Crown Grill on Princess Cruises charges a flat cover charge of $39 per person (2025 pricing), which includes your appetizer, entrée, and dessert — though some premium items like lobster tail carry an additional upcharge of $10–$20.
Photo: Royal Caribbean International
Crown Grill is Princess's signature steakhouse, and at first glance that $39 cover charge looks reasonable. But once you add a la carte upgrades, wine pairings, and the occasional lobster tail surcharge, dinner for two can quietly climb past $120 before you've touched the dessert menu.
Crown Grill Cover Charge: What You Actually Pay
The base cover charge is $39 per person as of 2025. That gets you a full steakhouse meal — starter, main course, and dessert. However, the flat fee doesn't mean there are no surprises.
- Lobster tail add-on: $10–$20 depending on market pricing
- Premium seafood selections: May carry supplemental charges
- Wine and cocktails: Not included — billed separately at $12–$18 per glass unless you have a beverage package
- Gratuity: An 18% service charge is automatically added to the cover charge
So that "$39" dinner is realistically $46+ per person just with auto-grat, before a single drink.
| Category | Cost Per Person |
|---|---|
| Base cover charge | $39 |
| With 18% auto-gratuity | ~$46 |
| With lobster tail add-on | $49–$59 |
| With one glass of wine | $61–$77 |
| Full splurge (wine pairing, premium add-ons) | $80–$110+ |
Photo: Carnival Cruise Line
What Drives the Cost Up (or Down)
Plus and Premier fare packages change the math significantly. If you've booked Princess's Plus package ($60/day) or Premier package ($80/day), you get two specialty dining meals included per voyage on Premier, or a discount credit toward specialty dining on Plus. Crown Grill counts toward this.
When you book matters. Pre-booking Crown Grill online before your cruise through the Princess app or website doesn't save you money on the cover charge itself, but it guarantees you a table — popular sailings sell out Crown Grill reservations weeks before departure.
Ship class matters too. Crown Grill is available on most Princess ships including Sun Princess, Majestic Princess, Sky Princess, Crown Princess, and the Grand-class fleet. The menu is largely consistent across ships, though Sun Princess (2024-launched) features a slightly updated presentation.
Group size: Dining with four or more? You're looking at $185+ in cover charges alone before drinks — worth factoring into your vacation budget upfront.
Photo: Carnival Cruise Line
How to Get the Best Value at Crown Grill
1. Book the Princess Premier package if you eat specialty dining more than twice. At ~$80/day, Premier includes two specialty dining meals. On a 7-night cruise, that's two Crown Grill dinners effectively "included" in a package that also covers unlimited drinks and Wi-Fi. The math often wins.
2. Look for onboard promotions. Princess occasionally runs early-boarding specials or first-night discounts at specialty restaurants — sometimes 20% off the cover charge if you dine on embarkation night. Check the Princess app when you board.
3. Skip the wine-by-the-glass if you have a beverage package. The Deluxe Beverage Package (typically $75–$95/day depending on your sailing) covers wines by the glass up to a set price limit at Crown Grill. If you've got the package, this is where it pays off.
4. Avoid the upcharge items if you're budget-conscious. The USDA prime cuts and included seafood selections are genuinely excellent. You don't need the lobster add-on to have a great meal — the NY strip and filet mignon at the base price are the point of coming here.
5. Lunch service (where offered): A handful of Princess ships offer Crown Grill lunch on sea days at a reduced cover charge — sometimes as low as $28–$30 per person. Worth checking the daily Princess Patter once onboard.
Is Crown Grill Worth $39+ Per Person?
For what you get — legitimate USDA prime steaks, attentive tableside service, a quieter atmosphere than the main dining room — yes, Crown Grill is one of the better specialty dining values in mainstream cruising. Comparable steakhouse experiences on Norwegian (Cagney's) and Royal Caribbean (Chops Grille) run $45–$59 per person for similar quality. Princess is priced competitively.
| Cruise Line | Steakhouse | Cover Charge (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Princess | Crown Grill | $39/person |
| Royal Caribbean | Chops Grille | $49–$59/person |
| Norwegian | Cagney's Steakhouse | $45–$55/person |
| Celebrity | Tuscan Grille / Fine Cut | $45–$55/person |
| MSC | Butcher's Cut | $39–$45/person |
Where Crown Grill edges out the competition is in the included scope of the meal and Princess's reputation for table service. Where it falls short: the wine list is pricey and the lobster upcharges feel like a gotcha on an otherwise clean pricing model.
Before you book your Princess sailing, run your full cruise cost — specialty dining, drinks, gratuities, excursions — through CruiseMutiny so you know exactly what you're walking into before you board.