Princess Cruises Cuts: People are REALLY NOT HAPPY!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.พ. 2025
- Princess Cruises have made some massive changes to what’s included and not included on your cruise. Judging by the comments online people are really not happy. In this video, we take a look at the big changes from Princess Cruises and let you know how they may affect you!
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Just to add: Will you receive the new perks if you purchased Princess Plus or
Premier at the old rate of $50/$75 per day?
No, to receive the new perks such as eating at Alfredo’s, and using the app to order drinks you will need to pay the daily difference in price. So even if you bought the top premier package at the old price you WILL NOT get access to Alfredo’s etc without paying the difference - something that was previously included. This is pretty shocking in our opinion…
Ooh dear....it gets worse by the minute!
Totally agree, bought it last week and it doesn’t include the new items. I don’t think Princess thought this through very well. As well as people here and other social media who are learning about this and are not happy, I think there are going to be some very angry passengers onboard who may not be aware of the impact
Jesus! I have a 5 week cruise booked on the plus for next September! I’m not happy about that one bit!
Wow so you book a cruise with the intention of getting all those comlimentary things, and princess can just say "too bad so sad"....and if you purchased the premium packages ahead of time princess basically says "too bad so sad" again. These cruiselines are really getting obnoxious ever since Covid restrictions have gone away.
I think some country's consumer protection bodies would be interested to know about this. I'm sure Princess have it covered in their terms and conditions but like mentioned in the video, it's not really moral or ethical to change what you are providing after you sign up.
I am absolutely furious with Princess. I have been dedicated to Princess for my last 31 cruises. My next cruise is August 14th, round trip out of NYC - 16 nights to Greenland. We do NOT drink and we do always take full advantage of their FREE app delivery/room services. Alfredo’s/Gigi’s is always our dinner twice or more depending on the length of the cruise. We refuse to pay for it. Since the re-start, Princess has been screwing us with all these nominal changes. They are adding up and are not nominal anymore. I could list all of the cutbacks and price hikes just in the last 2 years but anyone faithful to Princess is fully aware. I heard someone say but all the other cruise lines are doing it too, I believe them but I am shocked that Princess wants to be like the rest. They wanted to stand alone as the ONLY cruise line with the medallion technology. They bragged over and over again how they are the standout cruise line. Now they stand out as the GREEDIEST! I am just furious that I booked my August 14th cruise in June of 2022 and now 2 weeks before we sail, they screw me. I am going on this cruise because it’s so short notice but all my other booked cruises with Princess have been cancelled. Since all other cruise lines are making these same changes and Princess is NOT a step above anymore, time to branch out and give some of these other cruise lines some business. Plus, Princess wants to turn their new ships into kids playgrounds. I am not interested in cruising with a bunch of kids. If I was, I would go on Carnival. I hope Princess contacts you and wants to discuss this with you because you are such a large advocate in our cruising community.
I have a mere 18 cruises with Princess but I feel my status as an Elite customer is become almost meaningless. One of the perks was the 300 minutes of WiFi I used to get as of a week ago. I don't see the bottle of bubbly there anymore either. I'm afraid to ask what I get for dessert. Jello? Special embarkation seems to be less than special for this September cruise to Alaska. All that marketing for decades could go down the drain in one fell swoop.
@@stevewarrick4402 RIGHT ON….I totally agree with everything you’ve said. I really hate spending my hard earned money on Princess now when I feel they are just mocking us and slapping us in the face for being loyal to them. The executives all probably sit on zoom calls in their pajamas with their feet up laughing at us. Saying…..Let’s screw them more, they keep coming back for more and we’re selling out our ships.
@@stevewarrick4402 BooHoo 😂😂
I am on your same cruise to Greenland. It is my first Princess cruise. I don’t drink either so the plus package is not cost effective. Should be interesting.
I don’t want to go on a cruise with tons of kids.
We pick princess because they didn’t have water slides.
Seem like princess only cares about young family who cruise like once a year.
Unlike retired cruiser who cruise several times a year,
I have a cruise pd in full for Oct.
This will be my first cruise I dont buy future cruise deposit.
Very disappointed how the just started these without grand fathering this in.
Plus take away our free pizza.
A pizza really , it upsets so many of us. Just a little thing to make people happy.
Yeah, no. Princess seems to have lost it! They need to honor their product offerings to those that booked before these changes.
I agree!
Agree 100%. As a Standard cruiser, we feel we are being relegated to second class. We drink little or no alcohol, so the packages simply are not worth the additional cost for us.
Agree with you, too! Your actually being generous calling it Second class! With the Premier getting the most perks, the Plus with fewer, the Standard feels more like a Third class ticket! Never thought Princess would have Steerage! 🙄
Remove the auto-gratuities (cruise line offsetting their wages bill as a further tax on passengers 🤔) and you then have a daily budget to counter the nickel & diming. Princess obviously have fare actuaries who have done the sums and arrived at these long-term profit drivers that are clearly here to stay.
@@ChristianLehrer Willingness to pay lower rates for inside rooms and forgo perks hurts Princess and lowers its appeal.
The thing is alcohol is relatively cheap to make so Princess are making off the Drinkers too! This is how Lines go out of business. People will switch and they will go belly up
Just don’t buy it, it will not affect you since you don’t drink much.
As a cruiser who booked a PrincessPlus cruise almost a year ago, I’m really ticked about the changes and things being taken away that we’re included on our last cruise. So, if I don’t give Princess an extra $20.00 per day per couple, I lose the perks I had when I booked the cruise.
Guess I’ll be looking at other cruise lines going forward.
Expand your horizons! NCL, RCCL, Holland, Carnival have all made similar changes almost a year ago. I'll take Princess for the better food, less kids, and best comfy beds.😊
My horizons are fine thank you. My problem is booking a trip 10 months ago on Princess Plus and then just before I’m set to cruise they take perks away that we’re part of my package and demand more money if I want them back. I have no problem with their changes going forward.
@@BlissGroove Careful.....copy & pasted comments will get you sent the YT 'sin bin' for ~7 days (no commenting etc).
Liked old style cruising better where you just paid for tips, internet and drinks on top of your cruise price.
