8 Cruise Drink Package Tricks That Could Save You Serious Money

Cruise drink packages can be wonderful little things if you use them properly.

You order a cocktail, swipe your card, and wander off feeling like the ship has briefly turned into an all-inclusive resort. Lovely.

Then you get home, check what you actually drank, and realize you paid premium-package money for three frozen cocktails, two coffees, and one glass of Prosecco you didn’t even finish because dinner arrived.

That’s the problem with cruise drink packages. They sound relaxing, but they only save money when your real habits match the price.

The good news? You don’t have to choose between buying the full package or drinking tap water with a sad little lemon wedge all week.

Side-by-side image showing tropical cocktails with paper umbrellas being toasted on the left, and the Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas cruise ship sailing through blue ocean waters on the right, capturing the essence of vacation vibes and luxury travel.

There are still plenty of perfectly allowed ways to spend less on drinks at sea. No smuggling. No card sharing. No mystery liquid in a shampoo bottle, please. Just smart planning, a little checking before you sail, and knowing where the cruise lines quietly leave room for savings.

1. Don’t Buy the Drink Package Once and Forget About It

One of the biggest mistakes cruisers make is buying a drink package early, ticking it off the list, and never checking the price again.

That can cost you.

Cruise lines love a sale. Then another sale. Then a “limited-time” sale that looks suspiciously like the sale from last Tuesday, just wearing a different hat. Prices can move around before your cruise, especially on lines that sell beverage packages through an online planner.

So don’t treat the first price you see as the final word.

The image showcases Royal Caribbean's non-alcoholic beverage packages, including a Refreshment Package, Classic Soda Package, Evian Water Package, and a Cafe Select Coffee Card, each with pre-cruise savings and per guest per day pricing. It displays images of various drinks such as smoothies, sodas, bottled water, and coffee.

If you know you want the package, buying early can still be a smart move. The trick is to keep checking after you buy. If the price drops and your cruise line allows cancellations on pre-cruise purchases, you may be able to cancel and rebook at the lower rate.

Royal Caribbean is one example where this matters. Its beverage package FAQ says packages can be bought online up to 72 hours before sailing, and pre-cruise orders can be canceled up to two days before the sail date for a full refund. That gives you room to watch for a better deal.

Two vibrant, layered tropical cocktails on the bar of an MSC cruise ship. Each drink features a gradient of colors from creamy white to deep red, garnished with a pineapple slice and a cherry. The reflective bar surface enhances the colorful and festive presentation of the drinks, set against a backdrop of a bustling bar scene.

Carnival also has refund rules worth knowing. If CHEERS! is purchased before the cruise, Carnival says it’s refundable until 10:00 p.m. ET the evening before departure.

My rule? Set a reminder every week or two after final payment. Check the app or cruise planner while you’re already in planning mode. It takes two minutes, which is less time than I spend deciding whether I need another pair of “cruise sandals.”

And yes, I almost always decide that I do.

2. Use Loyalty Perks and Suite Benefits First

Before you pay for a package, check what you may already be getting.

This sounds obvious, yet it’s one of the easiest things to miss. Cruise loyalty programs can include drink vouchers, discounts, welcome events, lounge access, specialty coffee perks, bottled water, or free drinks during set times.

Two adults wearing sunglasses on a cruise ship deck, smiling and holding frozen tropical drinks garnished with pineapple.

Suite guests may also get access to lounges or private areas where drinks are included during certain hours. Some fares come with drinks bundled in. Some casino offers include drinks in the casino. Some lines offer cocktail parties for returning guests.

None of that means you’ll drink for free all week. Let’s not get carried away.

But it may mean you don’t need the full package.

This is especially true if you’re a light or moderate drinker. Say you usually have one pre-dinner drink, a glass of wine with dinner, and maybe a coffee the next morning. A few loyalty perks, a welcome drink, and the odd bar special might cover more than you expect.

It’s also worth checking whether any perks apply only in certain places. A lounge drink is only useful if you actually plan to visit the lounge. A casino drink perk is no bargain if you lose $200 trying to “earn” a gin and tonic.

Please don’t do that. That’s not a free drink. That’s a very expensive garnish.

