Beverage Packages - Are They Worth It?

 

Beverage Packages - Are they worth it?  Someone I once worked with answered many questions with the phrase: "It Depends."  This tends to be the answer for most people considering beverage packages.  Cruisers trying to select which package is best for their needs can be complicated, given pricing structure for drinks on the ship, beverages included in the package, how many beverages one plans to consume, whether the package is bought on the ship or before the cruise. the age of the cruiser and even the port one sails from.

I have chosen not to include package combinations such as Princess Plus, Princess Premier, NCL's Free at Sea, as they would add additional levels of complexity to the comparison process - something which is already hard to do.  Instead, I have chosen a sample of beverage packages from the major cruise corporations to illustrate the complexity of comparing beverage packages.

Each cruise line prices its beverages differently.  Additionally, different rules apply to beverage packages by cruise location.  For example, one cruise line charges more for its beverage packages when sailing Australian routes.  Other cruise lines structure their beverage packages differently when sailing out of New York, Texas and Florida.  And NCL offers a special beverage package for its one US Flagged ship doing 7-Day cruises from Honolulu.  And then, Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing for its packages.

So, are these packages worth it?  If one is a heavy drinker of alcoholic beverages, Yes!  If one is a teetotaler, then a soda package might be worth it.  But, if one is a light drinker, is usually makes sense to buy one's drinks outside of the package.

Cruzely.com has an excellent calculator one can use to determine whether a drink package makes sense for a person to buy.

As for me, I've elected to do the extra work and figure out whether combination packages such as NCL's Free at Sea and Princess Plus/Premier makes sense for me on each cruise, as I also include the value of meals in the specialty restaurants in my calculations. Since I like the specialty dining experiences on both of these lines, the extra "casual dining" restaurants on Princess, and the extra specialty dining meals I get on NCL due to my loyalty status, I pay a little extra to NOT worry about what my final bill will be when I leave the ship.

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Sample Cruise Lines' Beverage Packages:

Royal Caribbean:

Water Package: 12 bottles for $39; 24 bottles for $69
Classic Soft Drinks Package: $12.99 per person, per day
Refreshment Package: $29 per person, per day
Deluxe Beverage Package: $56 to $105 per person, per day
(depending on your ship and trip)
Cafe Select Coffee Card: $31 per card

Carnival:

Bottomless Bubbles - Unlimited Sodas: Starting at: $9.50 / Adult Per Day
Cheers! - Up to 15 Alcoholic Beverages & Unlimited Sodas: 
Starting at: $59.95 / Person per Day

NCL:

Soft Drink Package: $7.95 USD per person, per day. 
Unlimited Open Bar Beverage Package:  $109.00 USD per person, per day.  
Premium Plus Beverage Package: $138.00 USD per person, per day.  
Hawaii Beverage Package (only on P.O.A.): $109.00 USD per person, per day.

For all NCL beverage packages above, a 20% gratuity is not included in the listed prices.

Princess:

Premier Beverage Package: $84.99 USD per person, per day. 
Plus Beverage package: $64.99 USD per person, per day. 

MSC:

Easy Package: $46/day, includes drinks on a limited menu.
On cruises less than 6-nights, the package is $49/night.

Easy Plus Package: $61/day for cruises 7-nights or longer
and $64 for cruises 6-nights or fewer, includes drinks up to $10.

Premium Extra Package: $85/day, includes drinks up to $16. 

Alcohol-Free Package: $28/day, includes non-alcoholic drinks

Minors Package: $19/day, includes non-alcoholic drinks
for guests under 21 (North America) and 18 (Europe)