Luxury Cruising Editorial

Princess Cruises has announced refreshed versions of its popular Princess Premier and Princess Plus packages, adding new perks for voyages departing from 2026.

The changes, which include enhanced dining benefits and shore excursion credits, aim to provide better value and more flexibility for guests while phasing out less-utilised offerings.

Pre-cruise pricing for the updated packages remains the same as before if you’re a UK guest – £75 per person per day for the Princess Premier Package and £50 per person per day for the Princess Plus Package.

For guests sailing aboard Sphere-class ships Sun Princess and Star Princess, the pricing will be slightly higher at £80 and £55 per person per day, respectively.

This isn’t the same for US guests though. Their prices are increasing regardless of which ship you’re sailing on.

For most ships in the fleet, the Plus prices are rising by $5 per night to $65, while the Premier prices are rising by $10 to $100 per night.

Again, the Sphere-class ships will have slightly higher prices – $70 for Plus, and $105 for Premier.

What’s New in the Packages?

The updated Premier Package now includes a shore excursion credit, based on voyage length:

• $100 for cruises lasting 6 to 9 days
• $200 for 10 to 20 day voyages
• $300 for sailings of 21 days or more

This new benefit joins a suite of existing perks such as the unlimited Premier Beverage Package, unlimited casual and specialty dining, four-device WiFi, daily crew appreciation, room service and OceanNow delivery fee waivers, unlimited professional digital photos, and reserved theatre seating.

The Plus Package, meanwhile, has been enhanced with two additional casual dining meals per voyage, bringing the total to four.

Other included benefits remain unchanged: the Plus Beverage Package, single-device WiFi, room service and OceanNow fee waivers, and daily crew appreciation.

What’s Being Removed?

To accommodate the new additions, Princess Cruises has removed a handful of lower-usage features from both packages. These include:

• Premium desserts
• Juice bar access
• Fitness classes
• The Princess Prizes promotion

The cruise line says the decision to update the packages was “guest-inspired,” responding to evolving preferences and feedback from passengers.

Continued Value for Guests

Princess Cruises emphasised that these package changes continue to offer significant value over purchasing individual elements separately. For travellers who routinely dine out, use WiFi, and enjoy onboard beverages, the bundled packages can result in substantial savings.

These updates come as cruise lines across the industry, including within Carnival Corporation (Princess’s parent company), review and refine their guest perks to remain competitive and responsive to traveller expectations.

Princess Cruises has not announced any changes to current or 2025 sailings, so these new package benefits will apply only to bookings departing from 2026 onwards.

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A booked passenger on a Royal Caribbean cruise has taken to social media to ask for advice after being denied boarding due to being in possession of a gun.

The passenger took to Facebook pleading for help on how to join their Wonder of the Seas cruise, sharing the story of how they had been refused permission to board by the ship’s Head of Security.

The guest explained how they had rushed to the port and into security, and placed their fanny pack onto the scanner tray.

It was only as the fanny pack made its way through the scanner that the guest then remembered they had been carrying their licensed concealed weapon.

According to the guest, the security officer simply said “Too late” while smirking, and then escorted the guest to a room for an interview with a sheriff deputy.

They ran a background check and verified that the guest was the owner of the firearm and had a concealed carry license, at which point the sheriff deputy advised the guest to return to their car and lock the gun away.

However, the ship’s Head of Security then stepped in and told the guest they wouldn’t be allowed to board the ship, which according to the guest left both themself and the sheriff deputy “shocked”.

The guest complained that this was a family cruise with a travelling party of 16 that had been planned for over a year. But they were told they would not be joining their family onboard.

Hoping to find a solution, the guest took to a Royal Caribbean Facebook group to ask for advice on the possibility of flying out to join the cruise at the first port of call.

A Clumsy Error, or Irresponsible Gun Ownership?

Understandably, most cruisers weren’t in a position to offer the advice that the gun owner was looking for. Only the cruise line would’ve been able to advise on the possibility of joining the cruise later – an outcome that was extremely unlikely.

