# The Drink Package - Tips and tricks?



## mevelandry

Hi guys,

Since DH and I were not that excited to do an excursion in Nassau (been there more than 4 times), we decided to cancel our excursion, stay and reinvest the money in the drink package instead (which covers not only alcohol but many non-alcoholic drinks) so I was wondering if anyone could share informations and their experience with the drink package?

Thanks in advance!


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## hodgieha

I definitely enjoy the drink package. Practically all drinks are included. You do need to drink about 5/6 alcoholic drinks a day to break even.  I also get fresh squeezed oj or smoothies with breakfast


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## hodgieha

Do keep in mind the drink package only covers drinks up to a certain price. On the oasis series it covers drinks up to $13. If the drink cost more then you have to pay the difference. I only came across one drink that cost me more.


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## mevelandry

hodgieha said:


> I definitely enjoy the drink package. Practically all drinks are included. You do need to drink about 5/6 alcoholic drinks a day to break even.  I also get fresh squeezed oj or smoothies with breakfast



I heard you can also have soft drinks, evian water, smoothies, milk shakes, tea and specialty coffee with it? Is it true?


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## Capt_BJ

*fountain* soft drinks are included - not cans - if the ship has the FreeStyle machines, that's included {you get the magic cup}.  You can get bottled water but IME it was not the Evian rather the 'plain' bottled water (never asked for the other tho so _maybe)_.  We've never ordered a bar drink that wasn't covered and if you _get to know_ a bartender they'll often even recommend a better 'pour' than what you ask for 'since you already paid for it'.  I routinely had Makers Mark or Buffalo Trace and this was covered .... I think you need to get into the fancy Scotch (Johnny Blue for example) etc b4 you have problems. DW's frozen Pina C's were no problem and they offered her 'better' rum than her usual Bacardi.  Dunno about milkshakes - as far as I know the ones in Johnny Rockets are NOT included.  Fancy coffee at the RCL coffee place is included, Starbucks is not. We don't do smoothies and at the breakfast buffet the fresh OJ is just too much of a PITA for me (we live in FL ... we get all the fresh OJ we want)

If you have not purchased this yet note the price you see does not include the 18% tip which will be added at time of purchase .... you have already tipped if you get the package so no need to tip more - but you can if you want.

If you see the price below $50 per person per day that's a good price ..... personally the lowest I ever got was $51/day. Note that if you buy and the price goes down you can cancel (up to 3 days b4 you sail if I remember right) and re-purchase at the lower price.  The refund came thru quite quickly when I did this but for a short time BOTH charges could be on your card if this is a concern/issue.  Only way I know of to check the price is log in to your RCL account and check yourself ... prices change constantly and the price for your cruise is NOT necessarily the same as any other cruise.

the drink package is good on Coco Cay . .


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## skwak

Wonderful thorough response, thank you!

Two follow up questions:

Any drink package carries over to Coco Cay, right?  Drinks on the island are included, right?

How much are beers on the ship?  Especially craft beers if they are offered?  I am really just a beer guy so $50 a day sounds like a lot of beers day after day.  Makes me hesitant to purchase.

Thanks!


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## mevelandry

Capt_BJ said:


> *fountain* soft drinks are included - not cans - if the ship has the FreeStyle machines, that's included {you get the magic cup}.  You can get bottled water but IME it was not the Evian rather the 'plain' bottled water (never asked for the other tho so _maybe)_.  We've never ordered a bar drink that wasn't covered and if you _get to know_ a bartender they'll often even recommend a better 'pour' than what you ask for 'since you already paid for it'.  I routinely had Makers Mark or Buffalo Trace and this was covered .... I think you need to get into the fancy Scotch (Johnny Blue for example) etc b4 you have problems. DW's frozen Pina C's were no problem and they offered her 'better' rum than her usual Bacardi.  Dunno about milkshakes - as far as I know the ones in Johnny Rockets are NOT included.  Fancy coffee at the RCL coffee place is included, Starbucks is not. We don't do smoothies and at the breakfast buffet the fresh OJ is just too much of a PITA for me (we live in FL ... we get all the fresh OJ we want)
> 
> If you have not purchased this yet note the price you see does not include the 18% tip which will be added at time of purchase .... you have already tipped if you get the package so no need to tip more - but you can if you want.
> 
> If you see the price below $50 per person per day that's a good price ..... personally the lowest I ever got was $51/day. Note that if you buy and the price goes down you can cancel (up to 3 days b4 you sail if I remember right) and re-purchase at the lower price.  The refund came thru quite quickly when I did this but for a short time BOTH charges could be on your card if this is a concern/issue.  Only way I know of to check the price is log in to your RCL account and check yourself ... prices change constantly and the price for your cruise is NOT necessarily the same as any other cruise.
> 
> the drink package is good on Coco Cay . .



