Is There A Limit To What You Can Drink On Your Package
Some cruise lines do have limits. For example alcoholic drinks on Princess Cruises are limited to 15 beverages per 24-hour period. Where on Celebrity there is no limit, instead it is at the discretion of the bar staff. But 15 alcoholic drinks is A LOT so does not feel to restrictive.
Hope that has been helpful, I have spent hours researching drinks packages in the past. But if you get it right it can make your cruise so much easier and you know you will not have a large bar bill at the end of your trip.
The Ncl Premium Plus Beverage Package
The Premium Plus Beverage Package includes the widest selection of beverages by the glass, with super premium drinks such as Veuve Clicquot, Patrón Añejo, The Macallan Quest and so much more. Also including unlimited soft drinks, beers, spirits, cocktails, wines by the glass and a selection bottles of wine with dinner, plus, still and sparkling water, energy drinks, and speciality coffee!
The NCL Premium Plus Package costs $128.00 USD per person per day plus 20% gratuity and service charge.
Frozen Drinks On Private Islands
Like I said earlier, cruise lines price their beverage packages by the day, and you cant prorate the pricing to skip port days when youre hardly on the ship. Most of us cant party all night after touring in the sun all day, which makes it hard to break even on the package cost on port days.
The bars on certain cruise line private islands Royal Caribbeans Perfect Day at CocoCay, Norwegians Great Stirrup Cay and MSC Cruises Ocean Cay let you use your drink package ashore. That pina colada set against a palm tree backdrop will jazz up your social media feed and is a great choice for making your beverage package worthwhile.
RELATED: The ultimate guide to cruise line drinks packages
Read Also: Best Time Of The Year To Cruise Alaska
How Much Are Drinks Packages On Royal Caribbean
The drinks package is roughly $65 per person a day. The refreshment package is $30 a day , The soda package $10 a day. This does fluctuate slightly so keep an eye out on offers, as Royal Caribbean often do deals to encourage passengers to book before they sail. Sometimes they do a buy one get one half price or discount sales on packages.If you have already booked your cruise Royal Caribbean will add the offer to your booking.
Cafe select coffee cards are $36 for every 15 coffees purchased.
Occasionally Royal Caribbean offer free drinks packages when you book and this offers great value for money.
The Childrens Soda Programme
The NCL Childrens Soda Programme is for passengers age 12 and under and costs $5.95USD per person per day plus 20% gratuity and beverage service charge.
Keep the kiddies hydrated all day with unlimited, Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Sierra Mist, Mt. Dew, Ginger Ale, Tonic water, Club Soda.
Not available for sailings of 2 days or less.
Don’t Miss: Solo Cruise Cabins
Exploit Cruise Ship Happy Hours
Many cruise lines offer a happy hour at certain bars, at certain times, with reduced priced drinks. Sometimes these happy hours are planned and stated in the daily newsletter. Other instances theyll be listed on the bar menus themselves.
Often such drink deals are only subtly advertised. So passengers must be observant and seek out these drink deals. Keep your eyes peeled for happy hour promotions on table-top signs at cruise bars. And do know that cruise happy hours vary by cruise line, ship, and even each sailing. Cruise happy hours change constantly.
Cruise happy hours even change from from bar to bar on the same ship. On some Celebrity cruise sailings, weve found $3 draft beers and $4 wine pours at most bars during their happy hour. But this Celebrity happy hour does not extend to every bar on the ship. Meanwhile, their martini bar can have an entirely different happy hour with select martinis at half price. Yet the martini bar doesnt honor the beer & wine happy hour. So be sure to check around all the bars and find a happy hour that is best for you!
Also, some cruises will have two happy hour periods: one before dinner and another into the late night. Princess happy hour had formally done this. Although in recent years happy hour has seemed to disappear from Princess ships.
Pro tip: Stock Up During the Best Drink Promos
Msc Premium Extra Drinks Package
The Premium Extra Drinks Package gives you complete freedom with all drinks by the glass with no price limit! The in room minibar food and drinks, room service menu and drinks from themed bar menus are all also included. The package also entitles you to a 30% discount on bottles of wine and champagne purchased in restaurants and bars. You can order drink in all onboard bars, as well as the self-service buffet and restaurants, including specialty restaurants.
Cruise drink package prices have risen this year and can only be viewed when logged in to your cruise.
Also Check: Cruises With The Best Food
The Priciest Cruise Lines For Drinks Packages
We looked at five ocean cruise lines and found that it rarely makes sense to splash out on a pricey drinks package.
For example, Cunards offering costs £55 a day the equivalent of 10 pints of beer plus four soft drinks at the bar. Or opt for its wallet-draining fine wine package and get just six bottles to savour over the course of your cruise.