@@alvingraham3434 such as life..😂😂
These changes are absolutely ridiculous and most likely is going to cost Princess to lose a lot of business. We would never use any of the "perks" included in the extra packages, and the extra cost could get us another cruise on another line. Unfortunately, all the lines are getting greedy and adding so many extra charges, it's out of control and making us rethink if we want to continue cruising or not.
Sorry but I'm one of those that doesn't drink and the changes are too many and too much. Switching my plans to Virgin or Viking. So disappointing!
I agree. I don't even drink coffee so it is not worth it to upgrade. I'm getting tired of the constant marketing trying to get me to upgrade. I booked an Alaska cruise before this announcement. I've always booked with Royal. They have a soda package that is reasonable especially if you but it on Black Friday.
Subbed you
@@RockyMountainWardenYep, I don't drink coffee either.
Viking is great but much more expensive than Princess.
@@jimmckittrick6515True, but so much more is included. No forced drink package, but wine is free with lunch and dinner if you want it. Free Wi-Fi for each person. Free room service 24 hrs/day, and one included panoramic or walking tour per port. The main extra is gratuities. Only 930 pax on a full ship, and all veranda cabins. No extra charge restaurants.
We've been Princess passengers since 1991 and have decided we've had enough. We've cancelled our Princess Alaskan cruise for next year and booked with Holland America. We've loved Princess but after the last couple sailings we are not happy at all. On our May 2023 to Alaska on the Royal Princess, we booked a mini-suite. We entered our stateroom to find the prior passengers shampoo and partial bar of soap in the shower, a pair of used pantyhose in the drawer and sticky glass rings on the top of the dresser....YUCK! We wrote a letter to Princess explaining what happened about two weeks after we returned and have heard nothing from them. Our room steward was nice but didn't have a clue....not the service we've known and loved.
We went on a Royal Princess Alaska cruise in June 2023 with 3900 passengers. This was our 10th Princess cruise but we decided never again. Getting off the ship for an excursion at ports was a complete nightmare as was the final disembarkation. Finding an elevator not packed..forget about it. Finding an available table on the Lido deck for breakfast...good luck!
I agree with you. It is now September and we still haven't had a reply to our letter we mailed Princess in May. We are still owed $149 for a cancelled excursion. I tried calling but after an hour on hold I gave up. We're looking forward to Holland America next year. @@carolemarin2765
@@carolemarin2765 I don't think you will like Holland America any better. We took the 7 day Mexican Rivierra cruise with Holland America last year and it was the worst cruise I have ever been on (and there have been many). Sure, you get free "limited" room service with a very limited menu, that is of course if they answer the friggin phone! Buffet was impossible. Half the buffet was closed every day and you had to wait in long lines for ANY piece of food you might want. Dinner was a nightmare. Had to wait in line for an hour, just to get a pager, to wait again for another hour before being sat at a table. Then wait again for food that was sub par. Even the excursions were awful, but I'd end up writing a book if I had spell out everything that was bad on this cruise. The only thing I can say nice about the Holland America cruise was that the room was nice. But housekeeping was awful. You have to request for your bed to be turned down.. again.. if they answer the phone! And even then, they may just not show up.
Vote with your feet and bookings, folks!
Bait and switch is illegal in the United States and I believe the only way for Princess to avoid getting sued by U.S.A. passengers is to honor the previous advertised products.
Wrong. Companies can make changes to any policy they want with ample notice, etc.
@@cam6406 first this is not ample notice. Second the sale of goods and services was set when cruisers booked the cruise. You are now providing a totally different product that is within the companies control. This is not a force majeure
@@cam6406 there are people that are paid up for sailing that cannot get a refund from princess cruises if they don't agree with this policy change which is why it's not ample notice.
@@cam6406firstly, starting your sentence with “ wrongly is just obnoxious. Second, if you sign a contract, u less stated i. The contract that it is subject to change, no the company cannot just change it. This isn’t considered amble notice, it’s 14 days notice. So no it’s not as you so obnoxiously put it “ wrong”
@@nuggetsylwe all should go for arbitration
We are scheduled to sail with Princess on August 14th (after the "new" changes). We have sailed with Princess over 25 times and rarely get any Premium packages. We are not serious drinkers and can bring wine on board and since we are Elite, get a mini bar in our cabin. No need for the expensive drink package. Same with wi-fi. Don't need it much, just on the last day to check in for airline flights. (BTW, we used to get FREE wi-fi as Elite cruisers, but that was taken away earlier). In my humble opinion, we should get all the complementary perks that were in place when we BOOKED (casual dining venues) and room service, if needed. We don't use room service or even delivery around the ship for drinks and/or food, but since it used to be complimentary, we should be able to avail ourselves if we chose. BTW, we were in the "green lane" for months, then Princess decided to charge $10 if they shipped the medallion to your home. No charge if you picked it up at the terminal. We opted to pick it up, but NOW that moves us from "Green" to 'Blue". Perhaps it will not impact embarkation, but who knows. It took us awhile to achieve Elite status, but it seems, loyalty is no longer a valued thing anymore. We recently went back to Celebrity and discovered they seem to appreciate repeat cruisers a bit more, adding perks instead of taking them away. Seems our future cruises will exclude Princess. A shame really, since their on board staff is REALLY good.
I agree!
I agree with you. I too am on a Aug 14th sailing and booked my cruise over a year ago. I am beyond furious. In addition to being furious, I also feel very badly that I gave Princess all of my loyalty and all of my vacation budget for the last 31 cruises. Really feels like a slap in the face. I will never dine in Alfredo’s/Gigi’s again. It was really good food for being included. It wasn’t that great to want to pay for it.
Here’s the other issue with being on the first sailing after this rollout. The staff is going to be so confused because it seems that Princess never keeps the poor staff all updated with the same information. I am very excited to try Celebrity. I have heard just what you said, they are happy to have and add perks. One other thing I noticed from watching TH-cam videos is that most other cruise lines seem to be very welcoming as you board the ship on embarkation day. On Princess, they have NOTHING! You swipe your medallion and move along.
Awesome job Princess……right here are to loyal elites moving to other cruise lines.
I also miss free elite minutes, taken away. You work to become elite ,then perks are gone, I also don’t drink or use wiifii much. You work to become elite, for what. I am starting to look at other cruise lines also.
