A Smart Upgrade or a Costly Add-On?
If you’ve sailed on a Princess Cruise recently, one detail stands out almost immediately: nearly every passenger seemed to have upgraded to one of Princess Cruises’ bundled packages. Princess Plus and Princess Premier have become central to the brand’s onboard experience, promising a more “all-inclusive” cruise at a fixed daily rate. Yet not everyone is convinced they deliver true value.
Princess has long positioned itself as a more refined option within the mainstream cruise market—less party-centric, more polished. Its pricing strategy reflects that philosophy, particularly through these bundled packages, which combine drinks, Wi-Fi, dining, and other perks into a single daily fee. At first glance, the math appears compelling. At $65 per day for Plus and $100 per day for Premier, the pricing aligns closely with what competitors charge for beverage packages alone.
But there is a catch. These prices apply per person, per day—and both adults in the same stateroom must purchase the package. Over the course of a weeklong cruise, that can add up to what might amount to a whole other cruise.
In this article, we’ll break down what is included at each level of a Princess Cruise and help you decide if an upgraded package is worth it.
What’s Included with the Base Fare
Even without upgrades, the standard Princess fare remains robust. Guests still enjoy accommodations, transportation between destinations, a wide range of dining options, and live entertainment. It is far from a bare-bones experience.
Destinations and Transportation
One of the biggest advantages of sailing with Princess Cruises is the seamless travel between destinations.
Your fare includes transportation from port to port—whether that’s island-hopping through the Caribbean, exploring Alaska’s Inside Passage, or visiting multiple countries in Europe—without the need to book flights, trains, or hotels along the way. Your ship essentially acts as a moving hotel, with your accommodations, meals, and entertainment traveling with you.
Passengers can step off the ship and explore each destination at their own pace, then return to the same stateroom without ever having to repack. While shore excursions and guided tours come at an additional cost, the convenience of visiting multiple destinations in one trip remains one of the core values of the Princess cruise experience.
Accommodations
The base fare includes a private stateroom, ranging from interior cabins to oceanview or balcony rooms, and even premium suites, depending on the booking.
Each cabin is serviced daily by housekeeping staff, with beds made, towels refreshed, and basic cleaning handled throughout the voyage. While staterooms are generally compact compared to hotel rooms, they are designed for efficiency and comfort, allowing passengers to rest between activities.
On Princess ships, accommodations come with a consistent set of features including:
- A room that unlocks automatically as you approach, powered by MedallionClass® technology
- The Princess® Luxury Bed, designed for enhanced sleep quality
- Toiletries including shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion
- Flat-panel television
- Ample closet and storage space
- Hair dryer
- In-room safe
For many travelers, the cabin serves as a functional home base rather than the centerpiece of the experience.
Dining
Dining on a Princess cruise is one of the strongest components of the base fare, with a mix of cuisines prepared to exacting standards.
The buffet—known as Horizon Court or World Fresh Marketplace depending on the ship—serves as a central hub. It features international dishes, rotating menus, and made-to-order stations, along with quick grab-and-go options. One standout detail that frequent cruisers appreciate: unlike many other cruise lines, the Princess buffet runs nearly all day without closing, typically opening around 6 AM and continuing through 10 PM.
For a more traditional dining experience, guests can visit the main dining rooms, where multi-course meals are served for breakfast, lunch on sea days, and dinner each evening. Princess’ Dine My Way program adds flexibility, allowing passengers to choose fixed dining times or make reservations that fit their schedule, rather than being locked into a single seating.
Across the Lido deck, complimentary options are always within reach. Poolside grills serve up burgers, hot dogs, and fries, while Princess’ signature Neapolitan-style pizza—often ranked among the best at sea—is available throughout the day. For something sweet, Swirls offers classic vanilla and chocolate soft-serve ice cream at no extra cost. Meanwhile, the International Café in the Piazza provides 24-hour light fare, including pastries, sandwiches, and small bites, making it a favorite for late-night snacks or a quick breakfast.
Room service is also part of the experience, though it comes with a small fee—typically around $5 when ordered via the stateroom phone. That said, Princess still includes a complimentary continental breakfast option delivered to your cabin each morning, available until 10 AM.
