Ships of all major cruise lines are filing up and many are selling out. Booked a fall 2025 transatlantic last month, friends are booking now and few balcony cabins are left. Prices have gone up and people are still booking.
Absolutely. It was hard finding my preferred room (midship balcony) in 2025 and also 2026 (not available or way high price) for when and where I wanted to travel. Fortunately I found mid-forward close to midship . I considered another line and the same applies. Act soon if you are considering a voyage. 😉
Bill, you nailed it. I can't stand the flapping heads and misleading headlines and thumbnail pictures. Real, useful information is what we're going for. Thanks for the comment and for watching, made my day.
Every single change is simply to discourage the ‘Standard’ fare passenger… every single one without exception! Raise item prices to the sky and add it back in for free with a package is clear and transparent as possible… Princess is determined to remove standard fares completely. Whatever you do have a great cruise. Blessings, John
I can't say you are wrong, that's for sure but I almost feel like Princess is one of the last to embrace the packages. Even back in early 2022 on Royal Caribbean, I couldn't believe the prices they were charging and it was mostly to encourage the purchase of their drinks packages. I guess we'll see how this shakes out over the next couple of years. Thanks for watching and for commenting!
You are absolutely right...I have cruised 31 times with Princess Cruises....the most recent was this summer of 2024 in Europe...Princess has now but one goal...the maximization of profits...it has cut out most of the benefits passengers use to enjoy. at fair or no cost...it has less employees...the food was ordinary.....I felt like a squeezed lemon,....it will be my last cruise with Princess Cruises and with the Cruising industry in general...
@@SalmircheI went on princess to Alaska this past summer and had the plus pkg it was fantastic, plenty of staff, food was phenomenal, service was great. Already booked two for 2025 with princess
I just cancelled my trip out of San Francisco got the standard plan after reading the website.looks like it won’t be worth it.heard a bottle of coors light is 8.00.
I have a deposit down for a cruise out of San Francisco after reading all about princess,we can only afford the standard plan,looks like we would suffer cruising this way,it’s a shame what they have done.prices out of San Francisco are way to expensive
The standard plan is the way most people have always cruised, the Plus and Premier are newer ways to cruise more all-inclusive. If you aren't a alcohol drinker and you are happy with water, juice, iced tea, coffee and such then there is no reason to panic. These are included at the buffet and at the restaurants for no extra charge. If you don't need internet access, then don't buy it. You can still use your phone for the app without charge and use your data in port. Many people are still cruising this way, they just don't have the need for those two key items. As for the cost, it's increased everywhere, not just the west coast and not just Princess.
My family and I will be sailing on a Princess Coral Cruise ship to Alaska in the Summer of 2025. Our trip has been booked. Really looking forward to it, so thank you for this video!
Re your comment regarding when reservations open for dining, we are Platinum, our cruise us not til May 2025 but we reserved dining in both MDR and Crown Grill for our party of 9 when we're still over 300 days out.
Yes, I think what I was getting at is they don't have a defined period when a reservation window opens for booking like say Disney World where you can book 180 days ahead or whatever it is. I'm sailing in May as well and just did the exact same as you. Thanks for watching and smart getting that booked early, especially MDR if you are going traditional.
I always book my sailing as soon as they open and have always been able to book dining right away. On my most recent booking, that’s over 700 days in advance.
Enchanted does a really interesting re-positioning cruise on August 9th from Fort Lauderdale through the Southern Caribbean and then back up the East Coast to New York. Reach out to me through the link in the description of the videos and we can chat about possibilities!
Just gamble. Princess Casino offers usually offer quite a bit of value. My next cruise is a 20 night minisuite around Japan with at least 13 ports including Taiwan and Korea. We're bringing a toddler and a mother and for all 4 with travel insurance I'm around $2800 with $700 on board credit and $1000 freeplay, making a 3 week cruise for 4 roughly $1100, or less than $14/day per person, and we're also getting princess plus and elite privileges which includes in cabin minibar, in cabin afternoon tea, wifi for 2 devices, drink package for 2, and on and on. No, I'm not including potential losses in the casino, but it's highly doubtful that it will come close to the $20,000 it would have cost us for this same cruise.
