Bring Your Own Drinks To Stock Your Minibar
Most cruise lines permit you to bring your own sodas and other non-alcoholic beverages. Beverage policies vary by cruise line on what drinks are permitted onboard. The chart below summarizes the onboard beverage allowances of the major cruise lines, as of Feb 2020.
| Cruise | |
|---|---|
| Non-alcoholic drinks allowed, no limit. | |
| Royal Caribbean | 12 cans or bottles per person. |
So bring aboard some sodas or whatever you prefer. Then just ask your friendly stateroom attendant to empty out all of those expensive minibar drinks so that you can make use of the fridge. Once the fridge is clear, youre free to chill down all of the beverages that youve brought onboard. And if your cruise cabin isnt equipped with a mini-fridge, just ask your stateroom attendant for an ice bucket to chill your drinks.
Can I Upgrade Downgrade Or Cancel My Drink Package After I’ve Bought It
Most cruise lines are happy to upgrade you to a higher-tier package . You can do so onboard. However, many lines do not allow you to downgrade to a cheaper package or request a refund. Lines that do let you change or cancel packages might refund your money in shipboard credit if you wait to cancel until you’re onboard, rather than crediting your credit card for the difference. You would then have to spend the money on the ship and not be able to get unused credit back in cash.
Cruise Line Drink Packages 2022
If you plan on hitting up the bar a lot on your upcoming cruise, it can pay off to sign up for a drink package offered by your cruise line. Many cruise lines offer different levels of drink packages, so you can enjoy unlimited beverages without worrying about breaking the bank on your relaxing cruise.
Also look out for promotions. With NCL, Celebrity and even Holland, you can often get a beverage package includes in the price of the cruise fare which is a substantial savings.
Here is a great guide to cruise line drink packages for 6 popular cruise lines for the 2022 cruise season. Please note that these prices are subject to change without notice.
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Celebrity Perks Promotion Go Big Go Better Go Best
I LOVE the Go Big, Go Better, Go Best Perks promotion! This promotion varies from time to time. Sometimes you can choose one perk, sometimes two, but essentially you are still choosing from the same 4 perks.
The 4 perk choices are:
The perks are very generous, so my advice is that if you are comparing a Celebrity Cruise to another cruise line, do take a few minutes to jot down the value of the perks for you. Something to keep in mind is that contrary to some other cruise lines, there is no extra charge or service fee for any of the perks, including the Classic Beverage Package!
Celebrity Cruises Classic Beverage Package
Perhaps the most popular beverage package offered by Celebrity is the Classic Beverage Package. If you booked a cruise after November 17, 2020, this package is now included in your standard cruise fare. Unlike Norwegian Cruise Lines Free at Sea, you will not be charged the gratuity on the free drink package.
If you booked before November 2020 or chose the Simply Sail pricing, you can purchase a Classic Beverage Package starting at $59 a day per person. This package includes all beers, wines by the glass, and cocktails up to $9.
You are also entitled to bottled water, specialty coffee, juices, and soda.
This allotment covers basically all 16 oz beers on the ship and a selection of basic red and white wines at the onboard restaurants and bars. This package also includes a 15% discount on all wines by the bottle.
When it comes to cocktails, the package does cover a fair amount of premium brands. However, top shelf liquors and cocktails at the Martini Bar, the World Class Bar, or Eden on Edge class ships will not be included in the Classic Beverage Package.
See our Celebrity Edge bar menus for average drink pricing.
If a drink is over the maximum dollar amount, guests will only be charged the difference .
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How Do I Buy Drink Packages
If you want to purchase one of the drink packages for your cruise, the best way is to either call your cruise line or go online to book through your reservation.
It’s usually better to book online ahead of time because there are often discounts for early purchases. For instance, we’ve seen discounts of 30-40% on some drink packages for booking early.
If you want the best rate, definitely do not wait to book once you are on the ship. Rates are often highest when purchasing on board. Even so, if you wait, you’ll find tables setup around the ship offering the package. You can also just head to the nearest bar and ask about buying it.
What Do Most Drinks Cost
One very important consideration is how much each drink costs. Thats the only way to determine if you can easily stay under the price point. Its fairly easy to distinguish between the non-alcohol packages because it really just depends on the quality and selection of non-alcoholic drinks youre looking for theres no additional cost involved, so moving forward, Ill only be discussing the alcoholic beverage packages on Celebrity.
Here is a cost break-down of most drinks you can purchase on board. These costs come from the Celebrity Silhouette 2017 sailing. .
Premium Water : $5.50
Premium Tea from Tea Forte : $5.50
Frozen Drinks & Smoothies: $4.50-8.50
Most martinis were $12
Molecular cocktails: $13
Coffee: Standard espresso coffee drinks are $4 plus $2 for an extra shot of espresso if desired. This includes plain espresso, cappuccino, latte, and americano.
