Princess Cruises Opens 2027 Rose Parade Contest to Its Most Loyal Guests
Princess Cruises is accepting entries for a contest that puts four of its Captain’s Circle Elite members aboard the line’s float in the 2027 Rose Parade. Eligible members can submit a 300- to 500-word essay through September 22, 2026, with four winners announced by October 6. Each winner receives a trip for two to Pasadena, California, and a seat on the float as it moves down Colorado Boulevard on New Year’s Day.
Who Can Enter, and What It Takes
The “Share Your Princess Story” contest is open to Captain’s Circle Elite members who are legal residents of the 50 states, Washington D.C., or Canada outside Quebec, and who are at least 18 years old. Entrants submit an essay on the memories, connections, or destinations that shaped their time sailing with the line, through the official entry site.
The eligibility bar is worth clarifying for readers checking their own status: Princess sets Elite tier at 15 completed cruises or 150 cruise days, and that is also the contest’s minimum. In practice, this means any guest who currently holds Elite status already meets the entry requirement. The contest isn’t asking for loyalty beyond what the tier already represents, it’s opening the field to everyone who has already reached it.
A Second Straight Year on Colorado Boulevard
This is Princess’s second consecutive appearance in the parade. The line debuted in the 2026 Rose Parade with a Star Princess replica built around an Alaska theme, measuring 55 feet long and 21 feet high and covered in more than 300,000 flowers and natural materials.
For 2027, the float grows slightly and widens its scope. Built again by Artistic Entertainment Services, this year’s entry, “Welcome Aboard – Find Your Story,” measures 55 feet long and 22 feet high, about a foot taller than last year’s, and uses more than 320,000 flowers, seeds, bark, leaves, and other natural materials, roughly 7% more organic material than the debut float. Rather than spotlighting one region, the design moves through Alaska, Japan, Australia, and Europe, tying the float to the parade’s 2027 theme of “Welcome.”
What Travelers Should Know
- Entry window: now through September 22, 2026
- Essay length: 300 to 500 words
- Winners announced: by October 6, 2026
- Prize: trip for two to Pasadena, California, including a ride on the float
- Parade date: January 1, 2027, in Pasadena
- Eligibility: Captain’s Circle Elite status (15 cruises or 150 cruise days), 18 or older, U.S. or Canada (excluding Quebec) resident
Guests who aren’t yet Elite members won’t qualify for this round, but the contest doubles as a reminder of where the tier sits in Princess’s loyalty structure. Gold starts after one cruise, Ruby at three cruises or 30 days, Platinum at five cruises or 50 days, and Elite at 15 cruises or 150 days, the same threshold the contest uses.
The Bigger Picture
The Rose Parade draws roughly 800,000 spectators to Colorado Boulevard and more than 28 million U.S. television viewers, with additional international audiences watching broadcasts abroad. For Princess, a repeat appearance signals the line intends to make the parade a recurring marketing fixture rather than a one-off tied to a single ship launch, as the 2026 float was built around Star Princess’s Alaska debut. The 2027 float carries no single-ship or single-season tie-in, suggesting Princess is using the platform to represent its broader destination portfolio rather than one new vessel.
Official rules, the entry form, and full prize details are available at princessshareyourstory.com.
