Premier-Unlimited Specialty dining?

[reedprincess]

4 hours ago, Robkat said:

 

To both @reedprincess and @cruisinsince75:

Could you describe how the process went for you when you made your reservations.

We've had the original Premier package several times and had no issues or problems booking the 2 freebie SD meals.  We've always seen the charge zeroed out, as the meals were complimentary.

 

For our April TA, we booked it with the new Premier, and each time we've tried to make reservations in the App, a charge of $90 comes up.  In our account for that cruise, it does show us having Premier, so don't understand why we aren't able to book without them asking for payment.

 

When you made your reservations, was it indicated that there was a $90 charge, but when you continued, it zeroed out?  Did you both make your reservations in the App?  

 

We've spoken to several agents at Princess, trying to have them make the bookings for us (without having to pay for them), and they've each said that they see a charge as well, and that they have to forward a ticket or work order to IT (say it ain't so!), so they can 'fix' a glitch.

But, if there's a glitch in the App, why are some able to proceed with no issues, and others aren't???  SMH in frustration! 😬  

Thanks for any insight.

I did mine on the website version. Easier on the eyes. 

Went to dining, chose my day on the left hand side, then what type of dining, waited a second for times to show up, then chose the restaurants available at the times I want.. it showed "$90" (45x2) then said, You Gave Dining Credits and voila - zeroed out..

 

1 hour ago, Retired-N-Happy said:

The Premier package is more valuable on the Sphere Class ships since their drink choices have been expanded and are more expensive than the rest of the fleet.

 

We have cruises booked on the Sun for October as well as January.  The October cruise is very difficult to get specialty reservations ahead of time so we will wait until embarkation day to upgrade utilizing our OBC towards the total and obtain reservations via the percentage that is reserved for on board booking.

 

Regarding the January cruise, I had our TA reserve it the other night and then I was able to get specialty reservations for 13/14 nights.  Teppanyaki was full over the last 7 nights of our cruise and hopefully I'll be able to obtain one on board

 

I find Premier to be much more value on Sun (and Star) than older ships.

 

With 7 different specialty restaurants - it's easy to book a different one each night for the typical 7 night sailing and not repeat, etc. 

 

Do a 2 week cruise and you can hit all 7 and have a chance to repeat your favorites 

 

And with the small theater, the reserved seating is much, much more.valuabpe than on older ships. 1000 seats, 4000+ passengers, 2 shows a night. Those production shows reserved seats are super handy..

 

And with the higher drink prices on Sun - much handier with Premier..drinks that are $14-15 on older ships are $16-18 on Sun..  

 

Throw in unlimited drinks, and it pays for itself, for us, very quickly..   super handy to be able to get doubles without worrying about drink count, one of us getting the round for both, etc. 

 

YMMV 

.

[Robkat]

2 hours ago, cruisinsince75 said:

We had the original Premier and used chat to upgrade to the $90 Premier.  We had already paid our cruise in full, so we now showed a balance owing for the new Premier, which I paid that in full.  Once that was completed, I was able to make the remaining reservations without charge.  We are also Platinum.

 

are you Platinum or Elite and is your cruise paid off?

Thanks for getting back.

 

We're Elite.  We're not paid in full, as that cruise isn't until next April, but as @reedprincess described, you don't have to be paid in full to make SD reservations.  And, when we've had the original Premier in the past, we would always make our bookings for the complimentary SD just as soon as we made our cruise booking.

 

I was asking for the process of how you booked your SD.  We've never had any issue when there's been complimentary SD with a package.  This is the first time we're trying to book SD with the new Premier package.  It keeps showing a $90 charge, which doesn't zero out at the bottom of the charges.  This is totally different from any other time we've booked complimentary SD, where we've never had any issue before.  

 

So I was wondering, since you were successful in reserving your SD, what you had seen during the reservation process.  

 

It's so frustrating to hear that people are getting their SD bookings done with no issues, and we've got PCL agents telling us that there's an IT glitch, which is supposed to explain why we can't.  

[reedprincess]

Just now, Robkat said:

Thanks for getting back.

 

We're Elite.  We're not paid in full, as that cruise isn't until next April, but as @reedprincess described, you don't have to be paid in full to make SD reservations.  And, when we've had the original Premier in the past, we would always make our bookings for the complimentary SD just as soon as we made our cruise booking.

