If you plan to spend the day in port, you wont be consuming as many beverages as you would on sea days. Is the Drink Package Worth it on a Cruise? Unlike most other cruise lines drink packages, this alcoholic beverage package also does not include any premium non-alcoholic drinks. It also includes fountain soda, juice, and non-alcoholic beer. Soda, specialty coffees and other nonalcoholic beverages already are included in the fare on Windstar sailings. Though, given that many non-alcoholic drinks, like bottled water and specialty coffee, are not included in this package, it wouldnt make sense for us to purchase it out of pocket. Hes sailed on more than 150 ships. Be the first to rate this post. Prepaid @ $7.95 USD per person per day x Cruise Days plus 20% gratuity and beverage service charge. In total, we drank 76 drinks that were included in theNorwegian Cruise Line Premium Drink Package. What it includes: All beverages by the glass (top-shelf spirits, cocktails, beer and wine) and select premium bottles of Champagne and wine. So six max-priced drinks would be $90, which is still less than the daily price of the premium package. Packages are not available on sailings shorter than three nights with the exception of South America sailings. The drinks package included in Princess Plus is now called Plus Beverage Package. Other packages: The less expensive Easy Plus package only includes drinks costing up to $9. Cost per day: $59.99, including an 18% gratuity charge. LauraS It depends. Is the drink package worth it on a cruise? is one of the most common questions we receive. It costs $54.95 per day. My strange night out at Norwegian's new 'zero waste' cruise ship bar. The cruiseline has partnered with JUST Goods Water, replacing single-use plastic bottles with a plant-based carton. You can choose from three different beverage options; Champagne & Bubbly, Premium Wine Selection, and Signature Cocktails. Exclusive: Norwegian Cruise Line Free at Sea Deals. In exchange for the annual fee, you'll unlock access to the Amex Membership Rewards program that let you access airline and hotel transfer partners, along with new lifestyle and travel credits. $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Norwegian Cruise Line's Premium Beverage Package (formerly known as the Ultimate Beverage Package) includes a variety of spirits, cocktails, wines by the glass and bottled or draft beer. That said, many cruise lines will allow you to use the drink package on their private islands. You can purchase a Norwegian Cruise Line drink package online pre-cruise or once onboard the ship. Category Bottled Water (1 liter) Price $5.00 Total 0 Costs $0.00. In addition to its inclusivity, CHEERS! Related: These 15 cruise ship bars are not to be missed when cruising. Improve earnings, maximize rewards and track progress toward dream trips. We usually find the package priced between $65 per person per day and $99 per person per day on most sailings. Passengers can receive the Premium Beverage Package for free through Norwegians Free at Sea promotion. 19 Secret Codes on Cruise Ships That You Need to Know, Virgin Voyages Partners with Sustainable Marine Fuel Providers, D23: Disney Treasure, Lighthouse Point, and Australia, Carnival Celebration Begins First Set of Sea Trials, Oceania Cruises New 180-Day World Cruise And Grand Voyages, Easy Package $38 per person per day with select drinks, Easy Plus $49 per person per day with a $9 per drink limit, Premium Extra $69 per person per day with a $15 per drink limit. I figured Carnival might put the limit so you don't buy a ton of drinks for friends who are not on the package. So, for a 7 day cruise, you will be assessed a charge of $124.60 for each adult beverage package. is one of the lowest-priced drink packages of the mainstream cruise lines. If you wait until youre on the ship to purchase the package, be prepared to pay full price. Finally, many cruise lines have a rule that if one person purchases the drink package, everyone sharing the cabin must also buy the drink package. With the high price of the package and price restrictions on included beverages, youll need to purchase 6-8 alcoholic beverages every day to break even. If we had purchased the Norwegian Cruise Line Premium Drink Package out of pocket, it would have cost us $1663.20 total. Do you think the Norwegian Cruise Line Drink Package is a good value? Depending on the cost of the package, you and your cabinmates will need to drink between 5-10 beverages per day each. Elevate your cruise experience with our widest beverage selection onboard, more specialty dining, unlimited Wi-Fi and more shore excursion credits. This unlimited soda program le. Trust us; you dont want to spend all that money on a beverage package to have it taken away. Still, whether or not you