The image shows a welcoming setup inside a cabin on Cunard's Queen Anne cruise ship. A bottle of Pol Acker sparkling wine is placed on a wooden surface, accompanied by two elegant champagne flutes. In front of the bottle, a card reads, "Welcome on board. We invite you to toast your voyage with this complimentary bottle of sparkling wine." The scene exudes a sense of luxury and hospitality, offering passengers a special start to their cruise experience.

The best move is to list what you already have before buying anything extra. Your booking confirmation, loyalty account, cruise app, and fare details are good places to check.

A package should fill a real gap. It shouldn’t duplicate perks you already paid for in your fare, status, or cabin type.

3. Check the Alcohol Rules Before You Book

Some cruise lines are much kinder than others when it comes to bringing drinks onboard.

This is where a little planning can save a lot of money, especially if you enjoy wine, beer, soda, or bottled drinks in your cabin.

The rules vary wildly. Some lines allow a limited amount of wine or champagne at embarkation. Some allow soda or water. Some ban beer. Some hold alcohol bought in port until the end of the cruise. Some charge corkage if you take your own bottle to a dining room.

Disney Cruise Line is one of the more generous examples. Its policy allows guests 21 and older to bring either two bottles of unopened wine or champagne, or six beers, per stateroom at the start of the cruise and at each port of call, as long as it’s carried onboard in hand luggage. Liquor and spirits are not allowed for onboard use.

This image features multiple bottles of wine with red caps stored in a reusable bag, possibly in a passenger’s luggage. The setup suggests a traveler bringing wine onboard a cruise, raising potential compliance questions with cruise line beverage policies.

That “at each port of call” part is the real money-saver. On a seven-night Disney cruise with four port stops, an adult could board with wine or beer on embarkation day, then bring another allowed amount back onboard at each of the four ports. In other words, you’re not just limited to what you carry on at the very beginning of the cruise.

That can make a real difference on a port-heavy cruise, especially if you’re happy enjoying a glass in your cabin instead of ordering every drink at the bar.

Royal Caribbean is stricter in other areas, but it does still allow a little wiggle room. On embarkation day, each guest of drinking age can bring one sealed 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne onboard in their carry-on luggage. Boxed wine and other containers aren’t allowed, and beer or hard liquor can’t be brought onboard for drinking during the cruise. Royal Caribbean also notes a corkage fee if guests drink their personal wine or champagne in public areas.

Close-up of two hands clinking glasses of white wine in a toast, with a blurred backdrop of a social gathering, possibly on a Royal Caribbean cruise, evoking a sense of celebration and leisure.

Carnival’s alcohol policy is fairly simple, but you need to know the details before you pack. On embarkation day, each guest 21 or older may bring one sealed 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne in their carry-on luggage. Beer, liquor, and spirits are not allowed to be brought onboard for drinking, and Carnival also limits nonalcoholic drinks to a small carry-on allowance of sealed cans or cartons, not bottles.

Carnival’s CHEERS! package also has the rule that can catch couples out: each adult assigned to the same stateroom has to buy it, and it can’t be shared. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises use a similar same-stateroom rule for their main alcohol drink packages, while Norwegian applies its Unlimited Open Bar package to all guests 21 and older in the stateroom. MSC also requires beverage packages to be booked by guests occupying the same cabin, including minors on the relevant nonalcoholic package.

That one rule alone can change the math.

If one person drinks cocktails and the other barely touches alcohol, a full package for both adults may not make sense. You might be better off paying by the drink and using any allowed carry-on drinks within the rules.

The key is simple: check the policy before you book, not once you’re standing at the pier with a bottle the security team is about to confiscate.

That is not the kind of pre-cruise drama anyone needs.

4. Use Your Cabin as Your Starting Point

Your cabin can quietly become one of the best money-saving spots on the ship.

Not in a “turn it into a nightclub” way. Your neighbors did not pay good money to hear your portable speaker doing battle with the bathroom fan.

But if your cruise line allows you to bring wine, champagne, soda, or other nonalcoholic drinks onboard, your cabin is the easiest place to enjoy them without paying bar prices.

A glass of wine on the balcony before dinner. A soda while you’re getting ready. A coffee you brought from home, if you’re fussy about coffee and brave enough to admit it. Those little choices can reduce the number of paid drinks you order each day.

Glass of red wine beside a bottle of wine in a cruise ship cabin with an ocean-view balcony.

