Royal Caribbean Drink Package Deals Most Cruisers Miss

Royal Caribbean drink packages can cost over $100 per day. But some cruisers pay far less for the exact same package.

The difference usually comes down to timing.

Your cruise fare already includes your cabin, meals and entertainment. Drinks, however, are extra. And if you buy a package at the wrong moment, you could end up paying much more than you needed to.

The good news is that Royal Caribbean runs discounts and promotions throughout the year. If you know when and where to look, you can often grab a much better deal.

So how do you spot the best drink package offers before the price jumps again?

Royal Caribbean Drinks Package Pricing

Royal Caribbean has five drink packages, and the pricing can be confusing as it will often vary depending on your ship, itinerary, and sailing date. The main drinks package is the Deluxe Beverage Package, which costs anywhere from $55 to $120 per day.

This is the drinks package, which includes unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. The other drink packages are for non-alcoholic drinks only.

Read more: Royal Caribbean Drink Packages: Are They Worth It?

Here’s a quick guide:

Package	Includes	Cost
Deluxe Beverage Package	Unlimited alcoholic & non-alcoholic drinks	$55 to $120 (before discount)
Refreshment Package	Unlimited non-alcoholic drinks	$29 to $42 per day (before discount)
Classic Soda Package	Unlimited fountain soft drinks	$13 to $18 per day (before discount)
Coffee Package	15 speciality coffees	$31
Water Package	12 one-litre water bottles	$39

Important – as of March 2026, the Deluxe Beverage Package and Refreshment Package no longer include the Coca Cola souvenir cup that gives you access to the Freestyle soda machines onboard.

You can still get sodas, but you need to order them from bars. If you want to use the fountain machines, you’ll need to pay $4.99 for the cup first. The cup still comes included with the Classic Soda Package.

As you can see, the three packages that offer unlimited drinks don’t have fixed pricing. The exact price can vary depending on the ship, itinerary, demand and current promotions.

For example, here’s the Deluxe Beverage Package on a 7-night cruise on Enchantment of the Seas, showing that it is $71.99 per day, reduced from $90 per day:

And here’s the same package for the inaugural cruise on Icon of the Seas, showing the price as $91.99 per day, reduced from $115 per day:

So, how do you get the best price for your drinks package?

Royal Caribbean Drinks Package Promotions

There are several ways that you can take advantage of the best prices for your Royal Caribbean drinks package. Timing matters because the best offers will only be available for a short while.

1. Book Before You Cruise

The first tip is always to book your beverage package before you sail – if you book in advance, you can expect to save around 20% of the cost, at least.

If you wait until you board your cruise, you’ll only have the first day in which you can book a drinks package – otherwise, you won’t be able to, and you’ll be paying for drinks individually, which could be a lot more expensive depending on how much you drink.

Booking in advance secures the package for you and means you get a decent discount already. But there are better offers available than just 20% off.

2. Look Out for Offers

Every now and then, Royal Caribbean will run promotions to give even bigger discounts on your drinks package.

The sale periods vary – sometimes they’re seasonal, whereas at other times they might be random.

If you’re not based in the US, it’s best just to check in on the cruise planner every couple of weeks to see if there’s a sale on.

Read more: The Best Time to Buy A Royal Caribbean Drink Package

It’s important to note that the offers won’t always be the same. In 2022, for example, the package was reduced by 35% for Halloween, but the Black Friday promotion wasn’t as good, and a lot of people were left disappointed.

On very rare occasions, you might be able to secure Royal Caribbean’s 40% off drinks package discount. This isn’t common, so if you see your drinks package discounted by 40%, book it quickly!

35% off is typically the best that most people see, and only during sale periods.

So if you see a good price, you shouldn’t be tempted to wait and try to get it lower – it may be a good plan to snap it up. Especially when you consider this next tip…

3. Purchase & Cancel

One of the best bits of advice from past Royal Caribbean guests is to book your drinks package as soon as you can, and then cancel and re-book if you see a special offer for it.

You can track the offers in the cruise planner for your cruise – just make sure you log in and check periodically. That way, you’ll spot if there is an offer, and you can cancel your existing beverage package and then rebook it immediately for the new price.

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There is one important point though – refunds for existing beverage package bookings will take 7-10 days to process, so only cancel your beverage package if you have the funds to rebook it immediately, without the refund.

Otherwise, you might cancel it, wait to get the money back, and then find that the price has gone even higher when you go to book it again.

4. Risk Boarding Day Offers

Sometimes, the best offers may not be available before you cruise, but might only be an option when you board. On some cruises, you might be able to get a ‘Buy One, Get One Half Price’ discount when you board your cruise.

Now, that half price will be half the full price you pay, so it’s not as good a deal as it sounds, but it is still better than saving just 20% on two people.

Here’s an example:

• Say the price quoted for your cruise is $115 per person, per day for 7 days
• If you book in advance, you’ll save 20% each – so you’ll pay $92 per person, per day
• For the total cruise, that’s $92 x 2 people x 7 days = $1,288
• If you wait til you board and there is a buy-one-get-one-half-price offer, you’ll pay $115 x 7 for one person, and then $57.5 x 7 for the second person
• That’s a total cost of $805 for guest one, and $402.5 for guest two – a total of $1,207.50
• You’d save $80.50 this way, but the offer might not be available, so it’s a big risk
• If the offer isn’t available, you’d have to pay full price – $1,610 for the week

It’s up to you, but personally, I would play it safer and book before you cruise – the $80 saving isn’t worth risking over $300 if the promotion isn’t available.

It’s Now Harder to Cheat the System

There used to be a way to cheat the Royal Caribbean system to get the best possible price for the Deluxe Beverage Package. But it is a cheat, and if you were caught, you could end up paying a lot more.

Officially, if you want to book the Deluxe Beverage Package, then all adults sharing your stateroom have to book the same package. You can’t have one adult on the Deluxe package and one on the Refreshment package. If you book online, it won’t let you do that.

However – you used to be able to call Royal Caribbean and ask to have different packages. You would need to explain why your partner/roommate doesn’t drink, though don’t expect to have to give a life story, or medical evidence.

But too many people exploited this, and so, in August 2025, the cruise line officially announced there would be no more exceptions.

It used to be one of the main ways that people would cheat the Royal Caribbean drink package.

Final Thoughts

Royal Caribbean drink package prices change constantly, so the key is keeping an eye on the Cruise Planner and grabbing a good deal when you see one.

But before you buy, it’s worth asking a simple question: will you actually drink enough to make the package worthwhile?

For some cruisers, the answer is yes. For others, paying as you go works out far cheaper.

If you’re unsure, try my drink package calculator below. It will quickly show you whether the package is likely to save you money based on what you plan to drink.

And make sure you know exactly what’s included in each package, and which drinks are free on Royal Caribbean.

I have a full guide for you here: Royal Caribbean Drink Package Guide.

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