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Dad Says His Baby Caused Them To Get Kicked Off A Cruise — Leaving Them Stranded Off The Coast Of Africa

Her first thanksgiving was spent in a foreign country..

By Megan Quinn — Written on Dec 07, 2022

When you embark on a cruise vacation, you may never imagine being kicked off of the ship mid-voyage and stranded in a foreign country. 

However, this is exactly what one man and his family experienced due to a computer error on the cruise line’s behalf. 

The family were left stranded on Thanksgiving after being kicked off the cruise.

The man and his family were asked to leave the a cruise ship after it was discovered that their infant daughter traveling with them did not meet the age requirement to travel. 

In a TikTok video that has been viewed over 1 million times, father Scott Raia shares that he and his family were kicked off of a Princess Cruise ship due to his infant daughter Lucy’s age. 

“This is the story of how this baby got kicked off a cruise ship this week on her first Thanksgiving,” Raia says as he holds his daughter. 

RELATED:  Mom & Baby Escorted Off Plane After Refusing To Fasten Seatbelts For Landing — Pilot Forced To Delay Descent

Raia explains that he and his family boarded the Regal Princess Cruise ship for a vacation across the Atlantic Ocean to Florida from Europe. 

Three days into their voyage, guest services approached Raia and his family. 

“They said that there was a computer system error that misidentified Lucy’s age,” he says. 

The cruise line had a minimum age requirement of 12 months for a transatlantic voyage — making Lucy too young for the ship. 

Since the family had already been on the cruise for a few days with no issues and it was an error on the cruise line’s behalf, they were unprepared for what happened next. 

“They kicked our family off on the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa,” Raia claims. 

“So this little baby and her family spent our first Thanksgiving together stranded in a foreign country.” 

At this time, Raia says that his family has yet to receive refunds, expenses paid for their time in the Canary Islands, and an apology from Princess Cruises. 

RELATED:  Woman Claims She Was Kicked Off Plane After Flight Attendants Mistook Her Eczema For Monkeypox

TikTok users expressed their shock and anger over the situation in the comments. 

“They let a baby ON the ship so how can they just decide three days in?? What in the world,” one user commented. 

“It’s not safe for you to be on this cruise ship, we’re just gonna drop you off at this Island. Bon voyage!’ that’s not how you treat a tiny princess,” another user pointed out. 

Other users suggested Raia hire a lawyer to ensure that he gets his money back. 

“If all documentation shows her age and they had her passport… lawyer up,” one user urged. 

Raia posted a follow-up video in response to a user asking why he did not see the age requirements on the cruise’s website prior to booking the trip. 

RELATED:  Dad Asks If He's Wrong For Calling His Sleeping Wife When He Sees Their Toddler Is Awake Via Baby Camera App

Raia shared that he is a former Princess cruise employee, and he booked the trip through a stand-by cruise program. 

“Of course, we did not lie about the baby’s age,” he adds. “We gave them the correct date of birth and we uploaded her passport. It was a computer system error that didn’t catch it.” 

Raia also praised guest services on the ship for their “kindness” and dedication to doing everything in their power to keep the family on board. 

The decision to boot them was made by representatives of the company Princess Cruises itself. 

RELATED:  Flight Attendant Confronts Woman Holding Baby After Allegedly Smelling Alcohol & Ends Up In Aggressive Tussle

Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.    

• Family Cruises

Baby kicked off mid-voyage

By ScottRaia , December 3, 2022 in Family Cruises

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Last week on Thanksgiving, Princess forced my infant daughter to disembark the Regal Princess mid-voyage on a remote island in Africa. They said it was because of a computer system error that showed her date incorrectly. Even though they allowed us to book, pay for and board the cruise, the baby was 82 days too young to cross the Atlantic according to their policy. (They had a copy of her passport since August, so how did they not know before we boarded?) We were stranded on the island of Tenerife on our first Thanksgiving with our tiny 9-month old daughter. It was horrible. 

