Princess's two-tier package structure is the most significant variable in any fare comparison on this line. Princess Plus and Princess Premier bundle beverages, Wi-Fi, dining, and crew appreciation into the cruise fare — and the gap in total value between a booking with Premier and a booking with Plus (or no package) is large enough that it regularly exceeds fare differences passengers are monitoring for.
The package decision happens before the price protection math begins. Which tier you carry at booking determines the baseline for every subsequent fare comparison. And because Princess's Better Than Best Guarantee calculates on cruise fare only — not on package differences — understanding exactly what each package is worth is the only way to evaluate whether a fare drop genuinely benefits you. It's the foundation under our complete guide to Princess price drops.
What Actually Matters
⚠️ Just announced Sept 28, 2026 - Prices of the Princess Plus and Princess Premier are increasing by $5 per day per person. This starts with all cruises departing after October 13, 2026.
Princess Plus at $70/person/day (2026, standard fleet) and Princess Premier at $105/person/day are meaningfully different products, not just tiered versions of the same thing.
The Premier shore excursion credit - new for 2026 - is the most significant addition: $100 to $300 per person scaled to sailing length. On a 10-day sailing with Premier, that's $200 per person in shore excursion value included in the daily rate.
The beverage cap difference ($15 for Plus vs $20 for Premier) matters primarily for passengers who drink premium spirits, cocktails, or wines above the $15 threshold regularly.
Wi-Fi differs in device count: Plus covers one device per person; Premier covers four. On sailings where multiple devices per person matter — streaming on a tablet while charging a phone — Premier's four-device coverage is genuinely useful.
Dining differs significantly: Plus includes 4 casual dining meals per voyage; Premier includes unlimited casual AND specialty dining. On longer sailings where specialty dining represents meaningful nightly spend, this difference is substantial.
Sphere-class ships (Sun Princess, Star Princess) have higher package pricing: Plus at $70/day, Premier at $105/day. Factor this in specifically for Sphere-class bookings.
Non-drinking passengers should recalculate both packages using zero for the beverage component — which dramatically changes the comparison.
Princess Plus: What You're Getting in Full
Plus Beverage Package: unlimited drinks up to $15 each. Covers the vast majority of the beverage menu: spirits at standard label level, most cocktails, wine by the glass at standard tier, beer, specialty coffee (unlimited, not counted toward any limit), non-alcoholic beverages, select bottled water, and zero-alcohol cocktails. Bottles of wine purchased onboard with Plus receive a 25% discount.
At Princess's onboard bar pricing, a passenger consuming 5 to 7 drinks per day at standard labels generates approximately $50 to $70 per person in daily bar value - or $350 to $490 per person on a 7-night sailing. Non-drinkers should effectively value the beverage package at zero or near-zero; the coffee and non-alcoholic coverage adds modest daily value.
MedallionNet Wi-Fi: unlimited streaming-capable Wi-Fi on one device per person. This is not the basic browsing-only tier some lines offer - MedallionNet handles streaming, video calls, and standard app usage without blocking high-bandwidth services. One device per person is the limitation; most passengers manage with this.
4 Casual Dining Meals: four meals per guest per voyage at casual dining venues. At $14.99 per meal plus 18% service charge ($17.70 effective), four meals represent approximately $70.80 per person in dining value across the voyage. These don't convert to specialty dining and unused meals are forfeited at voyage end.
Crew Appreciation: daily gratuities prepaid. The daily crew appreciation rate at Princess varies by stateroom category - approximately $16–$18 per person per day for standard staterooms, higher for suites. On a 7-night sailing: approximately $112–$126 per person in prepaid gratuities.
OceanNow Delivery: one-time waiver of the $14.99 delivery fee for the Princess app's OceanNow ordering service.
Total Plus value estimate on a 7-night standard sailing, two moderate drinkers: approximately $730–$960 per stateroom.
Track your Princess cruise price and get an alert when there's a fare drop — CruiseAlert.com →
Princess Premier: What's Different
Premier includes everything in Plus, upgraded on several dimensions:
Premier Beverage Package: unlimited drinks up to $20 each. The additional $5 cap covers most premium spirits - top-shelf whiskeys, aged rums, premium tequilas, premium wines by the glass. For passengers who drink primarily premium labels, the upgrade to Premier's $20 cap significantly reduces per-drink overage charges compared to Plus. For passengers drinking standard labels, the practical difference is modest.
Wi-Fi: 4 Devices Per Person: unlimited streaming Wi-Fi on up to four devices per person. For a household where both guests want to stream separately and have multiple active devices, this is a meaningful upgrade from Plus's one-device allocation.
Unlimited Casual AND Specialty Dining: this is Premier's most significant differentiator on longer sailings. Plus includes four casual dining meals. Premier includes unlimited dining at both casual and specialty venues - Crown Grill, Sabatini's, and specialty restaurants carry cover charges of $25–$45 per person per visit. On a 10-night sailing where two guests dine at specialty venues four times, that's $200 to $360 in specialty dining value included in Premier.
Shore Excursion Credits (new for 2026):
6–9 day sailings: $100 per person
10–20 day sailings: $200 per person
21+ day sailings: $300 per person
This is the most significant 2026 addition to Premier. On a 10-day sailing, $200 per person in shore excursion credits - $400 for two - substantially closes the gap between Plus and Premier's daily rate difference. The credits are redeemable for Princess-booked shore excursions pre-cruise or onboard.