I paid for my cruise in full,why did they not wait to roll out the changes.
It sneaky to start changes immediately,as you can’t cancel.
@@Lori695 It’s extremely sneaky. It shows they don’t care about their customer.
My hubby and I have cruised with Princess for decades, but these increases and changes may affect our traveling plans.
Rather sad news.🥺
I totally agree!
😅 avoid Princess b/c they are finally doing what the other cruise lines did almost a year ago? Yay! More room on the original Love Boat. Since 1995 I've preferred Princess for their much better dining options, less kids, better mattresses, one of only 2 lines able to still go to other parts of Alaska the other ships can't, it's more cerebral clientele, and that they are more innovative. Medallion is the first of its kind on the high seas.
@@BlissGroove- I couldn’t have said it better. I’ve been strictly with Princess since 2002. I’m done.
I absolutely agree Ben! This was VERY disappointing! I have booked a 32 cruise aboard the Sapphire Princess for my best friend and myself for next year. I got the email telling me about the changes and offering me a Princess Plus package for both of us for “only” an additional US$3,700+ for the cruise!!! The Premier Package was also available at an extra $5,000! No adjustments for the cruise length, or for booking prior to the changes…. I am rethinking the value of this booking! 😳
I sailed Sapphire about a month ago and found the ship substandard.
Did you pay in full already? If possible cancel and book another Cruise line! This is insane.
We booked nearly 2 years ago for the Carribean Princess on 8/14. Princess changed our Premium to Plus. Even before sailing, we will never sail with them again.
My cruise is 34 days! I don’t drink alcohol or coffee so totally worth upgrading to Plus. Only being able to eat pizza 2x in 5 weeks?!? It is crazy and I agree that the worst part is how it was rolled out and affects people retroactively! It is also not just $60 per day but $120 for spouse and you times 34 days! That is a lot!
I will go anyways but stick to basic. Too late to back and had to buy international tickets for cruise and an Airbnb etc.
We're circumnavigating Australia in late Oct and as elites it seems the only thing we've retained is the laundry service. I've just paid hundreds of dollars for WiFi, don't eat sugar or drink alcohol, used to be able to buy a coffee card but no longer, the packages are worthless to me but we've lost any reason to be loyal to one shipping line.
We've been on P&O, Celebrity, Carnival but always felt like we were coming home on Princess. Not any longer, the ships are getting too big, while staff and services are great, it takes a lot more out of us to utilise all the venues. The Coral Princess is the smallest of the fleet so will enjoy that soon, but hate, hate, hate the floating cities.
@@nonacee5065 do we still get our free mini bar as elite
@@nonacee5065 I did Hawaii on Crown Jan this year and got all the perks for nothing. We booked Sun for 2024 and all the perks have gone. I don't need them but they were nice all the same. I feel I've been stiffed
I agree with you. The 2 casual dinner regardless of the length of the cruise is no fare. It should be for every 7 days you should get 2 casual dinners. So if you go on a 14 days cruise you should get 4 casual dinners. On a 21 days cruise then 6 casual dinners. We need to start writing Princess. I hope the higher ups are watching.
We are elite on Princess and have watched that benefit erode over time. The only benefits left are free laundry and free mini bar set up that we swap out for water and soda. The packages are not worth it to us. We used to eat at Alfredo’s but for $30 for both of us, we can skip the mediocre pizza!
We had already prepaid for our February cruise.. These reductions just dropped Princess into the same category as Carnival.
Ben, You have put out some great information here. I agree with almost everything you say, with the exception of your statement at 7:52. You commented that the people who had previously booked (myself included) that many of these items, which now require additional "nominal" fees were expecting to get these things for "free". I for one, did not expect to get them for free. I expected to get these things for the amount I have already agreed to pay for them.
It's especially discouraging because they, as most cruise lines do, start booking their cruises several years in advance. With no price guarantee, they are open to demand more payment at any time up to and including after you have already boarded. Maybe it is in the fine print somewhere that they think this is acceptable, but it doesn't sit right with me.
We've sailed primarily Princess for the past 12 years, and have completed 19 cruises with them. Add +1 for an upcoming Alaska cruise. Their new structured prices are very disappointing. They promoted the Ocean Medallion and the benefits, but now they are charging for it. They also have been charging for shipping the Medallion over the past few years. They leave
very little benefits for recognizing Elite status. On our last cruise, we didn't get the Princess Bag. Overtime, they have taken away leaving paper/pen in the cabin and no chocolates on nightly turndown service. Additionally, these new limitations are the same if you book a 7 day, 16 day or 52 day cruise! Shame on Princess!!
I’d recommend taking a look at Celebrity, especially Edge class ships. Once you earn your way to Elite, it’s head and shoulders above Princess Elite benefits.
@@randypoisson8823 Thanks Randy. We are already looking at Celebrity. Too bad they don't offer a loyalty exchange program 🙂
Will do.I want to try Celebrity.@@randypoisson8823
Agreed and very disappointing what Princess is deciding to do. We really enjoyed sailing with them in the past, but if this is how they are going to treat their customers we may have to start looking elsewhere.
same here, not happy
I've never sailed Princess, but I don't expect I will in the future either. As a solo traveler, I already have to pay double fare without any perks. This new policy is an insult. It prices me out of cruising.
Not to worry,I have been talking to Princess on live chat and told them what they have done is unethical, akin to buying and paying for a car and then the car company rings you up and says oh btw you now have to pay for the wheels !,Anyway I have a large suite and told them I will NEVER cruise with Princess again,and I won't, they have lost me forever.They did offer to send me a complaint and feedback form but I told them not to bother, my dealings with them after my current cruise will end then.
I'm glad you released this video when you did. We haven't cruised Princess or any of the luxury class lines. We recently found really good fares for Princess and were really considering booking, but now I think Princess will be at the bottom of our considerations with these changes. I think we'll even look at Royal or NCL before Princess, as it seems there's a better value and more activities available on the "lower" class lines than the Princess boats.
Really? I guess you didn't know that ECL and NCL have also raised gratuities and what was included in basic fare and that they both have even less included food options and that people also made a big stink about it last year and earlier this year. Go ahead. I'll be glad that there may be more room in Princess which generally have less children on board and where cruise bloggers generally agree that Princess has better food across the board. I'll go back to getting a single stateroom ocean view on select sailings for only $799. Ciao!