We have sailed on seven different Princess voyages. After this, I don’t know if we’ll ever cruise again.

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Princess absolutely should have caught this at time of booking or at the very least at boarding, but I think your child was  3 months too young to sail to Africa under their guidelines:

Please note the following minimum age for children:

Minimum age of 6 months for cruises to Alaska, Europe, Canada & New England, Caribbean and Mexico

Minimum age of 12 monts for all other destinations

https://www.princesscruises.de/en/holiday-princess/important-information/age-restrictions

Most cruise lines - but not princess - have a rule that for children under 12 months of age, you cannot sail on any cruise that has 3 or more sea days in a  row.  A young child can get sick quickly and need more medical attention than can easily be provided on a cruise ship, so  they do not allow children to sail on voyages that would keep them too far from a medical facility for any extended amount of time.

 I don't agree with disembarking you in the middle of the voyage (especially if your child was healthy at the time) but do understand that given the very limited medical care available on ships, a cruise line might prefer to lose some money from not having as many family bookings than run the risk of a baby contracting covid or rsv on the ship and not getting the medical care they need in time.  I'm so sorry they didn't enforce their policy sooner so you would have avoided the stress of being disembarked with a baby.

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

Tenerife is in the Canary Islands and is part of Spain. It's not a remote island in Africa. The requirement to be at least 12 months for a voyage with more than 2 consecutive sea days is part of the cruise contract, in section 5, that you signed. This one's on you. 

https://www.princess.com/legal/passage_contract/pcl.html

3 hours ago, boulders said: Welcome to Cruise Critic!   Tenerife is in the Canary Islands and is part of Spain. It's not a remote island in Africa. The requirement to be at least 12 months for a voyage with more than 2 consecutive sea days is part of the cruise contract, in section 5, that you signed. This one's on you.    https://www.princess.com/legal/passage_contract/pcl.html

I just realized the page I had googled and posted earlier was (I think) the German version of Princess' website (it has a .de ending).  On Princess' American website it states ( https://www.princess.com/learn/faq/onboard/cruising-with-family/ )

What is the minimum age to cruise?  

Minimum age requirements:

Guests must be at least 6 months of age at the time of embarkation and at least 12 months of age for trans-ocean crossings and remote itineraries.

It does seem that a search of the family section of Princess' website would indicate the OP  could not take a child under 12 months of age on a transatlantic.  However, if Princess' cruise contract states that a child under 12 months cannot sail on an itinerary that has more than 3 consecutive sea days, I think they should include that information on their  FAQ page and not expect customers to read their entire contract.

 I live near NY and NJ ports, and Princess sometimes sails from NY.  I would not necessarily personally consider a trip from NY to the caribbean to be remote but it might have 3 consecutive sea days depending on where in the caribbean it goes (I'm not sure about the length of  Princess' sailings out of NY, but RC sometimes has itineraries leaving from the NYC area to the caribbean that have 3 sea days on the way back sometimes). I think that information about 3 or more sea days should be added to the FAQ section, but the OP's situation was fairly clearly explained in the FAQ section.  

Hmmmmm - I've heard another side to this story. It appears Princess was justified in its actions. I would refer readers to Princess forum and get the real story.

The family booked a standby fare (IE crew) and bypassed the age requirements for trans-ocean cruising for their daughter.  He knew what he was doing and knew how to get around the restrictions.  He didn't think he'd be called out; Then when he was, it's 'all the cruise lines fault' for not catching them when boarding.  Good gawds, take responsibility for your own actions.   

For the future- read the fine print. Book with a good travel agent.

I am disappointed in how Princess handled this- they slipped up too!

Are you crew?

Alex, the ED on Regal had his baby daughter on this cruise, but I believe that she was older than 12 months.

