Every single change is simply to discourage the ‘Standard’ fare passenger… every single one without exception! Raise item prices to the sky and add it back in for free with a package is clear and transparent as possible… Princess is determined to remove standard fares completely. Whatever you do have a great cruise. Blessings, John
I can't say you are wrong, that's for sure but I almost feel like Princess is one of the last to embrace the packages. Even back in early 2022 on Royal Caribbean, I couldn't believe the prices they were charging and it was mostly to encourage the purchase of their drinks packages. I guess we'll see how this shakes out over the next couple of years. Thanks for watching and for commenting!
You are absolutely right...I have cruised 31 times with Princess Cruises....the most recent was this summer of 2024 in Europe...Princess has now but one goal...the maximization of profits...it has cut out most of the benefits passengers use to enjoy. at no cost...it has less employees...the food was ordinary.....I felt like a squeezed lemon,....it will be my last cruise with Princess Cruises and with the Cruising industry in general...
@@SalmircheI went on princess to Alaska this past summer and had the plus pkg it was fantastic, plenty of staff, food was phenomenal, service was great. Already booked two for 2025 with princess
Bill, you nailed it. I can't stand the flapping heads and misleading headlines and thumbnail pictures. Real, useful information is what we're going for. Thanks for the comment and for watching, made my day.
Ships of all major cruise lines are filing up and many are selling out. Booked a fall 2025 transatlantic last month, friends are booking now and few balcony cabins are left. Prices have gone up and people are still booking.
Absolutely. It was hard finding my preferred room (midship balcony) in 2025 and also 2026 (not available or way high price) for when and where I wanted to travel. Fortunately I found mid-forward close to midship . I considered another line and the same applies. Act soon if you are considering a voyage. 😉
This isn't something that has been announced, could be a supply issue or a change. I think the mini bar perk is a declining one given the popularity of the Plus and Premier packages. Also, I wouldn't be surprised to see changes next year in the Captain's Circle benefits. Thanks for watching!
We booked a Sanctuary Collection cabin on the Star Princess in early 2026 and we are both Elite. Able to book specialty dining as soon as one booked and paid the deposit is UNTRUE. AS at this moment, we are unable to book specialty dining. We sincerely hope that we would not run into the fiasco similar to our last Oceania cruise!
As I said in the video, they aren't straightforward with when they open the bookings for a particular cruise but I've reviewed that list both as presented in to travel agents in webinars and written in their internal FAQ and guide that it's the policy that those passengers don't have to wait until after final payment. www.princess.com/en-us/ships-and-experience/onboard-experience/food-and-dining/dining-reservations Have a look at the link above, it says in black and white that Platinum and Elite have access before final payment. What that doesn't mean is that the ship has started to accept reservations yet. Hope this helps.
Re your comment regarding when reservations open for dining, we are Platinum, our cruise us not til May 2025 but we reserved dining in both MDR and Crown Grill for our party of 9 when we're still over 300 days out.
Yes, I think what I was getting at is they don't have a defined period when a reservation window opens for booking like say Disney World where you can book 180 days ahead or whatever it is. I'm sailing in May as well and just did the exact same as you. Thanks for watching and smart getting that booked early, especially MDR if you are going traditional.
If you’re doing a cruisetour, do they only charge you the plus premier charges during the cruise portion of your vacation? Also, is it cheaper to book a cruise and then add on your shore part?
No, the Princess Plus or Premier is only for the cruise portion. Meals and Drinks are not included by default with the Cruise Tours. Booking the Cruise and Land together gives you a more cohesive experience than trying to do it separate. I don't know what the logistics of transfers and such would be if you tried to save a few bucks by booking like that. Hasn't really crossed my mind!
Do you know why Princess's webside alway "Technical Difficulties" I'm a customer of Princess try to sign-in but could'nt. Thanks for find out and re-ply to me.
Really hard to say why that would be. Perhaps try a different web browser like Firefox? I had difficulty using the Princess Travel Agent site using Google Chrome but no issues in Firefox. Sorry I can't be of more help there!
I had the same problem. Solved it as follows: With browser on Princess web page. Click upper right corner of browser for more options. Click "Delete browsing data" or comparable choice. Should eliminate problem.
