Make Sure Its Worth It
That leads us to our next blunder, and thats buying a cruise drink package, but not getting your moneys worth. Now, we realize that for some, buying the package isnt really about getting MORE than you paid for. It can be about the fact that its WAY more relaxing not to pay individually for every drink you consume on your cruise and as many of our viewers report, theyd just rather take care of the cost before the cruise, so they dont have a big bill at the end.
However, budget is usually a consideration for most of us, and youre going to want to do your research before you make the decision to buy a drink package. To make this math a little easier, we created a drink package calculator.
What Kind Of Drinks Does Princess Cruises Allow You To Take On Board
You can also bring drinks on to the ship in your luggage. This may reduce the overall amount that you spend on drinks during your cruise.
Princess Cruises allows each adult to bring one 750ml bottle of wine or champagne on board to drink in your stateroom.
Youre welcome to bring additional wine and champagne, but each bottle will have a $15 corkage fee. If youve paid the corkage fee, you can drink your wine anywhere on the ship, including in restaurants and bars.
Guests cruising with Princess Cruises can also bring an unlimited amount of soft drinks and water in cans, bottles or cartons.
Is The Beverage Package Ever Included On A Princess Cruise
In the last few years, Princess has had promotions a couple of times a year in which the Premium Beverage Package has been offered as a perk. See below for an explanation of Princess Plus a great option for many cruisers.
Tip: Keep an eye on Princess sales by signing up for their emails as well as promotions through large online cruise websites to take advantage of the best offers.
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Is The Inclusive Package A Good Value
Of course, how much value one will get out of the new package depends on several factors including what guests plan to purchase as add-ons. For example, the Premium Beverage Package is valued at $79.99 per person, per day. However, those who do not drink or who might be satisfied with the selection offered in the cheaper Plus Beverage package which runs $59.99 a day may not get as much value from the new package.
That said, when factoring in the additional included items such as specialty restaurants , gratuities, and a photo package worth nearly $200, the Princess Premier package will without a doubt save the average cruiser money in the long run.
As with all packages, the key is to spend a few minutes doing the math. What do you realistically expect to spend on the above-mentioned options, and will bundling them lead to an overall savings?
As Princess Cruises president John Padgett said in a statement, Whether a guest prefers a standalone cruise purchase or a full-inclusive vacation, Princess has hassle-free options for everyone. Every option is intended to provide great value.
Princess Plus Cruise Fare
Instead, we took advantage of Princess Cruises Princess Plus fare. This pricing offers additional services and amenities. This fare includes the crew incentive , unlimited WiFi for one device, and the Premier Beverage Package.
For our particular sailing, the difference between the Princess Plus and the Princess Savers fares was only $40 a day, per person.
At those costs, we certainly got our moneys worth with this upgrade.
For an additional $560 we consumed $778.81 in beverages alone. Not to mention, the package included WiFi for two people and our gratuities .
So, this package saved us over 50% off the retail costs. Now, that is certainly worth the upgrade.
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How To Get Free Drinks On Princess Cruises
You will find free Champagne at the Captains Welcome, Champagne Waterfall and the Captains Farewell Party. Champagne is also available at the Art Auction and some shops may run special parties will free drinks. If you are a Captains Circle member will receive either free champagne or a drinks voucher at the Captains Circle Party. Also, look for free drinks package promotions that Princess runs throughout the year.
Can You Bring Wine On A Princess Cruise Ship
Yes, you can bring one bottle of wine per person onto your Princess Cruise Ship, without charge. If youd like to bring additional bottles, youll be charged a $15 USD corkage fee upon embarkation.
Cruise tip: Make sure that you put your wine bottles in your cruise carry-on bag, as you enter the port terminal during the boarding process, to avoid broken bottles in your main luggage .
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Popular Drinks On Princess That You Must Try
I couldnt end this post without a few suggestions of drinks youll want to try, especially if you have the drinks package!
Dirty Banana
Apperol Spritz
The Isacc
Fun fact The Isacc cocktail was created for Princess Cruises 50th Anniversary in honor of Isacc, the original Love Boat Bartender we all love and adore! Its not actually on any Princess menus, but if you ask a Princess bartender to make it and they will happily oblige!
Can You Sneak Alcohol On This Cruise Ship
No, there are strict rules against bringing any type of illegal substance onto ships. In fact, even if you manage to hide something small enough to fit inside your luggage, customs officers might find out anyway. That said, we do understand how difficult it can sometimes be to travel with friends or family members when traveling abroad.
