Princess Chatter
Princess Cruising => Cruising Tips Chatter => Topic started by: Host Mike on December 23, 2011, 09:19:06 AM
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Increase in benefits for Platinum and Elite:
Exclusive, early access to Dine My Way reservations (ability to make them before final payment)
10% off Lotus Spa treatments
10% off Photo Gallery offerings
10% off shore excursions (Elite members only)
Instead of receiving a limited number of free internet minutes, Platinum and Elite members will receive 50% off unlimited, premium Wi-Fi with MedallionNet.
https://cruisefever.net/princess-cruises-changes-loyalty-perks/
Top 40 most traveled passengers (in actual days) and spouses on a particular cruise will likely be invited to a Captain's private cocktail hour. Sometimes it's a special lunch. Booking a very early in the season Alaska cruise increases your odds. Long cruises decrease your odds. 500 days at sea greatly helps. The formerly called Captain's Circle rep. will have a list at the desk of who will be invited at the beginning of the cruise. They don't mind if you ask.
Military
http://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/additional_faq/military_program.jsp
Once Princess has recorded your military benefit you no longer have to supply your DD-214 or equivalent again.
Onboard cabin credit amount per stateroom*:
Cruise Length Amount
6 days or less $50 per stateroom
7–13 days $100 per stateroom
14 days or longer $250 per stateroom
Future Cruise Deposit (FCD) Credit
Deposit Amount: $100 per person
Benefit of Future Cruise Deposit :
Up to $150 Onboard Credit per person to apply on future booking
Future Cruise Length Per Person Shipboard Credit*
17 - 44 Days $125 Inside, $125 Outside, $150 Balcony, $150 Suite
11 - 16 Days $75 Inside, $75 Outside, $100 Balcony, $100 Suite
7 - 10 Days $25 Inside, $25 Outside, $50 Balcony, $50 Suite
3 - 6 Days $15 Inside, $15 Outside, $25 Balcony, $25 Suite
* The FCD is available to use on new future bookings only and is non-transferable. The FCD currency is non-changeable. The FCD is combinable with most publicly offered fares and promotions. The FCD will be automatically refunded if not applied to a new booking created within two years from date of purchase. Once applied to a booking the FCD is considered money and is subject to booking terms and conditions in the Passage contract. Only one FCD per person applied to a booking will provide shipboard credit. Shipboard credit is nonrefundable and only applicable to each FCD purchased and applies to the holder of the FCD only, excluding 3rd and 4th berth guests. Shipboard credit is based on the ship’s onboard currency and is not redeemable for cash. FCDs do not apply to bookings on Charter voyages. Reduced deposit and onboard credits do not apply to bookings 45+ days. The reduced deposit requirement for these bookings may vary based on booking dates, and a fare discount of 3% is provided. To make your next booking, please contact your Travel Agent, or Princess Cruises at 1-800-PRINCESS.
Full World Cruise/World Cruise Segments benefit from a reduced deposit of 5% of cruise fare and a 3% discount off the fare.
If your cruise cancels for medical reasons after final payment Princess insurance will refund your future cruise deposit and Princess will cancel your FCD. This FCD cancellation policy cannot be appealed.
After cruise Welcome Home FCD Promotion
Within 60 days after the cruise:
"All passengers, regardless of booking location, who did not book a Future Cruise or make a Future Cruise Deposit while onboard the ship,and/or do not have an existing future booking,are eligible for this offer."
https://book.princess.com/pdf/onesource/pc/Post_FCD_Final.pdf
Princess Visa Card
Princess/Barclaycard reduced the Princess Visa Card benefits in November, 2016 and it may not be worth it anymore. It was never that great a deal in the first place especially since it didn't cover lost bag insurance
Carnival Stock
Carnival Stock - On Board Cabin Credit - Minimum 100 shares
U.S. Dollars:
Sailings 6 days or less $50
Sailings 7 to 13 days $100
Sailings 14 days or longer $250
Adjusted for Euro, Pound and AUD.
