Life Onboard Princess Cruises
Overview
Princess Cruises began life in 1965 when founder Stanley B. McDonald charted the ship Princess Patricia. Over the years, the company expanded its fleet and became famous as the backdrop for the popular television show The Love Boat in the 1970s.
Acquired by Carnival Corporation in 2003, Princess Cruises introduced innovative features like MedallionClass® technology, offering personalised cruising experiences. Today, the cruise line’s 17 ships sail to over 330 destinations worldwide, combining modern luxury with nearly 60 years of cruising expertise.
Accommodations
You’ll have a vast array of accommodations to select from, whichever Princess Cruises ship you choose. Ships in the Sphere Class offer Interior, Oceanview and Balcony cabins as well as Mini-Suites and Suites. The Royal Class ships boast Wheelchair-Accessible, Interior, Premium Oceanview, Balcony and Deluxe Balcony Cabins and Two-Bedroom Family Suites (only available on Sapphire Princess), Mini-Suites, the Reserve Collection, Suites and Sky Suites (though not on Majestic Princess, Regal Princess or Royal Princess). Each of the ships in the Grand Class offers Wheelchair-Accessible, Interior, Oceanview and Balcony Cabins, alongside Two-Bedroom Family Suites, Mini-Suites, the Reserve Collection and Suites. With the Coral Class, you can choose from Wheelchair-Accessible, Interior, Oceanview and Balcony Cabins as well as Mini-Suites, Suites and the Reserve Collection.
Amenities vary depending on the accommodation you choose, but a refrigerator, a flat-screen television, a private bathroom with a shower, 100% cotton, high-thread count linens, 24-hour room service, a spacious closet, a desk with a chair, a hair dryer and other bathroom amenities and a digital security safe all come as standard. For more information, click through to each cruise ship to discover the accommodations available.
Activities
There’s never a dull moment on a Princess Cruises voyage.
Joining forces with Discovery™, Princess Cruises brings enriching new experiences onboard and ashore with their Discovery at SEA program. Onboard activities include stargazing on the top deck and activities inspired by hit shows like Shark Week, Finding Bigfoot and Deadliest Catch. At shore, you can get the most out of your holiday with Discovery™ and Animal Planet™ Recommended Tours.
Elsewhere onboard, you can enjoy destination-themed activities relevant to the shores you sail. Live performances, music and dance lessons, as well as local foods, will provide you with a deeper connection to the destinations you visit. Learn how to prepare gourmet specialities and pair perfect wines with culinary demonstrations and wine tastings, take part in world-class gaming, peruse the extensive art gallery, attend an art history lecture or get exclusive behind-the-scenes access with the Ultimate Ship Tour.
Take a dip in one of the onboard sparkling freshwater pools, unwind in a hot tub or on a comfortable padded lounger, or play basketball, ping pong, mini-golf or shuffleboard. Interact with fellow book lovers at the Princess Cruises Book Club or add a new twist to your dance moves at a dance class.
Entertainment
Entertainment beckons from every corner of a Princess Cruises ship with dazzling stage sets, performers from around the globe, modern hits and timeless classics.
Rock Opera, for example, is a one-of-a-kind production featuring incredible costumes inspired by glamorous avant-garde fashion and a musical soundtrack that spans classic rock, opera and musical theatre. A first for Princess Cruises, the production is sung in English, Spanish, Latin and American Sign Language. Other shows you can expect to see onboard include 5-SKIES, Fiera and The Secret Silk.
You’ll also find world-class magicians, illusionists and comedians performing in the theatre. Be mesmerised by sleight-of-hand tricks and mind-blowing acts.
There truly is something to keep you entertained at any time of day. The Voice of the Ocean is Princess Cruises’ spin on the number one television show, The Voice. Complete with live performances, professional mentors, blind auditions, charismatic judges and the iconic rotating chairs, The Voice of the Ocean is cruise entertainment at its best.
Movies Under the Stars® is a poolside movie theatre that lights up the top deck day or night with feature films, thrilling concerts and exciting sporting events. Snuggle up with warm popcorn and enjoy your favourite films under the stars.
