Princess: Sign for Charges?
 

Hello, I just have a quick question. I'll be travelling on a Princess cruise to Alaska with two young adults (13 and 16). They are both good kids and fairly responsible, but I am nervous about them charging things without realizing it. When they buy something that costs extra (like ice cream or juice), will it be obvious that it costs extra? IE...will they have to sign something acknowledging the cost or will there at least be signs somewhere with a price?

Also, do the TV's in the rooms show movies? And, if so, do these cost extra?

They, like everyone else will have to use their personal ID you get at embarkation. For any item that has a cost they will get a signed receipt so you can see how it is adding up. I think you can view your bill just about at any time in your room from the TV screen too. IIRC movies are extra. I don't recall the price but its nominal. Call Princess (1 800 princess) or go online to find out the cost. What ship will you be on? We went to Alaska with them last yr. on the Sapphire Princess. Don't forget a good pair of binoculars. You will have a great time. Cheers. Larry :-)

To add, about ice cream: there is a happy hour, I think it is 4 to 5 P.M. when ice cream is free in the buffet area. And this is not a soft one but it's good ice cream that Princess normally sells for exra charge. Not too many people know it because Princess is not too eager to advertise.

Thanks a lot! I appreciate the help. I was nervous that there would be situations in which they wouldn't advertise that something costs extra, but if you get a receipt when purchasing things then it shouldn't be a problem. We'll be on the sun princess :)

As for the charges that add up I'd be cautious about pictures taken by the staff. They are about $10.00 or more per pic and as they are taken often, i.e. at dinner, or at every port, etc. those can add up in no time. Also if you drink you can get premium liquor sentfor in room use at a nominal cost. Bon Voyage. :-)

I am booked on princess in April for Greece, Turkey etc. Friends wanted to go this route if I was doing it I would say forget Princess. From what I have been reading on Cruise Critic everything is extra. While I would expect the spa, drinks and some other what I would consider "extras" would have a extra charge I find that charging for coffee, breakfast pastry, fruit, and water is a bit much. Far better they set a price they need to cover these small items and its covered in your passage. I hate being nickeled and dimed to death.

I think that is wrong info. At breakfast coffee, fruit and pastries were included. Bottled water is an extra charge but its that way on most cruise lines. There are speciality coffee shops or bars that are extra during non meal times but a regualr cup of coffee is not. Also for the OP I read today that at certain times of the day ice cream is free as well. I think its around 1530 till ?
The overall rating for the Sun on Cruisecritic is 4.4 which is a pretty good score. I also read the latest 10 passenger reviews at there was nothing about extra charges for fruit, pastries and coffee. I think you will really enjoy your cruise and don't worry about these so-called extra charges. You will find them in Atlanis I think. :S-.

Hello, thanks for all the responses. I have heard a lot of negative reviews about the Princess line, but I wasn't the one who planned (or paid for) the cruise, so I'm trying to make the best of it.

As for the pictures, you're only charged for it if you order one right? It's not like they just take a picture and you owe them $10, right? I'm sure we'll all have cameras so I doubt we'd want a picture from them.

You are correct about the pics and actually you may want to check: www.cruisecritic.com for scores of passenger reviews. The overall rating is quite good. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. :-)

I'm glad that there are those like Jacketwatch who are not turned off by all the nickel and diming Princess does. As for me, I will never sail with them again. Charging for ice cream at any time is a ripoff, and most cruise lines do not do this. Charging for bottled water is not done by many lines we have been on. Chargning for temporary use of umbrellas when it's raining was a first for us. I know of no line that has declined in quality as much as Princess. If you can enjoy their cruises, you can enjoy anybody's, and I suggest you try them to see the difference. Some suggestions: Holland-America, Celebrity, Oceania , and of course the luxury lines.

Well I suppose we will disagree about this. I thoroughly enjoyed our Alaska cruise on the Sapphire and our upcoming one on the Tahitian we look forward to. In fact the Tahatian in a recent poll in Conde Nasts T+L mag. was rated 5th best for its size just behind ships from much more expensive lines, Crystal and Renaissance. The reviews on Cruise critic are also very positive as well as are the overall reviews. To each their own. If it turns out to be disappointing I'll be sure to post. Bon voyage. :-)

I don't think Princess is any worse at nickel and diming than any other cruise line. All of them charge now for bottled water and real ice cream. Princess offers very high level of service and food by mass market standards. What some people call nickel and diming, is actually called business, and business has to be profitable. Most if not all of cruise lines profit is made by casino, drinks, spa etc. Nobody makes you spend money on these, but if you want it, get ready to pay. Guess what happens if all the "nickel and diming" suddenly stops? The cruise tickets price will skyrocket. I prefer to afford the cruise and then make my choice on board, what I want to pay extra for and what I don't. Another option is to pay triple price up front for luxury cruises, if you prefer it.

Well said spur. No matter what there will always be naysayers.

The problem is with these extra chargers, you get the receipt AFTER you already have the item. Also, they probably will "sell" hot chocolate on your glacier viewing days. Overall it is best to frankly, tell the kids to ASK before ordering. Then the charges will be expected.

Every cruise line, with the exception of the very upscale such as Seaborn and Crystal, charge for extras. I've done Princess multiple times and find them no worse than others . I actually find Royal Caribbean seems to charge for even more things. You can usually have the children's cards blocked , but since they are teenages, that may be perceived as a lack of trust. One way to keep and eye on things is to check with the front desk ocassionally to get a copy of your bill to review charges . I usually check my bill half way thru the cruise and then get one the afternoon before arrival back to the home port. There is nothing worse then seeing your bill on the day of disembarkation and finding an error. Then it's you and a large group of people trying to fix it while trying to get off to make your flight home.
Princess will be a good choice for you and your children. Both they and RCCL tend to have more children on board to Alaska than Holland, Celebrity or Oceania.
Talk to your children about double checking before stopping by the coffe bar or getting ice cream. There is a charge for those video games too. If they aren't sure they can watch other people and see what the procedure it. Take a tour around the ship on the first day and ask a crew memeber about each station that you have a question about.

I received the information I have re charging on princess from friends who have just done two cruises with them since January. So I can only assume that it is current and accurate.

Thanks again for all the replies. I don't really mind the extra charges for certain things, since I suppose if they didn't charge extra then the initial costs would just be higher for everyone. I just didn't want to fall into any "traps", especially with teenagers, since even I am not really sure what's included or not. But, it looks like it should be fairly clear when things cost extra so I won't worry about it. Thanks for the help!

Joanne: Thats not what you said earlier. Then you said you read it on cruisecritic. Archer I would pay no heed to this and I think you won't. Again have a good time. You will enjoy it. You won't find trollers on the ship. :S-

I did read it- they posted it, and then I talked to them about it. The reason being they had talked me into going on one in 2007 and I thought all these mickymouse charges were junk does that make sense?
I sailed a lot in the dark ages, mainly P& 0 in 1960's-1970's and you paid your fare and your drinks and that was it. I realize times have changed I was just not thinking of paying for water etc.

Sure.