Princess Cruises' Discovery at Sea Program
Princess Cruises has partnered with Discovery and Animal Planet to bring educational but fun activities to its onboard and onshore programming. Through Discovery at Sea, Princess puts a unique spin on cruise entertainment that's especially appealing to animal lovers and science-and-nature enthusiasts.
What It Is
Media company Discovery, Inc., is the parent organization for popular television channels, such as the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, Food Network, HGTV and Science Channel. In its partnership with Princess Cruises -- called Discovery at Sea -- Discovery took inspiration from shows like "Mythbusters" and "Investigation Discovery" to create fun activities for adults and kids alike on Princess ships.
Discovery at Sea activities include the following (offerings vary by ship):
Encounters: This aspect of the partnership offers a guest lecturer program, focused on local naturalists and experts on the history, culture and attractions of cruise destinations passengers visit. Other speakers focus on topics of interest, such as wellness and pop culture.
Stargazing and planetarium: Princess offers top-deck after-dark Discovery at Sea stargazing instruction on select evenings. In addition, a handful of ships feature pop-up inflatable planetariums that run shows about the planets and stars. (The stargazing experience is not available on Alaska sailings, due to the midnight sun.)
High Seas Heist: This cruise-long mystery game, including video assistance from Detective Joe Kenda of "Investigation Discovery," challenges cruisers to find clues and solve puzzles to determine who stole priceless jewelry.
Can You Survive?: Passengers on just a couple of Princess ships can participate in a game show to see if they have the knowledge to survive in harsh environments around the world.
Shark Week: Select summer Caribbean cruises feature Shark Week at Sea, with themed activities for kids and a sneak preview of the year's yet-to-debut Shark Week television shows.
Trivia and kids clubs: Discovery's influence appears in various typical onboard activities. Trivia contests use questions from shows like "Mythbusters" and "How It's Made," while youth activities might be animal-themed in conjunction with "Animal Planet."
On-demand TV: In-cabin on-demand TV features many Discovery shows, including shark- and animal-themed TV programs and movies.
Recommended shore excursions: Discovery and Animal Planet give their seal of approval to Princess shore excursions that focus on animal encounters and education, as well as tours that delve into the culture or natural places in ports of call.
Price
Most onboard activities do not incur an additional fee. Shore excursions range in price based on activity and length of the tour.
Ships
Some Discovery at Sea programming can be found on all Princess cruise ships, but certain games and activities are available on select ships in select destinations only.