Drink Packages Sodas, Beers, Spirits and More

Table Of Content

• Royal Caribbean Cruise Line Drinks Packages
• Virgin Voyages Drinks Packages
• What's Included in on a Cruise
• Raise a Glass to the Perfect Package
• Are cruise drink packages worth the price? What to know before you buy
• best drinks to order with a cruise ship beverage package (and 3 to avoid)
• Cruises
• Which Cruise Lines Offer Free Drink Packages?

Discover local favorite foods including the best types of Mexican dishes to explore during your next vacation to Mexico for sampling its vibrant culinary history. Sample the best foods in New York with our guide to uncovering the top places for enjoying the secrets of NY water in bagels, pizza, and doughnuts. Discover new flavors in restaurants by the water or within the historic city of Nassau. Discover the most delightful foods to enjoy on a sweet-lover's journey as you treat yourself to the best desserts in the world. Want to find out more about our Beverage Packages, what’s included in each one, and which option might be best for you and your adventure squad? You’ll find lots of helpful information and tips in our Beverage Package FAQs — just click here to learn more.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line Drinks Packages

A full menu of espresso-based selections are available on board and can be customized to suit your taste. Usually, the rationale for refusing is that I don’t drink that much. The thought of having to imbibe up to 15 beverages per day seems an unattainable goal for me, even though I do have a fondness for cold beers, pool drinks and wine with dinner when I am at sea. The Captain's Exclusive Beverage Package includes the same beer and wine offerings with the addition of Champagne by the glass, cordials, cocktails and mini bar selections. Many guests aboard Viking Ocean Cruises will find the complimentary beverages offered during lunch and dinner provide enough variety during an itinerary.

Virgin Voyages Drinks Packages

NCL drink packages: Should you take Norwegian Cruise Line’s free drinks offer? - The Points Guy

NCL drink packages: Should you take Norwegian Cruise Line’s free drinks offer?.

Posted: Wed, 27 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

If one of you drinks and the other does not, you'll save more money by buying drinks by the glass. On many ships, you'll also need to factor in the drinking habits of your traveling companion. Several lines including Carnival, Holland America and MSC Cruises have a rule that if one adult in a cabin orders a drink package, all adults in the cabin must order the package. This is to prevent two people in a cabin from sharing a single drink package. Thinking about buying a cruise drink package or just wondering how much you should budget for drinks when cruising?

What's Included in on a Cruise

While each cruise line’s alcoholic beverage package is slightly different, they almost all have certain inclusions and restrictions that you should know before buying one of the packages. If one person in a stateroom buys this package, everyone of legal drinking age in the stateroom must buy the same package, according to cruise line policy. If someone in your room does not drink alcohol, don't worry. I've encountered many people who have called customer service and downgraded one or more non-drinking adults to a Refreshment Package. As with the Soda Package, you can order your non-alcoholic beverages, from sparkling water to fancy mocktails, from your pool lounger or blackjack table. If you don't want to pay for a Water Package, you can find drinking water at complimentary drink stations in the buffet area and often in other locations on Royal Caribbean ships.

Like I said earlier, cruise lines price their beverage packages by the day, and you can't prorate the pricing to skip port days when you're hardly on the ship. Most of us can't party all night after touring in the sun all day, which makes it hard to break even on the package cost on port days. Most passengers will find the all-inclusive Deluxe Beverage Package a valuable option as it covers alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages alike. Debating visiting Labadee vs. CocoCay, Royal Caribbean's private islands?

Are cruise drink packages worth the price? What to know before you buy

If you prefer nonalcoholic beverages, you can expect to pay around $7 for mocktails and protein shakes, $5 for lattes at non-Starbucks locations and close to $9 for smoothies. You will notice that the Deluxe Beverage Package price range listed above is a bit wider than what is posted on Royal Caribbean's site. Posted price ranges include the disclaimer that prices on individual sailings may vary. We used a realistic range of prices from Royal Caribbean guests who have booked cruises and paid for drink packages in the past 12 months.

best drinks to order with a cruise ship beverage package (and 3 to avoid)

We’ve rounded up some of the biggest questions — and answers — about the cruise line beverage packages to help you get a better idea of if it’s the right thing for your next cruise. If purchased on its own, the math behind the package may not work for you. After all, you have to drink enough each day to make up for the cost of the drink package. With Princess’ all-inclusive offers, however, the math shifts strongly in favor of having the package.

