Princess Cruises reverses unpopular beverage package changes
Just a few days after announcing new perks and price increases coming to its popular Princess Plus and Princess Premier cruise packages, Princess Cruises is reversing a couple of changes after they sparked outcry from passengers.
For 2026 cruises and beyond, Princess passengers will get more casual dining meals with the Princess Plus Package while an enhanced Princess Premier Package will offer a new shore excursion credit. A few included perks that passengers use less often are also being removed from the packages.The updates will bring a price increase to the packages, too — the cost for the Princess Plus Package will increase by $5 per passenger, per day and the Princess Premier Package price will go up by $10 per passenger, per day.
While these changes to the package remain in effect, Princess Cruises is now updating a couple of points in the packages' fine print after many passengers voiced concerns to the cruise line.
'Princess Cruises believes that our most loyal guests are also our most valued voices. Over the past week, many of you shared feedback on the updates to our Plus and Premier packages — and we've been listening closely,' the cruise line explained in an email to passengers on July 25.Princess Cruises makes specialty coffee and tea unlimited again with Plus Package
When the cruise line introduced the package updates, passengers quickly noticed that the fine print specified that non-alcoholic beverages included with the Plus Package would now be subject to the 15-drink daily limit that previously only applied to alcoholic beverages.
In feedback shared online about this change, passengers argued that although it's not easy to hit a 15-drink limit with just alcoholic beverages, it would be if you're drinking specialty coffees, teas, sodas, and alcoholic beverages.
After voicing this valid point to the cruise line, Princess cruisers received a welcome update about the change in the July 25 Princess Cruises email.
'Specialty coffees and teas will be unlimited for Princess Plus and Princess Premier package holders and will not count toward any daily beverage limit,' the cruise line email said.The updated Plus Beverage Package will continue to have a daily limit of 15 beverages per 24-hour period, but passenger feedback led the cruise line to update the fine print to exclude specialty coffees and teas from any daily beverage limit.
Bottled water (still and sparkling, 500ml or less) also does not count toward the 15-beverage limit, but will be limited to no more than 12 bottles of water per day with both of the updated Princess cruise packages for 2026 and beyond.
Although soda will now be subject to the Plus Package's 15-beverage limit, passengers with the Plus and Premier packages will no longer have to worry about extra charges for cans of soda.
Be the first to see the best deals on cruises, special sailings, and more. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter.
Princess Cruises stops charging extra for cans of soda with drink packages
Earlier this year, Princess Cruises quietly began enforcing a beverage policy that excluded cans of soda from the sodas included with the Princess Plus and Princess Premier packages.
The cruise line had been providing cans of soda to passengers with the beverage packages at no additional charge for some time, and the sudden switch to charging for cans of soda quickly upset passengers.They didn't want to be limited in their soda choices or nickel-and-dimed considering how much they pay for the Plus and Premier packages.
Now, the cruise line is letting passengers know that it listened to their concerns about the soda shakeup.
'Our packages include fountain soft drinks but if you prefer a canned soda, we are happy to provide upon request, at no additional charge, if available,' the cruise line added in its email about the package updates.
Getting the most value from their vacations is important to many Princess Cruises passengers and it's a key reason why many choose to sail with the cruise line. Some Princess cruisers say that the Plus and Premier packages offer value that they can't find with other cruise lines.
Keeping passengers happy while making price changes and updates deemed necessary for operations is a delicate balancing act for cruise lines, but Princess Cruises is proving that it's possible to recover gracefully from a misstep.(The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.)