NCL also does a lot of nickel and diming.. depending on your travel party, royal might be good if traveling with kids. If no kids, check out Virgin voyages, so much is included in their fare. Whatever you choose, I hope you have a great cruise!
NCL doesn’t do turn down in the evening anymore
@@BlissGroove Inside room and MDR and remove gratuities until they staff the ships adequately, seems simple.
We're booked for our very first cruise ever with Princess Cruises for March 2024. Not happy that suddenly things have been changed. I was finding it hard enough to understand what was included in the fare and now find these previously undisclosed changes. Our consumer laws in Australia are pretty tough so it will be interesting to see if Princess continue with these in the Australian market. Personally, having looked at the packages, we not going to bother to do anything except go for the standard fare.
Princess miscalculated here with these new fees ...... convincing me to try different cruise lines since I will nickle and dimed by all cruise lines. It was truly one of the benefits of cruising with Princess.
We are very disappointed with sky Princess. We booked in June for a cruise in September 24. Now finding out from you that we are not going to get what we paid for. We picked this cruise because of all the different venues we could eat at. Now they are saying it’s not free you have to pay a fee. This is not fair if you have already booked they should honour that booking. Thank you Ben and David love you programmes.
I returned from my final Princess cruise on January 3, 2023. Service and cleanliness was not what it used to be so we came home with the dreaded “C”. They will never get another dime from me. Seems it’s all about money. I did have the Premier package but got cheated on the alcohol as there is no guarantee you are getting top shelf, especially wine.
My last two cruises were so filled with problems that I’m finished with them. I had been on six trips in the past few years. There are too many other options. My next cruise is with a “luxury “ line. However when checking out all the inclusive items the price is not much different from what I was paying on Princess. I was surprised at how many of my friends and acquaintances had also experienced major problems with Princess and now refuse to book them anymore. Sad
We've only sailed on Princess once, but this is a disincentive to going back on them again. As to the plans, if you're willing to pay the $60, you might as well go with the $80 and get the extra benefits. That said, we prefer two week cruises, so that's $1,120 each. That used to be the cost of our cruise fare alone (inside cabin), so the price would be double what we used to pay for slow internet, formerly free food, a couple specialty restaurants and "priority" boarding. Too bad.
😅 avoid Princess b/c they are finally doing what the other cruise lines did almost a year ago? Yay! More room on the original Love Boat. Since 1995 I've preferred Princess for their much better dining options, less kids, better mattresses, one of only 2 lines able to still go to other parts of Alaska the other ships can't, it's more cerebral clientele, and that they are more innovative. Medallion is the first of its kind on the high seas.
@@BlissGroove, Princess needs to hire you.😂
@@BlissGroove you must be a booking agent for Princess.
I liked cruises because I didn’t have to keep taking out my wallet or charging for my credit card for every meal, show, concert, etc but when it starts getting like this it just turns me off. When I add everything up if it is more money than a land vacation I might as well spend a week on an island of my choice and not worry about ports of call getting canceled
Information is power….
Thank you so much for clarifying princess additional cost.
You warned me off a princess repositioning cruise.
All the Bestest
I was about to book a 31 day Northern Europe with them but because of this ridiculous price gouging increase am not!! Will just do a different cruise on a different line. . Thank you so much for the info!
I tend to believe Princess cruise is introducing classes and divisions to passengers based on how much they pay... The lesser you pay, the lower the class and division you will have in terms of food, enjoyment, etc..
In April 2023, I booked a Princess Cruise departing in December 2023. And you are correct. We are not getting what we paid for. 😡
As a first time cruiser in Sept I’ll be scrutinizing the experience and thinking twice to book with Princess in the future!!!
I'm Elite on Princess loyalty program.
I think Princess needs to start over on their ideas about price structure. The new system seems to be driving people away from the line. Do I want to pay $80/day/person then add the advertised fare? I've enjoyed Princess, but they're not that good.
Don’t forget that the daily gratuities are discretionary folks…
We are currently on the Enchanted Princess in the Med for 2 weeks and booked 2 years ago with the Plus pkg. this is our 11th Princess cruise and I am a little unhappy about the changes. We were advised of the room service charge when we picked up the phone and tried to order morning coffee like we always have when we’re advised that there would be a $5 charge each time. Apparently the new Plus / Premium packages include this at no additional charges. We were not grandfathered into the new plan even though we booked Plus initially 😢. The one thing I did see is that when we have ate at Gigi’s / Alfredo’s on this trip and we were the only ones there. No one wants to pay the new fees to eat there. I feel sorry for the staff as they want to serve the guests, not stand around doing nothing. I personally think that Princess will reconsider their position in the future, especially after cruisers have satisfied their pent up need to sail after the pandemic and then say enough is enough!
If they're going to be charging for app deliveries they need to make sure it works!
And that the food isn’t cold when it arrives!
@@kathleenleduc5520they aren’t going to ensure it isn’t cold. They never do.
ABSOLUTELY
Thinking about opting for the cruise card, opening my door with the card, wearing the old card lanyard--much lighter than medallion and getting my own drinks--revolutionary!
They failed to make sure Medallion worked on roll out---why start an efficient business plan now?
Just received my email from Princess about this titled "Princess Plus & Premier just got (even) better!" - yeah right. I have a booking with Princess Plus booked this year so it doesn't affect me too much, but I can understand why so many are so angry.
The annoying part, they won't send the medallion to addresses outside of the US, so we will be "punished" for living in Canada.
Exactly! They said they are working on getting shipping to Canada but no timeline or price.
Even for those of us who live in the USA, they now charge $10 to ship it to your home (used to be free). If you elect to pick it up at the pier, it moves you from "Green Lane" (the fastest check in), to "Blue Lane". Who know how that will impact our boarding time. Loyalty to a cruise line means nothing anymore
@@patriciamontey7007 We're Canadian and filled out everything and we're a green lane but you're saying we will still have to go in the blue lane for Medallion? Crazy. 😕
@@patriciamontey7007 And we just ordered our medallions a week or so ago to be shipped to our house for $5 each but now it's $10 each?!
