Are cruise drink packages worth the price? Everything you need to know

Are cruise drink packages worth the price? The short answer is that it depends.

It depends on how expensive a cruise line’s alcohol packages are on a particular ship compared to the cost of individually purchased drinks. Both vary greatly from line to line.

It also depends on how much you drink in a day and what kind of drinks you usually order.

It also depends on whether you have access to free drinks on board before paying for the drinks package. For example, many river cruise ships include wine and beer with lunch and dinner in the base price. Additional charges apply only for other alcoholic beverages served during meals or outside meal hours.

For some lines, the base price includes all or most alcoholic beverages, so this question is moot. On other routes, drinks usually cost extra, but they are often given away for free as part of a booking promotion.

Are you considering purchasing a cruise drinks package or wondering how much you should budget for drinks during your cruise? We’ll tell you everything you need to know about whether it’s right for you.

What is a cruise drink package?

One of the big attractions of cruises for many vacationers is that so much is included in the price, including a room, most meals, and a wide range of entertainment. Unfortunately, many lines do not include drinks in the package and can be quite expensive. If you’re a heavy drinker, it’s easy to run up the huge bar tab when ordering drinks by the glass.

Drink packages are flat-rate all-you-can-drink offerings that have been added to many lines over the years. Drink packages allow you to order as many alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages as you like every day for a fixed price per day.

Prices for such packages vary widely depending on the airline, starting at about $60 per day on the cruise giants. carnival cruise line Up to $105 per day (if reserved in advance) royal caribbean It is the most comprehensive service of the several. For more information on what is included in such a package and a line-by-line breakdown of its cost, please visit TPG’s website. The ultimate guide to cruise line drink packages.

Benefits of Cruise Line Drink Packages

If you’re someone who typically orders a lot of individual drinks on cruise ships, especially expensive drinks like premium cocktails or glasses of wine, it may be worth purchasing a drinks package. It’s not uncommon for premium cocktails to cost more than $15 depending on the line, and wine by the glass can also cost more than $15 depending on the line.

The first thing to do when considering a drinks package is to carefully consider the number (and types) of drinks you typically order on vacation.

As mentioned above, cruise drink packages on ships are often very expensive and only make sense if you are willing to spend a lot of money on drinks. Really A spendthrift. For example, Carnival costs $59.95 per person per day. cheers! drink package For advance reservations ($64.95 for in-flight reservations). royal caribbean drink package In some cases, it can cost as much as $105 per day. These packages only make sense if you routinely spend more than these amounts on drinks per day.

For beer drinkers, packaging is generally not a good deal. It’s better to pay for beer on the spot. For example, many beers on Carnival ships cost between $7 and $7.95. For Carnival Cheers, you should be ordering at least 7-8 beers a day for that price. Package to start payments.

The price of a glass of wine on a cruise ship is often high, so this package makes more sense for wine lovers. A glass of wine on a Carnival ship costs about $10 to $15. At the high end of that range, you would need to order five drinks a day for the package to pay for itself.

Related: The best drinks to order on your cruise ship drink package (and some to avoid)

In addition to alcoholic beverages, passengers who purchase a cruise drink package can order an unlimited number of non-alcoholic beverages, such as specialty coffees and sodas, which typically come at an additional cost. So the package is Good value for vacationers During the day, I like to order large quantities of various alcoholic drinks in addition to lattes, colas, and other non-alcoholic drinks.

Using the Carnival example again, people who order 2-3 lattes in the morning, several sodas during the day, and 3-4 glasses of premium wine in the evening go ahead by purchasing a drink package .

Drink packages also prove to be a valuable budget tool on some cruisers. Typically, you can pre-purchase your drinks package so you know exactly how much your drinks will cost for the entire cruise before you board the ship. Drink packages also make bar hopping onboard easier, as you don’t have to worry about paying for drinks along the way.