Food & Drink
A wondrous culinary journey awaits on a Princess Cruises voyage. From hand-tossed pizzas to dazzling multi-course gourmet dinners, you’ll find enticing food and dining options throughout the day, as lovingly prepared as a home-cooked meal.
Princess Cruises' main dining rooms give you the flexibility to choose, so you can eat where, when and what you want. What’s more, you can choose from Anytime Dining and Traditional Dining. Anytime Dining enables you the freedom to dine when and with whom you wish, at any time between 5.30 pm and 10.00 pm. Traditional Dining harks back to the Golden Era of sea travel, allowing you to dine at the same time each day with the same tablemates and waitstaff. You’ll be overwhelmed with choices when it comes to complimentary dining options onboard. World Fresh Marketplace features an ever-changing menu of regional specialities and comfort food favourites. You can dine here any time of the day - breakfast, lunch or dinner. Serving up the ‘Best Pizza at Sea’ (according to USA TODAY), the menu at Alfredo’s Pizzeria draws from Princess Cruises Italian heritage. The Neapolitan-style pizza is hand-tossed and freshly baked right on deck, and it’s nearly impossible to walk past without grabbing a slice.
Princess Cruises’ speciality and experiential dining venues are ideal for celebrating a special occasion or simply enjoying the onboard experience. Love by Britto, which debuted on Sun Princess, is a unique dining experience that features world-renowned artist Romero Britto, who is known for his bold, colourful and joyful style. The partnership celebrates the love of life through colourful design and an imaginative prix fixe menu curated by culinary virtuoso Chef Rudi Sodamin. Expect dishes like lobster thermidor and beef tenderloin with truffle jus on the menu. From one experiential dining experience to another, 360 can be found on Discovery Princess and Enchanted Princess. Here, you can embark on an unparalleled adventure through the Mediterranean with a seven-course journey that blends storytelling with inspired visuals, rousing music, spectacular cuisine, aromatic scents and immersive technology.
Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria is a crowd favourite. Boasting a menu inspired by treasured family recipes curated by talented Italian chefs, you’ll be transported to Italy with unique handmade pasta courses prepared fresh daily. From the mastermind Chef Rudi Sodamin, The Catch by Rudi is a celebration of all things ocean, from the menu to the setting. Here, you can sample everything from the catch of the day to a raw seafood bar.
These are just a few of the incredible dining options Princess Cruises offers onboard. Click through to each cruise ship to discover what’s available.
Princess Cruises boasts a fantastic selection of bars and lounges. Good Spirits at Sea is an immersive bar that transports you around the globe in search of the inspiration behind one-of-a-kind cocktail creations. Vines Wine Bar is Princess Cruises’ signature wine bar. Voted by USA TODAY as the ‘Best Wine Bar at Sea,’ Vines Wine Bar boasts an impressive collection of wine and champagne. Bellini’s is a popular champagne bar that is the ideal spot for a drink before or after dinner. Expect to find a range of cocktails, wine and champagne on the menu here.
There are plenty of lounges to choose from, too. Take Five is a lively jazz lounge. Live musicians perform brilliant jazz classics each evening and share stories of true jazz legends through the ages. Sip on cocktails designed by master mixologist Rob Floyd as Take Five transports you to the heart of the jazz era. Vista Lounge allows guests to sip delicious cocktails while watching top-notch entertainment. During the day, activities range from bingo to art auctions and even enrichment lectures. At night, expect live bands, late-night comedy, and cabaret, to name a few.
Princess Cruises offers four drinks packages to help you tailor your cruise to your needs. Serving everything from cappuccinos to craft cocktails, you can choose from the Classic Soda Package, Zero-Alcohol Package, Plus Beverage Package and Premier Beverage Package. To find out what’s included in each package, click here.
