Search for the Northern Lights, March 2027

The London hotel package Decided

Princess sold all three a one-night package: the Leonardo Royal London Tower Bridge on Tuesday 2 March, a met-at-the-airport transfer to the hotel, and a coach to the ship on the 3rd. It was all or nothing for the three, and they have decided to keep it. What it costs, set against booking the same things directly, is in the travelers-only bookings section.

Decided: all three keep the package for one night. The included transfers make it worth it: they carry no premium over a private car, Princess owns the problem if a flight is late, and its coach to the ship waits for its own guests.

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Decided 8 Oct 2026: keep the package. The included transfers make it worth it.

Standard, Plus or Premier Decided

Both bookings are on Princess’s Standard fare. Plus or Premier can be added before sailing; pre-cruise pricing on Majestic Princess is $65 per person per day for Plus and $100 for Premier: $910 and $1,400 over 14 nights. Both guests in a cabin must choose the same option; the solo traveler chooses independently. Nothing has to be bought now.

Decided: Standard for all three, with one shared four-device Wi-Fi plan. One Cabin B traveler has sailed on Standard before and was happy with it, has rarely used the specialty restaurants, and none of them rate the casual venues. Their sums: $18 a day in gratuities plus a one-third share of a $45 a day Wi-Fi plan is $33 a day each, against $65 for Plus. The $32 a day gap is what Plus would have to earn back in drinks.

The logic is sound. Over 14 nights, Standard with shared Wi-Fi comes to about $462 each, or $1,386 for the three, against $910 each and $2,730 for Plus. Plus only pays for someone who would spend $32 a day on drinks and specialty coffee, which is roughly two cocktails plus a latte every day including port days, once the 20% service charge is counted. For the solo traveler the bar is higher than it looks: Cabin B needs the four-device plan anyway, so the solo traveler’s share of it is nearly free, and taking Plus alone would cost about $47 a day more than staying on Standard. Their onboard credit will cover a fair number of pay-as-you-go drinks.

Three things to check. First, that one four-device plan can be shared across two cabins on separate bookings; guests commonly report doing this by signing the extra devices in under the purchaser's account, but it is worth confirming with Princess or the booking agency unverified. Second, four devices across three people means one spare, and a device can be swapped out for another. Third, the $45 is the onboard-era price reported by reviewers; the pre-cruise price in the Princess app may be a little lower. Nothing has to be bought now, and a package can still be added until four days before sailing if they change their minds.

If they want the nicer restaurants once or twice after all, paying as they go is still cheaper than Premier: a specialty dinner is about $65 each with the service charge, and a photo package can be bought on its own. The ship's specialty rooms are Crown Grill, Sabatini's and The Catch by Rudi, per the Majestic Princess dining guide; reservations are made in the Princess app.

Work it out for your own habits

Set what one person would actually use on this 14-night sailing and the three options reprice as you go. Everything is per person. It opens on a light case: a shared Wi-Fi plan, a glass of wine, a latte and a bottle of water a day, and one specialty dinner.

How it counts. Standard pays $18 a day in gratuities, the Wi-Fi chosen, and every drink and meal at menu price plus the service charge. It is also priced with each of Princess's two non-alcoholic drink packages added, and the tile shows whichever of the three is cheapest, with the other two underneath. The Classic Soda package is $14.99 a day and covers sodas, mocktails, smoothies and canned juices. The Zero Alcohol package is $29.99 a day and covers those plus specialty coffees and teas, hot chocolate and bottled water. Both add the service charge, must be bought for the whole cruise, and can be bought by one person without the rest of the cabin. Plus is $65 a day and covers gratuities, one Wi-Fi device, up to 15 drinks a day priced at $15 or less, 12 bottles of water and four casual meals; specialty dinners and photos are extra. Premier is $100 a day and covers all of that plus drinks up to $20, unlimited casual and specialty dining and photos, and the $200 excursion credit is taken off only if the box is ticked. Regular coffee, tea, tap water and juice at breakfast are free on every fare. Drink prices are typical 2026 menu prices from Eat Sleep Cruise; Princess does not sell an unlimited photo package on its own, so the photo figure is a five-photo bundle. The mocktail price is an estimate. Princess's own page still quotes an 18% service charge while a March 2026 report says 20%, so that field is adjustable. For Plus and Premier, both people in a cabin have to choose the same option.

