Is the Cruise Drink Package Worth It? How to Decide

Here's the thing nobody says out loud at the bar. A drink package only saves you money if you genuinely drink past a certain number of items every single day. The way I work it out is to take the daily package price, then divide it by the average price of the drinks I actually want. That gives me my break-even number, the point where the package starts paying for itself.

Once I have that number, I get really honest with myself. If my break-even is, say, six or seven drinks a day and I know I'm a two-coffee, two-cocktail kind of girl, the math just doesn't work. But if you're someone who enjoys a morning specialty coffee, a couple of sodas by the pool, a glass of wine at dinner, and a nightcap, those add up fast and the package can absolutely come out ahead. Count honestly, not aspirationally.

This is where I tripped up early on. Most people only think about cocktails and beer, but the full drink packages usually cover so much more, and that's where the value hides. Specialty coffees, bottled water, fresh juices, sodas, mocktails, and smoothies often count too. If you're a big coffee drinker like me, those daily lattes alone can move the needle more than you'd expect.

On the flip side, read the fine print on what's excluded. Premium bottles, certain top-shelf pours, drinks above a set dollar value, and anything in the fancy specialty venues can fall outside the package. I always ask guest services for the exact list on day one so I'm not surprised later. Knowing exactly what's included changes the whole calculation and keeps you from feeling cheated at the bar.

I think the package is a clear winner for social sailors, the folks who love sitting at the bar chatting, ordering rounds, trying the daily cocktail, and never wanting to think about a tab. If that's your vacation vibe, the all-inclusive feeling is genuinely freeing and often worth every penny. Sea days especially are when packages earn their keep, because you're on board all day with the bars right there.

But if you're a light drinker, a port-heavy itinerary person who's off the ship most days, or someone who mostly wants water and the occasional glass of wine, skip it. Pay as you go and you'll almost certainly spend less. I also tell my port-day friends to bring a good refillable bottle so they're not buying water constantly on shore, which quietly saves a surprising amount over a week.

A few things can change the answer for you. Most cruise lines require everyone of drinking age in the same cabin to buy the package if one person does, so factor that in if your travel buddy barely drinks. That single rule has talked me out of a package more than once when I was sailing with someone who only wanted iced tea.

Watch for pre-cruise sales too. Buying online before you board is almost always cheaper than buying at the bar that first afternoon, and the price you lock in tends to be the best you'll see. I also keep a reusable insulated tumbler in my bag so my package coffee or water stays cold for hours by the pool, which means I'm actually using what I paid for instead of letting a sad warm drink go to waste.