This isn't something that has been announced, could be a supply issue or a change. I think the mini bar perk is a declining one given the popularity of the Plus and Premier packages. Also, I wouldn't be surprised to see changes next year in the Captain's Circle benefits. Thanks for watching!
Do you know why Princess's webside alway "Technical Difficulties" I'm a customer of Princess try to sign-in but could'nt. Thanks for find out and re-ply to me.
Really hard to say why that would be. Perhaps try a different web browser like Firefox? I had difficulty using the Princess Travel Agent site using Google Chrome but no issues in Firefox. Sorry I can't be of more help there!
I had the same problem. Solved it as follows: With browser on Princess web page. Click upper right corner of browser for more options. Click "Delete browsing data" or comparable choice. Should eliminate problem.
We booked a Sanctuary Collection cabin on the Star Princess in early 2026 and we are both Elite. Able to book specialty dining as soon as one booked and paid the deposit is UNTRUE. AS at this moment, we are unable to book specialty dining. We sincerely hope that we would not run into the fiasco similar to our last Oceania cruise!
As I said in the video, they aren't straightforward with when they open the bookings for a particular cruise but I've reviewed that list both as presented in to travel agents in webinars and written in their internal FAQ and guide that it's the policy that those passengers don't have to wait until after final payment. www.princess.com/en-us/ships-and-experience/onboard-experience/food-and-dining/dining-reservations Have a look at the link above, it says in black and white that Platinum and Elite have access before final payment. What that doesn't mean is that the ship has started to accept reservations yet. Hope this helps.
If you’re doing a cruisetour, do they only charge you the plus premier charges during the cruise portion of your vacation? Also, is it cheaper to book a cruise and then add on your shore part?
No, the Princess Plus or Premier is only for the cruise portion. Meals and Drinks are not included by default with the Cruise Tours. Booking the Cruise and Land together gives you a more cohesive experience than trying to do it separate. I don't know what the logistics of transfers and such would be if you tried to save a few bucks by booking like that. Hasn't really crossed my mind!
With all the changes and price increases...I'm gonna start moving away from Princess. I'm starting to get the feeling that they are trying to squeeze every Nickle out of my pocket instead of me concentrating on a nice relaxing cruise.
If you find a mainstream cruise line that isn't doing this, be sure to let me know! The only thing I'm going to defend Princess on here is that I still find their packages reasonable compared to the minimums that competitors are charging. The price of a Royal Caribbean cruise on one of their big ships is huge! Personally, I'm at the point of giving my money to luxury cruise lines, paying more for smaller ships and having it be all inclusive, they just aren't terribly family friendly. I'm not really sure what the answer is. Thanks for watching!
I did a mock booking for December 2025 on RCL Icon and for an inside room, it was more expensive than we are paying for our Sun Princess Cabana Mini suite with the original princess premiere for the same.
I agree with you. We have been cruising with Princess for years and these new apps are a disaster. Personal service is gone. With this app you are forced to take your phone with you everywhere, and I went on this cruise to get away from my phone! We are sticking with small ships from now on.
I just booked my first cruise for Thanksgiving and I’m stoked. I got the premiere package for all the perks. I’m having issues trying to book dinner reservations on the app it keeps showing $45 each which should be zero for premiere
Enjoy all the perks of Premier! Did you upgrade from the $80 plan to $90 plan? Give the Princess Dining Reservations people a call, they are usually quick and able to give you a hand. I don't have a lot of confidence in the Princess App. Thanks for watching!
Long time Princess cruiser. We tried New Holland just because we heard great things. While it was nice the perks you lose made it a no go for us. We will stick with Princess.
