Princess Cruises, this week, has upped the price and changed its alcohol-inclusive beverage package.
Rolling out fleet-wide, the changes were implemented on Wednesday on the Golden Princess.
Previously known as the All-Inclusive Beverage Package which was priced at $59 per person, per day and covered drinks up to the value of $14 including cocktails, spirits, beers, wine by the glass as well as soft drinks, shakes, juices and water bottles. Guests would also receive up to 40 per cent discount on bottles of wine priced at $100 or less.
But the new Premier Beverage Package is priced at $86.99 and includes all beer, wine by the glass as well as cocktails under $16, bottled water, fountain sodas, fresh juices and shakes. The package has also put a limit on the number of alcoholic beverages purchase at 15 per person, per day. The line has also reduced the amount of discount guests receive on bottles of wine under $100 to 25 per cent. The package is not available for voyages less than seven-nights for Australia-based itineraries or fewer than two-nights for all other itineraries.
A spokesperson from Princess Cruises said, “Princess Cruises has updated its beverage package to be more in line with the industry standard, while remaining one of the lowest priced packages in the industry at AU$86.99/day including gratuity across all Australian-based vessels. In addition to the updated name, the new Premier Beverage Package includes more value to our guests.
“As part of the Premier Beverage package, we have kept the unlimited availability of:
·     bottled water (500ml)
·     fountain sodas
·     fresh juices (if available)
·     specialty coffees and teas
·     Red Bull energy drinks
·     Frappe’s at Coffee & Cones
·     Smoothies and milk shakes (if available)
“At the same time, we have set a limit on the number of drinks to 15 alcoholic beverages per day to enforce the responsible service of alcohol policy we follow.
“In addition to keeping the unlimited offerings, we have enhanced the value of the package by adding alcoholic drinks up to AU$16, offering 25% off all bottles of wine, and including a one litre bottle of water (still or sparkling) free when you dine at a specialty dining restaurant.”
Royal Caribbean charges US$55 or around AU$65 for its Deluxe drink package (excluding gratuities) and includes beer, wine by the glass (up to $12 value), frozen cocktails, house and premium cocktails (up to $12 value) as well as non-alcoholic cocktails, coffee and tea, bottled still and sparkling water, juices and fountain sodas.
Celebrity’s Premium Beverage package is priced at US$59 a day or around $74 which includes all beers, wines, cocktails as well as top shelf liquor priced at US$13 or less.
We are Cruising with Princess in December to New Zealand. We pre-purchased the All inclusive beverage package at $77 a day( American dollars) converted to Australian Dollars it would be $59. On 2 seperate occassions verbally and by email we were informed once on board we would be refunded the difference in Australian dollars.
We have just be informed by Heather Willams an employee of Princess Cruises that they will no longer honour this agreement as they have upgraded us to the new Premier package! This is absolutely false advertising at its best. We never agreed to be upgraded and bought a product as advertised on the basis our agreement would be upheld i.e the refunded amount. We will be making a complaint through the Accc as this company should not be able to fraudulently obtain monies by deception.
Absolute rip off and no notification of price rise! Princess has just lost 2 customers!!
We will definitely have to reconsider our pre-booked 35 day cruise to the South Pacific in 2019! It is ridiculous that we should have to pay in excess of $6000 for two people to enjoy drinks without worrying about having to keep a manual tab every day. Furthermore, the new package doesn’t even include spirits which is all that one of us drinks! We are disgusted and we are sure that our travel companions will also feel the same way! Thanks for spoiling our once high opinion of Princess Cruises!
Very disappointed to find the substantial increase in the drink Package , would
appreciated for Princess Cruises to advise those of us already booked and have
travelled with Princess many times to have the opportunity to purchase Drink
Package before this sudden increase.
We have always had the package because it is convenient but am sure everyone
will think twice now and even consider another Cruise Line as our Package was
included on Celebrity
This is so disappointing. I have just returned from another Princess Cruise (Northern & Western Australia on the Sea Princess) and had just completed my customer survey in which I told them that I thought your drink packages are too expensive. It really is just a case of ripping off your customers. There is absolutely no reason why the drink packages have to be that expensive. It wont worry me as I wouldn’t buy one anyway, we will just continue to buy a glass of wine when we feel like one. As a Platinum member, I am very disappointed, and just hope that cruise passengers talk with their feet and not choose Princess for their next cruise. There are plenty of other cruise companies around so I hope that this decision back fires on Princess.
