Did you know that not all cruises are all-inclusive? Some are and include your drinks and tips – also known as gratuities or crew appreciation – making your cruise fare all-inclusive. A few other liners go the extra mile and include Wi-Fi, specialty dining, shore excursions, and Premium Drinks.
But the standard across the board is that your accommodation, meals, and most of the entertainment are included in your cruise fare. For a few cruise lines, that’s it and you need to pay extra for the rest, including your drinks.
What most cruisers are looking for is the best value for their drinks. There is nothing better than a cold beer or a cocktail by the pool, isn’t that part of the holiday fun?
So what do you do when you book a bargain deal which does not include drinks? You can pay per drink once onboard. If you think that may be expensive or too much of a hassle, that’s where the drinks packages come in. You basically pre-pay a set fee upfront for drinks.
Let’s dive into the specifics to determine if a drinks package is for you.
ARE THERE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BEVERAGE PACKAGES?
Depending on the cruise line, you could come across a variety of options to choose from. Examples of packages include soda packages, hot drinks, non-alcoholic, wine & beer, and water packages. As the description suggests, soda packages include a selection of soft drinks by the glass. A hot drinks package will include a selection of coffee and tea (sometimes specialty ones). A non-alcoholic beverage package will include a wide selection of soft drinks and mocktails for the duration of your cruise – a perfect option if alcoholic drinks are not your cup of tea or if you are pregnant. Finally, a water package will include a pre-set amount of bottled water which you can store in your cabin. You can get free tap water on all cruise ships, however, it is always handy to have a few bottles in your cabin to keep you properly hydrated throughout your cruise holiday.
The most popular types of drinks package though are the alcohol-inclusive packages. Each cruise line has a different name for this type of package but you’ll recognize it easily as it includes select standard drinks & cocktails up to a certain amount, sodas, hot drinks, and wines & beer by the glass.
WHERE CAN YOU BUY DRINKS PACKAGES?
There are a few ways you can get your drinks package. You can book your package during online check-in or onboard – rule of thumb is within a day or two of sailing but depending on the cruise line you could get it throughout the cruise. You will always get better prices if you pre-book all your packages before the cruise, so we highly recommend it; they are always more expensive to purchase onboard. Another great way to include a drinks package in your cruise fare is to take advantage of special offers that may come up from time to time. Some cruise lines might go out with limited time discounts and might also give them away for free! And of course, let’s not forget the all-inclusive and luxury cruise lines that include your basic drinks, alcoholic and non, in your cruise fare.
ARE DRINKS PACKAGES WORTH IT?
There is a lot of debate around this question and it really comes down to you and your preferences. What you need to think about is how much you drink (or plan to) and what you drink.
If you plan to have only a drink or two with meals and prefer to drink water, then you might want to stick to paying a la carte. Same goes if you are not really a big drinker. Keep in mind that some cruise lines might offer soft drinks, wine, beer and coffee & tea with main meals.
Furthermore, if you have expensive taste and drink only premium spirits, opt for a specific bottle of wine instead of by the glass, or want to splurge on specialty cocktails, a drinks package is probably not for you. Beverage packages include drinks up to a certain value amount (ex. up to $12 or $13) so premium extras would cost you extra, therefore no point in paying extra for a package.
On the other hand, if you plan on always having a glass in hand, whether that’s a soda, a coffee, a fruity cocktail or a gin and tonic, a drinks package is an absolute must! There are many perks of having a beverage package. Take this example, you order an exotic cocktail that looks good on the menu but once you try a sip you realise it’s too strong or too sweet for your liking. If you had paid for that drink you would probably think twice and just finish it. But with a drinks package, you can simply order something different.
Having a drinks package also gives you peace of mind. You order your drink with a swipe of your keycard instead of having to wait to sign slips. Most importantly, there will be no surprise bills at the end of your cruise to spoil the holiday mood.
Whether you can relate to one of the above scenarios or not, make sure you’re getting your moneys’ worth by calculating approximately how many drinks you might have per day (alcoholic and non) and add the costs per drink to see what the package cost is versus you’re a la carte consumption. Below you’ll find an estimation of what drinks cost onboard versus the drinks packages per cruise line, so that will give you a rough idea to help you with your decision. Keep in mind that prices can change so view this as a guide.
HOW MUCH DO DRINK PACKAGES COST?
All cruise lines, offer drink packages and some have a variety of options to choose from. Interested in how much it costs to purchase a drinks package on one of the following cruise lines: Azamara, Ambassador Cruise Line, Carnival, Celebrity Cruises, Cunard, Fred.Olsen, Holland America, MSC, NCL(Norwegian Cruise Line), Oceania, P&O Cruises, Princess, Regent Seven Seas, Royal Caribbean or Seabourn? Check out our dedicated blog to drinks packages here.
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND / FINE PRINT
Having a drinks package doesn’t necessarily mean you get unlimited drinks. Some cruise lines have a maximum daily limit of 15 drinks per day. Also keep in mind that you have to wait a certain amount of time between ordering drinks, usually 5-15 minutes, in order to prevent you from sharing your package.
You can only order one drink at a time and sometimes you can only order your next one after a certain amount of time. In other words, you cannot buy a drink for someone else using your drinks package. Packages are per person so no sharing is allowed. This also means that all Guests in a cabin must get the drinks package if one opts for it. Finally, drinks packages are purchased for all the days of your sailing – so you can’t pick the days you want to buy it for.
You can pre-purchase your drinks package through your online check-n usually up to a day before embarkation. After that, you can only buy a package on the first day of your cruise. For some cruise lines, that may extend to the first 2 days.
In order to buy your drinks package you must be 18 or 21 years old, depending again on the cruise line. Drinking age restrictions are always in place onboard, so if you’re travelling with a minor they would get the nonalcoholic one.
You can make use of your package almost everywhere onboard: bars, lounges and restaurants. Your package won’t work for drinks in your cabin’s mini-bar, or for purchasing bottles at an onboard gift shop. You can also use it in some of the private islands owned by the cruise lines. For example, Coco Cay owned by Royal Caribbean and Ocean Cay owned by MSC, both allow you to use your drinks package in port.
It can be quite easy to upgrade your package to a higher tiered one, but most times it is not possible to downgrade your package or get a refund so, once again, research is key.
Drinks packages usually include the additional gratuity charge (typically around 18% depending on the liner) so you won’t have to worry about that.
Some cruise lines allow you to bring a certain amount of alcohol onboard. This could include soft drinks, spirits or wine only.
CONCLUSION
As you can see, this may not be an easy decision to make as it all depends on what type of drinker you are. It is a very important decision though. So, especially if you are on a budget, you will need to calculate how many drinks approximately you plan to have in a day in order to get a daily estimate on your a la carte drinks bill to see if a package would be worth it.
Some drinks or beverages are offered for free depending on the cruise line so make sure you check what your cruise line offers to see if you are covered with just that and maybe a few drinks a la carte.
Otherwise, if you calculate that you would spend more than a drinks package would cost per day, then definitely go for the package deal! You will need to purchase it for every one sharing your cabin and for every day of your cruise. But beverage packages are so convenient and you will avoid having an unexpected bill at the end of your cruise holiday – no one wants their holiday to be ruined even at the very end.
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