Is it just me or does the food quality look disappointing unless you go specialty? We were very happy with NCL food; now I’m having second thoughts on our booking with Sun Princess with Plus. Paid a lot more too
For me, it wasn't so much the quality of the food in the main dining room, it was the selection compared to how the ships used to be. If I wasn't making videos about the specialty restaurants, I'd probably only go to one each trip and perhaps the Chef's Table or Winemaker's dinner. Generally speaking, the quality is quite good in my opinion.
We are currently on the Discovery Princess, and the app doesn’t work very well. We ordered two drinks and they never arrived.😮. Service is extremely slow. They need to give passengers a sheet of paper at check in to inform them which restaurants they can use for each package. Internet is extremely difficult to access if you have an Apple device. Passengers with androids are having an easier time. Honestly I do not think the packages are worth it. This is our 14th cruise with Princess, and sadly, we feel that it is time to move on to another cruise line. As a side not, the Explorer is way too big to give good service. We are going to stick with smaller ships from now on with more personal service.
Hmmm, I've never had an issue with the app or wifi on my iphone. The only problem usually is if you are trying to switch back and forth. I highly recommend visiting the Guest Service desk at a quiet time and ask for some assistance. They usually have someone knowledgeable. Which package are you sailing with? I've always found the Plus package to be worth it for me, but the Premier not so much, only if I'm looking to try a lot of the Specialty Restaurants.
@@karert1 1) Privacy: It tracks you on the ship. 2) It's bulky unlike a basic ship card. 3) People all dressed up look like they're wearing work ID or a 'dog collars'. 4) I want less tech on a vacation but perhaps you might love even more.
@@karert1 1) Privacy: It tracks you everywhere on the ship. 2) It's bulky, unlike a basic ships card. 3) People all dressed up looking like they're wearing their work' ID' or a dog collar. 4) I want 'less' tech when I'm on vacation but perhaps you would love even more. Enjoy your cruise !
@@lancehughes4132 those are all reasonable objections. But, I'll be traveling alone, so I kind of want to be tracked. Getting lost in more than a million square feet doesn't sound like a good time. It is probably bulky. But so are air tags. I'll probably get a wrist band or wear it under my sweater. Or carry it in my bag when I'm not using it. And I definitely understand about less tech. But this is the world we live in now. That ship has sailed 😅
No, not if that's all you are going to have in a day then it doesn't make sense for Plus or Premium. Have a look at my Princess Plus video, at 12:55 I break down a basic no-alcohol package and find approximately where you would need to be for it to make sense. Not sure Premier ever would make sense unless you plan on eating in specialty restaurants every day. Here is the link: th-cam.com/video/nh_lVVCEmWg/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching! Andrew
Princess has really gone downhill in service and food quality. It's too bad because the ships are nice and the lower standard of service and food has made me consider another line.
I think you need to be careful with your expectations, it's not just Princess that's had a decline in service and food quality and variety. RCL, Carnival and NCL are all in the same proverbial boat as they race to shore up their bottom line and pay off the massive debts from the pandemic. Unless you are willing to upgrade into the luxury or ultra luxury lines, you'll need to decide if your brand loyalty is worth it compared to trying something new.
Princess does have the best packages at this point. Thanks for the updates.
Yes they do, hopefully no more major changes coming!
Ships of all major cruise lines are filing up and many are selling out. Booked a fall 2025 transatlantic last month, friends are booking now and few balcony cabins are left. Prices have gone up and people are still booking.
Yes, I'm going to have more on that coming up in a couple of weeks. Last minute deals are becoming tough to find too. Thanks for watching!
Absolutely. It was hard finding my preferred room (midship balcony) in 2025 and also 2026 (not available or way high price) for when and where I wanted to travel. Fortunately I found mid-forward close to midship . I considered another line and the same applies. Act soon if you are considering a voyage. 😉
Your information is excellent without drama.
Bill, you nailed it. I can't stand the flapping heads and misleading headlines and thumbnail pictures. Real, useful information is what we're going for. Thanks for the comment and for watching, made my day.
