Unless you are sailing on a luxury cruise line, your cruise fare is not going to be all-inclusive.
Outside of complimentary food and beverage options, accommodations, entertainment, and transportation between ports of call, you will be responsible for paying for cruise add-ons. These range from specialty dining experiences to drink packages, shore excursions, spa treatments, and more.
Some cruise lines, such as Princess Cruises, have begun to roll out different types of fares meant to make your cruise more inclusive.
When going to book your next Princess cruise, you will notice that you have three different fare options: Princess Standard, Princess Plus, and Princess Premier.
Is splurging on Princess Plus worth the extra cost? Let's breakdown what is included with this mid-tier fare.
Read more: Princess Cruises overview of fleet
Princess Standard
Princess Standard is Princess Cruises' base fare that covers the MedallionClass Experience, meaning you will get the Medallion wearable that will function as your charge card, room key, etc. during your trip.
As of mid-2022, all Princess ships are now MedallionClass enabled, so it does not matter if you opt to cruise on the smallest or largest ship in the fleet; you will be able to take advantage of the many MedallionClass perks, including touch-less embarkation and disembarkation; keyless stateroom entry; contactless commerce; simplified safety training; on-demand food, beverages and retail items delivered anywhere on board; guest service requests via mobile device chat; location-based gaming and wagering; and entertainment content via smart devices.
Since this fare does not include any optional add-ons, you will have to purchase those separately. This, however, lets you customize your cruise experience. Say you do not want a drink package and would rather pay for Wi-Fi and a couple of fitness classes here and there. There is no reason to pay for the Princess Plus fare!
Read more: What's included in my cruise fare
Princess Plus
Princess Plus is the first inclusive fare offering. It does not include as much as Princess Premier; however, you get a ton of additions that will definitely make your cruising experience feel more inclusive. You will not have to worry about purchasing anything separately after booking your cruise.
With Princess Plus, you will receive the following benefits:
- Princess dining, accommodations and entertainment
- MedallionClass® experience
- Plus Beverage Package (includes drinks up to $15 each)
- Wi-Fi (1 device per guest)
- Crew appreciation (which are just cruise tips)
- 2 Premium desserts per day
- 2 Fitness classes per cruise
- 2 casual dining meals per guest
- OceanNow delivery ($14.99 one-time activation fee for Princess Standard guests)
- Room service delivery
- Unlimited juice bar
For casual dining, that means a three-course prix fixe menus in the ship's specialty restaurants, such as Vines, O'Malleys, Ocean Terrance, Planks, and more.
Note that if the second guest is under the age of 21, they will be given the non-alcoholic drink package option, and no refund will be provided. Moreover, there is a limit of 15 alcoholic beverages per 24-hour period. If you get more than that, you will be charged for each.
Read more: Cruise Line Alcohol Drink Packages Guide
How much more does Princess Plus cost?
The total cost will vary based on your cruise length; however, Princess Cruises' website states that you will get an overall savings of about 54% when you purchase Princess Plus.
A 7-night Alaska cruise onboard Ruby Princess in July 2024 starts at $649 per person (based on double occupancy) for an inside room when booking Princess Standard. Princess Plus costs $419 more, or $1,068 per person. Finally, Princess Premier, the cruise line's most inclusive fare, costs $1,208 per person for this specific sailing.
This breaks down to roughly $60 per person, per day!
If you are sailing on a budget, the more inclusive fares might not be something that you are willing to pay for. In fact, there are tons of tricks on how to cruise for cheap on less than $100 per day. That, however, is difficult to do when you are paying a minimum of $60 extra per person for cruise add-ons.
Princess Premier
The third, final, and most inclusive fare offered by Princess Cruises is Princess Premier. The Princess Premier fare includes everything that the Plus fare does, as well as:
- Premier Beverage Package (includes drinks up to $20, rather than $15)
- Wi-Fi (up to 4 devices per guest)
- Crew appreciation
- 2 specialty dining meals per guest
- Photo package (unlimited digital + 3 prints)
- Princess Prizes
- Unlimited Premium desserts and fitness classes
- Special Medallion accessory
- Reserved theater seating (for production shows only)
- Unlimited casual dining meals per guest
- OceanNow delivery
- Room service delivery
Of course, with either rate, you will be subject to other optional fees, such as shore excursions and spa treatments, meaning that neither fare creates a truly all-inclusive cruise.
They do, however, help! You will spend less time debating on whether you want a drink package or not or worrying about racking up certain onboard fees (like premium desserts and fitness classes)! This will allow you to research ports of call and make logistical arrangements.
Is Princess Plus worth it?
For $60 per day, many cruisers may find Princess Plus to be worth the upgrade. The Plus Beverage Package alone is $64.99 per day, while daily gratuities are $16 if you are staying in a standard cabin. Even Wi-Fi is $15 per day, meaning that it is easy to rack up daily charges. These three benefits total $95.99, and that is before the 18% gratuity is added to the drink package.
If, however, you are not interested in cruise add-ons, the Princess Plus fare might not be worth it. Perhaps you just want to eat at one specialty restaurant and pay a single fee. That is always an option.
If you do not get the Princess Plus upgrade, you will still have to pay $16 per day in gratuities, meaning that if you think you will spend about $45 extra per day on incidentals (i.e., internet, beverages, etc.), you may as well upgrade and save yourself the stress while onboard.
When it comes to Princess Premier, it is important to weigh the additional perks to see if you will benefit from paying the extra $20 per day. Do you want higher quality cocktails? What about the unlimited digital photos that you would receive? Would you enjoy dining in a specialty restaurant?
Those who enjoy elevated cruising experiences will most likely prefer Princess Premier over Princess Plus, as it includes more than just a drink package and internet. One meal at Sabatini’s, Princess' classic Italian trattoria at sea, costs $35 by itself. If you were to dine there with the Princess Plus package, you would only have to spend an extra $105 to break even with the cost difference.
The bottom line is that Princess Plus is a great value for those looking for a more inclusive cruising experience. For only $60 per day, you will get a drink package, internet connection, gratuities, daily premium desserts, two fitnessc classes, and unlimited trips to the juice bar.
What other cruise lines have inclusive fares?
Princess Cruises is not the only mainstream cruise line that is offering upgraded fare options. Celebrity Cruises, for instance, has two different options for fares. The first is the base rate, while the second is known as "All Included."
With this package, you will get the Classic Beverage Package, gratuities, and Wi-Fi. If you want to upgrade to the Premium Beverage Package, you can do so for an additional $24 per day. Just be aware that everyone over the age of 21 will also have to upgrade.
Holland America Line offers two packages, too. In addition to their standard fare, "Have It All" gets you the Signature Beverage Package, gratuities, specialty dining experience (based on the length on your cruise), shore excursion credits, and Surf Wi-Fi.
Finally, with Norwegian's Free at Sea offers, you can add of up to 4 offers to your cruise fare, including a free Unlimited Open Bar Package, specialty dining, excursions, and Wi-Fi. Depending on the ongoing promotion, you might be able to get a free third and fourth guest, as well as buy-one-get-one free airfare.
While Wi-Fi and shore excursion credits are automatically added to your fare; you have the option to decline the drink package and specialty dining upgrades, resulting in a lower price due to not being charged the gratuities.
Like Celebrity, you are able to upgrade from Free at Sea to Free at Sea Plus for $49 per adult per day, which includes the Premium Plus Beverage Package, additional specialty dining meals and shore excursion credits, and unlimited Wi-Fi.
Read more: Are cruises all inclusive?
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she had the privilege of traveling frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas her freshman year of high school. She wanted to pursue a career that highlighted her passion for travel and strengths as a writer.
