Why Princess Cruise Line?

Picking a cruise line to cruise with is something like picking the mate you want to live with. You need to find out how your personalities match, both with a selected mate, and also with the cruise line or ship you choose.

While cruise lines may try to persuade travelers they can offer an all-things-to-all-people onboard experience, we're increasingly seeing them carve out distinctive lifestyle niches. Still, picking the perfect cruise line or ship -- like choosing the perfect love match -- can be tricky. Even the same cruise line can offer different experiences based on the age and size of a ship and the destination and time of year you're sailing. 

Similar to hotels, there are four main classes of cruise ships:

★★★ Mainstream cruise lines are the most affordable and they tend to have a lot more resort style ships offering water parks, climbing walls, etc. and tend to target and attract families and a younger crowd. While we would have been more attracted to this type of cruising years ago, or if we were taking children with us, we feel we would probably would not partake of many of these activities today. Because of the families and younger crowds, you will also experience more children running around and perhaps a more loud party atmosphere crowd onboard, neither of which we are attracted to. Cruise lines in this category are: Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line, and MSC.

★★★★ Premium cruise lines are more expensive than Mainstream cruise line and offer a wide range of accommodations to consider, such as balcony and suite options. They provide a slightly more premium experience and tend to have more of a traditional cruising experience and more bells and whistles and features. Cruise lines in this category are: Celebrity, Princess, Cunard, Virgin Voyages, Disney Cruises, and Holland America.

★★★★★ Luxury cruise lines tend to operate slightly smaller ships and they tend to go to more unique and different ports than Premium lines. They offer a much more luxurious experience, are slightly more all inclusive, and offer a wide range of accommodation types. Cruise lines in this category include: Azamara, Oceania, Viking, and Windstar.

★★★★★★ Ultra-Luxury cruise lines label themselves as six star cruise lines and are typically have all suite accommodations, butler service, all inclusive, and a more personalized service. Cruise lines in this category are: Seabourn, Silversea, Regent Seven Seas, Explora Journey, Ritz-Carlton Yacht, and Crystal.

On a Princess Cruise you are mostly likely to be on the ship with the following guests:

• American. This is the largest group of cruisers in the world, and Princess is popular with US based travelers. The experience and ambiance has a strong American bias. You will though find a large mixture of nationalities, but with English as the onboard language there is a natural bias towards these countries.

• Older (average age is 57 years old) especially on longer cruises and when schools are in session.

• Couples, but a good representation of solo travelers.

• On cruises heading to beach and sunshine areas you will have more families during times when schools are on break.

While we cannot make judgments on other cruise lines besides Princess Cruises, because we have not sailed on them, we do love the crowd, atmosphere, and size of the Princess Cruise ships. On our past  cruises we spoke to a lot of veteran cruisers who have sailed with multiple cruise lines and their overwhelming consensus was that Princess Cruises was a more affordable and better alternative to the other cruise lines in its premium class. Unknowingly we stumbled upon a cruise line and class of ships that fit our lifestyle and feel we have met the perfect mate in doing so. I guess we are the older American couple who loves the beach and sunshine!

Gary Bembride (a popular cruise youtuber) visits the 4 main classic premium cruise lines (Princess Cruises, Holland America, Celebrity Cruises and Cunard Cruise Line) to see how they have changed, what makes them different to each other, and who they are now best for in the video below

Top 10 Things We Love About Princess Cruises

1. Food! The food choices and quality on a Princess Cruise ship are top notch. Whether you are dining in one of the Main Dining Rooms or a Specialty Restaurant, or even grabbing a bite at the buffet or some of the other smaller food cafes onboard the ship you will find top quality food which is handmade to perfection. Now with the Dine My Way  experience, dining onboard is reimagined.

2. Activities and Entertainment! You should never find yourself bored on a Princess Cruise. There is always something going on and they offer many things to satisfy your quest for activity and entertainment. The show productions are high quality and filled with a passion to entertain you. However, don't feel you have to be always doing something. If you like a slower pace there are always areas you can find to chill out by yourself.

3. OceanMedallion™. This high tech wearable device will streamline your  cruise in ways you might not imagine. We love what it can do to make our cruise more seamless especially when combined with the Princess Cruises App.

4. MedallionNet. While it is nice to get off of the grid and just enjoy life, it is also nice to share your adventure with others back home and the super fast MedallionNet internet onboard is an awesome feature. (The Sun Princess now uses the Starlink satellite system.)

5. Movies Under the Stars. The movies shown in the evening are often times current movies being shown in movie theaters. It is nice to cuddle up together under a cozy blanket and enjoy a movie together. During the day they show concerts or documentaries to entertain the whole family.