should purchase one of these beverage packages is an individual choice that depends on several factors. Ultimately, you need to know your own drinking habits (and your cabin mates). The cruise was 14 days and the package was called their Silver Spirts package. And if you wait until the second day, you will still be paying for the first two days of sailing, even though you didnt use the package. When selecting this free perk, guests will still need to pay gratuity. For more cruise guides, news and tips, sign up for TPGs cruise newsletter. What it includes: Beer, wine by the glass, mixed drinks and cocktails. The Amex Platinum comes with access to a premium concierge service that can help you with everything from booking hard-to-get reservations to finding destination guides to help you plan out your next getaway. Plus, Feel Free to Take All with Premium Beverages, Free Speciality Dining & much more! If your favorite tipple is a more expensive premium single malt Scotch, you will have to pay the difference in price. Included with the package, guests have access to wines by the glass, beer, spirits, cocktails, bottled water (500 ml only), fresh juices, fountain sodas, specialty coffees and teas, Red Bull energy drinks, and milkshakes up to $12 per drink. You can not purchase just select days. This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. This equates to a full retail price of $1,075.20 for a 7-day cruise (including 20% service charge). We may receive compensation when you click on those links at no cost to you. CC Help Jenn If you prefer to order a bottle of wine at dinner or want to choose from a selection of high-end wine, they arent included in your drink package. If so, you may be able to use your beverage package off of the ship. Heres Your Answer! And if you are in a warm climate, such as the Mediterranean, Australia, or the Caribbean, you may want to bring water with you as you explore the ports of call. Home / Cruise Tips / Is the Drink Package Worth it on a Cruise? Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. You aren't charged for any gratuities when you actually get the drinks. What it includes: Drinks by the glass including draught, craft and bottled beer; a selection of wine and Champagne by the glass; premium-brand spirits, liqueurs and cordials; a variety of frozen and classic cocktails; soda; juices; nonalcoholic cocktails; energy drinks; hot chocolate drinks; specialty coffees; teas and bottled water. You must purchase a Norwegian drink package for the entire length of the cruise. Fine print: If one adult in a cabin purchases a package, all adults in the same cabin also must purchase it. Get expert advice, insider tips and more. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. People who want to drink without breaking the bank and enjoy a variety of drinks without . Cost per day: $84, not including a 20% automatic gratuity charge, for passengers who have purchased a cruise-only rate. That said Norwegian Drink Lists are very good, and they offer a great variety of drinks for everyone to experience. Packages do not include drinks from in-room minibars or ordered through room service. Bartenders and bar servers receive a portion of your tips, so they want to make sure you're having a good time. A NCL Premium Plus Beverage Package, which includes 20% gratuities, is available for $138 per person per day. TPG values it at $1,600. Some lines also offer coffee cards that let you get a fixed number of fancy coffee drinks at a shipboard coffee bar for a discounted price. All you are paying for each time is 18% of the cost the drink. The cost of alcoholic drinks on cruise vessels particularly cocktails can be pricey. Related: How to plan a cruise with points and miles. as long as the regular drink package is offered as the free at sea promotion,i find that this is sufficient for my wife and myself, by nature she is not a big drinker (although neither am I) but we will have a glass of champagne or mimosa at breakast and she will join me in a mojito during the afternoon. I have the free at sea promotion for a 10 day cruise in Iceland . The Unlimited Open Bar Beverage Package, priced at $99 per day, adds spirits and cocktails priced up to $15 (effective Jan. 1, 2023, pricing will go up to $109). Package name: Premium Plus Beverage Package. Follow along as we share our travel tips, cruise reviews, information on ports of call, and the latest cruise news to help you plan the ultimate cruise vacation. It's easy to run up a monster bill ordering wine, beer and mixed drinks by the glass on a cruise ship. I enjoy an cocktail before dinner and good wine with, but withotu knowing what the extra cost might be, I have no way of knowing if the $40/day service charge would be worth it for one. Other brands, such as Norwegian Cruise