Princess Cruises changes premium package again, but guests still upset

• In an apparent bid to stem the criticism, Princess Cruises has made a small change to one of its Premium Package.
• According to reports, they plan to revise the policy on non alcoholic drinks so specialty coffee and tea is unlimited.
• But some guests are still unhappy, saying soft drinks should not be capped.

After strong reaction, including Cruise Passenger readers, Princess Cruises has tweaked one of the packages it changed just days ago.

The new tweak means specialty tea and coffee will be unlimited in the revamped Plus package, which allows guests to pre-buy drinks before they cruise. Including tea, coffee and soft drinks limits were a major cause of complaints.

Princess announced earlier this week that packages will rise in price.

Princess Plus now costs $79 per day, compared to $65 before and Princess Premier will cost $129 per day, compared to $100.

This represents increases of about 20 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively. 

The changes split the Princess community, with many disliking the changes. Others pointed out, however, that the packages were still good value.

The packages did include some new benefits. Princess Premier has a shore excursion credit for $100 for sailings of six days to nine days, $200 for sailings of 10 to 20 days, and $300 for voyages of 21 or more days.

However, that has not stopped the complaints.

According to reports from America, Princess has conceded that it needed to change and a fresh announcement is expected shortly.

“The feedback was overwhelming and we heard them loud and clear regarding changes to our beverage policy,” the line is reported to have said.

In the past, non-alcoholic beverages did not count as part of the 15-drink cap for the Plus package. But the new changes meant Coca-Cola and Diet Coke were included along with alcoholic drinks, and so was specialty tea and coffee. This was a source of frustration, as it singled out those who preferred to drink non-alcoholic beverages with new charges.

The latest revision still places soft drinks within the 15-drink daily cap, a policy that many passengers feel favours coffee and tea drinkers over those preferring fizzy drinks or water.

The Premier package, which costs more, allows unlimited access to both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

News of the changes has still to arrive in Australia. But guest reaction in the United States has been mixed.

While some applauded the line for listening to its cruisers, others were still intent of trying to change the soft drinks allowances on the Plus package.

A statement reported in the US said:

“We wanted to share an update following the Premier and Plus Packages changes earlier this week. In listening to our Princess community, we have made a change – specialty coffee and teas are now unlimited in our Plus package and will not count towards the 15-drink daily limit.”

Among the comments in the US: “Been on 11 Princess Cruises and already booked numbers 12 and 13… very, very disappointed with Princess’ decision to have [soft drinks] count towards 15 a day,” one long-time cruiser wrote. “Princess seems to be pushing everyone towards the Premium package.”