 

I was asking for the process of how you booked your SD.  We've never had any issue when there's been complimentary SD with a package.  This is the first time we're trying to book SD with the new Premier package.  It keeps showing a $90 charge, which doesn't zero out at the bottom of the charges.  This is totally different from any other time we've booked complimentary SD, where we've never had any issue before.  

 

So I was wondering, since you were successful in reserving your SD, what you had seen during the reservation process.  

 

It's so frustrating to hear that people are getting their SD bookings done with no issues, and we've got PCL agents telling us that there's an IT glitch, which is supposed to explain why we can't.  

Have you tried the web version?

[Robkat]

1 minute ago, reedprincess said:

Have you tried the web version?

So ... DH really dislikes dealing with the web site.  This booking of SD has been such a pain in the butt that he tried it for this April cruise, and when he did, for this cruise they were showing an itinerary for another cruise we have booked later in the year!  

 

So, we're back to the frustration of not being able to book our SD.  As I mentioned, in that booking, we do show correctly as having Premier, but then it won't allow us to reserve without paying the $90 fee.  

The process that @cruisinsince75 described, where the $90 charge is shown, but then zeroed out underneath, indicating SD credits, is just not showing up (as it usually used to).  

 

Sigh ... Any calls made to PCL have just ended up in frustration and promises to 'escalate' to the IT dept.  Won't be holding our breath for results from THAT!

[memoak]

Boy listening to all this I am glad I roll with Plus. I only need maybe 2 SD meals a cruise and get one from being in a suite. We somehow always get by with 15 drinks a day  plus some coffee drinks 

Edited August 31 by memoak

[reedprincess]

23 minutes ago, Robkat said:

So ... DH really dislikes dealing with the web site.  This booking of SD has been such a pain in the butt that he tried it for this April cruise, and when he did, for this cruise they were showing an itinerary for another cruise we have booked later in the year!  

 

So, we're back to the frustration of not being able to book our SD.  As I mentioned, in that booking, we do show correctly as having Premier, but then it won't allow us to reserve without paying the $90 fee.  

The process that @cruisinsince75 described, where the $90 charge is shown, but then zeroed out underneath, indicating SD credits, is just not showing up (as it usually used to).  

 

Sigh ... Any calls made to PCL have just ended up in frustration and promises to 'escalate' to the IT dept.  Won't be holding our breath for results from THAT!

Tjw web version is basically essentially the same as the app.   I have found it easier than the app - as you can see the entire itinerary with ports at once, instead of going back and forth through the days.  

 

The app should work - maybe it needs and update? Or a force stop and restart? 

 

[koolforkatz]

We booked a fall 2026 cruise with the new premium package using future cruise deposits about a week ago. Had no problem booking specialty restaurants at all using the app. As others have stated, showed a $90 charge and then zeroed out. We are platinum. 

[Josie201]

53 minutes ago, Robkat said:

So ... DH really dislikes dealing with the web site.  This booking of SD has been such a pain in the butt that he tried it for this April cruise, and when he did, for this cruise they were showing an itinerary for another cruise we have booked later in the year!  

 

So, we're back to the frustration of not being able to book our SD.  As I mentioned, in that booking, we do show correctly as having Premier, but then it won't allow us to reserve without paying the $90 fee.  

The process that @cruisinsince75 described, where the $90 charge is shown, but then zeroed out underneath, indicating SD credits, is just not showing up (as it usually used to).  

 

Sigh ... Any calls made to PCL have just ended up in frustration and promises to 'escalate' to the IT dept.  Won't be holding our breath for results from THAT!

Same same.  

[oceanlover1031]

On 8/27/2024 at 6:48 PM, canadarocks said:

I was able to upgrade easily using the Chat function. I was actually stunned by how quickly I reached an agent, maybe 30 seconds.

Same here!  It was shockingly quick and easy.

[Retired-N-Happy]

2 hours ago, memoak said:

Boy listening to all this I am glad I roll with Plus. I only need maybe 2 SD meals a cruise and get one from being in a suite. We somehow always get by with 15 drinks a day  plus some coffee drinks 

The difference is that those that choose to cruise on the Sun see the value in upgrading to the Premier package.  Those that don't choose to cruise on the Sun, which I believe you fall into, can easily find value with Plus because of the cheaper drink prices and fewer specialty venues.

