9 Cruise Drink Package Traps That Catch People Out

Buying a drink package on a cruise feels like a no-brainer. One price, unlimited drinks, no awkward bar bills at the end of the week. What could possibly go wrong?

Quite a lot, as it turns out.

I’ve lost count of the number of cruisers who’ve said, usually halfway through their holiday, “I wish I’d known that before I booked.”

Drink packages look brilliant on the booking screen, but the reality onboard is often very different. Small rules, hidden costs and timing quirks can quietly turn a “great deal” into something you’re trying to justify by day three.

Most people don’t realise how much the maths, the itinerary and even who you’re travelling with can affect whether a package actually makes sense. And there’s one particular mistake almost everyone makes when deciding when to buy.

Before you click “add to booking”, here are the things people only realise when it’s already too late.

1. The Maths Doesn’t Always Work Out

On paper, a drink package looks like a bargain. Unlimited drinks for a fixed daily price feels reassuring, especially when cruise bar menus can look eye-watering.

The problem is the break-even maths. Most packages require you to drink a fairly serious number of alcoholic drinks every single day to get value.

People tend to picture sea days by the pool, cocktails in hand, but forget about early port starts, excursion days, tired evenings and the occasional hangover. Add in the fact that soft drinks, water and coffee might already be included elsewhere and suddenly the numbers stop adding up.

Many cruisers only do the real calculation once they’re onboard and by then it’s far too late. The biggest surprise is not that drink packages are expensive, but how rarely they actually save money.

My drinks package calculator can definitely help. You just enter the drinks you expect to have, it it works out your spend, with and without the drink package.

2. The Best Drinks Aren’t Included

A drink package rarely covers absolutely everything. Premium spirits, top-shelf whisky, certain wines, champagne and speciality cocktails often sit above the package price limit. You’ll still get charged the difference, or sometimes the full amount.

My worst experience of this was with Celebrity Cruises. We bought the Classic drink package, and then was disappointed to discover that it only covered drinks up to $12. And there were no cocktails that cheap on the menu!

Being charged up to $8 extra for each drink was very annoying, and made me wish I hadn’t bought the package at all.

The same goes for non-alcoholic drinks on some lines. Fresh juices, branded bottled water, energy drinks or speciality coffees may not be included unless you’ve checked very carefully. This catches people out when they assume the package covers every drink they fancy, only to see small but regular charges appearing on their account.

Paying for a drink package and then being charged extra for water is very annoying. And it also doesn’t feel very responsible of the cruise lines.

3. Everyone In the Cabin Has to Buy The Same

This one catches people out again and again. On many cruise lines, if one adult in a cabin buys a drink package, every other adult in that cabin has to buy it too. It’s designed to stop sharing, but in practice it can completely change the value.

If you’re travelling with someone who barely drinks alcohol, is pregnant, prefers soft drinks or just doesn’t fancy seven cocktails a day, you’re suddenly paying double for something only one person really wanted.

What felt like a reasonable daily cost becomes a big upfront spend very quickly. Some people assume they can sort it out onboard or make an exception. You usually can’t.

In fact, Royal Caribbean recently cracked down on this – meaning there are no exceptions, even with a doctor’s note.

This rule is normally buried in the small print, not the glossy marketing. It’s one of those details people don’t fully clock until they’re already committed and doing the maths with a sinking feeling.

4. Port Days Can Make It Impossible To Break Even

Drink packages typically only work when you’re actually on the ship. That seems obvious, but it’s surprisingly easy to overlook just how much time you’ll spend off it. On port days, you might be ashore for eight or ten hours, sometimes longer, and your package does nothing for you there.

By the time you’re back onboard, you may only have a couple of hours before dinner, or you might be exhausted and heading for an early night. Yet you’re still paying the full daily package price.

Cruises with lots of ports, long excursions or early starts are where drink packages lose the most value. People tend to realise this halfway through the cruise, when they notice how few drinks they’re actually ordering on busy days. It’s not that the package is bad. It’s that the itinerary quietly works against it.

There are some exceptions for some cruise lines’ private islands, but you need to check the rules for your cruise line.

With Royal Caribbean, your package will work on Perfect Day at CocoCay. With Carnival the opposite is true for its private islands – the Cheers package only works onboard the ship. And with NCL on Great Stirrup Cay, it depends on your chosen package.

