When booking a Princess cruise, you’ll need to decide whether to get a drinks package or pay for your drinks individually.
With Princess Cruises, the decision isn’t as straightforward as “Is the Princess drink package worth it?” This is because Princess Cruises offers four different drinks packages, as well as two special fares – Princess Plus and Princess Premier – which both give you free drinks.
In fact, Princess Cruises’ pricing gets really confusing when you compare the drinks packages and the special fares.
Don’t worry – this simple guide will help you make the right decision about whether to buy a Princess Cruises drink package or upgrade to the Princess Plus or Princess Premier fares which come with free all-inclusive drinks.
Princess Cruises Drink Packages
Here are the four drink packages that are available…
| Package | Includes | Advertised Cost | Actual Cost (Incl. Service Charge) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plus Beverage Package | Drinks up to $15 each | $64.99 per day | $76.69 per day |
| Premier Beverage Package | Drinks up to $20 each | $84.99 per day | $100.29 per day |
| Zero Alcohol Package | All non-alcoholic drinks | $29.99 per day | $35.39 per day |
| Classic Soda Package | Sodas, juices, mocktails, smoothies | $14.99 per day | $17.69 per day |
Prices are in US dollars. If you’re cruising from Australia, the pricing is different and is priced in AUD.
In addition to these packages, Princess Cruises offers the ‘Princess Plus fare’ and the ‘Princess Premier fare’. These bundle the drink packages with wifi, crew tips and a whole host of other extras. I’ll give you more info on those further in this article.
If you just want the quick maths on whether a drink package is worth it, this calculator is for you…
Now, let’s take a closer look at Princess Cruises drinks prices and what you get in each package…
1. Plus Beverage Package
Price = $64.99 per day + 18% service charge (totalling $76.69)
Includes drinks up to $15:
- Choice of 25 beers
- Choice of 25 wines by the glass
- Choice of 50 spirits
- Cocktails and mocktails
- Bottled water (500ml)
- Fountain sodas
- Fresh juices and smoothies from the juice bar
- Speciality teas and coffees
- Frappés at Coffee & Cones
- Red Bull energy drinks
Plus is the most popular drink package. But, if you prefer high-end crafted cocktails, premier wines, top-shelf spirits and Champagne, then you should upgrade to the Premier package…
2. Premier Beverage Package
Price = $84.99 per day + 18% service charge (totalling $100.29)
Includes drinks up to $20:
- Beers
- Choice of 40+ wines by the glass
- Choice of 75+ spirits
- Cocktails and mocktails
- Bottled water (500ml)
- Fountain sodas
- Fresh juices and smoothies from the juice bar
- Speciality teas and coffees
- Frappés at Coffee & Cones
- Red Bull energy drinks
Unless you like to drink several alcoholic drinks each day, you’re unlikely to get your money worth from the alcohol packages. So instead, you should consider one of the following…
3. Zero-Alcohol Drink Package
Price = $29.99 per day + 18% service charge (totalling $35.39)
Includes:
- Mocktails
- Bottled water (500ml)
- Fountain sodas
- Cans of soda
- Fresh juices and smoothies from the juice bar
- Speciality teas and coffees
- Hot chocolate
- Frappés at Coffee & Cones
- Red Bull energy drinks
- Milkshakes
4. Classic Soda Package
Price = $14.99 per day + 18% service charge (totalling $17.69)
Includes:
- Fountain sodas
- Cans of sodas
- Juices (excluding the fresh juice bar)
- Mocktails
- Smoothies
What’s not included?
None of the Princess drink packages include:
- Bottles of wine or spirits
- Buckets of beer
- One litre bottles of water (except when dining at speciality restaurants)
- Bottled juices
- Room service
- Mini bar
- Self-service or vending machines
- Items from retail shops
- Souvenir glasses
The Plus and Premier Beverage Package will get you a 25% discount on bottles of wine, one-litre bottles of water and cans of soda.
Princess Plus & Princess Premier Fares
Now before, you go ahead and buy a drink package, don’t!!!