Beers: There was a fair selection of beer on the ship, but you couldnt get every beer in every venue. If you have the classic package, you might have to frequent one specific venue to get the one or two beers that are covered by the package. Cellar Masters had a pretty comprehensive list of beers, but the only ones covered at $6 or less were Bud Light and Estrella Lager. When you stretch the budget to $13, there are only two beers on the menu that arent covered Nestbeer Hatachino Wood Aged IPA for $26.50 in a 720 ml size and Fullers Vintage Ale 2011 in a 500 ml size for $16.50.
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Premium Bottled Water Package
Unlimited bottles of your favorite water are available starting at $16 per day. Weve got you covered with options like Evian, Acqua Panna, San Pellegrino, and Perrier. Whether in a bar, lounge, or any restaurant, simply present your SeaPass® Card to order sparkling, still, or both.
An additional 20% service charge is added to soda, wine, water, classic, and premium packages.
Your Cabin Mate Has Different Drinking Patterns Than You
Most — but not all — cruise lines require both adults in the cabin to purchase the same package. If you like to drink scotch, but your wife is a teetotaler, you’re better off buying drinks separately. Keep in mind that most bartenders and waiters will only serve you one drink at a time — and will refuse to serve you if you are caught sneaking a glass to a companion.
River cruises usually include beer and wine at meals in the fare, as do premium cruise lines such as Azamara the latter also includes some types of cocktails. Unless you’re someone who really needs brand-name alcohol, what you already have might suffice.
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Celebrity Cruises Beverage Policy Rules And Allowance
Passengers are not allowed to bring hard liquor or beer onboard for consumption or any other use. Those who wish to bring personal wine with them at the beginning of the voyage may do so, but limited to only 2 bottles per stateroom. When consumed in any onboard restaurant, bar, or another dining venue, each bottle is subject to a $25.00 corkage fee.
Celebrity Cruises Drink Packages
Arranging for Celebrity beverage packages before boarding is a good idea so guests can use it the moment they step onboard. They just have to book the cruise and make at least one payment towards the vacation. Sign in to “My Celebrity” at the Celebrity Cruises top of the website page and have a cruise reservation number handy.
A variety of Celebrity beverage packages are available, both non-alcoholic and spirited. Pay a set price and enjoy unlimited drinks throughout the sailing, from the minute you board. Enjoy a variety of beverage choices such as wines-by-the-glass, premium coffees, bottled water, or your favorite cocktails.
On the ship, beverage packages can be used in the Main Restaurant, the casual dining spots, and buffet, any specialty restaurant, plus all lounges and bars. The beverage packages cannot be used through Room Service, with the in-stateroom mini-bar, or in Cellar Masters at the Enomatic wine dispensing system.
- Once confirmed, the on-line purchase cannot be modified. However, the order may be canceled and made again.
- At checkout, a service charge of 18% is added to Water, Soda, Wine, Classic and Premium Package prices.
- All prices below are in USD and subject to change without notice.
- Packages are sold on a “per cruise” basis.
- No refunds are issued for unused amounts.
- Celebrity Beverage Packages may not be shared.
- Availability of Celebrity beverage packages varies by ship.
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Do I Have To Buy A Drink Package
Absolutely not. Drink packages are completely optional. In fact, most people simply pay for each individual drink. When you do that, you’ll be charged each time you get a beverage and don’t forget the extra gratuity — usually around 18% — that’s tacked on.
Just know that if you buy the package, you can’t change your mind later and get your money back. So be sure you want it before you purchase.
Tips: How To Get Cheap & Free Drinks On A Cruise Ship
February 10, 2020 By John Widmer
Indulging in many beverages can be so much fun when cruising. But as drink prices on cruises hover around $10, those poolside piña coladas will add up before you know it. Splurging every night on costly cruise cocktails can be a blast. But itll also blast your onboard account before you can even say mar-ga-rita.
During the past six years, weve been using budget travel tactics to cruise entirely around the world. So during all this time as passengers on cruise ships, weve been figuring out ways to keep our bar bill extremely low while aboard dozens of cruise ships. As such, weve developed a variety of alcohol hacks, tips, and tricks on how to get cheap drinks on a cruise. Part of this strategy includes getting free drinks on cruises!
As an example of our cheap cruise drink strategy, during a 14-day sailing on the Celebrity, we managed to keep our bar tab under $75 per person. Thats less than $6 per day and we still drank quite well and a lot! During a transatlantic repositioning cruise with Royal Caribbean, we solely used a $100 onboard credit to drink throughout the cruise and we again drank very well during that 13-day voyage.
Meanwhile during a recent cruise, sailing on the NCL Bliss, we didnt drop a dime on alcohol and still drank heavily most nights. But it was on a two week Norwegian Star cruise, that we scored unlimited drinks for free the entire cruise! How did we pull that off?
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Are Beverage Packages Worth The Money
It can be a bit tricky to determine if a beverage package is a good value for you or not. If you might only pay for a drink or two on any given day, and intend to largely stick with free beverages , you likely will be better off paying a la carte.
