New Unlimited Features Make Princess Cruises' Premier Package the Best Value in Cruising

[LACruiser88]

August 15, 2024 8:00 AM EDT   New Unlimited Features Make Princess Cruises' Premier Package the Best Value in Cruising

Unlimited Drinks, Unlimited Specialty Dining, Unlimited Internet and More Make an All-Inclusive Princess Vacation Easy   FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., Aug. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Imagine a vacation where your glass is never empty, and you can indulge in unlimited beverages - both alcoholic and non-alcoholic - without a second thought. Now add in world class meals at the best specialty restaurants every night of your cruise if you choose and have the best connectivity at sea. This kind of luxury and convenience, and more, will soon be available to guests on board ships from Princess Cruises, with the newest enhancements to its Princess Premier package.     The enhanced Premier package is on sale today for Princess voyages departing from North America and tomorrow, August 16, for voyages departing from all other destinations, for sailings on or after August 31.   Available for $90 per person per day, the Princess Premier package sets the new standard for all-inclusive travel, offering unparalleled value with three exceptional new enhancements:   Unlimited Premier Beverage Package: Enjoy an unlimited number of drinks up to $20, including alcoholic beverages, specialty coffees, smoothies, and bottled water.   Unlimited Specialty Dining: Indulge in meals at world-class specialty dining locations every evening, including: Crown Grill: A sophisticated steakhouse offering premium cuts of beef and fresh seafood.   Sabatini's: An authentic Italian trattoria featuring handmade pasta and Italian specialties.   The Catch by Rudi: A seafood lover's paradise created by award-winning Chef Rudi Sodamin.   Makoto Ocean: Sushi master Makoto Okuwa offers exquisitely presented dishes that pay homage to Japanese traditions.   Butcher's Block by Dario Cecchini: In partnership with the world's most famous butcher, guests experience a carnivore's paradise at a shared, family-style table.   Unlimited MedallionNet Max Wi-Fi: Prioritized access to the highest quality and highest performance bandwidth available anywhere in the world   "With the Princess Premier Package, we're delivering the absolute greatest value in travel and making all-inclusive cruising super easy," said John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises. "The most comprehensive package in cruise for an unmatched $90 a day ensures our guests can enjoy their vacation experience without any limitations."   The glass is always full for Premier guests, offering an unlimited number of drinks daily of up to $20 each. Princess Premier, which also comes with free OceanNow access, makes it easy for guests to enjoy their preferred drinks anytime and anywhere on the ship without worrying about additional costs.   An impressive array of beverages is available, including:   Top shelf spirits, reserve wines and signature cocktails by celebrity mixologist Rob Floyd Selection of 75+ spirits, 40+ wines by the glass, 20+ high-end, crafted cocktails Premier wines by the glass including Duckhorn, Stag's Leap, and Grgich Hills Private Woodford Reserve Bourbon Selection created exclusively for Princess Personalized Jack Daniel's Whiskey Single Barrel Select 25% discount on wine bottles (including rare vintages) 25% discount on large bottles of water   Dining reaches new heights with the addition of unlimited specialty dining options. Guests can savor gourmet meals at some of Princess Cruises' most beloved restaurants every night of their voyage if they'd like, including the sophisticated Crown Grill steakhouse, the authentic Italian trattoria Sabatini's, and the seafood haven The Catch by Rudi, crafted by award-winning Chef Rudi Sodamin as well as Makoto Ocean, The Butcher's Block by Dario and Umai Teppanyaki when sailing on Sun and Star Princess. This package also includes unlimited prix fixe meals at any casual dining location creating the ultimate in flexibility in your dining selections.   For those who value staying connected, the new Unlimited MedallionNet Max Wi-Fi provides enhanced connectivity designed to meet the needs of today's digitally connected travelers. Available exclusively as part of Princess Plus and Princess Premier inclusive bundles, MedallionNet Max offers guests prioritized access to the highest quality and highest performance bandwidth available anywhere in the world which is typically Starlink.   Fitness enthusiasts will appreciate unlimited premium boutique fitness classes, such as Pure Barre, Club Pilates, CycleBar, YogaSix, Stride, and StretchLab, ensuring they can maintain their wellness routines even while at sea. Additionally, guests will enjoy premium crafted desserts, fresh juices, and complimentary delivery service for all OceanNow and room service orders, adding to the all-inclusive convenience.   The Princess Premier Ultimate package also includes reserved seating in the Princess Theater and crew appreciation gratuities.   Guests purchasing Princess Premier for the new price of $90 per person per day, enjoy more than 70% savings* on the following inclusions:   NEW! Unlimited Premier Beverage Package NEW! Unlimited Specialty Dining NEW! Unlimited MedallionNet Max Wi-Fi Unlimited prix fixe meals at any casual dining location: Enjoy unlimited access to casual dining options onboard. Unlimited Delivery Service: Complimentary access to all OceanNow and Room Service orders. Unlimited reserved seating in the Princess Theater: Enjoy premium seating for all shows and performances. Unlimited premium boutique fitness classes per voyage: Stay fit with classes such as Pure Barre, YogaSix, and StretchLab. Unlimited premium crafted desserts: A variety of exquisite desserts crafted by Princess pastry chefs. Unlimited premium fresh juices: Refresh with an assortment of fresh juices. Unlimited photos: Capture memories with an inclusive digital photo package. Daily crew gratuities: Relax knowing gratuities are covered. Princess Prizes: Participate in onboard giveaways and win exciting prizes. Free Medallion device shipping: Enjoy the convenience of free shipping of the Medallion device to home before sailing.   The rollout schedule for the Princess Premier package enhancements is as follows:   Enchanted Princess: August 31 Majestic Princess; Sky Princess: September 1 Crown Princess: September 2 Ruby Princess: September 3 Grand Princess: September 4 Emerald Princess; Discovery Princess; Sun Princess: September 7 Caribbean Princess; Regal Princess: September 12 Royal Princess; Sapphire Princess: September 14 Island Princess: September 25 Diamond Princess: September 26 Coral Princess: October 17 Guests who previously purchased Princess Premier can upgrade by contacting their travel advisor or by calling 1-800-PRINCESS (1-800-774-6237). More details can be found at here https://www.princess.com/en-us/cruise-deals-promotions/plus-premier-cruise-packages.