Every single change is simply to discourage the ‘Standard’ fare passenger… every single one without exception! Raise item prices to the sky and add it back in for free with a package is clear and transparent as possible… Princess is determined to remove standard fares completely. Whatever you do have a great cruise. Blessings, John
I can't say you are wrong, that's for sure but I almost feel like Princess is one of the last to embrace the packages. Even back in early 2022 on Royal Caribbean, I couldn't believe the prices they were charging and it was mostly to encourage the purchase of their drinks packages. I guess we'll see how this shakes out over the next couple of years. Thanks for watching and for commenting!
You are absolutely right...I have cruised 31 times with Princess Cruises....the most recent was this summer of 2024 in Europe...Princess has now but one goal...the maximization of profits...it has cut out most of the benefits passengers use to enjoy. at fair or no cost...it has less employees...the food was ordinary.....I felt like a squeezed lemon,....it will be my last cruise with Princess Cruises and with the Cruising industry in general...
@@SalmircheI went on princess to Alaska this past summer and had the plus pkg it was fantastic, plenty of staff, food was phenomenal, service was great. Already booked two for 2025 with princess
@@lorijennings8628 ...with the plus pkg...$$$$.....
I just cancelled my trip out of San Francisco got the standard plan after reading the website.looks like it won’t be worth it.heard a bottle of coors light is 8.00.
I have a deposit down for a cruise out of San Francisco after reading all about princess,we can only afford the standard plan,looks like we would suffer cruising this way,it’s a shame what they have done.prices out of San Francisco are way to expensive
The standard plan is the way most people have always cruised, the Plus and Premier are newer ways to cruise more all-inclusive. If you aren't a alcohol drinker and you are happy with water, juice, iced tea, coffee and such then there is no reason to panic. These are included at the buffet and at the restaurants for no extra charge. If you don't need internet access, then don't buy it. You can still use your phone for the app without charge and use your data in port. Many people are still cruising this way, they just don't have the need for those two key items. As for the cost, it's increased everywhere, not just the west coast and not just Princess.
My family and I will be sailing on a Princess Coral Cruise ship to Alaska in the Summer of 2025. Our trip has been booked. Really looking forward to it, so thank you for this video!
Have fun! Coral is a wonderful ship.
@@TidalHorizons its been 20 years since I’ve been on a cruise ship. It’ll be an experience in itself on how much has changed since then.
Re your comment regarding when reservations open for dining, we are Platinum, our cruise us not til May 2025 but we reserved dining in both MDR and Crown Grill for our party of 9 when we're still over 300 days out.
Yes, I think what I was getting at is they don't have a defined period when a reservation window opens for booking like say Disney World where you can book 180 days ahead or whatever it is. I'm sailing in May as well and just did the exact same as you. Thanks for watching and smart getting that booked early, especially MDR if you are going traditional.
We are scheduled for the Sun for August 2025. We are Sanctuary Suite and Platinum status but it doesn’t allow us to book yet on the app?
I always book my sailing as soon as they open and have always been able to book dining right away. On my most recent booking, that’s over 700 days in advance.
Love Princess.
We are planning a 2025 summer cruise and looking at the Enchanted Princess. Any tips or recommendations?
Enchanted does a really interesting re-positioning cruise on August 9th from Fort Lauderdale through the Southern Caribbean and then back up the East Coast to New York. Reach out to me through the link in the description of the videos and we can chat about possibilities!
Just gamble. Princess Casino offers usually offer quite a bit of value. My next cruise is a 20 night minisuite around Japan with at least 13 ports including Taiwan and Korea. We're bringing a toddler and a mother and for all 4 with travel insurance I'm around $2800 with $700 on board credit and $1000 freeplay, making a 3 week cruise for 4 roughly $1100, or less than $14/day per person, and we're also getting princess plus and elite privileges which includes in cabin minibar, in cabin afternoon tea, wifi for 2 devices, drink package for 2, and on and on. No, I'm not including potential losses in the casino, but it's highly doubtful that it will come close to the $20,000 it would have cost us for this same cruise.