@@janlefave3048 I'm in Toronto sailing Dec10 and supposedly Green Lane too. They tell I'll just pick up the medallion there. Personally I love a good fight so I'll see how it works out. There is the possibility of this Canuck not keeping his stick on the ice if a melee ensues
Ha! We just now booked a Holland America 7 day cruise. First ever cruise other than 14 Princess cruises.
Sticking our foot in the water…
Well, this totally sucks. I'm booked to go out on Regal Princess in November and had read that Alfredo's pizza was free - but now it's going to cost? Damn. Not even Royal charges for their pizza at Sorrentos. Also, my party booked our cruise the other week, so now knowing that the complimentary stuff is not complimentary is a bit of a disservice.
I agree…it sucks. I’ll be on Regal 5-12 November and I booked months ago before the changes.
Pizza is still free at Slice, which is more similar to Sorrento
@@travelingbeyondboundaries I really don't care for Slice as its just a grab and go. Gigi's was a nice casual sit down place. This really is annoying.
@@travelingbeyondboundaries you’re missing the point. Changes shouldn’t be imposed on those that booked months ago.
It seems fraudulent. Bait and switch
Princess has screwed me twice. I booked in June 2022 a Plus cruise for late August 2023. First last December, Princess increased the Plus category from $50 to $60. Did they grandfather in those of us who booked before this change? NO!! Now Princess takes benefits away that were included when I booked last June. So those of us who booked previously need to be very upset with Princess. SHAME ON THEM!!
I would think a class action lawsuit is in Princess’s future from a lot of passengers who already paid for future cruises, if they don’t honor the conditions of their purchases when they made it…I’m thinking they’ll also LOSE this lawsuit!
Unfortunately we sign an agreement that precludes class action law suit, but we in large numbers can ask for arbitration
If everyone sues them then there goes hundreds of thousands with out a job due to greed. All princess need to do is honour those of us who have paid before that date of 23 august
You signed not to do that----really need to take time to read that contract!
@@amandareiche9083 Which is why neither of us would ever consider a Cruising holiday. It's not just the arbitrary fees, but all the other little "extras" they are so keen on trying to persuade you to pay for ( the aptly - named "Upselling Culture") Once you are on that boat, they can (almost) do whatever they like, and legally get away with it.
Glad I found your new channel. I didn't know Princess had a Facebook page and wow, those comments. The two main themes were the folks with the plus package get two Casual Dinning per cruise no matter if they are on a 5 day cruise or a 35 day cruise: not very fair. The other key thought is that those with Elite status (15 or more Princess cruises) have been getting priority embarkation, now anyone that ponies up the money gets it so they are essentially kicking their most loyal customers to the curb. I offered a suggestion to the Princess marketing staff: PAY TOILETS!
That will probably happen too. Seems the entire Industry is sinking into the depths of money-grabbing hell.
Unbelievable i booked my cruise on royal princess on the 11th of August and thanks to you i now know 1 day later things changed not happy not fair they should honor the included stuff that was told to you when you booked 😢
Really don’t care if princess cruises is trying to go out of business, this is one way to use the express line!! Guess I’ll be using another cruise line. Thanks for the update I really appreciate it. Meow meow
As someone with a pending cruise booked prior to December 2022 and about to make elite loyalty on that cruise, the announcements of the last few days has left me thinking that Princess cruises is a company that cannot be trusted to do business with. It would seem they are fine with treating there customers with utter contempt.
I have been a loyal Princesss passenger for years-I am very disappointed with Princess and will think twice before booking them again-Thanks for this video
I sailed on Princess Discovery to Alaska in 2022. The experience was fantastic, especially because the ship was not at full capacity! I was researching new cruises to book on Princess until these changes. We dont drink, dont need wi-fi, and we arent going to pay $30 for pizza! I might be leaving cruising altogether because the post covid experience across all the lines has just not been as enjoyable.
We did our first cruise with Princess and had no idea about these changes since we sailed with them in October. Very disappointing. We noticed people at the help desk gave conflicting information and since a member of our party got Covid on the ship, we were promised certain fees such as OceanNow and Internet were waived and are now still waiting for the refunds as promised.
They would have been better off just slowly raising prices instead of taking off the established benefits. They did it to force more people to buy drink packages though. They litterally paired average gratuity, and drink package costs, then took away included aminities to "up" the value and now you are forced to buy a drink package even if you don't drink. I truely hope it backfires. Corporate greed needs a check.
I just booked my first cruise largely inspired by watching your videos. Yay! Luckily, it is not with Princess. I would have been extremely disappointed, probably enough to cancel if it was in the full refund time window. Feels fraudulent. I will avoid Princess
😅 avoid Princess b/c they are finally doing what the other cruise lines did almost a year ago? Yay! More room on the original Love Boat. Since 1995 I've preferred Princess for their much better dining options, less kids, better mattresses, one of only 2 lines able to still go to other parts of Alaska the other ships can't, it's more cerebral clientele, and that they are more innovative. Medallion is the first of its kind on the high seas.
@@BlissGroove There we go again! Wow your CTRL key is getting a workout today! LOL
@@BlissGroove Is Princess your favorite cruise line? Do you prefer them over Virgin? I am thinking of choosing Virgin for my 2nd cruise and a lot is included in their pricing.
As a Canadian, Princess doesn’t send our Medallions to us precruise. We have no choice. These changes are making us rethink travelling with Princess.
Think you are spot on, don't drink enough to buy a package, who cares about SPA Classes, not a user of room service or bring me something anywhere. Long term I think this will slow bookings when people start doing the MATH of total cruise cost.
If they are capable and have any long term memory........................................
We’ve been Princess cruisers for years but the shine is coming off..they haven’t bounced back well from the pandemic but have instead, eroded their brand. They are now close to being competitors of NCL. We’re booked with them this winter and will decide then if we stay or move on to Celebrity.
Celebrity is going to be the hands down winner in these shenanigans--2-14nt. Celebrity cruises--1 last Princess cruise in January and, back to Celebrity and Virgin, in perpetuity. So long Princess--no real value there, at any level.
