A cruise drink package can save you money or waste it, depending entirely on how you drink. Here is the honest math so you can decide before you sail, not at the bar.
Cruise lines sell all-inclusive beverage packages that cover cocktails, beer, wine by the glass, sodas, specialty coffees, and bottled water up to a daily limit, usually around 15 alcoholic drinks a day, which is effectively unlimited for most people. Prices run roughly $60 to $100 per person per day, and gratuity of about 18 to 20 percent is added on top. There are also cheaper non-alcoholic packages covering soda, coffee, and water. The package is charged for every day of your cruise, whether or not you drink that day.
The question is simple: how many drinks would you buy anyway? Individual drinks on board run about $9 to $15 for cocktails, $8 to $10 for beer or wine, $3 to $6 for specialty coffee, and a few dollars for soda or bottled water. To break even on a $90-a-day package with gratuity, you need roughly five to seven drinks a day. Crucially, that counts everything: your morning latte, an afternoon soda, bottled water, and evening cocktails all add up. If you will have a coffee, a couple of waters, and three or four drinks a day, the package likely pays off.
A drink package makes sense if you enjoy several drinks a day and hate watching a running tab, if you drink specialty coffees and bottled water throughout the day, or if you value the freedom to order without thinking about the price each time. Sea days, when you are on board all day with easy bar access, tilt the math toward the package. For social drinkers who will comfortably hit six or more beverages a day across coffee, water, and alcohol, the package usually wins and removes bill anxiety.
Skip the package if you are a light drinker, if your itinerary has many port days where you are off the ship and not drinking on board, or if you mainly drink water and the occasional beer. Two-drink-a-day cruisers almost always lose money on a full package. Some people do better buying the cheaper soda-and-coffee package, or simply paying as they go. Do not buy the package just because everyone else did; run your own honest number.
One catch surprises couples and friends sharing a cabin: most lines require every adult in the same stateroom to buy the drink package if any adult does. This is to prevent one person buying it and sharing. So if you drink a lot but your cabin-mate barely drinks, you are looking at two packages, which can flip the math against buying. Factor both people into the decision, not just the heavier drinker.
If you decide a package is worth it, buy it online in advance through the cruise line's planner rather than on board. Pre-cruise pricing is usually lower than the onboard rate, and lines sometimes run promotions before sailing. You can typically cancel or adjust up to a day or two before you sail if your plans change. Fold the cost into your budget alongside gratuities, since together they are the biggest onboard extras.
They are worth it if you will have roughly five to seven drinks a day, counting cocktails, beer, wine, specialty coffees, sodas, and bottled water. Packages run about $60 to $100 per person per day plus gratuity, so light drinkers or those with many port days usually save by paying as they go.
Usually about five to seven drinks a day on a package around $90 with gratuity. That counts everything, morning coffees, sodas, and bottled water as well as alcohol, so it adds up faster than people expect on a full sea day.
On most lines, yes. If any adult in a stateroom buys the beverage package, every adult in that cabin must buy it too. This can flip the math if one person drinks a lot and the other barely drinks, so factor both people in.
Usually yes. Buying through the cruise line's online planner before you sail is typically cheaper than the onboard rate, and lines sometimes run pre-cruise promotions. You can often cancel or adjust up to a day or two before sailing.
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