Cruise Line Beverage Packages – Are They Worth the Money?
I confess. I’m not a huge drinker. Like almost everyone though, I’ll drink more when I’m on a ship. Sailaway cocktail, pre-dinner cocktail and a glass or two of wine at dinner. Three maybe four drinks maximum.
By my calculations, four drinks are about $32.00 plus 18% gratuities…about $5.76 or so. Roughly $35 – $38 per day, if I keep to schedule.
Are Cruise Line Drink Packages Worth the Money?
Almost all of the mainstream and premium cruise lines have their version of a drink package. For now, let’s pick Norwegian Cruise Line.
For the heck of it, I went through a mock reservation just to price and compare if I would save any money if I chose Norwegian Cruise Line’s Free Drinks package. With an inside stateroom, you receive one of the Free at Sea choices.
If you choose the Sailaway Inside promo, you get none. Just so you know, so you don’t spend 15 minutes looking for the Free at Sea promo. Oceanview can choose two freebies etc.
Is Norwegian’s Free Drinks at Sea Promotion Really “Free”?
With my inside stateroom selection, I purposely choose the Free Drinks package so I could write this article. Norwegian states that the Free Drinks package has a dollar value of $109, and it’s called the Unlimited Open Bar package.
Delve deeper and you’ll find that if you choose this package, an automatic charge of $20.00 is added to your cruise fare to cover the gratuity.
You can upgrade to their Premium Plus Beverage Package for an additional $29 per day plus gratuities.
So while the drinks are free, you’re still obligated to the gratuity. I have absolutely no problem with gratuities and more times than not, I’ll personally hand a room attendant, waiter or sommelier a few extra dollars at the end of the cruise.
But what doesn’t work for me…considering I might drink only two to four drinks a day, is paying almost $100 in gratuities for drinks I never order.
On longer cruises and transatlantic crossings, it would be nice to just walk up to the bar and order a drink without feeling nickel and dime’d every time. But the extra gratuities on a longer cruise for drinks I never sip would really add up.
So if you’re a drinker (to the tune of exceeding $79 per day) then it’s well worth it. But to do it just for convenience…not at all. You’re better off with either the dining package or internet package or when offered, a per person shore excursion credit.
Can I Share a Drink Package
When one person wants the package, both guests in the stateroom must purchase it. This is almost standard on every cruise line.
For a while, Royal Caribbean drink package permitted just one person in a two-person stateroom to buy a package. That idea must’ve been a losing proposition for the cruise line.
As of Sept. 30, 2017, guests in the same stateroom must both purchase the Royal Caribbean Drink Package.
Do you or would you purchase a cruise line drink package?
RELATED ARTICLES ON CRUISE LINE DRINK PACKAGES
- Norwegian Cruise Line Drink Packages
- Carnival CHEERS! Beverage Packages
- Royal Caribbean Beverage Packages
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Hi, Drink packages are purchased separately and there’s a gratuity charge of usually 18%. Thanks for your question.
Is this an additional fee or just prepayment of the normal gratuities?
Hi Kerry,
I don’t think I’d purchase one either. And yes, I agree, I’m sure that the cruise lines have learned the hard way that people cheat on the packages. Thanks for your comment!
Sherry
We do not purchase drink packages, I don’t drink that much if at all, hubby drinks more, but not enough to make the drink package worthwhile. If I was traveling with a friend who wanted the package, I wouldn’t buy it….I understand why the cruise lines do it that way though, as I am sure there are people who abuse the system.