On 12/3/2022 at 11:10 AM, ScottRaia said: Last week on Thanksgiving, Princess forced my infant daughter to disembark the Regal Princess mid-voyage on a remote island in Africa. They said it was because of a computer system error that showed her date incorrectly. Even though they allowed us to book, pay for and board the cruise, the baby was 82 days too young to cross the Atlantic according to their policy. (They had a copy of her passport since August, so how did they not know before we boarded?) We were stranded on the island of Tenerife on our first Thanksgiving with our tiny 9-month old daughter. It was horrible.    We have sailed on seven different Princess voyages. After this, I don’t know if we’ll ever cruise again.

Are you a former Princess Employee?

Scott, I hope you turned lemons 🍋 into lemonade on this special trip. Assuming you had travel insurance, there is no place in the world I would rather be kicked off a cruise ship than Spain 🇪🇸 . You’re blessed beyond measure and would gladly trade places with you if I could. It sounds like to me you took a measured risk that was going to be a win win either way. 

After reading both this thread and the other in the Princess forum I still don't understand why people are saying you knew what you were doing, even if you were a crew member I'm sure most don't know all the rules when it comes to age of sailing into certain locations. That never was cleared up for me. As a parent I don't read my entire passage contract, most of us don't, let's be real. I think a lot are judging you too harshly but that seems to be human nature and it must be stopped. But you know pot callin' the kettle and all lol. Don't take it too seriously I bet half those people who are being super judgy also don't read theior entire 13,000 word document. Hopefully karma comes for them. 

I feel for you, both you and Princess were at fault but Princess should've caught their error.

Thank you for sharing your story so hopefully it won't happen to anyone else. Even if you helped a few families from avoiding the same mistake, that's what matters.

3 hours ago, oyme said: ...  you knew what you were doing, ... I don't read my entire passage contract,

You SERIOUSLY don't read your contract?!? Not even the highlighted portion on the top of your travel summary??  Wow just wow. That's kinda like those hoping to cruise to Chile w/o visas getting upset they're denied passage because it's too much trouble to be in compliance. Or miss calculating a baby's age and thinking 82 days = 6 months. It is unfortunate but it is on them. Meanwhile enjoy Tenerife as it's a lovely Spanish island

On 12/13/2022 at 11:05 AM, oyme said: After reading both this thread and the other in the Princess forum I still don't understand why people are saying you knew what you were doing, even if you were a crew member I'm sure most don't know all the rules when it comes to age of sailing into certain locations. That never was cleared up for me. As a parent I don't read my entire passage contract, most of us don't, let's be real. I think a lot are judging you too harshly but that seems to be human nature and it must be stopped. But you know pot callin' the kettle and all lol. Don't take it too seriously I bet half those people who are being super judgy also don't read theior entire 13,000 word document. Hopefully karma comes for them.    I feel for you, both you and Princess were at fault but Princess should've caught their error.   Thank you for sharing your story so hopefully it won't happen to anyone else. Even if you helped a few families from avoiding the same mistake, that's what matters.

Honestly, I don't read the entire contract either.  But I would expect a parent to read the FAQ about children section to research the minimum age of children and to learn more about what services are available for kids on ships and the rules that apply to children.   Now that my kids are big enough to not be affected by minimum sailing ages, I check to learn the rules of the kids clubs and to learn if my older ones go to the teen club (this will make them happy) or preteen club (get prepared for whining).  It was pretty clear on the American version of Princess' FAQ page that transatlantics ban children under 12 months.

 I also agree Princess should have caught this at the time of booking or should have at least stopped them at the pier, which gives them some liability here too.

Ya sorry this is your fault - when we looking into cruising with my infant (now toddler) this was abundantly obvious. And Tenerife is not a remote island in Africa.

• 3 weeks later...

+1 to Jenig0013,

Tenerife is Spanish territory and a very lovely island, largest of the Canary islands in fact with daily connections to Spanish mainland, England, etc.

Yes, Princess should have caught this sooner but the fault is not entirely theirs. 

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• Princess Cruises

family kicked off Princess ship in the canary islands with baby.