6. Mature Travelers. Princess Cruise passengers are typically older so there is much less of a party atmosphere or kids constantly running underfoot as there may be on other cruise lines. This type of cruise fits our lifestyle perfectly.

7. Elegant Décor. We love the distinctive upscale contemporary design of the Princess Ships featuring marble, brass, and fine wood.

8. Piazza. We love spending time in the Piazza area, whether it is enjoying a small string quartet or just people watching. There are many small eateries in the area to grab a bite and a cup of coffee to enjoy some relaxing time together. The Piazza on the Sun Princess is much larger than other Princess ships and can host a wide variety of entertainment options.

9. Crew.  The ships crew is always friendly and helpful. It makes the whole vacation so much more relaxing when you don't have any stress.

10. Romantic Environment. Perhaps all of the above combine to make a Princess Cruise a romantic place to be with your partner. It is great to share such an adventure with the ones you love.

Who are Princess Cruises?

Princess Cruises started sailing in 1965 with a single ship that cruised from the United States to Mexico.  Princess Cruises and the “seawitch” logo first became famous in 1977 when one of the Princess ships, Pacific Princess, was cast in a starring role on a new television show called “The Love Boat”. The weekly series, which introduced millions of viewers to the concept of a sea-going vacation, was an instant hit and Princess Cruises has remained synonymous with cruising ever since. The show, which can still be seen around the world, has been widely credited with fueling the dramatic expansion of the cruise industry. You will be reminded of this TV show whenever a Princess ship leaves a port or at the Sail Away party on embarkation day as  they play the "Love Boat" theme song on the ships horns!

By 2026 Princess Cruises will have 17 ships in its fleet carrying more than one million passengers annually. This makes it one of the fourth largest cruises line in the world based on passengers after Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian cruise Line.

The Princess line is based in Santa Clarita, California and is owned by the huge Carnival Cruise Corporation. Besides Princess Cruises, they also own other cruise lines including Carnival, Holland America, Cunard, Seabourn, AIDA, Costa, and P&O Cruises. This gives them over 90 ships at sea!

The Princess Cruise ships range in size from smaller-sized vessels like the 2,000 passenger “Coral Princess” to the larger "Royal Class" ships with 3,660 passenger capacity, and now the new Sphere Class ships with a 4,300 passenger capacity which includes the Sun Princess and its sister ship, the Star Princess scheduled to launch in late 2025.  To review the entire fleet visit princess.com/ships-and-experience/ships/. 

If you have never been on a cruise ship before you may have a preconceived idea that they are very crowded and you will feel claustrophobic while onboard. In reality, because of their huge size they are very spacious and it feels more like you're at a large resort hotel. Many times on our previous cruises we have wondered to ourselves "where is everyone?" as we walked around the ship at times. If an area does become crowded because of a special event happening there you will always be able to find some quiet spots away from everyone else to be by yourself if that is what you desire. 

Most of the Princess fleet of ships provide more of a premium, luxurious, and more traditional type of cruising experience which promotes entertainment, activities, and dining experiences tailored to typically older (average age is 57 years old) passengers without the water park resort feel to them.

Princess Cruise line is recognized as an industry innovator, having introduced many new features and programs through the years that were so well received they were later adopted by many other lines and became standard throughout the industry. Innovations such as affordable balconies on many of the ship’s outside cabins, 24-hour dining, and a choice dining venues and flexible dining times.  Princess ships also debuted features such as Movies Under the Stars poolside theaters and Anytime Dining.

Princes Cruises realizes that your vacation cruise time is valuable, so they strive to always provide exceptional service to you. As part of that commitment, they have introduced the "Princess Promise". They are confident about their services, and if you're not satisfied, they will make it right, or refund you the value of that service. Crew members are empowered to resolve issues then and there, when the can, and will work with you to find a solution to your issue. 

To help answer questions you may have about taking a cruse, Princess Cruises has created a Cruise Answer Book to try to answer  questions you may have.

about the Princess OceanMedallion™ and the Medallionclass experience

To make the most out of our cruises we have come to love the Princess MedallionClass experience featuring the OceanMedallion™. It allows us to experience a more personalized and hassle free vacation, so we can do more of what we love. 

We use the OceanMedallion a lot throughout our cruise. It makes for much faster booking, the ability to open our locked stateroom as we walk up to it, etc. Crew members may even call us by name and will be aware of any dietary needs we may have without asking!

All cruisers will be receiving a complimentary OceanMedallion device and lanyard as part of their cruise experience. The OceanMedallion can delivered to your home prior to the cruise if you pay a $10 flat fee (per Medallion). Or you could choose to pick them up at the departure port for no extra fees. 

