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

As someone who loves to enjoy a drink or two while on a Royal Caribbean cruise, I always make sure to check out the drink packages offered. Sometimes it’s a fantastic deal, other times, it’s not worth it for that particular cruise.

I’ve cruised with Royal Caribbean many times and know that the drink package can be very confusing. So, below I’ve laid out all of the information you need to help you decide whether a drink package is worth it or not.

If you’re in a hurry, the easiest way to do that is with my drink package calculator. Drop your email below if you’d like me to send it your way!

Royal Caribbean Drink Prices

Before going into the details of the drink packages, I want to share the approximate price of the drink if you were to buy it individually on board. Here are the average drink prices:

• Beer – $8.25
• Glass of wine – $9 to $16+
• Cocktail – $14
• Mocktail – $7
• Mixed drink – $9 to $11+
• Soda – $3.50
• Specialty Coffee – $5
• Energy drink – $5
• Fruit juice – $4
• Bottle of water – $3.25
• Tea, coffee and hot chocolate: Included within the fare
• Flavored water: Included within the fare
• Lemonade: Included within the fare
• Milk: Included within the fare
• Fruit Juice: Included within the fare at breakfast time

However, you should note on most cruises, an automatic gratuity of 18% is added to the cost of each drink when you receive the bill.

Although, often on cruises departing from the UK, the gratuity is included in the price of each drink as shown on the menu, so sometimes the menu prices may appear higher.

What’s Included in Royal Caribbean’s Drink Packages

Now that you have the price of the drinks, you can compare it to the drink packages.

Royal Caribbean offers five main drink packages: the Deluxe Beverage Package, the Refreshment Package, the Soda Package, the Water Package and the Coffee Package (coffee card).

The table below shows a breakdown of all 5 packages, and under the table, I will go deeper into the details.

Feature	Deluxe Beverage Package	Refreshment Package	Soda Package	Water Package	Coffee Package
Cost	$55 to $115 per person per day	$40 per person per day	$15 per person per day	$45 for 12 one-liter bottles of Evian	$31 for 15 speciality coffees
Alcoholic drinks	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗
Non-alcoholic cocktails	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗
Freshly squeezed juices	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗
Premium coffees & teas	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓
Bottled water	✓	✓	✗	✓	✗
Milkshakes	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗
Sodas	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗

Deluxe Beverage Package

The Deluxe Beverage Package from Royal Caribbean offers the most extensive array of drink options and operates on dynamic pricing, usually ranging between $55 and $115 per person per day (before gratuities). The cost can vary based on factors such as the specific ship, destination, current demand, and ongoing promotions. 

This package includes a wide variety of drinks, from beers, wines by the glass, cocktails and mocktails to spirits and liquors. It also includes premium teas and coffees, sodas, freshly squeezed juices, and bottled water. 

However, the package only covers drinks valued up to $14, which covers the majority of drinks, except for some premium wines and spirits. It also doesn’t include wine by the bottle, so it’s best to order it by the glass. Although, if you want to treat yourself to a bottle of something special, it does give you 40% off any wine up to $100 and 20% off any wine over $100.

Refreshment Package

Next, the Refreshment Package costs $40 per person per day and offers non-alcoholic cocktails (mocktails), premium teas and coffees, sodas and soft drinks, freshly squeezed juices and bottled water.

Soda Package

The Soda Package is $15 per person per day and includes sodas only, such as Coca-Cola (including diet, zero, caffeine-free and many different flavors of colas like strawberry, cherry and lime), Fanta, Sprite and Dr. Pepper (and zero versions), Powerade (and zero version), Vitamin Water and Hi-C, Seagram’s ginger ale (and diet version), Barry’s root beer and cream soda (and diet versions), Minute Maid orange juice and lemonade (and light versions), Dasani-flavored or sparkling waters.

Water Package

For those who prefer the convenience and taste of bottled water, Royal Caribbean offers a water bottle package that provides you with 12 one-liter bottles of Evian for $45. These bottles are conveniently delivered straight to your stateroom.

It’s worth mentioning that while the tap water on board Royal Caribbean ships is perfectly safe to drink and has a decent taste, it may not always be as cold as you’d like, depending on the weather conditions. So, if you fancy having chilled bottled water readily available in your room’s fridge, this package might be suitable for you.

If you buy the Deluxe or Refreshment drink packages, water will be included.

Coffee Package

Brewed coffee is always free from the Windjammer buffet, but if you’re really into coffee, you might prefer a ‘nicer’ option. Royal Caribbean offers a Café Select Coffee Card, which is priced at $31 and gives you 15 specialty coffees during your cruise. This effectively reduces the cost of each specialty coffee from roughly $4 to approximately $2.

