This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. It costs $49 per day when sailing in North America (pricing will rise to $51 per day in October). I suspect if the system shows 30-35 drinks per person per day (for example) they may also take a closer look Ginnie, Did you ever max out the limit on your Carnival cruise? Norwegian Non-Alcoholic Drinks and their specialty coffees. Further, most drink packages have a price limit for drinks. Be sure to check the fine print in your particular line's drinks package before placing an order for a drink to your room. I know Carnival has the Party reputation and I have never gone on Carnival, but I surely would. You must purchase a Norwegian drink package for the entire length of the cruise. All you are paying for each time is 18% of the cost the drink. Here are some reasons why a beverage package might be a good idea: If you are new to cruising, you may think that the cruise ships food and drinks are all-inclusive. 15 $ limit is nice for a free at sea. Norwegian recently updated its beverage package selection and added a new package option. Category Bottled Water (1 liter) Price $5.00 Total 0 Costs $0.00. By continuing to browse the site you agree to our use of cookies. Theres a limit of 15 alcoholic drinks per person in a 24-hour period. There's no daily limit to the number of drinks you can order on Norwegian Cruise Line. For one flat fee, these cruise ship drink packages offer cruisers the ability to make their cruise more inclusive. Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. You'll notice it doesn't mention a daily limit. Cost per day: $59.99, including an 18% gratuity charge. If you decide to purchase a drink package on your cruise, you will have to purchase it for every day of the vacation. The My Drinks package is included in the All Inclusive Rate and includes soft drinks, Draught Heineken, classic cocktails, soda, liquors, and spirits. All the major mass-market cruise lines offer flat-fee drinks packages that, in some cases, can save you money when cruising. Does it include everything that was in the previous package? Here's what you get: Select, premium cocktails & spirits under $15 USD (such as Patron Silver, Grey Goose and more) A variety of beer and wine by the glass under $15 USD 20% off all bottles of champagne and wine Dont make the mistake of thinking beverage packages are only for alcoholic drinks. The drinks package included in Princess Plus is now called Plus Beverage Package. Several of the biggest cruise lines, including Carnival, Holland America and MSC Cruises, have a rule that if one adult in a cabin orders a drinks package, all adults in the cabin must order the package. All major cruise lines will let you buy drinks on an a la carte basis when cruising. The only limit is your own personal weakness and self doubt about having just one more beverage. They haven't updated it to say value up to $2048. If you like a glass of fresh juice with your breakfast or a can of pop at lunchtime, you may benefit from buying the beverage packages. The package also brings a 25% discount on wine bottle purchases. The line's new Premium-Plus package is the "top beverage offering" of Norwegian and is designed for passengers who love top-shelf liquors. If we had purchased the Norwegian Cruise Line Premium Drink Package out of pocket, it would have cost us $1663.20 total. On port intensive cruises, like the Mediterranean, you might find yourself spending long days ashore. Drink packages that don't include alcoholic drinks, such as soda packages, typically cost far less. I figured Carnival might put the limit so you don't buy a ton of drinks for friends who are not on the package. Most individual drink prices covered by the beverage package vary between $5 to $15 per day. BTW, if you are on Breakaway class ship, the outdoor venues are a lot of fun. And again, thats if you are drinking the more expensive drinks and cocktails. Outside of the current welcome bonus, youre only earning higher rewards on specific airfare and hotel purchases, so its not a great card for other spending categories. CHEERS! Home / Cruise Tips / Is the Drink Package Worth it on a Cruise? But hurry, this limited-time offer won't last long. Drop us an anchor below with your analysis of this beverage program. Also for a limited time only, get up to 300 per person Airfare Credit on select Cruises. No actually it is what the UBP would cost for 16 days for two people (at the previous rate of $59/day). Enrollment required. This gratuity is added to the total cruise fare at the time of booking. It costs $54.95 per day. Infectious disease COVID and norovirus outbreaks are common on cruise ships. What it includes: Beer, wine by the glass, mixed drinks, specialty cocktails, soda, juices, nonalcoholic cocktails, energy drinks, smoothies, milkshakes, specialty coffees, teas and bottled water. At least it IS better than Holland America, where any drink over $11 is excluded, and you get zero discount from the drink package. The package also brings a 20% discount on wine bottle purchases for bottles priced up to $100. When requesting sparkling water, I was offered tonic water or club soda. Soda, specialty coffees and other nonalcoholic beverages already are included in the fare on Windstar sailings. Passengers can receive the Premium Beverage Package for free through Norwegian's Free at Sea promotion. The package does NOT work at Harvest Caye. Children are charged for a less expensive, nonalcoholic package. Breeze through security with CLEAR lanes available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your membership when you use your Card. Some factors to consider are the price of the drink plan, your drinking habits, your cabinmates drinking habits, the cost of individual drinks, and what drinks the cruise fare includes. I enjoy an cocktail before dinner and good wine with, but withotu knowing what the extra cost might be, I have no way of knowing if the $40/day service charge would be worth it for one. Carnival also has a time limit between drinks. The price limit of $20 per drink is the highest among cruise lines. Learn More Free Excursions Save $50 per Shore Excursion, Per Stateroom with Shore Excursion Credits. See what a point or mile is worth with our appraisals of a loyalty programs currency, based on redemption values. A relatively newer offering, the Premium Plus beverage package is the most all-inclusive option of the NCL drink packages. Powered by Invision Community. Visit our, The drink package promotion applies to the first two guests in the cabin. Please note: We are looking at packages that include both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Obviously, you should be safe and drink responsibly! Premium Beverage Package - Starting at the hefty price of $99 per day (plus 20% service charge), Norwegian 's Premium Beverage Package includes any wines, beers or cocktails priced at $15 or less per glass. Have another, we won't tell.