*UPDATE* Is The Princess Plus Package Worth The Price? BIG NEW DEVELOPMENTS! You NEED To Know This!
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- Опубліковано 22 сер 2024
- Recently there have been some major developments at Princess Cruise Lines that could make the Princess Plus or Princess Princess Premier Package a better, more cost effective deal. @backroadstourist crunches the numbers and breaks down what everything costs to help you determine if this is the right choice for you.
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We have been upon 50 cruises with princess now and non of the packages fit our needs. We mostly e drink coffee ,no sods a d don't need milk shakes. As far as internet and phones, we're on vacation and relaxing don't need them either.
Absolutely! We usually get by with the provided coffee, tea and lemonade. It's important to check out the details of any package because there's a lot of stuff that some people just aren't going to use, but other people will find valuable. Thanks for watching. I appreciate it.
I met a man on a cruise who bought the package as he likes several drinks a day, then 2 days into the long cruise he became ill, and could not drink. One has to buy the package for the whole cruise, so he was out a lot of $$$$$. I do not buy the pkg separately, but when I quote a price of a cruise online and see the basic cost vs the Plus pkg, I do the math and it nearly always pays me to take the Plus fare. This has tips, drinks and wi-and other small things included. Thx for video.
Smart
Very boaring
@@tyzon00800 boring
Just my 2 cents worth... if you are going to get the Plus, it is easily worth the extra $20/day for the Premium. The Premium includes 2 speciality dinners (basically $40/each). So on a 7 day trip, for an extra $140, you get $80 worth of food. Plus, now that they have 3 Casual dining restaurants ($15/each) onboard, you get unlimited number of these, versus a total of 2 with the Plus package. Which, if you are a sushi fan, I'm not, it means unlimited sushi. Plus, while pizza is free on the top deck, you can also have unlimited pizza or pasta inside at a sit down table. Plus all you can eat at the Salty Dog inside Pub, vs the wait in line version of the top deck.
I've found all the food, except the buffet to be great. But the main dining halls, while great, are not as good as the casual or speciality dining, IMO (granted, I heard this varies a lot from ship to ship.) So, food-wise alone, I think the Premium is worth the extra $20/day. You also get some other perks, like 5 devices for wifi. Which means you can use your phone, tablet, and laptop, plus 2 more per person, without an additional fee. And not that I am a fan, but also free photos and a few other things.
FYI, Princess serves 1 ounce shots (European standard) per drink. Instead of the 1.5 ounce shots (American standard) style. Thus, 15 drinks per day really only works out to 10 for an American. Granted, this is only for the mixed drinks... beer and wine are normal. And I don't know if it was a fluke, but if you order a Fosters, it comes in a 25 ounce can and they only charge 1 drink for it. By far the best deal going if you are looking for the most alcohol for your 15 drinks per day deal. If you have a few drinks left for the day, order up a few Fosters from room service and they'll deliver them unopened, so just throw them in your fridge for when you need them.
Wow. I really have to hand it to you. You take number crunching to an art form! I love it! Thanks for the extra information. I didn't even think about the size of the shots. Thanks for watching. I appreciate it.
@@backroadstourist I didn't think about the size of the shots until I had drank a few mixed drinks and didn't have a buzz. Then I checked them out. Granted, I am 6'5" 375 lbs, so 15 drinks is nothing for me. Look at the charts, 15 oz for me in 5 hours only works out to 0.04 BAC, half the DUI level. Anyways...
I just found a clarification of what I wrote above and wanted to let you know. With the Premium package, the unlimited casual dining has the caveat of "per seating." So, technically, you need to get the whole pre-fixe menu, get up, and then get reseated if you want more.
But, as long as they aren't busy, I doubt this will be an issue. On my last cruise, the 6 of us had the Premium package, but only a couple of us came close to the 15 limit, and they had no problem letting us "charge" our drinks to someone like my mom who only drank 2-3 per day. After a couple days of getting to know us, they even helped us make sure we maxed everyone out so we wouldn't get charged extra. So I imagine the casual dining will be the same way.
