As of April 1, 2007 Princess has modified the their free internet access perk for Platinum and Elite members. The free access at the Internet Cafe is no longer completely free. From their website:
Free Internet Access Credit Towards Internet Café Packages (effective April 1, 2007) $75 for voyages of 7 days or less $100 for voyages of 8-20 days $200 for voyages of 21 or more days
I encourage everyone to let Princess know you feeling about this change of policy. It was one of the last remaining perks that really meant something & if enough people complain they might reverse their decision.
Well this is a little disappointing. I do use the internet while on their ships. If it does go into effect I will just use them less and keep withing the credit limit. I do agree it is worth notifying Princess of the disatisfaction but then again I have seen people spend hours on the computer everyday, which I never understood.
Posts: 213 | Location: Duluth, Minnesota, USA | Registered: June 26, 2002
Although those credits seem reasonable it is a shame they are modifying the perk. No doubt the official reason is "to more effectively control internet usage" or words to that effect.
Perhaps Platinum and Elite members were using it to the point that it was cutting into revenues gained from the passengers who had to pay for their internet access? Nah! What am I thinking?
Originally posted by f-mattox: Not to mention Platinum and Elite members allowing others to use their cards because it's free; which I have seen advocated here numerous times.
I didn't know that. That is nothing but abuse of the membership privilege - by both parties. To me it is no different than theft of services.
Originally posted by RichC: That would have been easy to control by the use of an allotted number of minutes rather than completely eliminating the perk.
I am confused. Your initial post indicates they are still offering internet credits for high level members. Isn't that the same as offering an allotment of minutes?
The way I read it is that they offer a $75 per week package for Platinum & Elite members which gives you unlimited use. All others pay on a per minute basis.
Originally posted by RichC: The way I read it is that they offer a $75 per week package for Platinum & Elite members which gives you unlimited use. All others pay on a per minute basis.
It doesn't sound that way to me. The word "credit" in the original post leads me to believe that everyone pays something, but those in Captain's Circle will have $75 to $200 subtracted from their bills.
We may have to wait until the April cruisers return to find out what will happen in practice. I also wonder if the credit is per Captain's Club member or per cabin.
Originally posted by f-mattox: Not to mention Platinum and Elite members allowing others to use their cards because it's free; which I have seen advocated here numerous times.
I didn't know that. That is nothing but abuse of the membership privilege - by both parties. To me it is no different than theft of services.
Would that be similar to the issue of people buying Crown & Anchor coupon books on Ebay?
In my opinion, no, it's not the same. The coupon books have already been paid for. Their resale and subsequent use has no effect on the cruise company's bottom line; in fact it actually would increase the bottom line since it requires the new owner to make an outlay of money to take advantage of the coupon. Internet use involves an expense to the company; a person or persons other than the owner using the card results in additional expense to the company from a fraudulent activity. To me it seems similar to people using other people's soda cards.
Posts: 3397 | Location: Costa Mesa, California | Registered: November 16, 2006
There would be some that disagree; that subject was discussed in length on a thread under Royal Caribbean. The books aren't paid for though, they are given to repeat passengers for their loyalty. So, should people they aren't intended for be able to use them? That was the discussion on the other thread.
Sorry, Cruise Fanatic, I didn't realize the coupon books were gifts to past passengers; I thought they were purchased. That changes my opinion on selling them. While there is no effect on the company's bottom line, that is not what they were intended for.
Posts: 3397 | Location: Costa Mesa, California | Registered: November 16, 2006
It doesn't sound that way to me. The word "credit" in the original post leads me to believe that everyone pays something, but those in Captain's Circle will have $75 to $200 subtracted from their bills.
Your right on that Lisa. I misread the info posted on their web site. At least it gives some free time to check your e mail.
Honestly, the cost of the internet on the ships is outragous. I think I paid a total of 11 bucks for like 10 minutes of service on NCL. Also, why gon on a cruise if you want to be on the net the whole time? Keep the inet use to a minimum people!
Posts: 197 | Location: Oregon, USA | Registered: October 05, 2006
Princess dangled the carrot at cruisers so that they would rebook over and over to achieve the goal of Platinum and Elite. These cruisers saw the Free Internet as a great perk.
Now that we have reached the goals, Princess has reneged on the promise.
We allowed a few of our friends to use the internet a few times but not to the extent that it would have cut into the profits that drastically. Has anyone heard if the new allowance is per cabin or per person?
I have contacted Princess and been told that the new internet credits are per Captain Circle member. I'm not sure if I like this as I tend to use the internet more than my husband, hence I cannot apply his unused credit to my account. Cheers, Joyceh
Hello joyceh, since you use your cruise card to log on couldn't you just use your husband's card? I don't think anybody would quibble with the ethics of a spouse using the other spouse's card. And yes, the web site confirms the credit is per member, not per cabin.
Posts: 3397 | Location: Costa Mesa, California | Registered: November 16, 2006