By Illbcruzn4life , December 9, 2022 in Princess Cruises

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11 hours ago, mom says said: So he deliberately, and knowingly flouted the rules and in doing so risked the health and possibly life of his infant, just so he could get a cheap cruise? Being banned for life is still too good for this selfish  (fill in the four letter blank). I hope Karma pays him a visit.

The karma would be the other cruise lines reading his story and also banning him.   By publicizing this widely, he has acquired notoriety, but done himself negative favor.  EM

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11 hours ago, memoak said: You really think the infant had a passport ?

Absolutely.  Gone are the days where children could be added to parents passport.   Our children had passports from age of 6 weeks.  

Definitely.  Our daughter had her first passport at the age of 1 (some 30+ years ago).  If traveling internationally, everyone needs a passport.

1 hour ago, Daniel A said: All they are verifying is that the person boarding has a valid passport, not all of the data on the passport.

Just want to bring up one point.  Cruise Terminal employees are not employed by the cruise line but by the terminal operator.  These individuals may not know all of the exact requirements of a cruise line for which they are servicing.  Remember they service more then on cruise line.

1 hour ago, famski740 said: Just want to bring up one point.  Cruise Terminal employees are not employed by the cruise line but by the terminal operator.  These individuals may not know all of the exact requirements of a cruise line for which they are servicing.   Remember they service more then on cruise line.

I disagree. 

On 12/9/2022 at 8:36 AM, ChutChut said: It's possible the parents provided an inaccurate birthdate, no?

They said the baby had a passport so Princess dropped the ball here.

2 hours ago, cruzsnooze said: They said the baby had a passport so Princess dropped the ball here.

App, & personalizer had to be completed before cruise, so yes Princess failed to do their part.

since this was a former crew member- he took his chances & got caught.  A lesson learned.

On 12/9/2022 at 4:39 AM, ontheweb said: And has not posted again!   Here is the url (not many posts) in case anyone is interested.    

Don’t have much sympathy for them. They knew the rule and agreed to it when booking. They were disembarked in the Canary Island which isn’t actually close to Africa. Closer to Europe than Africa.

7 hours ago, famski740 said: Just want to bring up one point.  Cruise Terminal employees are not employed by the cruise line but by the terminal operator.  These individuals may not know all of the exact requirements of a cruise line for which they are servicing.  Remember they service more then on cruise line.

This decision was made by Princess head office not Captain . Princess didn’t want to be liable if the baby got sick. The medical staff onboard aren’t trained to handle kids under 1 year of age.

21 hours ago, memoak said: You really think the infant had a passport ?

Our 36 year old son received his first passport when he was 2 weeks old.  Our almost 40 year old daughter was less than 4 months old.

GOLDENBONNY

23 hours ago, memoak said: You really think the infant had a passport ?

how else he would travel ? 

On 12/9/2022 at 10:16 AM, skynight said: Seems to me that the child should not have been able to board. The information was all with Princess prior to boarding. Once on board the child should have been allowed to stay on board.

In the contract:

he minimum Guest age to sail is 6 months at the time of embarkation in order to sail.  On all other cruises where there are more than 2 consecutive sea days, the minimum Guest age is 12 months at the time of embarkation in order to sail.

10 hours ago, Kamloops50 said: Don’t have much sympathy for them. They knew the rule and agreed to it when booking. They were disembarked in the Canary Island which isn’t actually close to Africa. Closer to Europe than Africa.

Think you need to check a map, the Canary Islands are off the coast of Africa. 

Itchy&Scratchy

3 hours ago, antsp said: Think you need to check a map, the Canary Islands are off the coast of Africa. 

but it's not a "remote island in Africa"

On 12/3/2022 at 2:10 PM, ScottRaia said: Princess forced my infant daughter to disembark the Regal Princess mid-voyage on a remote island in Africa.

On 12/3/2022 at 2:10 PM, ScottRaia said: We were stranded on the island of Tenerife on our first Thanksgiving with our tiny 9-month old daughter. It was horrible. 

do they even celebrate Thanksgiving on Tenerife?

