There was a time when buying a cruise drink package felt as automatic as packing sunscreen. You book the ship, you add the drinks, you show up and sip away without a second thought. Honestly, it used to make total sense. The math was simple, the convenience was real, and the sticker shock of ordering drinks one by one felt like punishment.
That calculation is shifting fast. A growing number of cruise passengers are doing something that would have seemed strange a decade ago: they’re boarding the ship without a drink package. And once you understand why, the logic is surprisingly hard to argue with. Let’s dive in.
The Price Tag Has Become Genuinely Shocking
Let’s be real – drink packages have always been expensive, but what’s happening right now is on another level entirely. Drink packages are among the most expensive cruise add-ons, with some lines charging over $70 per day for their alcoholic packages. That number, once considered a ceiling, has now become something of a starting point.
As of 2025, Royal Caribbean’s Deluxe Beverage Package ranges from $56 to $120 per person, per day. For a couple on a seven-night sailing, that can push well past a thousand dollars before they even step aboard. Depending on the cruise line, packages run about $80 to $100 per day after the automatic gratuity is included.
Carnival Cruise Line charges a flat $88.44 for their CHEERS! package, while Royal Caribbean’s Deluxe Beverage Package is priced dynamically, meaning the price fluctuates based on factors like the itinerary, ship, and duration. That unpredictability alone is enough to make many travelers pause before clicking “add to cart.”
Cruise Lines Have Been Quietly Raising Rates
It’s not just that packages are expensive in general. Several major cruise lines have made deliberate moves to increase package prices heading into 2025 and beyond. Carnival, Norwegian, and MSC announced major changes to their drink packages which cost passengers more money. Though these adjustments aim to streamline the beverage experience and improve overall service, they reflect an industry-wide trend toward higher cruise costs.
Carnival’s official website indicates that the price of their only alcoholic drink package is $88.44 per person, per day, regardless of the sailing’s length. Previously, the drink package on sailings six nights or longer was $76.64 per night when purchased on board, meaning the increase leads those on 7-night cruises to pay about $82.60 more.
The changes affect passengers sailing with Norwegian, MSC, and Carnival, with some cruisers likely to pay an additional $80 or more for drink packages on a 7-night cruise in 2025. That’s not a small adjustment. That’s the cost of a shore excursion.
The Math Simply Does Not Add Up for Moderate Drinkers
Here’s the thing – drink packages are only a good deal if you drink a lot. And honestly, most people don’t drink nearly as much as the packages require to break even. Light or moderate drinkers often find they’re paying for far more than they actually consume. If you’re not knocking back ten or more drinks a day, it’s hard to break even on the cost. This reality check is hitting home for a growing segment of cruisers who are doing the arithmetic before boarding rather than after.
In most cases, if you are going to drink more than five cocktails or glasses of wine per day, then buying the package probably makes sense, considering that each drink can cost $14. Think about that for a moment – five cocktails a day, every single day of a week-long cruise. That’s a serious commitment, and for most families or health-conscious travelers, it simply isn’t realistic.
Pricey drink packages aren’t always worth the investment. For example, if you can’t envision drinking six or more cocktails daily, you likely won’t get your money’s worth. The bottom line is that the packages were built for heavy drinkers, and the cruise industry has been slow to acknowledge that not everyone fits that profile.
The “Everyone Must Buy” Rule Is Pushing Couples Away
One of the most frustrating rules tied to cruise drink packages is the blanket requirement that if one adult in a cabin buys the package, everyone else must too. Cruise lines require all adults in the cabin to buy the package if one adult does. If sailing with a kid, they will have to get a non-alcoholic package. This is likely to limit sharing from one person buying the offer and then passing drinks to others.
If someone adds a friend to their cabin, a $265 Cheers! Beverage package becomes $530. If there are three adults in a cabin, it becomes $795. Even if one person drinks enough to get the value out of the program, their cabin mates, who are forced into purchasing it, may not extract the same level of value.
For couples where only one person drinks, this policy has long been a frustration. Royal Caribbean previously granted exemptions to that rule for people who can’t or don’t drink when proof was provided, allowing them to downgrade to a less expensive beverage package. The line then eliminated those exemptions, meaning the rule now applies regardless of the reason for abstinence, including being pregnant, in recovery, or on medication that can’t be mixed with alcohol. That’s a hard policy to defend.
Daily Drink Caps Are Quietly Changing the Deal
On top of higher prices, several cruise lines have now introduced strict daily caps on how many alcoholic beverages package holders can actually consume. MSC Cruises standardized consumption limits, placing a 15-alcoholic-drinks daily cap across its packages effective April 1, 2025, while retaining unlimited nonalcoholic beverages. That sounds like plenty – until you factor in port days when you’re off the ship for hours.
Some cruise lines have unlimited drink packages, while others implement a 15-drink daily cap. Packages neutralize sea-day spending, but their value drops if your itinerary is island-heavy and your line excludes private-island purchases. So if you have a port-heavy itinerary, you’re essentially paying full package price for half the days you’d actually use it.
Royal Caribbean’s all-adults requirement, MSC’s 15-drink cap, and NCL’s Great Stirrup Cay exclusion can swing the math by $20 to $60 per person per day. That’s the kind of detail buried in the fine print that many first-time package buyers only discover once they’re already on board.
