10 things you should know before planning a Princess cruise

[@lilemmyRA]

You can make dining reservations on your cabin TV once you're on the ship, too.

[@TheChillCruiser]

Good to know! Thank you for sharing!

[@chadandmatthewcruise]

We enjoy the experience on the ship when on Princess, but their customer service shoreside is akin to calling the cable company. We found the only way to get resolution to issues we were having with dining reservations was to complain in the comments on one of their posts on Instagram. The cruise we are booked for later this summer with them was a great deal, but it hasn’t been nearly as smooth as our experiences on Holland America and Cunard. Hoping they can fix some of the issues you mentioned!

[@TheChillCruiser]

Agree, Princess offers great value but they have a lot of basics they need to fix!

[@LillianTownsend-cu9xs]

I definitely think princess website is pretty annoying compared to other cruise line websites.

[@TheChillCruiser]

I’m glad I’m not the only one!

[@travelwithdebandnick]

Really interesting tips thanks for sharing :)

[@jasonlangdon5141]

Great tips, Thanks!

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you Jason!

[@jacquelyns9709]

Make sure you really need a drink package before purchasing one. Do the math. Carefuly look at what's included in the Plus & Premier packages. Be honest with yourself. Will you actually use all the elements? Compare the package price with the stand-alone costs of what you will actually use. If the package price is greater than the stand-alone price, you don't need it. If you are a light drinker of alcoholic drinks and soda, you don't need a drink package. On my last cruise, I took a bottle of wine on board, which I didn't even open until the 5th day of the cruise. I was too tired to drink before then. We had the soda package, but it didn't cover sparkling water. It turned out to be a waste of money since we didn't break even.

[@allent1034]

Agreed that Princess could improve some things but Lenora's "map" clearly states Haines is a port substitution. What that means is still not clear but should have been enough for anyone to investigate further. I think she just had assumed Skagway was a port and didn't really look at anything. Did she really think the President of the company was going to write her back? The biggest issue I have with booking Princess is that they will charge you extra to book a cabin in a location on a ship that is sold out. They tell you your cabin will be assigned there later but what they are really saying is room cabin will be somewhere other than that location you paid extra for. So why did you pay extra? Very misleading.

[@TheChillCruiser]

I think it’s fair to expect at least an acknowledgement of the message from the President’s “office”/escalation team.

[@suelelievre5513]

Very good tips. We enjoy watching you. Thanks

[@TheChillCruiser]

Thank you so much Sue! I really appreciate the feedback! (And I'm glad you found the tips helpful!)

[@suelelievre5513]

Our very first cruise will be to Alaska in Sept. on Discovery, and I'm trying to find practical tips to make it less stressful. Yours are appreciated.

[@TheChillCruiser]

@@suelelievre5513 You picked a great ship - I sailed on Discovery's sister ship Enchanted and I enjoyed it (see my review if you haven't already). Alaska is amazing - I'll be there on a cruise in July so will try to share some tips after.

[@suelelievre5513]

You'll think we're nuts, but we've also booked two Oceania cruises. Both on Marina. One 24 day Mediterranean next year and a 20 day Antarctica one in early 2026. Go big or go home! 😀 We are sure we will enjoy all of them.

[@TheChillCruiser]

@@suelelievre5513 WOW! Good for you! I've only heard great things about Oceania - they are a much more premium line than Princess with smaller, more intimate ships

[@wisdomSP]

I'm so confused with the balcony cabin classifications. We sailed twice on the Enchanted Princess with a deluxe balcony both times. First cruise we were in cabin D701. It had a large balcony with lots of room, and was twice the size of the one on our second cruise in cabin R201. What gives?

[@jacquelyns9709]

You should have mentioned that the cost of insurance is also affected by your age. The older you are, the more you pay. My friend and I are going to Alaska this summer, and my insurance (3rd party) cost hundreds of dollars more because I am now 76. Princess's insurance doesn't cover enough for an Alaskan trip.😮

[@pickandaprayer]

What 3rd party did you use for insurance?

[@jacquelyns9709]

@@pickandaprayer Allianz

[@joanshortall7333]

Why don't you suggest they don't even use Princess's insurance? I never use the cruiseline insurance.

[@joanshortall7333]

If people use travel agents they may not have all these issues. That should be your first tip

[@MrAwesomeSauce777]

Hello, can you please elaborate on princess WiFi costs on board. It seems to be a little confusing! What if im not doing princess premier or plus… is it 24.99 per person per day? And can i get 1/2 off since im elite (they’ll just deduct it from my acct)? Does anyone know how this works? Appreciate it!