Dining Food & Beverages Frequently Asked Questions
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If I Buy A Package Can I Get Free Drinks Anywhere Onboard
In general, you can obtain drinks in any onboard bar, lounge or restaurant. You most often won’t be able to use your package when ordering drinks via room service or from the mini-bar and definitely won’t be able to use the package for buying bottles in an onboard gift shop.
Play To Win Free Alcohol On A Cruise
There are always a number of contests and competitions held on board cruise ships. Youll find anything from karaoke to the newlywed game to craft competitions. Smaller activities like daily trivia may only reward winners with a trinket like a keychain. But the larger game-show style events dole out much better prizes, and almost always give away free bottles of champagne!
For example, the Newlywed gameshow always rewards participants a free bottle of bubbly. This game is played across every cruise weve been on and even the losers have been rewarded with champagne. Really, theyre rewarding participants for embarrassing themselves on stage. And what better reward than a bottle of bubbly!
Weve also seen champagne be rewarded for progressive trivia competitions and virtually every gameshow style event requiring participants to get up on stage. So participate, bring your A-game, and you just might get rewarded with oh-so-precious free booze on a cruise!
Once youre gifted a bottle of sparkling wine from the cruise, youre welcome to drink it anywhere on the ship without a corkage fee. Personally, weve won a few times and have brought our free bottles, into the main dining room and to drink poolside.
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When To Buy Your Drinks Package
Should you buy your drinks package when you book your cruise, before you sail or on-board the ship? Youll probably see that different prices are available depending on when you purchase the package.
The best time to buy your drinks package is after you book your cruise but before you sail. Buying it on the ship is almost always more expensive.
After you book your cruise, you may receive emails with special offers on drinks packages which can include a discount of up to 30%. Cruise lines may also offer drink package promotions to encourage you to get one, particularly at times such as Black Friday.
When you board the ship, you may see offers such as buy one get one half price on drinks packages. But look closely at the original price. Youll see that its much higher than it is if you pre-book before you cruise. So, even with these offers, youll still get a better price if you buy the package before you set sail.
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How Much Does A Disney Cruise Cost
Since it first started cruising in 1998, Disney Cruise Line has become an increasingly popular choice for many travelers wanting to experience the magic of Disney at sea. With its fifth ship set to debut this summer, there are several options and destinations to choose from.
But how much does a Disney cruise cost? There are a lot of factors that contribute to how much your final bill will be.
The cruise fare itself will make up a significant portion of the cost, and then there are other add-ons such as drinks and shore excursions.
Here are some things to consider in estimating how much a Disney cruise will cost you.
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Buy The Package Before Boarding For A Big Discount
The easiest way to save on a drink package? Buy it early. Just about every cruise line will offer the ability to book the package at a discount before boarding. You can either call the line or purchase through your online account after booking the cruise.
In return for booking early, you can save a decent chunk. For instance, weve seen Royal Caribbean offer 30-50% off a second drink package when one is bought ahead of time. And Carnival charges $57 per person, per day for their CHEERS! Package. But if you buy it before boarding, then the price is just $52.
If you know that youre going to be buying a drink package, then its a no-brainer to save some cash by simply buying beforehand.
Alcoholic Beverages Are Not Included On Disney Cruise Line
Disney Cruise Line is definitely king in terms of family cruise lines. As such, alcoholic beverages are not included on a Disney cruise, though this is typical of almost all cruise lines. However, just because Disney is a family cruise line does not mean you cant enjoy an adult beverage.
You can either purchase drinks one by one from the bars onboard. Or you can order a drink package in advance. Drink packages on Disney Cruise Line are very different than other cruise lines packages. Other cruise lines packages allow you to essentially pre-pay your alcoholic purchases onboard in advance. Disneys packages however, while they are paid for in advance, dont really allow you to go up to the bar and get a drink for free.
Drink packages with Disney Cruise Line are added on your My Disney Cruise account online before sailing. There are package options for beer or wine or champagne, but none for liquor. For example, the classic wine package includes three bottles of wine delivered to your stateroom for $97.00. There is also a beer package where you can get a refillable mug that allows for free refills onboard. You can see all of the options available for your cruise at this link.
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Must Read Royal Caribbean Drink Package Guide
Here are the Royal Caribbean Drink Package pros and cons along with a guide to choosing the best cruise beverage package with prices and tips for your next vacation with the cruise line.
When planning on going on a Royal Caribbean cruise, you are bound to see an offer to buy an unlimited Royal Caribbean drink package. In fact, the cruise lines beverage packages are quite famous among cruise-goers with at least half of them purchasing the package on any one of the cruise ships.
