Are Princess Plus and Premier Worth It? A Simple Cost Breakdown

Michael Veltri

Sep 5

4 min read

Princess Plus and Princess Premier can look like a long list of benefits. But the decision becomes much easier when you ask one question: What would I actually pay for these things without the package?

Here is a simple seven-night example for one adult in an Interior, Oceanview, or Balcony stateroom. Exact prices vary by ship and sailing, and some figures below are reasonable spending estimates rather than fixed Princess prices.

The Package Cost for Seven Nights

Princess Plus: $65 per person, per day, or $455 for seven nights.
Princess Premier: $100 per person, per day, or $700 for seven nights.
The difference between Plus and Premier: $35 per day, or $245 for seven nights.

Sun Princess and Star Princess may have higher package pricing. Always check the price shown on your specific booking.

What the Princess Plus Benefits Are Worth

Crew Appreciation

Princess currently charges $18 per person, per day for most staterooms. That is $126 on a seven-night cruise. Mini-Suites and suites are slightly higher.

Wi-Fi for One Device

MedallionNet Wi-Fi starts at $24.99 per day for one device. Seven nights would cost approximately $174.93.

Drinks

This is the biggest variable. An average cruiser might purchase specialty coffee, bottled water, soda, wine, beer, or a couple of cocktails during the day. A reasonable estimate is about $25 to $45 per day after service charges, depending on drinking habits.

Over seven nights, that is approximately $175 to $315. Someone who mainly drinks the complimentary beverages may spend much less.

Bartender garnishing a tropical cocktail during a Bahamas cruise

Four Casual Dining Meals

Casual dining prices vary by venue, but budgeting around $15 per meal before any applicable service charge gives the four included Plus meals an estimated value of about $60.

OceanNow and Room-Service Delivery

Without an eligible package, OceanNow has a one-time $14.99 access fee and room service ordered by stateroom phone is currently $5 per order. For an average cruiser, the delivery benefit may be worth roughly $15 to $30 over the voyage.

Estimated Plus Value

Crew appreciation: $126
One-device Wi-Fi: about $175
Typical paid drinks: about $175 to $315
Four casual dining meals: about $60
Delivery fees: about $15 to $30
Estimated total value: approximately $550 to $705

Princess Plus costs $455 for seven nights in this example. That means it can save an average cruiser roughly $95 to $250—but only if that traveler actually wants Wi-Fi, pays crew appreciation, and purchases drinks.

If you do not need Wi-Fi and rarely buy drinks, Standard fare can still cost less.

What Premier Adds Beyond Plus

Premier costs $245 more than Plus on a seven-night cruise. The simplest way to judge Premier is to decide whether its extra benefits are worth at least $245 to you.

Unlimited Specialty Dining

Specialty-restaurant prices vary by ship and venue. Using a simple estimate of about $50 per meal before an applicable service charge, two specialty dinners could be worth roughly $120, while three could approach $180.

Guests enjoying specialty dining at Sabatini's aboard Star Princess

Shore-Excursion Credit

For a cruise of six to nine days, the current Premier benefit includes a $100 Princess shore-excursion credit per guest. This has its full value only if you plan to book a Princess excursion.

Unlimited Casual Dining

Plus already includes four casual dining meals. Premier's unlimited casual dining may add little value for an average seven-night cruiser unless you plan to use those venues frequently.

Premium Drinks

Premier covers eligible drinks priced up to $20 each, compared with $15 under Plus. For most cruisers, the extra value may be small. It matters more if you regularly prefer premium wine, spirits, or cocktails above the Plus limit.

Wi-Fi for Up to Four Devices

Plus covers one device per guest at a time, while Premier allows up to four. This can be useful if you travel with a phone, tablet, and laptop, but it may have little value if you only need one connected device.

Photo Package and Reserved Theater Seating

Premier includes unlimited digital photos plus three prints and reserved seating in the Princess Theater for eligible production shows. Their value is personal: they can be meaningful if you normally buy photos or want easier show seating, but worth very little if you would not use them.

Estimated Premier Upgrade Value

Two or three specialty dinners: roughly $120 to $180
Seven-night shore-excursion credit: $100
Extra casual dining, premium drinks, additional devices, photos, and theater seating: highly dependent on use
Premier upgrade over Plus: $245

For the average cruiser, Premier begins to make sense if you will use the $100 shore-excursion credit and eat at least two or three specialty dinners. The other benefits then become added value.

My Simple Recommendation

Choose Standard if you do not need daily Wi-Fi, rarely buy drinks, and prefer complimentary dining.
Choose Plus if you want Wi-Fi, will pay crew appreciation, and expect to purchase several drinks throughout the day.
Choose Premier if you already want Plus and will also use specialty dining and the shore-excursion credit.

For most cruisers, Plus offers the best balance. Premier can be worthwhile, but I would not choose it based only on the long benefit list. Make sure the extra dining, excursion, photo, and device benefits match how you plan to cruise.

For a complete benefit comparison, read Princess Plus vs. Princess Premier: Which Package Is Worth It?.

Need Help Comparing Your Actual Cruise Price?

I can compare Standard, Plus, and Premier using the actual package prices for your Princess sailing. That is the best way to choose the right balance of convenience and value.