I just booked my first cruise for Thanksgiving and I’m stoked. I got the premiere package for all the perks. I’m having issues trying to book dinner reservations on the app it keeps showing $45 each which should be zero for premiere
Enjoy all the perks of Premier! Did you upgrade from the $80 plan to $90 plan? Give the Princess Dining Reservations people a call, they are usually quick and able to give you a hand. I don't have a lot of confidence in the Princess App. Thanks for watching!
With all the changes and price increases...I'm gonna start moving away from Princess. I'm starting to get the feeling that they are trying to squeeze every Nickle out of my pocket instead of me concentrating on a nice relaxing cruise.
If you find a mainstream cruise line that isn't doing this, be sure to let me know! The only thing I'm going to defend Princess on here is that I still find their packages reasonable compared to the minimums that competitors are charging. The price of a Royal Caribbean cruise on one of their big ships is huge! Personally, I'm at the point of giving my money to luxury cruise lines, paying more for smaller ships and having it be all inclusive, they just aren't terribly family friendly. I'm not really sure what the answer is. Thanks for watching!
I did a mock booking for December 2025 on RCL Icon and for an inside room, it was more expensive than we are paying for our Sun Princess Cabana Mini suite with the original princess premiere for the same.
No, not if that's all you are going to have in a day then it doesn't make sense for Plus or Premium. Have a look at my Princess Plus video, at 12:55 I break down a basic no-alcohol package and find approximately where you would need to be for it to make sense. Not sure Premier ever would make sense unless you plan on eating in specialty restaurants every day. Here is the link: ua-cam.com/video/nh_lVVCEmWg/v-deo.html Thanks for watching! Andrew
Princess does have the best packages at this point. Thanks for the updates.
Yes they do, hopefully no more major changes coming!
Princess is switching from the Love Boat to the Hate Boat.
Every single change is simply to discourage the ‘Standard’ fare passenger… every single one without exception! Raise item prices to the sky and add it back in for free with a package is clear and transparent as possible… Princess is determined to remove standard fares completely. Whatever you do have a great cruise. Blessings, John
I can't say you are wrong, that's for sure but I almost feel like Princess is one of the last to embrace the packages. Even back in early 2022 on Royal Caribbean, I couldn't believe the prices they were charging and it was mostly to encourage the purchase of their drinks packages. I guess we'll see how this shakes out over the next couple of years. Thanks for watching and for commenting!
You are absolutely right...I have cruised 31 times with Princess Cruises....the most recent was this summer of 2024 in Europe...Princess has now but one goal...the maximization of profits...it has cut out most of the benefits passengers use to enjoy. at no cost...it has less employees...the food was ordinary.....I felt like a squeezed lemon,....it will be my last cruise with Princess Cruises and with the Cruising industry in general...
@@SalmircheI went on princess to Alaska this past summer and had the plus pkg it was fantastic, plenty of staff, food was phenomenal, service was great. Already booked two for 2025 with princess
@@lorijennings8628 ...with the plus pkg...$$$$.....
Your information is excellent without drama.
Bill, you nailed it. I can't stand the flapping heads and misleading headlines and thumbnail pictures. Real, useful information is what we're going for. Thanks for the comment and for watching, made my day.
Ships of all major cruise lines are filing up and many are selling out. Booked a fall 2025 transatlantic last month, friends are booking now and few balcony cabins are left. Prices have gone up and people are still booking.
Yes, I'm going to have more on that coming up in a couple of weeks. Last minute deals are becoming tough to find too. Thanks for watching!
Absolutely. It was hard finding my preferred room (midship balcony) in 2025 and also 2026 (not available or way high price) for when and where I wanted to travel. Fortunately I found mid-forward close to midship . I considered another line and the same applies. Act soon if you are considering a voyage. 😉
I read in another group that the Elite minibar setup has changed from the mini bottles to a mixed drink concoction with fewer drinks.
This isn't something that has been announced, could be a supply issue or a change. I think the mini bar perk is a declining one given the popularity of the Plus and Premier packages. Also, I wouldn't be surprised to see changes next year in the Captain's Circle benefits. Thanks for watching!
@@TidalHorizons I expect another tier level. It's getting top heavy and there's been a lot of changes. It makes sense.
We booked a Sanctuary Collection cabin on the Star Princess in early 2026 and we are both Elite. Able to book specialty dining as soon as one booked and paid the deposit is UNTRUE. AS at this moment, we are unable to book specialty dining. We sincerely hope that we would not run into the fiasco similar to our last Oceania cruise!
