Cruise drink packages — when they pay off and when they don't
The drinks package is the biggest controllable expense on a cruise. It sounds expensive but sometimes saves money and sometimes doesn't — it depends on how much you actually drink, not how much you picture drinking on day one.
What it costs
A full alcohol package usually runs $60–90 per person per day (including the 18–20% gratuity), and most lines require every adult in the cabin to buy it — you can't have just one person on the package. A week for a couple = $850–1,250. A coffee/juice/soda-only package is $10–25 a day.
The simple maths
A shipboard cocktail is $12–15, beer $8–9, a glass of wine $11–14, bottled water $3–4, a specialty coffee $4–5. For a $75 package to break even you need about 6 drinks a day: morning coffee, 2 by the pool, a bottle of water, 2 in the evening. If you're a 'drink or two in the evening' person, you'll pay less without the package.
What tips the decision
- Sea days vs port days: on a port day you're ashore half the day and not drinking onboard — a port-heavy itinerary lowers the value.
- Mediterranean vs Caribbean: the Caribbean is hot, people drink more; the Med, less.
- Pre-cruise sale price: lines sell the package on a 'buy ahead' promo 20–35% below the onboard price — that's where it starts to pay.
- Non-drinkers: a soda/coffee package almost never breaks even, buy by the cup.
Answers to your questions
Does everyone in the cabin have to buy the drinks package?
How many drinks a day make a package worth it?
See sailings & live prices
We send you to CruiseDirect — compare itineraries, dates and live prices across every major cruise line, with no booking fee from us.
About this page
Written and checked by the Around the World team. We compare prices across the major providers, cross-check official sources, and update when something changes. We have no stake in any one provider — links are affiliate links, and the price is the same for you.