Is The Royal Caribbean Drink Package A Good Value?

The Royal Caribbean Drink Package Comes At A Cost

Did you know that the Royal Caribbean Drink Package is additional to your cruise cost? How do you know if it is good for you to purchase one? I can help you decide.

Many Decisions When Planning A Cruise

You book a cruise and relax because the hard decisions have been made: What cruise line, where the stops, and who you are traveling with? But is that it?

We just booked another cruise, and now need to decide if we want to purchase a Royal Caribbean Drink Package. We have done it before so it seemed likely we would do it again.

Then we saw the price. It has gone up (I don’t know why we were surprised- everything has gone up these days). So we took a step back so I could do some investigating. I thought since I am a Cocktail Blogger this might be something interesting to my audience.

I decided to find the answers to help newer and seasoned cruisers alike to make an informed decision about these complicated packages.

Are Drinks Free On A Cruise Ship?

Some drinks are free on Royal Caribbean Cruise Ships. Basic coffee, tea, iced tea, hot cocoa, lemonade, water (tap not bottled), milk, and fruit juices (at breakfast and not freshly squeezed).

Beverage Packages on Royal Caribbean Cruises

RCCL has three beverage packages (plus an additional package where you can get cases of water sent to your room). I will detail each one below to help you figure out which one may be best for you and your family. 

Classic Soda Package

This package only includes Soda. You can use the Freestyle beverage machines onboard the ship as well as all fountain sodas at restaurants and bars. 

The Classic Soda Package will also be good on Labadee and CocoCay. Plus you get a handy Coca-Cola Souvenir cup to keep. 

Refreshment Package

This package includes everything except for alcohol. 

You get fresh squeezed orange juice, premium coffee and tea, fountain soda, bottled water (still or sparkling), and Johnny Rockets Shakes (my husband is excited about that one).

You also get non-alcoholic cocktails which can be a nice luxury if you don’t want alcohol but would like one of those tropical drinks. 

Deluxe Beverage Package

This is the Cruise Drink Package that gets referred to most of the time. It is mostly all-encompassing and includes everything I mentioned above plus alcohol.

There is a maximum price limit per drink. So don’t be fooled into thinking that a $200 bottle of wine is included.  

I also have to tell you, the souvenir glasses are not included in the drink package. This needs to be told to you now when you are sober.

If you are like me, once those drinks start flowing you stop thinking as clearly, and when it comes time to disembark you will have numerous beautiful glasses (that you don’t have room to pack, plus some extra charges on your bill).

Is The Royal Caribbean Drink Package Worth It?

Recently I saw a sale on the Drink Packages so I started my evaluation. Here are the common questions answered (I will show examples using the Deluxe Beverage Package).

How Much Does The Royal Caribbean Drink Package Cost? Any Hidden Charges?

The cost shown to you for the Royal Caribbean Drink Package doesn’t show the 18% gratuity charged at checkout. 

So let’s say your Royal Caribbean unlimited drink package price is $98 per day. On a 7-night cruise that will be $686. You will also have to add the $123.48 for the gratuity which brings your total to $809.48. (This is for the Oasis of the Sea)

Now before you get all crazy about these prices, understand that they usually offer deals like 20% off and buy one get one ½ off (other discounts as well). Keep watching for those sales.

My Daily Royal Caribbean Drink List (Don’t Judge, it’s Vacation)

Let’s just break down the price above to see “Is a cruise drink package worth it for me?”

First, you need to figure out realistically how many drinks per day (including specialty coffee, soda, bottled water, and fresh juices) you like to have. 

I like to start my day with a Mocca coffee. Once I’m at the restaurant, I will get a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice (which may or may not have champagne in it). 

After breakfast, we usually go to the pool where I will drink at least one or two bottles of water during the morning hours.

At lunch, I will drink a Coca-Cola or two. I will then go back to the pool for a while longer and have at least one water. I also may have a cocktail (maybe a Pina Colada, one of my favorites).