FYI, they also are really nice about letting you know when you hit your 15 limit so, if you want, you can switch from $20 drinks down to $7 ones without being upset when you get the bill.
We found the package worth the price, even though we don’t drink much alcohol. It covered the specialty coffees, smoothies, and the drinks we did have.
For a non-drinker, this question answers itself
As a rather heavy drinker and amateur wine snob, the premier package is a no brainer.
But beyond that, for me it's not about breakeven points or getting my money's worth - it's about not having to wrestle with whether or not i want to spend extra at every turn.
I prefer to pay the full cost, whatever it is, up front - and then know that I'm now free to have the on-board experience i want.
I know exactly what you mean. It's a feeling of freedom to do whatever you want. I enjoyed having it because I could experiment and try drinks that I normally wouldn't have tried. Thanks for watching and thanks for commenting. I appreciate it.
I just recently bought the plus package on my Princess Cruise this summer and I really appreciate the fact that you itemized everything and subtracted the Wi-Fi and the gratuities because that's exactly what I did
I'm so glad you found it helpful. Thank you so much for watching!
With all the perks (gratuities, drinks, service to the room etc.) definitely worth the plus package. No, we cannot drink 15 drinks each a day but we always purchased a wine package which was always $250.+ alone. We probably had between 4 to 6 drinks each every day and the convince of having it delivered to your location (plus a hamburger or sandwich) within a very short amount of time was well worth it. Will do it again. Love the Medallion service.
fill the 12 pack of soda with bud light cans - if they catch you say that your beer identifies as a soda
We pay $65 a days in Australia. Plus we get coffee and tea and hot chocolate as much as we want. Plus all the otherstuff you said im not a big drinker i loved it
For us the Plus package suffices for our needs and wants. When the packages first started it was $40 a day and it was a simple program to understand. It was gratuities, Wi-Fi and drinks - alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Then about a year later that went to $50 a day and then in 2023 it went to $60 a day with a bunch of what I call foo foo stuff that we probably will not do. I like the convivence of the package and not having to worry if I have spent too much on board. We start the day off with espresso coffee and that alone is $6 - 9 if we have more than one and we usually do. You explained it well. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, it will probably be $70 next year with more "fluff.,"
I just booked a 5/2025 cruise and it shows Plus at $64 + 18%!!!
The phone in room service charge is a great heads up, thank you for the update!
You're very welcome!
Princess packages are just a way of getting your money upfront with no way of getting any back if you don’t use what you bought. Better to pay ala carte.
The package deals are actually a good deal.
@@mickeytollison yes, on paper they look like a deal, but what actually happens during a cruise often adds up to less than total package price.
Thank you very much. I think you did a great job breaking the price down. This might’ve been the best one that I’ve seen of doing that.
Wow. Thanks for that compliment. I really appreciate it. Thanks for watching.
We booked our cruise with the Plus Package at $50 per day. Princess raised then raised the price of the Plus Package up $10 early last year to $60 per day. Then in August Princess took away OceanNow delivery, free room service and unlimited juice bar from passengers with the Standard Fare and those who paid the original plus package price. We also now have to pay for pizza unless we get it at Cones and Slice. I would have considered it for a 7 day cruise. Our cruise is 15 day long and we would still only get 2 casual restaurants. If we eat twice at casual restaurants, get 4 premium deserts (we would split each one}, and pay for OceanNow we are at about $140, less than half the $300 cost of upgrading to the new plus package. That said if I had booked 6 months later I still would have got the plus package.
Lucky me I'm elite. I bring a bottle of wine, I have my 10 bottles of booze in my cabin.
Since they started charging for delivery of the medallion, I pick it up at the port. I've done 5 cruises with princess in the past year
Even in Southampton England, it took seconds to get the medallion
I love how you think! We're Platinum and slowly working our way to Elite and the free mini bar and laundry! My lovely wife and I always bring a bottle of wine each and then snag some wine glasses from a bar. Thanks for watching!