Good on Carnival, Princess, Holland America, Yachts of Seabourn, Cunard, Costa, Aida, Ibero, P&O, Ocean Village.
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=140690&p=irol-sharebenefit
[Princess cancelled the following benefit]
Internet Minutes given as a per passenger OBC (Need more than 5 Princess cruises and must log in individually for the credit)
VOYAGE DURATION MINUTES
7 days or less 150
8-20 days 250
21+ days 500
https://book.princess.com/captaincircle/jsp/memberShipBenefitsForProspect.jsp
BTW: Logging off with 1.1.1.1 or logout.com speeds things up and saves minutes. Skype and Facetime on iPhones has worked on Princess ship Internet at the time of this post but uses your Internet minutes. Warning: Put your cell phone in airplane mode (with Internet optionally and separately enabled) or you may, and likely will, get bit hard by the Princess onboard cell phone shark quietly downloading app updates to your cell phone without you knowing it. If that happens get ready for a huge cell phone bill when you get home!
Referral Rewards
"Our Referral Rewards program allows our Members to sign up friends and relatives as new Princess passengers and we will give them cruise credits towards their next booking. Not only that, but we'll do the same for their referrals!
The rewards offered are $25 per person, up to $50 per booking. The new customer must sail within 24 months of being referred. Referrals must not be currently, or have previously booked or sailed with Princess, must not have been nominated by another Member, or be 'known' by Princess (by requesting a brochure or registering at princess.com). Referrals must also be successfully made prior to new customers making a booking in order for the discount to apply."
http://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/pre_cruise/prepare.jsp
Misc.
BTW Princess loves their big money on-board gamblers and offers them deep discounted gambler fares and perks.
Then there are move-over fares when the ship is oversold. Commonly the cruiser is offered a free future equivalent cruise and the cancelled cruise fare is applied in full as a future on board credit on the replacement cruise.
P.S. Elites can trade in their mini-bar at the start of the cruise for a variety of other beverages including all water OR recently a full trade can be exchanged for two coffee (card) privileges.
Remember that breaking a combo cruise into back to backs (B2B) may double your OBC's and get you an extra Elite minibar setup BUT it may be cheaper to book a B2B as one cruise. Normally Princess will reward combo cruisers with extra Internet minutes at the B2B break so that should not be a decision factor. Make triple sure that you check your Cruise Personalizer for a list of your credits or get your cruise agent to go on Polar and disclose to you all of your pending cabin credits before you sail and make a list. Princess has been known to forget posting the credits to your actual shipboard account, especially on the second leg of a B2B. If you did book a combo cruise then at least ask the Princess Captain's Circle department after the cruise to give you the number of cruises that you would have received if you had booked the combo as a B2B. If you don't ask, you don't get.
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Mike,
don't forget the carnival stock OBC.
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. . . . .and now would be a pretty good time to buy some Carnival stock: $32.67 today vs. a 52 week high of $48.14.
Carnival CCL stock price is highly variable. Repeat. Carnival CCL stock price is highly variable.
I've seen CCL drop into the $7 $6 a share range. As of 12/8/2022 CCL was in the $9 a share range. As of 2/22/2024 it's in the $15 a share range.
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Carnival Stock - On Board Cabin Credit - Minimum 100 shares
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=140690&p=irol-sharebenefit
U.S. Dollars:
Sailings 6 days or less $50
Sailings 7 to 13 days $100
Sailings 14 days or longer $250
Adjusted for Euro, Pound and AUD.
Good on Carnival, Princess, Holland America, Yachts of Seabourn, Cunard, Costa, Aida, Ibero, P&O, Ocean Village.
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Not a bad return on a $3267.00 investment--especially the $250.00 on 14 days.
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Princess Visa vs. Airline Card -
I looked into the Princess Visa card, even ordered one, but they refused to increase the credit limit to cover even one cruise payment - so out came the scissors.
Instead I went with a United Visa card. With yields on the Princess card ranging from 1 to 2 cents per dollar, the United card gives me anywhere between 3 and 12 cents per dollar (mile) depending on what kind of ticket I buy. For example in April Judy and I are flying FF business class to Singapore from SFO on 120,000 miles or, at today's prices, 6-9 cents per mile. Our tickets to the UK last October were about 8 cents per mile.