I read in another group that the Elite minibar setup has changed from the mini bottles to a mixed drink concoction with fewer drinks.
This isn't something that has been announced, could be a supply issue or a change. I think the mini bar perk is a declining one given the popularity of the Plus and Premier packages. Also, I wouldn't be surprised to see changes next year in the Captain's Circle benefits. Thanks for watching!
@@TidalHorizons I expect another tier level. It's getting top heavy and there's been a lot of changes. It makes sense.
Do you know why Princess's webside alway "Technical Difficulties" I'm a customer of Princess try to sign-in but could'nt. Thanks for find out and re-ply to me.
Really hard to say why that would be. Perhaps try a different web browser like Firefox? I had difficulty using the Princess Travel Agent site using Google Chrome but no issues in Firefox. Sorry I can't be of more help there!
Had the same problem...try deleting your cookies. It worked for me.
I had the same problem.
Solved it as follows:
With browser on Princess web page. Click upper right corner of browser for more options. Click "Delete browsing data" or comparable choice.
Should eliminate problem.
can you get change as in single dollars or five dollar bills for tipping on board, if you decide to tip on your own?
Yes, usually the reception desk can help out, but it's not common for people to tip as they go.
We booked a Sanctuary Collection cabin on the Star Princess in early 2026 and we are both Elite. Able to book specialty dining as soon as one booked and paid the deposit is UNTRUE. AS at this moment, we are unable to book specialty dining. We sincerely hope that we would not run into the fiasco similar to our last Oceania cruise!
As I said in the video, they aren't straightforward with when they open the bookings for a particular cruise but I've reviewed that list both as presented in to travel agents in webinars and written in their internal FAQ and guide that it's the policy that those passengers don't have to wait until after final payment.
www.princess.com/en-us/ships-and-experience/onboard-experience/food-and-dining/dining-reservations
Have a look at the link above, it says in black and white that Platinum and Elite have access before final payment. What that doesn't mean is that the ship has started to accept reservations yet.
Hope this helps.
If you’re doing a cruisetour, do they only charge you the plus premier charges during the cruise portion of your vacation? Also, is it cheaper to book a cruise and then add on your shore part?
No, the Princess Plus or Premier is only for the cruise portion. Meals and Drinks are not included by default with the Cruise Tours. Booking the Cruise and Land together gives you a more cohesive experience than trying to do it separate. I don't know what the logistics of transfers and such would be if you tried to save a few bucks by booking like that. Hasn't really crossed my mind!
With all the changes and price increases...I'm gonna start moving away from Princess. I'm starting to get the feeling that they are trying to squeeze every Nickle out of my pocket instead of me concentrating on a nice relaxing cruise.
If you find a mainstream cruise line that isn't doing this, be sure to let me know! The only thing I'm going to defend Princess on here is that I still find their packages reasonable compared to the minimums that competitors are charging. The price of a Royal Caribbean cruise on one of their big ships is huge!
Personally, I'm at the point of giving my money to luxury cruise lines, paying more for smaller ships and having it be all inclusive, they just aren't terribly family friendly. I'm not really sure what the answer is.
Thanks for watching!
I did a mock booking for December 2025 on RCL Icon and for an inside room, it was more expensive than we are paying for our Sun Princess Cabana Mini suite with the original princess premiere for the same.
@@niuhuskieguySame here that's why I dicided to book Sun Princess.
@@niuhuskieguy I'm shocked at what RCL is charging for Icon and now Star of the Seas. Just goes to show the demand that is out there for cruising.
I agree with you. We have been cruising with Princess for years and these new apps are a disaster. Personal service is gone. With this app you are forced to take your phone with you everywhere, and I went on this cruise to get away from my phone! We are sticking with small ships from now on.
I just booked my first cruise for Thanksgiving and I’m stoked. I got the premiere package for all the perks. I’m having issues trying to book dinner reservations on the app it keeps showing $45 each which should be zero for premiere
Enjoy all the perks of Premier! Did you upgrade from the $80 plan to $90 plan? Give the Princess Dining Reservations people a call, they are usually quick and able to give you a hand. I don't have a lot of confidence in the Princess App. Thanks for watching!
