should you get the Princess Cruises Plus Package?
I’ve sailed Princess Cruises several times in the past year. Each time, I have to decide if I want to get the Princess Cruise Plus Package. Thanks to casino deals, I have three more booked through 2026. I see this question all the time: “Should I get the plus package, and which one should I get?” This is not a one-size-fits-all answer. In my opinion, it depends on who you are traveling with and which ship you are on.
Princess Cruise Plus Package
What is included
I spent last week on the Royal Princess in Alaska. I cannot tell you how many people I met who had the Plus Package and had no idea what it meant. I’ll break it down for you here:
Wifi - 1 device per guest
15 Drinks a day: bottled water, specialty coffee, and juice bar - Drinks up to $15 each
Crew Appreciation for our balcony cabin, this would have been $17 per person
Casual meals - 2 per sailing on Royal Princess, this would be Alfredo’s or Ocean Terrace
Premium desserts - 2 per day, these are at the gelato shop on the ships I have been on. It’s either a fancy ice cream sundae or cake.
Fee Waived on Ocean Now - This is to use the app to order room service if you do not have the package, it costs $14.99. I love Ocean Now and gladly pay the fee when I don’t buy the package.
Fitness Classes - 2 per cruise
My opinion
Let’s start with the plus package. I’ve gotten this package twice, and the only time I felt it was worth it. The first time I traveled on Princess, I took my son Tanner (16 years old). I thought Tanner would enjoy sodas and mocktails. I WAS WRONG. Tanner barely drank a sip of water the entire cruise. Traveling with my 16-year-old meant I didn’t drink much alcohol. When we returned, I thought I wouldn’t get that again with him.
Last week, Tanner and I took the Royal Princess to Alaska. I did not buy the plus package this trip. To purchase the package, we would have spent $840. It is $60 a day per person. Instead, we ordered whatever drinks we wanted. We even bought several glasses of wine, Coke, and hot chocolate for my parents. Our total for WiFi (***I am an elite member, I got half off my WiFi), drinks, and gratuity was $530. This was the right decision based on traveling with Tanner.
However, when I traveled with my friend Mary in February, we very much got our money’s worth out of the package. We liked to have wine at dinner or a margarita by the pool. It doesn’t take very many. We also really enjoyed lunch at Alfredo’s. We are big coffee drinkers and enjoyed the smoothies. So if I travel with Mary again, I will buy it. We maximized that package for sure!
PRICES
Trying to figure out what you should do? I paid $14.99 for Ocean Now Delivery. I had coffee delivered to my room each morning. I like specialty coffees. These ran me from $4.50 to $6.50 each morning plus gratuity. I had a 12-pack of water before we boarded to be delivered to our room. It was $24. This was a $1/ bottle savings. My wine was from $9 to $14 plus gratuity. I had a couple of 24 kt Margaritas $16.
Conclusion
I had an amazing time on Royal Princess. I was glad I took my advice not to buy the package. It can be a good deal. It is important to evaluate it based on you and who you are traveling with. My next cruise is with Tanner, and I will not be buying the package. However, I have already paid for the Premium Package for my Sun Princess Cruise in September. I will be traveling with my husband on that cruise, and we are going all out. More on that later!
Want to learn more about my Adventures on Princess Cruises? Check out these posts:
How I saved big on our Alaska Cruise
What I wore in Alaska - shopping guide
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