You’re always better off getting the Princess Plus or Princess Premier fare that bundles in wifi, tips and other extras, rather than just buying the drinks package.
| Princess Plus | Princess Premier |
|---|---|
| Cost = $60 per day | Cost = $80 per day |
| Plus Beverage Package (including the service charge) | Premier Beverage Package (including the service charge) |
| Wi-Fi (1 device per guest) | Wi-Fi (4 devices per guest) |
| Crew tips | Crew tips |
| Premium desserts (2 per day) | Premium desserts (unlimited) |
| Fitness classes (2 per cruise) | Fitness classes (unlimited) |
| Drinks delivered anywhere on ship | Drinks delivered anywhere on ship |
| Room service delivery | Room service delivery |
| 2 casual dining meals per guest | Unlimited casual dining meals per guest |
| 2 speciality dining meals per guest | |
| Photo package | |
| Medallion accessory | |
| Reserved theatre seating | |
| Princess Prizes |
Both the Princess Plus fare and the Princess Premier fare are $15-20 per day cheaper than just getting the drink package, when you include the service charge costs of the drinks packages.
This doesn’t make much sense, I know. But that’s how it is. There are zero benefits to just buying the drinks packages on their own.
To make sure, I spoke to a member of Princess Cruises’ customer service team:
So for absolute clarity – if you think you’d want an alcoholic drinks package, don’t buy one – pay for the Princess Plus or Princess Premier fare instead.
If you’d like to know more about exactly what’s included, then I recommend that you check out my Princess Plus Vs Premier Guide to help you decide which to choose.
Tip: You can choose the Princess Plus for adults and the standard fare for children. This means that the adults can benefit from the drinks package and the wifi that might be wasted on kids. You can’t do this online, but you can if you book over the phone or with a travel agent.
NEW DEALS JUST RELEASED!
See the latest Princess Cruises offers…
Upgrading After Booking
You can upgrade your cruise to Princess Plus or Princess Premier after booking. To do that, you can call the travel agent that you booked with, or if you booked directly with Princess Cruises you can call them.
You can also upgrade on the first day of your cruise at one of the desks that you’ll find near the atrium.
Is A Drinks Package Worth It?
In short, the two alcoholic drinks packages are never worth buying. You get them included with the Plus or Premier cruise fares, along with other extras, but those special fares are cheaper than buying the drinks packages alone!
Whether or not the Plus or Premier cruise package is worth it depends on how many drinks you plan to drink each day.
The easiest way to calculate whether you should buy a drinks package or choose the Princess Plus or Premier fare is to use my drinks package calculator tool.
But, if you’d rather work it out for yourself, read on for the drinks prices…
Princess Cruises Drinks Prices
The bar prices on Princess Cruises ships are in line with most other cruise lines such as Carnival and P&O Cruises.
Princess Cruises Drinks Prices in 2024:
- Cocktail: $10 to $18
- Mocktail: $7
- Beer: $7 to $7.50
- Glass of wine: $10 to $19
- Soft drinks: $2.50
- Bottle of water (500ml): $2.50
Here are photos of the poolside drinks menus that I took onboard Sky Princess in August 2023…
You can see more Princess Cruises drink menus here.
Some Drinks Are Free
It’s important to consider that there are some drinks that are free of charge for everyone, whether you have a Princess drinks package or not…
Free drinks on Princess Cruises ships include:
- Glasses of iced water
- Lemonade
- Iced tea
- Hot tea
- Brewed coffee
- Fruit juice (with breakfast)
You can see a full list of free drinks on Princess Cruises here.
You Can Bring Your Own Booze
You can also bring drinks on to the ship in your luggage. This may reduce the overall amount that you spend on drinks during your cruise.
Princess Cruises allows each adult to bring one 750ml bottle of wine or champagne on board to drink in your stateroom.
You’re welcome to bring additional wine and champagne, but each bottle will have a $15 corkage fee. If you’ve paid the corkage fee, you can drink your wine anywhere on the ship, including in restaurants and bars.
Guests cruising with Princess Cruises can also bring an unlimited amount of soft drinks and water in cans, bottles or cartons.