Dining Venue Options on Princess
| Standard Package | Plus Package | Premier Package | |
| Included MDR, Buffet, burgers & pizza, soft serve ice cream, International Cafe | FREE | FREE | FREE |
| Casual Alfredo’s, O’Malley’s, Ocean Terrace, Salty Dog Gastropub, Gelateria, Kai Sushi, Planks BBQ, Vines | $14.99 | 4 meals per cruise | unlimited |
| Specialty Crown Grill, Sabatini’s, The Catch by Rudi, Umai, Butcher’s Block, Churrascuria, Makota Ocean, Love by Britto | $55 | $55 | unlimited |
| Experiential Spellbound, 360, Chef’s Table | $149 | $149 | $149 |
Drinks
Beverages included in the cruise fare are limited to basic, non-alcoholic options. Passengers can access these drinks at self-service beverage stations in the buffet, as well as order them in the main dining rooms during meals. The included selections typically consist of:
- filtered water
- drip coffee
- hot water & tea packets
- orange juice
- milk
- lemonade
- ice tea
Anything beyond that—alcoholic beverages, soda, specialty coffees, and fresh-pressed juices—is not included in the base fare. These can be purchased individually on an à la carte basis, with an automatic 20% service charge added to each order, or bundled through a drink package.
Specialty Beverage Prices
| Drink | Price |
| 500 ml bottled water | $3 |
| Soda | $3 |
| Juice | $3 |
| Red Bull Energy Drink | $5 |
| Mocktail | $8 |
| Espresso | $3 – 5 |
| Latte | $4 – 5 |
| Premium Tea | $3 |
| Hot Chocolate | $4 |
| Beer | $8 |
| Wine | $11 and up |
| Liqueurs | $9 – 10 |
| Spirits | $9 and up |
| Cocktails | $11 – 14 |
Entertainment
Entertainment is one of the standout value areas on a Princess Cruises sailing, with a wide range of included options that run from morning through late night. Guests can enjoy live theater productions in the main theater, featuring professional performers, elaborate sets, and a mix of original shows and guest acts. Around the ship, live music fills lounges and the Piazza, alongside comedy shows, trivia, game shows, and interactive activities like dance classes.
One of Princess’ signature experiences is Movies Under the Stars®, an outdoor big-screen theater on the Lido deck showing a mix of new releases and classics, day and night. From poolside events to evening entertainment, Princess offers a steady lineup of included activities, giving passengers plenty to do without adding to their onboard bill.
Understanding the Value of the Base Fare—and When to Upgrade
On a Princess Cruises sailing, the base fare is best seen as a starting point, not an all-inclusive package. It covers the essentials – and for some travelers, that’s enough. If you don’t drink much, don’t need constant internet, and plan to explore ports on your own, you can stick close to the base fare and still have a great cruise.
But if you’re planning to fully enjoy what the ship offers, costs can add up quickly. That’s where Princess Plus and Princess Premier packages start to make sense. They’re worth considering if you:
- Plan to have multiple drinks each day
- Want Wi-Fi access throughout the cruise
- Prefer prepaid gratuities instead of daily charges
- Don’t want to track every onboard expense
Instead of paying for each item separately, these packages bundle the most common extras into one daily price—often saving money and simplifying the experience.
Join Me While I Do The Math!
The Drink Package
For many travelers on a Princess Cruises sailing, the decision to upgrade to Princess Plus or Princess Premier often starts with one simple category: beverages.
Outside of the packages, the included drink options are limited and include an automatic 20% service charge. Onboard pricing adds up quickly for those who want more than the basic water, coffee, and tea options. This is where the beverage benefits within the packages become a major factor.
Princess Plus includes a structured drink package that covers up to 15 specialty beverages per day, each priced up to $15. It also includes unlimited specialty coffees and teas, along with a daily bottled water allowance capped at 12 bottles. For most casual and moderate drinkers, this setup comfortably covers a full day of poolside drinks, dinner wine, and a few café stops without tracking individual charges.
Princess Premier expands those limits significantly. The per-drink value increases to a higher cap of $20, and the 15-drink daily limit is removed entirely. This package feels much closer to true “all-day” flexibility for frequent drinkers. The bottled water cap remains in place, but overall beverage freedom is substantially higher.
Dining Perks
Casual and specialty dining play a major role in how value is experienced on a Princess Cruises sailing, especially for passengers considering Princess Plus or Princess Premier.
Casual Dining
Casual dining on Princess refers to sit-down, more elevated venues that sit between the main dining room and specialty restaurants. These venues are designed for a more relaxed but higher-quality dining experience than the buffet or quick-service options. Importantly, casual dining does not operate on a reservation system. It is first come, first served, which means availability can vary significantly depending on time of day and passenger demand.
While the prix fixe menu priced at $14.99 is the standard offering, cruisers also have the option to order à la carte in many cases. For example, Princess’ popular Alfredo’s pizzeria allows guests to order individual pizzas for around $8.50 each if they choose not to go with the set menu. Four casual dining meals are included with Princess Plus and unlimited casual meals with Princess Premier.
