Come Aboard Sale, Princess Cruise Fares Cut To Feb 16
Key points
- Princess Come Aboard Sale runs 12:00 a.m. PT on December 9, 2025, through 11:59 p.m. PT on February 16, 2026
- The promotion advertises up to 40% off cruise fares, plus instant savings that vary by cruise length and stateroom type
- Select sailings include free fares for third and fourth guests, which can materially change family trip pricing
- The offer is available to residents of the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Bermuda, and Washington, DC
- Princess highlights sailings across 345 destinations, including Alaska, Europe, the Caribbean, and Japan
Impact
- Where Savings Are Largest
- Longer voyages and higher category cabins can unlock higher instant savings, with top tiers reaching $500.00 (USD) per stateroom
- Best Times To Book
- Book earlier in the sale window if you need specific sailing dates or cabin types, because the best priced inventory can move first
- Families And Groups
- If your sailing offers free third and fourth guests, price the trip both ways, because that perk can outweigh a slightly lower base fare elsewhere
- Connections And Add Ons
- If you are adding flights, hotels, or tours, match refundable terms to the cruise cancellation rules so the package does not become rigid
- What Travelers Should Do Now
- Compare at least two cabin categories, confirm whether instant savings and free guest fares apply to your sailing, and document the final out of pocket total before paying a deposit
Princess Come Aboard Sale pricing for the 2026 Wave Season is live, with bookings open from 1200 a.m. PT on December 9, 2025, through 1159 p.m. PT on February 16, 2026. The promotion targets travelers shopping 2026 sailings, plus some later voyages, who want a lower headline fare and a smaller upfront deposit. If you are considering this deal, the practical move is to price your exact sailing across multiple cabin categories, confirm which perks apply to your booking, and build a cancellation and insurance plan before you lock in nonrefundable flights or hotels.
The Princess Come Aboard Sale is a limited time cruise promotion that stacks an advertised fare discount with separate, stateroom level instant savings and reduced deposits, which can change the real bottom line depending on cabin type and trip length.
Princess Come Aboard Sale Terms And Who Can Book
Princess says the Come Aboard Sale runs from December 9, 2025, through February 16, 2026, and is available to residents of all 50 U.S. states, Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Bermuda, and Washington, DC. That residency language matters because cruise promotions sometimes look global in marketing, but apply only in certain markets once you reach the booking engine and fare rules.
Princess also frames the sale as covering 345 destinations across seven continents, sold across its 17 ship fleet, and it specifically calls out the new Star Princess as part of that wider offering. For travelers, that is less about bragging rights and more about availability, because a broad eligible footprint usually means you can comparison shop itineraries without leaving the same promotion.
What The Princess Come Aboard Sale Includes
Princess markets the headline deal as up to 40% off cruise fares, plus up to $500.00 (USD) in instant savings, plus 50% off deposits, plus free third and fourth guests on select sailings. The key is that these are not always interchangeable perks, and they do not always land evenly across sailings.
The most concrete part of the offer is the instant savings table. On Princess' sale page, instant savings scale by voyage length and stateroom category, and the top line varies from "N A" in some short sailings and cabin types to $500.00 (USD) in the longest, higher category bookings. For example, the table shows balcony cabins receiving $200.00 (USD) on 6 to 8 day cruises, $300.00 (USD) on 9 to 16 day cruises, and $300.00 (USD) on 17 plus day cruises, while minis and full suites reach $500.00 (USD) on 17 plus day voyages. Princess also notes that single occupancy guests receive a per guest version of the instant savings amount, rather than the full double occupancy stateroom amount.
A separate footnote in Princess' news release adds an important context point about the "up to $500.00 (USD)" claim, noting that the advertised $500 is per double occupancy stateroom, and it is tied to a 17 plus day voyage in a suite or mini suite in that example. That does not make the deal bad. It simply tells you where the ceiling lives, and it reinforces why you should price your specific cabin and sailing, rather than assuming you will hit the maximum.
Sample Itineraries Princess Highlighted
Princess' announcement includes example sailings across regions, which can help travelers sanity check whether their target trip is in the same pricing band. In Europe, Princess cited a 7 day Mediterranean and Aegean sailing on Enchanted Princess starting at $999.00 (USD) on June 23, 2026, and a 7 day Mediterranean with Italy and Turkey itinerary on Sun Princess starting at $1,199.00 (USD) on May 2, 2026. It also referenced a longer 12 day British Isles itinerary on Majestic Princess starting at $1,699.00 (USD) on April 19, 2027, which is a reminder that Wave Season shopping can include voyages well beyond the next summer season.
In the Caribbean, Princess highlighted 7 day Western Caribbean with Mexico sailings on Regal Princess starting at $499.00 (USD) on May 16, 2026, and 7 day Eastern Caribbean with Bahamas on Regal Princess starting at $549.00 (USD) on August 29, 2026. Alaska and coastal examples in the same release included a 7 day Alaska Inside Passage sailing on Star Princess starting at $899.00 (USD) on May 3, 2026, and a 4 day Pacific Coastal sailing on Grand Princess starting at $339.00 (USD) on May 2, 2026.
Those "starting at" prices are useful for directional shopping, but they should not be treated as your likely out of pocket total until you have priced your cabin category, guest count, and any taxes, fees, and add ons that apply in the booking flow.
Background
Wave Season is the cruise industry's main winter promotion window, when many lines push aggressive offers to fill near term sailings and lock in longer lead demand. The traveler trap is assuming every deal is the same. In practice, the best promotion is the one that aligns with how you travel, meaning your cabin needs, your guest count, your tolerance for nonrefundable rules, and whether you plan to add flights and hotels immediately or later.
If you are comparing multiple Wave Season offers, it can help to read another line's promotion structure side by side, because some deals emphasize lower deposits, while others emphasize bundled inclusions. For context, Adept Traveler has also tracked the Silversea Wave Season Sale Cuts Fares Through 2028, and the Greece And Arabian Gulf Cruise Sale Through 2027, which are built differently even when the headline discount language looks similar.
What Travelers Should Do Next
First, price your exact sailing in at least two cabin categories, because the instant savings table makes cabin type a real lever, not a rounding error. Second, if you are traveling with three or four guests, verify whether your sailing offers free third and fourth guest fares, and then recalculate the total with and without that perk, because it can dominate the economics of a family trip.
Third, treat the deposit as a cash flow tool, not a reason to skip reading the cancellation rules. A smaller deposit can be useful, but it does not automatically make the booking low risk if your flights, hotels, or shore excursions are nonrefundable. If you want a quick reality check on whether a big ship itinerary is the right fit before you commit, Adept Traveler's guide on Large Cruise Ships: The Ultimate Guide to Mega Ship Travel can help you match ship scale to your priorities.
Finally, keep the primary keyword in your notes, Princess Come Aboard Sale, and save screenshots of the final pricing breakdown you accept at checkout. If you need to reprice later, or if you are comparing with another Wave Season offer before February 16, 2026, that documentation makes it much easier to confirm what actually changed.