Is a drink package worth it on MSC? I tried it to see whether it was worth the money. - Cruise Blog

Is a drink package worth it on MSC? I tried it to see whether it was worth the money..

Posted: Fri, 15 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Cruises

To decide if you should buy the cruise drinks package or not, you’ll need to do a bit of maths to estimate how much you would spend on drinks if you didn’t have the package. The following table shows the prices of drinks on all cruise lines in 2023 in both US Dollars ($) and British Pounds Sterling (£). The following table shows the price of the standard drinks package (when booked pre-cruise) for each cruise line.

Which Cruise Lines Offer Free Drink Packages?

Royal Caribbean requires adult passengers in a cabin to all purchase the package if one person does. Also, keep in mind that the drink package is sold on the first day or two of the cruise. You can't decide halfway through the trip that you want it. To start, you should know that each drink package on each cruise line is a little different. Royal CaribbeanRoyal Caribbean's Deluxe Beverage Package covers pretty much any beverage on the ship, up to a $14 per drink limit.

Prices vary for this package, depending on your cruise and the ship that you sail. These packages are the Plus Beverage Package, featuring drinks up to $15 per glass and the Premier Beverage Package, which is a higher-end offering with drinks up to $20 per glass. The first thing you should do when considering a drink package is carefully think through how many drinks (and what type) you normally order while on vacation.

Now that you have all the facts, there are several ways to look at Royal Caribbean's drink packages to determine if you should get one. Whichever package you choose, your value may also depend on your itinerary and activities. On a Caribbean cruise that includes a sea day or two and a stop at CocoCay, you'll likely drink more – simply because you're relaxing more than touring, and the hot temperatures will make you thirsty. That leaves you with somewhere between $30 and $80 per day to spend on alcoholic drinks to break even. As the starting point for the Soda Package is just over $15 per person per day with the gratuity, you'll need to count on drinking a minimum of four sodas a day for it to be a good value.

For a fixed per-day rate, a drink package lets you order as many alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks as you want every day. Cruise ship drink packages let you order as many drinks as you want while on a cruise for one flat fee. It’s an age-old question — does the early bird really get the worm, or are there perks to taking a “wait-and-see” approach? If you’re booking a cruise vacation, you’ll find there are benefits to both strategies. Planning ahead is a great way to score big savings, as Royal Caribbean often runs early saver deals to guests booking well in advance.

You can order it with no second thoughts when you have a beverage package. Order a gin and tonic, and the bartender is likely to pour you the cheapest house brand of gin he's got on hand. Get the most from your beverage package by asking for your tonic with Tanqueray or Bombay Sapphire. Guests sailing with friends will likely find the prepaid Bar Tab worth it, as it is shareable and valid throughout the ship and at the Bimini Beach Club. Solo sailors will likely find purchasing beverages a la carte to be a better budgetary option.

If you order a drink that’s not included in the package and you might have to make up the difference or even pay full price for it. P&O Cruises give a free children’s drinks package when you book an adult drinks package. This deal can offer great value if you have older children who like to drink a lot of fizzy drinks and mocktails. As you’re leaving the ship, you’ll often see bottles of water available to take ashore with you. If you don’t, then save your pennies (and the environment) and use your own refillable water bottle. The free drinks vary by cruise line, but you can generally expect water, tea, coffee, milk and flavoured water (cordial or squash) to be on offer with no charge.

If you’re not a planner, or if the only things you’re looking to focus on during your getaway is savoring great food, relaxing, and soaking up the sights, cruise vacations are the way to go. A cruise vacation is also a great option if you’re traveling with the whole family, especially when you opt for a Royal Caribbean cruise. All of the ships in this cruise line’s fleet offer family-friendly experiences for guests of all ages. Even little ones will find plenty of ways to play with spaces and activities designed for tots to tweens. One of the top reasons savvy travelers love cruising, though, is because of the incredible value it offers. With Royal Caribbean, your cruise fare includes access to most of the ship’s attractions, select dining venues and all of the entertainment onboard.

One of the big allures of a cruise for many vacationers is that quite a lot is included in the fare, including a room, most meals and a wide range of entertainment. Alas, at many lines, drinks are not part of the package — and they can be quite pricey. For heavier drinkers, it's easy to run up an enormous bar tab when ordering drinks by the glass. It only includes a limited number of drinks and is not valid in extra-charge specialty restaurants. It costs $46 to $60 per day, depending on when it's booked and the length of the sailing.