Many of the guests are now Elite which means nothing to non drinkers. They shrink the clothes, we trade in their bullshit liquor for pop, our once free Internet will now be 12.50 a day😮 there are no longer upgrades for Elites because they want to sell them and they wonder why people have their gratitudes removed or cash in their non refundable credits in the casino? I’m not going to pay the increase…. It’s coming out of them
Medallion home delivery is not an option in UK. We collect at the terminal and it was easy. We felt the plus package was good value. As your calculation. Easy
When ou order your medallion and you have plus, it shows $10 shipping charge. But when you submit it, the $10 comes off if you have plus or premier. Janice, Travel With Brigitte
My solo trip from LA to Sydney is charging me $80 a day for Premium, and it's a 29 day cruise. So price was over 2K but I figured a 29 day cruise, the drinks and other offers in the plan will save me money in the long run
You have forgotten the 18% "tips" added to all food and drink orders.
Casual Dinning $14.99 becomes $17.69
Specialty Dinning $49 becomes $57.82
And each time you order a drink as well.
So little by little, everything adds up.
Our family think it's worth the $20/day upgrade from Plus to Premier so our teenagers can dine freely at all the casual places anytime during the voyage. Anything else included in the package is a bonus, especially the 2 Specialty Dining meals per person.
Just got premier and it was free to have medallion shipped to me.
For Platinum & Elite, the 4 device package is back to being cheaper than then buying 2 single. As an elite, I figure I would have to spend $32.75/day on drinks and I don't drink that much.
I agree. I'm glad to see you're doing the math to see what's right for you. Thanks for watching.
also remember you get bottle water, coffee's, red bulls, non alcoholic , and alcoholic drinks with the plus! alc drinks avg. 8-10 each , coffee $5-7 each, bottle water $2-3 each! pretty much if you drank 1-2 drinks aday on a 7 day cruise would be way over the $83 left on the video.
Very helpful video thank you, as was your previous one. I found it very helpful as I;m looking at a Princess cruise right now. Brought up the price of the drinks package in the Princess website and it's now $64.99 per day.
It’s a very simple calculation to determine whether a package makes sense for YOU. One size does not fit all. Ala carte would cost ME more than the Plus package. I drink 3-6 adult beverages a day (even port days), I need internet, I go through a lot of bottled water, I do not have the gratuities removed, I do not use specialty dining. If that’s not true for you, then don’t buy it. But, please don’t tell me what I need or don’t need.
I’m leaving on Princess Diamond this summer. They shipped the medallion for free with the premium package and included a free medallion holder (in addition to the lanyard)
My medallion was just shipped for free. I have the plus pkg for my upcoming cruise. I’m platinum, but I don’t think that had anything to do w the free shipping.
We opted for the Premier package for our upcoming June 2024 Royal Princess 14 day cruise. We don't even drink alcohol. At most 1 fruity drink for the wife for an entire cruise. Now we get to try new drinks we never would ala cart and not feel guilty about wasting anything we don't like. Unlimited casual restaurants rather than just 2 is the primary reason for our choice over the plus package for 14 days.
Sounds like you have a good plan! If you haven't tried a Dirty Banana yet, I'd highly recommend it. Enjoy your cruise and thanks for watching and commenting.
@@backroadstourist We have only had margaritas and daiquiris so building a list of drinks to try such as your suggested "Dirty Banana". Need to try at least 1 drink a day off the Premier, over $15, list.
Thank you for a simple but very helpful vid on the advantages or lack there of for packages. Being a very experienced cruiser, I think cruising is the best value in travel. Be honest with yourself, it is your vacation.
A subject that I think should be explored is Stock Holder Benefits.
You're very welcome! I'm so glad you found the video useful. I think that a video on the Shareholder Benefits is a GREAT idea. I'll start doing my research today and try to get a video out in about a week or so. Thanks for the idea and thanks for watching!
@@backroadstourist SHB is somewhat a no brained for repeat cruisers. CCL @ $19.00, 100 shares, $1900.00, $200.00 ship board credit for 7 day. Looking forward to your video. Thanks
Great video and thank you for the update! We got the Premiere package last time and found that it was a bargain for us. We didn’t have to play internet shuffle between devices, the fresh juice bar is excellent, and occasional specialty coffee or tea all made it worth the value.
