Four longtime Princess Cruises guests will have a chance to trade the cruise ship for a floral float on New Year’s Day. Princess has launched its “Share Your Princess Story” contest, offering eligible Captain’s Circle Elite members the opportunity to ride aboard the cruise line’s float in the 2027 Rose Parade in Pasadena, California.

Each of the four winners will receive a trip for two to Pasadena, with the winner getting a place aboard Princess’ “Welcome Aboard – Find Your Story” float as it travels along Colorado Boulevard during the 138th Rose Parade presented by Honda on January 1, 2027.

Entries are open through September 22, 2026, and the contest is specifically for Princess’ most experienced Captain’s Circle members.

Who Can Enter the Princess Rose Parade Contest?

The contest is open to eligible Princess Captain’s Circle Elite members who are legal residents of the 50 United States and District of Columbia or Canada, excluding Quebec.

Entrants must be at least 18 years old when they enter. They must also have completed at least 15 Princess cruises or accumulated at least 150 cruise days with Princess as of the beginning of the contest.

Those eligibility requirements make the contest particularly focused on longtime Princess cruisers rather than the broader traveling public.

Princess Wants to Hear Guests’ Personal Cruise Stories

Eligible members enter by submitting an essay of between 300 and 500 words about their experiences with Princess.

The cruise line is asking travelers to focus on memorable moments, meaningful connections and destinations that have made Princess part of their personal travel stories.

Those stories could involve the types of experiences Princess says guests have shared over more than 60 years of cruising, including milestone celebrations, multigenerational vacations, friendships, love stories and memorable experiences ashore.

Princess Chief Marketing Officer Marie Lee said the company wanted to involve longtime guests in its return to the Rose Parade while connecting their personal travel memories with the parade’s 2027 theme, “Welcome.”

Four Winners Will Receive Trips to Pasadena

Princess plans to select four winners by October 6, 2026.

Each winner will receive a trip for two to Pasadena, California. The winning Captain’s Circle member will also have the opportunity to ride aboard the Princess Cruises float during the Rose Parade on January 1.

The announcement does not provide all prize components or travel arrangements, so eligible members should review the official prize description, eligibility requirements and contest terms before entering.

Princess Returns to the Rose Parade for a Second Year

The 2027 appearance will mark Princess Cruises’ second consecutive year participating in the Rose Parade.

This year’s float is called “Welcome Aboard – Find Your Story” and is designed around the Pasadena Tournament of Roses theme of “Welcome.” Princess says the design will represent discovery, connection and the sense of belonging associated with traveling around the world.

Artistic Entertainment Services is designing and building the float, which will measure approximately 55 feet long and 22 feet high.

More Than 320,000 Natural Materials Will Cover the Float

Princess says its 2027 float will incorporate more than 320,000 flowers, seeds, pieces of bark, leaves and other natural materials.

Floral textures, colors and animation will be used to represent several destinations associated with Princess Cruises.

The destinations specifically highlighted in the float design are Alaska, Japan, Australia and Europe, giving spectators along the parade route a travel-focused interpretation of the “Welcome” theme.

The Rose Parade Reaches Millions of Viewers

Riding aboard the Princess float will put the contest winners in front of a particularly large New Year’s Day audience.

According to Princess, approximately 800,000 spectators attend the Rose Parade along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena. The event also attracts more than 28 million television viewers in the United States, with millions more watching internationally.

For the four selected Captain’s Circle members, the prize therefore goes beyond simply attending the parade. They will become part of Princess’ actual Rose Parade entry as it travels along the route.

Entries Close September 22

Eligible Captain’s Circle Elite members have until September 22, 2026, to submit their 300- to 500-word Princess story.

With winners scheduled to be chosen by October 6, the turnaround between entering and learning the results is relatively short. The four selected guests will then have less than three months before the New Year’s Day parade in Pasadena.

For longtime Princess cruisers who meet the eligibility requirements, the contest provides an unusual opportunity to turn years of cruise memories into a completely different kind of Princess experience — riding aboard the company’s floral float as it makes its way through the 2027 Rose Parade.

Source: Princess Cruises