However, if you drink soda all the time, love to frequent cruise ship bars, or intend to consume a wide variety of nonalcoholic and alcoholic drinks on your vacation, you should do the math to see if a package makes sense. To make sure you’re getting your money’s worth, figure out how many drinks you might order each day — keeping in mind that you’ll have fewer opportunities to do so on port days — and add up the costs to see if you would spend close to or more than the package daily rates. For accuracy with this, you’ll need to look up drink prices online however, keep in mind that cruise lines don’t always post bar menus, and the ones you find online may be out of date. Also, don’t forget that some packages include discounts on wines by the bottle, a factor to likewise consider when you’re working out the sums.
Order The Drink Of The Day
Many cruise lines have a specialty drink of the day which will usually save you $1-$3 off the regular price. An additional bonus to the daily drink specials is that you may even get a souvenir cup which can entail even further discounts when getting a refill. The drink of the day is usually outlined in the daily cruise newsletter.
Waking up to find out the daily drink happens to be your favorite is like a Christmas morning surprise.
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Differences Between Premium Vs Classic Beverage Packages
The key difference between the two packages is price. Expect to pay a minimum of $59 per day for a Classic Package, or a minimum of $69 per day for a Premium one.
With a Premium package, you’re likely to get branded waters, such as Evian and Pellegrino, rather than the cruise line’s own brand of water, as well as Coca-Cola branded products beyond soda.
The wine discount is 15 percent with the Classic Package and 20 percent with the Premium package.
You also won’t have a price cap on beers , so you can be more adventurous and try some international brands.
The wine cap also rises to $15 per glass from $9 per glass, allowing you to try some interesting labels and vintages instead of being stuck with the house brand night after night.
The Premium package also includes specialty teas and coffees.
Have Cheap Drinks On A Cruise But Dont Miss Out On The Fun
Part of the fun of drinking on a cruise is the social element, hanging out the numerous bars, lounges, and clubs on these awesome ships. The nightly parties can be a blast. Drunken karaoke sessions are hilarious.
Yet some of the aforementioned cruise tips for cheap drinks may confine passengers to drinking in their staterooms. Thats boring. Youre on a cruise go out and have fun!
So be sure to utilize those cruise happy hours, daily drink specials, tasting activities, and beverage package deals in order to truly make the most of your vacation, as you drink your way across the open seas!
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Specialty Bars On Celebrity Cruise Ships
Celebrity Cruises Solstice-class ships feature several specialty bars each.
- “Cellar Masters” bar offers a daily wine tasting with a different wine region each day and includes discussions with knowledgeable sommeliers.
- The “Martini Bar” and “Crush Bar” host caviar and vodka tastings at stylish, ice-filled tables. Also on Solstice-class vessels, the Molecular Bar offers handcrafted cocktails.
- Every Celebrity cruise vessel has the “Michael’s Bar” where you may sip premium scotch or cognac and listen to grand piano music. On the ships Infinity, Millennium, Reflection, Silhouette, and Summit, this club provides 60 beer craft options.
Is A Cruise Drink Package Right For You
Whether to buy a cruise drink package when you sail is one of the most common questions that appears on our Cruise Critic forums.
Sometimes passengers balk at the price tag, which can seem steep when you are making a bulk payment as opposed to paying for each drink individually. Others worry that they won’t get good service from bartenders if they have a package .
Here are some reasons you might want to consider buying a cruise drink package, as well as times when buying a package isn’t a smart idea. Let us help you decide if a cruise drink packages is worth it.
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Disparity Of The Cost Of Premium Drinks Package Celebrity
We have booked to go on a ten night Celebrity cruise next month, along with our brother and sister in law, who live in America. We booked our cruise separately and were comparing notes of the costs. One stood out, which was the difference between the price we paid for the Premium Drinks Package, £1012 and how much our relatives paid which was $236!! What a phenomenal difference… So we contacted Celebrity, but haven’t got anywhere with our complaint. I understand that it was our choice to purchase the drinks package, but I am mystified why we should pay so much more for exactly the same drinks. I just hope the cruise is good.
Hi Julie and welcome to the forums!
Wow, that’s quite a difference! My first thoughts are that you relatives took advantage of some special offer or promotion that you weren’t eligible for, or that they had booked through a brilliant travel agent! Did you book the same grade of accommodation? I’d be interested to know what explanation Celebrity have given you, if any.
WOW Is that 1012 GBP PP or for the 2 of you??
Did you check the going rate on their website
Checked for the Premium pkge but quotes in CAD for me
Premium Package
*Starting from: 78.00 CAD Per NIGHT
Edited: 6 years ago
I would cancel & wait until on the ship then decide if it is worth the money for the package
For us drink packages are a waste as we do not drink much but to others it is a bonus
If you are staying on the ship you may drink more
Enjoy the
Edited: 6 years ago