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Wanting to know if you need a cruise drink package for your vacation? Are they worth it? The million dollar question that every first time cruiser asks that will be answered in this post.
One of the most popular add ons is a cruise drink package.
Most people suggest you should get a drink package no matter what, but is that really the best advise for everyone?
Will you be drinking cocktails, mocktails, sodas, milkshakes, bottled water and more? You need to ask yourself this when considering if you need a drink package on a cruise.
In this post you’ll learn what a drink package is, if it’s worth it, how to calculate if you need one or not, what types of drinks they offer and more.
This post is all about a cruise drink package.
What is a cruise drink package?
A drink package is an add on most cruise lines offer for several reasons:
- If you plan to have a ton of drinks on a cruise it will save you money
- It’s convenient. If you buy a drink package you don’t have to worry about how much money you’re spending or if you shouldn’t order something because it’s already paid for.
- It’s a great way for the cruise line to make money on people who buy one but do not break even or exceed the amount they paid per day.
A drink package is an add on that you will prepay before your cruise or you can buy it once on the ship (but it will be more expensive than if you bought it on sale before your cruise started 99% of the time).
Cruises will advertise a price per day that you do have to pay for the duration of the cruise. You cannot buy a drink package just for select days of your sailing.
Yes, there are always exceptions where lines may offer the package on the last couple days still to try to make money but normally it’s only offer the first day or two on your cruise.
Example:
Your cruise line is offering a drink package for $70/day for a 5 night cruise. This means you will pay $350 up front + about 18% (or higher depending on the cruise line) for gratuities.
You are not able to take the gratuities off of your drink package, you have to pay it. Meaning you’ll really pay $350 + $63 = $413 for your package.
What types of drink packages are there?
This will vary cruise line to cruise line. Some have 2 drink package options, others have 3 main ones + coffee/water only packages, others I have seen with 5 different drink package options.
The most popular type of drink package will be the all inclusive version that includes alcoholic drinks. These packages will have different names depending on the cruise line.
Carnival has the cheers package, Royal Caribbean has the deluxe beverage package, MSC has three versions with alcohol: easy, easy plus and premium extra. The list goes on and on.
This package is most popular because most people when going on a cruise want to have a few alcoholic beverages, relax and enjoy their time off.
Packages like this will include (varies by cruise line):
- Alcoholic drinks (up to a certain monetary limit)
- Mocktails
- Sodas
- Bottled water
- Premium coffees and teas
- Fresh squeezed juices
- Smoothies
- Energy drinks
The next package can be called an alcohol free package, refreshment package, etc.
This package will include everything the top package has in it minus the alcoholic drinks.
Another option a lot of cruise lines offer are soda packages. If you enjoy having access to unlimited sodas on your cruise this is the package for you.
Two that are less popular but still options on some lines are coffee cards used to buy specialty coffee at a discounted rate and a water package which would have the cruise line deliver a case of water to your room on the first day.
Is buying a drink package worth it?
This question is always going to be objective and depend on circumstances.
How you figure out if a drink package is worth it for you is to first see what your cruise line charges for the types of drinks you’re interested in.
Think about how many drinks you will realistically drink per day and what kind. Maybe you’ll want 6 alcoholic drinks, a specialty coffee, a few sparkling waters and a smoothie.
In this case the drink package will most likely be worth it for you.
If you’re someone that just wants 2 drinks a day that are an addtional charge, you would be overpaying for a package and should just pay for your drinks individually.
It is important to do this research on pricing and how much you’ll drink before buying a drink package so you can make a logical decision.
A lot of people will say that you HAVE to get a drink package and you definitely need it but it truly does depend on yourself as an individual.
Something else you should consider as well is how many port days you have.
Most of the time people who are on the fense about buying a drink package realize that they are going to spend most of their day off the ship in port where they can’t take advantage of their drink package for as many hours per day which would make it not worth the money.
One pro is some cruise lines allow passengers to use their drink package on their private island.
Example:
If you have a stop at Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day At CocoCay, MSC’s Ocean Cay or Norwegian’s Great Stirrup Cay, you are able to use your drink package there at no additional cost.
Sadly on Carnival’s private islands, Half Moon Cay or Princess Cay, your drink package is not honored.
Pro Tip:
If you do buy a drink package and are wanting to save money on some drinks while in port you can get bottled water, energy drinks and sometimes even unopened beer that you can go around to different bars, grabbing a few and then bringing them off the ship in a bag to enjoy without having to spend more money on drinks.
You could also ask for shots and then keep a water bottle and put them in the bottle to take off the ship as well.
Related Content:
10 Must Try Drinks If You Have A Cruise Drink Package
Everything You Need To Know About MSC Cruise Drink Packages
Commonly asked questions:
Do we both have to get a drink package if we’re staying in the same room?
The simple answer is yes. If you are both 21 years old and someone wants a drink package with alochol you both are required to get it.
A way around this that some lines (like Royal Caribbean) will accept is if you call customer service to book your drink package and tell them the other person in the room doesn’t drink due to medical or religious reasons.
For medical you might need proof from a doctor. However, they will still make the other person get some type of drink package, usually the one that includes everything except alcohol.
You will have to call though if you want to do this because if you book it online it will not let you unselect one person if you’re buying a package with alcohol.
If one person in your room wants to buy a package without alcohol (like the refreshment package or a soda package) the other person is not required to buy a package like with the all inclusive package.
Pro Tip: If you are traveling as two adults with a couple kids and one adult wants a drink package with alcohol and the other does not you can book one adult with one child per room.
The adults can end up sleeping in the same room if they want and put the kids in the other room but this way you are not automatically made to both purchase a package this way.
Can I share my drink package?
You are not allowed to share a drink package on a cruise. Doing so could result in you getting your drink package taken away and/or you might be forced to pay for every drink you’ve had on an individual cost which could really add up.
Of course there are people who do this on cruises but you are not supposed to and it is very frowned upon.
Can I just buy a bottle on the ship to drink?
You can buy a bottle of liquor on a cruise ship in the shop but you will not be able to take it back to your room to drink during your cruise.
If you decide to buy one in the duty free shop they will not deliver it to you until the last night of your cruise.
Some lines do offer small bottles you can buy before your cruise that you can drink while on the ship. They are greatly upcharged though for the size but work if you just want a little something and don’t want to buy a drink package.
Looking for Cruise Must Haves? Check out this list of the top items you should bring on your cruise.
Can I take alcohol on board?
This depends on the cruise line.
Some like Royal Caribbean will allow one bottle of wine or champange up to 750 ml per person. They also allow 12 non alcohlic drinks up to 17 oz each you can bring per stateroom.
Others will allow 2 wine bottles of the same size per stateroom and the same amount of non alcoholic beverages.
Then you have some lines like MSC that do not allow you to bring alochol of any kind on board.
Is my drink package unlimited?
Yes- for most lines. Cruises like Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, MSC, etc are unlimited. You can have as many drinks per day if you want. The only way you’ll get cut off is if you’re acting indecently.
Lines like Carnival however have a max of 15 drinks per day for their drink package.
Do I have to buy a drink package?
No you definitely don’t have to! If you want to just enjoy a couple drinks you can buy them individually. You do not have to buy an entire package if you don’t think it will be worth the cost to you.
Cruises do have some included drinks that can get you by without having a package. These include:
-Water
-Lemonade
-Tea
-Coffee
-Milk
-Juices
Hopefully this post was helpful in making your decision on if a cruise drink package would be worth it for you or not.
This post was all about a cruise drink package.