Don’t sneak extra alcohol
Sneaking alcohol on to a cruise ship is not a good idea. Your luggage will be scanned and if you’re caught then the drinks will be discarded.
Does Princess Cruises offer free drink packages?
From time to time, Princess Cruises used to offer free drinks packages as a booking incentive.
The last time this was offered was in 2019, when the ‘Sip + Sail’ promotion offered a free alcoholic drinks package to guests booking a balcony stateroom or suite, and a free non-alcoholic drinks package to guests booking an inside or oceanview stateroom.
As the Princess Plus Fare has now become permanent and the Princess Premier Fare was launched in 2022, it seems unlikely that free drinks packages will be offered on cruises in the foreseeable future.
Does Princess Cruises ever offer discounted drink packages?
While some cruise lines like Royal Caribbean have fluid drinks package pricing that goes up and down over time, on Princess cruises, the price is fixed.
The best way to get a discount on your Princess Cruises package is to opt for the Princess Plus Fare which includes free drinks, free wifi and free pre-paid gratuities.
NEW DEALS JUST RELEASED!
See the latest Princess Cruises offers…
Important Things To Know
Before you take your cruise, I want to make you aware of a few drink package related things. If you get these wrong, you could face unexpected charges, or even risk having your drink package voided.
1. Not every guest in your cabin needs a package
Most cruise lines require that if one person has a drink package, then everybody in the cabin must have one. MSC Cruises even makes kids aged three and over get a kids package, if the parents want a drink package.
However, on Princess Cruises that is not the case. You may buy a drink package for only one person if you wish. But…
2. You cannot share drinks packages
Sharing of drinks packages is forbidden on Princess cruises. If you are caught giving drinks to another passenger, your drinks package may be cancelled without a refund.
3. Drinks packages aren’t available on every cruise
Princess Cruises’ drinks packages are not available on Australian cruises of six nights or less and are not available on one- or two-night cruises.
4. You can only have 15 alcoholic drinks per day
Alcoholic drinks are limited to 15 beverages per 24-hour period (6 am to 6 am).
Unlike on Carnival Cruises where the system prevents any further alcoholic drinks from being served, with Princess Cruises, any extra drinks may be served, but this is down to the discretion of the bartender.
So, if you don’t look drunk, you can go ahead and order that 16th drink, and you’ll be charged for it as if you didn’t have a package.
There is no limit to the number of non-alcoholic drinks that you can have per day.
5. You can order multiple drinks at a time
On a Princess Cruise, you can order multiple drinks at once, within reason. If you order too many the bartender will probably want to know who they are for and is likley to only serve one per person.
When there was along line at the bar, I queued up with my mum and ordered two beers (one each). She then immediately ordered two beers and was served. This is worth doing when the bar is very busy.
On the app, you can also order multiple drinks at once…
6. If you order expensive drinks, you just pay the difference
Let’s say you havew the Princess Plus Beverage Package that includes drinks priced at up to $15. If you order a drink that costs $16 drink, you will be charged the extra $1.
7. You must buy the package for every day of your cruise
As with all cruise drinks packages, If you buy a Princess Cruises drink package, you must buy it for every day of your cruise. You cannot buy it for only part of your cruise.
8. The minumum drinking age depends on where the cruise departs
On Princess cruises, guests must be 18, 20 or 21 years old, depending on the itinerary.
For cruises between Australia/New Zealand, China, Europe and Singapore ports, the drinking age is 18. For cruises between Japanese ports, the drinking age is 20. Everywhere else, it is 21.
9. The drinks package works on Princess Cays
When you buu a Princess drink package you’re not limited to only using it onboard your ship. The packages also work on Princess Cruises’ private island, Princess Cays, which is located in the Bahamas.
The Bottom Line
If you’re considering getting a drink package for your Princess Cruise, then you should instead consider the Princess Plus and Princess Premier fares.
The respective fares include their equivalent drinks packages, but are actually cheaper. It’s so confusing, but it’s true!
The only time to consider buying a standalone drinks package would be if you wanted a non-alcoholic one, but even then the Zero-Alcohol package, combined with tips, would be more expensive than the Plus fare. Only the Classic Soda Package makes sense as standalone purchases.