, or email Amy Post at or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
This story was originally reported by TravelHost on Jul 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News24
a few seconds ago
- News24
Elon Musk's SpaceX set to score big from new Trump executive order
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday to streamline federal regulation governing commercial rocket launches, a move that could benefit Elon Musk's SpaceX and other private space ventures. Trump's order, among other things, directs the US transportation secretary to eliminate or expedite environmental reviews for launch licenses administered by the Federal Aviation Administration, the White House said in a statement. The declaration also calls on the secretary to do away with 'outdated, redundant or overly restrictive rules for launch and re-entry vehicles'. 'Inefficient permitting processes discourage investment and innovation, limiting the ability of US companies to lead in global space markets,' the executive order states. While Musk and Trump had a high-profile falling out months ago, the billionaire entrepreneur's SpaceX rocket and satellite venture potentially stands to be the single biggest immediate beneficiary of Trump's order on Wednesday. SpaceX, though not mentioned by name in Trump's order, easily leads all US space industry entities, including NASA, in the sheer number of launches it routinely conducts for its own satellite network, the US space agency, the Pentagon, and other enterprises. Jeff Bezos' private rocket company Blue Origin and its space tourism business could also gain from a more relaxed regulatory regime. Musk has repeatedly complained that environmental impact studies, post-flight mishap investigations and licensing reviews required by the FAA have needlessly slowed testing of SpaceX's Starship rocket, under development at the company's South Texas launch facility. Starship is the centrepiece of Musk's long-term SpaceX business model, as well as a core component of NASA's ambitions for returning astronauts to the moon's surface, establishing a permanent human lunar presence and ultimately sending crewed missions to Mars. Musk has viewed FAA oversight as a hindrance to his company's engineering culture, considered more risk-tolerant than many of the aerospace industry's more established players. SpaceX's flight-test strategy is known for pushing spacecraft prototypes to the point of failure, then fine-tuning improvements through frequent repetition. The first grid fin for the next generation Super Heavy booster. The redesigned grid fins are 50% larger and higher strength, moving from four fins to three for vehicle control while enabling the booster to descend at higher angles of attack. — SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 13, 2025 This has appeared to run afoul at times with the FAA's mission of safeguarding the public and the environment as it exercises its regulatory jurisdiction over commercial spaceflight. Earlier this year, the FAA grounded Starship test flights for nearly two months after back-to-back post-launch explosions rained debris over Caribbean islands and forced dozens of airliners to change course. The FAA ended up expanding the aircraft hazard zone along Starship's launch trajectories before licensing future flights.
CNN
28 minutes ago
- CNN
NBA clears Boston Celtics' $6.1 billion sale to Bill Chisholm
A group headed by Bill Chisholm is set to take control of the Boston Celtics after the NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved the sale on Wednesday. The NBA wrote in a statement, 'The transaction is expected to close shortly.' The reported $6.1 billion valuation for the club makes it the second-largest sale price for a US sports franchise, behind the $10 billion valuation for the Los Angeles Lakers when Mark Walter purchased that team in June. Chisholm and his partners are buying at least 51 percent of the Celtics. The ownership stake will increase in 2028, according to the purchase contract, when Chisholm's group is scheduled to buy out the remaining minority shareholders at a $7.3 billion valuation. According to multiple media reports, Chisholm will take over as the Celtics' governor when the sale goes through. Outgoing owner Wyc Grousbeck is expected to serve as alternate governor and remain the CEO through 2028. Grousbeck will cede his role when he no longer has the required ownership stake of at least 15 percent. Chisholm, the co-founder and managing partner of the California-based private equity firm STG Partners, is a Massachusetts native and longtime Celtics fan. Grousbeck and the outgoing ownership group Boston Basketball Partners LLC purchased the Celtics for $360 million in 2002. During that group's tenure, the club won NBA titles in 2007-08 and 2023-24 – the latter representing Boston's league-record 18th championship.
Skift
29 minutes ago
- Skift
Canadians Shun U.S., Ennismore's IPO Impact, and MSC's Carbon Cuts
Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Good morning from Skift. It's Thursday, August 14. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today. Canadians are continuing to shun travel to the U.S., writes Associate Editor Rashaad Jorden. The number of Canadians returning by car from the U.S. dropped 37% in July from last year, marking the seventh straight month of declines. July also saw a roughly 26% decrease in Canadians returning by air from the U.S. However, the number of Canadians returning from destinations other than the U.S. rose roughly 6%. Japan and Brazil, among other countries, have registered double-digit increases in Canadian visitors between January and June. Listen to This Podcast Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Youtube | RSS Next, Hospitality Reporter Luke Martin explains how a successful IPO for Ennismore could change how investors view lifestyle hotels. Martin writes, although Wall Street has long prioritized scale and cost efficiency, a successful IPO could elevate design, brand heat, and food-and-beverage revenue as credible sources of long-term value. If Ennismore performs well as a public company, Martin notes that would change how developers in the U.S. pick brands. However, Martin writes that if an Ennismore IPO were to stumble, that would reinforce the prevailing view that lifestyle belongs inside big hotel groups, not as a standalone business on the public markets. Finally, MSC Cruises, the third-largest cruise operator by passenger numbers, says it managed to cut greenhouse gas emissions last year. But the cruise industry still has a lot of work to reduce its massive carbon footprint, writes Climate Reporter Darin Graham. MSC Cruises highlighted in its latest climate report the tweaks and strategies that helped it cut emissions, including using AI-controlled heating and cooling systems. In addition, MSC's move to plug ships into the grid while in port enabled ships to run on electricity. However, MSC said its overall emissions will start climbing again without more transformative decarbonization solutions as its fleet grows. A report from maritime consultancy DNV warns that by 2030, the global production of carbon-neutral fuels for cruise ships won't match demand.