The savings come from cutting out the automatic extras.

You may not need a cocktail while dressing for dinner if you already have a glass of wine in the cabin. You may not buy a soda at lunch if you have a few cans cooling in the mini-fridge. You may skip a bottled water package if your line lets you carry some on, or if you’re happy using the ship’s water stations.

It’s not glamorous, but it works.

This is also where mixers and flavor drops can be useful, especially for families. Kids don’t always need soda packages if they’re happy with water and the occasional juice or lemonade. Adults don’t always need a full bar package if the real habit is one drink before dinner and one with a show.

Just keep the ship’s rules in mind.

If corkage applies in restaurants, don’t wander into dinner with your own bottle and act surprised when the fee appears. If drinks are meant to be consumed in your cabin, be sensible. Cruise lines tend to be much more relaxed when guests aren’t making a scene.

Cruise rule of thumb: the less you look like you’re trying to get away with something, the better your vacation will be.

5. Hunt Down the Daily Specials

If you skip the package, you don’t have to pay full price for every drink.

Most ships have small drink deals hiding in plain sight. You just have to look for them.

Check the cruise app, daily planner, bar menus, and signs near the pool. Depending on the ship, you may see a drink of the day, discounted beer buckets, happy hour-style offers, wine packages, cocktail tastings, or deals tied to one bar.

Daily drink special sign on a cruise ship bar counter overlooking the pool deck and ocean

The trick is not to chase every deal. That is how a “money-saving plan” turns into you ordering a neon-blue drink at 11 a.m. because it came in a souvenir cup shaped like a parrot.

And listen, no judgment. We’ve all met that drink.

Instead, use specials to replace drinks you would have bought anyway.

If you were planning to have a cocktail by the pool, get the daily special instead of the priciest frozen drink on the menu. If you and your cabin mate both like beer, a bucket may be cheaper than buying cans one by one.

If you enjoy wine with dinner, compare the wine package or bottle price to the by-the-glass cost, and ask whether the dining team can recork and store any unfinished bottle for another night. Many ships will do this with bottles bought onboard, and some will also do it with your own bottle once any corkage rules have been handled.

Small savings add up fast at sea because cruise drinks are rarely cheap once service charges and taxes enter the chat.

Man holding a cocktail in a cruise ship lounge.

Also, don’t forget that some bars are better value than others. The lobby bar may have a different feel from the pool bar. The sports bar may have beer offers. A quieter lounge may have tastings or pre-dinner deals.

Take a little wander on day one. It’s research, but with better views.

6. Don’t Ignore Free Drinks at Events

There are still free or included drinks onboard if you know where to look.

They won’t be available all day. They won’t always be your favorite brand. And no, you probably can’t build an entire beverage strategy around one small flute of sparkling wine at an art auction.

But they can help.

Look for welcome events, loyalty parties, captain’s receptions, suite gatherings, casino offers, tasting events, and special promotions tied to shops or galleries. Some are invite-only. Some are listed in the daily planner. Some appear quietly in the app, then vanish before half the ship notices.

Beer tasting setup with five bottles lined up on a cruise ship bar.

This is where reading the schedule can pay off.

The art auction glass of bubbly has become a bit of a cruise cliché, but it exists for a reason. The cruise line wants you in the room. You want a little fizz. Everyone understands the arrangement.

Just remember the real cost. A free drink is only free if you don’t walk out having bought a painting you now need to explain to your spouse, your bank, and your living room wall.

Hand holding a champagne flute during a cruise ship art auction with framed artwork on display.

Casino drinks deserve the same warning. If your fare or casino status includes them, lovely. Use the perk. But gambling just to get “free” drinks is usually terrible math.

The sweet spot is simple: take advantage of drinks attached to events you would enjoy anyway.

A loyalty party? Great. A tasting you genuinely wanted to try? Even better. A captain’s event where you can dress up and pretend you always live like this? Absolutely.

A glass here and there won’t replace a package for heavy drinkers. But for casual cruisers, it can cover enough of the week to make paying per drink feel much less painful.

7. Pick Cruises Where You Won’t be Onboard Enough to Use It

A drink package is only worth it when you’re actually on the ship enough to use it.

That sounds basic. But plenty of cruisers forget this when they see the words “unlimited drinks” and start picturing a week of cocktails by the pool.