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
You need to ask yourself do I need it or want it? In Alaska we had internet while in port which enough for us. Paid as we went and in the end we were a head. The ship days we spent more but almost nothing on port days so need to factor that in.
I just upgraded to the Plus package for our upcoming cruise. The representative told me that I will get my Medallion shipping fee refunded. So shipping of Medallion is still free for the Plus package.
Hey, thanks for sharing that. That's good to know! I'm still curious to know why they took it off of their list of package benefits. We'll have to keep an eye on that. Thanks for watching and have a great cruise!
We did our 12 Princess Cruise in December 23, Discovery Princess we found too big, too loud and not real restful. We did the highest package because we had so many Covid credits set to expire and years end. We use wifi, of course tips, and so it’s real cost to us was maybe $40 a day each? We love Crown Grill and Sabitinis and the pizza parlor. We even like and use room service. I don’t drink a lot but it was nice to have wine w dinners, and a drink or two. I’d say we barely got our monies worth despite not doing photography or fitness classes. If we didn’t have the credits though we probably would just do the middle one.
Thanks for the insight on your trip. We've never cruised on the Discovery, but we've been on the Majestic and our next cruise is on the Enchanted, which are her sister ships. Unfortunately, if you cruise over a holiday or in the summer when kids are out of school, you can expect it to be a little louder. We've cruised to Alaska both in May and in August and the difference was pretty noticable. I'm glad you got to use those onboard credits to your advantage and hope that you enjoyed your cruise despite the drawbacks. Thanks for watching. I appreciate it.
Interesting video. Your calculation holds when you count in a wifi subscription for each person (which I can not do in the app). If you only take 1 wifi for two people (so not per person) the cost turns out completely different. You then do not end up with 88USD to drink on 7 day cruise, but 175USD per person to drink on a 7 day cruise.
All this +++ pricing is the reason why I cruise with Norwegian that have the 5 free at sea. (This offer is in Australia. I’m not sure if it’s the same around the world).I also cruise with Viking where everything is included. It may be more upfront but at least you don’t get bill shock at the end.
No way! Just finished a 16 night cruise on Caribbean Princess & had so much credit (military 250; princess 100; travel agent 300) I came away with 150 surplus ! Unless you're a lush, it's never worth it. No specialty restaurants, a few beers & old fashions but mainly water. Save your money!!!
Thank you for posting this. I am sailing on the new Sun Princess out of Rome on April 17yh and was wondering about the package (I do have it) and this is very helpful
I just subscribed .. thank you again.
Thank you so much for subscribing. I really appreciate it! Have a wonderful cruise next monty. I envy you.
My Good Sir, you have an amazing channel. I am so glad I found it!
That is so very kind of you. Thank you so much for the nice comment and thanks for watching. I'm glad you found my channel, too!
Princess is nickel and dime what used to be included. It seems that they want to advertise low rates for cabins, then upcharge.
I agree. And it didn't used to be that way to the extent it is today. In fact, a little over a year ago I did a video on what I liked and didn't like about our cruise on the Crown Princess and one of the things I said I liked was that we weren't trying to be upcharged on things. Things have changed since then. Thanks for watching. I appreciate it.
Even with Platinum level, had to pay for WiFi last Christmas. This year it appears to be included in the Plus package. A Princess rep at a travel show said No charge. Who knows what will change in the meantime.
I am taking a princess cruise and added the plus plg, and it does include specialty coffees. Unlimited smoothies, juice and pop and the 15 per day $15 dollar alcohol drinks. And 2 specialty desserts per day. Also wifi, 2 casual dining, medallion free delivery, also , your daily tips, and free in room service delivery. You may want to recheck your facts
His facts were good...
For a one time $15 fee, you get the same Medallion service plus free room delivery; no package is required.
I got the plus package mainly for convenience. I will be happy if I break even.
