Are travel drink packages worth it? Everything you need to know

Are travel drink packages worth it? The short answer is it depends.

It depends on the price of the cruise line’s alcohol packages on any given ship versus the cost of drinks purchased individually. Both of these vary greatly from line to line.

It also depends on how much you drink during the day and what type of drinks you usually order.

Also, this depends on whether you get to use any free drinks on board before paying for the drinks package. For example, on many river cruise ships, wine and beer at lunch and dinner are included in the base fare. You only pay extra for other alcoholic beverages served during meals or outside meal times.

On some routes, the question is not even relevant because they include all or most alcoholic beverages in the base fare. On some other routes, drinks often cost more but are often given for free as part of booking promotions.

Are you thinking about buying a drinks package on a cruise or just wondering how much you should spend on drinks while on a cruise? Here, we talk about everything you need to know about whether buying an alcohol cruise package is right for you.

What is a travel drink package?

One of the big draws of a cruise for many travelers is that the ticket price covers pretty much everything, including room and board, most meals and a variety of entertainment. Alas, on many routes, drinks are not included in the package – and they can be quite expensive. For heavier drinkers, it’s easy to get a giant bar when ordering drinks by the glass.

Enter beverage packages, a flat-fee, all-you-can-drink service that many lines have added over the years. At a fixed daily price, the drinks package allows you to order as many alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks as you like each day.

Prices for such packages vary widely between routes, from around $60 a day at the cruise giant. Festival cruise line (if booked in advance) to $105 per day at Royal Caribbean to include the most services. For more on what’s included in such plans and line-by-line details on their pricing, check out TPG’s The ultimate guide to beverage packages on a cruise ship.

Benefits of beverage packages on board

It might pay to buy a drink package if you’re someone who typically orders a lot of individual drinks on a cruise ship, especially more expensive drinks like premium cocktails and wine by the glass. It’s not uncommon for premium cocktails to cost $15 or more on some lines, and wines by the glass can also be $15 or more on some lines.

The first thing you should do when considering a drinks package is to think carefully about how many drinks (and types) you typically order while on vacation.

As noted above, drinks packages on ships are often quite expensive and they only make sense if you’re someone who spends a lot of money on drinks – a Actually big spenders. For example, Carnival charges $59.95 per person per day for this festival. Congratulations! beverage packages if booked in advance ($64.95 if booked on board). Royal Caribbean beverage package sometimes costing up to 105 USD per day. These packages only make sense if you regularly spend more than that amount on drinks each day.

If you are a beer drinker, these packages are usually not a good choice. It’s better to just pay for the beer as you go. For example, on Carnival ships, many beers cost between $7 and $7.95. You’d have to order more than seven to eight beers a day at that price for Cheers! package to initiate payment.

These packages make better sense for wine drinkers, as wine prices by the glass on cruise ships are often high. Wine sold by the glass on Carnival ships ranges from about $10 to $15. At the higher end of that spectrum, you’ll have to order five drinks per day for the pack to start being effective.

Related: The best drinks to order with a cruise ship beverage package (and some to avoid)

In addition to alcoholic beverages, passengers who purchase a beverage package on a cruise ship can usually order an unlimited number of non-alcoholic beverages, such as specialty coffees and soft drinks often for an additional fee. So the packages can be one Good value for tourists people like to order multiple lattes, Cokes and other non-alcoholic drinks throughout the day, along with a variety of alcoholic drinks.

To use the Carnival example again, someone who orders two or three lattes in the morning, a few sodas during the day, and three or four glasses of fine wine in the evening will show up first by purchasing a package. drink.

For some cruisers, beverage packages also prove to be a valuable budget management tool. Usually, you can buy a drinks package in advance and know exactly how much you’ll spend on drinks for the entire journey before you get on the train. Having a drinks package also makes going to the bar on board a breeze because you don’t have to worry about paying for drinks as you go.

