Cruise Drink Packages – What They Include and If It’s Worth It
Ever since I turned 21, I have always had the highest drink package level when cruising. For me, it’s completely worth it because I love trying new cocktails and getting the most out of non-alcoholic beverages like sparkling water, coffee, and soda. However, if you’re anything like my husband, you mostly indulge in non-alcoholic pina coladas and mudslides. So in that case, maybe the top-tier beverage package wouldn’t be right for him.
Luckily, cruise lines offer multiple drink packages to quench thirst at every level. Of course, like anything, you can get overwhelmed with the details and rules because let’s face it – it’s not always super easy to find the information you’re looking for. To help you with your decision-making, I’ve laid out what some major cruise lines offer and how their packages work.
Carnival
Just like other cruise lines, Carnival offers options sure to please everyone. The Bottomless Bubbles drink package is essentially their version of an unlimited soda package. This can be purchased for children or adults, and the price depends on the guest’s age. Their non-alcoholic option, called Cheers! Zero Proof includes the standard non-alcoholic beverages offered by other cruise lines in their packages, such as bottled water, sodas, non-alcoholic beer, wine, and frozen drinks. But unlike many other cruise lines, Carnival offers drinks such as milkshakes, smoothies, protein shakes, and even energy drinks.
The CHEERS! package is the top-tier package and includes almost everything you could want. It includes all the non-alcoholic offerings as well as alcoholic beverages valued at up to $20. Guests who purchase this package also receive a 25% discount on drinks over $20, bottles of wine or champagne, and classes and seminars. There is a limit of 15 alcoholic beverages per day; once that limit is reached, you will be unable to purchase any additional alcoholic beverages. This drink package, as well as all others, is not honored while on Celebration Key. If you are more of a wine connoisseur, I would recommend checking out their Cruise the Vineyard packages, which include coupons redeemable for wine.
Celebrity
Celebrity Cruise Line makes it easy for their passengers by offering just three beverage packages to choose from. The most basic of which is their Non-Alcoholic Package, which includes beverages such as non-alcoholic cocktails (frozen and non-frozen), premium coffees and teas, premium sodas, Spa Cafe fresh juices, and premium bottled water. If you select their Classic Package, you can enjoy wine by the glass and alcoholic beverages, both priced up to $12. However, unlike the non-alcoholic package, the juices, sodas, and bottled water included are not of the “premium” variety. Essentially, this means you won’t have items like energy drinks or sparkling water included in your package.
The most inclusive package you can purchase is the Premium Package. This beverage package includes the premium offerings from the non-alcoholic beverage package, plus you can order wine and alcoholic beverages up to $19 each. For guests hoping to purchase a bottle of wine with dinner, the premium package offers a 20% discount. Currently, Celebrity does not have a daily drink limit, and guests can use their beverage packages on private islands. If you are a guest in the Retreat, Celebrity’s all-inclusive luxury suite experience, you will automatically receive the Premium Package.
Disney
Unlike most cruise lines, Disney does not offer a traditional beverage package. On a Disney cruise, you can expect complimentary sodas, coffee, and tea served during meals. Complimentary non-alcoholic drinks, including various sodas, coffee, milk, and tea, are also available at a beverage station. Each ship has at least one beverage station, but the location varies by ship. Soft drinks are also served at Vibe, the teens-only lounge.
While no packages are available, Disney still offers alcoholic beverages for purchase. One deal you can expect to find on your Disney cruise is a 21oz souvenir beer mug. You can purchase this mug and get it refilled for the price of a 16oz pour. Be sure to keep your eye out while on board for a number of specials like this one and the ship’s Drink of the Day. Disney Cruise Line does allow guests 21 years and older to bring a maximum of 2 bottles of unopened wine or champagne (no larger than 750 ml) or 6 beers (no larger than 12 ounces) on board at the beginning of the voyage and at each port of call. These personal beverages are not to be consumed in any public areas or lounges. The only exception is that guests may bring their own bottle of wine to the main dining room, but should expect to pay a corking fee to consume it with their meal.
MSC
One cruise line that recently changed its drink packages is MSC. Luckily, their packages are straightforward and consist of only three categories. The most basic of their packages is the Minors Package, which, as the name implies, can only be booked for passengers under 21. This package includes soda, juices, bottled water, and energy drinks as well as hot beverages like coffee and tea. This package must be purchased when underage guests are traveling with adults who opt to purchase a beverage package. For passengers who want to enjoy the Minors Package offerings without alcoholic beverages, MSC offers the Alcohol-Free Package. This package also includes non-alcoholic beers and wines.
The most all-inclusive package MSC offers is called the Premium Extra Package. This package includes all alcoholic beverages up to a $16 value. If you choose the luxury of sailing in the Yacht Club, this beverage package is automatically included in the price of your cruise. In 2025, MSC implemented a responsible drinking policy, meaning the Premium Extra Package includes only 15 alcoholic drinks per day. This means that once you order drink number 16, you will be charged for it. Luckily, any non-alcoholic beverage you wish to consume is not included in the number listed above and is still completely unlimited.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Over the past couple of years, NCL has made several changes to its drink packages. Now, alcoholic beverage packages can be broken down into two categories: Free at Sea and Free at Sea Plus. Free at Sea, available when you book your cruise, is a standard package that includes unlimited cocktails and glasses of wine up to $15. It is limited in which spirits and wines are included, and unfortunately, as of March 2026, this beverage package will no longer work at Great Stirrup Cay. If you choose to include the Free at Sea package in your sailing, this will apply to all guests in the stateroom. Luckily, if you are sailing with guests under 21, they will receive unlimited juice and fountain soda at a discounted gratuity rate.