Edited August 15 by LACruiser88

[Rick&Jeannie]

Well...we all *knew* prices would be going up, but at least the Premier package can *really* be considered "Premier" now.  It should have always had unlimited SD and reserved seating for *anything* in the theater!  It remains to be seen how well this new Max Internet will be...although once they went on Starlink it took an obvious turn for the better.

 

Edited August 15 by Rick&Jeannie

[rhobbkf]

How will they handle the fact that it's difficult enough to get SD reservations?  This will crush them.  Oddly enough though, even though the Crown Grill is hard to book, if you wander by it's 1/2 empty.  So maybe they'll ramp up staff? 

[BlerkOne]

I won't mind paying the difference (if necessary) to upgrade my existing premier package, even though Sapphire doesn't have a Crown Grill..

[sunviking90]

Thank you for posting this. I’m sure many will be happy at this news. As people who don’t get the packages, we predict a further decline in the specialty dining experience. I guess it will fill up Alfredo’s which has become a ghost town since they brought in the charges. Crown grill will be hard to get into for a special evening if Premier package users can go there every night. As it is, on our last cruise it was packed nightly and servers were over run. Not an experience for a special evening. 
Unlimited drinks? 15 wasn’t enough I guess. More and more we feel like we are on a “party cruise” on Princess as people try to get their moneys worth out of their packages. May be time to move on.

[Wishing on a star]

What about those who have already booked PREMIER....

Are they going to know which Premier guests gets what?

No grandfathering-in?

 

We did get PREMIER for a short cruise.  Since it is per-day, it actually made sense.

Absolutely NO way would we be paying for PREMIER on any cruise of seven days or longer.

[BlerkOne]

6 minutes ago, Wishing on a star said:

What about those who have already booked PREMIER....

Are they going to know which Premier guests gets what?

No grandfathering-in?

 

We did get PREMIER for a short cruise.  Since it is per-day, it actually made sense.

Absolutely NO way would we be paying for PREMIER on any cruise of seven days or longer.

Guests who previously purchased Princess Premier can upgrade by contacting their travel advisor or by calling 1-800-PRINCESS (1-800-774-6237). More details can be found at here https://www.princess.com/en-us/cruise-deals-promotions/plus-premier-cruise-packages.

[BlerkOne]

Of course, Princess can limit the number of Premier packages sold per cruise to limit running out of resources.

[memoak]

Wait until the unlimited specialty dinner premier guests bump into the suite embarkation night guaranteed free specialty dinners. Something may have to give

[LACruiser88]

5 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

Of course, Princess can limit the number of Premier packages sold per cruise to limit running out of resources.

