Princess Casual Dining Explained: What Counts, What’s Included, and Where the Value Is

The value depends on your fare:

• Princess Standard: Casual dining generally costs extra.
• Princess Plus: Current Princess language says Plus guests can visit casual dining venues up to four times at no extra cost, with package terms depending on sailing year.
• Princess Premier: Current Princess language says Premier guests receive unlimited casual dining visits.
• No package: Guests may pay current casual dining pricing or à la carte pricing where available.

The better question is not just whether casual dining is included.

The better question is whether casual dining will help your cruise feel easier.

Before relying on any package benefit, check the current Princess Plus and Princess Premier package terms.

Common casual dining examples across Princess ships may include:

• Alfredo’s Pizzeria
• Gigi’s Pizzeria by Alfredo
• O’Malley’s Irish Pub
• Ocean Terrace
• Vines
• Salty Dog Pub
• Planks
• Steamers
• Other ship-specific casual venues

Not every ship has every venue. That is important.

A casual dining guide should never assume that the venue list is the same on every Princess ship. The actual options depend on the ship, sailing, itinerary, current package rules, and what Princess is offering onboard at the time.

Before you sail, check:

• Your Princess app
• Your booking details
• Your ship’s dining page
• Current Princess package terms
• Onboard venue hours
• The daily schedule once you board

If you are new to the Medallion system and app-based cruise planning, our Princess MedallionClass guide is a helpful companion before you board.

You can also review Princess’s current Alfredo’s and Gigi’s casual dining FAQ as one example of how Princess explains this category.

Depending on the ship, included dining may include things like:

• Main dining rooms
• Buffet-style venues
• International Café
• Top-deck pizza by the slice
• Poolside grill-style options
• Soft-serve ice cream
• Some room-service breakfast options

Those are not what most Princess package discussions mean when they talk about casual dining.

Casual dining is usually a separate category of venues with a set casual dining price or à la carte pricing.

That is why it helps to think in categories instead of just food types.

Casual dining is usually more relaxed.

It may be pizza, pub-style food, small plates, sushi, or another casual sit-down experience. It may still feel special compared with the buffet, but it is not usually the same kind of full-event dinner as a specialty restaurant.

That is why casual dining can be useful. It gives you more variety without always needing a long, expensive, reservation-heavy meal.

But if you are on Princess Standard, you should think of casual dining as an optional add-on, not something that is automatically included.

When casual dining may be worth paying for on Princess Standard:

• You want a better lunch on a sea day.
• You want something easier than the main dining room.
• You are tired of the buffet.
• You want a more relaxed meal without specialty dining pricing.
• You only plan to use it once or twice.

When it may not be worth paying separately:

• You are happy with the included options.
• You prefer main dining room meals.
• You eat lightly during the day.
• You are already spending on specialty dining.
• You are on a port-heavy itinerary and may not be onboard for many lunches.

With Princess Standard, casual dining is a choice. The value depends on how you actually eat.

For many cruisers, casual dining may be one of the easier Princess Plus benefits to use because it does not require a big special occasion. It can fit naturally into the cruise.

Good uses for Princess Plus casual dining:

• A sea-day lunch
• A casual dinner after a long port day
• A relaxed embarkation day meal
• A meal before or after a show
• A break from the buffet
• A low-pressure alternative to the main dining room

The risk is assuming you will use the casual dining meals just because they are included.

If you are on a short cruise, spending most days in port, or already planning specialty dining, you may not use every casual dining benefit. Since unused included meals generally do not turn into a cash refund or onboard credit, the value only matters if you use it.

Princess Plus is strongest for casual dining when you want variety, convenience, and a few upgraded casual meals without jumping all the way to Premier.

The value comes from how much easier it makes the cruise feel.

If you are the kind of cruiser who likes casual lunches, flexible dinners, pizza, pub-style food, small plates, or easy meals between activities, casual dining can become a real Premier benefit.

It may be especially useful on:

• Longer cruises
• Sea-day-heavy cruises
• Cruises where you want dining variety
• Trips where you do not want to think about every extra charge
• Cruises where you plan to use specialty dining and casual dining
• Port-heavy itineraries where you may want easier dinners after long days

The caution is that Premier can also make people feel like they need to maximize everything.

You do not need to eat at a casual dining venue just because you can. Sometimes the best dinner after a long excursion is the easiest one.

Premier works best when casual dining gives you flexibility, not pressure.

That is especially true with package benefits. “Included” only matters if you actually want to use it. “Unlimited” only matters if it fits how you eat on vacation.

Casual dining can be valuable because it can:

• Feel easier than the main dining room
• Feel nicer than the buffet
• Cost less than specialty dining
• Give you a relaxed lunch option
• Make sea days feel more enjoyable
• Help after long port days
• Add variety on longer cruises
• Make Plus or Premier feel more useful

That is where the value is.

It is not about squeezing every possible dollar out of a package. It is about using the package to make the trip feel smoother.

If casual dining helps you avoid an extra decision, skip a crowded buffet, or get an easier dinner after a long port day, that may be real value — even if it does not look dramatic on a spreadsheet.