5. There’s Usually a Daily Drink Cap

Unlimited doesn’t always mean unlimited. Several cruise lines put a daily cap on drinks, often somewhere in the mid-teens – 15 is a common number. For most people, that sounds generous and it usually is, but it can still come as a shock.

A cruise ship bartender serving a drink to a cruise guest

If you hit the limit, that’s it. Any additional drinks are charged at full menu price, though hitting 15 drinks in a day might mean they decide not to serve you anymore that day. This is rarely front and centre in the sales pitch, but it matters if you’re buying a package specifically for the freedom to not think about limits.

It also means the package isn’t a licence to go completely wild, even if you wanted it to be. Most people never reach the cap, but the frustration comes from only discovering it exists after you’ve already paid for “unlimited” drinks. It’s another small detail that changes expectations once reality kicks in.

Some cruise lines only count alcoholic drinks in the limit, but others count every drink, even bottles water, coffee and soft drinks.

6. Gratuities and Charges Add Sneaky Extra Costs

The headline price of a drink package is rarely the final price. Most cruise lines automatically add gratuities or service charges on top, often around 15 to 20 percent. That turns a package that looked just about affordable into something noticeably more expensive.

It’s particularly frustrating because these charges are often added later in the booking process, or only clearly shown at checkout. People budget for the advertised daily cost and don’t fully factor in the extras.

Over a week-long cruise, those additional charges add up quickly. It’s not that gratuities are unreasonable, but they do change the value equation. Many cruisers only realise how much more they’ve actually paid once they look back at their booking confirmation or onboard account. By then, the decision is locked in.

7. You Feel Pressure to Drink to Get Your Money’s Worth

This is one of the biggest emotional downsides of a drink package and it’s rarely talked about. Once you’ve paid a big upfront cost, it’s very easy to feel like you should be ordering drinks just to justify it.

People find themselves having another cocktail when they don’t really want one, or choosing alcohol over water because it feels wasteful not to. Instead of feeling carefree, the package creates a strange mental checklist.

Have I had enough today? Should I order another? Am I behind? For a holiday that’s meant to be relaxing, that pressure can be surprisingly annoying. Plenty of cruisers report enjoying their drinks less because they felt obligated to keep ordering. It’s not everyone’s experience, but it’s common enough to be worth thinking about before you buy.

8. If You’re Going to Get One, The Best Time to Book It Is Now

If you’ve decided a drink package is right for you, booking it before you sail is always the smartest move. Cruise lines regularly offer discounts pre-cruise, and prices can increase once you’re onboard. Even better, many allow you to cancel and rebook if the price drops.

That means there’s very little downside to locking in a package early. You secure a lower price, spread the cost into your holiday budget, and keep the flexibility to reprice later if a better deal appears.

Waiting until you’re onboard usually means paying full price with no option to change your mind later. People often assume deals will pop up during the cruise. They rarely do.

If you see a deal onboard like ‘Buy One Get One Free’ on drink packages, it will almost certainly be a deal on inflated price, and will cost more than it did on land.

If you’re even leaning towards a package, booking early gives you the most control and the least stress.

9. You Can’t Change Your Mind Once You’re Onboard

Once the cruise has started, flexibility disappears quickly. Most drink packages have strict rules around cancellations. Usually, if you don’t cancel by the end of the first day, you’re committed for the entire sailing.

Cruise Mummy with cocktail on Holland America ship

That means if you realise the package doesn’t suit your drinking habits, your itinerary, or your energy levels, you’re stuck with it. There are rarely refunds, partial credits or exceptions. People often assume they can downgrade, swap or cancel later if it’s not working out.

In reality, cruise lines are very firm on this. The regret tends to set in around day three, once patterns become clear. By then, the option to change your mind is long gone.

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Final Word

A drink package isn’t about how much you can drink. It’s about how you actually travel.

For some cruisers, it’s perfect. For others, paying per drink feels more relaxed, more flexible and ultimately more enjoyable. The key is knowing the catches before you board, not after.

I’ve got some handy guides on different cruise lines’ drinks packages – make sure you check those out too.

If you found this interesting, please share!

Jenni with Disney Cruise ship at Castaway Cay