Are Cruise Drink Packages Worth the Money?
If you've ever priced out a cruise, you've hit that moment at checkout: "Add the Deluxe Beverage Package for $89 a day?" It's tempting to click yes and stop thinking about it. But is it actually a good deal, or just an easy way to overspend?
Short answer: it depends entirely on how you drink. Below is how to figure out which camp you're in.
Non-Alcoholic Drink Packages
Most cruise lines include basic beverages like:
Water
Tea
Lemonade
Coffee
Juices
However, most cruise lines do not include soda, specialty coffee, energy drinks, bottled water, or mocktails. If you drink a lot of soda or enjoy specialty coffee throughout the day, a non-alcoholic drink package may absolutely be worth it.
Alcoholic Drink Packages
Most alcoholic beverage packages follow a similar formula, even though pricing and specific brands vary by cruise line. You typically get
Unlimited cocktails, beer, and wine by the glass up to a certain per-drink price cap (often somewhere between $12 and $20)
Bottled and fountain soda
Specialty coffees and teas
Smoothies
Bottled water
Premium juices
Do the Math Before You Buy
At the end of the day, this really comes down to simple math.
Mixed drinks on many cruise lines are often around $15–$18 each after gratuities. To break even on a package priced around $80–$90/day, you typically need to be drinking somewhere in the 5–7 drink per day range, and that includes specialty coffee, soda, and bottled water if those aren't otherwise free on your ship.
How to Run the Numbers:
Estimate your daily drink count. Morning latte, poolside drink, one at lunch, two at dinner, a nightcap: does that actually sound like your trip? Multiply that estimate by the average drink price, then compare the total to the package's daily cost.
Look at your itinerary. Port-heavy cruises mean fewer hours actually onboard to drink, while sea-day-heavy cruises tip the math in the package's favor. Keep in mind that private islands are usually covered, but regular ports of call are not.
Check the price cap. Most packages set a per-drink ceiling (often $12 to $20). Order something above that price, and you'll pay the difference out of pocket.
For some travelers, the package saves money. For others, especially light or occasional drinkers, paying individually makes much more sense.
There’s no right or wrong answer - it simply depends on your travel style and budget.
How to Purchase
The purchase process isn't identical across cruise lines, and a couple of these lines don't even sell what you'd expect. Here's how it works on four popular ones:
Royal Caribbean
Buy through the Cruise Planner (online or in the app) before sailing, which is also where the best discounts show up. You can also call Royal Caribbean directly to order over the phone, or wait and buy onboard at any bar or a promo table set up near the gangway on embarkation day. Pre-cruise orders can be canceled for a full refund up to 2 days before sailing.
Celebrity Cruises
Same idea as Royal Caribbean, different portal. Purchase through Celebrity's Cruise Planner online or via the Celebrity app before departure, or buy onboard on day one. Celebrity also sells an "All Included" fare that bundles a Classic Drink Package with Wi-Fi right into your cabin price, so check whether that's cheaper than adding the package separately.
Virgin Voyages
Virgin Voyages skips the traditional package model. Instead, you pre-purchase a "Bar Tab," a chunk of onboard drink credit, in set amounts ($200, $300, $500, $750, or $1,000), and Virgin adds a bonus on top (for example, a $300 Bar Tab becomes $350 to spend). You can buy it through the Virgin Voyages app, your online Sailor account, or through us as your travel agent before sailing.
Disney Cruise Line
There's no unlimited drink package to purchase at all. Disney sells discounted beer and wine bundles (like a "buy 5, get 1 free" beer package) and lets you pay per drink at the bar, which works out fine for most families since Disney includes more free non-alcoholic drinks (soda, coffee, juice) in the fare than most lines. If you want a beer or wine bundle, those can be ordered online in advance or set up at the bar once onboard.
Our Favorite Drink Strategy
Enjoying some wine and gluten-free pasta on Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas
Here's the approach we tell people about all the time: skip the package, do the quick math on what it would have cost, and use that number as your unofficial ceiling for the cruise.
Say a 4-night sailing's drink package runs $89 per person, per day, that's $356 total. Ask yourself: can I have a good time for $356 or less? The "strategy" is simple: have fun, order what you want, and try to land under that number. No committing to a flat daily rate, no pressure to hit a break-even number of drinks. You can track your spending in real time through the cruise line's app.
It works because it flips the math: instead of asking "how many drinks do I need to make this package worth it," you're asking "can I enjoy myself for less than what they'd charge me for unlimited." For light-to-moderate drinkers, the answer is almost always yes.
Other Ways to Save on Onboard Drinks
Bring Your Own Wine and Soda
Most cruise lines let you bring one or two bottles of wine or champagne per adult onboard at embarkation, plus a limited amount of soda or other non-alcoholic beverages, though exact limits vary by line, so check the specifics before you pack. Keep in mind that many lines charge a corkage fee if you open wine in a dining venue or bar; drinking it in your cabin is usually free.
Watch for Daily Drink Specials
Many ships run daily drink specials or happy hour pricing that can cut the cost of individual drinks significantly. This is a solid option if you want a few cocktails during your cruise without paying for a full beverage package upfront.
How We Help
We're a travel agency built specifically around gluten-free travelers, and cruises are one of the trips where that focus pays off the most. When you book a cruise through us, you get our guide to gluten-free alcoholic drinks, a straightforward reference covering which spirits, wines, and common cocktails are safe, which ones to avoid, and how to order confidently at any bar onboard.
We also help you think through the drink package question itself, based on your actual itinerary and your actual drinking habits, not a one-size-fits-all upsell, so you're not gambling $500+ per person on a package you're not sure you'll enjoy safely.
The bottom line: a cruise drink package can be a great deal or a bad one, and the answer depends on your habits, your itinerary, and, if you're gluten-free, knowing exactly what's safe to order before you ever step up to the bar. That's exactly the kind of planning we specialize in.
Let us turn your dream vacation into reality!
When you work with us, you’ll get the following:
Recommendations for destinations, hotels, and cruises based on your needs
A custom itinerary and assistance booking excursions and transportation
Gluten-free travel tips and restaurant recommendations for your destination
Gluten-free translation cards to show restaurant servers
Custom document package with your itinerary, confirmations, travel tips, and more!
Blog by: Noreen Wheeler
Travel Advisor
Noreen specializes in Disney vacations and cruises for those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivities. She is also a gluten-free blogger who shares her and her daughter’s journey with celiac disease on Gluten Free Life & Travels, offering tips for living and traveling gluten-free.
Contact Info:
info@glutenfreevacations.com
443-609-7171
Based in Maryland, USA.
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