Is Princess Premier Worth It in 2026?
Premier is Princess's $100 per person per day everything tier. For a typical 7-night trip it costs MORE than paying a la carte - unless you actually use the specialty dining and the $20 drink cap. Here is the honest math, from official rates.
The short answer
For a typical cruiser, usually not. On a 7-night cruise for 2 adults averaging 3 drinks a day with 2 specialty meals each, Premier totals $1,400 - that is $79 more than paying a la carte ($1,321) and $226 more than Plus ($1,174).
Premier starts making sense when you dine specialty most nights, drink toward the $20 cap, or genuinely value the photo package and 4-device Wi-Fi. The calculator shows exactly where your usage flips it.
The worked example, priced both ways
Regal Princess, 7 nights, 2 adults, 3 drinks a day each, 2 specialty meals each, Wi-Fi on 1 device. Official 2026 rates; the only estimate is the $12.50 average drink from the official bar menu.
| What you pay for | A la carte (Standard fare) | With Princess Premier |
|---|---|---|
| Crew appreciation | $252 ($18 x 7 nights x 2 adults) | Included |
| Bar drinks (3 a day each) | $630 ($12.50 avg + 20% service charge) | Included (up to $20 a drink, no daily limit) |
| Specialty dining (2 meals each) | $264 ($55 cover + 20%) | Included (covers waived) |
| Wi-Fi (1 device) | $174.93 ($24.99 a day) | Included (4 devices per packaged guest) |
| Package price | - | $1,400 ($100 x 7 x 2) |
| Total | $1,321 | $1,400 |
Premier costs $79 more on this trip - and $226 more than Plus, which totals $1,174 here.
Premier is $100/day on most ships and $105/day on Sun Princess and Star Princess, pre-cruise; onboard adds $5/day. All package and gratuity rates above are published; the drink average is our menu-derived estimate.
What has to be true for Premier to win
At 3 drinks and 2 specialty meals it loses to a la carte by $79 on the example trip. In our test grid the calculator only starts recommending an upgrade tier once usage climbs well past that - the heavy-usage probe uses 10 drinks a day and 5 specialty meals.
- Every specialty meal you add swings an effective $66 per adult on Royal-class ships ($72 on Sun and Star) that Standard and Plus pay and Premier does not.
- Versus Plus, the extra $35 a day buys: a $20 per-drink cap instead of $15, no 15-drink daily limit, unlimited specialty and casual dining, 4 Wi-Fi devices per guest instead of 1, the photo package, reserved show seating, and a shore excursion credit on 6+ day sailings.
- Premier extras our math values at $0 (on purpose): unlimited digital photo downloads plus 3 prints per guest, reserved production-show seating, and the shore excursion credit - $100 on 6-9 day sailings, $200 on 10-20, $300 on 21+, nothing on 5 days or fewer, unused credit forfeited. If those are worth real dollars to you, count them honestly.
What Premier includes - and what it does not
From the official package terms, current for 2026.
Included in Premier
- Premier Beverage Package: drinks up to $20 each, with NO daily quantity limit (removed August 2024)
- Unlimited specialty dining - covers waived (the fine print caps it at 1 specialty meal per mealtime per day)
- Unlimited casual dining (no 4-meal cap)
- MedallionNet Max Wi-Fi: four devices PER PACKAGED GUEST
- Crew appreciation for packaged guests
- Photo package: unlimited digital downloads for the stateroom plus 3 prints per guest
- Reserved seating at production shows
- Shore excursion credit by voyage length ($100 / $200 / $300; nothing on 5 days or fewer)
- OceanNow delivery and room service fees waived
Not included
- Drinks over $20 - you pay the difference
- Bottles of wine and champagne
- A la carte spa treatments
- Charges for unpackaged guests 3-4 (they may only join at the same tier)
Removed from both Plus and Premier for 2026: premium desserts, the juice bar, Medallion shipping, fitness classes, and Princess Prizes.
The gratuity and fine-print details
- For unpackaged guests, Princess adds a 20% service charge on a la carte drinks and on specialty covers (up from 18% in March 2026 - some official pages still show the stale 18). For packaged Premier guests both are moot: covered drinks carry no extra charge and covers are waived.
- Crew appreciation runs $18/$19/$20 by stateroom category. It is included for packaged guests and billed daily for anyone unpackaged in the same cabin.
- One purchase covers guests 1-2 together; guests 3-4 join optionally at the SAME tier only. No child discount exists - a packaged minor pays full price with the Zero-Alcohol Package in lieu of the bar benefit.
- The "unlimited" specialty dining is capped in the terms at 1 specialty meal per mealtime per day - roughly two a day in practice. For most cruisers the cap never bites, but it is the official rule.
How exact is this page?
Premier's price is published ($100/day standard ships, $105 on Sun and Star, plus $5 onboard), so the package math is exact for the trip profile shown. The estimated piece is the $12.50 average a la carte drink on the Standard column. Type your own quote into the calculator for an exact comparison on your trip.
Run your own numbers - free, no signup
Compare Standard, Plus, and Premier side by side for your own nights, drinks, meals, and cabin - with the break-even gauge showing where Premier flips.
Real questions, straight answers
Is there a daily drink limit on Princess Premier?
No. Premier's daily limit was removed on August 15, 2024 - Plus keeps its 15-drinks-per-24-hours limit, Premier has none. The per-drink cap is $20, and above it you pay only the difference in price.
Is specialty dining really unlimited on Premier?
Marketing says unlimited; the terms cap it at 1 specialty meal per mealtime per day - roughly 2 specialty meals a day in practice. Casual dining is unlimited with no cap. For most cruisers the specialty cap never matters, but it is the official rule.
What is the Premier shore excursion credit?
It scales with voyage length: $100 on 6-9 day sailings, $200 on 10-20 days, $300 on 21 days or more. Sailings of 5 days or fewer get nothing, and unused credit is forfeited. Our comparison values it at $0 because Princess has not published whether it is per guest or per cabin - treat it as upside if you book excursions anyway.
What photos are included with Premier?
Unlimited digital photo downloads covering the whole stateroom (including guests 3 and 4) plus 3 prints per guest, along with reserved seating at production shows.
Is Premier worth it at 3 drinks a day?
On our worked 7-night example, no - Premier totals $1,400 versus $1,321 paying a la carte and $1,174 with Plus. It pays when you use specialty dining heavily (each waived cover is worth an effective $66-$72 per adult) and order drinks above Plus's $15 cap.
How much more is Premier than Plus?
$35 per person per day ($100 vs $65 pre-cruise on most ships; $105 vs $70 on Sun and Star). For a 7-night couple that is $490 more, which our worked example shows only pays back with heavy specialty dining and premium-drink usage.
Keep planning
Every rate on this page comes from official Princess pages (Plus and Premier terms and conditions, the crew appreciation policy, and the specialty restaurant pages), retrieved July 11, 2026 and re-verified in our accuracy audit of July 17, 2026. Rates change - always confirm against your own booking.