Since we will always need airfare from CO to cruise, the yields on the airline cards just made much more sense...
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Sounds like you made the best choice; Princess would probably have increases your limit after you had the card for a while--but of course that does you no good right away; that's a shame.
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Princess Visa gave me a revolving credit line of 22K (but in reality 15K available credit) without asking. I'll never spend that much for a cruise. I think. :D
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Refer your friends and relatives (aka Friends and Family) who have never cruised Princess reward $25.
https://book.princess.com/captaincircle/jsp/referralHelp.jsp
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Suite Passengers and Solo Traveler benefits
Not sure if this benefit still applies:
"Passengers who pay for and occupy a full suite (mini-suites excluded), will receive two cruise credits.
Passengers who pay the single occupancy fare and travel alone in their cabin will receive two cruise credits.
Passengers who pay the single supplement to occupy a full suite on their own will receive three cruise credits. "
http://www.princess.com/news/article.jsp?newsArticleId=na991
Each cruise credit is treated as a completed Princess Cruise for purposes of reaching Platinum (more than 5 cruises or 50 cruise days) and Elite (15 cruises or 150 cruise days) levels. Cruise credits are also used for reaching the Princess Loyalty level (aka Super Elite level)(more than 20 cruises).
Suite passengers are currently being given a complimentary dinner in a specialty restaurant on embarkation night and breakfasts every morning in a specialty restaurant but the unlimited time on the Internet for Suite passengers has been dropped.
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If you booked one long (i.e. combo) Princess cruise which Princess also offered as a back to back (B2B) call the Princess Captain's Circle desk 1-800-Princess after the cruise and ask for two cruise credits rather than the one cruise credit that the Princess computer has already recorded for you. Princess has granted those 2 for 1 requests until recently. They are now less likely to grant you the 2 for 1 credits so book your B2B wisely.
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From time to time Princess will offer extra OBC promotions to help fill the ship. These are for "new" bookings only. (Or Not) ;) ;)
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From time to time Princess will offer extra OBC promotions to help fill the ship. These are for "new" bookings only. (Or Not) ;) ;)
We took advantage of that one time about 2 years ago & haven't seen one since. It doubled the FCC credit & you could also use the best price offered by your TA.
We're about to leave on a 20 day trip & will request 2 cruise credits since we booked it as 1 trip although it was offered as 2 10 dayers.
I'll also taking some old cruise cards from a few years back (2- 7 days booked as a 14 day trip) & see if they give me extra credit for that one also.
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We just returned from a 20 day cruise on the Emerald (2 - 10 day B2B) and requested an additional cruise from the Capt circle host and received it without question. I also brought along some old cruise cards & received an additional credit for a 5 year old B2B trip on the Crown.
Our Internet minutes were only applied once (250) and not bridged but the bar setup was restocked after 10 days. We have been on trips where the minutes were carried over. I suppose it all has to do with the Internet manager.
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Princess now seems to be carrying over your unused Internet minutes from the first leg of a B2B to the second leg IF you used ANY of your per person minutes on the first leg. :D
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Princess now seems to be carrying over your unused Internet minutes from the first leg of a B2B to the second leg. :D
Yes and no. It depends. We opened an account for both myself and my wife and didn't use any of her minutes the first week, only mine. Her account remained at 250 minutes and mine was around 30 minutes after the first cruise. The second leg I had an additional 30 minutes added to my 250 but hers didn't carry over and she only had the allotment of 250. The internet manager said it was because she didn't use any of her minutes to begin with. ???
I guess if we had used some of her minutes they might have carried over. Next B2B I'll be sure to use some from each account.
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We actually had minutes carry over on a B2B2B on the Grand a couple of months ago, and on the Ruby B2B2B2B late last year.
they were all booked as separate cruises - love those OBCs!