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Is It Better To Buy The Drink Package Or Get It Through Princess Plus/premier All
With most cruise lines, you have a simple option buy the drink package or not. On Princess, its slightly more complicated. Thats because Princess offers all-inclusive options for their passengers. You can buy the standard base fare with just the cruise included, or you can buy one of the following offers:
- Princess Plus : Includes cabin, plus wi-fi , daily gratuities, and Plus Beverage Package
- Princess Premier : Includes cabin, plus wi-fi , daily gratuities, specialty dining , photo package, Princess Prizes, and Premier Beverage Package.
As you can see, the price for these all-inclusive options is less than the cost of the drink package alone. In addition, you receive even more perks such as daily gratuities and wi-fi included.
If you know you plan to purchase a drink package, then its a much better value to get it through the all-inclusive offers instead of purchasing it by itself at the current prices.
You can read more about these Princess offers here.
Complete Guide To Princess Cruises Drink Packages
Our Complete Guide to Princess Cruises Drink Packages covers all the plans and pricing to help you decide if one is right for you.
Are you wondering if you should purchase a Princess Cruises Drink Package? You are not alone. This is a question we get quite often from fellow cruisers. So, we break down all the plans and pricing in this Complete Guide to Princess Cruises Drink Packages to help you decide if one is right for you.
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What Do You Do If You Have A Princess Drink Package But Your Onboard Account Was Charged For An Included Drink
Ive never been on a cruise where I had a drink package and I wasnt accidentally charged the menu price for an included drink at least once. This doesnt only happen on Princess!
Smart cruisers always check their onboard accounts periodically for mistakes, and definitely before the morning of disembarkation. If you thought that the line at Guest Services was insane on embarkation day, just wait until the morning that you get off the ship!
The best course of action is to go to Guest Services when you notice a mistake and theres not a huge line. Dont wait until youre home from your cruise! The representatives onboard are far more likely to help when youre standing right in front of them.
Tip: If you want to be 100% sure that no one accidentally drinks something in your room that has a fee attached, ask your room steward when they introduce themself if they can remove the drinks altogether. This includes mini-bar items as well as any bottles of water provided for your convenience.
How To Snag A Free Drinks Package
Most big-ship lines offer one or more drinks packages for an extra charge but you might be able to get one of the packages for free. Some big-ship lines will throw in drinks packages for no extra cost as a perk during limited-time booking promotions.
The line perhaps best known for throwing in free drinks packages as a booking perk is Norwegian. Norwegian seemingly always is running some variation of its “Free at Sea” promotion that brings a choice of a free drinks package, free specialty dining, free excursions and other perks. Depending on the cabin category you book, you can get one or more of the freebies thrown in.
Other lines that sometimes run promotions with free drinks packages include Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises and Holland America.
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Which Drinks Are Free On A Princess Cruise
Before we start looking at what all the different Princess Beverage Packages include, it is important to know which drinks are free.
Some drinks are already included with your Princess Cruise.
According to the Princess Cruise website, these are
- Fruit Juice and Milk in the mornings
You may discover that these arent that easy to find on most Princess ships though!
However, in my experience, these are only available at certain locations, such as the buffet. Often there is another location on the pool deck tucked away in the corner somewhere!
Free Brewed Coffee is available in all restaurants and the Horizon Court Buffet.
Princess cruise lines still win my own personal award for worst tasting coffee at sea. The taste of this does seem to have improved recently, but it still isnt great!
You can also order brewed coffee from Room Service for free, but remember always to tip your Server.
If you want freshly brewed coffee I would highly recommend a New Grounds Coffee Package where you can have unlimited amounts from International Cafe .
Non-Bottled Water is available everywhere on the ship including in restaurants and bars. I have only seen Lemonade available at lunch at the Buffet.
I have also seen Orange Juice available in the mornings at the restaurants and the Buffet.
Princess Cruises Drink Package Basics
There are a few basic things you need to know about the Princess Cruises drink packages before we dive into the details of each option.
First, each drink package is priced per day, per person. It must be purchased for the entire duration of the cruise. Further, a service charge of 18% will be added to the total purchase price of a drink package at checkout . Additionally, a tax may be added at the time of purchase for certain itineraries or ports of embarkation.
These packages may be purchased online pre-cruise up to four days prior to sailing or once onboard the ship. The package is offered onboard on embarkation day only. Beverage packages are non-refundable and non-transferable within three days of sailing and/or once onboard the ship.
Of course, there is no sharing of the package or using your drink package to order drinks for other cruisers. You are limited to only one beverage per order, alcoholic or non-alcoholic. However, unlike many other cruise lines, all passengers staying in the same stateroom do not have to purchase the Princess Cruises drink package.
The alcoholic drink package is not available on voyages two nights or less . Further, alcoholic beverages are limited to 15 drinks in a 24 hour period. Non-alcoholic drinks do not have this limitation.
