We were invited by Princess Cruises for a week on Sky Princess, with the Princess Premier package. This was the first time we ever sailed Princess Cruises and won’t be the last. And for us, the Princess Premier package made it so easy. While Princess Plus also looks to be a very good plan, the Princess Premier for us would be a must on any Princess cruise. Princess Premier currently costs $80 per day per guest.
We did not utilize every aspect of the Princess Premier package, but we did try most. Some of the offerings were such a huge value for us that we would not go without Princess Premier when sailing on our own.
Here is our review of the different aspects of the Princess Premier package.
Sky Princess, photo by Jeff Lange, Mousesteps.com
Wi-Fi (up to 4 devices per guest) – Okay, 4 devices per guest is a lot per person! We did not need that many. Traditionally, we pay for one device Wi-Fi on cruises, and sign in and out to use our computers and phones. Even when we’ve been given a two-device plan for media cruises, we still sign in and out of our computers and phones to switch devices. This cruise was the most convenient we have ever had it for Wi-Fi at sea. The Wi-Fi is good for surfing and writing articles, but we were not able to upload videos (unless taking hours for a short video).
Having Wi-Fi for the week – to use anytime we wanted for our devices – was the biggest value for us on the Princess Premier package.
Crew appreciation – Tips are included! Of course, you can add an extra gratuity at any time as well. This is another terrific benefit to the package.
Premier Beverage Package –
Margarita on the Sky Princess. Photo by Jeff Lange, Mousesteps.com.
We used this quite a bit, and not just for alcohol. There is a limit of 15 alcoholic beverages per day up to $20, and we each did order at least a few drinks each day. I tended to stick with wine and champagne. Jeff ordered cocktails and beer, especially if the beer was interesting. We also ordered bottled water and sodas with this plan.
Piraat Beer on the Sky Princess. Photo by Jeff Lange, Mousesteps.com.
I recommend exploring the drink menus at the various bars and restaurants. For example, we found Piraat and Gulden Draak beers from Belgium in the Crown Grill Bar, as well as other crafts and imports. I think these add an extremely nice value to the Premier package.
Princess Cays also accepted the Princess Premier beverage package.
Unlimited Juice Bar – There wasn’t any juice I was interested in. Also, the fruit variety on the buffet was excellent – oranges, apples, kiwi, watermelon, bananas and more. I took advantage of that.
Premium desserts (unlimited) –
Premium Desserts on Sky Princess
We used this once just to try the “crazy” gelato creations. The gelato is authentic but the desserts are too big for us and so not of much value personally on the package (but a bonus for those who do indulge).
Fitness classes (unlimited) – We didn’t use this part of the package. Instead we walked on deck for exercise in addition to shore excursions (we were off the ship quite a bit for those).
Photo package (unlimited digital + 3 prints) –
Photo on Princess Cays
To receive unlimited downloads plus three prints – per person, not per room – is a really nice. I wish we used this even more! We never buy picture packages on cruises because of the expense. We did have issues with the app at the beginning of the cruise for photos, and then trying to secure our prints. In the end, the prints were mailed to us because there was a photo printer issue.
Princess Prizes –
Not winning the Princess Prizes
We never won Princess Prizes, but we could see on our door that we were entered without having to do anything. Princess Cruises says you can win prizes like “wine tasting, Chef’s Table and so much more”.
Two specialty dining meals per guest –
Sabatini’s charger plate. Photo by Jeff Lange, Mousesteps.com.
This is another great benefit! We did try all three specialty dining locations on the Sky Princess. Our favorite was the Crown Grill, where I had a fantastic filet mignon and Jeff ordered the Surf & Turf (which is an additional $10.00 per serving with the lobster tail).
Crown Grill Surf and Turf on Sky Princess.
This was our favorite meal of the trip. Sabatini’s and The Catch were also excellent. It would be hard to decide on just two locations (so we would splurge for the third). The usual cost is $39.00 for Crown Grill and The Catch, and $35.00 for Sabatini’s. And with Princess Premier, we could enjoy wine, beer and/or a cocktails with our meals with out an extra charge (I had a very nice Funky Diva Caipirinha at Sabatini’s).
Reserved theater seating (for production shows only) – Our meals were scheduled in such a way that it was hard to see production shows, so we didn’t utilize it.
Unlimited casual dining meals –
Alfredo’s Pizza on Sky Princess (half and half). Photo by Jeff Lange, Mousesteps.
We dined several times at Alfredo’s, which was wonderful (Ronaldo was so nice!). The pizza is great, as is the minestrone soup and the salad. Pizzas can be customized to be half and half if you want two different types. Both dessert options were excellent too. This is a popular location on the ship! Jeff also tried the sushi at Ocean Terrace and had an incredible meal with a Sapporo beer.
Ocean Terrace sushi. Photo by Jeff Lange, Mousesteps.
We were very happy with the variety of different dining venues on the Sky Princess.
OceanNow delivery – OceanNow delivery allows for beverages and food from the app to be delivered anywhere on the ship. We used this quite a bit, especially for waters, sodas and beer to the room (and an occasional food item). We did learn to not use it when near a bar – we tried twice and neither time was the drink delivered to us.
Grolsch beer, Tiger beer and soda with OceanNow. Photo by Jeff Lange, Mousesteps.
We found OceanNow could be relatively quick or take quite some time. I tried to only order if we were going to be in one place for a bit. Also, a couple of times our order was canceled without me realizing. So I recommend keeping an eye on the app.
Room service delivery – We tried breakfast delivery, but the food in the World Fresh Marketplace buffet is just so much better and varied. And if we wanted a sandwich, we headed to the International Cafe (which also has very nice chocolate chip cookies). But with four ports to explore, it was great especially having waters delivered.
For us, there is so much value in the Princess Premier package for items we would purchase (like Wi-Fi, specialty dining and gratuities) and then everything else is just a great bonus, like the photos and even alcohol. We normally would purchase a very limited amount of drinks on a cruise, and it was nice to have it with our meals or in between.
Princess Cruises does have the Plus plan as well for those who don’t need as much as the Premier package offers.
We were invited for a week by Princess Cruises to sail the Sky Princess. All views are ours. Thank you to Princess Cruises for having us!