Just as the name implies, Free at Sea Plus includes even more. This package includes top-shelf spirits and premium wines, with a 40% discount on all bottles of wine. On the non-alcoholic side, it also includes Starbucks coffees and drinks, bottled water, fresh juices, soda, and even energy drinks. If you’re sailing to Great Stirrup Cay and want to utilize your beverage package on the island, this is definitely the package for you. You can upgrade to this promotion after booking your cruise with the Free at Sea promotion by calling your travel agent or checking the NCL app.
Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean offers a robust selection of beverage packages to ensure guests receive what they are looking for. The Deluxe Beverage Package includes almost everything from bottled water to cocktails up to $14. Of course, this package does not include items like souvenir glassware or wine bottles. But if you do want a bottle with dinner, this package gets you a nice discount. Guests staying in a Star-level suite will receive this beverage package as part of their perks. Now, if you love a good Miami Vice but don’t care for alcohol, the Refreshment Package is for you. This package includes everything the deluxe package includes without the alcohol.
The cruise line even offers a few more packages for people who don’t need so many beverage options. If you’re a caffeine addict like me and just need some sodas each day, you’ll be happy to find the Classic Soda Package, which includes canned and fountain sodas at any venue and comes with a souvenir cup to use at Coca-Cola Freestyle Stations. For the coffee lovers – RC now offers the Cafe Select Coffee Card that gets you 15 specialty espresso-based coffees throughout your cruise. And if all that you crave is some bottled water, the Evian Bottled Water Package is for you.
Princess
On Princess, you can choose from four beverage packages, two of which include alcohol. The Plus Beverage Package includes a variety of options, including cocktails, wine by the glass, beer, specialty coffees, fountain sodas, bottled water, fresh juices, healthy smoothies (juice bar), mocktails, and crafted cocktails. For this package, guests are limited to drinks valued at up to $15. You also receive a 25% discount on bottles of wine when purchasing this package. If you are interested in all that package has to offer, but would like the higher-end spirits, Princess also offers the Premier Beverage Package. This package lets you choose from drinks priced up to $20. Princess does restrict guests to 15 alcoholic beverages per day, but all non-alcoholic beverages are completely unlimited.
If you are not interested in consuming alcoholic beverages, but you still love a good mocktail, the Zero-Alcohol Package is the way to go. In addition to delicious mocktails, this package includes specialty coffees and teas, fountain sodas, hot chocolate, and bottled water, as well as San Pellegrino, Evian, and Red Bull Energy Drinks. Now, if you can skip the coffee, energy drinks, and bottled water, there’s one more package at an even lower cost. The Classic Soda Package, despite the name, includes more than just soda. It also includes fruit juices, mocktails, and smoothies, which is a steal for such a low-priced beverage package.
Virgin Voyages
Virgin Voyages is a unique cruise experience in many ways. They boast their no drink package because, unlike many cruise lines, coffee, tea, soda, and juices are already included in the price of the cruise. Instead of pre-purchasing a beverage package, the cruise line allows you to create a Bar Tab. This must be done at least 24 hours prior to setting sail, otherwise guests can expect to pay a la carte for their beverages. The benefit of creating this bar tab is that Virgin will give you a bonus on top of what you add to your account. For example, if you put $200 on your tab, they will give you an additional $25 to use. While the bar tab method certainly doesn’t allow you to enjoy unlimited drinks, it does allow you to pay for drinks ahead of time instead of settling your bill at the end of the cruise.
So what can you expect if you opt to prepay for a bar tab? Once you arrive at the embarkation terminal, you will receive a wristband linked to your account, which you will use to purchase drinks. You can use your credits for beer, wine, cocktails, mocktails, fresh juices, smoothies, specialty coffees, and basically any drink made by a crew member. What makes this different is that you can use your credits to buy a drink for another passenger. Try that with your drink package on a different cruise line, and you may no longer have that amenity.
Is it worth it?
One question I see time and time again from clients and in various cruise forums is “Is this a good deal for the drink package?” While everyone responds either yes or no, it’s not always that simple. At the end of the day, it’s a very subjective question that comes down to one more question: will this package be worth it for you?
I like to think of drink packages as a math equation to help a client determine whether it is in their best interest to purchase one before embarking on their vacation. Let’s say the Princess Premier Beverage Package costs about $100 per day for your sailing (this is $85 for the package plus the 18% service charge). If we put the average alcoholic beverage at about $14, that means you would have to drink just over 7 alcoholic beverages per day to make your package worth it.
Not interested in having so many drinks every day? It’s also important to remember that the higher-end drink packages include non-alcoholic beverages, too. So that means you’ll be able to indulge in sodas, juices, coffees, and even things like smoothies and energy drinks depending on what cruise line you are sailing with. Also worth noting is that cruise lines do require all passengers on a single booking to have the same drink package. This means if you select the highest drink package offered, other guests in your cabin will have to book that as well. This is definitely a point to consider when deciding what to book, as not everyone will want to consume the same number of beverages, which may affect the overall cost analysis.
It’s a good idea to get the entire picture of what is offered to truly understand if a drink package is right for you. Please keep in mind that drink package prices vary by specific sailing and promotion. As always, here at PBL Travel, we are happy to walk you through these offerings and help you decide which is best for your specific travel needs.