Responses to the post were generally quite negative, despite the request from the poster for no negativity.

Several questioned how they weren’t aware of their gun in their fanny pack, considering the weight of a weapon.

And others made the point that responsible gun ownership meant always being aware of where your concealed weapon is – forgetting they were carrying it was a serious issue.

Unsurprisingly, it seems like the post was taken down from the group relatively quickly, although not before being screenshotted and shared across other groups.

Strict Rules for Passenger Safety

Royal Caribbean has strict policies regarding what guests are allowed to bring onboard, and firearms are strictly prohibited under any circumstances, regardless of licensing.

The cruise line’s list of banned items includes all forms of weapons, including firearms, ammunition, imitation weapons, and even certain types of knives and scissors.

Other prohibited items include drones, flammable liquids, hoverboards, and any appliances with open flames, such as candles or hot plates. Irons, extension cords without surge protection, and baby monitors are also not permitted.

The line has these restrictions in place to ensure the safety and security of all passengers and crew.

Items that are confiscated during the security screening process are typically held until the end of the cruise – or in more serious cases, such as with firearms, local authorities may become involved.

Guests are advised to review Royal Caribbean’s full list of prohibited items before travelling, as failing to comply can result in denied boarding, without any compensation.

For this particular passenger, the consequences of a simple oversight proved significant, with their cruise holiday ending before it had even begun.

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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

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A problem with the engines on Celebrity Beyond has led to the ship cancelling a cruise just hours before it was due to set sail.

The decision comes after further assessments revealed that the ship’s technical problems will take longer to repair than originally anticipated.

Originally, the cruise line had informed guests that the sailing would be delayed by one day.

Celebrity Beyond is currently experiencing a mechanical issue that has impacted its ability to reach standard cruising speeds.

Although repairs began immediately following the prior sailing, the cruise line has determined that the ship will not be ready in time for its scheduled departure from Miami.

In a follow-up letter sent to impacted passengers, Celebrity Cruises stated:

“Dear Guest,

“We want to share an important update regarding your upcoming sailing on Celebrity Beyond. As we shared yesterday, during our previous voyage, the ship experienced a technical issue that affected its speed.

“While our teams have been working diligently, we need additional time to complete necessary assessments and repairs.

“After carefully considering all options, we’ve made the difficult decision to cancel the July 20, 2025 sailing.

“We sincerely apologize for this unexpected change and the disruption this causes to your travel plans. We know we can’t give you your vacation time back, however, we do remain committed to making this right.”

Compensation and Reimbursement

Guests booked on the now-cancelled sailing will receive a full refund of all cruise fare payments, including non-refundable deposits.

In addition, each guest will be issued a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) equal to 100% of the original fare, which will be sent via email within the next two weeks.

For guests who had used a previous FCC to pay for the cruise, that credit will be automatically reinstated to their accounts.

Refunds will be processed automatically and should appear within 14 days.

Flight and Hotel Coverage:

If guests booked air travel through Celebrity Cruises’ Air2Sea program, the cruise line will handle flight adjustments directly.

Guests who arranged flights on their own will be reimbursed up to $200 for domestic flights and $400 for international changes.

An additional one-night hotel stay reimbursement of up to $250 is also being offered.

Guests must email receipts to [email protected], including their name, booking number, sail date, and contact information.

About the Cancelled Cruise

The 7-night Eastern Caribbean cruise aboard Celebrity Beyond was set to sail from Miami with scheduled calls in Nassau (Bahamas), St. Thomas (U.S. Virgin Islands), and Philipsburg, St. Maarten.

Celebrity Beyond, part of the innovative Edge-class series, is one of the fleet’s most modern ships and a guest favourite for its upscale design and immersive experiences.

The ship’s unexpected mechanical issues have come as a disappointment to travellers who had eagerly awaited their journey.

Despite the cancellation, Celebrity Cruises thanked guests for their patience and understanding and emphasised their desire to welcome them onboard in the future.

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