I've cruised 7 times with Princess. Not any more. I can understand the nickel & diming people on an entry level cruise company, but not on a more upscale line. Nice knowing you...
The only one I can understand is the charge to order your drinks from the app. As I’ve heard people waiting ages for there drinks because the staff couldn’t handle the orders. So I guess this helps with the order flow. But the rest I agree is outrageous. Should definitely honour the old deals with the people who have booked before the change. Just don’t know how they would manage that x
Thank you for this alert. We’ve taken Princess as well as all the mid line cruise lines except virgin. You have helped us so much to choose our next one! Grateful in Texas
Folks, this is going to happen cruise wide! After two years of no business, and two years of "bridge Loans" to stay afloat, the cruise lines are going to have to look for more revenue generating ideas. The airlines started doing this years ago, and look how much airline travel service has plummeted! The difference is, there are places you HAVE to fly to, no one HAS to take a cruise. Once you start taking things away, the more customers you are going to lose!
Virgin Voyages might do very well in the future then, since they:re relativly new and already part of a well established brand. While others may need to find new ways to price things up, Virgin can really swoop in with more inclusive deals and services where others might not be able to, if it comes down to that
Please post this on your other channel @Cruisewith....you have a much bigger base there and these diabolical decisions need to be seen by as many people as possible.
We cruised on Princess the first week of August and most of these changes had already gone into effect. With Platinum status we still got preference. in boarding and the blue line for picking up the Medallion in person seemed just a technicality. There was no waiting for us and I doubt having the Medallion in hand would have sped up the process more than the few minutes it took to give it to us. We did notice the reserved seating in the theatre for those with the top purchased package but it was limited to maybe two center rows so if you got to the theatre 20 minutes before a show it was a non issue. We never use room service anyway and don't drink alcohol so saw little value in any of the packages. At least on our ship (Japan sailing Diamond Princess) lemonade was still complimentary though it had to be requested unlike the past when a pitcher would be next to the water. Won a free photo package so got the photos anyway. Found that our AT&T International data plan worked just fine while at sea for messages and message sent photos with the on board no charge wifi that requires the phone to be in airplane mode. (At port we would take the phone out of airplane mode to receive and respond to emails.) Pizza was still free since it was offered pool side on our ship rather than at a casual dining venue. We are booked again for another sailing on Diamond Princess for 2024. Hopefully the experience will continue to be just as positive without the need for any of the extra packages.
We are not happy, it could be our last Princess cruise. These changes hit us without warning. In addition, we got Covid on this panama cruise and lost 7 days locked in our cabin.
We booked a 14-day Alaska Princess cruise in 2024 a few months ago for our 25th anniversary. Never cruised Princess before but the medallion was what made our choice. Room service everywhere. The reviews on the medallion service has been hit or miss so $14.99 per person before they fix all of the issues is going to be another issue in forcing people to pay for it.
I spent over $20,000 with Princess Land and Cruise. I felt that we were treated like a herd of cattle. Left in the rain for over an hour, waiting to board the train. And getting on the ship in Whittier, the same, we waited in the pouring rain. So many people were sick, the stewart told us that there was no more kleenex or toilet paper. Too many people were sick.
I have done 31 Princess Cruises and once loved them. They are truly changing into a low quality cruise line. They are not interested in making our cruise experience memorable anymore. My advice to you as never sailing on Princess, I would look at other cruise lines that are not under the Carnival umbrella. Look at Celebrity. The medallion is mostly junk. Rarely works as intended. My advice, don’t invest any of your hard earned money on Princess, it will only be a disappointment.
We will be trying the Princess Premier package on our first Princess Cruise in June 2024. Hard to find a cruise line that has all excellent reviews so hopefully our first Princess cruise on our first trip to Alaska won't be terrible. Whatever cruise line we choose seems to be a gamble anyways. We have enjoyed our previous Carnival and Disney cruises most prior to covid. One Disney cruise post covid. In general though this might be our last cruise for a while with all of the price gouging going on without equivalent value in return. We also like road trips to US destinations.
They should honour if people had already booked. When p&o changed their drunk package they upgraded anyone that had already paid.
It’s crazy, they are even making people who purchased the old plus and premium packages at a slightly discounted rate before the announcement (10-15$ difference) pay the difference! So you could have paid $70 for the premium package last week and still not have access to the app or places like Alfredo’s pizza without paying the extra $10 a day! Something that was free!
We are booked for a cruise within weeks; these unilateral and unprecedented changes are truly demonstrative of the cruise line intention towards their loyal patrons...
No more for my wife and l, we'll never cruise with them again!
This is my first cruise, and I specifically choose Princess for the perks, and I am a non-drinker. This will be my first, and LAST Princess cruise. They should honor those that have booked already, and paid in full. Never again, Princess. Too late to get much of a refund, but there are A LOT of great cruise ships out there, Princess is out for me, crossed of my list. One, and done!
Strongly concur with your timely warning. I wonder if a class action move may ensue. Of course the fine print always precludes that sort of response in so many words, but a contract should really be a contract.
😂 yes. Try that one. A class action suit against the last cruise line that held out on these charges when NCL, RCL, Celebrity already enacted these changes as early as last year. Don't go on Princess. Book with the other amusement park cruise ships with TONS of kids. More peace and quiet on my sailings with Princess, the original Love Boat.❤
@@BlissGroove The issue is not so much whether the increases are are normal or justified, but rather how they apply retroactively as it were to existing paid reservations. No shade on the Love Boat!
@@BlissGroove I think your comment is completely insensitive to those who have already planned, booked and budgeted for their cruise. These new fees should only apply to new bookings. Period full stop!
We can’t class action, but we can ask for arbitration
Not much love there! @@BlissGroove
I can say someone who is cruise with Princess for many years. It makes me not want to cruise with them anymore and makes me feel they do not value my loyalty and I’m fairly disappointed in Princess as a Company and I think that I’m just going to start looking around the other Cruise Lines because they’re not valuing my loyalty anymore.😊
I am researching a cruise for next spring. Since I have traveled many times on Princess and always loved it, hearing these new charges, even though I always book premier, have me eliminating Princess and going to Celebrity. I hate the idea of anyone being nickel and dimed. They are going to regret these changes.