Long time Princess cruiser. We tried New Holland just because we heard great things. While it was nice the perks you lose made it a no go for us. We will stick with Princess.
Is it just me or does the food quality look disappointing unless you go specialty? We were very happy with NCL food; now I’m having second thoughts on our booking with Sun Princess with Plus. Paid a lot more too
For me, it wasn't so much the quality of the food in the main dining room, it was the selection compared to how the ships used to be. If I wasn't making videos about the specialty restaurants, I'd probably only go to one each trip and perhaps the Chef's Table or Winemaker's dinner. Generally speaking, the quality is quite good in my opinion.
We are currently on the Discovery Princess, and the app doesn’t work very well. We ordered two drinks and they never arrived.😮. Service is extremely slow. They need to give passengers a sheet of paper at check in to inform them which restaurants they can use for each package. Internet is extremely difficult to access if you have an Apple device. Passengers with androids are having an easier time. Honestly I do not think the packages are worth it. This is our 14th cruise with Princess, and sadly, we feel that it is time to move on to another cruise line. As a side not, the Explorer is way too big to give good service. We are going to stick with smaller ships from now on with more personal service.
@conniemichalik4824 wow that sucks we were on discover to Alaska in July we had great service
Hmmm, I've never had an issue with the app or wifi on my iphone. The only problem usually is if you are trying to switch back and forth. I highly recommend visiting the Guest Service desk at a quiet time and ask for some assistance. They usually have someone knowledgeable.
Which package are you sailing with? I've always found the Plus package to be worth it for me, but the Premier not so much, only if I'm looking to try a lot of the Specialty Restaurants.
The only change I need to know about is when Princess finally throws the Medallion overboard.
Not seeing that happen anytime soon!
Taking a cruise in early 2026 and I haven't used the medallion before. So, why do you hate it?
@@karert1 1) Privacy: It tracks you on the ship. 2) It's bulky unlike a basic ship card.
3) People all dressed up look like they're wearing work ID or a 'dog collars'. 4) I want less tech on a vacation but perhaps you might love even more.
@@karert1 1) Privacy: It tracks you everywhere on the ship. 2) It's bulky, unlike a basic ships card. 3) People all dressed up looking like they're wearing their work' ID' or a dog collar. 4) I want 'less' tech when I'm on vacation but perhaps you would love even more. Enjoy your cruise !
@@lancehughes4132 those are all reasonable objections. But, I'll be traveling alone, so I kind of want to be tracked. Getting lost in more than a million square feet doesn't sound like a good time. It is probably bulky. But so are air tags. I'll probably get a wrist band or wear it under my sweater. Or carry it in my bag when I'm not using it. And I definitely understand about less tech. But this is the world we live in now. That ship has sailed 😅
For people who drink alcohol, not for water, coffee and 1 coke per day.
No, not if that's all you are going to have in a day then it doesn't make sense for Plus or Premium. Have a look at my Princess Plus video, at 12:55 I break down a basic no-alcohol package and find approximately where you would need to be for it to make sense. Not sure Premier ever would make sense unless you plan on eating in specialty restaurants every day.
Here is the link: th-cam.com/video/nh_lVVCEmWg/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for watching!
Andrew
Princess is switching from the Love Boat to the Hate Boat.
Your comments is not "my style"..... it's interesting though
No worries! Thanks for watching and come back anytime!
Princess has really gone downhill in service and food quality. It's too bad because the ships are nice and the lower standard of service and food has made me consider another line.
I think you need to be careful with your expectations, it's not just Princess that's had a decline in service and food quality and variety. RCL, Carnival and NCL are all in the same proverbial boat as they race to shore up their bottom line and pay off the massive debts from the pandemic. Unless you are willing to upgrade into the luxury or ultra luxury lines, you'll need to decide if your brand loyalty is worth it compared to trying something new.