I already purchased it. I knew about the 18% tip. 

Thanks for all the other infos. 

Indeed, it's a good deal for us since we're staying on the ship in Nassau and the package works on CocoCay. I won't get it on our next one because we'll be off the ship 3/6 days. 

And I got it at 49$/pd


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## pangyal

The only thing I might add is that the pineapple drinks on Cococay are not included. Those count as a specialty glass, even though the cost is within the package “budget”. I think that trading an afternoon in Nassau for a week of breakfast mimosas is an excellent choice


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## starvenger

What about pineapple drinks - hold the pineapple?

(And FWIW, the pineapple drinks are pretty good and IIRC are not bad as far as price goes)


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## mevelandry

pangyal said:


> The only thing I might add is that the pineapple drinks on Cococay are not included. Those count as a specialty glass, even though the cost is within the package “budget”. I think that trading an afternoon in Nassau for a week of breakfast mimosas is an excellent choice



Mimosas...


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## crabbymom

skwak said:


> Wonderful thorough response, thank you!
> 
> Two follow up questions:
> 
> Any drink package carries over to Coco Cay, right?  Drinks on the island are included, right?
> 
> How much are beers on the ship?  Especially craft beers if they are offered?  I am really just a beer guy so $50 a day sounds like a lot of beers day after day.  Makes me hesitant to purchase.
> 
> Thanks!



Beers (actually all drinks) are pricey. $8-15 each, with the craft beers on the higher end.  Some cruisers are reporting cans of soda at $7!! It really only takes 5-6 beers a day, plus a couple of bottled waters or sodas to break even, especially if you can find it on sale.  

Any yes, it carries over to Coco Cay.


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## starvenger

I haven't actually seen that many craft beers on board, unless we are talking about InBev-type "craft" beers like Goose Island


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## Sleepy425

@skwak   I drink Blue Moon, and the cans were $7 or $8 last week on Navigator (I had the package so I didn't look too closely). I didn't look at other beer prices. 
There is an unofficial Royal Caribbean Blog, and a poster named twangster posted the beverage menu on Navigator.  That can help you get an idea of what things cost (prices vary ship to ship, but it is helpful to see approximate prices).


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## SA mom

You can order a virgin mudslide and it’s like a chocolate shake.  Irish coffee is covered so we usually start the day with two of those.  If we are off the ship quick in the am, we grab some shots of baileys the night before and put them in the fridge.  During sea days, we have no problem making the plan pay off.  

The drinks in a pineapple onboard are not covered, but they were only like $12.  Those drinks are not the best, but it’s the novelty of it.


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## Capt_BJ

b4 you turn in stop by any bar and they'll give you bottles of water ... we'd usually get two each no questions asked. We'd ice 'em down overnight so we'd have nice cold ones to take ashore the next day. Bottled water seemed to turn over so fast it was seldom cold.


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## skwak

As a follow up - how often does RCCL run drink specials onboard?  I am afraid that I will buy the drink package only to find drink specials throughout the day that may the drink package less of a deal.


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## skwak

Is it also true that my wife (we are a room of 2 people) would have to purchase some drink package of some kind if I get the deluxe drink package?