[memoak]

59 minutes ago, Retired-N-Happy said:

The difference is that those that choose to cruise on the Sun see the value in upgrading to the Premier package.  Those that don't choose to cruise on the Sun, which I believe you fall into, can easily find value with Plus because of the cheaper drink prices and fewer specialty venues.

If they are charging more tan $15 for a Grey Goose then they are very overpriced and even with 5-7 dining venues on s 20 day cruise zi cannot see the appeal. 

[Cruisemeister2002]

11 hours ago, voljeep said:

and isn't having a choice a beautiful thing - with all the different cruise lines, ships, itineraries and packages?

Agree, choice is a wonderful thing. But I fear the ship isn't the only thing being steered in a certain direction. Me being of the Old Fart variety at 74 I have notice over the years the dramatic changes in cruising. Most of it great as the luxury of these vessels has increased dramatically especially for the less well trousered clientele. Some parts of cruising however have in my humble opinion maybe not gone downhill, but whereas items were included now require payment for. Yes I know CCL group owe a few more dollars than I do pounds but they have to be careful that the squeeze isn't excessive. 

[Retired-N-Happy]

58 minutes ago, memoak said:

If they are charging more tan $15 for a Grey Goose then they are very overpriced and even with 5-7 dining venues on s 20 day cruise zi cannot see the appeal. 

The Wheelhouse Bar on the Sun charges $10.00 for a Grey Goose as well as a Woodford Reserve, which are the cheapest prices I've seen for those two choices on any of the mainstream cruise lines.  

But on the other hand, there are many drinks to choose from in the 16-20 range such as 13 choices at Crooners, 3 at Wake View, 6 on Standard Bar Menu, 5 at Sea View Bar, 4 at Cascade Bar, 5 at Sanctuary Bar and 13 at the Wheelhouse Bar.

[voljeep]

with Premier - we will drink the named $16-20 wines

with PLUS we would drink the named $16-20 wines, pay the difference + 18% from the $30 pppd savings by not upgrading to Premier

[memoak]

1 hour ago, voljeep said:

with Premier - we will drink the named $16-20 wines

with PLUS we would drink the named $16-20 wines, pay the difference + 18% from the $30 pppd savings by not upgrading to Premier

Since we are mainly cocktail drinkers and our preferred drinks are all under $15   When we want decent wine we will go to Vines where my favorite wine is exactly $15 we will forgo the extra $60 a day premier would cost us. For dinner we generally buy bottles with the 25% discount since most of the ones we like to have with food are not available by the glass

[greenie082756]

Just wondering if the included SD in the Premier package includes the automated gratuity that is added to the bill. Does anyone know.

I went to the website and nothing specific. 

 

Those that have done the Premier package was it all included?

[NavyVeteran]

On 8/27/2024 at 2:10 PM, memoak said:

My embarkation dinner is a guaranteed one and I do not like to pay for these in advance. Plus I don’t really like the menu at Harmony, my wife is allergic to many white fish and not having Sabatini’s is a downer. If the concierge cannot help out I would be very surprised 

 

On 8/30/2024 at 12:03 PM, WiseGirl said:

Sorry for a simple question, but we haven't sailed much on Princess recently.  How far ahead can you book the specialty dining?  We just booked a fall 2025 Canada/New England sailing on the Majestic and I bought the new Premier package. 

 

We sailed on the Sapphire Princess in Alaska this past May (in a suite) and I couldn't figure out how to reserve the complimentary first night specialty dinner ahead of time.  The app kept wanting me to pay for it and by the time we boarded the ship the times were very limited.  The staff was not very helpful to get us in to Sabatinis, but we did manage to squeeze in for a meal.  

 

IMO Princess doesn't make it easy even for suites.  We've sailed Royal Caribbean (in a suite) and a concierge contacts you a couple weeks before boarding to personally help arrange dining reservations.  The difference in how the two lines handle it is pretty striking.  We don't wish to eat in specialty restaurants every night, but getting them reserved ahead of time would be nice.