Agreed. That will be the only way to avoid long lines at the Specialty Dining venues.

 

I also expect a new enhancement to the Plus Package and a $10 bump in price.  Maybe they will include unlimited casual dining with Plus???

 

 

 

Edited August 15 by LACruiser88

[dog]

5 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

Of course, Princess can limit the number of Premier packages sold per cruise to limit running out of resources.

I have 2 bookings- none of them list the premier anymore. Only see Plus $60

[kywildcatfanone]

22 minutes ago, sunviking90 said:

Thank you for posting this. I’m sure many will be happy at this news. As people who don’t get the packages, we predict a further decline in the specialty dining experience. I guess it will fill up Alfredo’s which has become a ghost town since they brought in the charges. Crown grill will be hard to get into for a special evening if Premier package users can go there every night. As it is, on our last cruise it was packed nightly and servers were over run. Not an experience for a special evening. 
Unlimited drinks? 15 wasn’t enough I guess. More and more we feel like we are on a “party cruise” on Princess as people try to get their moneys worth out of their packages. May be time to move on.

Yep. Not sure how a person could possibly drink 15 or more alcoholic drinks in a day, but I guess they can try now.  And making SD always available ensures non package people cannot partake even if they want, as those venues will be packed nightly.  

[dog]

Re: Specialty dining maybe pay now to get a reservation- like I have to.

Those with packages May have to wait to reserve once on-board, so they won’t be charged.

 

Easy choice for me- I need none of this.

[Wishing on a star]

4 minutes ago, dog said:

I have 2 bookings- none of them list the premier anymore. Only see Plus $60

I think people have been seeing this for quite some time.

We had to have our TA go thru some real gyrations to get PREMIER for us.

 

It looks like Princess is setting the system up to know who booked Premier before this change.

No grandfathering in????

[Wishing on a star]

Looks like the best way to get Specialty dining now is to book your cruise early, and book your dining ASAP.

[dog]

1 minute ago, Wishing on a star said:

I think people have been seeing this for quite some time.

We had to have our TA go thru some real gyrations to get PREMIER for us.

 

It looks like Princess is setting the system up to know who booked Premier before this change.

No grandfathering in????

Last night my app and personalizer had both packages, no changes.  My 2 TA s now show only Plus available.

 

saw premier purchased already can upgrade for extra $10 pp per day.

 

So much rich food, unlimited alcohol and people who cannot control their intake- want to get their money’s worth are steering me away from Princess.

[voljeep]

it's always been about staff and cooking capacity - always tables available - but how timely could they be served?

 

it's 2 hours as it is now

[LACruiser88]

4 minutes ago, Wishing on a star said:

No grandfathering in????

On prior package price increases they did not grandfather anyone.  🤷‍♂️

[FLAlaska]

so will they charge Sanctuary guests the increase or will they get the new additions in their premier included fare?

[TRLD]

28 minutes ago, Wishing on a star said:

What about those who have already booked PREMIER....

Are they going to know which Premier guests gets what?

No grandfathering-in?

 

We did get PREMIER for a short cruise.  Since it is per-day, it actually made sense.

Absolutely NO way would we be paying for PREMIER on any cruise of seven days or longer.

With the way their system is set up they simply design the new package parameters with a different code in the system  So even though for marketing purposes they have the same name, in the system they have different codes and as far as the system knows different packages.

[PacnGoNow]

Better book your SD as soon as you can.  May be very difficult to get SD reservations.  

 

 

[Geoffa30]

To be fair, compared to some other cruise lines' package, this is incredible value.

[dog]

17 minutes ago, FLAlaska said:

so will they charge Sanctuary guests the increase or will they get the new additions in their premier included fare?

I booked a S4 vista suite in Sun last week with the package premier.  My booking stays the same. 
 

if I do a mock booking today it shows the New premier package for $70 pp more for a 5 day cruise.

Edited August 15 by dog

[startedwithamouse]

May be in the minority, but I like unlimited specialty dining!

 

Does sound like the specialty restaurants will be harder to book with just having Plus though (which we usually get).

 

 

 

 

Edited August 15 by startedwithamouse

[Kenswing]

We enjoy the Specialty Dining venues and usually eat at each one during a cruise.  Maybe twice on a longer cruise..  We have a 31 day cruise booked and I just can't see myself wanting to eat at the specialty places every third night to get our money's worth.  We enjoy the variety in the dining rooms.  Even the buffet is a nice change once in awhile.

Edited August 15 by Kenswing