MSC Eliminated Its Budget-Friendly Package Options
For passengers who previously relied on cheaper entry-level packages to get some value without going all-in, the options have dried up. Historically, guests sailing with MSC could select the Easy, Easy Plus, or Premium Drink Package. Effective December 18, 2024, the only alcoholic package available on sailings departing on or after April 1, 2025, is the Premium Extra Package, which eliminates the cheaper packages.
For a July 2025 cruise aboard MSC World America, the Premium Extra Package costs $70 per day per person, totaling $490 for the 7-night cruise. The price includes the mandatory service charge. That’s a significant jump for passengers who previously managed their costs with more flexible tiered pricing.
I think this is one of the most underreported shifts in the cruise industry right now. Eliminating affordable entry-level packages forces passengers into an all-or-nothing decision. Taken together, these changes are making packages a harder sell with every announcement. Some passengers will simply choose nothing at all.
Loyalty Program Perks Are Making Packages Redundant
For repeat cruisers who have spent years sailing the same line, the free drinks that come with loyalty status are quietly making paid packages feel unnecessary. Diamond members in Crown and Anchor Society get four free drinks per day, every day of the cruise. They can be used at any bar, restaurant or lounge, and it’s good for any drink up to $14 in value. Diamond Plus members get five drinks per day and Pinnacle Club members get six.
Considering that cocktails cost around $14 each, that perk alone saves Diamond members $56 per day if used on cocktails, rather than beer, wine, or soda. Over a seven-night cruise, that’s nearly $400 in savings per person. Unlike beverage packages, the loyalty drink vouchers are shareable, making them an even more flexible option.
Even if every free drink voucher gets used, a Diamond member could still pay for a few extra drinks out of pocket and come out ahead compared to buying a drink package. On port-intensive itineraries like Alaska or Europe, many seasoned travelers skip the drink package entirely and rely on the Crown and Anchor drink benefit. It’s a smarter play, and more people are catching on.
The Sober-Curious Movement Is Reshaping Who Cruises
Something bigger than just price concerns is happening here. There’s a genuine cultural shift taking place around alcohol consumption, and it’s showing up on cruise ships. The sober-curious movement is growing, and cruise lines are responding. Sober cruises are often organized by vendors specializing in them and are available on various major cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean, Holland America, and Princess Cruises.
Buoyed by wellness-focused Gen Z, teetotaling is on the rise around the world. A recent study by Expedia showed that roughly two in five Americans are looking to book a detox trip soon, while another survey reported that about a third are trying to drink less. Paying $100 a day for alcohol they have no intention of drinking is, for this growing group, a complete non-starter.
Carnival Cruise Line introduced Cheers! Zero Proof in September 2025, a comprehensive nonalcoholic package that bundles mocktails, alcohol-free beer and sparkling wine, premium coffees and teas, juices, water, milkshakes, and energy drinks. Carnival framed the move as a response to growing demand for alcohol-free choices. That demand is no longer niche. It’s mainstream.
Smarter Alternatives Are Winning Over Budget-Conscious Cruisers
Skipping the package doesn’t mean going thirsty. A growing number of savvy cruisers are finding that buying drinks individually, especially on port-heavy itineraries, works out considerably cheaper. With packages feeling less like value and more like obligation, many cruisers are turning to practical workarounds. Instead of paying a hefty upfront cost, many passengers stick to buying individual drinks, which works especially well for those who only want a few drinks a day.
Pre-cruise package sales often offer 20 to 40 percent discounts on drink packages. Loyalty perks are also proving valuable for repeat cruisers. Guests with Diamond status in the Crown and Anchor Society receive four free drinks per day, which can quickly add up over the course of a cruise. That’s a meaningful alternative for anyone who’s been sailing consistently.
A golden rule for budgeting a cruise vacation is to book drink packages in advance. Almost universally, cruise lines offer significant savings of sometimes as much as 10 to 40 percent if you purchase through their website before boarding. For those who do still want a package, timing the purchase right remains one of the best ways to get value from it.
The Cruise Industry Is Finally Adapting to Changing Demand
It’s hard to say for sure how far this shift will go, but one thing is clear: cruise lines can no longer assume every passenger wants or needs an unlimited alcohol package. The industry is adjusting, albeit slowly. Cruise drink packages are morphing across the industry, with new nonalcoholic bundles, stricter terms, and perk trade-offs that make the decision less of a splurge and more of a calculation.
Oceania Cruises added choice to its “Your World Included” promise in September 2025. New bookings can pick one of two amenities: either complimentary wine and beer by the glass during lunch and dinner hours, or a shore excursion credit of up to $600 per guest. That kind of flexibility is exactly what modern travelers are asking for.
Passengers are increasingly treating drink packages as optional luxury items rather than default cruise expenses, and they’re making it work. The era of the automatic add-on is fading fast, and cruise lines that don’t evolve their pricing models may find even more passengers opting out. Cruise drink packages still solve a real traveler need, but the best choice now hinges on itinerary, island days, and drinking style, including whether daily caps or all-adult rules apply.
So the next time you’re booking a cruise, it’s worth asking yourself: am I buying this package because it genuinely adds value for me, or because it’s just what you do? The passengers skipping it in 2026 seem to have a pretty clear answer. What would yours be?