1 hour ago, Itchy&Scratchy said: but it's not a "remote island in Africa"

The   Canary Islands,  also known informally as   the Canaries , are a Spanish autonomous community a nd  archipelago  in the  Atlantic Ocean , in  Macronesia . At their closest point to the African mainland, they are 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of  Morocco . They are the southernmost of the  autonomous communities of Spain . The islands have a population of 2.2 million people and they are the most populous  special territory of the European Union .

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canary_Islands

On 12/9/2022 at 3:05 AM, justafem said: The family booked a standby fare (IE crew) and bypassed the age requirements for trans-ocean cruising for their daughter.  He knew what he was doing and knew how to get around the restrictions.  He didn't think he'd be called out; Then when he was, it's 'all the cruise lines fault' for not catching them when boarding.  Good gawds, take responsibility for your own actions.   

Unless you work for Princess, I am not sure you know how this person booked their cruise.  Or that they tried to bypass the age restrictions. 

Unless he provided a false age when booking, or a false identification for the child  at check in he didn't do anything to bypass restrictions...I'm not sure why booking a standby fare has any bearing on this.  This was handled very poorly by Princess...they should have denied boarding at the port, or cancelled the booking prior to sailing.  Princess had this Childs passport in advance of the sailing, and it was due to their own negligence that they allowed the child on the ship.  

7 minutes ago, malba2366 said:   Unless he provided a false age when booking, or a false identification for the child  at check in he didn't do anything to bypass restrictions.  This was handled very poorly by Princess...they should have denied boarding at the port, or cancelled the booking prior to sailing.  Princess had this Childs passport months before the sailing, and it was due to their own negligence that they allowed the child on the ship.

It is up to passengers to read the Contract , terms etc they agree to at time of booking.

1 minute ago, dog said: And   It is up to passengers to read the Contract , terms etc they agree to at time of booking.  

And, by accepting the booking and allowing the child to board the ship (assuming false identification was not used), princess chose to waive that portion of the contract.

16 minutes ago, malba2366 said: Princess had this Childs passport months before the sailing, and it was due to their own negligence that they allowed the child on the ship.

How do you know when Princess got the copy of the child's passport?  The child was only months old to begin with.  When Princess gets the passport copy, they only use the country of issue and passport number to electronically transmit required passenger manifests to government agencies, not to confirm the d.o.b. of the PAX.

Combine the fact that the father had been a Princess employee (note the past tense) and that the father and family are now banned by Carnival from future sailings and also re-employment, there's clearly more to this whole story than the father's giving out.  After all, he started his whole diatribe by saying he and his family were put off on a "remote island off the coast of Africa" when in fact, he was put off in Tenerife and transported home by Princess.  He didn't even put out his Tik Toc video until well after leaving Tenerife.  Dad lacks a good deal of credibility and is getting more attention than he deserves IMHO.  

It's also interesting to note that this story has only circulated on the internet, and not in mainstream media.  Mainstream media usually checks the veracity of stories they put out and none of them seem to be interested in the story even in light of how the media loves to bash the cruise industry with sketchy stories.

5 minutes ago, malba2366 said: And, by accepting the booking and allowing the child to board the ship (assuming false identification was not used), princess chose to waive that portion of the contract.

Yes, Princess never should have accepted the booking.  If they were former crew, as mentioned they should have known the baby was too young for a TA cruise.

Researching requirements etc for travelling with infants should have been a priority.

17 minutes ago, Daniel A said: How do you know when Princess got the copy of the child's passport?  The child was only months old to begin with.  When Princess gets the passport copy, they only use the country of issue and passport number to electronically transmit required passenger manifests to government agencies, not to confirm the d.o.b. of the PAX.   Combine the fact that the father had been a Princess employee (note the past tense) and that the father and family are now banned by Carnival from future sailings and also re-employment, there's clearly more to this whole story than the father's giving out.  After all, he started his whole diatribe by saying he and his family were put off on a "remote island off the coast of Africa" when in fact, he was put off in Tenerife and transported home by Princess.  He didn't even put out his Tik Toc video until well after leaving Tenerife.  Dad lacks a good deal of credibility and is getting more attention than he deserves IMHO.     It's also interesting to note that this story has only circulated on the internet, and not in mainstream media.  Mainstream media usually checks the veracity of stories they put out and none of them seem to be interested in the story even in light of how the media loves to bash the cruise industry with sketchy stories.