However, before you rush to purchase the Coffee Card, there are several factors worth taking into consideration:

1. The Coffee Card cannot be used in Royal Caribbean’s Starbucks on board.
2. Opting for Grande or Venti sizes will consume two drinks from your card instead of one.
3. The card is shareable, allowing you to purchase multiple specialty coffees at once if you wish.

If you’ve already purchased the Deluxe or Refreshment drink packages, don’t buy this on top, as you’ll already be entitled to specialty coffee within your drink package.

Key Considerations Before You Buy a Drink Package

Before deciding on whether to buy a drink package or not, it’s also worth noting the following:

1. None of the drink packages include mini bar items, bottles of wine, canned sodas, bottled juices, souvenir glasses or super premium drinks. 

2. There’s no limit to the number of drinks you can have. Some cruise lines limit the number of drinks you can order in a day, however, Royal Caribbean has no daily limit. Although, if you’ve had one too many alcoholic drinks, the staff can refuse to serve you.

3. As of August 2025, if any guest of legal drinking age in a stateroom purchases the Deluxe Beverage Package, then all other guests of legal drinking age in that same stateroom must purchase the Deluxe Beverage Package as well. This rule was put in place to prevent sharing of alcohol benefits. Royal Caribbean previously granted exceptions to this rule for reasons such as pregnancy or medical conditions, but such exemptions have been quietly removed.

4. Royal Caribbean does not require guests under the legal drinking age to buy a drink package of any kind. So, you can get an alcohol or soft drink package for the adults without being required to buy any kind of package for your children.

5. Drink packages allow you to order one drink at a time per card, and drinks are non‑transferable – this means you’re not allowed to use your package to get drinks for other people, including your children. While there’s no officially published ‘timer’ between drinks, in practice, bartenders may apply a short ‘cool‑down’ period or refuse service if they suspect sharing or feel you’ve had too much.

6. While the Evian Water Package and the Café Select Coffee Card are one‑time purchases for the sailing rather than per‑day packages, the daily drink packages (Deluxe, Refreshment, and Soda) must be purchased for the entire duration of the cruise.

7. For most sailings, when you buy a drink package online, an 18% gratuity charge is added at the checkout.

8. On Quantum class ships, such as Anthem of the Seas, you can order drinks from the Bionic Bar – a robotic bartender, which is covered by your package.

9. The Deluxe Beverage Package, Refreshment Package, and Soda Package come with a refillable Coca-Cola souvenir cup. These can be used at self-service machines across the ship, so you can help yourself to unlimited refills. Or, if prefer, you can just order fountain sodas from bars and restaurants.

10. If you cruise to either of Royal Caribbean’s private islands (CocoCay, Bahamas or Labadee, Haiti), your drink package can also be used there.

11. It’s important to note that there are rules and restrictions when it comes to Royal Caribbean drink packages. For example, you must be at least 21 years of age to purchase an alcoholic drink package. Make sure to read the terms and conditions carefully before making your purchase.

12. Royal Caribbean keeps the price of its Deluxe Beverage Package drink package a secret until after you have booked your cruise. I find this quite frustrating, as you might want to be able to budget for the whole cost of your cruise with drinks before you commit to booking. (Although, in the next section, I’ll show you a trick that might overcome this).

Find Out the Exact Price of a Deluxe Beverage Package

Royal Caribbean are quite secretive about the prices of the drink packages, as the price does go up and down. However, there are some ways to see how much it currently costs. Here are my top 3 tips:

1. Look at the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner

To discover the current cost of the Deluxe Beverage Package, one possible method is to navigate to Royal Caribbean’s online cruise planner. While this feature is generally accessible only to those with a confirmed booking, there’s a way to sidestep this requirement. First, ensure you’re not logged into the planner. Using your browser’s Incognito mode can be helpful for this.

Once you’re on the website, you’ll notice the URL contains specific parameters that you can modify. These parameters usually include the ‘shipCode’, and ‘sailDate’. You can manually adjust these to match the details of the cruise you’re interested in.

• shipCode: Update this to the code corresponding to the ship you’re interested in. For example, ‘LE’ for the Legend of the Seas.
• sailDate: Input the sailing date in the YYYYMMDD format. For example, 20260704 for July 4, 2026.

So, for instance, if you’re keen to know the drink package price for the maiden voyage of the Legend of the Seas departing on July 4, 2026, you could modify the URL to: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/account/cruise-planner/category/beverage?bookingId=&shipCode=LE&sailDate=20260704.

However, in practice, Royal Caribbean now usually requires you to be logged into a valid reservation to see real prices, and past URL ‘workarounds’ don’t always function reliably, so assume you’ll need an active booking to view the live rate for your sailing

2. Use Facebook

Joining the Facebook group dedicated to your specific cruise is a brilliant idea for gathering more insight into the pricing history of the Deluxe Beverage Package. These groups are often treasure troves of information, where you can directly ask members what they’ve paid for their drinks packages, giving you an idea of both current and past pricing.