Kids & Teens
Princess Cruises is a family-friendly cruise line offering an exciting kids’ program that ensures young cruisers are entertained throughout the journey. The Camp Discovery program is specially designed with a full schedule of activities to keep children engaged and having fun. Divided into three age-specific clubs, it caters to all age groups, providing a safe and enjoyable space for your children to explore, play and make new friends while you relax and enjoy your time onboard.
Children aged 3 to 7 will delight in the whimsical, forest-themed Tree House. The area inspires playtime and invites exploration. It is a safe space for children to dance, enjoy pyjama movie nights, create art projects, or compete in Lego® building contests. The Lodge is designed for children aged 8 to 12 and is inspired by the great outdoors. Children can keep busy with games, dancing, Olympic competitions, rocket building, stargazing, talent shows, theme nights and treasure hunts. The Beach House is the place for teens. Here, they can hang out and socialise with late-night movies, dance classes, video game tournaments, sports competitions and a teens-only party complete with a red carpet, awards and “mocktails.”
The Treehouse, The Lodge and The Beach House can be found on every Princess Cruises ship.
Relaxation & Fitness
For many, a cruise is all about relaxing. And what better way to unwind than at Lotus Spa®? The award-winning Lotus Spa®, which can be found on every Princess Cruises ship, features a wide range of treatments. You can choose from facials, massages, acupuncture, hair treatments, manicures and pedicures - it’s no wonder it’s been named ‘Best Spa on a Cruise Ship’ by Spafinder Wellness 365™!
Onboard Royal Class ships (Discovery Princess, Enchanted Princess, Majestic Princess, Regal Princess, Royal Princess and Sky Princess), you’ll find The Enclave® at Lotus Spa®, a thermal suite and hydro-therapy pool that features a cascading rain shower and therapeutic air jets. You can relax on heated stone beds or soothing water beds or enjoy the Hammam, a Turkish-style steam bath; the Caladrium, a light steam chamber infused with herbal aromas; and the Laconium, a heated, dry chamber that helps with purification and detoxification of the body.
The Sanctuary, which offers a relaxing retreat for adults, can be found on every Princess Cruises ship. With signature beverages, light meals and al fresco massages, Serenity Stewards attend to your every need, whether it’s to provide chilled face towels or Evian water atomisers.
Fitness fanatics will love the Lotus Spa® Fitness Center. In the onboard gym, you’ll find state-of-the-art equipment, fitness programs, personal training sessions and classes waiting for you. In fact, Princess Cruises offers one of the most impressive and fulfilling timetables for classes at sea. You can get in a full body workout with Pure Barre, maintain your mind-body connection with Club Pilates, stay flexible while increasing your range of motion with Stretch Lab, energise and empower with YogaSix and get your heart pumping with a CycleBar class.
MedallionClass® Technology
Princess MedallionClass® technology offers an effortless and personalised cruise experience.
It starts with a small wearable Medallion® that makes touch-free boarding, keyless stateroom entry and finding your way around the ship simple. You can also order food and drinks wherever you are on board, stay connected with fast Wi-Fi and use cashless payments for convenience.
With easy access to entertainment, dining reservations and onboard activities through the Princess Cruises App, the MedallionClass® technology allows you to focus on enjoying your holiday by offering the following:
- Contactless boarding: You can get OceanReady® at home by downloading the Princess Cruises App. Simply pick up your Medallion® at the port, and you’ll be able to get onboard your chosen ship much faster.
- Keyless stateroom entry: With your Medallion®, you’ll enjoy keyless entry to your stateroom with automatic door locks.
- Simplified safety training: The muster drill has had a makeover - with MedallionClass®, you can access safety information through a video you can watch once onboard and in your stateroom.
- The best Wi-Fi at sea: The MedallionNet® found onboard all Princess Cruises ships lets you access the internet anywhere onboard, so you can text, video call, share photos, check emails, stream your favourite shows, films, music and sports and stay in touch with loved ones at home.
- Food, drinks and more on-demand: Whether you’re peckish during Movies Under the Stars® or you’ve forgotten your suncream, you can order whatever you need, and friendly staff will deliver it straight to you, wherever you are onboard.