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Never toss your Princess coffee cards after the cruise, especially if they have unused punches. All Princess bars with coffee machines will honor those unused punches on old cards on later cruises and some, but not all, bar tenders will serve you free brewed coffee if you show your old coffee card. Often the small bar next to Horizon Court, near the pool, has a brewed coffee machine in the small room right directly behind the bar.
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Also, the mini-bar exchange for two coffee cards is a great deal as the cards are typically unmarked. (Most actually are if you get them from a server you have made friends with during the cruise.)
In fact, I've only had one card marked in the past several cruises...
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It's surprising just what they can do once you make a friend. ;)
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Don't forget the Princess Credit Card. We will be leaving on the 4th of June for Alaska and have just cashed in points for $1000.00 dollars of cabin credits. We pay the card off each month, so this is free credits.
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Don't forget the Princess Credit Card. We will be leaving on the 4th of June for Alaska and have just cashed in points for $1000.00 dollars of cabin credits. We pay the card off each month, so this is free credits.
Wow. You're a big spender to get back that much. :o We have a hard time accumulating points for $150 per cruise.
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Don't forget the Princess Credit Card. We will be leaving on the 4th of June for Alaska and have just cashed in points for $1000.00 dollars of cabin credits. We pay the card off each month, so this is free credits.
I actually did a careful spreadsheet analysis of travel credit cards and determined that airline MILES, not points, are the way to go to maximize bang per buck. Supersaver fares on United, for economy, average about 3.5 cents per mile flying domestically to and from cruises. International business super saver classes can get you 11 or 12 cents a mile back, and international economy can get upwards of 6 cents per mile.
So a return of 1 or 2% in MILES, can then net 3 to 12 cents per mile in ticket price equivalency.
So cards that give me 1% or 2% return in MILES, rather than 1 or 2 CENTS back, are the way to go for us...
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There you go- we don't have to fly anywhere lately.
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While not generating OBCs there are two ways to get some CIF - Cash in Fist.
- Watch Princess EZ Air prices very closely. Sometimes there are unpublished EZ Air prices so ask.
- Buddy up with your travel agent. Sometimes they can lower the cruise fare AFTER final payment
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While not generating OBCs there are two ways to get some CIF - Cash in Fist.
- Watch Princess EZ Air prices very closely. Sometimes there are unpublished EZ Air prices so ask.
- Buddy up with your travel agent. Sometimes they can lower the fare AFTER final payment
Agreed. On the Australian Cruise From Southampton to Sydney next year, after booking, our TA got us the sip and sail package at no additional cost, then just last week, the fare went down $3k with a $600 OBC. We had to give up the sip and sail, which was no problem since we don't drink that much anyway...
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On Southamption to Singapore Emerald Princess I gave up Sip and Sail, kept the same cabin and saved over four thousand dollars U.S. With the money saved I can optionally buy the full beverage package on board and still come out far ahead.
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Princess now seems to be carrying over your unused Internet minutes from the first leg of a B2B to the second leg. :D
Yes but the catch is if you're doing a B2B2B cruise or longer the minutes don't keep rolling over continuously. If you don't use all the internet minutes from the first leg they will carry over to the next leg but if you try to roll over those minutes to the next leg you will lose the minutes from the second leg because you haven't started using them. You must use up those carried over minutes & start using some of the new minutes before the end of that trip. If you begin the next leg of a B2B2B without starting to use some of the previous legs minutes you will lose the minutes of the middle leg.
They don't explain that until you complain to the internet manager about the loss and at that point it's to late to do much about it. (or so they say)
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Princess now seems to be carrying over your unused Internet minutes from the first leg of a B2B to the second leg. :D
Yes but if it's a B2B2B you had better use up the minutes carried over from the first leg & start using at least some of the minutes of the second leg minutes before the start of the third leg or you lose the second legs minutes. After the first carry over you'd still be using the first legs minutes. If you don't start the second legs minutes before the end of the second leg is over they will automatically be cancelled & not eligible for any carry over. I suppose the carried over from the first leg might be carried over to the third leg but I didn't try that.
A continued carry over is something they didn't take into consideration when they wrote the program.
