Princess Premier: The new all-inclusive offering
Princess Cruises have been widely praised for their multi-tiered fare structure since introducing it as a permanent fixture in 2020. Up until now, for $40 extra per day, a passenger would enjoy the addition of the Premier Drinks package and unlimited wifi - both hot commodities in the modern cruise market. Well, Princess have just announced a third option - Princess Premier. The new fare ups the ante and offers guests unlimited wifi for up to 4 devices per passenger, an upgraded Premier Drinks package covering the cost of drinks up to $22 each, digital downloads of all photos taken onboard as well as three prints, two meals in a specialty dining venue, and tips. The cost of Princess Premier is $85 per day. Princess Plus will also increase in cost from $40 to $50 per day, and the Princess Saver fare has been renamed the Princess Standard fare.
The Premier fare will go on sale from June 1st for cruises departing from June 25th. Princess Plus can still be purchased for $40 per day at the moment, before the price rise comes in to effect. Guests will also be able to upgrade their Standard or Plus fares to Premier prior to their cruise by contacting their travel agent or Princess (where they have booked directly).
And in one of the more unusual but strangely exciting additions, the cruise line is launching Princess Prizes. The new feature gives guests the chance to win prizes onboard by way of a pseudo lucky door competition. Passengers can win prizes ranging from $100,000 in cash, to a cruise for two every year for the next decade. There will also be onboard credits, dinners and other cash prizes up for grabs.
How do you enter? Princess Prizes is included for guests booked onto the new Premier fare, and will cost everyone else $20 per cabin per day to play. It’s open only to guests 18 years of age and over. To win a prize, you simply approach your stateroom (and your door will unlock as normal) - but if you’re lucky, the welcome screen outside your stateroom will display your prize. The innovative feature is definitely a talking point and a use of the medallion technology that I’m fairly confident no one saw coming.
Let me know in the comments, would you pay the extra $20 per day for a chance to win a prize?