Yesterday, we shared that Princess will increase the cost of its daily “crew appreciation” charge beginning in February. The new rate is $1.50 more per person, per day, or about a 10% increase for most rooms.
Now we’ve noticed another price increase — along with other tweaks — to the cruise line’s drink package lineup.
First, with the Plus Beverage Package the price per drink available under the offer has moved from $12 per glass to $15 per glass. In addition, whereas the package previously said it only included “juices” it now specifies “fresh juices and healthy smoothies (juice bar) as included.
But the bigger change is a price increase, going from $59.99 per day to $64.99 per day, or an extra $5 plus the 18% automatic gratuity charge.
The new tweaks go into effect starting with cruises that depart February 20, 2023.
The Premium Beverage Package is undergoing similar changes. In that case, the price per drink available with the package is moving from $18 per glass to $20 per glass. And instead of just “juices” being included, the terms have changed to specify the same fresh juices and smoothies as the Plus Beverage Package.
As well, there is a price increase. In this case, the higher-end package is moving from $79.99 per person, per day (plus 18% gratuity) to $84.99 per day.
Higher Prices, But Still In Line With the Industry
In total, the extra $5 per day for each package comes out to about $41 over the course of a week-long cruise when you also include the automatic 18% gratuity charge.
So the extra cost (especially when combined with the higher daily service charge also announced) isn’t something to sneeze at. But these rates are still in line with several other cruise lines and on the lower end in the industry.
For example, Princess’ sister cruise line Carnival offers its drink package for $64.99 per day if purchased on the ship.
Celebrity Cruises — a competitor in the luxury market — charges $69 per person, per day for its basic package and $84 for its higher-end Premium Package.
And Norwegian Cruise Line just bumped the price of its packages to $109 and $139, respectively, for each day of the cruise.
No one likes to see prices increase, but the new costs are far from outrageous when you look across cruising.