Read more about the Princess fare options, which include drinks packages, in my Princess Plus & Princess Premier guide.
Related posts:
- Princess Cruises Ships by Age: Newest to Oldest
- Princess Cruise Stock Benefits Explained
- Princess Cruise Ships Ranked From Best To Worst
- Princess Cruises Happy Hour
Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
Hi. Exactly how much extra is the cost of a Princess Plus package if the higher fare is taken? And can one “upgrade” to a Plus fare on board?
Thanks
We’ve booked as a family of 4 for next year. Our son is Type 1 Diabetic and only drinks blackcurrant cordial, which we take on-board with us. If we had 2 non-alcoholic packages (myself and my wife), would we be able to get a soda package for our daughter, without having to buy for our son?
Hi, we are travelling with 2 kids (13 and 8). If we buy the Premier package for us and soda packages for the kids, can they sit with us in the reserved show seats?
How much is a bottle of wine on the Princess cruises? My husband and I will probably drink one bottle of wine per day per person. We plan to bring two bottles of wine with us, but what about the other five days? Is it cheaper to buy bottles of wine onboard or is it better to bring extra bottles of wine and pay the corkage fee. BTW, when do you them you have extra bottles of wine and then pay the corkage fee? Do they do this when we get on the ship?
It’s cheaper to buy wine on board than bring your own and pay corkage.
Where did you ever get that idea? You can save a LOT of money if you BYOW. I have analyzed the full PCL wine list versus retail (using Total Wine for the most part) and there was exactly ONE bottle that was cheaper on the ship.
So agree with you. In Australian waters Princess wines over $50 a bottle, you can purchase a nice bottle from the local for $20 exactly the same bottle of wine. Surely Princess could negotiate better prices for their wines.
Classic Soda package is not offered in 2023. I had to get an in-cabin 6 cans for the price of one package instead. Sky Princess cruise sailing out of Southampton in August.
Hi, just to clarify. 3 in a room, 2 adults with premier plus. Do we need to purchase a soft drinks package for our daughter (14 yrs). Thanks
You don’t have to, you can buy her drinks separately. If Princess sees you using your drinks package to order drinks for her though then they will stop you, as you aren’t allowed to share, even with soft drinks. Hope that helps. Jenni
We have just completed a cruise on Enchanted Princess with Princess Plus. We were not charged for drinks ordered for delivery in cabin. We were also able to order “doubles” of spirits and wine.
Hi David, thanks for letting me know. As far as I can tell the policy hasn’t changed and you should’ve been charged, but I’ll keep looking into it. As far as I know, drinks ordered to the room are still excluded. Jenni.
Not true. They were included, but you may be aware of new policy implemented this month where activating Ocean Now is a 1-time charge of $15 per booked voyage and RS is $5 per time if ordered by cabin phone. If you use ON to order to where you are (including cabin) then the $5 fee does not apply.
Do the drink packages start the moment you board the ship on day one? For instance on embarkment day, can I use my Medallion to order a drink as I am walking to my room for the first time?
Yes, they start straight away.
I cannot find any reference to milk. Is milk included in the fare? Is it included in the drink packages? Is it always charged? What is the cost of a glass of milk?
Milk is always available for free.
I have heard conflicting reports about the 15 drink limit. I have heard that once you reach 15 drinks in a day that you will not be allowed to even buy another drink that you are cut off for the day and that what you should do to avoid this is the ask to purchase your drinks when you get close to the limit to avoid going over. This is my first Princess cruise, normally we are on Royal Caribbean when does not have this limit. I anticipate that some days, for instance the day at Princess Cay or at Sea days my group may run into this issue so just looking for any clarification.
Hi Jenni
Me & the wife are going to cruise on the Princess plus fare. And I suppose I’ll be the one going to the bar each time. How can I stop my medallion getting maxed out. Can I just take my wife’s medallion with me, or would she have to accompany me?
You don’t need to go to the bar, they’ll come to you. But if you do go to the bar she doesn’t need to go with you.