No need to carry money while onboard. You can leave your wallet in the digital safe located in your stateroom. The OceanMedallion allows you to make any purchases from any ship store or service without having to carry cash with you. Spending too much that way? Check your current ship expenses on the App!

You can wear the OceanMedallion on the free supplied lanyard, or purchase clips, pendants, bracelets, lanyards, lanyard inserts and sports bands onboard the ship at the Ocean Front area on Deck 8. We have tried a few variations of clips to wear but we have found they don't tend to be very secure in holding the medallion in place and I was always scared of losing mine. Perhaps a better option would be to place them in an Apple airtag holder which the medallion fits into nicely.  

Click here for a list of the 10 best OceanMedallion accessories you can find on Amazon or onboard the ship at Ocean Front to securely and perhaps stylishly house your OceanMedallion.

Typically they will be a color that signifies your status in the Princess Cruise Loyalty program. They may still be selling some custom holders for your lanyard at Ocean Front to make your OceanMedallion stand out a bit.

Click here to learn more about the Princess MedallionClass experience and  click here for answers to many frequently asked questions. 

This website offers an informative, although a bit tongue-in-cheek detailed description of the app.

There are some older cruisers who perhaps do not own a smartphone and don't like change who are the ones who are most resistant to using the app (they also probably resisted the sails being put on ships instead of rowing their ships back when they started cruising) . However, we have found that it makes our cruise from start to finish a much more relaxing experience as you have access to everything at your fingertips!

While all of the Princess Cruise ships were idled during the pandemic of 2020 they took the opportunity to update ALL of their ships to utilize the Princess MedallionClass™ experience! 

In 2023 Princess Cruise Line was voted the Cruise Critic Editor's Pick for Best Innovation/Tech Award in recognition of their use of technology and innovation for enhancing the service levels onboard their ships.

So what can you expect using the OeanMedallion™?  Below is a video showing one cruisers experience testing this technology:

With over 8,000 sensors onboard and over 4 million feet of cable routed throughout the ship, the OceanMedallion™ interacts with these sensors and the Princess Cruises App to keep track of where you are. The App can help you find your way around onboard (not an easy task with a ship this size!) and more importantly, find each other if we become separated. Without it, you would wander around the ship all day looking for your shipmates. The App also has a chat feature which is handy for sending messages back and forth if you are on opposite ends of the ship.

The App shows entertainment and activity schedules allowing you to bookmark those you don't want to miss.

You can order beverages, snacks, or other items delivered to you while you're lounging by or in the pool or in your stateroom using  OceanNow on the Princess Cruise App! Hungry during Movies Under the Stars®? Realize you forgot sunscreen by the pool? Order whatever you need — burger, extra towels, aloe, etc. — it will be delivered to you with no service delivery charge (purchased items will automatically be added to your onboard account)! Unfortunately, as of August 12, 2023 there will be a one time charge of $15 per guest who use the OceanNow service with a standard fare booking. Those guests having the Plus or Premier packages will not pay this fee. Princess has also restricted some of the times that the OceanNow service is available from certain venues and delivered to certain areas. 

Dining has also be reimagined onboard Princess Cruise ships with the introduction of the Dine My Way  experience. Using the Princess Cruise App you will now be able to make dining decisions to choose When, How,  With Who, and Where you want to dine each evening!  One of the only complaints we had with the Princess Cruise dining experience in the past was trying to make reservations each day for our evening dinner. 

Below are some screen shots from just some of the available screens I took from the new app to give you an idea of some the of information you may see and use with this app. Some of the screens may not be available for use until you board the ship, such as chatting with other cruisers you are connected to. 

We have heard that a new feature had been added to the app was screen notification showing that you have received a message from one of your travel companions. This was a flaw for the chat feature in the past as you never knew if a message was waiting to be read. A small Princess "Sea Witch" symbol will appears on your iPhone screen in the upper left hand corner next to the time. However, on our last cruise this feature did not appear to work which is a shame.

MedallionNet (internet wi-fi)

Princess Cruises proclaims their MedallionNet internet to be "The Best Wi-Fi at Sea". This unlimited internet is included in the Princess Plus and Princess Premier packages.

We and others have found the Princess Cruise Medallion Net internet to be very fast. On previous cruises it allowed us to check emails, social media sites, send snaps, and watch and send videos with no issues. The internet is provided from satellites and they have good coverage in the Caribbean. Some parts of the world the internet coverage can be very spotty or non-existent during a cruise. We have heard however, that lately the internet is becoming slow at times even in the Caribbean area.

