The biggest Princess changes in 2026 aren’t the new itineraries. Yes, they are expanding Caribbean and Alaska sailings. But many more changes are happening on the ships. Costs are shifting, the value of Princess Plus or Premier packages is changing, and some improvements to WiFi look set to change the onboard experience.
For some cruisers, the most important 2026 changes aren’t obvious at first glance. Two Princess guests can book the same sailing and step on board with completely different package perks, dining value, and WiFi expectations depending on when they booked.
That’s exactly why the smartest cruisers are no longer just looking at the ship or itinerary—they’re checking what changed behind the booking screen before they hit confirm.
Princess Plus and Premier Changed in Ways Cruisers Will Actually Notice
Princess refreshed its Plus and Premier packages for 2026, and at first glance, they genuinely look better. Princess Plus now includes four casual dining meals per guest. At the same time, Princess Premier now covers unlimited casual dining, unlimited specialty dining, and shore excursion credit—worth $100 on 6–9-night cruises, $200 on 10–20-night cruises, and up to $300 on voyages of 21+ days.
The part that catches people out is that those better perks arrived with higher pricing—and more fine print than many cruisers expect.
Package value also depends on when you purchased Princess Plus or Premier, not just when you booked the cruise. Guests sailing in 2026 who purchased those packages before July 22, 2025 may have older benefits, while guests who purchased on or after that date may receive the refreshed 2026 version.
So yes, two people on the same Princess sailing could both say they booked Plus or Premier and still have different dining limits, WiFi allowances, or excursion credit attached to the fare.
That’s why this isn’t really a simple “Princess added more perks” story. The real change is better headline value, higher cost, and a version split that makes it worth checking your booking confirmation before assuming the package still delivers the value you think it does.
Princess Just Made the Caribbean Much Bigger—and the Timing Matters
One of the 2026 changes cruisers will notice is just how many more Caribbean sailings Princess now has to choose from. Princess is planning its biggest ever summer Caribbean season with multiple sailings from Fort Lauderdale on the Regal Princess, and some sailings from Port Canaveral on the Caribbean Princess.
This matters because more summer Caribbean sailings mean more itinerary choices, with cruises from four to 20+ days available. There is more flexibility in Florida embarkation to find dates that fit school breaks, life-event celebrations, family schedules, or back-to-back cruise plans without forcing a compromise.
For regular Princess cruisers, the expansion is noticeable when you’re booking a Caribbean cruise vacation.
Suddenly, the Caribbean stops feeling like a winter-only default and starts looking like a much bigger part of the line’s year-round value in 2026.
Alaska Biggest Ever Season—Princess Is Going All In for 2026
Princess Cruises announced that 2026 will be one of its biggest Alaska seasons ever. The cruise line has scheduled over 180 departures to 19 destinations. It also signals the debut of Star Princess in Alaska.
Alaska is one of those sailings people plan for months, even years in advance. Princess Alaska cruises can include glacier viewing, sled dog meet-and-greet, real-time narration, Alaska-inspired dining experiences, and stargazing evenings. The expanded 2026 cruise schedule offers more opportunities to find an itinerary, ship, and departure port you actually want.
The catch is that Alaska’s “best” weeks still vanish fast. The balcony cabins with the strongest glacier days, the cleanest school-break timings, and now the first Star Princess Alaska sailings are exactly the ones experienced Princess cruisers start circling early.
Wait too long, and bigger season or not, you’re often left choosing from what everyone else passed on.
Better WiFi Is Quietly Becoming Part of the Booking Decision
Better WiFi is quietly becoming one of those things cruisers suddenly care about after one bad sailing. Princess now puts MedallionNet Max much closer to the package decision, with Princess Premier covering four devices and Princess Plus covering one. Rather than having to think about drink packages, specialty dining, and WiFi as separate decisions, Princess has included fast WiFi in its drink and dining packages.
That sounds small—right up until two people are trying to stream, message home, upload photos, and check excursion plans at the same time. Suddenly, the “cheaper” fare doesn’t always feel like the smarter one.
The Costs That Still Seem to Be Moving in the Wrong Direction
Princess has added more layered costs to the booking process that many cruisers only discover during the booking process. Certain specially priced promotional fares can have 100% non-refundable deposits, and it also offers refundable fare/protection options. The final payment deadlines are 90 days before departure for sailings up to 24 nights, and 120 days for 25+ nights.
Then there’s the onboard creep regular cruisers always notice by day three: some service charges on drinks, specialty dining, and certain purchases have risen from 18% to 20%.
Therefore, Princess’s current policies make it worth checking the fine print on deposits, cancellation terms, and onboard charges. Depending on fare type, some deposits may be non-refundable, and optional onboard drinks and dining purchases can carry added service charges.
None of this is unusual anymore—but it’s a reminder that cruising still keeps finding small ways to cost more.
Dining Just Got Better on Some Princess Ships—Is Yours One of Them in 2026?
Dining upgrades are getting more ship-specific in 2026, and this is exactly why cruisers need to pay attention to the ship name, not just the itinerary. Diamond Princess now has Makoto Ocean and Crown Grill, and Princess’s Makoto Ocean page also shows the venue available on Sapphire Princess, Star Princess, and Sun Princess.
That means some Princess guests will eat better than others in 2026—but only if their ship is one of the ones getting the stronger dining rollout.
What Princess Cruisers Should Double-Check Before Booking in 2026
Before booking your next Princess cruise, it’s worth looking at what actually changed around your sailing. Some itineraries now simply give you far more options to choose from. But then there’s the quieter stuff, like whether Princess Plus or Premier still adds enough value to justify the extra cost, and you’ll need to budget for higher onboard extras and gratuities.
It’s those small pre-booking checks that usually separate the “great pick” sailings from the ones people wish they’d looked at a little harder.
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