You're booking your cruise and that drink package popup appears. Your cursor hovers over the "add to cart" button. You think: Is this thing actually worth it, or am I about to get played?
Let's do the math together. No fluff, no cruise line marketing speak, just the real numbers you need to decide if unlimited booze (and fancy coffee) makes financial sense for your sailing.
The Price Tag: What You're Actually Paying
Here's the deal. Cruise drink packages in 2026 aren't cheap, and the prices vary wildly depending on which line you're sailing with.Royal Caribbean's Deluxe Beverage Package runs between $56 and $105 per person, per day, before the 18% gratuity gets tacked on. That means on a pricier sailing, you could be looking at over $120 per day after tips.
Celebrity's Premium Package sits in a similar range, typically hovering around $80-$100 per day before gratuity. They're owned by Royal Caribbean, so the pricing structure follows suit.
Carnival's Cheers! package? Around $82-$88 daily. Norwegian? A whopping $109 per day for their Premium Beverage Package. Princess comes in at about $85 per day, plus that 18% service charge.
Notice a pattern? Most major lines are charging you somewhere between $80 and $125 per day when you factor in gratuity. On a seven-day cruise, that's $560 to $875 per person. Double it if your travel partner wants one too (and yes, some lines make you both buy it if you're sharing a cabin).
What's Actually Included
Before we break out the calculator, let's talk about what you get for your money.Most comprehensive packages cover the good stuff: beer, wine by the glass, spirits, mixed drinks, specialty cocktails, soda, juice, energy drinks, and those fancy specialty coffees from the café. Some packages cap individual drink prices, Royal Caribbean's tops out at drinks valued up to $15, for example.
Here's where it gets interesting. Many packages also throw in perks like discounts on wine bottles. Royal Caribbean gives you 40% off bottles up to $100. Carnival offers 25% off wine bottle purchases. If you're planning a romantic dinner with a nice bottle of wine, these discounts can add value beyond the per-drink math.
Celebrity and Royal Caribbean also include fresh-squeezed juices, bottled water, and premium coffees, stuff that adds up faster than you'd think when you're paying $4.50 for a bottle of Fiji water or $7 for a cappuccino.
The Break-Even Math: How Many Drinks Do You Need?
This is where it gets fun. Pull out your phone calculator.Let's use Royal Caribbean as our example. Say you're paying $90 per day for the package, plus 18% gratuity. That's $106.20 per day total.
Onboard drink prices (rough averages for 2026):
- Beer: $7-$9
- Glass of wine: $10-$14
- Cocktail: $12-$15
- Specialty coffee: $5-$7
- Soda: $3.50-$4
- Bottled water: $3-$4.50
Coffee drinker who also enjoys wine with dinner? Let's say three specialty coffees ($18), two glasses of wine with dinner ($24), and two afternoon cocktails ($26). That's $68 right there. You're still $38 short of break-even, which means you'd need roughly three more cocktails or four beers to make it worth the money.
The Celebrity Equation works similarly. If you're paying $95 per day after gratuity, and you're mixing premium coffees ($6 each) with cocktails ($14 each) and wine ($12 per glass), you're looking at needing about 7-8 drinks daily to justify the cost.
Here's the thing nobody tells you: most people don't drink 8 cocktails a day, every day, for a week. That's not a vacation, that's spring break in Cancun.
When It Actually Makes Sense
The drink package shines in specific situations.You drink specialty coffees every morning. If you're someone who needs two lattes before noon and maybe an afternoon pick-me-up, that's $15-$20 daily right there. Add some wine at dinner and a nightcap, and you're suddenly in package territory.
You're a beer-with-lunch, cocktail-before-dinner, wine-with-dinner type. This drinking pattern, moderate but consistent throughout the day, is where packages pay off. You're not going hard, but you're also ordering 5-7 drinks per day without trying.
You're on a long sailing. The longer your cruise, the more likely you'll average out to making the package worthwhile. Seven days gives you room for heavy drinking days (sea days, port celebrations) and lighter days (shore excursions, feeling tired) that balance out.
You hate tracking expenses on vacation. This is real. Some people just want to order whatever they want without mentally calculating costs. The peace of mind has value, even if you don't technically hit break-even.
When You Should Skip It
Don't buy the package if you're a light drinker who'll have two glasses of wine at dinner and maybe one cocktail by the pool. You'd spend $40-$50 per day max, nowhere near the $100+ package cost.Skip it if you're doing heavy port days where you'll be off the ship from 8am to 6pm. You can't drink on excursions (usually), so you're paying for a package you can't use half the day.
Think you'll just "drink more to make it worth it"? That's the cruise line's dream scenario. You'll end up with a hangover and regret, not savings.
The Celebrity vs. Royal Caribbean Breakdown
Since these two get the most search traffic, let's compare them directly.Royal Caribbean has the broader appeal package. Their $15 drink limit covers most cocktails on the menu, and the 40% wine bottle discount is solid if you're planning any special dinners. Their ships have more bars and venues, which means more opportunities to use the package. The Oasis-class ships alone have 20+ bars.
Celebrity targets a slightly older, more sophisticated crowd. Their package includes premium brands you won't find on mass-market lines. If you're drinking top-shelf spirits or prefer wine over beer, Celebrity's package offers better value per drink quality. Their specialty coffees are also notably better, real baristas pulling shots, not push-button machines.
The math works out similarly for both, but your drinking style determines which is the better deal. If you're a craft cocktail person who appreciates premium spirits, Celebrity edges ahead. If you're happy with standard brands and want maximum variety, Royal Caribbean wins.
The Real Test: Track Your Last Vacation
Here's your homework. Think about your last beach vacation or all-inclusive resort. How many drinks did you actually consume per day?Be honest. That mental tally you just did? That's probably your cruise reality too.
Most people on CruiseVoices report drinking 3-5 beverages per day when they actually track it. That includes coffee, soda, and alcohol. Unless you're consistently hitting 6+ drinks daily, the package math doesn't work out.
The Bottom Line
Is a cruise drink package worth it? For most people, no: you'll spend less paying à la carte. But for consistent drinkers, coffee addicts, or people who value unlimited convenience over pure cost savings, it can make sense.Run your own numbers based on your actual drinking habits, not the idealized vacation version of yourself who'll party from sunrise to sunset.
Want to see what other cruisers are actually spending? Head over to the Drink Packages forum at CruiseVoices and check out the real tallies from people's last sailings. You'll find everything from "I saved $300!" success stories to "I wasted $600" regret posts. That real-world data beats any break-even calculator.
The best part? Our community members break down their daily drink counts, ship-specific pricing, and whether they'd buy the package again. It's the honest math from people who've already done the cruise you're planning.
So grab your calculator, be realistic about your drinking habits, and make the call. Your wallet will thank you: whether you buy the package or skip it.
Want to debate the numbers with fellow cruisers? Drop your drinking style and cruise line in the comments over at our Royal Caribbean or Celebrity forums. Someone's probably already done the exact sailing you're planning and can tell you if the package was worth every penny or a total waste.