@michaels3003 he stated it wasn't included in the plus, it is. No fees for delivery of room service that I what I stated
@@lorijennings8628 , if you do not use the cabin's **phone** (many people will not do that), but you use the ship's app instead (with the low one time $15 activation fee paid), you get the same Medallion Service and the free room delivery. This may change in the future. It will depend on how happy the company is with the revenues and what the competitors do.
I know the company makes some things unclear, so people are more compelled to buy the packages. I bought the "plus" package, but there are valid reasons not to buy it.
Has anyone used the one connected device to become a hotspot and then connect multiple devices?
I'm thinking WIFI is a must so you can stay in contact with your partner when separated. Unless there is a free limited connection onboard regardless of what package?
We are sailing out of SF to Hawaii in September. I do miss the Grand sailing out of SF. I went to Princess site to order bottled water but I couldn’t find it.
They don't make it easy, do they? Go to the cruise personalizer and click on the BEVERAGE tab. At the very bottom they have 12 bottles of water for $7.08. I hope that helps. Enjoy your cruise...we loved Hawaii.
Still free on the medallion shipping as of June 2nd 2024
Booked with plus package and ordered the medallion device ship to home (within the US) it charged $10 (supposely included s/h) so I called Princess Cruise, the rep told the package included mail to home service within the US and told to speak to the cruise customer service when onboard to get the refund of $10
1st time w/ them, Wow!! Bring soda..I'm a sub now!!
Thanks for subscribing. It's nice to have you along!
Speciality coffees are around 4.50 each , two a day is 9$
We got as much tea or coffee as hot chocolate as much as you like . Plusour in Australia was $65 a day weloved it and im not a big drinker.
If one does not drink, don't buy the package. Those very high calorie sundae treats can be had for a price. If one skips breakfast and lunch for 2 ir 3 days. Big ole smiley face.
Last cruise I brought those small box wines and each had 4-5 drinks each. I barley finished my 4 boxes - 2 in my case and 2 in his - he got free casino drinks and they cost me $20
I've never heard of "small box wines" please give more details as I love my red wine.
Also both people in room has to get the package - they won’t let 1 person
I think this is a major glitch. Perhaps, this will change at some point.
hello from Tokyo. I bought ALASKA summmer tour with plus packege.
and trying to make reservation for paying restaurants by app but cannot finish.I could only make reservation for main restaurant. do you have any advice?
Hi Keiko! Thank you so much for watching and for your question. I tried looking around the Princess website, but couldn't come up with any definite answer. The only thing I can think of is that if your cruise is later in the summer, MAYBE they haven't opened the specialty restaurants up to reservations yet. The only reason I say this is because Princess says that Captains Circle Platinum and Elite members as well as guests booked in Reserve Collection and suites get early access to reservations. My best advice to you would be to talk to your travel agent about this or send an email or call Princess Customer Service and see what they have to say. They'd know much more than I do. Have a wonderful cruise! Alaska is stunningly beautiful.
Dear Mr@@backroadstourist hl from Tokyo again,and thank you so much for your sincerity advice !yes,I followed all your advice and waiting for the answer from the agency. I did the royalcribean med islands summer cruise last summer from internet and completed all at once from the home page.but the Alaska tour was using the same ship ,so I decided the princess cruise this time.but it was not easy.i had to find the agency first,and got lost .But finally,thanks to you,I am learning. I reserved many other excursion trips which was almost sold out.Thank you again for the helpful and American friendship.
Folks...there is NO REASON to have the medallion mailed to you. It takes them 2-3 minutes for them to make you one on check-in. Is avoiding that 2-3 minutes worth worry about: When is it coming? WILL it come in time? Did I remember to pack it? .... why pay $10 each for that... just to avoid a couple of minutes????
Literally haven’t seen one video where the UA-camr didn’t suggesting to be sure to have your medallion mailed.
Value is subjective. I don't drink but I'll always buy the plus.. because peace of mind and unneeded thought about buying stuff.
So to put a definite value on something is impossible to do.. and not to mention idiotic to say you save x because x is fluid... because say it with me. Value is subjective.
Thanks for the update!
I'm glad you found it helpful. Thanks for watching.
