Princess Cruises has announced two changes aimed at simplifying cruise planning for Australian travellers.
Updated Plus and Premier packages arrive alongside a new AI-powered cruise discovery experience in ChatGPT.
From October 13, Australian guests sailing on Princess ships where onboard purchases are charged in US dollars will have access to Princess Plus for $89 per person per day and Princess Premier for $139 per person per day.
Both international packages will include crew appreciation, giving travellers greater certainty around their upfront holiday costs.
Pricing aboard ships operating in Australian dollars will remain unchanged at $79 per person per day for Princess Plus and $129 for Princess Premier, with existing inclusions retained.
Nicholas Ferguson, Princess Cruises Senior Director Sales & Marketing Asia Pacific, said incorporating crew appreciation into the international packages would make it easier for advisors to explain the total cost of a holiday to clients.
“By including crew appreciation in our Plus and Premier packages for Australians cruising internationally, advisors can offer their clients greater certainty around the cost of their holiday upfront, while retaining the benefits and value they’ve come to expect from Princess,” Mr Ferguson said.
Princess Premier includes the Premier Beverage Package, unlimited casual and specialty dining, four-device Wi-Fi, waived OceanNow and room service delivery fees, unlimited digital professional photos, reserved theatre seating and a shore excursion credit based on voyage length.
Princess Plus includes the Plus Beverage Package, single-device Wi-Fi, four casual dining meals per voyage and waived delivery fees.
A new two-device Wi-Fi option priced at $US40 will also be introduced for guests purchasing internet separately, while the four-device MedallionNet package will remain exclusive to Princess Premier.
The cruise line has also launched a native Princess Cruises app within ChatGPT, allowing travellers to explore more than 330 destinations across 17 ships using conversational searches.
Once connected, users can ask for cruises based on destination, departure date and length, compare ships and itineraries, explore ports and shore excursions and check current pricing and availability.
Travellers can then refine their search within the same conversation, such as narrowing an Alaska cruise to itineraries visiting Glacier Bay or departing from Seattle.
Neena Vicente, Princess Cruises Vice President Digital Commerce and Experience, said travellers were increasingly using generative AI not only to find information but also to compare options and plan more complex holidays.
The ChatGPT experience will initially be the focus of the rollout, with Princess indicating it intends to expand to other compatible AI platforms in future.