Sea-day lunch

This may be one of the best uses of casual dining. On a sea day, you usually have more time. You are not rushing off the ship, trying to make an excursion, or grabbing breakfast before an early meet-up time.

Embarkation day

Embarkation day can be chaotic. A casual dining meal can be a nice middle ground if you do not want the buffet crowd but also do not want a long specialty dinner.

After a long port day

After a long excursion, the main dining room may feel like too much. Specialty dining may feel like even more. Casual dining can be the compromise.

Before or after a show

If you are trying to work around entertainment, casual dining can be easier than a long dinner.

On a longer cruise

The longer the cruise, the more valuable variety becomes. On a longer sailing, casual dining can help break things up so every meal does not feel repetitive.

After a long excursion, the main dining room may feel like too much. Specialty dining may feel like even more. The buffet may be easy but not exciting.

Casual dining can be the compromise.

It gives you something that feels like a real meal without making the evening feel overplanned.

This is one of the biggest reasons we would look at casual dining as part of a Princess package decision. Not because every meal needs to be maximized, but because long port days change how you actually want to eat.

For a British Isles cruise, Alaska cruise, Mediterranean cruise, or other port-heavy itinerary, casual dining might be most valuable on:

• Embarkation day
• Sea days
• Shorter port days
• Evenings after long excursions
• Nights when the entertainment schedule is awkward
• Nights when you want something easier than specialty dining but better than grabbing whatever is fastest

That is practical value, not just menu value.

For more itinerary context, our Majestic Princess British Isles Cruise Itinerary Guide explains what this kind of 12-day sailing can feel like overall.

Use specialty dining for:

• Celebration dinners
• Sea-day evenings
• Date nights
• The restaurants you are genuinely excited about
• Meals you want to plan around

Use casual dining for:

• Easy lunches
• Flexible dinners
• After-excursion meals
• Low-pressure nights
• Variety without a major commitment
• Show nights

If you try to make every dinner a specialty dining event, the cruise can start to feel overplanned. Casual dining helps keep some meals easier.

Choose the main dining room when:

• You want a traditional cruise dinner.
• You like a full-service meal.
• You want included dining.
• You are not in a rush.
• You enjoy rotating menus.

Choose casual dining when:

• You want something easier.
• You want a specific venue or food style.
• You do not want the buffet.
• You do not want a long dinner.
• Your package includes it and the venue appeals to you.

Neither is automatically better. They solve different problems.

Choose the buffet when:

• You want speed.
• Everyone wants something different.
• You are eating before an excursion.
• You do not want to wait.
• You want total flexibility.

Choose casual dining when:

• You want a more enjoyable meal.
• You want to sit down and slow down.
• You want a specific casual venue.
• You want better atmosphere.
• You have Plus or Premier benefits to use.

The buffet is practical. Casual dining can be practical and enjoyable.

Ask yourself:

• Do we like sit-down casual meals?
• Will we be onboard for lunches?
• Do we get tired of buffets quickly?
• Do we want more dining variety?
• Are we already booking specialty dining?
• Do we care about avoiding small extra charges?
• Are we on a port-heavy itinerary?
• Are the ship’s casual dining venues actually appealing to us?

When we are helping someone compare Princess Standard, Plus, and Premier, the first questions we would ask are practical ones:

• Do you want most meals to be included and easy, or are you comfortable paying as you go?
• Would you naturally use casual dining, or would you mostly stick with the main dining room, buffet, and included options?
• Are your port days busy enough that easy dinners may matter more than long specialty meals?
• Will you be onboard enough at lunch to use casual dining benefits?
• Are you choosing a package because it fits your habits, or because the benefit list sounds impressive?

Some people will use casual dining constantly. Some will use it once. Some may be perfectly happy with the main dining room, buffet, International Café, or other included options.

The right answer depends less on the package chart and more on how you actually eat on vacation.

• Which casual dining venues are on your ship
• Whether your package includes casual dining
• How many casual dining meals or visits are included
• Whether your sailing year changes the package rules
• Whether the venue uses set casual dining pricing or à la carte pricing
• Whether reservations are available or needed
• Whether casual dining benefits can be shared
• Whether unused meals expire at the end of the voyage
• Whether pricing has changed since you booked

Princess package benefits and dining terms have changed over time. Always verify the current terms before treating any package benefit as guaranteed.

Princess casual dining may be a good fit for cruisers who:

• Like easy sit-down meals
• Want a break from the buffet
• Like pizza, pub food, small plates, or casual venues
• Want dining variety on longer cruises
• Are sailing with Princess Plus or Premier
• Want easier dinners after port days
• Prefer flexibility over formal dinners every night
• Like having meals that work around shows and activities

It may be less important for cruisers who:

• Prefer the main dining room
• Are happy with the buffet and included options
• Eat lightly during the day
• Do not like the casual venues on their ship
• Are rarely onboard for lunch
• Already have several specialty dinners planned
• Are trying to keep the cruise as low-cost as possible