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## starvenger

skwak said:


> As a follow up - how often does RCCL run drink specials onboard? I am afraid that I will buy the drink package only to find drink specials throughout the day that may the drink package less of a deal.


There's a "drink of the day" that goes for a couple of bucks cheaper. Usually a premix of some sort which aren't bad if that is your thing. They have $2 mimosa specials and a margarita/tapas combo during happy hour at Sabor - basically buy a margarita get a snack free. Once upon a time they advertised 2 for 1 specials. Now they don't and I'm not certain they have them anymore.

If you like the fancy cocktails but don't want to splurge on the drink package, AND you think you can hold off until about halfway through the cruise (sometimes earlier, but you need to ask the bartenders), a 10 drink punch card will be offered. This will probably save you $3-5 per drink, assuming that you purchase as expensive a drink as the card will allow (same max as the drink package I believe). Drinks can be shared on this card. I got it once, and it works quite well. 

You can also bring 2 bottles of wine per stateroom upon embarkation. Not near as generous as DCL's allotment, but you'll save some money, and to quote Geddy Lee (from Rush), "ten bucks is ten bucks".



skwak said:


> Is it also true that my wife (we are a room of 2 people) would have to purchase some drink package of some kind if I get the deluxe drink package?


Yes. This is unfortunately common with cruise lines that offer an unlimited drink packages,. Royal started this relatively recently (I want to say 2017).

There are mixed reports about being able to purchase the unlimited package for one person and a lesser package (the soda package?) for the others over 21. So I'm unsure if "my S.O. doesn't drink" is still a valid reason. But to even get this arranged you'll need to call guest services to get it figured out.


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## mevelandry

skwak said:


> As a follow up - how often does RCCL run drink specials onboard?  I am afraid that I will buy the drink package only to find drink specials throughout the day that may the drink package less of a deal.



Interesting question. I don't know but I heard about a 10 drinks card being available on the first day of longer sailings?


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## mevelandry

starvenger said:


> There's a "drink of the day" that goes for a couple of bucks cheaper. Usually a premix of some sort which aren't bad if that is your thing. They have $2 mimosa specials and a margarita/tapas combo during happy hour at Sabor - basically buy a margarita get a snack free. Once upon a time they advertised 2 for 1 specials. Now they don't and I'm not certain they have them anymore.
> 
> If you like the fancy cocktails but don't want to splurge on the drink package, AND you think you can hold off until about halfway through the cruise (sometimes earlier, but you need to ask the bartenders), a 10 drink punch card will be offered. This will probably save you $3-5 per drink, assuming that you purchase as expensive a drink as the card will allow (same max as the drink package I believe). Drinks can be shared on this card. I got it once, and it works quite well.
> 
> You can also bring 2 bottles of wine per stateroom upon embarkation. Not near as generous as DCL's allotment, but you'll save some money, and to quote Geddy Lee (from Rush), "ten bucks is ten bucks".
> 
> 
> Yes. This is unfortunately common with cruise lines that offer an unlimited drink packages,. Royal started this relatively recently (I want to say 2017).
> 
> There are mixed reports about being able to purchase the unlimited package for one person and a lesser package (the soda package?) for the others over 21. So I'm unsure if "my S.O. doesn't drink" is still a valid reason. But to even get this arranged you'll need to call guest services to get it figured out.



I heard that when you say that X doesn't drink to buy a solo alcohol package, X cannot buy alcohol otherwise there will be consequences.


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## starvenger

Wouldn’t surprise me if that were the case. They want to allow the exceptions, but don’t want to be duped into doing so.


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## Mikamarii

We logged in to our cruise planner to check prices on the drink packages for our 7 night cruise And it was listed at 75ish cdn pp per day. That worked out to roughly 55us pp per day based on today’s exchange rate.  When we added it to the cart for wife and I the total came to just under 1300cdn (including tax and tip) for the two of us! I know when it breaks down to how many drinks per day it seems manageable but that just feels crazy to spend 1300 in drinks for a week lol.


