Yes, Princess Cruises allows you to use onboard credit to pay for shore excursions. Whether you book your excursions online before your cruise or wait until you’re onboard, any available onboard credit will generally be applied first before Princess charges the credit card linked to your booking.
This can be a great way to reduce your out-of-pocket vacation expenses, especially if you’ve received onboard credit as part of a promotion, from a travel agent, or as a shareholder benefit. Shore excursions are one of the most popular ways guests use their onboard credit, along with specialty dining, spa treatments, and other onboard purchases.
Keep track of your excursions
One thing that sometimes confuses first-time Princess cruisers is that onboard credit usage may not immediately appear on your cruise invoice before sailing. Even if you’ve booked an excursion online and intend to pay with onboard credit, your booking documents may not show that credit as having been applied yet.
In many cases, the onboard credit is not officially deducted until you board the ship and your onboard account becomes active. Because of this, it’s a good idea to keep track of your available credit and any purchases you’ve made against it. This will help you avoid accidentally spending more onboard credit than you expected.
Once onboard the ship
Once you’re on the ship, you can review your onboard account through the Princess app, your stateroom television, or Guest Services. These tools make it easy to see what credit remains and how it has been applied to excursions and other purchases.
If you’re planning to use onboard credit for excursions, there’s usually no reason to wait until you’re onboard to book. Popular tours can sell out well before sailing, and Princess will still apply your available onboard credit first when processing eligible purchases. Booking early gives you the best selection while still allowing you to take advantage of the credit you’ve received.