Heres how much youd need to drink to make these costly packages worth your while:
| Company | Number of beers or wine |
|---|---|
| Fred Olsen | |
| 4 | 10 or 8 |
| Cost of drinks package is per person, per day. Drinks prices are approx cost of drinks at the bar. Numbers are how much you’d need to drink per day to justify a package. |
Do I Have To Buy Beverage Packages For Every Day Of The Cruise
Yes. You can’t simply decide you are going to go wild one day and buy the package for that single day. Nor can you pick and choose the days you want to buy it.
If you purchase the package, it is charged for every day you are on the ship. It doesn’t matter if you are in port for a day, you are still charged. This is one of the main drawbacks of the beverage package.
Also, keep in mind that the drink package is sold on the first couple of days of the cruise. You can’t decide halfway through the trip that you want it. You’ll need to buy it early.
Recommended Reading: Cruise Ships That Depart From Galveston Texas
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.
Some Drinks Might Not Be Covered
Cruise ship drink packages do include most alcoholic beverages up to a certain dollar amount. However, this dollar amount does vary by cruise line as do the inclusions. If you enjoy a certain brand of wine or a high end spirit, you should check to see if it is covered in the package before purchasing. Further, drinks in souvenir glasses and bottles of alcohol are not included.
Royal Caribbeans Deluxe beverage package and Carnivals Cheers Program do include other non-alcoholic items, though Norwegian Cruise Lines Premium beverage package does not. So, be sure to check whether items like bottled water, specialty coffee, and soda are included when considering whether a drink package is worth it for you.
You May Like: Where Is The Celebrity Edge Right Now
Cruise Lines That Are Offering Free Drink Packages
A number of cruise lines are currently offering free drink packages as perks on cruises when they resume sailing in the near future.
Here is a rundown of seven different cruise lines where you can receive drink packages for free when you book a cruise on one of their cruise ships.
Holland America Line Holland America Line is offering free drinks on cruises to the Caribbean, Europe, Alaska and more on cruises later this year, 2021, and 2022. View Prices on Cruises Holland America Line
Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Cruise Line continues to offer their Free at Sea promotion where one of the five free perks is unlimited drinks.. View Prices on Cruises on Norwegian Cruise Line
Oceania Cruises Oceanias Ultimate Sale includes free beverage packages, up to eight free shore excurions, and up to $800 in shipboard credit. View Prices on Cruises on Oceania
MSC Cruises MSC Cruises is offering free unlimited drinks and WiFi on Caribbean sailings through February 2022. View Prices on Cruises on MSC Cruises
Celebrity Cruises Celebritys Dream Big Sale includes three free perks with one of those perks being the Classic Beverage Package. View Deals on Cruises on Celebrity
Princess Cruises The Princess Plus sale includes the premier beverage package, WiFi, and gratuities in what is the cruise lines Best Sale Ever. View Deals on Cruises on Princess Cruises
*Note: Some cruise lines will add a gratuity charge or fee when choosing the free drink package.
How To Buy A Drink Package For Your Norwegian Cruise
Its pretty easy, really. Once youve booked your cruise, simply head over to ncl.com. Then up in the right-hand corner, log in to myNCL.com with your username and password. That will take you to Explore & Plan. From there, in the left-hand column, choose Beverage Packages. Simply choose your package and pay for it. It will be automatically added to your account.
Read Also: What Cruise Ships Depart From Galveston
Whats Included In The Ncl Open Bar Drinks Package
The NCL Open Bar Drinks Package allows you to enjoy a wide selection of soft drinks, beers, a vast selection of cocktails, spirits and 20 different wines by the glass. Additionally bottled or draft beer up to and including $15 USD. The package also includes fountain soda, juice, and non-alcoholic beer.
The Open Bar Drinks Package On NCL costs $99.00 USD per person per day, plus 20% service charge. .
20% discount on bottles of wine, champagne and sparkling wine. Wine and Spirit Experiences, tastings or Flights purchased on board. Check out our in depth post on all NCL Drinks Packages.
Royal Caribbean Drink Package 2019
Choose a Royal Caribbean Drink Package from the following:
- The Deluxe Beverage package provides unlimited drinks for the entire cruise. Start your day with premium coffee, tea, fresh-squeezed juice, water , fountain soda and refills, Coca-Cola Freestyle beverages, Coca-Cola souvenir cup, non-alcoholic mocktails, cocktails, spirits, liquor, beer, and wine by the glass. $63.00 $70.00 per day .
- The Refreshment Package includes premium coffee, tea, fresh-squeezed juice, bottled water, fountain soda, Coca-Cola souvenir cup, and non-alcoholic cocktails. $29.00 per day .
- Classic Soda Package includes fountain soda and refills at any venue, Coca-Cola Freestyle beverages, Coca-Cola souvenir cup, non-alcoholic beverages bottled still and sparkling water, premium coffee and teas, and fresh-squeezed juices. $12.99 per day .
- Water Bottle Package allows for 12 or 24 packs of Evian Water bottles to be delivered to your room.