Oh, Celebrity will nickel and dime you to death. The cruise lines are making a killing right now, after Covid everyone will pay ANYTHING to the cruise lines and they have no motive whatsoever to be loyal or anything else. I'm just waiting for them to say nothing is included anymore except a bed, and that ALL food will cost extra, and the entertainment, etc. Bet anything that day is coming real soon.
I feel we should get what we pay for. When I booked that time those things were included! I'm talking about Alfredo's.
They didn't think we cared-------not so......
Under UK law, after final payments have been made, service providers have to give at least 90 days notice of such changes. We booked through the largest UK agent and are covered by APTA
Siccum!
Honor the previously booked prior to the ridiculous announcement. Rethinking our commitment with Princess Cruises moving forward.
Absolutely agree terrible idea. We have already booked 4 upcoming Princess cruises starting this Friday August 4th, November transatlantic, Singapore in March, andNorway. Fjords in July 24. All cruises have been fully paid. We feel totally ripped off we agreed to their price for a level of service and now they change the rules. We have taken over 8 cruises with them over last 18 months and have been loyal customers Will be looking at alternatives. Thank you Princess
Read, boys, read!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Another unhappy Princess cruiser. We're set to sail next week. We had booked the cruise prior to the institution of Princess Plus/Premier, but were given it to be" equivalent" to what we had booked. We also had our room changed as they changed ships. Now this!
I don't see how they can unilaterally change what you purchased. Offer-acceptance, basic contract law. If Princess wants to nickel and dime, then start with the new bookings.
At first I was thinking this might make the Plus package worth getting. My 2022 analysis came to $36 per day paying separately for my wifi, tips, and soda package; Plus was $50. Now it's $60 and I only get 2 casual dining meals _per cruise_ ?! I'm partial to 12-day cruises, so that sucks. I know they want to make the cruise price look low by jacking up the extras, but I'd rather they just build it into the actual price. But I'm fully okay with a room service charge - they bring the food to your door. (I never use room service anyway).
We are Elite (26 cruises), our last cruise was a B2B (30 days). We almost always book long cruises. Our longest was 43 days. Those "nominal" charges really add up. We always book the basic fare. No need for alcohol pkg (don't drink). We exchanged our mini bar for a coffee package (gone). We "stacked" our OBC - veterans, shareholder, Future Cruise Credit, etc and have had as much as $1000+ OBC. We used the OBC to pay gratuities, specialty dinners, casino, etc. Stacking is significantly cut back, you now have to choose one or 2. Elites used to get free internet (gone), now it's "cheap" or pay for it with Plus/Premier. Free room service (gone). Delivery of the Medallion (gone). Free Ocean Ready (gone).
Those long cruises can really make to costs out of sight. For that 43 day cruise, Plus would have cost $2580 EACH. That would almost double what we paid for the cruise.
Now we are GONE!!
Can you rea, Mr. Padgett??????????????????????????????
I haven’t cruised with Princess for 15 years, but hold Platinum status. I just booked a cruise for 2024 with them a week ago. I was enticed by the included Medallion feature of Ocean Now (looked forward to using it in the Sanctuary- revenue they will now lose from me). Also was looking forward to Alfredo’s. Now both are no longer complimentary. If you’re Diamond/Elite on RCCL/Celebrity, there is NO reason to sail Princess now - NONE! I believe that if Celebrity would comp Princess Elite status, you’d see people leaving Princess in droves. Regretting booking this cruise!
I booked last week as well but luckily it was only $25/pp deposit as we are going to cancel.
I agree. Celebrity has sent us some complementary cabin offerings after covid through their casino club. We didn't understand why, since we hadn't sailed with them for years, but we took advantage of four of them, which put us into Elite status on their loyalty program. The ships are beautiful and the Elite perks are as good, if not better than Princess right now. I think we have a new preferred cruise line.
Count me in, I am giving up my useless Princess Elite status and going to be trying Royal and Celebrity. I agree, no reason to ever sail Princess again. Others have made it very clear that all other cruise lines are making theses same changes so this means Princess is not a step above any of them. YAY PRINCESS - you win…..you’re losing valued customers. I know they don’t care about their Elite.
Any cruise lines willing to transfer status.... I will be their loyal customer going forward. Great opportunity for other cruise lines to pick up all the business!
I do wish other cruiser lines would honour loyalty status. I would be willing to switch cruise lines.
You are loyal to a lines,then they change things,
Not happy they are charging for Alfredo .
Seem like if you don’t drink you are penalized.
Plus these new ships with kids areas.
If I wanted to see lots of kids,I would go on carnival or Royal.
I booked months ago and I’m sailing on the 12th august. I booked a standard fare as myself and husband don’t drink alchohol or soda. The packages will never be worth it for us. It’s shame we can’t get the extra dining venues to be honest that we were enticed with when we booked the cruise. I think they should absolutely honour this venues to those who booked before the announcement.
Your comments are RIGHT ON CORRECT - Princess is DISRESPECTING THEIR MOST LOYAL CUSTOMERS - SHAME ON THEM - IN THE LONG RUN IT IS GOING TO RUIN THEIR REPUTATION 😮
We have been loyal Princess customers and have a 35 night cruise in a suite booked with them this September/October - after these nickel and dime changes it will most likely be the last cruise we take with them. Such a pity, they used to be a very good premium cruise line and now they are becoming more like P&O who we have also stopped cruising with because of their cut backs and falling service standards. The common factor - both lines are owned by the same company. It seems like the glory days of cruising are coming to an end as the bean counters get their way!!
Thank you for addressing this. We booked early July for an Alaska cruise next June, 2024. We will be Platinum after this cruise. We are livid. I have a friend who is Elite and she doesn't drink. She is very disappointed. We as a standard booking fare are being ripped off and are being nickel-and dimmed. We loved Princess and these changes will cause us to book with other lines in the future. These new packages should be applied to bookings made after August, 2023, when this new program takes effect. Shame on Princess and John Padgett.
We’re 68 days out of a 16 day cruise. Not happy about the limited pizza at Alfredo’s. May rethink future cruises with Princess. Celebrity is looking better and better.
Celebrity is a step up in every way!
