Princess Cruises Raising Plus, Premier, and Wi-Fi Prices in October
Another year, another price increase. Today, Princess Cruises announced they’re raising the prices of their all-inclusive Plus and Premier packages, as well as standalone Wi-Fi.
Starting October 13, Princess Plus and Princess Premier will each cost $5 more per person, per day. Unlike Princess’s last package price increase in 2025, though, there don’t appear to be any new benefits coming along with the higher prices, at least based on what has been announced so far.
Princess is also making some bigger changes to its standalone Wi-Fi options, including eliminating its four-device package for guests who don’t have Princess Premier.
Princess Plus and Premier Are Going Up $5 Per Day
Princess Plus and Premier allow guests to make their cruise experience feel more “all-inclusive” by bundling dining, drinks, internet, and even daily gratuities into one package. Depending on how much you use the included benefits, they can offer a lot of value, but both will see a price increase starting in October.
The increase will be $5 per guest, per day, which works out to roughly a 5% to 8% increase depending on the package.
| Princess Plus | Princess Premier | |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-cruise (most of fleet) | $70 | $105 |
| Onboard (most of fleet) | $75 | $110 |
| Pre-cruise (Sun Princess and Star Princess) | $75 | $110 |
| Onboard (Sun Princess and Star Princess) | $80 | $115 |
Like before, pricing for Princess’s newest Sphere Class ships, Sun Princess and Star Princess, will be $5 more per person, per day than the rest of the fleet.
What Do You Get With Princess Plus and Premier?
It doesn’t appear that the benefits themselves are changing with this latest increase.
Princess Plus Includes:
- Plus Beverage Package, covering drinks up to $15
- MedallionNet Max Wi-Fi for one device per guest
- Four casual dining meals per guest, per cruise
- Crew appreciation (daily gratuities)
- OceanNow delivery fee waived
- Complimentary room service delivery
Princess Premier Includes:
- Complimentary room service delivery
- Premier Beverage Package, covering drinks up to $20
- MedallionNet Max Wi-Fi for four devices per guest
- Unlimited casual dining
- Unlimited specialty dining
- Shore excursion credit of $100 to $300 per guest, depending on the length of the cruise
- Crew appreciation (daily gratuities)
- Unlimited digital professional photos, plus three prints
- Reserved seating for theatrical shows
- OceanNow delivery fee waived
Princess Wi-Fi Prices Are Also Increasing
The more interesting changes may actually be happening with Princess’s standalone Wi-Fi.
Currently, guests without Plus or Premier can purchase MedallionNet Classic separately. Princess lists the current pre-cruise starting price for a single-device plan at $24.99 per day.
For cruises booked on or after October 13, the single-device plan will increase to:
- $27.99 per day pre-cruise
- $33.99 per day when purchasing a full-voyage plan onboard
- $39.99 for a single day onboard
That means the pre-cruise price is increasing by $3 per day, or about 12%.
For a seven-night cruise, that brings standalone Wi-Fi to $195.93 for one device.
New Two-Device Wi-Fi Plan
Princess is also introducing a new two-device Wi-Fi plan.
It will cost:
- $39.99 per day pre-cruise
- $47.99 per day when purchasing a full-voyage plan onboard
- $55.99 for a single day onboard
For someone who travels with both a phone and a tablet or laptop, the new two-device option could make more sense than having to switch one connection between devices.
Four-Device Wi-Fi Will Be Exclusive to Princess Premier
There is one significant reduction in choice. Princess currently offers standalone Wi-Fi packages for either one or four devices. Under the new structure, the four-device standalone plan will no longer be available. Instead, guests will choose between one-device and two-device standalone packages.
The only way to get Wi-Fi access for four devices per guest will be through Princess Premier, where four-device MedallionNet Max remains an included benefit.
Another Princess Package Price Increase
Princess has increased the price of its packages several times over the past few years.
| Princess Plus | Princess Premier | |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $60 | $80 |
| 2024 | $60 | $90 |
| 2025 | $65 | $100 |
| October 2026 | $70 | $105 |
Princess Plus has now increased from $60 to $70 per person, per day, or about 17%, since 2023.
Premier has gone from $80 to $105 during the same period, an increase of just over 31%.
Of course, Premier today includes considerably more than the original version of the package, particularly unlimited specialty dining, unlimited casual dining, and shore excursion credits. So it’s not quite an apples-to-apples comparison.
Princess Cruises explained the price increase in a letter sent to travel professionals:
“We periodically review our offerings to ensure they continue to provide meaningful benefits while reflecting changes in our operating environment…We believe both packages offer strong value.”
Princess Cruises’ website has not yet been updated with the new pricing at the time of publication. The new pricing is scheduled to begin for cruises booked on or after October 13.
Our Take: Still a Surprisingly Good Value
Normally, I’m not a big fan of these add-on packages. I find they usually include “benefits” I never use, and it’s cheaper for me to purchase things à la carte. But the enhanced Princess Premier package makes a lot of sense.
One thing that really helps is that the daily gratuities, which range from $18 to $20 per person, per day, are included in the package. Because of that, the value is even greater.
To see how it compares to the competition, we looked at a March sailing on Celebrity Xcel. Celebrity’s pricing is dynamic and changes by sailing, but these were the prices available when we checked.
Here are the daily prices to put together a package similar to Princess Premier:
- Premium Drinks and Wi-Fi: $116.99 per person, per day (drinks up to $19)
- Unlimited Dining Package: $66.99 per person, per day
- Tips: $19.50 per person, per day
That comes out to $203.48 per person, per day, and it still doesn’t include some of the extra benefits Princess Premier offers, like professional photos, reserved theater seating, and the shore excursion credit.
At $105 per person, per day when purchased pre-cruise, Princess Premier is roughly half the price of putting together a similar package on the Celebrity Xcel sailing we checked.
Of course, it’s not a perfect apples-to-apples comparison. Celebrity’s prices vary by sailing and can change based on sales and promotions. But it helps put Princess’s pricing into perspective. Even after another increase, Premier can still offer a surprising amount of value compared to purchasing similar amenities separately on another cruise line.
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