Princess Cruises Cuts: People are REALLY NOT HAPPY! 

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…

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.

Yeah, no. Princess seems to have lost it! They need to honor their product offerings to those that booked before these changes.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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 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 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! 😳

My hubby and I have cruised with Princess for decades, but these increases and changes may affect our traveling plans. Rather sad news.🥺

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!

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'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!!

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

We had already prepaid for our February cruise.. These reductions just dropped Princess into the same category as Carnival.

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.

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 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

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!

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.

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.

Information is power…. Thank you so much for clarifying princess additional cost. You warned me off a princess repositioning cruise. All the Bestest

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.

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.

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 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..

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 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

If they're going to be charging for app deliveries they need to make sure it works!

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.

The future cruise will be like this: - Pay a premium fare to get a cabin in the size of a cupboard, shareing with 5 other random people - Getting something from the buffet will still be complementary, but for a plate, cuttlery, a chair and a table you each pay extra - Pay extra if you actually want to eat what you got from the buffet - 20$ will be charged as gratuities, not per day, but every time you see somebody of the staff, regardless if they serve you or not - 200$ will be charged daily, starting 90 days before the cruise, to make the cruise line considering to pay their staff at all - Pay extra if you don't visit the casino, the onboard shops, the spa, not doing an excursion or not bidding on a painting in the art gallery - Pay extra for the air you breathe, both on the ship and during the excursions, and during the 3 hours waiting in line for check-in - Pay extra for every step you make on the ship and for every step you don't make while you're sleeping - Pay half a cruise fare to all cruise lines you don't cruise with, while you're on a cruise - Pay double the amount if you cruise again with the same cruise line - Pay tripple the amount if you don't cruise at all

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

The annoying part, they won't send the medallion to addresses outside of the US, so we will be "punished" for living in Canada.

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 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!

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 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!

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

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!

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.

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 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.

As a first time cruiser in Sept I’ll be scrutinizing the experience and thinking twice to book with Princess in the future!!!

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.

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!

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’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.

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.

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!!

Going to take my clients off Princess and find another line. They have put agents in a no-win situation having to explain this mess.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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).

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 😢

They should honour if people had already booked. When p&o changed their drunk package they upgraded anyone that had already paid.

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

I am furious!. How dare Princess dress this up as a bonus to passengers! How earth did these sudden changes to already booked passengers even get through? 😮 I have a solo cruise booked on my first ever Princess for the end of this year and now I just feel stitched up to be honest . I paid for a standard fare with wifi for one device. Now I feel like a clown , a very sad clown. I was planning to go on a longer cruise with my mum next year with Princess but will now be looking at Hal, as Princess quite frankly is not the premium line I thought it was.😢😢😢😢😢 PS I love you guys , your videos are amazing. Love from Lisa, Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺

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!

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.

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.

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.

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…

I'm also disgusted with these changes. I have booked and paid for a future cruise with expectations that these now charged foods would be complimentary as they were on my previous cruises with Princess. Since I'm not a heavy alcohol consumer, these packages would be a total waste for me. Princess, why not a package for folks like me?

Don’t forget that the daily gratuities are discretionary folks…

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.

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!!

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

These changes are no upgrade they are just downgrading everyone else who paid for these things when they purchased a standard cruise fare. This is an out right penalization of cruisers who don't drink alcohol and have no need for a plus or premier add on. It's just a way to nickel and dime passengers who are already under final payment penalties and have no choice but comply.

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.

I have paid the standard fare for a Princess cruise departing 19 August. I expect Princess to supply all the services offered in the original cruise brochure. If they charge me for any service which was free at the time of my booking, I will sue for breach of contract. If everyone affected by these changes puts Princess Cruises on notice that they will sue, they may well change their minds about downgrading those who have already paid for their cruise.

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.

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 very disappointed in Princess and canceled my two current upcoming reservations. All the changes over the last few months seem like Princess is trying to be more like NCL nickeling and diming for everything. I will sit this out until the dust settles.

Thank you for sharing this. Well said. I love the way you are precise and clear.

I had seriously considered trying princess at some point - there is no way I’d consider them now it already costs 50% extra ish to cruse as a solo cruiser- I don’t have an extra $1200 to spend for just f&b. For inclusions that used to be included In all honesty cursing in general has sky rocketed in price since the restart ( and I agree that cruse lines have lost billions during the shut down) HOWEVER;l prices are now completely out of the reach of many likely myself included. Crushing was once marketed as an all inclusive holiday pay your fair and you can sleep, eat and see the shows included in your base fair clearly not anymore. The lines in general are simply out there to try to extract as much money from us as possible with out anything to show for it ie. $0 value for money. Thanks for the detailed heads up 😀 David Young 38 Brisbane Australia.

This is Princess encouraging people to travel on other cruise lines. If they can do this, with minimum notice, what more can they do - and with no notice (given that the 90 day window has past)? Just an additional $90 per day means you get water in your bathroom and you don't need to row your ship for 8 hours per day.

My husband and I aren't happy at all about this. It's not so much the additional cost for us because we realize prices are and have been going up. We don't like the entire separating by class system this creates nor the bait and switch tactics. (We've already paid for an upcoming cruise that we thought would include Alfredo's) Slowly cruise lines are eliminating everything that was the reason we cruised to begin with. I expect this will be the last time booking with Princess for us.

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.😊

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

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...

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

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

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 😮

Although it sucks to have to pay for Alfredo’s now ( it’s like the only reliable vegan option), my cruise to Alaska is insanely cheap compared to an on-land vacation. I’m paying $170/night for a room, a bunch of food, all drinks, all tips, and I’m seeing TWO GLACIERS. If I wanted to do a theme park vacation in Orlando, my favorite hotel costs $170/night (on off season and far in advance) for just the room. The cruise is still a good value even if I have to pay $10 for a pizza for lunch.

This is very upsetting and horrendous. We are platinum status and almost elite and we just booked 2 cruises for October and December months ago knowing the atrium pizza was gratis! I agree that they should honor everyone who booked their cruise prior to these changes with the original perks that were previously offered. Wow! Very disconcerting news! We are not happy. I plan on writing them a letter to voice my opinion. Also, they offer very little to Elite Status. At least, allow elite status to have the Gigi or Alfredo's pizza gratis. This stinks!

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!

I feel we should get what we pay for. When I booked that time those things were included! I'm talking about Alfredo's.