Really useful info, thanks. Can I just check that the princess plus drinks package can still be used in speciality restaurants such as Salty dog gastro pub and the crown grill etc? Many thanks in advance.
Hi Paul. Yes, you can use it in all of the venues on board. Jenni
When you have princess plus can you order speciality coffees in the main dining room or speciality resturants especially breakfast time.
Yes you can 🙂
Really helpful article, thank you. We’ve just booked a Princess Plus trip for next year and you’ve answered most of the questions me and my wife had. Just one thing remains unclear – there are some bars onboard (Crooner and Wheelhouse specifically) which indicate that extra charges might apply. Am I correct in thinking that these charges apply for food and that drinks are included in the Premier Drinks Package (subject to the PDP T&Cs)?
If you have the Princess Plus package and order drinks via the Medallion app, are those covered? From my research, I believe they are. So if that is the case, what is the difference between Room Service and Medallion ordering (app or TV)?
Yes they are! With the app they’re delivered to public areas e.g. bars and lounges, whereas room service is just for you room so that would have an extra fee.
The Princess website shows that drinks over $12 are charged the difference in price and not the full price of the drink. Is this something that has changed since you posted this information?
Hi Gregg. Yes, it looks like that has changed on the Princess website. I have updated my guide accordingly. Thanks for your help! Jenni
Can you use your drinks package in the dining room e.g. to have a glass of wine or 2.
Yes you can.
Hi
When the ship is in port can I still take advantage of the drinks package if I don’t leave the ship or return earlier than the ships departure? Thanks
You absolutely can!
Does anyone know what drinks are include in the Fountain Sodas?
Thanks
I note that if you have the Premium Package you also get a 25% discount off wine bottles. Now does that apply right across the Princess Wine List or just to a set price limit of say $100 per bottle maximum?
For example if a bottle of Dom Perignon is priced as $250 on the wine list, a 25% discount would bring the price down to $187.50. Ditto a good US or French Red that is say $400 on the wine list but with the 25% discount that reduces to $300. If it applies to the whole wine list, having a 25% discount is a lovely addition to have while cruising.
Hi Craig. I’ve just checked in the Ts&Cs and it says: “The package provides a 25% discount on the following excluded items: all bottles of wine, one liter bottles of water, canned soda and bottled juices.” So that sounds like you’re good to go with a discount on any bottle of wine you like! Jenni
Great info, thanks very much. Just as a side question, When does the drinks package run out on debark day? Is it 6am as advertised, or 12am midnight? I don’t want to incur charges on the last evening unwittingly.
Thanks as always for your information. Great site
Hi Bruce, great question! I’m pretty sure it runs until you get off the ship on the last the morning. I’ve never heard of anyone being charged for drinks on disembarkation day. Jenni
Thanks but what do you think is the best option to take when we are taking grandkids of 14 & 15 with us for a week we have 2 cabins 1 adult & 1 teenager in each so we seem to have to pay$30 each? even though kids won’t be drinking alcohol?
Hi Pauline. You don’t need to buy a drink package for the kids on Princess cruises. You can just buy drinks as you go. Or there’s a soda package that may be good for teenagers. Jenni
Very informative thank you . In the last paragraph you say if you are thinking about a drinks package you should ask for the princess fare . I think you mean the princess plus fare? It may confuse some who don’t realise it’s a typo .
Ah yes, thanks so much for spotting that! I’ve corrected it now. Thank you! Jenni
Thanks for the article very useful. The picture provided by princess for the premium drinks package is wrong/misleading though as it shows a can of coke and cans of soda are not included from your description.
Thank you. And you’re right, that’s a very good spot! Jenni
Hi
Does the premium drinks package include Champagne by the glass?
Hi Alan. Yes, in the Premier package Champagne is included, but not the Plus package. Jenni
H Jenni, you’ve just mentioned wine & Prosecco would be included by the glass with Princess Premier but not champagne as it’s over the $12 per drink limit, but the premier package allows up to $18 per glass? Can you explain.
Many thanks Ron
Hi Ron, thanks for flagging this – I’ve corrected that comment now. You’re right that the Premier package does include Champagne by the glass. Jenni.