Having a drink package also allows you to try new drinks you wouldn’t normally order without worrying that you’re making the wrong choice. If you don’t like it, just order something else.

Limitations of travel beverage packages

The big drawback to buying a drink package while traveling is that you may not get as much value out of it as you think.

One thing to note is that the routes often sell drink packages by yacht, not by day. That means you can’t just buy a package for specific days when you want to go bar-hopping on the ship. If you’re on a seven-day trip, you’ll pay a high daily rate for all seven days – even on days you don’t plan to drink much.

Even if you think you’ll use your beverage package every day, remember that you may have to spend a significant amount of time on the ship during the port days of your cruise. On days when you leave the ship frequently, you won’t order as many drinks on the ship as you would on beach days. Some cruise lines don’t even let you use your beverage package on their private island.

These packages make the most sense for passengers who regularly order large amounts of drinks daily – even on days in port.

Related: Can I bring alcohol on the cruise ship? Line-by-line instructions

On many ships, you also need to take into account your companion’s drinking habits. Some lines, including Carnival, Dutch America And MSC Cruisesthere is a rule that if one adult in the cabin orders a package of drinks, all adults in the cabin must order that package. This is to prevent two people in the cabin from sharing the same drink packet.

In such cases, purchasing a drinks package on a cruise ship usually doesn’t make any sense unless everyone in your cabin is an alcoholic. If one of you drinks and the other doesn’t, you’ll save money by buying drinks by the glass.

Two notable lines that do not have such a rule are Princess yacht And Windstar Cruise.

Another downside to many cruise beverage packages is that they often have unexpected exclusions and price limits. For example, even the most expensive drinks packages may not include your favorite brand of whiskey or vodka. And many drink packages only apply to drinks on the menu priced under $15. Note that in some cases, lines offer multiple drink packages, with higher prices giving you access to more brands and higher cost-per-drink limits.

Meanwhile, if you’re picky about wine, you may find that the wines included in the drinks package don’t quite meet your expectations. In general, cruise beverage packages can only be used for bottled wines available at the ship’s bars and restaurants, not bottled wines in the cruise ship’s hold. That said, signing up for a drinks package will get you discounts on wine by the bottle on some lines.

Related: These are the best cruise ship bars

How to get a free drink package on a cruise ship

The decision about whether or not to get a beverage package on a cruise ship will change when you can get one for free. Some major cruise lines will offer free beverage packages as a perk during limited-time or ongoing booking promotions.

For example, Norwegian Cruise Line is currently offering See more promotions at Sea offers free beverage packages, specialty meals, tour credits and other perks with new bookings.

Other lines that have previously run promotions with free beverage packages include Princess Cruises and Holland America, although both lines are now offering new all-inclusive fare packages that include beverage packages and other benefits. other privileges.

Related: The best travel booking perks – and which ones are actually free

Just keep in mind that the free cruise drink packages that lines sometimes offer with booking promotions aren’t always their most premium beverage packages. Famous yachtsfor example, including a beverage package with one of the fare classes is called an All-Inclusive Fare. But it’s not the top Celebrity Premium Beverage Package. Bundled packages only include drinks up to a $10 value and do not include premium wines and beers. To get an expanded list of brands and drinks covered up to $17, you have to pay to upgrade your plan.

Another downside to the free cruise drink packages that airlines sometimes offer when booking promotional tickets is that they aren’t actually free. Cruise lines typically charge customers who receive a free beverage package a package pickup bonus amounting to 15% to 20% of the regular package price. That could result in your “free” drink package actually costing you more than $100 a week.

Bottom line

Buying drink packages on a cruise ship instead of paying for individual drinks can be a good way to save while traveling, but they’re not for everyone. Drink packages usually only make sense for cruise riders who order large quantities of drinks each day or for expensive specialty drinks like premium cocktails. For cruise-goers who only drink one or two or three drinks a day or order cheap drinks like beer, a beverage package on a cruise generally doesn’t make much sense.

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