The packages may be used on private islands, at all food and beverage venues, and other areas such as the theater that offer beverage service.
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Princess Cruise Elite Lounge Drinks
If you are a Platinum of Elite Princess level you will be invited each night to a reception that includes discounted cocktails.
The Princess loyalty program has some of the best perks of any cruise line, and the reception is a really nice perk.
There is always a good selection of snacks available and the discounted cocktails are a good value.
I am particularly a fan of the Deep Sea!
Are Drinks Free On Princess Cruises
There is a small selection of free drinks available on Princess Cruises including tea, coffee, water, lemonade and iced tea. All other drinks are paid for. Princess Cruises also offer drinks packages that can be bought before your cruise or onboard the ship.
Find out what is included on Princess Cruises.
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Worth It Princess Cruise Drink Packages Explained
Wondering if the alcoholic drink package on Princess is worth it? Or maybe you know you want the package, but want to know all the details of how it works before you buy.
Drink packages have a lot to offer for passengers. Instead of having to worry about paying for each drink and keeping track of the bar tab you can simply head up to the bar whenever you want something and order. So whether you have five cocktails or six beers, or a mix of coffee in the morning, wine in the afternoon, and margaritas at dinner, youll pay one flat fee.
But there is a lot to know about these packages, including some fine print that can help you decide if they are worth it or not on your next cruise.
In This Article…
Is There An Extra Gratuity Charge With The Princess Drink Package
An 18% gratuity or service change is added to your purchase of the Premium Beverage Package and all drink packages with Princess Cruises, at the time of purchase. You wont be charged an additional amount once on board, as you purchase each drink.
If you opt for Princess Plus, which includes the beverage package perk, the gratuities have been included in the total price, and you will not be charged an additional gratuity.
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Are Princess Drink Packages Worth The Money
Whether or not a drink package is worth the money is often a point of contention. With the Princess deal, however, we think its definitely worth it for most people.
If purchased on its own, the math behind the package may not work for you. After all, you have to drink enough each day to make up for the cost of the drink package. With Princess all-inclusive offers, however, the math shifts strongly in favor of having the package.
For example, the Princess Plus package costs passengers $50 per day. For that amount, you get daily gratuities , wi-fi, and the drink package.
Even if you dont use the wi-fi service at all, the cost of gratuities is something youd pay for no matter what. Subtracting that cost out, it means youll pay $35.50 total for the drink package. Thats the cost of only a handful of drinks each day, and dont forget that non-alcoholic beverages like specialty coffees, water, and soda are also included.
So if you know you want the package, we suggest opting for one of Princess all-inclusive options as its less expensive. And when you consider whats included in the deal, it makes the math work strongly in favor of the drink package if you plan to drink even a moderate amount.
For more on drink packages, you can explore the links below:
How Much Is A Drinks Package On Princess Cruises
The three drinks packages on Princess Cruises each come with an 18% service charge on top. However, in Australia, the pricing is different and it includes the service charge .
The Princess drink package cost inclusive of the 18% service charge is:
- Plus Beverage Package: $70.79 per day
- Premier Beverage Package: $94.39 per day
- Non-alcoholic package: $23.59 per day
- Soda package: $11.79 per day
Plus Beverage Package Cost
The Princess Cruises Plus Beverage Package costs $59.99 USD per person, per day, plus an 18% service charge. The total cost of the drink package is $70.79 USD per day for all cruises except for Australian itineraries.
On Princess cruises from Australia and New Zealand, the Plus Beverage Package costs $86.99 AUD per day, inclusive of the service charge.
Premier Beverage Package Cost
The Princess Cruises Premier Beverage Package costs $79.99 USD per person, per day, plus an 18% service charge. The total cost of the drink package is $94.39 USD per day for all cruises except for Australian itineraries.
On Princess cruises from Australia and New Zealand, the Premier Beverage Package is priced inclusive of the service charge.
Premier Coffee & Soda Package Cost
The Princess Cruises Coffee & Soda Package costs $19.99 USD per person, per day, plus an 18% service charge. The total cost of the package is$23.59 USD per day for all cruises except for Australian itineraries.
Classic Soda Package Cost
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Princess Cruises Drink Packages Faq
If you have questions about drink packages for your upcoming Princess cruise, youve probably been scouring Princess website looking for answers. I know I did before my very first cruise with Princess!
Ill answer the most common questions about Princess Cruises drink packages belowits a combination of the questions I spent hours looking for answers to before my first Princess cruise, and questions from readers.
Hopefully Ill save you some time with my Princess Cruises drink package FAQ. If I dont have the answer to your question, pop it in the comments at the end of this post. I respond to every comment!