Alcohol is a big deal on a cruise.
When you think of yourself on a cruise, you’re no doubt picturing yourself sitting by the pool, with a drink in your hand. Or maybe enjoying a glass of wine with your dinner in the dining room. Or even having a cocktail while you try your luck in a casino.
Of course cruise lines are happy to oblige. Bars are everywhere on the ship. Having a dozen — or more — locations to get a drink onboard is normal. Meanwhile, they also charge high prices for drinks. It’s normal to pay $8 for a beer and $14 for a cocktail, plus an 18% gratuity on top of that price. Drink a decent amount and you could easily spend hundreds — or thousands — of dollars during the course of your cruise.
Enter drink packages. These packages help you to budget during the cruise. Instead of paying for each drink, you simply pay one set daily fee and then drink whatever you want.
Beer? Covered. Cocktails? Yep. Glass of wine? You got it. It makes it extremely easy to enjoy yourself while also knowing exactly what you’d spend.
But after nearly 30 cruises, I never buy the drink package. Here’s why…
Yes, I Have Sailed With the Package Before, So I Have Experience
As a cruise writer, taking cruises is part of my job. The vast majority of these trips I pay for out of pocket. However, I’ve also been invited on a number of media trips for new ships.
On these cruises, the lines offer up a complimentary sailing, with room and board included. It’s how I’ve been able to see some of the nicest accommodations at sea and take more cruises than I’d be able to afford otherwise.
As an added perk, these cruises typically have things like wi-fi included at no charge and yes, a drink package (or simply an open bar!) included for those invited to sail.
In other words, I’ve sailed with the drink package before. So what’s the issue?
Yes, having a drink package is amazing. I’ve loved having it when offered at no charge (of course, who wouldn’t?) The problem comes with the regular price tag — and the fine print — attached.
The Two Big Issues With Buying the Drink Package
I mentioned the heady prices for drinks on a cruise ship. That also extends to the price of the drink package. You can expect to spend anywhere from $70-$90 per person, per day for the package and a gratuity charge is also tacked on to that cost. So you’re actually spending around $80-$105 per person, per day.
At these prices, you need to drink 9-11 beers per day to come out ahead on the cost versus buying individually. You need to have 5-7 cocktails per day.
If you’re on a cruise having a good time, that amount is certainly feasible for a few days. Longer than that, however, and we doubt most people would be able to keep up that kind of pace.
It’s not just the cost of the package compared to the number of drinks, however. There’s also the fine print to consider.
First, if you buy the drink package, then you have to buy it for every day of the cruise. Days where you are in port and off the ship (unless at a private island where it’s available to use) means there are large chunks of time where you can’t even use the package.
Feel like taking it easy and just want to drink non-alcoholic drinks? They are included with the package, but given the lower prices on these items, it means those days you aren’t likely to get your money’s worth drinking only non-alcoholic beverages.
The other rule that makes the drink package less attractive is that if one person in the cabin buys it, then everyone has to purchase. So it’s not just a question of it you will get your money’s worth. It’s also a question of if everyone in the cabin will get their money’s worth.
So between the high cost, having to purchase every day, and everyone you travel with having to buy, I’ve found the drink package just isn’t worth it.
Except for one case…
The One Time I Paid for a Drink Package (And Why)
While I never purchase the drink package, there was a case where I did shell out the extra money for one, and that’s when I sailed on a Princess cruise.
With Princess (and some other lines like Celebrity and NCL), they offer an all-inclusive option. You pay a little more and can get perks like wi-fi, gratuities, and the drink package included in your fare.
During this sailing, the cost of the all-inclusive fare came out to around $60 per day. Backing out the included gratuities and the wi-fi package (both of which I would be paying for anyway), the drink package came out to only about $20 per day.
At that price, it’s easy to get your money’s worth, even if you only drank non-alcoholic drinks.
In these cases where the package is heavily discounted, it’s worth it to purchase, even if you won’t used it every day. But if paying full price? I’ll pass.
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