-30 if I'm out for a meal - so I'm not bothered about plus-wines having vague titles but I definitely wouldn't ordinarily indulge in many $15 glasses - they're worth half that price to me at best and I'd drink more only if I'm at home when it costs even less. 
• Casual and specialty dining have questionable value, on their own they seem 'reasonably' priced to me, but...  You can only eat so much in the day, time / money spent eating at Alfredos is food that you're not eating in the MDR, buffet or IC.  You can eat perfectly well elsewhere, so in addition to whatever charge there is for these venues you factor in that you already had that meal covered, what's the value (to you) of the meal your paying extra for as well as the meal that you're not having elsewhere?
• Duration of cruise - as often stated - will affect things for most people.  X number of drinks makes the package worth it for you, and you'll happily drink that much because you're on a cruise, but personally I might not want to keep drinking at that rate beyond a few days.  Similarly if you have lots of port days you're less likely to reach X.

 

These are factors that obscure 'the math', but it's still worth doing.

So, 8-day cruise coming up and I'll very happily get the plus package.  It's not too many days for us to fork out for (just!), I think the cost will balance just about, but I won't have to think about things which is worth a lot.  I'll try not to go with the mentality of needing to make sure that I consume enough - do things because I want to, have things because I want them, and not need to think too much about cost.

[DaisyRose]

For our 2025 Sun cruise we have purchased the premier package for a number of reasons.  I haven't heard anyone mention the "prizes" aspect of premier in this thread.  I have read some say they didn't win anything the whole cruise, but I think it would be fun to hope to win something when you open your door!  For health reasons I can only have 1 or 2 drinks a day, but they do have some mocktails that I plan to indulge in.  For dear hubby, he likes whiskey and scotch, so the premier package will be an opportunity for him to have a few of the higher end brands that he would never buy at home.  Since ours is a 7 night cruise, the total cost isn't too bad.  And after about 30 Princess cruises, this may be our last, as age is catching up with us.  So we are splurging on Premier for this cruise.  

[Esprit]

I too share the OP's view.

I love the freedom the Plus package gives me for drinks, but I'm not a wine snob so the Premier package would be a waste. I'm not a foodie either, but I do like to go to Sabatini's once or twice. 

 

I will also happily pay the difference for French champagne as the "fizzy stuff" the cruise lines offer within the Plus package is pretty awful.