What to Expect on a Cruise: Drink Packages on Cruises

Table Of Content

• The Best Cruise Restaurants Onboard Jewel of the Seas Royal Caribbean Cruises
• The Best Cruise Restaurants Onboard Brilliance of the Seas Royal Caribbean Cruises
• Celebrity Officially Welcomes Its Newest Ship — Celebrity Ascent — to the Fleet
• How can I learn more about alcoholic drinks on my ship?
• The Cost of Drinking on a Cruise

If you splurge on some specialty coffees and sodas, your breakeven point for alcoholic drinks is lower. Carnival Cruise Line offers complimentary beverages such as lemonade, iced tea, milk, coffee, hot tea, ice water, and select juices at various locations onboard. The drink stations at casual quick-service restaurants and the main dining room also offer beverages like juice, lemonade, iced tea, and water. Guests can also enjoy free ice water or lemonade at Carnival’s private island, Half Moon Cay. For example, Carnival and Princess limit you to 15 alcoholic drinks per day, with unlimited nonalcoholic drinks. Compare the amount you’ll spend each day above with the cost of each drink package per day.

The Best Cruise Restaurants Onboard Jewel of the Seas Royal Caribbean Cruises

Carnival Cruise Line offers a variety of bars with different menus and prices. Some of the bars include the Alchemy Bar, Amari Bar, Atrium Bar, Casino Bar, Red Frog Pub, Piano Bar, and Sports Bar. Each bar has its own specialty drinks and prices, which can vary. Guests can refer to the onboard menus for the specific offerings and prices at each bar. The Sports Bar is the perfect spot for sports enthusiasts who don’t want to miss a game while at sea. Grab a seat at the bar, order your favorite beer, and cheer on your favorite teams on the big screens.

The Best Cruise Restaurants Onboard Brilliance of the Seas Royal Caribbean Cruises

So, while onboard a Carnival Cruise, you can savor the flavors of a variety of complimentary beverages throughout your vacation. New to cruising and unsure exactly what is included on a cruise? Read on to learn about all the fun things Royal Caribbean ships offer for free. Whether you are sitting poolside with a fruity cocktail, or maybe playing at the casino with a beer, or having a glass of wine with dinner, having a drink just feels natural on a cruise. There’s not much that’s more popular on a cruise ship than drinking.

Celebrity Officially Welcomes Its Newest Ship — Celebrity Ascent — to the Fleet

Where to find the best breakfast in South America including Peru, Colombia and Brazil. What to eat and where to find the tastiest bites to start your day. Before you say "cheers" with your next glass of sparkling wine, take a moment to learn about what's inside the glass you're clinking. Turkish desserts are as pivotal to the experience of traveling in Turkey as a cruise through the Bosphorus Strait.

CRUISE BEVERAGE PACKAGES

Those booking the Oceania's ongoing "OLife Choice" promotional fares can choose a complimentary House Select beverage package as part of the deal. No doubt Norwegian's Free At Sea promotion is an attractive offering as it includes the Unlimited Open Bar Package. Coffee lovers can still add on the Unlimited Starbucks Package to have the best of both offerings. Drinks, whether alcoholic or not, are a major part of cruising.

Can I Share Drinks With the Package?

Bars are everywhere, and the party atmosphere mixed with the relaxation of vacation means the booze is flowing. When deciding on a package option, first consider how much are drinks on Royal Caribbean when purchased individually and what you expect to consume once onboard. Packages must be purchased for the entire duration of each voyage.

With cruise ships there are some unique situations that you don’t find with other vacations. For instance, while docked in a country, the ship is bound to the laws of that nation. And then, a ship might visit three or four different countries with different laws during the same cruise. These are just a few questions you might have about enjoying alcohol on a cruise. We answer them all (plus roughly a dozen more) for you below.

Bar items (including non-alcoholic beverages), are charged a gratuity. For most lines this is 18%, but it will range from 15-20%, depending on who you cruise. That means a $10 cocktail will actually cost $11.80 with 18% gratuity. You’ll want to keep the gratuity charge in mind when considering the final cost you’ll pay. Another downside of many cruise drink packages is that they often have unexpected exclusions and price caps.

If you plan to drink five a day, then that’s $35-$40, compared to the $64 per day for the Easy Plus Package (price before the cruise) that’s needed to purchase them. There is no mention of a daily limit on drinks mentioned with the packages. That said, if you appeared overserved, then don’t be surprised if the cruise line decides to refuse service. MSC Cruises does not add service charges to drink package purchases, in contrast to the policy at most lines. However, you can get the drink package for less if your purchase it through one of Princess’ all-inclusive deals (Princess Plus and Princess Premier).

Carnival Cruise Line raising Cheers drink package prices - Kilgore News Herald

Carnival Cruise Line raising Cheers drink package prices.

Posted: Tue, 03 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Our team has tried dozens of cocktails on Royal Caribbean, and we wanted to share our favorite drinks with you. Here are 21 drinks to order if you have a cruise drink package. By understanding the rules regarding the drinks you can bring on a Carnival cruise, you can plan and pack accordingly. Remember to pack your wine or champagne securely to prevent any breakage during transport. Whether you choose to bring your own beverages or indulge in the variety of drinks available on board, Carnival Cruise Line aims to provide a delightful experience for all guests.

The soda package is available fleetwide, including Pride of America sailings. Carnival's Bottomless Bubbles program is a strictly soda package, with adult and child pricing available, and includes all-you-can-drink soda and juice for the duration of your cruise. River cruise lines are far more liberal regarding alcohol you bring onboard, both at embarkation and in ports. Bars usually have drink menus, but you can always ask the bartender to make you something off-menu. Just about every line allows adults to bring on a bottle of wine or champagne.

While it has different names, this menu is typically found at the bar in the ship’s lobby or atrium. Carnival Cruise Line, in particular, has taken this evolution to heart, revolutionizing its drink offerings with a tailored menu for almost every bar on their ships. This accomplishment is noteworthy, especially when considering that a single ship can host between 10 and 15 bars. Spirit and cocktail prices on Carnival Cruise Line range from $9 to $12 per serving.

Alcoholic-Free/Minors PackageIf alcohol isn’t your thing or you are sailing with kids, then you might be interested in the non-alcoholic package. It offers non-alcoholic cocktails, sodas, energy drinks, juices, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. All major cruise lines will let you buy drinks on an a la carte basis when cruising. You don't need a drink package to be able to drink alcoholic beverages or any other type of beverage on a ship. Instead of having to worry about paying for each drink — and keeping track of the bar tab — you can simply head up to the bar whenever you want something and order. So whether you have five cocktails or six beers, or a mix of coffee in the morning, wine in the afternoon, and margaritas at dinner, you’ll pay one flat fee.

So if you’re wanting a drink in the morning, that’s no issue. Individual bar schedules will vary, but apart from very late night/early morning (e.g. 3-8 a.m.) you should be able to find somewhere serving, though it may only be one or two spots. For more on cruises and drinking ages, you can see our article here.

For drinks offered at multiple venues, the prices are consistent (i.e., a Coors Light and the Atrium Bar will cost the same as a Coors Light at the Pool Bar). When looking at the prices, remember to consider gratuities. Carnival automatically adds an 18% gratuity added to all beverage purchases. The Atrium Bar is a vibrant and lively spot located in the heart of the ship. Here, you can enjoy a variety of drinks, from classic cocktails like margaritas and mojitos to specialty concoctions created by the talented bartenders.