Cruise Drink Package Calculator
Package, pay as you go, or the non-alcoholic middle option. Tap in a normal sea day and we'll price all three for your line, with the service charge on both sides and port days counted honestly.
- Live calculator
- 7 cruise lines
- Free, no signup
By Joey Boleslawski — founder of Seabound Journeys, CLIA-affiliated travel advisor, and Florida Seller of Travel (Ref. No. ST15578).
Package, pay as you go, or something in between?
Pick your line, tap in what you'd honestly order on a sea day, and we'll price all three ways to drink with the right service charge on both sides.
Every adult in the cabin, on most lines.
The price you see before checkout.
Edit menu prices
Typical menu prices before the service charge. Change any of them to match your ship.
Estimates for planning only. Prices and policies change, so check them for your sailing. Your numbers stay in your browser.
Three things that decide every drink package
A drink package is a bet that you'll drink more than its price, every night you're aboard. The cruise line sets the price knowing most people won't.
That's not a reason to skip it. It's a reason to do the math with your own numbers instead of a brochure's. Three things decide it, and they're the three things most online calculators leave out.
- The service charge lands on both sides. The package gets 18% or 20% at checkout, and so does every drink you'd buy one at a time. Leaving it off either side tilts the answer.
- You pay for port days too. The package is charged every night. If you're ashore at a beach bar or on a tour all day, that's a day you paid for and barely used.
- Everyone in the cabin buys. On every major line that sells an unlimited package, each adult in the stateroom has to buy the same one. A couple where one person drinks has to pay for two.
Price the package against your honest Tuesday at sea, not your best night of the trip.
When the non-alcoholic package wins
If most of your order is lattes, smoothies, soda and mocktails, the full package is pricing in alcohol you won't drink. A non-alcoholic package covers the habits you actually have, often for a third of the price. Then you buy the odd glass of wine as you go.
Enter the non-alcoholic price in the calculator and it compares all three options side by side, with the alcohol you'd still order added on top. Whichever bar comes out shortest is your cheapest way to drink on this sailing.
Basic coffee, tea, water and some juices are free on every major line. Only count what you'd pay for: specialty coffee, bottled water, soda, cocktails and the rest.
Reasons beyond the math
Even when the math is close, there are honest reasons to buy a package, and honest reasons not to.
Buy it anyway when…
You'd rather not watch a bar bill grow, you're celebrating something, or it comes bundled into your fare for a small upcharge. Peace of mind has a price, and a close call is a fine time to pay it.
Skip it anyway when…
Your itinerary is heavy on port days, one person in the cabin barely drinks, or you'd be drinking more just to get your money's worth. That last one is how a good deal turns into a bad morning.
Each line also has its own rules worth knowing: per-drink caps, daily limits, and which fares already include drinks. The line-by-line comparison covers all nine, and each line's own evaluator prices its packages exactly.
Never compare a package with zero. Compare it with what you’d actually order, service charge and port days included.
Quick answers
The questions readers ask most about this one.
Is a cruise drink package worth it?
Only if your honest daily order, with the service charge added, beats the package price on every night of the sailing, port days included. At a typical $85-a-day price with 18% added, that's about six $14 cocktails every single day. Put your real numbers into the calculator above and it'll show you the break-even for your sailing.
Do all adults in the cabin have to buy the drink package?
On the major lines that sell unlimited packages, yes. Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian, Carnival, MSC, Princess and Holland America all expect every adult in the stateroom to buy the same alcoholic package, so the calculator multiplies the package by everyone buying.
Is the service charge included in the drink package price?
Usually not. Royal Caribbean adds 18%, and Celebrity, Norwegian, Carnival, Princess and Holland America add 20% at checkout. MSC is the exception: its package prices already include it, though drinks bought one at a time still carry 18%. Pick your line in the calculator and it applies the right charge to both sides.
Should I count port days in the drink package math?
Yes, because you pay for the package every night of the cruise, including the days you spend ashore. Most people drink far less on a port day, which is exactly why packages that look good on paper often lose. Tell the calculator how you drink on port days and it'll do the rest.
Is a non-alcoholic package better for me?
If most of what you order is specialty coffee, soda, juice and mocktails, a non-alcoholic package can beat both the full package and paying as you go. Enter its price in the calculator and it compares all three, with any alcohol you'd still buy added on top.