Specialty Dining
Specialty dining, by contrast, represents the most premium tier of onboard restaurants. These include higher-end venues with curated menus, more intimate atmospheres, and table service that is closer to fine dining. Outside of packages, these experiences typically cost $55 or more per person, depending on the venue and selection.
With Princess Premier, specialty dining is included at no additional cost, offering unlimited access throughout the voyage. However, demand has become increasingly competitive, and reservations often fill quickly—especially on newer ships or peak sailings. This heightened demand, combined with post-2025 package adjustments, has made advance planning more important for travelers hoping to secure preferred dining times.
WiFi Packages
Wi-Fi is another major factor travelers often weigh when deciding whether to upgrade on a Princess Cruises sailing.
When purchased separately, onboard internet costs $35.99 per day, making it one of the more significant daily expenses if guests want consistent connectivity throughout the cruise. The service is powered by Princess’ satellite-based system known as MedallionNet, a ship-wide internet platform designed to deliver high-speed connectivity at sea using cloud technology and global satellite coverage. However, speeds and priority access can vary depending on demand and network congestion, especially on full sailings.
Both Princess Plus and Princess Premier include MedallionNet Max, which is the line’s enhanced high-speed internet tier. This upgraded version of the service prioritizes bandwidth and delivers faster, more consistent performance compared to standard access, particularly during peak usage periods when many passengers are online simultaneously. Princess Plus includes Wi-Fi for one device per guest. Princess Premier expands that access to up to four devices per guest, making it easier for travelers who want to stay connected across phones, tablets, and laptops without logging in and out.
Crew Appreciation
Both tiers include crew appreciation, which starts at $18 per day and is automatically applied to support the ship’s service staff. This charge is standardized and helps ensure consistent compensation across the crew, so guests don’t need to manage tipping individually during the voyage. However, this portion of the Princess Package is not removable, so guests that prefer to tip in cash will be paying extra out of pocket.
Extra Perks
Additional perks round out the packages. However, while these extras provide added value, they tend to function more as enhancements than primary decision drivers.
OceanNow delivery
Both tiers also waive the OceanNow delivery activation fee, allowing guests to place food and beverage orders through the app and have them delivered anywhere onboard without paying the initial setup cost. This adds convenience for those who prefer flexible dining and drink service while moving throughout the ship.
Reserved Theater Seats
Premier adds reserved seating for select theater productions, giving guests priority access to better-viewing locations at popular shows. This benefit is most noticeable during high-demand performances, where securing ideal seats can otherwise require early arrival or waiting in line.
Photo Package
The Premier package also includes a photo package, which covers unlimited digital downloads of the professional onboard photos taken by the ship’s photography team. These images often include formal portraits and candid event shots, providing a convenient way to capture trip memories without purchasing each photo individually. The Premier package also comes with three printed 8″ x 10″ photos to bring home.
Shore Excursion Credit
Finally, Premier includes shore excursion credits that scale with voyage length, offering a set monetary value to apply toward guided tours and port activities. Longer sailings receive higher credits, which can help offset the cost of excursions, though guests may still need to pay additional amounts for premium or higher-priced experiences.
| Cruise Length | Shore Excursion Credit |
| 6-9 Days | $100 |
| 10 – 20 Days | $200 |
| 21+ Days | $300 |
Is Princess Plus or Princess Premier Worth It?
Ultimately, Princess Plus and Princess Premier are less about universal savings and more about matching onboard spending to individual travel habits.
When the numbers are broken down, the value of Princess Plus becomes clearer. Wi-Fi and gratuities alone account for roughly $48 per day, leaving only about $17 to justify through drinks or dining. Even moderate daily consumption—such as a morning coffee, a few sodas, several cocktails, and a glass of wine—can surpass that threshold.
Princess Premier, however, requires a more deliberate calculation. Its value hinges largely on frequent use of specialty dining. Without consistent reservations, the additional $35 per day over Plus becomes harder to justify. Menu repetition and limited availability can further complicate the equation, particularly on longer voyages.
For many travelers, the smarter approach is to compare expected daily usage against each package rather than defaulting to one. Alternatives like standalone beverage packages or onboard credit can also provide flexibility without locking into a bundled plan. And since packages can still be added after embarkation, there’s room to make a more informed decision once onboard spending patterns become clear.
In the end, both packages can enhance the cruise experience—but only when they align with how you actually travel, not how you think you might.
