Image of three cocktails lined up on a wood bar

Do you need a drink package?

Whether to buy a cruise drink package when you sail is one of the more important decisions you may make before setting sail on your cruise. Understanding what will work best for you can result in wasting money if you don’t use the benefit or costing you at the end of your cruise with a big bill charged to your room.

Cruise ships make it easy to spend money. Purchases are charged seamlessly to your room via a cruise card, medallion, app depending on the tech used by your cruise line.

A drink package is not cheap and you may have a bit of sticker shock when you are deciding before your cruise. Be aware, though, that the option to purchase a drink package is often only available before you set sail. Once you board, depending on your cruise line, you may not have the option to purchase a package.

The decision really depends on you, and what type of vacation you are planning to have. Personally, I don’t like the big bill at the end of a cruise and prefer to know the costs going in, so we sign up for a package. We know a few drinks per day are likely with an afternoon cocktail, wine with dinner, but it’s not only alcohol that is covered by a drinks package. We enjoy a latte or cappuccino in the morning and mineral water over tap. These considerations are all part of our included drink package. When you consider the additional charges for each of these drinks, it’s very easy for us to make a drink package worthwhile.

The question is whether a drink package is worth it for you.

A Cruise Drink Package Is likely a Good Deal If…

Like me, you don’t like a big bill post-cruise

Sure, it may be painful to pay a few hundred dollars for drinks on top of your cruise fare before your cruise even starts. But once you’ve paid, you have the luxury of being able to order drinks at most bars and restaurants without worrying about your final bill. Even if you buy the lower tier drink package, you are often only charged with the difference between your drink and the package you bought, so the costs of a premium drink are greatly decreased.

If you’re still undecided before you board, keep in mind that, depending on your cruise line, you may be able to buy a package during the first couple of days. Just remember, it won’t apply retroactively to those first few cocktails you enjoyed during sail away.

An image of a messy table with espresso and a couple of bottles of San Pellegrino — You like specialty non-alcoholic drinks

They include some basic drinks with your cruise fare, but almost all drinks besides basic tea, brewed coffee and tap water are at an additional charge. That means that if your husband has an Espresso habit (yes, my personal experience) or you enjoy fresh-squeezed orange juice in the mornings or a latte in the afternoons, it will cost you. Cruise drink packages can cover all the above, as well as nonalcoholic mocktails, if you prefer them to their boozy cousins.

Also, don’t forget about bottled water. If you have a lot of shore excursions in a warm climate, such as the Caribbean or Eastern Mediterranean, you will want to bring some water with you on shore. We always grab some bottled water to throw into the bag when we go ashore. Depending on your plans for the day, it may be difficult to find or stop for water while on a tour or hike in port. A package makes it easy to grab a bottle on your way off the ship and take it with you.

It can be just easier

Some cruise lines allow you to bring on your own soda or bottled water with varying restrictions and limits. Almost every cruise line allows you to bring at least a bottle or two of wine onboard. Speaking for myself, however, a single bottle of wine on a 7 (or more) day cruise would not be enough. 😉

Bringing your own drinks can be economical, but logistically, it’s a challenge depending on flights to foreign countries and difficulty of getting to a store before you cruise.

Also, a consideration for me is the bother of lugging the extra bulk. A bottle of wine is not bad, but the idea of lugging a case of water besides the luggage, carry on, camera equipment etc. that I am already burdened with makes me cringe. I don’t like to overspend, but this is a holiday after all. I don’t want to be lugging around a bunch of extra weight when I can resolve the issue by planning ahead and purchasing a drink package.

For me, the decision is simple, but there are cases where a drink package may not work for you.

A Cruise Drink Package Might Not Be right for you If...

You prefer a specific (premium) brand

If you are someone who absolutely must have a premium scotch in the evening or won’t drink house wines, then you might want to review drink packages to see if they are a better deal.

Image of a purple cocktail in a tall glass with a lemon wedge on a table — Many drink packages will cover cocktails or wine up a certain amount; if your drink is more expensive, they will charge you for the difference; or on some cruise lines, you will pay full price for the premium drink.

Keep in mind you can always ask your server if you are unsure about what is included in your package if you don’t want to pay the up charge. They are happy to let you know and will help you find a similar or alternative drink that is included in your package.

When a Cruise Drink Package likely isn’t a good idea for you

Aside from the obvious reason that you are happy with standard brewed coffee, tea and bottled water and don’t really drink alcohol, there are a few other reasons where a drink package is likely not a good choice for you.

You prefer a bottle of wine with your dinner

A polaroid image of a bottle of red wine being poured into several glasses at dinner — Cruise line drink packages typically apply to wines by the glass and some do offer discounts of full bottles. That works great if you enjoy matching wines with your different courses during dinner and are happy to enjoy it by the glass. Maybe you and your travel partners prefer a different type of wine.

Although, if you would rather to order a bottle of wine or want a larger selection, it may make more sense to forgo the package and simply pay for the wine by the bottle. If you don’t finish the full bottle, it’s been my experience that the waitstaff is happy to store your bottle until the next evening’s meal if you ask. Of course, you need to eat at the same restaurant the following night.

It’s worth noting also that some cruise lines have drink packages that ONLY cover wine at dinner. This package might be a good fit for you.

The other people in your cabin don’t drink

Most cruise lines require all adults staying in the cabin to purchase the same package. If you like to drink scotch and espresso (again, personal experience), but your wife is a teetotaler (not me, but I do like tea 😉), you are likely better off buying drinks separately.

Remember that most bartenders and servers will serve you only one drink at a time. They will absolutely refuse to serve you if they catch you sneaking a glass to a companion.

Some cruise lines will have some alcohol that is already included

If you are on a River Cruise, you will find that they usually include beer and wine at lunch and dinner as part of the cruise fare. You will also see this on some of the premium cruise lines, such as Azamara, where they also include some types of cocktails. If you are happy with house wines and beers, and don’t really need premium brand-name alcohol, these inclusions may be enough for you.

Finally, if you think you’re going to order five or more alcoholic and specialty drinks a day during your trip, a package is worth considering to see if it’s right for you.

Is a drink package right for you?