When the evening rolls around I will head to one of the bars for a pre-dinner Martini (which is a tradition for my Bestie and me).

Our dining staff usually has our favorite wine or mixed drink at the ready as soon as we sit down to dinner (this is optional if you want it). So I will say one glass of wine here. 

After dinner with dessert, we always have a glass of Port (another tradition with our Besties). I don’t always finish mine but I still order it and drink some of it.

When dinner is over we usually head to the casino or a show. If I go to the casino I will usually have a cocktail or two while playing Blackjack or Three Card Poker (my favorites). 

If we go to a late-night show I may have a cocktail. I do have to say that during the evening I will drink a little water between cocktails as well so I don’t have any issues the next morning.

Does The Drink Package Work For Me?

To summarize (don’t judge) I will have 1 coffee, 1 orange juice, 3 bottles of water, 2 sodas, 4 cocktails, and 2 wines. I don’t always finish each of those drinks because we usually have the drink package so it makes not finishing your drink easier to justify. 

The cost of this is $111 per day plus 18% gratuity (we usually tip 20%) $130.98 is the total daily amount if we didn’t have the drink package. Because we do have it we only paid $115.64. 

Let’s say I got a discount though and I only paid $72 (plus gratuity) which equaled $504.72 for my 7-night cruise. Then I would only be paying $84.96 per day (with the drink package) for what equaled $130.98 in drinks. Do you see where I’m going here?

Here is a Cruise Ship Drink Package Calculator to help you figure out if the package makes sense or not for you.

Who Is The Drink Package Good For?

• The Deluxe Beverage Package is good for people who like to know their bills ahead of time. 
• It is also good for those of you who drink a variety of drinks per day that are not on the free list above. 
• If you want to try a variety of new things: I always feel like when I am on a cruise ship I want to try new drinks and have the convenience of not worrying about prices.

Who Isn’t The Drink Package Good For?

• If you can look at the free drinks offered and can see yourself mostly drinking those with a few alcoholic beverages each night you will be farther ahead without the package. 
• Are you a Diamond, Diamond Plus, or Pinnacle-level cruiser on RCCL? If so, you get drink vouchers (a different number of vouchers per level) for each day of your cruise so the package might not be for you. I am still Emerald so a few more cruises and I will start getting some of those.
• If you drink but your cabin mate doesn’t this might not be the package for you either. RCCL makes both people in the cabin get the package if one wants it. However, I do know they make some exceptions for this sometimes if you call them.

What About Drinking On RCCL’s Private Islands?

On Labadee and CocoCay if you have the drink package your drinks are covered the same as on the ship. But if you don’t have the drink packages you will have to bring your credit card to pay for those items.

I don’t know about you but when I am on a sunny beach I always want a cocktail in my hand but I don’t want to worry about paying for them!

Tips To Remember On A Royal Caribbean Ship

• You can never share your drink package with others (they will find out)! Just don’t try it.
• Keep watching your “My Royal Cruise” account as they will discount those packages at different times. 
• Be realistic as to how many drinks you will be drinking (this IS vacation, not a regular Saturday night).
• Unlike some other cruise lines RCCL doesn’t have a drink limit (but they can turn you away if they feel you are too drunk).
• Your Cruise Planner aboard the ship will show you the ‘Drink of the Day’ that they offer for a discount, so you can take advantage of those if you want to save money.
• There are some items that aren’t on any drink package. Those items are bottled wine, some water, canned soda, bottled juices, and souvenir glasses (that they offer you with special drinks).
• Mini-bar items aren’t included even if they are in your room (some exceptions do apply). Our Balcony cabins have a mini fridge that is empty when we arrive. You can purchase items a la carte like soda and water.

So, Does A Royal Caribbean Drink Package Work for You?

Only you can decide this for yourself. As I am getting on my next cruise in a couple of months, I have decided again to purchase the Deluxe Beverage Package when it went on sale recently so I’m all set!

I hope you found this helpful. It sure helped our group make their decision! Please follow me for more Cocktails and tips at NextCocktails.com