Should You Buy A Cruise Drinks Package? 

Money isn’t the only thing. There is a joy in being able to order drinks without worrying about cost.

Unless you are planning on doing a lot of drinking, they usually are not worth it. I mostly drink water with maybe a coke with either lunch or dinner. If I want a beer one night, it's still going to be much cheaper to just pay for it on the spot.

Best value for money is "pay as you go"!

When we cruise, as soon as we book the cruise, we always put cash on the cruise cash. We always have at least 300 on cruise cash. We don't drink that much, and we always receive a check back. With that said, we do purchase the bubble package for sodas.

Another thing I didn't realize until I watched you if you're going on a lot of excursions and paying for those you're not drinking either on ship. Unless a glass of wine is $500. this is usually not a good deal.

Just got off the Celebrity Edge with the premium drinks package. It was worth every penny and not just the $15 cocktails, bit sodas and specialty coffees also add up. It's nice to just not have to think about it.

For the cruise lines, the great thing about the drink packages is that few passengers have the package "pay off" over ordering separately. Most passengers overestimate their capacity and the longer the cruise the more true this is. Almost everyone starts off overindulging, but usually upon Day 4 of the cruise consumption drops sharply. (If your main motivation of getting a drink or coffee is to make the drink package "pay off," what's the point?) I personally have found the Princess Cruises Soft Drink package to be the best value. In contrast to some other lines, Princess' Soft Drink package includes not only fountain soft drinks (though not bottled drinks or bottled water,) but also hot chocolate, "virgin" mix drinks (which in themselves can be pricy) and fruit smoothies (but not specialty smoothies.)

I will get the drink package until I am not allowed to drink anymore. 🙃 while I don't force myself to binge drink I generally have 7-8 drinks a day which is not difficult with morning mimosas and pool cocktails to aperitif, wine during dinner and digestif. Then cocktails during whatever venue after dinner. If I was a basic beer drinker, I would pay as I go. But I'm not so it's well worth it to me bc the cocktails that I order are expensive.

Since everyone is different I think the best thing you can do is not get a drinks package, drink like you normally would and track your expenses for every category drinks, wifi, gratuities ect. Next cruise use your realistic per day prices and compare them to the cruise lines daily rate to see if the value is there. Recently took a cruise with Carnival and did not get the drinks package, doing the math at the end of the cruise it was the right decision. However princess plus is 60 dollar a day and it includes gratuities so if you take 15 dollars off for that it is only 45 dollars a day. so 2 or 3 drinks a day with a coffee in the morning will get you there. That ignores the wifi for a device and free fitness classes which we didn't include because we don't normally get those.

I calculated mine from the options available from my cruise line and the one that was most suitable would have cost me over $1,000 AUD for the 2 weeks. There’s no way known I’d drink that much to get my money’s worth. So I’ll pay as I go.

We also have to ask if the “free” drinks package is worth it. NCL charges you for tips on the free package. We have found that if we buy drinks separately, we still don’t spend as much as the tip amount. So we decline the “free” package. Other cruise lines include tips with the free drinks package and we will then accept it. And, leave a little extra.

I don't drink. Lol

I already know it wouldn’t be worth it. I would drink maybe 1-2 drinks a day. Even skip some days.

I will be getting the Ultimate Package on Azamara Quest Next week for $23.95 per day a GREAT DEAL!

In order for a drink package to pay off, you would have to stay drunk most of the time. lol

Soft drink packages are a good deal as they allow you to get club soda as well as soft drinks.

I am a teetotaler. But I do drink too much diet soda. The soda packages pay off for me.

Paid for the drink package recently and it was well worth the money. Specialty coffees and sodas plus all our drinks at night. I took a deck of playing cards with drinks on them and let the bar tenders pick a card. they would then make that drink for me. I got to taste drinks that I would never have had otherwise. Did not like just one of the drinks, left it and ordered something else. Didn't feel bad about wasting it. I found out that I like Blue Martinis.

I’ve never gotten a beverage package but plan to on my next cruise. I normally only have an occasional mimosa and daily espresso drink because my cruise buddy doesn’t drink. My latest cruise was solo and I had a cocktail every day. They were not nearly as strong as my local bar (about half the price too) and I could have enjoyed many more. I’m looking forward to enjoying many more on my next cruise.

Always get the package unless price is totally OTT. No messing about with signatures (even with sterilized pens) and impresses your fellow cruisers when your card is returned. Not recommended for non serious drinkers. If you don't want spirits, in or out of cocktails, then save your money.

Good resources!

On carnival it has never been worth it for my husband and I. He can’t start drinking until late afternoon by then there’s no way to make it worth it cuz he needs to be sober for his next dose. This last time was the closest we’ve gotten and we were still $150 short on a 4 day cruise. I have a pretty high tolerance but I definitely can’t make it worth it for both of us to have it 😂

We purchased the Signature Drinks package on Holland America and struggled to drink enough daily to break even. Given that we were in port four out of the nine days, we did not break even. I’m unlikely to purchase this package again.