As I said in the video, they aren't straightforward with when they open the bookings for a particular cruise but I've reviewed that list both as presented in to travel agents in webinars and written in their internal FAQ and guide that it's the policy that those passengers don't have to wait until after final payment.
www.princess.com/en-us/ships-and-experience/onboard-experience/food-and-dining/dining-reservations
Have a look at the link above, it says in black and white that Platinum and Elite have access before final payment. What that doesn't mean is that the ship has started to accept reservations yet.
Hope this helps.
Re your comment regarding when reservations open for dining, we are Platinum, our cruise us not til May 2025 but we reserved dining in both MDR and Crown Grill for our party of 9 when we're still over 300 days out.
Yes, I think what I was getting at is they don't have a defined period when a reservation window opens for booking like say Disney World where you can book 180 days ahead or whatever it is. I'm sailing in May as well and just did the exact same as you. Thanks for watching and smart getting that booked early, especially MDR if you are going traditional.
We are scheduled for the Sun for August 2025. We are Sanctuary Suite and Platinum status but it doesn’t allow us to book yet on the app?
If you’re doing a cruisetour, do they only charge you the plus premier charges during the cruise portion of your vacation? Also, is it cheaper to book a cruise and then add on your shore part?
No, the Princess Plus or Premier is only for the cruise portion. Meals and Drinks are not included by default with the Cruise Tours. Booking the Cruise and Land together gives you a more cohesive experience than trying to do it separate. I don't know what the logistics of transfers and such would be if you tried to save a few bucks by booking like that. Hasn't really crossed my mind!
The only change I need to know about is when Princess finally throws the Medallion overboard.
Do you know why Princess's webside alway "Technical Difficulties" I'm a customer of Princess try to sign-in but could'nt. Thanks for find out and re-ply to me.
Really hard to say why that would be. Perhaps try a different web browser like Firefox? I had difficulty using the Princess Travel Agent site using Google Chrome but no issues in Firefox. Sorry I can't be of more help there!
Had the same problem...try deleting your cookies. It worked for me.
I had the same problem.
Solved it as follows:
With browser on Princess web page. Click upper right corner of browser for more options. Click "Delete browsing data" or comparable choice.
Should eliminate problem.
I just booked my first cruise for Thanksgiving and I’m stoked. I got the premiere package for all the perks. I’m having issues trying to book dinner reservations on the app it keeps showing $45 each which should be zero for premiere
Enjoy all the perks of Premier! Did you upgrade from the $80 plan to $90 plan? Give the Princess Dining Reservations people a call, they are usually quick and able to give you a hand. I don't have a lot of confidence in the Princess App. Thanks for watching!
With all the changes and price increases...I'm gonna start moving away from Princess. I'm starting to get the feeling that they are trying to squeeze every Nickle out of my pocket instead of me concentrating on a nice relaxing cruise.
If you find a mainstream cruise line that isn't doing this, be sure to let me know! The only thing I'm going to defend Princess on here is that I still find their packages reasonable compared to the minimums that competitors are charging. The price of a Royal Caribbean cruise on one of their big ships is huge!
Personally, I'm at the point of giving my money to luxury cruise lines, paying more for smaller ships and having it be all inclusive, they just aren't terribly family friendly. I'm not really sure what the answer is.
Thanks for watching!
I did a mock booking for December 2025 on RCL Icon and for an inside room, it was more expensive than we are paying for our Sun Princess Cabana Mini suite with the original princess premiere for the same.
@@niuhuskieguySame here that's why I dicided to book Sun Princess.
@@niuhuskieguy I'm shocked at what RCL is charging for Icon and now Star of the Seas. Just goes to show the demand that is out there for cruising.
For people who drink alcohol, not for water, coffee and 1 coke per day.
No, not if that's all you are going to have in a day then it doesn't make sense for Plus or Premium. Have a look at my Princess Plus video, at 12:55 I break down a basic no-alcohol package and find approximately where you would need to be for it to make sense. Not sure Premier ever would make sense unless you plan on eating in specialty restaurants every day.
Here is the link: ua-cam.com/video/nh_lVVCEmWg/v-deo.html
Thanks for watching!
Andrew
Your comments is not "my style"..... it's interesting though
No worries! Thanks for watching and come back anytime!