Drink packages also allow you to try new drinks that you wouldn’t normally order without worrying that you’re making the wrong choice. If you don’t like it, order another one.

Disadvantages of cruise drink packages

The big downside to purchasing a drinks package while on a cruise is that you might not get as much value as you thought.

One thing to keep in mind is that it is common to sell drink packages in queues. By Cruise Not until that day. This means you can’t just buy a package for a specific day when you want to bar-hop on the ship. If you’re on a seven-day cruise, you’ll have to pay a higher daily rate for all seven days, even on days you don’t plan on drinking heavily.

Even if you think you’ll use your drinks package every day, remember that you may spend a significant amount of time off the ship on your cruise’s port days. On days when we are often away from the ship, we don’t order as many drinks on board as we do on days at sea. Some cruise lines don’t even allow drink packages on private islands.

This package makes the most sense for passengers who order large quantities of drinks every day, even on port days.

Related: Can you bring alcohol on a cruise ship? A line-by-line guide

On many ships, you also need to consider the drinking habits of your companions. Several lines, including Carnival holland america and msc cruiseThe rule is that if one adult on the flight orders a drinks package, all adults on the flight must order that package. This is to prevent two people from sharing one drinks package on board.

In these cases, it doesn’t make sense to purchase a cruise drinks package unless everyone in the cabin is a heavy drinker. If one person drinks and the other doesn’t, you can save money by buying drinks by the glass.

Two lines in particular that have no such rules are: princess cruise and windstar cruise.

Another downside to many cruise drink packages is that they often have unexpected exclusions or price caps. For example, even the most expensive drinks package may not include your favorite brand of whiskey or vodka. And many drink packages only apply to drinks on menus that cost, say, $15 or less. Note that in some cases, lines may offer multiple drink packages, allowing for a wider range of brands and higher per-drink cost limits.

On the other hand, if you are picky about wine, you may find that the wine included in the drink package does not quite meet your expectations. Generally, cruise drink packages can only be used for glasses of wine served at the ship’s bars and restaurants, and not for the various bottled wines in the cruise ship’s cellar. However, if you sign up for a drinks package, you’ll receive a discount when purchasing wine by the bottle on some routes.

Related: These are the best cruise ship bars

How to get a free cruise drink package

The determination of whether you can get a free cruise ship drink package varies. Some major cruise lines offer drink packages at no extra charge as a bonus during limited-time or ongoing booking promotions.

For example, Norwegian Cruise Line is currently promoting ongoing cruises. Ocean promotion details New reservations receive complimentary drink packages, signature dining, excursion credits and other benefits.

Other airlines that have previously promoted free drink packages include Princess Cruises and Holland America, both of which are now offering new all-inclusive fares that include drink packages and other perks. You are promoting a bundle.

Related: The Best Cruise Booking Perks – Which Are Actually Free?

Please note that the free cruise drink packages that are regularly offered in booking promotions are not always the best drink packages. celebrity cruiseFor example, it includes a drinks package that has one of the fare classes called All Included fares. But it’s not a celebrity’s top-of-the-line premium drink package. The included package only includes drinks up to $10 and does not include premium brand liquor or beer. To expand the list of eligible brands and drinks up to $17, you must pay to upgrade your package.

Another downside to the free cruise drink packages that are regularly offered in booking promotions is that they aren’t actually free. Cruise lines typically charge customers who receive a free drink package a tip fee for receiving the package in the amount of 15% to 20% of the regular cost of the package. So a “free” drink package can actually cost you more than $100 a week.

conclusion

Purchasing drink packages on your cruise ship instead of paying for drinks individually is a good way to save money while on a cruise, but it’s not for everyone. Drink packages typically only make sense for cruisers who order large quantities of drinks or especially expensive drinks, such as premium cocktails, on a daily basis. Cruise drink packages usually don’t make sense for cruise ships that only have one, two, or three drinks a day, or for cruise ships that order low-cost drinks like beer.

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