One of the most popular questions in cruising is whether or not to spring for a drink package. While there is no easy yes or no answer, let’s get into how you can make the best choice for you!
When it comes to cruise vacations, one thing is for sure: the onboard drink options are diverse and enticing. Cruise lines offer various drink packages to cater to different preferences and budgets, ensuring you can enjoy your favorite beverages while sailing the high seas.
With a cruise drink package, you gain access to a wide selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages throughout your voyage. It’s a convenient way to indulge in your favorite libations without worrying about individual drink prices.
First, let’s go over the different types of cruise drink packages you’re likely to come across. The options may vary depending on the cruise line, but here are a few common ones you’ll encounter.
1. All-Inclusive Package: This includes unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, such as cocktails, beer, wine, spirits, and specialty coffees.
2. Premium Package: This typically offers a wider selection of high-end spirits, premium wines, and specialty cocktails. If you appreciate top-shelf choices and want to savor the finest drinks onboard, this package might be the one for you.
3. Non-Alcoholic Package: For those who prefer non-alcoholic beverages, cruise lines often provide a package tailored to your needs. You can often enjoy a wide range of mocktails, soft drinks, bottled water, and teas throughout your voyage.
People are all the time asking if they should get a drinks package, especially those new to cruising. Most of the time they are talking about alcoholic drink packages, so that is where our focus is going to be although much of the same information applies to any drink package you may be looking into.
Deciding whether or not purchasing a drink package is worth it for you will be based on how much you drink a day, how many sea days you have, cost of drinks, and more. With so many factors involved, there is no straightforward answer that is going to fit everyone. Unfortunately, this is basically a convoluted math problem, and math was always my least favorite subject in school.
Here are the 8 questions you need to ask in order to decide if a drink package is for you.
1. How much do you think you will drink in a day? — Keep in mind that you are on vacation, so if you are like me, you may like to indulge in those tropical cocktails and specialty coffees more than you would at home.
2. What is the average cost of drinks? — Various lines will have different costs for their drinks, so you should research how much the average costs are for beers, cocktails and wines.
3. How much does the Package cost? — Are you wanting the basic alcoholic drink package or the premium? Does your cruise line have an all-inclusive package that includes drinks for less than a drink package costs on if purchased separately?
These are going to be your 3 most important numbers to figure out for your math equation.
Drinks per day TIMES the cost per drink TIMES the number of days in your cruise MINUS the cost of the drink package.
Are you in the negative or positive?
While your basic “drink package equation” will give you a good idea of whether or not purchasing a package will be the right choice for you, there are a few more things to think about that can affect that choice.
4. What is your Itinerary? — Your itinerary may affect whether or not a drink package is worth your money. If you have a lot of sea days, then that means a lot of days on the ship with a drink in your hand while lounging by the pool or playing trivia. However, if your itinerary contains a lot of port days, then you may only be on the ship during the evening, which doesn’t leave a lot of time to enjoy that drink package!
5. What are the Package rules and limits? — Not all drink packages are created equal. Take the time to review the terms and conditions of the drink package. Understand any limitations, such as drink exclusions or specific bars where the package is applicable. Most lines require anyone 21 and over in a cabin to purchase a drink package if one person in the cabin does, so if you are sailing with someone who doesn’t drink, you probably aren’t going to be able to purchase the drink package.
6. What all is included? — This could be considered an extension to question 5, but knowing what is or is not included in your drink package could change whether or not it is worth it for you. Does it include water bottles? How about specialty coffee? Is Wine included? Are only some cocktails included?
7. Does your Loyalty status offer free drinks? — Some lines offer free drinks as part of the upper levels of their loyalty status. For example, if you are Diamond or above on Royal Caribbean, you can get 4 drink vouchers daily. At that point, purchasing a drink package is unlikely to be worth it for most people.
8. How much is it worth to never worry about how much you are spending on drinks during your cruise? — Knowing that all your drinks are already paid for can be a weight off your mind and one less thing to worry about while on vacation.
As you can see, I can’t answer whether or not purchasing a drink package is right for you, but you can take this information and determine for yourself what is the right choice for you. There are several sites out there that can help you research drink and package costs included Cruise Mummy where you can find a drink package calculator to help with that pesky math problem!
Have you purchased a drink package before? If so, did you think it was worth the cost? Comment below.
Cruising From The Ozarks 