You are correct that princess may not have had the passport months in advance, but they certainly had it in advance of the sailing date.  They also had to have had the Childs birthdate when the cruise was booked...if these two did not match then that should have raised red flags.  Also Princess allowed them to board the cruise ship and the Childs passport had to be provided at that time.  

I am not sure what working for Princess would to do with this...there are plenty of people who work for Princess in who may not be intimately familiar with the age restrictions for cruising.  Obviously the person who checked them in was not.

Bobbiegentry

1 hour ago, Daniel A said: Mainstream media usually checks the veracity of stories they put out

You had me in full agreement with everything you posted until……….

31 minutes ago, Bobbiegentry said: You had me in full agreement with everything you posted until……….

That's why I used the modifier "usually."   😉

1 hour ago, malba2366 said: Unless you work for Princess, I am not sure you know how this person booked their cruise.  Or that they tried to bypass the age restrictions. 

Didn't I read that he was boasting about it on FB or Twitter or some other site?  

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Since the cruise lines are not equipped with major medical facilities onboard, they have established very strict policies with regard to expectant mothers and infants. Each cruise line requires expectant mothers to provide a physician's letter (faxed in advance or hand delivered at the time of check-in) stating that the guest is in good health, fit to travel, and that the pregnancy is not high risk. The letter must also include the expected date of the child's birth.

Typically, a letter is not required for infants to travel. However, each cruise line has a minimum age requirement for guests traveling, which will be verified upon check-in at the pier. This minimum age requirement varies by cruise line and even itinerary. Always tell your Vacations To Go cruise counselor if you are pregnant or planning to cruise with an infant to insure you meet all required guidelines.

Pregnant Women : Pregnant women are not allowed to sail if they are entering the 24th week of their pregnancy at any point during the cruise. All pregnant women are required to produce a a healthcare provider's report containing the date of her last menstrual period, expected date of delivery, and the pregnancy risk status.  Infants : Infants must be at least 6 months of age at the time of embarkation in order to sail. Children must be at least 12 months of age at the time of embarkation to sail on trans-ocean crossings and remote itineraries, where there are more than 2 consecutive sea days. The minimum age for escorted cruisetours is 5 years.

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Princess Cruises' newest ship, Sky Princess, kicks off inaugural season in Europe

Corrections and clarifications: USA TODAY previously misidentified Princess Cruise's first Medallion Class ship and misstated the age of Majesty Princess.

Sky Princess , the newest member of Princess Cruises' royal family, set sail on her inaugural cruise from Athens, Greece, to Barcelona, Spain, through the Mediterranean and Adriatic seas on Sunday.

The voyage kicks off Sky Princess' introductory season in Europe, which features a series of Mediterranean voyages this fall before the ship's North American debut in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Dec. 1 for a round of cruises in the Caribbean.

"It's really special for guests. A lot of guests take pride in saying they've sailed in an inaugural cruise," Alivia Owyoung Ender, spokesperson for Princess Cruises, told USA TODAY. 

It is the first "purpose-built" Princess MedallionClass ship, according to the company. The MedallionClass features OceanMedallion wearable devices for each passenger, which can be  used as a key, for payment and more.

MedallionClass vacations  include features such as:

• Expedited arrival.
• On-demand services.
• Friends and family location services.
• Key-free stateroom entry.
• An interactive voyage timeline.
• Wager-based and interactive gaming.