It still is free delivery on plus. Just happened today, Feb 12, 2024
Wow that's a big jump in Internet cost! Good to know.
Shipping is free just order it
I was charged $10 shipping this month. It did not mention shipping charge until I confirm the order.
Hi, what about including the use of on board credit for alcohol when making the comparison. We are travelling on Royal Princess in November to New Zealand from Sydney and have $200 on board credit plus will take on board 2 bottles of red wine. We are not big drinkers also. I have been searching for a drink menu with costs so that I can make a more informed decision.
A Cruising Good Time did a cost breakdown of different drinks on board Princess ships. They showed drink menu's with costs in their video.
@@elenamarie25 Thankyou. I have watched it. It is in $US and I am $AUD. I suspect that the drinks will be dearer for us in OZ and will probably make the Plus package worth it even more.
Hello how much is WiFi on princess cruise? Per device, per day? Are there any deals? Thanks
The prices just went up a few weeks ago for internet. The price for a single device is $24.99 per day. Or, you can get a package that allows for four devices for $44.99 per day. If you're a Platinum member, you get a 50% discount on either package. Or, if you get the Princess Plus package, you get one device included in the package. The Princess Premier package includes 4 devices. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching.
3.4 drinks a day is break even with my math.. plus is an easy yes!
Thank you ❤
You're welcome 😊 I hope you found it useful. Thanks for watching!
They said it did not include the steward fee.
The packages are pish. We cancelled and rebooted as we have never spent more than £500 between two of us on every cruise we have done. I don't need WiFi (quite happy to use 4g when in port), premium deserts, speciality dining od anything else. I take gratuities off because I'm nit convinced the crew see them, and even if they did, princess should pay them a proper wage.
Coffee in tge buffet is fine for me, I don't need a weird juice bar and if I can't see anyone needing 15 drinks a day unless they're Oliver Reed.
The one time activation fee for the app is disgusting. Absolute oxygen thieves. I won't be ordering on the app.
Do you have to have internet service to access the princess app?
No. Your app will work just fine on the ship. No need to have an internet package.
boo...nope not gonna do it! we use wifi in port he doesnt drink so the 2 wines we bring onboard will last me 2wks. we dont prepay grats- we dont go to mdr so not paying for something we dont use..will tip steward n if we have same server in buffet then we tip that person.
if you have kids the package is worth it so you don't have to hear them whining about not having internet all week
question regarding the soda that can be brought on the cruise on carry on luggage. Is it 12 cans per passanger? not including alchol. So could i bring a 12 can and my 11 year old child bring her own 12 can in her carry on luggage? Also i dont plan on getting any packages or internet but is there a way for me to still check my email on my phone or would i have to buy the internet package inorder to check my email on my phone?
Those are both excellent questions! I just went and checked my passage contract for our upcoming cruise and it doesn't mention any age limit for bringing non-alcoholic beverages on. It only says that "guests" are allowed to do this. If your child is considered a "guest", I'd say put her to work lugging some soda on board! I don't believe there's a way to check email on your phone when your on the ship unless you're in a port. That being said, make sure your cell phone plan covers the area you're visiting. Otherwise, you may come home to an unpleasant phone bill. That's why many people suggest keeping your phone on airplane mode when you're on the ship. I haven't ever checked into it, but there MIGHT be a way where you can pay for some computer time in the business center on the ship to check your emails. Again...good questions. Thanks for watching.
thank you@@backroadstourist
@@backroadstourist just keep your fingers crossed your luggage doesn't get tossed around and the soda leaks all over your clothes and even worse laptops or iPads
@@billymuellerTikTok I'm not flying in to the port and soda will be in my backpack so hopefully all goes well
Great info, you had me at dirty banana.
If I could be hooked up to a Dirty Banana IV the minute I step on the ship, I'd be a happy man. Thanks for watching!
@@backroadstourist what is in a "dirty banana"?
Um the price is to high
Nah
The world would be a much better place if alcohol was banned .
Im not even a drinker and I disagree with you.
tell that to Al Capone