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## crabbymom

mevelandry said:


> Interesting question. I don't know but I heard about a 10 drinks card being available on the first day of longer sailings?



I have been on 7, 11, and 14 night sailings and the drink card has never been available on the first day that I have seen.  Some times, depending on the sailing, they are not available at all.



mevelandry said:


> I heard that when you say that X doesn't drink to buy a solo alcohol package, X cannot buy alcohol otherwise there will be consequences.



I have not heard of that happening, but who knows.  I do know that you can call and get one alcohol and one refreshment package and the person with the refreshment package can buy a drink with no problem.  I often travel with my 76 year old mother who can drink, but certainly not enough for the package.  I have never had an issue getting me the drink package and her the refreshment package and then her ordering her one Manhattan/Old Fashioned a day. 

Bringing on your own wine is certainly a help, in addition, if all you drink is wine, they offer wine packages once on board: 3, 5, or 7 bottle packages of different wines.


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## starvenger

crabbymom said:


> Bringing on your own wine is certainly a help, in addition, if all you drink is wine, they offer wine packages once on board: 3, 5, or 7 bottle packages of different wines.


I haven't seen wine packages in a while. Can you (or anyone else) confirm that they're still around? Markup on wine is pretty high on cruise ships - probably 2-3x retail - so any discount would be welcome.


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## crabbymom

starvenger said:


> I haven't seen wine packages in a while. Can you (or anyone else) confirm that they're still around? Markup on wine is pretty high on cruise ships - probably 2-3x retail - so any discount would be welcome.



According to Royal Caribbean: Individual ship/sailings MAY offer a wine package, but it is not fleet-wide anymore.  I guess they really want to only sell the drink package, but that wine one was always nice!  It was last seen in March 2019 on the Anthem, but that was a 12-night cruise so YMMV depending on length.


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## disneyeveryyear

We were on the Anthem of the Seas in Nov. '18 and the 10 drink card was available on day 2.  We were very surprised, but purchased it immediately. I don't remember if we saw it again.  It was a nice way for DH and I to have 1 drink each per night.


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## mevelandry

Mikamarii said:


> We logged in to our cruise planner to check prices on the drink packages for our 7 night cruise And it was listed at 75ish cdn pp per day. That worked out to roughly 55us pp per day based on today’s exchange rate.  When we added it to the cart for wife and I the total came to just under 1300cdn (including tax and tip) for the two of us! I know when it breaks down to how many drinks per day it seems manageable but that just feels crazy to spend 1300 in drinks for a week lol.



We've got it at  69.16$ CAD per person per day. I don't think it goes any lower than that.  But we are only doing it because it's a 3 nights cruise (we have a very short excursion in Nassau and we'll be on the ship most of the day + the package works on CocoCay)... I wouldn't do it on a port intensive cruise/long cruise.


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## mevelandry

disneyeveryyear said:


> We were on the Anthem of the Seas in Nov. '18 and the 10 drink card was available on day 2.  We were very surprised, but purchased it immediately. I don't remember if we saw it again.  It was a nice way for DH and I to have 1 drink each per night.



That's a card I would buy on a longer cruise.


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## MichelleCanada

We have two one week cruises with one day in between. Are the drink cards like a gift card? Can I buy one on the first cruise and if I don’t use it all finish using it on the second cruise?


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## disneyeveryyear

mevelandry said:


> That's a card I would buy on a longer cruise.


It was a 7 night cruise so it worked perfect for us.


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## starvenger

MichelleCanada said:


> We have two one week cruises with one day in between. Are the drink cards like a gift card? Can I buy one on the first cruise and if I don’t use it all finish using it on the second cruise?


I don't believe that it is possible but then again I've not tried. 

I will point out that the coffee/espresso card CAN be carried out over to another cruise.


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## Mikamarii

mevelandry said:


> We've got it at  69.16$ CAD per person per day. I don't think it goes any lower than that.  But we are only doing it because it's a 3 nights cruise (we have a very short excursion in Nassau and we'll be on the ship most of the day + the package works on CocoCay)... I wouldn't do it on a port intensive cruise/long cruise.