“As our new flagship in the fleet, Sky Princess represents the absolute best Princess Cruises has to offer our guests by connecting them with what matters most – unique destinations, loved ones, and new friends – while enjoying all the state-of the-art experiences in comfort and style," said Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises.

Sky Princess, which can hold 3,660 passengers, also has features similar to the nearly 3-year-old Majestic Princess, 5-year-old Regal Princess and 6-year-old Royal Princess, but adds amenities such as more Jacuzzis and a larger adults-only area. 

Contributing: Gene Sloan

Follow Morgan Hines on Twitter: @MorganEmHines.

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Best Sale Ever is On—Princess Cruises Kicks Off Savings for 2023 in a Big Way

Receive up to 35% off, up to $150 onboard spending money and more—up to a $950 value on a 7-day cruise when purchasing inclusive princess plus.

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For those eagerly planning their 2023 getaway, Princess Cruises’ Best Sale Ever is back and better than ever. Guests will receive up to 35% off cruise fares, up to $150 onboard spending money and more—and, if they purchase Princess Plus or Premier, the savings are even greater. The sale, which includes discounts on all cruises and cruisetours, runs through March 1, 2023.

Cruisers opting for the Best Sale Ever package can choose from any of the 15 ships in the Princess fleet, sailing to 330 destinations around the globe including Alaska, the Caribbean, Europe, the Mexican Riviera and more. As part of the offer, they will receive:

• Up to 35% off cruise fare
• Up to $150 onboard spending money
• Refundable $100 deposit

Princess packages give guests more value and savings than ever. Guests who choose to add the popular Princess Plus for just $60 per person per day, almost 60% off a retail value of $140 if components are purchased separately, will also receive:

• MedallionNet Wi-Fi
• Premium desserts (beginning Feb. 20, 2023) and drinks
• Two Pure Barre, Yoga Six, Stretch Lab fitness classes (beginning Feb. 20, 2023)
• Crew Appreciation

Guests who add Princess latest vacation value enhancing package Princess Premier for $80 per person per day, enjoy an almost 70% savings with $257 per day in total amenity value and receive:

• MedallionNet Wi-Fi for four devices (regularly $40/day)
• Two nights of premium specialty dining
• Reserved seating in the Princess Theater (cannot be purchased separately)
• Unlimited smoothies or juices (beginning Feb. 20, 2023)
• Unlimited Pure Barre, Yoga Six, Stretch Lab fitness classes (beginning Feb. 20, 2023)
• Photo package
• Princess Prizes (a Princess exclusive)
• Complimentary Medallion accessory
• Crew appreciation

Princess delivers the ultimate in effortless, personalized cruising featuring world-class dining, award-winning entertainment, casinos, pools, fitness centers, and spas, all elevated by exclusive MedallionClass service.

The Best Sale Ever runs through 11:59pm PT on March 1, 2023 and is available to legal residents of North America. It is only available for new bookings on select cruises, on a limited availability, and may not be combinable with other offers. For full terms, conditions and restrictions, visit https://princess.com/bseterms .

Additional information about Princess Cruises is available through a professional travel advisor, by calling 1-800-PRINCESS (1-800-774-6237) or by visiting the company’s website at www.princess.com .

Media Contacts

Contact information for members of the media

Media Relations Department, Princess Cruises 24305 Town Center Drive Santa Clarita, CA 91355

Phone : 1 661 753 1530 Email :  [email protected]

Not a member of the media? 

Contact us at: 1-800-PRINCESS (1-800-774-6237) or 1-661-753-0000

More contact information is available on our Contact Us page

Princess Cruises Kicks Off 7-Ship Alaska Season

• April 12, 2023

Princess Cruises is ready for a big 2023 Alaska season with seven ships sailing  14 cruise itineraries including the Discovery Princess, Royal Princess, Ruby Princess, Majestic Princess, Grand Princess, Crown Princess and Sapphire Princess.

“Welcoming guests at the start of the Alaska season is always one of the most highly anticipated events of the year because we know they are going to have one of the most memorable travel experiences,” said John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises.

