Are Cruise Ship Drink Packages Worth It?
One of the best part of a cruise (besides boarding the ship) is when you finish paying and start exploring add-ons and extras. You know things like shore excursions, specialty restaurants and of course drink packages. If you are a drinker, you may quickly decide to make a drink package a part of your budget. No worries if you don’t drink alcohol, they have drink packages for sodas and juices too. Yet, before you whip out that debit/credit card let’s examine some things and make sure that the drink package will be worth the money you are going to spend. Let’s dive deep into Cruise Ship Drink Packages!
By Kavonda L. Rogers
What do Packages Include?
Most cruise lines have 2-3 package types available.
- Sodas and/or Juice Only. These packages allow you to get unlimited sodas and juices anytime of day or night. It also includes ordering from bars, and in the dining room.
- Sodas, Juice and Mocktails. These packages include unlimited soda, juice and non-alcoholic drinks (i.e daiquiris, etc.). Some packages also include coffees as well.
- Alcohol package. This package includes all of the above plus alcoholic drinks. Most cruise lines limit the alcoholic drinks to between 12-15 drinks per day. Remember this number it becomes important later.
How Much Does It Cost?
The cruise lines all charge about the same amounts for their drink packages. The prices differ according to whether or not you are cruising on a mass-market, premium or luxury cruise line. The only cruise line that does not offer a drink package is Disney Cruise Line; they instead have a discount on wine and beer bundles.
In general, the prices for packages are charged by the day. You will simply take the cost of the drink package and multiply it by the amount of days your cruise lasts. Soda packages cost around $8-9 per day. If the cruise line offers a secondary package for sodas, juices and mocktails it will cost around $18-22 a day. Finally, alcoholic packages cost $50-90 a day. A few lines like Princess offer a coffee only package which gets you 15 specialty coffees (i.e Starbucks) for a flat fee of $35.
It’s an All or Nothing Deal?
You can not buy a drink package for part or some of your cruise. You will need to pay for everyday of your cruise. The only exception to this rule is if your ship leaves from New York or Galveston. These two cities do not allow the use of unlimited drink packages while in port. So, your package will start the second day of your cruise. You will also have to pay for any drinks you purchase on the first day of your cruise.
Do You Still Need to Pay Tips?
The price of the drink package does not include tips or gratuity. You will be charged an additional 15-18% gratuity when you purchase the package. This means when you buy the drink you won’t need to pay extra for a tip.
Is It Worth It?
In order for a cruise ship drink package to be worth the money you have to consider how much you will drink during your cruise.
For example, if you buy a soda/juice package you will need to consider the following:
Cost of Soda on Cruise $2-3 each
If you drink 3-4 sodas a day then you will break even quickly on the soda package. In order for it to be worth your money you will need to order at least 5-6 sodas per day.
If you purchase an alcoholic drink package you will need to consider the following:
Cost of a beer on a cruise $ 6-8 for 12-16oz.
In order to break even you will need to drink 8 beers a day. If you want to get your money’s worth you will need to drink around 10 beers a day.
If cocktails or shots are more your preference, then you will need to consider the following:
Cost of average cocktail or shot $8-12.
In order to break even you need to drink 5-6 cocktails/shots a day. In order to get your money’s worth, you need to drink 7+ drinks a day.
Also, don’t forget that every adult (21+) in the cabin must buy the cruise ship drink package (unless it’s the soda package). The only exception to this is pregnant/nursing women. So that means if you are a couple you must meet the above requirements times two!
Bottom line really think long and hard about your beverage intake. If you are not going to indulge to the max, you may want to skip the cruise ship drink packages and buy a la cart instead. There is nothing worse than knowing you paid for something you really didn’t use.