Don’t Miss: Norfolk Port Cruises
The Benefits Of A P& o Cruise Drinks Package
No one wants to worry about whose round it is next or worrying youve spent more than planned. By pre-purchasing a P& O Drinks or Beverage Package, you can save a significant amount on the per person per day price – and youll love knowing your drinks are already taken care of before you even step onboard!
Should You Buy The Drinks Package
Now, the million-dollar question
To decide if you should buy the cruise drinks package or not, youll need to do a bit of maths to estimate how much you would spend on drinks if you didnt have the package.
If you would spend more on drinks without a beverage package, then the package is worth it. However, it could be the case that you drink as much as you like and still dont break even on the drinks package cost.
I created a handy drinks package calculator tool which will help you to work out how much you would spend on drinks per day with no drinks package. You can then compare that with the cost of the all-inclusive package to see if its worth it or not.
You May Like: Carnival Cruise Parking Mobile Al
Frozen Drinks On A Private Island
Perhaps one of the most surprising perks of some cruise line beverage packages is the extension from ship to shore. Of course, this is only possible when visiting a cruise line-owned private island, and not every cruise line participates. If yours does, it can feel truly decadent to order a pina colada while lounging by the surf and not have to pay.
Norwegian Cruise Line’s private island Great Stirrup Cay accepts onboard drink packages. And that line is not the only one: The Royal Caribbean Deluxe Beverage Package extends to Royal’s private Bahamian island, Perfect Day at CocoCay, so you can sip the island’s signature drink — the Coco Loco — without a care in the world.
Cost Of Individual Drinks On Royal Caribbean
Heres a basic broad overview of typical drink prices found on the larger Royal Caribbean ships.
- Bottled water $2.25 to $3.25
- Soft drinks $3.25/can
- Specialty coffees $4.35
- smoothies/mocktails $5-$6
- Beer $7-$8
- Wine starts at $9/glass.
- Hard liquor $7-$9
- Cocktails $10-$13
Note that all drink orders will be assessed an automatic gratuity of 18%, which would be added to the prices above.
Read Also: Are Cruises All Inclusive Alcohol
Common Questions About Ncl Drink Packages
If youve never cruised with Norwegian before, or its been a while since your last cruise, you probably have some general questions about how the drink packages work. Ill answer the most common ones here. If you have a question that I havent answered, just leave it in the comments and Ill answer it.
Beer Drinkers Should Buy Buckets Of Beer To Save
Are you heading to the pool and want to kick back a few beers? Buy a bucket of five beers, which most cruises usually offer for the cost of four. Its a win-win by saving the server a few trips to deliver your beer while saving you a few bucks.
Beer buckets may not be the best drink deal out on the high seas, but it still saves the $6-$7 cost of a bottle of beer. Even if youre not planning to drink all of those beers in one sitting, it can be worth buying the bucket and bring whatever is left back to your cabin to put on ice or in the mini fridge.
Also Check: Dinner Cruise In Mobile Al
Why To Never Order Wine By The Glass
Never ever order by the glass on a cruise, even if youre only going to have one glass of wine with dinner. Heres why: if you order a bottle of wine and dont finish it, your server will gladly re-cork it for you so that you can enjoy the rest of that bottle on another night, at no additional charge. Also, most cruise ships even permit the server to send whats left of the bottle to another bar or even to your stateroom.
As is the case with any land-based restaurant, wine by the bottle on cruise ships offers significant savings compared to ordering by the glass. So as long as youre able to finish an entire bottle during the length of your entire cruise, theres really no reason to ever order by the glass.
Those $7 glasses of wine may seem like a good deal, but itll add up to $42 over the course of six glasses. Thats over $50! On our last cruise the $7-per-glass wine was priced at $29-per-bottle. So ordering the bottle will ultimately get you that same wine for far less money. Just finish the bottle another night or whenever youre ready.
Pro Tip: By a Wine Package Instead
Most all cruise lines offer wine packages in which you commit to a certain number of bottles throughout your sailing, at a reduced price. Typically the more wine you commit to, the greater the price reduction. So try to estimate how much wine youll go through on the front end of the cruise, which will lessen the blow to your onboard account by departure day.
Worth It Everything About Cruise Line Drink Packages
Cruise line drink packages are a big deal. Thats because when it comes to taking a cruise, people like to have a good time. And that good time usually involves alcohol flowing freely. No wonder there are so many bars on a modern cruise ship.
In fact, over 20% of cruisers report spending more than $200 on alcohol on their trip.
Thats why many people are interested in all you can drink packages that cruise lines now offer. The appeal of these packages is easy to see. You pay one set amount and then you dont have to worry about running up a huge bar tab.
Instead, you simply head to the bar, order whatever you want, and get back to the fun. Want a beer? A glass of wine? A cocktail ? You only need to flash your room key and youll get it.
But before you rush out and buy the drink package, there are some things you should know. Weve rounded up some of the biggest questions and answers about the cruise line beverage packages to help you get a better idea of if its the right thing for your next cruise.
Also Check: Cheap All Inclusive Cruises Including Alcohol