Decided: Princess Standard for all three, with one shared Wi-Fi plan, paying as they go for a specialty dinner or two. The travelers are buying the Wi-Fi plan themselves.

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Decided 8 Oct 2026: Princess Standard for all three.

Cabin A’s flights, from San Francisco By Tue 27 Oct

The solo traveler holds Princess EZair Flexible flights, which are free to drop until final payment on 3 November. The decision that matters is the return: Princess’s guideline for Heathrow is a flight no earlier than seven hours after the ship docks at 7:00 am, so 2:00 pm or later. With the package, everyone lands at Heathrow on Tue 2 Mar, so the outbound is now Mon 1 Mar. The fares below were priced for a 28 February departure and need repricing for the 1st; the schedules are daily.

United, if the tighter return is comfortable and the $190 saving is worth a change; British Airways for the margin, or to fly with the Seattle pair. Keeping the Princess flights is now a sound choice too, since they fit the package. If the ticket changes, book the new one first, then have the booking agency remove the Princess flights before 3 November and send the new flight to Princess for the airport pickup.

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Handled by the traveler; kept for reference.

Cabin B’s flights, from Seattle By Tue 27 Oct

Cabin B has no Princess air, so this is a fresh booking. Prices are per person, round trip, priced for a 28 February departure; with the package the outbound is now Mon 1 Mar, landing on the 2nd, so they need repricing. Standard economy figures are built from basic fares plus the usual step up and need confirming on the airline sites.

British Airways if Cabin A flies BA too, so all three land together for the Princess pickup; Alaska otherwise. Premium economy is worth a price check either way.

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Handled by the travelers; kept for reference.

Ship to Heathrow, Wed 17 Mar By Wed 3 Feb

The package covers the way in: Princess meets everyone at Heathrow on Tue 2 Mar, takes them to the hotel, and runs the coach from the hotel to the ship on the 3rd. What is left is the way home on the 17th: Princess’s shared coach, or a pre-booked private car. Public transport is ruled out for this party.

What Princess will and will not sell. Airport to ship and ship to airport: yes, without a hotel package or Princess flights, for $64 per person each way on a 2026 sailing (2027 price unconfirmed), a shared coach that leaves when it fills, with flights that fit Princess’s guidelines. London hotel to ship from a hotel they book themselves: no; Cruise Critic members consistently report that the hotel pickup is only for package guests. Heathrow to a London hotel on its own: apparently not unverified. So dropping the package means arranging the first two legs privately; Princess’s ship-to-airport coach stays available on the 17th either way.

Three adults with two weeks of luggage need a 7 or 8 seat MPV, such as a Mercedes V-Class or Vito. Prices are per vehicle, as published on each operator’s site on 21 September 2026; all need a firm quote for the dates.

Princess’s coach to Heathrow needs a flight that fits its guideline (2:00 pm or later), booked in Manage Booking or through the booking agency; one report had it leaving the terminal about 7:45 am and at Heathrow before 10:00 am. Heathrow has charged a drop-off fee of about £7 since January 2026; check each private quote includes it. Tipping is optional in the UK; £10 to £20 on a long transfer with luggage help is normal.

Cost is a wash: Princess’s coach is about $192 for three, a private MPV $190 to $360. The coach is simplest and Princess owns the problem if disembarkation runs late; a private car is door to door at a time they choose. Either way, ask Princess for an early disembarkation group, and with a car set the pickup for 8:15 to 8:30 am.

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Handled by the travelers; kept for reference.

Where to stay in London, if the package goes With the flights

The South Bank by Westminster Bridge makes the best base: Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the London Eye and the Churchill War Rooms are a 10 to 15 minute walk, and the river boats leave from Westminster Pier. They need two rooms; true triples are rare in London. Rates are per room per night for 1 to 3 March 2027, searched for two adults; free-cancellation rates cost nothing to hold.

Park Plaza County Hall for two nights: riverside, level walking to everything on the London day, and among the cheaper 4-stars on the South Bank. Keeping both nights in London beats a last night in Southampton, which would use up the only full day.

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Not needed: the package includes the hotel. Kept for reference.