You might be wondering why RCCLs drink package has so much buzz, and here is why:
Well, you know that cruises as much fun as they are can cost you quite a pretty penny. And for years cruisers have been trying to find ways to reduce their cost on board. With things on board almost costing you an arm and leg at times. It is a good thing that Royal Caribbean came up with a drink package that helps you enjoy your cruise without stressing about costs, well drink costs at least!
This drink package has 4 unlimited drink packages that are meant to help you cut costs on drinks while aboard an RCCL ship. There is a refreshment, deluxe, soda, and water package. For a flat upfront fee per cruise, you are able to purchase an unlimited access to drinks with these packages.
The Cheapest Drinks Package
Fred. Olsen Cruise Line offers the cheapest cruise drinks package at just £19 per person per day. Thats less than a quarter of the price of Norwegian Cruise Lines package. So, why is it so cheap?
For one thing, Fred. Olsen and Norwegian Cruise Line attract very different crowds.
Fred. Olsen Cruise Line attracts British pensioners who tend to enjoy half a bitter, a small sherry and then head off to bed at 9 pm.
At the other end of the scale is NCL. This trendy cruise line is popular with millennial cruisers who love to drink cocktails all day and stay up late in the on-board bars and nightclubs.
As well as attracting different clientele, these polar opposite cruise lines also have large differences in the prices of individual drinks. On Fred. Olsen cruise ships, drinks when bought individually are around half the price as on NCL ships. Youre looking at £4.35 for a glass of wine rather than $10.
What this means is that whilst some drinks packages are cheaper than others, to work out which drinks package is the best value, you also have to think about how many drinks you need to break even.
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What To Eat On Your Disney Cruise
Lets talk! So much of what we do in life is surrounded by food! And the better the food, the more fun were having!
In fact, I havent gained this 15 pounds in the last several years just hanging around Disney World or Disney Cruise Line! Ive earned every single one of these pounds surrounded by great friends, laughter and unforgettable experiences.
Disney Cruise Line offers a variety of dining experiences onboard and most are included! There are a few options for an additional cost and well talk about those below, but lets start with whats included!
How Much Are Drinks On Cruise Ships
Cruise ship drinks prices vary depending on the cruise line and sometimes depending on the ship. The most expensive drinks are on Norwegian Cruise Line, where beer or wine will cost $8-$10. The cheapest drinks are on P& O Cruises where beer or wine will cost around $5 .
As a general rule, the drinks on British cruise ships and European cruise ships are cheaper than on American-owned ships.
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Is It Worth Getting The Drink Package On A Cruise
Disney Cruise drink package options are a great way to save some money and not overdo it on the alcohol. If you choose one of the wine or beer packages, you will end up saving money if you would have otherwise just purchased them individually.
You will have to figure out how much you think you would drink onboard the ship. If you are on a 3-day cruise, do you really need 7 bottles of wine? Probably not.
Buying alcohol on the ship is way more expensive than going into your neighborhood grocery store for it, so you dont want to buy more alcohol than you will drink.
The majority of other cruise lines do offer drink packages and while it may seem like a good idea, you need to ask yourself if you really need that much alcohol.
Palo Brunch And Dinner
Palo is an Italian restaurant located on deck 10 and 12 , which means youll have some of the best views from the ship. You should eat at Palo at least once while youre on vacation. Its at the top of my list of what to eat on your Disney Cruise!
The restaurant requires advanced reservations that should be made online during your check-in process.
Guests are allowed to make one reservation per cruise but can add an additional reservation on board if it is available. Brunch is very popular, especially on sea days.
The current additional cost is $40 per person. *Subject to change at any time.
There is also a 5-course meal with a wine pairing in addition to the $40 per person. Ive yet to try it, but its on my Disney eating bucket list which is forever growing and getting more expensive!
Palo also offers brunch on sea days for an additional $40 per person.
Guests are required to dress appropriately meaning no shorts, cutoffs, flip flops, bathing suits, etc. This is an upscale dining location and guests are asked to dress as such.
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Carnival Sale Offers Free Drink Packages With Cruises
Are you a Carnival VIFP member? If so, then you might have received an email announcing a new deal that you could want to take advantage of.
Carnival is offering a sale where past guests receive a free CHEERS! drink package for themselves and a guest when they book. The Free Cheers to You! sale is valid from now through December 13, 2020. According to the email we received, if you book a qualifying deal, then both you and one travel companion get the drink package included with your cruise.
