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Should you buy a cruise drinks package?
How much you would have to consume with P&O, Cunard, Princess, Celebrity and Fred Olsen to get your money’s worth
Jo is an award-winning travel journalist and hiking holiday enthusiast. Her specialisms include sustainable travel and money-saving advice.
A cruise is not a cheap holiday - and if you like to watch the sun set over the ocean with a glass of wine in hand, it’s going to cost you even more.
Most cruise companies sell drinks packages at a fixed daily price - meaning you can have an ‘unlimited’ selection of beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks without worrying about running up a titanic bar bill.
The cost of these add-ons varies enormously: anything from £25 to £58 per person, per day (for the basic package) - meaning you’ll probably have to drink like a fish to get your money’s worth.
And there’s often a long list of exclusions, meaning premium drinks and dry companions (meaning every person in your cabin has to buy the package) are off limits.
So, how cost-effective is an all-you-can-drink package with the most popular cruise lines? Here’s everything you need to know before setting sail.
The best and worst cruise lines - as rated by passengers
How much do you have to consume to justify a drinks package?
We looked at five ocean cruise lines and found that it rarely makes sense to splash out on a drinks package.
For example, Cunard’s offering costs £54 per person - so you’d need to quaff eight glasses of wine (£7.50 each) or knock back 12 beers (£4.75) every day for a package to be cheaper than buying your drinks separately. You can also buy a fine wine package for your voyage, but it’s also eye-watering: $310 (£231) for six bottles or $550 (£410) for 12.
Some American cruise lines also slap a gratuity on top. Celebrity Cruises’s service charge is 20%, taking the price of the classic package to almost £70 a day. Its premium package is an even more wallet-draining £85 a day once you add service. But prices vary depending on the ship, departure date, region and length of voyage.
Here’s how much you’d need to drink to make these costly packages worth your while:
| Cruise line | Drinks package cost per day* | Soft drinks | Beer | Wine | Service charge % | Number of beers you'd need to drink | Number of wines you'd need to drink |
| Cunard | $72 (£53.75) | $5 (£3.75) | $6.50 (£4.75) | $10 (£7.50) | 15% | 12 | 8 |
| Celebrity | £57.75** | $4.75 (£3.50) | $10 (£7.50) | $12 (£9) | 20% | 8 | 7 |
| P&O | £48.85 | £3 | £5.55 | £6.50 | 0 | 9 | 8 |
| Princess | $64.99 (£48.55) | $2 (£1.50) | $7 (£5) | $10 (£7.50) | 18% | 10 | 7 |
| Fred Olsen | £24.99 | £2.50 | £5 | £6 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
*Cost of standard drinks package per person, per day, excluding promotional offers. **Prices vary depending on the ship, departure date, region and length of voyage. Drinks prices are approximately the cost of drinks at the bar (cheapest available). The number of beers or wines is how many pints or glasses you’d need to drink per day for a package to save you money.
Why it pays to go on an all-inclusive cruise
Avoid nasty surprises
Along with the price, you’ll have to check the small print. Typically, cruise lines dictate that every person in the cabin must buy the package (to prevent sharing) for every single day you’re at sea – and there’s no refund if you decide to go teetotal halfway through your voyage. The total cost of a standard drinks package on a seven-night cruise with Celebrity Cruises is a whopping £980 per couple once you add service.
There are also price and ordering restrictions. For example, P&O's package doesn't include craft beers or premium spirits and makes you wait 15 minutes between orders. You also can’t have double measures, order room service, or use the mini bar. Canned and bottled soft drinks, juices and smoothies are also excluded.
Even bottles of wine that you’ve bought from the duty-free shop on board are off limits with most cruise lines. Instead, staff will hold your purchases until you disembark.
5 ways to save on cruise drinks
1. Do your research
Some cruise lines list their bar prices online, so do the maths beforehand to see if you will get your money's worth from a drinks package. Failing that, previous guests often post bar menus on blogs and social media. Don’t forget to factor in service charges.
2. Bring alcohol onboard (if allowed)
Check if you can bring your own alcohol on board. P&O, Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean allow you to do this, but for limited amounts on embarkation day only. There may be a corkage fee if you drink it in the ship’s restaurants or bars - P&O’s corkage fee is £20 per bottle.
3. Don’t wait until departure
If you have your heart set on a drinks package, it’s usually cheaper to buy it before you board. For example, Fred Olsen’s package is £10 per day more if you upgrade after you set sail.
4. Take advantage of special offers
Drinks packages are often heavily discounted or thrown in for free to entice early bookings, so plan your cruise as far in advance as possible and keep an eye out for promotions.
Check the cancellation policy. Lots of cruise lines allow you to cancel and get a full refund up to two or three days before your sail date. So if you spot a better drinks deal, you can cancel and take advantage of the lower price. We were also offered Celebrity’s Classic drinks package for 30% off in a flash sale - £40.42 instead of £57.75.
5. Go all-inclusive
Another option is to choose an all-inclusive cruise line, like Which? Recommended Provider Saga, where drinks (excluding ‘premium' brands) are part of the package. While you may pay more at the start, you can rest assured that there won’t be any nasty surprises later on.