For those not entirely comfortable with Facebook, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to locate these groups:

1. Log In or Sign Up: If you don’t already have a Facebook account, you’ll need to create one. If you do, simply log in.
2. Search Bar: At the top of your Facebook homepage, you’ll see a search bar. Enter keywords related to your cruise, such as the cruise line name, ship name, and sailing date. For example, you might type ‘Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas January 2024’.
3. Filter Results: Once you hit ‘Enter’, you’ll see a range of results. Click on the ‘Groups’ tab, usually situated just below the search bar, to filter the results to only show groups.
4. Review and Join: Browse through the list to find a group that seems to match your cruise. Click on the group name to find out more about it. If it seems relevant, click the ‘Join Group’ button, usually located near the top of the group’s page.
5. Group Approval: Some groups are private and require approval to join. If that’s the case, you may have to answer some basic questions to prove your interest in the cruise. Once you’re approved, you can start participating in discussions.
6. Post Your Query: After joining, you can create a new post asking what others have paid for their Deluxe Beverage Packages.

3. Approach Your Travel Agent

A valuable resource that is often overlooked when trying to find out the exact price of the Deluxe Beverage Package is your travel agent. They have privileged access to an array of information not readily available to the general public, including current pricing for various add-ons like drink packages.

Utilizing a travel agent’s expertise not only helps you find out the current price but can also offer insights into any promotional offers or discounts that might be available, potentially saving you money in the long run.

When and How to Secure the Best Deal

Now that you have an idea of what’s included in a drink package and a ballpark figure of its cost, you’re probably wondering how to snag a great deal. Having purchased Royal Caribbean drink packages in the past, I’ve gathered some insider tips to help you make the most of your money. Here’s what you should keep in mind:

First and foremost, timing is crucial as the package prices can fluctuate quite a bit. It’s generally a good idea to book your drink package in advance of your cruise. 

The prices for these packages onboard tend to be inflated, so pre-booking is usually more cost-effective. When using Royal Caribbean’s online cruise planner or the app, keep an eye out for special promotional offers; these can often provide substantial savings (such as 30-50% off), especially during certain promotional periods like Black Friday. 

While you might see enticing ‘Buy One Get One Free’ offers advertised on the first day of your cruise, bear in mind that these are usually not as cost-effective as they appear due to the higher onboard prices. 

Lastly, if you’ve already purchased a package and then spot a price drop due to a promotion, you can actually cancel your initial package, get a refund, and then buy it again at the lower rate. While this does require some vigilance and effort to keep track of prices, the savings can make it well worth your while.

Alternatives to Buying a Drink Package

As much as a Royal Caribbean drink package can be attractive, it may not be the best option for everyone. Here are some alternatives to consider:

Freebies and Special Events

While Royal Caribbean’s drink package is tempting, it may not be the most cost-effective option for every traveler. There are actually a variety of ways to enjoy complimentary beverages aboard. 

For example, the first formal night usually features the Captain’s Toast, where guests are treated to a free glass of Champagne. Art auctions are another event where Champagne is typically provided free of charge. Even duty-free shops get in on the act, occasionally offering liquor tastings that include a free shot.

It’s also worth checking your Seapass account, as occasionally, ‘Buy One Get One Free’ drink deals may be pre-loaded.

Loyalty Rewards and Suite Perks

Long-standing loyalty to Royal Caribbean can also net you some free drink opportunities. Guests who become eligible can attend a special Crown & Anchor Welcome Back Party, which often features complimentary Champagne or rum punch. 

Once you reach Diamond level (currently at 80 cruise points), you receive a set number of complimentary drink vouchers per day that can be used at most bars during your cruise. These perks can be used any time and are no longer limited to a single evening happy hour window.

Additionally, staying in a Grand Suite or higher provides access to the Concierge Lounge, where complimentary drinks are available for a few hours each evening. 

Is the Royal Caribbean drink package worth it?

When considering the value of a Royal Caribbean drink package, various factors must be considered. On one hand, if you foresee indulging in multiple drinks per day, the package can offer significant savings. For example, the Deluxe Beverage Package includes a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic options, potentially providing good value for money, especially if you pre-purchase or capitalize on any discounts. 

The added peace of mind of not worrying about your spending can also enhance your cruising experience; you’re free to sample various drinks without the angst of wasting money on something you don’t like.

Practical Considerations and Personal Experience

On the flip side, if you’re a light drinker or have specific preferences, a package might not offer good value. You might be better off buying the odd drink and enjoying the drinks already included in the cruise.

Also, if you plan to spend considerable time exploring ports of call, you may not fully use the drink package and, therefore, not get its full value. 

In my own experience, the true worth of a drink package often depends on individual drinking habits and how you plan to spend your time on the ship.

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