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Also, the mini-bar exchange for two coffee cards is a great deal as the cards are typically unmarked. (Most actually are if you get them from a server you have made friends with during the cruise.)
In fact, I've only had one card marked in the past several cruises...
I agree. Try also to get an unmarked card when you buy a coffee card at a bar and you might also get an unmarked card by ordering one on the dine line. That unmarked card may turn out to be the brewed coffee and hot chocolate gift card that keeps on giving on your future Princess cruises.
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Also, the mini-bar exchange for two coffee cards is a great deal as the cards are typically unmarked. (Most actually are if you get them from a server you have made friends with during the cruise.)
In fact, I've only had one card marked in the past several cruises...
I agree. Try also to get an unmarked card when you buy a coffee card at a bar. That unmarked card may turn out to be the brewed coffee and hot chocolate gift card that keeps on giving on your future Princess cruises.
BUT - on our last cruise on the Emerald in June 2016, they have once again changed the layout and color of the card so they know old cards when they see them...
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Also, the mini-bar exchange for two coffee cards is a great deal as the cards are typically unmarked. (Most actually are if you get them from a server you have made friends with during the cruise.)
In fact, I've only had one card marked in the past several cruises...
I agree. Try also to get an unmarked card when you buy a coffee card at a bar. That unmarked card may turn out to be the brewed coffee and hot chocolate gift card that keeps on giving on your future Princess cruises.
I'm not sure about the "new" cards that their issuing lately if they're going to be pre-stamped or not. I heard about them but haven't see one yet. We've got loads of the old style cards with no date or ship name on them so they'll be good only for punches & not for unlimited regular coffee or tea. Oh well.
It doesn't make that much difference on the Regal & Royal anyway since all the regular coffee is the same no matter where you get it.
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It doesn't make that much difference on the Regal & Royal anyway since all the regular coffee is the same no matter where you get it.
Would that be the syrup - derived coffee, or fresh ground?
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It doesn't make that much difference on the Regal & Royal anyway since all the regular coffee is the same no matter where you get it.
Would that be the syrup - derived coffee, or fresh ground?
They don't have syrup on the Regal and Royal.
Even the fresh dripped stuff it to strong for my simple tastes.
Both my wife & I mostly get the Cappuccino with extra cream & it's acceptable.
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Three additional ways to save depending on how generous Princess is feeling at the time. Your mileage may greatly vary!
1. Gambler fares: You may only pay port fees, get a white lanyard for free drinks in the casino, captain’s private party at times and a black card. You may also get free air.
2. Move over fares: When the ship or cabin class is oversold your original fare may be refunded and a free future cruise or at least a free different level cabin may be offered. Sometimes future on board credits may also be offered. These move over deals are typically offered to those living near the embarkation port.
3.. Suite upgrade offers: If you receive this offer you have to move very fast but beware - Princess has lately been making this offer pretty pricy.
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Just a quick note, on our last CB trip (B2B) they combined all our internet minutes in the beginning or our trip for both legs.
There was no need to use up the first allotment & then purchase the second group or minutes even though they were free.
There must have been many people who purchased the unlimited plan or if purchased per day around $20.
It seemed that they would be in the internet cafe early morning for ever.
The new system is fast enough to even download movies or so I heard.
Oh btw, the crew is allowed to but the unlimited internet for $60 per month. It sounds like it's cheap to most people but I suppose it's quite a bit for some of them on a limited salary.
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On the Ruby Princess, a few weeks ago, they were not offering combined B2B Elite minutes at the start of leg one. They did however carry over unused leg 1 Elite minutes into leg 2.
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On the Ruby Princess, a few weeks ago, they were not offering combined B2B Elite minutes at the start of leg one. They did however carry over unused leg 1 Elite minutes into leg 2.
Could be because they haven't switched to the Medallion net yet?
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Coffee cards have been replaced with an invisible coffee card flag on your shipboard account. They may still write you a bar ticket at times but ignore it. No postings are made to your shipboard account. Same deal for the other drink packages assuming that you don't exceed your daily adult beverage drink limit.