“Each season, we’re passionate about enhancing our programs to offer one of the most destination-focused programs available and for 2023, we’ve crafted some amazing Wild for Alaska Seafood dishes that will leave guests dreaming of coming back.”

The cruise line is also introducing an expanded Wild for Alaska Seafood menu across the  Princess fleet Alaska this season, and a new Garden-to-Table menu for cruisetour guests staying at the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge. Guests can enjoy a rich beverage program including coffee and hot chocolate-based drinks, frozen drinks, Alaskan wines, beer, cocktails, and other creations.

Princess Cruises first introduced the Wild for Alaska Seafood menu in 2022, offering fresh locally sourced Alaska seafood dishes and spirits. Featured seafood dishes Alaska salmon such as King (Chinook), Sockeye and Coho, wild Alaska cod, halibut and rockfish among other varieties.

The 2023 Alaska cruise season includes 14 itineraries and guests choose among cruises ranging from seven to 11 days, departing from San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, B.C. and Anchorage (Whittier). Also offered are cruisetours which give guests an opportunity to explore Alaska more deeply by combining cruisetours with land tour options.

Guests can look forward to visiting the Glacier Bay National Park, College Fjord, Hubbard Glacier, Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier or Tracy Arm Fjord. Travelers can also choose from more than 150 shore excursions.

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Princess Cruises Kicks Off 111-Day Around-the-World Cruise

Princess Cruises kicked off its 111-day around-the-world cruise on Monday, January 20, with about 670 passengers and 375 crew aboard the 592-foot Pacific Princess .

The sold-out 4-month venture set sail at 6:00 p.m. PST from the Port of Los Angeles and is scheduled to return on May 11.

Pacific Princess will tour a total of 38 ports in 26 different countries on 5 continents – covering 34,287 nm (nautical miles) during the lengthy trip. It is expected to be the first time Princess will make calls at Kaikoura NZ , Praslin Island Seychelles , Mayotte Island (Mamoudzou) , and Zanzibar Tanzania during its world voyage.

To maximize time for guests, Pacific Princess will make twelve late-night stays in popular destinations like Melbourne , Papeete , and Phuket . There will also be overnight in Cape Town . 20 UNESCO World Heritage Sites will be seen throughout the trip.

• Cruise News

Princess Cruises Kicks Off Winter Season in Texas

Andrea Santillan

• November 6, 2023

On Sunday, Regal Princess arrived in Galveston, Texas, to kick off a winter cruising season to the Western Caribbean.

At 141,000 gross tons, she is the largest cruise ship from Princess Cruises to ever homeport at Galveston.

Festivities began with a performance from the local Ball High School Drill Team Tornettes and Tuffy, the school mascot. The cruise line also arranged a ceremonial plaque exchange between the cruise line’s Chief Commercial Officer, Terry Thornton, Captain Aldo Traverso of Regal Princess, Celebrations Ambassador Jill Whelan, and Vice Chairman Jeff Patterson from the Galveston Wharves Board. 

“As we celebrate the arrival of Regal Princess, we extend our deep appreciation to the Port of Galveston for their ongoing partnership, and we’re excited to welcome aboard the only premium cruise experience from Galveston,” Thornton declared.

Able to accommodate 3,560 passengers with each sailing, the Princess is expected to transport around 75,000 passengers from November 2023 to March next year.

Regal Princess has 21 roundtrip cruises that will sail to the Western Caribbean, Mexico, and Honduras over journeys that last from seven- to 12 days. She will visit Cozumel and Costa Maya in Mexico and Roatán in Honduras. 

On December 3, she will leave for a special “Love and Romance Celebration” cruise with renowned American fashion designer and television presenter Randy Fenoli. On board, guests can enjoy special events, hear Randy’s road to success, and get tips on choosing the perfect wedding dress.

Before her arrival at Galveston, the 5th largest ship in Princess’ fleet completed a European season. She left for a repositioning cruise on October 24 and arrived Sunday.

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