Princess Cruises has announced the new Princess Premier add-on package but is it good value for money? In this post I give you a breakdown of the costs and what’s included to help you decide if you should buy Princess Plus, Princess Premier or neither.
What does Princess Premier include?
For £60 / $75 per person, per day:
- Unlimited MedallionNet Wi-Fi for up to four-devices
- New Premier Beverage Package – top-shelf spirits and cocktails up to $18 with bar service charge included, new selection of wines by the glass, 25 percent off bottles of wine, speciality coffees, smoothies, and bottled water
- Two speciality dining meals per person
- Digital downloads of all photos taken by professional staff onboard, plus three prints of any size up to 8 x 10
- Entry into new ‘Princess Prizes’ onboard promotion
- Daily crew appreciation
What does Princess Plus include?
For £40 / $50 per person per day:
- Unlimited MedallionNet Wi-Fi for one device
- New Plus Beverage Package – spirits and cocktails up to $12 with bar service charge included, wines by the glass, 25 percent off bottles of wine, speciality coffees, smoothies, and bottled water
- Daily crew appreciation
Standard Fare vs Princess Plus vs Princess Premier
The addition of Princess Premier gives guests three package options when booking a Princess cruise holiday.
- Princess Standard cruise package
- Princess Plus
- Princess Premier
| Princess Standard | Princess Plus | Princess Premier |
| Dining, accommodation and entertainment MedallionClass experience | Dining, accommodation and entertainment MedallionClass experience Unlimited WiFi for 1 device Plus Beverage Package (up to $12 drinks) Crew Appreciation | Dining, accommodation and entertainment MedallionClass experience Unlimited WiFi for 4 device Premier Beverage Package (up to $18 drinks) Crew Appreciation 2 x specialty dining meals Photo package Princess Prizes |
| No extra cost | £40 / $50 pppd | £60 / $75 pppd |
What is Princess Prizes?
Princess Prizes transforms guests’ stateroom entry into an exciting experience for chances to win cruise holidays, cash, exclusive onboard experiences and more.
The new game is a first-of-its-kind stateroom gaming experience exclusively with MedallionClass capabilities.
Every time an adult guest accesses their stateroom with their Medallion (when the ship is in international waters), they will have the chance to win grand prizes that include:
- $100,000 in cash
- a cruise for two every year for the next decade
- a cruise for two in a balcony stateroom
- onboard cruise credits from $25 up to $250
- wine tastings
- chef’s table dinners
- entries for an end-of-cruise draw to win at least $5,000
It’s important to note that the $100,000 cash prize and the cruise for two every year for a decade is not guaranteed to be won on every voyage. It’s likely that these will be awarded once per year.
Is Princess Premier worth paying for?
The answer to this question all depends on what value you place on the extras included in Princess Premier.
If you answer ‘yes’ to the following questions, you may want to consider buying Princess Premier:
- Do you only drink top-shelf alcohol and expensive wines?
- Will you want all the photos taken by the professional photographers onboard?
- Do you need to use the internet on more than one device at any one time per person?
If you are tempted by the offer of two specialty dining meals – I’d be careful. Sabatini’s only costs $25 per person and the Crown Grill is $29 per person. You may still be better off buying Princess Plus and your specialty dining separately.
The Princess Cruises All-inclusive Photo Package can also be purchased separately, with the best value offered if you buy before your cruise on the Cruise Personaliser.
- 7 to 24 day sailings – $199
- 25 to 39 day sailings – $249
- 40 day and longer sailings – $349
If we take a 7-night cruise as the example, this is what it would cost according to the different packages.
| Cost if Purchased Separately | Princess Plus + add-ons | Princess Premier |
| Premium Beverage Package $559.93 WiFi on 4 devices $279.72 Crew Appreciation (per day) $14.50 for an inside, outside & balcony $15.50 for a mini-suite & club-class mini-suite $16.50 for a suite Specialty Dining x 2 $54 Photo Package $199 | Princess Plus $350 Specialty dining x 2 $54 Photo Package $199 | Unlimited WiFi for 4 device Premier Beverage Package (up to $18 drinks) Crew Appreciation 2 x specialty dining meals Photo package Princess Prizes |
| $1,194.15 per person, per week | $653 per person, per week | $525 per person, per week |
Mix and Match Add-ons
You may want to mix and match some of the add-ons that you value but it’s certainly worth doing the maths first. I’ve already done this for you in my Princess Plus Guide.
It all still boils down to whether you will drink enough to warrant buying the drinks package.
Take a look at my Princess Cruises Drinks Prices Guide to calculate if it’s worth it.
When is Princess Premier available to book?
Princess Premier goes on sale June 1 2022, for voyages starting June 25 2022 and beyond.
Princess Plus increases in price on 1st June to £40 / $50 per person, per day (previously £30 / $40).
Guests on voyages departing June 25 and beyond who previously purchased Princess Plus can upgrade to Princess Premier for an additional £20 per person, per day.
More information on Princess Premier, Princes Plus and Princess Select can be found at Princess Cruises.
Are you allowed to take a bottle of wine on board when returning to the ship after a day on shore