I was able to make reservations for ten (two reservations each for a table for five) for 6:00 pm at Sabatini's on the Grand for embarkation evening using the app at no charge. It recognized that the five couples were in suites and did not charge for either reservation. I had to make one reservation for five on my app and the other one on DW's app, since it wouldn't let me make two reservations for the same night on mine. When I get on board, I'll let the head waiter know that we're together and ask that they either give us a table for ten or two tables next to each other. I'll also be asking him to do the same thing for us for breakfast for the rest of the cruise.

[memoak]

23 minutes ago, NavyVeteran said:

 

I was able to make reservations for ten (two reservations each for a table for five) for 6:00 pm at Sabatini's on the Grand for embarkation evening using the app at no charge. It recognized that the five couples were in suites and did not charge for either reservation. I had to make one reservation for five on my app and the other one on DW's app, since it wouldn't let me make two reservations for the same night on mine. When I get on board, I'll let the head waiter know that we're together and ask that they either give us a table for ten or two tables next to each other. I'll also be asking him to do the same thing for us for breakfast for the rest of the cruise.

Suite guests are guaranteed embarkation night. No need to make reservations in advance it is a full suite perk

[t&atravel]

58 minutes ago, memoak said:

Suite guests are guaranteed embarkation night. No need to make reservations in advance it is a full suite perk

Sure but if you can, why not?  I would think it would help the venue to have some known seating times for suite guests in advance.  Not required but maybe polite?

[NavyVeteran]

1 hour ago, memoak said:

Suite guests are guaranteed embarkation night. No need to make reservations in advance it is a full suite perk

I doubt I could make reservations on board for ten people for 6:00 pm on embarkation evening. They would certainly fit us in - but all ten at 6:00 pm?

Also, I wanted to give some feedback that I was able to make first night suite reservations for five couples in five different cabins without being charged. I was actually very surprised when the app allowed this.

[memoak]

14 minutes ago, t&atravel said:

Sure but if you can, why not?  I would think it would help the venue to have some known seating times for suite guests in advance.  Not required but maybe polite?

 Case I have no idea what time I will be hungry till I have lunch. We generally eat after 7:30 but circumstances change   I generally cal the dine line around 2:00 after boarding. Not needing reservations is one thing I love about Reserve class dining. Also are you sure the venue has. 10 top tables ?  You may very well end up at 2 different tables

[Retired-N-Happy]

3 hours ago, memoak said:

Suite guests are guaranteed embarkation night. No need to make reservations in advance it is a full suite perk

I think there may be some suite guests that could possibly be disappointed.  In the past, they could wield their power to get fit in by a concierge at their preferred time, but with the implementation of the unlimited SD with Premier package holders, there could be some upset suite passengers that can't be squeezed into the Crown Grill at 6:00 on embarkation night.

Even more so at the Teppanyaki venue on the Sun since there are only 3 sittings each evening.

[memoak]

1 hour ago, Retired-N-Happy said:

I think there may be some suite guests that could possibly be disappointed.  In the past, they could wield their power to get fit in by a concierge at their preferred time, but with the implementation of the unlimited SD with Premier package holders, there could be some upset suite passengers that can't be squeezed into the Crown Grill at 6:00 on embarkation night.

Even more so at the Teppanyaki venue on the Sun since there are only 3 sittings each evening.

I sail in one month in a suite if I do not get a specialty dining experience on embarkation day. I will point out the perk and if I can’t eat that day as I am guaranteed I fell a law suite or a freer cruise coming up. When you have a few thousand days with Princess things do happen and I would not go near the Sun

[MsSoCalCruiser]

13 minutes ago, memoak said:

I sail in one month in a suite if I do not get a specialty dining experience on embarkation day. I will point out the perk and if I can’t eat that day as I am guaranteed I fell a law suite or a freer cruise coming up. When you have a few thousand days with Princess things do happen and I would not go near the Sun

You would really file a lawsuit or expect a free cruise because you did not get your specialty dining on embarkation day? Ummm, ok. 

[memoak]

15 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

You would really file a lawsuit or expect a free cruise because you did not get your specialty dining on embarkation day? Ummm, ok. 

Just like if I don’t get free laundry or free mini bar or free shoe shining etc. The are things I paid for. If you check suite perks none say may not be approved. Last time we couldn’t get decent a/c yes we got more than a thousand in OBC