The itinerary matters.

A Caribbean cruise with multiple sea days, a private island stop, and late nights onboard may give you plenty of chances to use a package. A port-heavy Mediterranean cruise, where you’re off the ship from breakfast until dinner, is a very different story.

Woman holding a beer at an outdoor beach bar during a cruise stop.

If you spend the day in Rome, Athens, Cozumel, Juneau, or St. Maarten, your drink package is sitting on the ship without you. It doesn’t matter how good the margaritas are onboard if you’re drinking one ashore instead.

This is why the same package can be smart on one sailing and a waste on another.

Look at your schedule before buying:

Sea days usually make packages easier to use.
Late port departures may make packages less useful.
Private islands may count, depending on the cruise line and the island.
Early morning excursions can make late-night drinking less appealing.
Hot weather may mean you drink more water and fewer cocktails than expected.

Don’t just count the number of nights. Count the number of hours you’ll be awake, onboard, and actually wanting paid drinks.

Two glasses of tropical drinks held up on a sunny beach.

I’ve had cruises where a package would have been great because I spent lazy sea days near the pool. I’ve also had cruises where I was so tired after exploring ports that one glass of wine at dinner felt wildly ambitious.

A package can’t save you money if you’re too tired to use it.

8. Consider a Smaller Package Instead of the Full Alcohol Package

The full alcohol package gets most of the attention, but it’s not the only option.

For many cruisers, it’s not even the best one.

If your daily drinks are mostly soda, specialty coffee, bottled water, fresh juice, mocktails, or fancy nonalcoholic drinks, a smaller package may fit you far better. Some lines sell soda packages, refreshment packages, coffee cards, water bundles, or in-room beverage orders.

Glass of cola with ice and bubbles on a wooden table against a dark background.

Royal Caribbean, for example, lists a Classic Soda Package that includes fountain soda and Coca-Cola Freestyle access where available. Its Refreshment Package covers a broader range of nonalcoholic drinks, including mocktails and bottled still and sparkling water, though Starbucks is not included.

Carnival also sells in-room beverage options such as soda packs, which can be a handy alternative for passengers who mostly want a few cans in the cabin.

This is where being honest with yourself helps.

Do you want the alcohol package because you’ll really use it, or because it feels like the “proper” cruise thing to do?

If you mostly drink Diet Coke, iced coffee, and one cocktail every other night, the full package may be too much. A soda or refreshment package plus a few paid alcoholic drinks could be cheaper and less pressure.

Because that’s the sneaky thing about drink packages. Once you’ve paid for one, you may feel like you need to “get your money’s worth.”

Suddenly you’re ordering a Bloody Mary at breakfast, a margarita at lunch, wine at dinner, and a late-night espresso martini because the spreadsheet in your head says you’re still behind.

Bloody Mary cocktail held beside a cruise ship pool deck from lounge chair.

That’s not vacation. That’s beverage accounting.

A smaller package lets you cover what you truly drink while leaving room for the occasional cocktail when you actually want one.

Final Thoughts

Cruise drink packages aren’t bad. For some passengers, they’re brilliant.

If you love cocktails, spend lots of time onboard, drink specialty coffee, enjoy wine with dinner, and don’t want to think about every swipe of your cruise card, a package can be worth every penny.

But it’s not automatic.

The smartest cruisers don’t ask, “Should I buy the drink package?” They ask, “Will I personally drink enough, on this cruise, to make it worth the price?”

That tiny shift changes everything.

Check the price. Watch for drops. Look at your loyalty perks. Know the carry-on rules. Use your cabin wisely. Pay attention to specials. Count your port days. Then choose the package, smaller package, or pay-as-you-go plan that matches your real vacation habits.

Because the best drink package is the one that saves you money without turning your cruise into a math exam.

And if you can manage that with a cocktail in hand? Even better.

Work Out if a Drinks Package is Worth It for Your Cruise

Of course, guessing is one thing. Actually seeing the numbers is much better.

Before you buy a package, use my cruise drinks package calculator to compare what you’re likely to spend on drinks with the cost of the package itself. Add in your usual coffees, sodas, cocktails, wine, bottled water, or mocktails, and it’ll help you see whether the package is a smart buy or just an expensive way to feel organized.