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Princess Cruises Boosts Premier, Plus Packages for 2026

Princess Cruises ship at sea under bright late-morning sun, vivid blue sky, leaving frothy wake behind.

Princess Cruises is refreshing its popular Premier and Plus add-on bundles ahead of 2026 sailings, increasing daily prices by $5-$10 yet layering in bigger shore-excursion credits and extra casual-dining meals. The line says the changes answer traveler requests while preserving savings of 50 %-70 % compared with buying each item à la carte.

Key Points

  • Why it matters: Bundles remain the cheapest path to drinks, Wi-Fi, and dining on Princess.
  • Premier rises to $100 p.p./day, or $105 on Sphere-class ships.
  • Plus climbs to $65 p.p./day, or $70 on Sphere-class ships.
  • New shore-excursion credit tops out at $300 on longer cruises.
  • Four casual-dining meals now included in Plus.

Snapshot

Premier and Plus are Princess Cruises' two "value bundles" that bundle drinks, Wi-Fi, gratuities, and several convenience perks for a flat per-diem. Premier targets heavy users with unlimited specialty and casual dining, four-device Wi-Fi, unlimited digital photos, waived OceanNow fees, room-service delivery, reserved theater seating, and now tiered shore-excursion credits. Plus is a mid-tier option with one-device Wi-Fi, daily crew appreciation, waived delivery fees, and four casual-dining meals per voyage. Both packages are available at booking or onboard, though pre-cruise pricing offers the best deal.

Background

Princess introduced the Plus bundle in 2020 to simplify add-on purchases, later launching Premier in 2022 for guests seeking top-shelf drinks and photo perks. Prices last rose in August 2024, when Premier hit $90 per person per day and Plus reached $60. Since then Princess has rolled out MedallionClass tech such as OceanNow mobile ordering fleet-wide, making Wi-Fi and delivery perks central to onboard life. Competitive pressure also mounted as Carnival Corporation sister brands raised the ceiling on drinks and Wi-Fi packages. The latest revision follows guest-feedback surveys that highlighted demand for richer dining flexibility and more spending power ashore.

Latest Developments

Price Changes

Effective for bookings made July 22 or later, Premier climbs to $100 per person per day across most of the fleet. The new Sun Princess and Star Princess, both Sphere-class ships, carry a small premium at $105. Plus rises to $65, or $70 on Sphere-class vessels. Princess stresses that even with the increases, the bundles still undercut retail pricing by roughly half.

Added Value

Premier now delivers a shore-excursion credit that scales with Cruise length: $100 on six- to nine-day trips, $200 on 10- to 20-day itineraries, and $300 on voyages of three weeks or longer. Plus gains two additional casual-dining meals, bringing the total to four per voyage. Both bundles retain waived OceanNow and room-service delivery fees, an increasingly attractive perk as more guests embrace app-based ordering.

Trimmed Features

Princess is removing several lightly used benefits: premium gelato desserts, the juice-bar pass, Medallion shipping, select group fitness classes, and the Princess Prizes stateroom game. The company says dropping seldom-redeemed items offsets the cost of higher-value perks without inflating prices further.

Analysis

For travelers who regularly buy specialty coffees, cocktails, and extra dining, even the higher rates pencil out. A typical day's bar tab alone can approach $60, and multi-device Wi-Fi often runs $20, meaning Premier still saves heavy users money-especially on longer voyages where the new excursion credit effectively rebates up to three days of the package cost. Plus continues to appeal to value-seekers who want most core perks but can live with one-device Wi-Fi and fewer dining extras. Families sailing Sun or Star Princess should budget for the Sphere-class upcharge, yet the newer ships' expanded casual venues may help them maximize included meals. Guests who seldom drink alcohol or use Wi-Fi should crunch numbers carefully; buying items piecemeal could now be cheaper than Plus.

Final Thoughts

Princess Cruises' latest tweak reflects shifting guest priorities: fewer sweet treats, more flexible dining, and shore-credit freedom. Travelers who lock in bundles before boarding will still capture meaningful savings, particularly on longer itineraries where excursion credits peak. Before booking, evaluate your drinking, browsing, and dining habits to decide whether Plus or Premier delivers the better value-but either way, the updated bundles aim to make budgeting at sea simpler and more predictable for 2026 sailings. Princess Cruises packages remain a potent value tool when used to their full potential.

Sources

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