 Oh for sure, there are definitely very valid reasons people would want to buy the package and if it works for them great!! 
I love the idea of prepaid packages as then I am more likely to use it vs paying for each drink....do I reaalllllyyyyy need this drink?? haha
We're gonna pass on this upcoming cruise because we will have the kids with us and just don't think we will use it enough. We had drink package ("included" as part of a promotion) on our Alaskan cruise a couple years back and it was great. It was just wife and I. But I kept track of the drinks we had and I think we about broke even. There were days we had a lot and days we had very little. I agree the Port's you will be attending a very relevant in the decision to get a package.
I think for this next cruise the 10drink card may be more our speed.


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## crabbymom

MichelleCanada said:


> We have two one week cruises with one day in between. Are the drink cards like a gift card? Can I buy one on the first cruise and if I don’t use it all finish using it on the second cruise?



It will not work that way.  The card has your folio number on it and you since it will not be the same folio number for both cruises, it won't work.  That would be nice though as I have a card left over from a previous cruise with three drinks left on it!


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## Stasieki

How will I know if/when the 10 drink card is offered?  Do they announce somewhere?


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## starvenger

You'll see them promoting the card at the bars if it becomes available. You might also see mention of it after you come back on board the ship if it's a port day.


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## Frozen2014

Stasieki said:


> How will I know if/when the 10 drink card is offered?  Do they announce somewhere?



We saw a sign posted at Bionic bar and Schooner bar on Symphony on day 4 of 7 for 10 drink card.  Worked great as we could share the card.


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## DancinDaisyDuck

The first cruise we took my husband and I had the non-alcoholic drink package and really liked it. We got it on sale for $18 a day and really love the ease of using it on board. We decided for the next one to get the Deluxe package because we quickly realized we wanted more wine or booze than we thought, lol! It works for us because I drink a lot of the specialty coffees in the mornings, Husband likes chai lattes and fresh juice, and I liked having a cappuccino or espresso after dinners. We aren't huge soda drinkers but the freestyle cups were nice to have when we needed it. Hope you enjoy your cruise!


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## Frozen2014

Does anyone have a list of the specialty coffees?  I don't drink juice (will get enough sugar in the alcoholic drinks + dessert at dinner, etc)...but a list of ideas for coffees would be nice.  I assume too they would do things like Bailiey's and coffee? Spanish coffee or Monte Cristo?


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## DancinDaisyDuck

Frozen2014 said:


> Does anyone have a list of the specialty coffees?  I don't drink juice (will get enough sugar in the alcoholic drinks + dessert at dinner, etc)...but a list of ideas for coffees would be nice.  I assume too they would do things like Bailiey's and coffee? Spanish coffee or Monte Cristo?


To my best recollection on the Rhapsody (and comparing it to more current coffee menus I've seen online on other class ships) the Cafe Promenade or Cafe Lattetudes offer anything your typical coffee bar would. From regular drip coffee to Macchiatos or even chai tea lattes. You can get them iced or frozen as well. I can't remember if they had alcohol at the coffee bars, but you could order an Irish coffee or other boozy hot drinks in the MDR at dinner. They may have them at the full service bars during the day.


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## Frozen2014

DancinDaisyDuck said:


> To my best recollection on the Rhapsody (and comparing it to more current coffee menus I've seen online on other class ships) the Cafe Promenade or Cafe Lattetudes offer anything your typical coffee bar would. From regular drip coffee to Macchiatos or even chai tea lattes. You can get them iced or frozen as well. I can't remember if they had alcohol at the coffee bars, but you could order an Irish coffee or other boozy hot drinks in the MDR at dinner. They may have them at the full service bars during the day.


Thank you!


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## taymorel

We went on our first Royal cruise on Symphony of the Seas last month and we got the drink package. We loved the drink package.  It was nice not to have to worry about paying for each drink. And it allowed us to try new drinks knowing that if we didn't like them, we could just get something else.

