Royal Caribbean Quietly Removed This Perk From Two Key Drink Packages

Picture this: you’re on day one, you’ve found the nearest Coca-Cola Freestyle machine, and you’re ready to build the most chaotic soda mix known to man. Cherry vanilla Sprite? Sure. Diet Coke with lime? Always. That weird “it tastes like vacation” combo you swear you can only make on a cruise? Yep.

Then you realize… you don’t have the cup.

Royal Caribbean has updated what’s included with two of its most popular drink packages. Starting March 15, 2026, the Coca-Cola Freestyle souvenir cup won’t automatically come with the Deluxe Beverage Package or the Refreshment Package.

What Exactly Is Changing

Royal Caribbean’s update kicks in on March 15, 2026.

From that date, the Coca-Cola Freestyle souvenir cup is no longer included by default with:

• Deluxe Beverage Package
• Refreshment Package

The cup is what unlocks the Freestyle machines. No cup, no touchscreen soda lab.

Royal didn’t make a big announcement for this. Cruisers started spotting it while checking the inclusions in Cruise Planner, and the chatter took off from there.

If you want a price refresher before you sail, The Insider’s Guide to Royal Caribbean Drink Prices is worth bookmarking.

Why the Cup Matters More Than People Think

This isn’t about missing out on a plastic souvenir.

Royal Caribbean’s Freestyle cups have a chip inside that activates the machine. The machine won’t pour unless it “reads” that chip. So when the cup gets pulled from the package, it’s really Freestyle access that’s getting pulled.

That matters because the Freestyle setup is a big part of the Royal Caribbean soda routine for a lot of families:

• It’s fast (when it’s not busy).
• It’s self-serve, so you’re not hunting down a bar every time.
• It’s the only way to get the full flavor menu.

Royal’s own FAQ points out the machine can pour 100+ combinations, and that the souvenir cup is required to use it.

Which Packages Still Include Soda (And What You’ll Have To Do Instead)

Soda isn’t disappearing from the Deluxe or Refreshment Package.

You can still get soft drinks. You’re just getting them the old-fashioned way: from bars, dining venues, or servers.

Canned and fountain sodas still count in these packages—the Freestyle machine is the part that’s being split out.

If you still want the Freestyle cup included automatically, that perk now stays with the Classic Soda Package.

So the experience changes more than the perk list does.

If you’re someone who likes grabbing a quick refill between shows, or you’ve got kids who treat the Freestyle machine like it’s their personal hydration station, this means more bar stops (and more lines).

If you mostly drink canned soda anyway? You might not care.

Related read: How to Decide If a Royal Caribbean Drink Package is Right for You

How You Can Still Use the Coca-Cola Freestyle Machines

Royal Caribbean says guests with Deluxe or Refreshment can still use Freestyle machines by buying a Freestyle Cup onboard for $4.99.

A few key details from Royal’s FAQ:

• It’s a one-time fee for the sailing (not per day).
• Replacement cups are also $4.99 if you lose it.
• The cup only works for the sailing it’s issued on.

That “one sailing only” bit is why so many cabins end the trip with a sad little stack of cups left behind.

So why are cruisers mad if it’s “just $4.99”?

Because it’s not really about $4.99.

It’s the feeling of paying for a premium package… then paying again for the thing that made it feel premium.

One Reddit user put it bluntly: “RC is really starting to get less appealing with all their nickel and diming.” Another said, “It’s the principle of the matter for me, not the $5.”

Recommended read: 8 Things Royal Caribbean Have Quietly Cut And What They’ve Replaced Them With

If You Already Prepaid, Are You Grandfathered In?

This is the part that matters for anyone cruising soon.

Travelers who purchased the Deluxe or Refreshment package on or before March 15, 2026 will still receive the souvenir cup and Freestyle access.

So if you’re sailing later in 2026 and you already bought your package, odds are you’re fine—just don’t assume the cup will magically appear. You may still need to request it onboard, like you did on many sailings anyway.

Suggested reading: If You’re Sailing Royal Caribbean, You Need to Know About These New Bundles

Cruisers’ Reactions

On Reddit, the biggest theme is “why am I paying extra for something that used to be included?”

One person wrote: “You bend over and pay the $5 for the cup. Pretty ridiculous.” Another called it “nickel and diming,” while someone else replied: “Yes… it’s still the company slowly rolling back benefits and charging for things that used to be included.”

There’s also confusion about how it works if you don’t have the cup at all. One user asked, “If u need those cups to use the machines, why offer the package without?”

Then there’s the other camp—the “it’s five bucks” camp.

One cruiser wrote: “$5 is nothing when you’re paying thousands for a cruise and hundreds for the DBP.” And a different commenter said they’d rather not see the package price go up for everyone: “Seems fine, if not a bit of a cash grab. If it delays a new price increase, I’m all for it.”

The “Why” Behind the Change (Theories Cruisers Keep Bringing Up)

Royal Caribbean hasn’t posted a public “here’s why we did it” explanation.

So cruisers have mentioned a few different theories.

The most common one is cup-sharing.

A comment that popped up a lot goes like this: “Too many people handed the cup to their kid to use. Just another hack people used that ruined it for others.”

If you’ve cruised Royal lately, you’ve probably seen it. One person gets the package, then the Freestyle cup becomes the family cup.

Taking the cup out of Deluxe and Refreshment might be Royal’s way of pushing soda lovers toward the Classic Soda Package (which still includes the cup), or at least making the Freestyle crowd “raise their hand” with the add-on fee.

The other theory is waste.

A lot of people admit they didn’t even use the cup, or they left it behind because it only works for that sailing. One cruiser said they “left them in the room because I don’t need another souvenir cup at home.”

If a chunk of guests weren’t using the machines, Royal may have decided the free-cup-for-everyone model wasn’t worth it.

Not Every Ship Has Freestyle Machines

One more twist: Freestyle machines aren’t on every ship.

Royal Caribbean’s FAQ keeps a running list of ships that have Coca-Cola Freestyle machines, and it includes names like Icon of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas, Utopia of the Seas, and a bunch more.

So if your ship isn’t on that list, this whole thing might not affect you at all—because you were already getting sodas from bars.

On ships that do have Freestyle, the machines are typically in high-traffic, quick-service areas—most commonly in (or near) the buffet/Windjammer, sometimes by the pool deck casual spots, and occasionally in promenade-style cafés or snack venues. They’re meant for grab-and-go refills, so you generally won’t see them in the Main Dining Room.

The Bottom Line

Starting March 15, 2026, Royal Caribbean is separating Freestyle machine access from two key drink packages. You can still drink soda with Deluxe or Refreshment—Freestyle is just the thing you’ll pay extra to unlock.

For some cruisers, that’s not a big deal.

For others, it’s one more “wait… that used to be included” moment.

If you’re sailing after March 15, it’s worth checking your Cruise Planner notes, and if you bought your package earlier, plan on asking for the cup once you’re onboard.

Also: if you’re shopping drink packages, I’ve created a Drinks Package Calculator to help you price it out and decide if it makes sense for you.

And if you’re a Freestyle superfan… I’m sorry about your cherry-vanilla-lime experimental era.

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