Considering the drink package runs about $55 per person, per day , this is a great freebie. For reference, including the gratuity, a person traveling on a week-long cruise would pay about $470 in total if they bought the drink package on the ship.
There is some fine print you should know, however. Specifically, Carnival lays out all the following stipulations with the offer:
- Full non-refundable deposit
- Maximum number of 2 guests in the stateroom
- Available on Ocean View categories and above
- Available on select sailings between April 2021 December 2021
- Eligible VIFP Club Member must sail to qualify for this offer
- Rate Code RU9 will be automatically applied at checkout
Note that this offer is capacity controlled according to the Terms and Conditions. It also seems only for VIFP members . So if you want to book, check your email. You could also try calling Carnival and mentioning the RU9 rate code.
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How Can You Get Free Disney Cruise Wifi
Tip: On the first night of the cruise, you can sign up for 50 mb of free wifi per stateroom. This can help you gauge how fast youll use your wifi if you need to buy a larger package later.
To maximize your Disney wifi, you want to turn off apps, background apps, your photo stream, etc. You can also visit Guest Services on the ship for recommendations.
The first time I went on a Disney Cruise, I used that 50 MB in about 5 minutes. Thats not normal, it was because background apps I didnt turn off were using it.
Tip:If you turn off iCloud Backup while onboard, dont forget to turn it back on once youre on land. I didnt, and I almost lost a lot of pictures. I had to call Apple for help.
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Disney Cruise Beer Package
There is a Disney Cruise Beer Package which will give you a discount on a 6 pack of beer. You will pay for only 5 and get a 6 pack for $30. As with all Disney cruise beverages, you will have to add a 15% gratuity onto these prices.
The imported beer choices are:
6 Pack of Heineken Beer $30.006 Pack of Guinness Beer $30.006 Pack of Corona Beer $30.006 Pack of Pub Ale $30.00
If you prefer a Disney cruise domestic beer package here are your choices:
6 Pack of 16 oz Aluminum Bud Light $30.006 Pack of 16 oz Aluminum Bud Light Lime $30.006 Pack of 16 oz Aluminum Budweiser $30.006 Pack of 16 oz Aluminum Michelob Ultra $30.006 Pack of 16 oz Aluminum Miller Light $30.006 Pack of 16oz Aluminum Coors Light $30.00
How to Order a Disney Cruise Drinks Package
The beer and wine drinks packages are easy to order when you are on board the ship. However, you can also pre-order any drinks package at Disney Gifts and Amenities.
It is so easy to order onboard though we never do this. However, it would be useful if you need to budget prior to the cruise and know that your expenses are already taken care of.
When Can I Buy A Drink Package
Some lines let you prepay for beverage packages ahead of your cruise, occasionally at a slight discount. You can book the packages in advance through the cruise line or get your travel agent to assist you. Otherwise, you can purchase them onboard, typically at the beginning of your cruise or within a day or two of sailing lines vary in their policies as to whether you can purchase packages throughout the cruise or only on select days. Crewmembers and/or bars will most certainly be advertising packages onboard, especially on the first day, so it’s easy enough to sign up.
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How Much Do Drink Packages Cost
Soda packages average from $7.50 to $9 per adult, per day , and might include a souvenir cup. Water packages typically get passengers a 12-pack of bottled water , though Celebrity, for one, offers an unlimited premium water package featuring still and sparkling water .
Some lines have nonalcoholic drink packages that include beverages like soda, bottled water, juice, specialty coffee and tea, smoothies and/or nonalcoholic cocktails. Prices start at about $18, per person, per day, and go up from there, depending on the cruise line and which drinks are included.
Standard alcohol packages average $55 to $65 per person, per day, and the price likewise varies both by cruise line and drink inclusions. Cruise lines that offer two or three tiers of packages will often have a limited selection of brands included in their cheapest package, with a maximum per-drink price . The more expensive packages will include more drink options, such as more premium brands of liquor and more exotic cocktails, as well as a higher maximum price for included beverages.
Some lines offer a discount on the packages if you purchase them before your cruise rather than once on the ship. Also, most add a 15 to 18 percent gratuity and taxes on top of the cost of the package.
Is There A Drink Package On Disney Cruises
While there are options to buy alcohol on board, there is no Disney Cruise drink package with all you can drink alcohol. But have no fear as there are definitely various options.
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You will have the opportunity to order alcoholic drinks individually or as part of a wine or beer package. While there is no drink package for hard liquor, there are a variety of choices available in the bars and lounges.
A few examples of hard liquor drinks you will be able to order:
- Cosmos
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