Line, charge as much as $138 per person, per day for a top-tier package. There are also a number of other restrictions to bear in mind before diving in and booking that booze-inclusive package. Share. What it includes: Beer, wine by the glass, spirits and cocktails. Remember that once you are on board, the price tends to be pretty expensive. Cost per day: $69, not including a 15% service charge when booked on board. (Enrollment required for select benefits.). The package also brings a 20% discount on wine bottle purchases. Cheers to all the spirits and cocktails, wines, draft beer, juice, and soft drinks. Drink packages are entirely optional and usually not needed for most cruisers. There is a 5 minute wait between ordering drinks. A few friends of mine have, and really liked the food and the overall cruise. This is the drinks package that many travelers get comped as part of Norwegian's Free at Sea promotion (though you still have to pay 20% of the package price for gratuities). Note that the package is valid on Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, MSC Cruises private island in the Bahamas. Heres everything you need to know to help you decide if the drink package is worth it on a cruise. The Premium beverage package is currently priced at $99 per person, per day. When you choose the UDP, the 18 percent of the cost of the package is added to the cost of the cruise. Further, there are several other factors you should keep in mind when determining if you should buy a beverage package on a cruise. https://www.ncl.com/terms/ultimate-beverage-package, The Freestyle Choice information has the following:-, The first two guests can enjoy a drink (who are we kidding, drinks) for the whole cruise vacation for free. Celebrity Cruises offers its Classic and Premium Package. Obviously, you should be safe and drink responsibly! Further, this package includes unlimited fountain soda and juices at all bars, lounges, restaurants, and Great Stirrup Cay. Carnival also has a time limit between drinks. The current welcome offer on this card is quite lucrative. Passengers can receive the Premium Beverage Package for free through Norwegian's Free at Sea promotion. The alternate package is the "Premium Plus Beverage Package." Priced at $138 per day, this is Norwegian's most expensive and highest-end package. She is always looking for the latest and greatest adventures onboard and ashore, enjoys researching top things to do in ports of call, and loves dressing up for formal nights. They do have a limit of two drinks per person per order, which is helpful to know when there's a long line at the pool bar. The majority of town beer shops are open before 8 p.m. or 6 p.m. on weekends. Note that some cruise lines discount drinks packages if you buy them online in advance of sailing, and some lines offer periodic sales on their drinks packages online. Then again, we may have been having fun but never were out of control. Two lines that notably don't have such a rule are Princess Cruises and Windstar Cruises. Further vending machine purchases and wine stations are not included. Some cruise lines also let you use your packages when visiting their private islands. It's actually kind of easy. That's exactly the case with the Amex Platinum card. The package has a daily limit on alcoholic beverages of 15 beverages over a 24-hour period (6 a.m. to 6 a.m.). Notably, wine lists onboard were developed in partnership with the Michael Mondavi Family. The Corks and Caps Wine and Beer Package, priced at $65 per day, includes beer . I am passionate about sharing my experience with readers. Limitations related to drink cost: Cannot be used for drinks priced over $13. You would only start to see a price break once you consumed your 7th max-price drink of the day. Package name: Prestige Select Beverage Package. What it includes: Beer, wine by the glass, mixed drinks and cocktails (soda, beer and house wines by the glass ordered at lunch and dinner already are included in the fare at Viking; so are specialty coffees and teas at all hours). There's a limit of 15 alcoholic drinks per person in a 24-hour period. The cost of cruise line drinks packages varies widely by line. As you can see from the different scenarios provided above, the Norwegian Cruise Line Drink Package is likely worth it if you are receiving it as an included Free at Sea perk. Norwegian assesses a gratuity charge of $19.80 per person per day for its basic Premium Beverage Package. While there is indeed a version of an NCL drink package for purchase thats an. For the above reasons, we dont think drink package purchases make sense for most cruisers. Also, any guests under the age of 21 must purchase a soda package as a substitute. We are Don and Heidi, the husband and wife travel team behind EatSleepCruise.com.