Unlimited Digital Professional Photos: aboard ships with photo packages (varies by vessel), unlimited professional photos. At standard per-photo pricing onboard, a family or couple who typically purchases photos values this at $50 to $150 per voyage.
Reserved Seating for Theatrical Shows: first-access seating at Princess Theater productions — most relevant on longer voyages with multiple show nights.
Total Premier value estimate on a 10-day sailing, two moderate drinkers with shore excursions: approximately $2,100–$2,700 per stateroom, versus Plus's approximately $1,100–$1,400.
The Package Decision: A Framework
Choose Plus if: your primary interest is beverages, Wi-Fi, and crew appreciation at a lower daily cost. You drink standard labels. You have one primary device per person. You can work with four casual dining meals per voyage. Shore excursion credits don't shift the math for your sailing length.
Choose Premier if: you drink premium spirits regularly, you want unlimited specialty dining on longer sailings, the shore excursion credits on a 10+ day sailing materially offset the daily rate difference, or you want four-device Wi-Fi coverage. On any sailing of 10 days or longer, the $200 shore excursion credit per person alone reduces the effective daily rate gap between Plus and Premier significantly.
The Sphere-class factor: on Sun Princess and Star Princess at $70/day for Plus and $105/day for Premier, the daily rate difference is identical ($35/day) but both absolute costs are higher. The value comparison framework is the same; the specific math is adjusted for the higher pricing.
How the Package Tier Affects Every Fare Comparison
When a lower fare appears on princess.com, the total value comparison requires knowing which package tier comes with the lower fare.
Lower fare + same package tier: the cleanest case. The 120% OBC from the guarantee is straightforwardly additive. Or reprice and take the lower fare with the same package.
Lower fare + Plus when you have Premier: the fare comparison requires running: OBC from the guarantee (120% of fare difference) vs. the value you'd give up by losing the Premier-to-Plus differential. On a 10-day sailing, the Premier value differential over Plus can run $500 to $700 per stateroom. If the fare difference is $200 per stateroom, the 120% OBC is $240 — but you'd be losing $500+ in package value if you repriced. In this case: take the OBC path, keep Premier, pocket $240.
Lower fare + no package when you have Premier or Plus: similar logic, but more extreme. The full package value is at stake. Almost always the right answer is to take the OBC while keeping the original package.
Lower fare + better package than you have: reprice and take the new terms. Better package plus lower fare is a clear win on total value — here's how to request the reprice or file the claim.
What We've Seen In Practice
The shore excursion credit addition to Premier for 2026 sailings changed the package math in a way that makes Premier more clearly justified on 10+ day sailings than it was in 2025. Passengers who haven't re-run the comparison since the July 2025 package update may be evaluating against outdated numbers — and the sale window you book in affects which package tier your fare carries.
We consistently see passengers with Plus bookings submit guarantee claims on lower fares that come with Premier - thinking the lower fare is straightforwardly better. The opposite is true: a lower fare with Premier is a better total outcome than a higher fare with Plus, which means the original booking should be repriced to the lower Premier fare, not just credited with OBC. Recognizing which direction the package upgrade runs is the key.
On Sphere-class ships specifically, we see the Premier package produce proportionally more value than on the traditional fleet because dining variety and specialty restaurant options are more extensive. Passengers booking Sun Princess or Star Princess for longer voyages should run the Premier vs. Plus comparison with the Sphere-class pricing and the specific dining options on those ships in mind.
Research the package before you book. Search your sailing on CruiseAlert to compare departures and inclusions, and set a free alert so any qualifying fare drop reaches you in time to act. Research your sailing at CruiseAlert →
Common Questions
Can I change my package tier after booking?
Yes, in most cases, through the Princess app or website. Adding or upgrading from Plus to Premier after booking is possible at the current pricing available - which may be higher than the bundled rate at original booking. Downgrading from Premier to Plus is also possible, with a credit adjustment. Contact Princess or your agent for your specific booking.
What if the shore excursion credits expire unused?
Shore excursion credits included in Premier are valid only for the current voyage - non-refundable and non-redeemable for cash if unused. Plan excursions before sailing to capture the credit rather than hoping to use it onboard on limited availability.
Do the dining inclusions cover all restaurants?
Plus covers casual dining venues. Premier covers both casual dining and specialty restaurants including Crown Grill and Sabatini's. On ships with additional specialty dining options (Sphere-class), Premier's unlimited specialty dining applies to those venues as well. Check the specific ship's dining options for your sailing.
Is the Wi-Fi on MedallionNet the same quality as buying it à la carte?
Yes, MedallionNet purchased via Plus or Premier is the same service as the standalone purchase. The streaming-capable level is included in both packages for 2026 sailings.
I'm a non-drinker. Which package makes sense?
For non-drinkers, value the beverage package at near-zero and recalculate. The package cost minus the beverage component leaves crew appreciation, Wi-Fi, and dining as the value drivers. For Plus at $70/day minus approximately $50/day in beverage value, the effective daily cost for the non-beverage inclusions is approximately $15/day. Whether that's worth it depends on how you value the Wi-Fi, casual dining meals, and prepaid gratuities compared to paying separately.