Princess Plus costs roughly $65 per person per day pre-cruise and Princess Premier roughly $100, as of August 2026, with both about $5 a day more if bought onboard. Three things separate them: drinks move from 15 a day capped at $15 each on Plus to unlimited at $20 each on Premier; dining moves from four casual meals to unlimited casual and specialty; and Premier alone adds, as of August 2026, up to $300 per guest in shore excursion credit, four-device Wi-Fi, a photo package and reserved theatre seating. Gratuities are not a differentiator — both include crew appreciation. Both apply only to the first two guests in a stateroom.
Princess sells two bundles and most people assume the expensive one is about drinks. It is not, really. The drinks difference is a 15-a-day allowance becoming unlimited and as of August 2026 a cap moving from $15 to $20 — which almost nobody tests. What you are actually paying for is dining and a shore excursion credit.
What each one costs
As of August 2026, Princess Plus is from roughly $65 per person per day booked before you sail, and Princess Premier from roughly $100. Both rise by about $5 a day if you leave it until you are onboard.
Buy at least 96 hours before departure to get the lower rate. That is a real deadline rather than a marketing nudge, and missing it costs roughly the same $5 a day, as of August 2026, as buying onboard.
One structural limit that changes the maths for families: both packages cover the first two guests in a stateroom only. A third or fourth guest is not included at all.
The three things that actually separate them
1. Drinks. As of August 2026, Plus allows 15 drinks a day capped at $15 a drink; Premier is unlimited with a cap of $20 a drink. Fifteen drinks a day is past the point where most people are enjoying themselves, so for the vast majority this difference is theoretical.
2. Dining — this is the real one. Plus includes four casual meals per guest. Premier includes unlimited casual and unlimited specialty dining. On a longer sailing that is a substantial amount of food that would otherwise be charged separately, and it is where the Premier premium is genuinely recovered.
3. The extras only Premier has. As of August 2026, up to $300 per guest in shore excursion credit, Wi-Fi on four devices rather than one, a photo package with unlimited digital shots and three prints, and reserved theatre seating.
What is NOT a difference, despite what you will read
Gratuities. Crew appreciation is included in both Plus and Premier. It is not a reason to choose one over the other, and any comparison presenting it as a Premier benefit is wrong.
This matters because gratuities are the single most common reason people talk themselves into an upgrade on other lines. On Princess that logic does not apply — the cheaper bundle already covers them.
Both also include unlimited specialty coffees and teas, up to twelve bottled waters a day, the OceanNow delivery fee waived, and room service delivery.
So which one
Take Plus unless you know you will use the specialty dining. It covers the drinking, the Wi-Fi and the gratuities, which is the whole reason most people buy a bundle at all.
Take Premier if you would have booked specialty restaurants anyway and you will use the excursion credit. Those two together recover the difference; the drinks allowance will not.
Take neither if you are a light drinker on a short itinerary. Our drink packages guide runs the break-even, and it is unsentimental about how often these bundles lose.
Rates and inclusions also vary by ship — the newest hulls such as Sun Princess are priced separately from the rest of the fleet, so check against your own booking rather than a published table.
Common questions
How much are Princess Plus and Premier?
As of August 2026, Plus is from roughly $65 per person per day booked pre-cruise and Premier from roughly $100, each about $5 a day more if you wait and buy onboard. Buy at least 96 hours before departure to get the lower rate.
What is the actual difference between Plus and Premier?
Drinks, dining and extras. As of August 2026 Plus allows 15 drinks a day capped at $15 each; Premier is unlimited at $20 each. Plus includes four casual meals; Premier includes unlimited casual and specialty dining. Premier adds excursion credit, wider Wi-Fi, photos and reserved theatre seating.
Are gratuities included in Princess Plus?
Yes. Crew appreciation is included in both Plus and Premier, so it is not a reason to choose one over the other.
Do both packages cover everyone in the cabin?
No. Both apply to the first two guests in a stateroom only. A third or fourth guest is not covered, which changes the arithmetic for families.
Is Premier worth the extra?
Only if you will use the specialty dining and the excursion credit. The drinks difference alone rarely justifies it, since the 15-drink Plus allowance is more than most people reach and the cap barely moves.
Plus is the default and Premier is a dining upgrade wearing a drinks package’s clothing. Decide it on whether you will eat in the specialty restaurants, because that is where the extra money goes.
Tell us your ship and sailing length and we will work out which bundle — if either — is worth buying. The fleet is on our Princess Cruises page, including Majestic Princess.