Booked and paid for cruise (standard) in October and now…..more money! It’s not a whole lot more, it’s just the way it’s being done and treating people (like paying for just standard is bad) like they’re stupid! I hate to think what’s next! Punish the standard people more, put a sign on our doors! All when I’m trying to find a cruise line I could be loyal to as I retire! You guys are awesome! Watching your videos is what gave me the push to book!
Thank you for sharing this. Well said. I love the way you are precise and clear.
I've been doing a lot of searches for cruises and I feel Princess is still way less expensive, even with the Premier selection and we are getting a balcony stateroom. I guess it just depends on the person but we are excited for the changes and everything is expensive and only getting more expensive. Also, with my research, I've gotten info that cruise lines across the board will be making these types of changes (charging for things that were once no charge). Business' have to make changes that benefit them.
Ah bummer… we are cruising Emerald end of September. We always book standard as we are not drinkers. I think will give Holland American a try next.
I completely agree Ben this is really disappointing. I've just finished a cruise with princess only a few days ago and the ocean now was a god send on a busy cruise. I don't think people will be happy at all at the extra charges. I'm mostly disappointed with the Alfrado charge, this was such a nice extra for everyone to enjoy. What I think has previously set Princess apart is the more inclusive prices rather than other lines where you have to pay for lots of extra's.
Completely agree with your video. I bought the plus package in May when i booked this cruise. Now they have taken things off that original package and threw it back at me with extra charges. This is like buying a brand new car and waiting for delivery, but a week later the car company coming back to me stating that the in-built SatNav is now going to be ripped out, but you can have it back for an additional charge. Feeling ripped off and pickpocketed by Princess. Marred my holiday even before i get on the plane. This is my very first cruise holiday and if this is happening at the start i feel this is going to be my last cruise. Thanks Princess!!!
Our first Princess cruse begins 5 days after they begin the new policies. It absolutely sucks that they are doing this to people who have already booked trips. I'm not upset that they can set whatever fees they want. I am appalled that people with previously booked cruises are not grandfathered to the policies that were in place when booked and paid for. It feels horribly unethical. Would i have booked with Princess had i known about the changes? Possibly since that would have allowed us to compare and make an informed decision. But now this cruise will not only be our first on Princess it will also be our last.
It seems they can't be trusted to provide what they originally promised and i won't be taken advantage of by them again.
Just booked a cruise for May 2025, we’re non alcohol drinkers and this is disappointing. I refuse to pay an extra $60/80 a day pp for the things we got complementary for years. We’re platinum loyalty on Princess and will consider other modes of travel if these cuts continue…..
The Plus package works for me so based on that alone, the changes wouldn't dissuade me from booking on Princess. The zero-proof beverage package (plus gratuity) plus daily crew appreciation plus internet is $66.38/day so I'd be saving $6.38/day and wouldn't be charged for my occasional cocktail or wine. But... I fully agree with those calling this unethical. Making this change effective for cruises which are already past final payment date is customer-hostile.
When we booked the cruise, the sale price was quite good and I was happy to pay it for a 7 day cruise on Princess. And then I noticed the new packages! I only want a glass of wine at the most every day so I won't be buying the packages. We'll see how Princess feels without some of the things that previously were included.
My husband and I just cruise with Princess. We have the elite status, but we don't drink alcohol or coffee so it's not cost effective for us to purchase the packages. We both have loved Alfredo's and complimentary room service particularly after a busy port day when we're tired. It's disappointing to lose both of these perks. Unfortunately we will probably not be utilizing either one of these anymore.
That's the way to 'handle the up-charges' back off the services and go after value.
We went on Princess in May, 23. We paid the $60 per person upgrade. We don’t drink alcohol , and on a 12 day cruise had 10 shore excursions which involved long motorcoach ride. We were not eating/drinking on the ship during the day very often. I felt that was expensive. Then at dinner it seems like each time we cruise on Princess (10+ times) the dinners in the main dinning room, which is included, gets downgraded and there are more items to pay an up charge even in the main dining room. I think this is a plan to keep advertised fares more attractive, but then they nickel and dime you much more than in the past. We will have to think about it before booking another cruise with Princess. We’ve been on Viking, the price is a little higher, but much more is included.
I'm an Elite with Princess; and until they return to their current format, I'm staying away. I love Alfredo's also but refuse to pay $15 for a meal. I always ordered room service for breakfast. I'm not paying $5 for that! So I will stay off Princess until things return to normal. When they start losing business because of this, maybe they will learn.
Thanks!
Booked our cruise about 18 months for September this year and our princess plus package has already changed twice, totally taking the shine off our holiday which we worked hard for and are now not getting what we paid for, disgraceful from princess
We have cruised with Princess a number of times and WERE planning an Alaska cruise next year, these changes mean that we will be looking elsewhere.
We have over 30 Princess cruises over the past years. I think the new changes are unnecessary and will help us change our Cruise Lines.
Expand your horizons! NCL, RCCL, Holland, Carnival have all made similar changes almost a year ago. I'll take Princess for the better food, less kids, and best comfy beds.😊
@@BlissGroove - I use to agree with what you said here but have you seen the new ships they are coming out with? They are geared towards kids and families. My husband and I also appreciate all these finer things with Princess but they aren’t keeping up. I was just on a 35 day cruise on Princess and the bed was horribly broken in and extremely visibly sunk in and I couldn’t get anyone to change it. From cabin attendant, hotel manager, customer service….no one cared or bothered to help. I practically begged them. I couldn’t even get any of these managers to the room to look at it. You sat on it and you almost went to the floor.
The buffet has gotten so cheap, everything was rice or noodles. 10 rice dishes with different sauces. 10 different shaped pasta noodles with different sauces. It has gotten so cheap.
I’ve been dedicated to Princess for my last 31 cruises and their biggest cheerleader but these changes are starting to dig way too deep into my budget. Just since pandemic they’ve raised the plus and premium prices TWICE, now this!!!!
@@BlissGroove You are the only on that keeps saying that! I sure hope Princess executives can read!
We are beyond disappointed. We booked a cruise in September based on the reports of the most of features that were complimentary on Princess when we booked. It will be the first time we ever deviated from our 3 favorite cruise lines and I already know it will be our first and last cruise on Princess and we haven't even left yet.
Read you executives, read????????????????????