- Book dining reservations: Via Dine My Way, you can customise your dining time for each day, choosing from the main dining room or speciality restaurants.
- TrulyTouchless™ payments: You can purchase food, drinks and more touch-free thanks to MedallionPay™. Using your Medallion®, you can make purchases contactless.
- Easily find your way around: Find your way with the ShipMate™ locator. Navigate your chosen ship more easily with turn-by-turn directions to wherever you want to go next.
- Onboard events: From live music to games, stargazing to dance classes, you can view and reserve onboard activities via JourneyView™.
- Stateroom television: The video-on-demand system in your stateroom allows you to watch live television, movies and Ocean Originals anytime, anywhere.
- Family-friendly games: Play location-based scavenger hunts and other games directly on portals around your chosen ship. You can even create an OceanTagalong® avatar that follows you throughout your cruise.
Captain’s Circle℠
Did you know you can be rewarded for your loyalty if you choose to sail with Princess Cruises time and time again? The cruise line’s loyalty programme, Captain’s Circle, offers its members exclusive benefits, like launch savings and early access to new itineraries.
The loyalty programme is easy to join - you’ll automatically be enrolled as a Gold Captain’s Circle member when you’ve completed your first voyage with Princess Cruises. Gold tier benefits include Captain’s Circle launch savings, early access to new itineraries, preferential pricing offers, members-only onboard events, access to a Circle Host onboard, Circle Center online and a Circle Savings account. You’ll become a Ruby member after completing three cruises or 30 cruise days. Included in the Ruby tier is exclusive shoreside access to the Captain’s Circle Help Desk phone line as well as the Princess Platinum Vacation Protection upgrade, which comprises 100% cancellation benefit, double accident and sickness benefits and expanded medical expenses and evacuation coverage. Next up is the Platinum tier, which you’ll become a member of once you’ve completed five cruises or 50 cruise days. In this tier, you’ll have access to 50% off the MedallionNet® package, early access to dining reservations, 10% off Lotus Spa® treatments, a 10% discount in the Photo Gallery and access to a Platinum and Elite Lounge.
After completing 15 cruises or 150 cruise days with Princess Cruises, you’ll be enrolled into the Elite tier. The best of the best, the Elite tier offers a 10% discount in The Shops of Princess, 10% off shore excursions, priority ship-to-shore water shuttle embarkation, a complimentary Grapevine Wine Tasting event, complimentary mini-bar setup, deluxe canapé selection on formal nights, complimentary afternoon tea in your stateroom, priority disembarkation and complimentary laundry services and shoe polishing.
What’s more, when you book through ROL Cruise, you’ll earn Cruise Miles® and gain benefits from Captain’s Circle.
Princess Cruises Destinations
As a destination leader, Princess Cruises sail to over 330 cruise destinations across more than 100 countries on all seven continents. It’s no wonder they’ve won so many awards, from ‘Best Alaska Cruises’ to ‘Best Cruise Lines in the Caribbean.’ With such a vast array of itineraries, from North America to Asia, you can sail to some of the world’s most impressive destinations.
Each itinerary is carefully curated to offer an immersive experience, and you can make the most of your time in port with Princess Cruises’ extensive range of award-winning excursions. Make sure to keep an eye out for the Discovery at Sea shore excursions. Voted ‘Best Shore Excursions - Discovery at Sea’ by Travel Weekly, these trips are unique and can only be booked through Princess Cruises. Offering once-in-a-lifetime experiences that are both enriching and immersive, the handpicked Discovery at Sea shore excursions are not to be missed.
Types of Cruises
Princess Cruises attracts a wide range of travellers. Voted the ‘Best Cruise Line for Couples’ and ‘Best Cruise Line for Honeymooners’ by Cruise Critic, it’s especially popular among couples seeking a romantic getaway. Princess Cruises is also a fantastic option for families and multigenerational cruisers and has been recognised as a ‘Great Cruise Line for Teens’ by Fodor’s. In addition, the welcoming atmosphere onboard makes Princess Cruises ideal for first-time cruisers and solo travellers.