On January 18, 2023 Carnival Corporation (which owns Princess Cruise Line) announced that they will start using the new Starlink satellite system on all ships in their fleets! The Sun Princess is now outfitted with the Starlink satellite system!

Effective January 22, 2024 the cost for a single device Wi-Fi plan increased from $15 per day per person to $25! While the recent price increase was quite high, the fee is similar to what other cruise lines offer. Wi-Fi is included in the Plus and Premier packages. You can also purchase Wi-Fi for a per day charge of $30 if you decide to upload some posts to your social media sites or check your emails all in one day.

In December of 2025 Princess again made a change to their Wi-Fi pricing by increasing the packages around $10 per day if you waited to purchase them once onboard. We typically waited to purchase our Wi-Fi packages once onboard so we could use our OBC to help pay for them. However, this option would now cost us an additional $140 so we purchased the 4 device package for full price of $44.95 per day pre-cruise which came to $629.86. 

One advantage of us cruising on Princess Cruises is we have accumulated enough cruise days to be bumped up the Platinum Cruise Loyalty Level which gives us 50% off of our Wi-Fi cost. We will get the 50% off price once onboard and the savings will be applied to our onboard folio.

medallionnet wi-fi 4 device savings hack

A recent hack I discovered may enable all of us to use the MedallionNet Wi-Fi with some substantial savings. How this is done is that someone within the group purchases the multi-device option which allows up to 4 connected devices. The cost for this option is $630 for 14 days or $315 for 7 days. However because some of us are a Platinum level Princess cruiser we enjoy a 50% discount on the 4 device plan which equates to $315 for 14 days (or about $79 per person). Even if two other people were only on the ship for 7 days there would still be substantial cost savings for them compared to purchasing the Wi-Fi for their 7 day cruise. 

If the purchasers shares their name, booking number, stateroom number, and birthdate with another 3 people those individuals then login to the system on the Princess Cruises App with this information and can have access to the ship's Wi-Fi. You only want to share this information with people you know well and trust. If you wanted to view your own personal information you would have to log out of the MedallionNet and enter your own name, booking number, stateroom number, and birthdate to access your own account.

cellular at sea

Can you use your cell phone while at sea? It depends...

If you have purchased the Princess MedallionNet than you have access to the ship's Wi-Fi and can use data and make phone calls (via Wi-Fi calling) and at times send and receive texts (although we have found that not all texts are sent or received at times).

However, most major cruise lines, including Princess Cruises, also utilize a "Cellular At Sea" option which allows you to make and receive calls, send and receive texts, and use data (amount may be limited) when the ship is in international waters (typically 12 miles from shore). For more information about this option click here.

Another drawback to this option is that it tends to offer limited data usage. You should estimate how much data you typically use during a week and determine if what is offered is suitable for your needs. While you can add data if you go over your limit it can be expensive.

If your phone is locked (typically phones are locked if they are under contract) you may have limited options to consider. Your current cellular carrier may have some cruising plans that will allow you to continue using your cellphone while at sea.

For example: AT&T offers some packages for cruise ships called "AT&T Cruise Packages". These packages provide data, talk, and text access while at sea, and come in two levels: Basic and Plus.

AT&T Cruise Basic:

• Cost: $60 one time charge

• Includes: 100 minutes of talk, unlimited text, and 100 MB of data

• Overage: $1 per minute for talk overage, $10 per 100 MB of data overage

AT&T Cruise Plus:

• Cost: $100 one time charge

• Includes: Unlimited talk, unlimited text, and 1 GB of data

• Overage: $10 per 100 MB for data overage

For more information about the AT&T Cruise packages click here.

On April 16, 2025 AT&T also announced a new Cruise and International Day Pass with no data overages and unlimited text and talk when added to an unlimited plan you already have. This updated travel pass covers both land and sea for a daily flat fee of $20, which includes 500 MB of data per day allowance. For more information about this new pass click here.

If T-Mobile is your cellular carrier they may provide some "Cellular at Sea" options depending upon which plan you currently have. You may want to check with your carrier for further clarification.  For more information click here.

Verizon also recently announced a new Cruise Daily Pass costing $20 per day (which is comparable to the Princess MedallionNet $25 cost) and includes 500 MB of high speed data (after which speeds are throttled to 3G), along with unlimited calls to the US and unlimited text.

If however, your phone is unlocked. Then you may be able to utilized an option called GigSky which is detailed below. This option offers more data but again, can be limited for use when you are not in international waters.

