New Guide to Royal Caribbean Drink Packages 2023!

Whether you should purchase one of the Royal Caribbean Drink Packages is a difficult decision for many. So, we put together this video to guide you through the process of determining if a Royal Caribbean Drink Package is worth it for your next cruise vacation.

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ROYAL CARIBBEAN DRINK PACKAGES
0:00 Introduction
1:10 Free Drinks on Royal Caribbean
1:50 Royal Drink Package Basics
2:45 Purchasing a Royal Caribbean Drink Package
3:55 Using the Drink Package
4:37 The Costs of a Royal Caribbean Beverage Package
5:50 The Deluxe Drink Package
7:25 Royal Caribbean Drink Prices
9:15 Royal Refreshment Drink Package
10:18 Classic Soda Package
11:40 Are Royal Caribbean Drink Packages Worth it?
13:42 Quick Analysis of Deluxe Beverage Package

THE BASICS OF ROYAL CARIBBEAN DRINK PACKAGES
If you are planning a Royal Caribbean cruise, one of your top questions is probably whether you should purchase one of the Royal Caribbean drink packages or not. To make things a bit easier, Royal Caribbean only has one alcoholic drink package, the Deluxe Drink Package. There are also two non-alcoholic drink packages offered by the cruise line, the Royal Refreshment package and the Classic Soda package.

Regardless of what drink package you purchase, there are some basic rules. Drink packages must be purchased for the entire length of the cruise by everyone in the same stateroom. These packages are priced per person, per day, and there is an additional 18% added to the price at the time of purchase.

The good news is that these packages work just about everywhere on the ship. The Royal Caribbean drink packages also work on the cruise line's private islands of CocoCay and Labadee. Further, these beverage packages are truly unlimited unlike some other cruise lines. This means you can drink as many alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks as day as you'd like. Of course, the cruise line does have the right to refuse you if you are obviously intoxicated.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN DELUXE BEVERAGE PACKAGE DETAILS
The Royal Caribbean drink packages have dynamic pricing, meaning the price varies based on ship, time of year, etc. The average cost of the Deluxe Drink Package ranges from $63 to $89 but has been as high as $105! This package does cover quite a bit though.

In 2023, this plan covers all alcoholic beverages, including beer, wine by the glass, and cocktails up to $14. The Royal Caribbean Deluxe Drink Package includes fountain soda, Coca-Cola freestyle machines (where available), still and sparkling water, premium coffees and teas, and fresh-squeezed juices as well.

IS THE ROYAL CARIBBEAN DRINK PACKAGE WORTH IT?
Essentially, you will need to consider whether you will consume enough beverages to make the drink package “worth it”. Some things to take into consideration are, will you sustain the same drinking habits over the duration of the cruise, do you get any free drinks for being part of the cruise lines loyalty program, and how port intensive is your itinerary.

We do like the added convenience of having a drink package, but now that we get 5 drink vouchers a day for being Diamond Plus status in Royal Caribbean's Crown and Anchor Society, it really no longer makes financial sense for us to purchase one. We usually just purchase a case of water for our cabin and a coffee card as we do enjoy our daily lattes.

However, if you plan to average at least 6 cocktails a day or some other combination of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, then the purchasing the Royal Caribbean drink package probably makes sense for you.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ROYAL CARIBBEAN DRINK PACKAGES BACK ON THE BLOG:

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[gebronthomasson]

7-10 is easy..realistically 2 maybe 3 mimosas at breakfast then 4-5 by the pool thru the day the day 1 or two at dinner and then x amount at the clubs in evening..Its a no brainer especially if a beer drinker

[kimkirksey]

Going on my 1st cruise for Christmas...I was taken aback by the drink package...I will be drinking mimosas all morning...afternoon drinks..dinner drinks...and club drinks...yes I may be rather bubbly or even drunk the entire cruise...but oh well

[kingoboe]

Just got back from Allure. First cruise, and got the deink package. I drank the moneys worth for the both of us and my wife hit her average as well. I was only drunk one night. The drinks seemed to be a little weak to me. Perhaps i am just a high functioning alchoholic. However, the staff was great, and were fun to drink with.

[mr-vet]

My wife can’t drink alcohol due to Doctor’s orders (rarely drinks soda, too….she typically, just drinks water, black coffee, fruit juice, tea), so it’s BS that I’d have to pay for both of us on our upcoming cruise in June. Also, the price of a case of water is ridiculous…..I can buy a case of 35 bottles of water for around $5 at my local grocery store. I would understand charging $15-18, but $41-69 for 24 bottles, is robbery. And they only allow passengers to bring up to 12 bottles per cabin.

[joeo]

So the deluxe drink package includes more than alcoholic drinks. The break even point is determined subtracting the refreshment package price from the deluxe package, then divide the result by $10-14 (beer-cocktail). The result is how many alcoholic beverages you need to consume a day to break even. This is assuming you drink bottled water, soda, etc. too.

[SwayPromo]

They are 100% refundable. Like I’m canceling mine now but It has to be before the cruise.

[terrilee]

Thanks for giving us the types of liqours and gratuity prices

[tabathajohnson]

We were able to bring a 12 pack of water

[rtatiana]

They actually sell bottles of hard liquor on the boat and will deliver your bottles to your room next day at 6 pm

[sabrinafleurent]

Can I pay for each drinks? It
is going to be charged to my room? I always take the drinks package but it’s not worth it for me. I drink mostly water and just one specialty coffee per day. My next cruise is in 9 months so I’m looking my options lol

[erichill]

If two parents and two children that are tied to connecting rooms (where each adult is tied to one room and each minor is tied to a room), do both parents need to get a drink package? I"m assuming the minors would each get a soda package and one adult could get a soda package and the other adult could get their own full drink package.?

[HannahWyoming]

Hi👋 I’m so new to all of this, apologies if this has already been answered. Where is the zip line located that you featured at the beginning of this video? We take our first cruise in November on Navigator of the Seas. I’m sure it will be the first of many, and would find that zip line thrilling!!!🎉 Thank you for your content!

[nicolepeterson]

How long does it take to get a refund to get a better price drink package? And what if I the original card I used was lost?

[Maconviking]

drink package is 100% worth it if you snag it during black Friday or another sale.

[Cleo-ixkd]

The drink package is not worth it for anybody. The drink package is in the cruise lines favor. Otherwise they wouldn’t offer it. Plus if you do end up purchasing the package and drinking a ton of alcohol to try and break even you’ll most likely be drunk/hung over your entire cruise and that’s no way I would spend my vacation. Just budget a few hundred dollars ahead of time for specialty drinks. 🌟

[guymerola]

Is the coffee card good at Starbucks kiosks? I assume the coffee card can be shared. They just punch it as you go, right? I do like a good espresso. The brewed coffee in the dining rooms isn't typically very good. Thanks!

[rhondayoung]

are can sodas included in a refreshment packages

[tnmingle]

With the refreshment package can I get expresso drinks not from Starbucks?

[shyrahhall]

If I buy the deluxe package, does this include drinks that are listed in the refreshment package as well. ?

[SwayPromo]

Really happy I canceled my drink package. There’s no way I can drink that much everyday on the cruise. Makes no sense to drink like that either. I had just a few a day. One day I only had one drink and I still had a great time.