We booked  another Royal Cruise for November and are getting the drink package again.  

Also, we go refreshment package for our 14 year old son which he loved. He was able to try coffee and lattes.


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## jeepnjudy

What's the lowest price anyone has purchased the classic soda package for?


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## cmph

jeepnjudy said:


> What's the lowest price anyone has purchased the classic soda package for?


I have no idea what the lowest is for just the soda, but I got the soda plus Voom package for $8.99.


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## HopperFan

skwak said:


> Is it also true that my wife (we are a room of 2 people) would have to purchase some drink package of some kind if I get the deluxe drink package?



Some people have had no battle not paying for all alcohol but ours was a 3 month battle to not buy our adult son who is disabled the deluxe drink package.  They did say they were requiring the non-drinking person to purchase the "refreshment" package which was still too much for him but they gave us no choice if we wanted the deluxe. I've heard others say they had to also get the refreshment package.  Luckily we got all on a good sale.  NOTE: They required a notarized letter from his doctor.  

The only reason we returned to RCCL and booked with them was that he's never had to buy before unlike other cruise lines.  They changed the rule long after we booked but before we sailed and they automatically added deluxe to his name.


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## jeepnjudy

cmph said:


> I have no idea what the lowest is for just the soda, but I got the soda plus Voom package for $8.99.



Well then I won't buy yet and see if I can get something like that!


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## RunningWithScissors

I just looked on my cruise planner and Soda + VOOM is $22. Just soda is $8.99.


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## cmph

jeepnjudy said:


> Well then I won't buy yet and see if I can get something like that!


Yes, it was a good deal- free Voom! I snagged that for my kids when i also got the $18 deluxe “oopsie”, but I don’t think that was an accident. I’m hoping to get the other refreshments package for my daughter, who prefers juice and mocktails to soda, but $28 per day and no Voom is not happening! I’m not sure if that ever drops much though, and I have probably maxed out my drink package luck by now lol!


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## Magicmcky

We grabbed the deluxe around 4th of July for 35% off... $200 a piece for a 4 night on Mariner


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## ruthies12

I have a question if you all don't mind- I've been reading through this forum to get info cause I'm thinking of booking a cruise for the first time in 20 years and I've seen people mention this cup you get to use with the freestyle machines if you purchase the pop drink package.  My question is do you have to carry this cup around with you all the time then?  If you buy the package do they not have disposable cups for fountain drinks?


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## starvenger

Royal has tried to reduce as much disposable cup waste as possible, so the only disposable cups you'll find are for coffees and teas. In some cases, you might even ask for them.

Now as for the sodas, the freestyle cup is, obviously, for the freestyle machine, and to use those machines for anything but ice you'll need to use the cup.

Ordering from the bar should be as easy as showing your card - no cup necessary.


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## Denise W

I almost never brought my cup with me. My room key had a soda card designation so I just showed that to the bartender or server and had no problem getting my soda.
Denise


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## jalapeno_pretzel

Is there an option for alcohol drinks but no soda or bottled water?     We don't drink either of those ever.     

If the 2 adults in the room get the Deluxe package, do the kids have to get some sort of package too?    They also don't ever drink soda or bottled water.    They would be content with the milk, lemonade, and regular water.


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## Frozen2014

jalapeno_pretzel said:


> Is there an option for alcohol drinks but no soda or bottled water?     We don't drink either of those ever.
> 
> If the 2 adults in the room get the Deluxe package, do the kids have to get some sort of package too?    They also don't ever drink soda or bottled water.    They would be content with the milk, lemonade, and regular water.


No...basically next each package includes the ones below it (soda first, then refreshment adding on fancy coffees, juice and water, then deluxe drink package adds on alchohol).  For many, they calculate the cost of alchohol a day forgetting that it also includes the waters, soda, juice and coffeee.

It's only the Deluxe package where every adult must purchase.  So your kids do not need any package.


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## DCLCrazy64622

How much do the premium coffees cost individually? Say for example a cafe latte or a cafe mocha?


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