Gigsky wi-fi

An alternative that you may want to consider using if your cellphone is compatible is purchasing an eSIM card from GigSky for your phone to use on your cruise. They offer various data plans for various lengths of time and they may be adequate for light to medium users and is not intended for huge consumers of streaming services. If you are someone who typically likes to read the news, correspond on email, check your social media, upload some photos, short videos, etc. then you should be fine with a service like this.

An obstacle you may run into in trying to use the service is that your phone MUST be unlocked. If your phone has a contract that does not permit your to connect to other carriers, it may not work. Instructions for determining if your phone is compatible (locked or unlocked) are shown on the GigSky website.

Costs range from $35 for 7 days using 3 GB of data to $119 for 30 days of cruising and 10 GB of data. The data can be topped up during your cruise should you run out and need more data.

GigSky uses the Cellular at Sea system. There will be a brief limitation on service for a short period of time as you leave port. As the ship sails off, the system temporarily disables internet access until it has reached a distance of 12 miles from port (approximately 1 hour). If you are fine with that you are good to go.

A distinguishing factor between the GigSky system and regular ships Wi-Fi is the ability to Tether or what's known as 'Hotspot.'  The vast majority of ships Wi-Fi do not permit you to share their Wi-Fi package  with family or friends.  It's access for 1 person, 1 device.  Furthermore, most ships block you from sharing it between your phone, laptop, or computer. Meaning Ships Wi-Fi is tightly controlled and cannot be shared.  The GigSky system DOES permit unlimited sharing/hotspot between your own devices, family and friends.  This may be a far more flexible and cost effective option to consider. 

A video explaining the system is shown below

Cruise Personalizer®

Once you have finally booked your cruise, you should then start planning for the cruise itself!  and start  by logging into the Cruise Personalizer and begin entering the required information as described below:

Anytime before the cruise, but at least a month before departure, you should download the Princess Cruises App and personalize your cruise. If you have not already done so, register for an account on the Princess Cruise website and sign in. By creating an account you can:

• Receive special offers and notices about this cruise and future cruises

• Manage your bookings

• Customize your preferences

• View future cruise credits

Some of the Cruise Personalizer can be done on the Princess Cruise Website once you have created an account and logged in. Go to the "Booked Guests" tab and there is some information you can enter or change there.  This is where you will also find your luggage tags and Travel Summary which you can print out for boarding.

Princess was trying to shift all cruise personalization to the Princess Cruises App but they got a lot of push back from people who do not like to use their smartphones for such things so they have returned some of the options back to the Cruise Personalizer on their website.  The app still allows you to make most choices, however you may find the website easier to use at times too.

Once you have downloaded the Princess Cruises App, or logged into the website and are signed in, navigate to the "Cruise Personalizer" area. Here you will be able to view all of your preferences for the cruise and give you the opportunity to:

• View Summary of Cruise

• Check-in

• Book Excursions

• Order Onboard Services

• Reserve Specialty Dining

• Book Airfares via Princess

• View Cruise Itinerary

• View Payments and Cruise Credits

Here is a step-by-step pre-cruise checklist to help you get Ocean Ready for your cruise using the MeddalionClass app.

The Summary will show all of the preferences you have currently made, either through your initial booking selections or through the Cruise Personalizer, such as your booking number,  Stateroom location, bed configuration, dining preference, etc.

Prior to boarding you must complete the check-in process for each passenger listed. This includes:

• Passage Contract Acknowledgement

• Guest Information Form

• Personal Information

• Emergency Contact Information

• Travel Documents

• Credit Card Information for Shipboard Account

Within 75 days of sailing your travel summary will be available to be printed from the Princess website in the Cruise Personalizer area.  It appears you do not have to bring a printed travel summary with you but you may want to print it out or save it as a pdf and send it to your emergency contact and relatives so they have a schedule of where you will be. About 30 - 60 days before departure you should also be able to print out your luggage tags to be used during embarkation.

You can also personalize your cruise on the app by completing information about your:

• Accessibility and Dietary Requests

• Flight Schedule

• Excursion Reservations (Available to Pre-Pay)

• Vacation Protection (optional)

You also have the option of changing any of your onboard preferences that you have previously made in your initial booking or through the Cruise Personalizer®:

• Dining Preferences

• Bed Configuration (Queen or Twin)

• Choose whether you want a Complimentary Robe in your Stateroom

• Onboard Documents Language Preference

If you and/or your partner are celebrating a special occasion, such as a birthday or recent anniversary, there is also an area to enter that information in. Princess will arrange a special service or gift by completing the information areas under the "Special Occasion" heading near the bottom of the check-in page. This occasion can also be a surprise to the guest by calling the Princess Celebration Support team at 1-855-500-7690

If you have any questions, please ask me, or call the Princess Cruise Help Desk at  1-800-774-6237