On princess the drinks package also includes unlimited wifi, tips, and specialty dining. The premier package also includes premier seating at the shows. They are definitely worth looking at.

Pay as you go, unless you get one as part of a promotion as we have on our upcoming cruise. It would have been spectacular in my 20’s, but I really don’t care about drinking now. 😂😂

You also need to consider the WIFI, gratuities and drinks package combinations. We found it to be a solid value on Princess.

Celebrity Cruise Alaska Drink package at a discount, I plan on specialty coffee's and drinks for warmth in the Glaciers. Celebrity New England, cruise was buy one get one 1/2 off, drinks for the balcony ! May keep track but then again might not care ! Either way if I want one I can have it !

We are doing a back to back in about a month and the drinks package would add 1700 for the cruise plus whatever drinks you have off the ship

I find the packages that are only beverages (like the one on Royal Caribbean) to be very expensive. We booked with Princess and by my (admittedly very rough) calculations you pay GBP 30 per day for Princess Plus and by the time you deduct gratuities and WiFi from that the drinks portion of the package is approx GBP 11.50… when you could be paying GBP 3-4 for a speciality coffee and include the cost of sodas / bottled water I think that’s pretty good value even if you don’t drink alcohol. I also agree that for me one of the big attractions is knowing that it’s all paid in advance and we’re not tracking the on-board account to check what we’ve spent so the bill at the end isn’t’t too much of a shock!

We go with TUI standard drink package have been included the last couple of years, I only have a couple of soft drinks per day, I don't drink booze. The first couple of cruises we went on with TUI we got a good deal for standard drinks, one year we got 50 pounds per person to spend on board or towards trips with the cruise ship, very useful if we fancy a premium drink.

Doing carnival and plan on hitting the 15 max per day every day

Love your shirt

Those calculators are pretty handy as a finger-in-the-air, but it's worth bearing in mind that it's not as simple as "you can have (currency)#.## of drinks". There's often exclusions eg cocktails over $7.50 not included, glasses of wine over £2.50 not included (which can limit you to house white or red!). I believe that Gary has done a video on how to get free drinks somewhere, for a bit of added value! eg. attend the gallery openings, captains speech party and so on.

I think Carnival is about $120 a day for a couple on Canival, tip included. I’m not sure it’s worth it unless you just don’t want the drink bill at the end of the cruise. It’s good to know Carnival includes soda, juice, coffee, wine, liquor, and specialty drinks not in the souvenir cup in their package. I think the alcohol drinks have to be under $20. You can easily drink $60/$120 a day if you have a specialty coffee and mimosa for breakfast, two alcohol drinks for lunch, two drinks per person by the pool, and two glasses of wine per person at dinner. That’s 8 of the allowed 15 a day but over the $60 cost a day. But some of us won’t drink alcohol like that, mostly likely specialty coffee, soda, and wine at dinner is when the package becomes questionable.

Pay as you go always on P and O cruise

Classic drink package is all included in the cost of the fare on Celebrity Cruises, Included also is Gratuities and wifi.

Princess now offers Princess Plus which is a great value addon!!

I buy 1 or two drinks "maybe" per day. Whatever the drink of the day is and maybe a beer if I'm hanging in a bar with live music. The package is too much for my drinking, its usually a water bottle in my hand

Seems like you would have to drink a LOT, EVERY SINGLE DAY, to ever come out

The only time that I do drink package (which is rare bc I don't drink) is with MSC bc they're the CHEAPEST when it comes with the drinks/wifi package. Other than that, I don't.

For alcohol, pay as u go unless u plan to get wasted. Soda package, its worth the price

what about a premium deck package to access all decks and lounges and shows

My upcoming one I’m getting one because the Black Friday deal I got in 2020 included drinks and gratuities

can you add an extra day to a cruise while onboard

Not true. If one member cannot drink alcohol for medical reasons they don't enforce it. They do need to buy a soft drinks package. I have done it.

We're going to "pay as you go". We just cant drink enough to make a drinks package worthwhile.

Neither of those sites have an option for Cunard, does anyone have experience of Cunard packages and if it's worth taking the drinks package on them?

Go with the soda...nobody gets hurt!

15 a day is more than enough to ensure I have fun everyday. The cost is nothing

Why is it that literally every single drinks package video on RU-vid is about alcohol? Because I guess nobody drinks soda

I never drink more than 1 drink per cruise. 😁 It’s a lot of calories in carbohydrates, I don’t plan on gaining any weight while cruising.

PS to the following. I travel alone and know my drink capacity.

The drinks package would be more of a challenge than a convenience

If you need a calculator to figure out how much you drink then you need to be in rehab, not a boat.