As a Princess Cruise elite passenger, I will be thinking twice about travelling with Princess in future….I think the jump in alcohol package prices is difficult to justify
RCI has free alcoholic drinks for Diamond members (80 days cruising or more) between 5.30 to 8.30pm in lounge or three free drinks at any bar. Beat that Princess
For a start I could not absorb 15 alcoholic drinks a day every day. I also find it hard to do the math to get value. If 2 per cabin and they both have to buy it not economical. Also note that new higher priced package now does not include spirits only cocktails. So if you wanted scotch and soda or bourbon and coke its a no go ? Conclusion is somebody must have rattled the chain about excess drinking and behaviour. So now everybody else has to be punished with the misbehaving. Also think cruise are playing up to demand and procing accordingly. Have noticed a surge in cruise pricing over last 18 months. Thats my tuppence worth.
Im Cancelling my 22 night cruise on Majestic Princess next year, I and will spend less money relaxing at a 5 star hotel in Thailand, cheaper drinks, better meals and service. This cruise was costing A$500per day and now they want another $178 per couple per day for 15 drinks each Total $678 per day. I can get a Club room at the Shangri-La Bangkok for A$382 this includes – breakfasts at Riverside Lounge. Complimentary all-day beverages, afternoon high teas and early evening cocktails at Riverside Lounge. Still leaves me A$296 per day left over for a evening meal.
Greed and greedy. Typical catering companies. They have long discussions to work out how they can get more greedy. 5 percent here 5 percent there. GREED WITH A CAPITAL G. Get back to me Princess if you want my business. 8 time cruiser.
Its fake alchohol anyway!!…..the cocktales are disgusting and the bar staff all disappeared during “happy hour”..l will never go with princess again.
Princess is, or should we say were our favoured line. Just disembarked Golden Princess the day before increases, and instead of making all cruisers who like package, just limited drinks to the 15, so passengers don’t cheat buying drinks for partners etc. This is a bad move Princess.
Wake up Golden Princess you are ripping every one off
I agree….A TOTAL RIP OFF. I will wait and drink ashore….won’t worry me. We saw some people on our last Princess cruise run up $40,000 bar tabs!!!!
First of all at 63yrs of age I don’t want to get out in the middle of the ocean and be told how much I can drink everybody is different some people can drink more than others I’ve never seen any trouble at a bar on a cruise yet this is just another rip off I’m sure people will change cruise lines as well.
As an Elite member & frequent cruiser the packages are a rip off I don’t drink enough to justify such costs a nice little money earner for Princess.
Red Rob. I think it’s an absolute disgrace. The cruise companies already purchase their alcohol at duty free prices and they then charge its passengers some outlandish price to have a couple of drinks. Work it out yourselves, a previous Celebrity Cruise I was on they charged me $8 for a can of Guiness, US, Plus 18% gratuity, there are 24 cans in a slab, so 24×8 is $192. They would probably pay around 30/40 dollars a slab, Not a bad little earner, I’d like to have a few shares in this racket. It’s just out and out robbery. On return to OZ, I paid $40 for a slab of Guiness Cans. Have been on a lot of cruises, but this robbery I think will cancel any future cruises for these pirates. I can buy a couple of cans and go down to seaside and watch the waves there and it’s free. Wake up cruise carriers as I’m sure I’m not the only Cruiser who thinks much the same. Drop the charges on your alcohol drinks to around $5 for a beer, you are still making a very good profit. They use to let you bring a few drinks onboard at ports visited so you could drink them in your cabin, not anymore. They want you at the bar so they can rip the money off you.
Definitely not a good thing for Princess. We like to prepay so that we can relax and not worry about the cost at the end. $3400 is not something we can afford, for my husband to have the package. I think they could put in the limiting part without the huge price increase and looked at how it went. Love Princess but this will lose passengers.
I am not a big drinker and my wife doesn’t even drink so we will continue to purchase our drinks when we want one and pay for it then. It is a shame that some cruisers have possibly abused the system and have forced Princess Cruises to increase their prices.
Cruising has become very popular and the Cruise Lines are competing very strongly for business, so much so that the price to get on board is in most cases quite reasonable. The cruise lines are however, trying to make up for these competitive ticket prices by seeking to gain as much income as possible once passengers are on board.
The cruise lines purchase alcohol at duty free pricing yet charge passengers at exclusive restaurant/ bar pricing, making very large profits. Therefore those passengers that partake in drink purchases at these ridiculous prices are substantially subsidising those passengers who get on board at reasonable ticket price and do not drink. They have a cheap trip and the cruise line still makes very healthy profit.
Just another way of milking as much money out of their long suffering passengers.
Using RSA is rubbish. Adults should not be told how much to drink as long as they are behaving themselves and not causing disturbance to those around them. Corporate greed at its best.
To expensive anyway before the rise in price, didn’t buy any alcohol on our cruise.
Just another way of increasing profits naming responsible drinking as the excuse.
At 75 years of age I don’t need to be told how much I can drink. As Elite members we are not happy and in the end will drink less as we will not be able to afford the increase.