*. As with the other cruise lines on the list, you will usually get a better deal if you purchase the drink package before you set sail rather than on the ship. drink package is one of the most inclusive packages on our list. Through the promotion, guests can receive a free beverage package. Carnival has a 15-drink limit on alcoholic beverages purchased between 6 am, and 6 am. Packages do not include drinks from in-room minibars or ordered through room service. If one adult in a cabin purchases the package, all adults in the same cabin also must purchase it. So, comparing $13.80 daily to $9.54 daily, the full-priced Adult Soda Package is $4.26 per day. Though, given that many non-alcoholic drinks, like bottled water and specialty coffee, are not included in this package, it wouldnt make sense for us to purchase it out of pocket. All NCL drink packages are priced as per person, per day. Sometimes it's worth a large investment to reap the benefits of a great credit card. In those instances, a parent or legal guardian must be onboard the sailing with the minor and sign a waiver form at the front desk. When doing the calculations, dont forget to factor in port days. While you might be able to consume enough drinks on sea days to make the package worth the price, youll have to consider the days that you will spend in port. Unfortunately, Norwegians Harvest Caye, Carnivals Half Moon Cay, and Princess Cays dont allow the use of your drink package in port. Unlike drink packages on many other cruise lines, Norwegian's Free Open Bar doesn't include specialty coffees or bottled water. The Norwegian beverage package is an excellent value for those who want to enjoy a lot of drinks for a low price. The exclusions list will vary among cruise lines but typically doesnt include mini bar purchases, room service, bottles of wine or liquor, pitchers, buckets, sharable drinks, or drinks served in a souvenir cup. This equates to $831.60 per person for a 7-day cruise (including 20% service charge).Analysis of the Norwegian Cruise Line Drink Package. This is a significant consideration for whether the beverage package is worth it. The limit is on the price of $15/drink, not on how many drinks one can have. A 20% service charge is added to your purchase at checkout. *Based on a 7-night cruise, balcony & above. Norwegian has no daily limit on the amount of alcohol in its drink packages. The Premium Beverage Package covers nearly every onboard drink up to $15 per drink, while the Premium Plus Beverage Package covers all drinks served by the glass, with no limit on the drink price. It depends. Includes: Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Sierra Mist, Mt. If you prefer to order a bottle of wine at dinner or want to choose from a selection of high-end wine, they arent included in your drink package. And if you wait until the second day, you will still be paying for the first two days of sailing, even though you didnt use the package. I got the drink package as a perk, for me it will be worth it as I do like to drink well on vacation. Typical drinks are much less than that. There are also a number of other restrictions to bear in mind before diving in and booking that booze-inclusive package. I usually upgrade my package on Celebrity because I want all the free sparkling water and Celebrity has a great coffee bar. Does the Drink Package Include Gratuities? Learn more. In retrospect, one possible way to address that would be to bring our own, Another option would be to decline the free package altogether (or make a different choice if there were other options available), and pay for the package that makes sense. The alternate package is the "Premium Plus Beverage Package." Priced at $138 per day, this is Norwegian's most expensive and highest-end package. Package name: Captains Exclusive Beverage Package. Further, this package includes unlimited fountain soda and juices at all bars, lounges, restaurants, and Great Stirrup Cay. Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. Amazing, Funny & Totally Awesome Cruise Photos, Click here to reload the page in order to enable certain features, Policy regarding COVID related Discussions, C858B0A9-6769-424D-B129-59363EDAC023.jpeg, B5073042-BF8A-4EEC-BD19-0938D8732763.jpeg. In fact, we would have actually lost $685.20 compared to just paying out of pocket for all our alcoholic beverages. In cases where a line offers more than one drinks package, weve highlighted the most inclusive package in detail while also noting other packages cruisers can consider. The Adult Soda Package is $7.95 per day plus gratuity of $1.59 for a total of $9.54 per day. They do have a limit of two drinks per person per order, which is helpful to know when there's a long line at the pool bar. Find all the details you need here regarding Norwegian Cruise Line's alcohol policy: The drinking age on NCL's ships is 21 for most itineraries; it's 18 for sailings that operate round trip from European or Australian ports (though for beer and wine only). Knowing the total cost of the cruise vacation before you set sail is a smart budgeting trick so that you wont be surprised when you receive the bill at the end of your sailing. Share. Rules vary among cruise lines, but generally, if one adult purchases the drink package, all adults sharing the cabin must also purchase the same beverage plan. Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. In this post, we complete an analysis to answer the question, Is the Norwegian Cruise Line Drink Package Worth It?. The drink value can be up to and including $15 USD. No sharing is permitted and is non-transferable. The package has limited options compared to the Premium package and only covers drinks served by the glass, up to $9 per drink. Free Unlimited Open Bar Save up to $1,400 on all the spirits and cocktails, wines, draft beer, juice and soda Learn More Free Specialty Dining Save up to $180 and savor free meals at our Specialty Dining venues. don't-use-real-name 6.1k February 4, 2010 Bloomington MN USA #7 Posted July 4, 2019 There is no. But, that turned out not to be the case. This is also the package that guests receive as part of the Free at Sea promotion. In simple terms, you can get almost anything on the ship that's priced less than $15 per glass. Do You Have to Purchase the Drink Package for the Entire Cruise? Check your cruise itinerary to see if you are visiting any private islands or resorts. Discover 9 Top Cruise Accessories Youll Absolutely Love + 5 More For Kids! When calculating, dont forget to factor in port days, where you wont be on the cruise ship for the whole day. The package also brings a 30% discount on wine bottle purchases for bottles costing up to $100. You still have to pay the 18% gratuities on the list price of the drink package in advance. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); I bought a drink package on RCCL, three years ago for around $400.. If you plan to spend the day in port, you wont be consuming as many beverages as you would on sea days. Packages do not include drinks from in-room minibars or those ordered through room service. Depending on your ports of call and number of sea days, as well as your hours ashore, you may receive better savings (or less) on your voyage. The Premium beverage package is currently priced at $99 per person, per day. The maximum beverage price covered by the package is $15. Your Cabin Mate Has Different Drinking Habits Than You. (Enrollment required for select benefits.). The cruise was 14 days and the package was called their Silver Spirts package. These additional inclusions are freshly squeezed juice, bottled water (flat and sparkling), energy drinks, non-alcoholic beer, wine dispensers, and specialty coffee. If you purchase a drink that costs more than the limit, most cruise lines will only have you pay the difference and the gratuity on the difference. CC Help Jenn You cant purchase the drink package for individual days or portions of the cruise. NCL has no drink limit per day with the drink package, whether purchased or as a perk. Yes! Norwegian Cruise Line Drops a Drink Package Norwegian charges the most for its drink packages and those prices have actually recently gone up. Note: Final prices will add a 20% gratuity to the cost of the package. 2-IN-1 LID; Our unique 2-in-1 lid allows you to sip your drinks with the flip up Sip lid, and drink your cold drinks with the Integrated Straw lid, We took your two favorite ways of drinking, and built them into one awesome lid. Cruise ship drink packages cover sodas, juice, and non-alcoholic beverages. Note that some cruise lines discount drinks packages if you buy them online in advance of sailing, and some lines offer periodic sales on their drinks packages online. A: If a guest wishes to upgrade to the Prestige Select package which includes unlimited premium spirits, champagne, wine and beer, they may do so once on board for an additional charge of $20 per person per day. It adds up and allows us to cruise more. There is no limit to the number of bottles passengers can bring onboard. $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card. Absolutely not! A meager time, for sure, but regardless, NCL doesn't have a stated policy. Hawaii-based Pride of America has a single drinks package that costs $99 per day (effective Jan. 1, 2023, prices will increase to $109). Explore more of the shore with $50 USD Discount Per Port Shore Excursions. As part of Celebritys Always Included fare, passengers receive the Classic Package with the standard cruise fare. Norwegian Cruise Line Bahamas Cruise Deals. Purchasing alcohol in ships' duty-free shop(s): Any alcohol purchased in the onboard shops will be stored until the cruise's conclusion. By Ginnie6, January 1, 2016 in Norwegian Cruise Line. Started August 27, 2021, By Planning a cruise? Our opinions are our own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by our advertising partners. If anyone on our team wouldnt recommend it to a friend or a family member, we wouldnt recommend it on The Points Guy either. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. With the My Drinks Plus package, guests receive premium cocktails, mini bar purchases, prestigious liquor brands, and bottled Corona and Becks. We may receive compensation when you click on those links at no cost to you. Trust us; you dont want to spend all that money on a beverage package to have it taken away. Norwegian offers guests the option pre-order water and have it delivered to their cabin. For a line-by-line guide to drinks package costs, inclusions, limitations and fine print, scroll to the second half of the guide. I would buy it again if I went again. Related Post: Best Cruise Lines for Families. This is to prevent two or more people in a cabin from sharing a single drinks package. :D. You might take a minute to review the terms of the UBP before you sail. Guide to Norwegian Cruise Lines Specialty Dining Package, Everything You Should Book Before Your Cruise, should buy a beverage package on a cruise, easy to go overboard if you are just trying to get your moneys worth, Celebrity Edge Will Be the First Cruise Ship to Sail from the U.S. in June. $12 for a drink made with leftover banana peels? Bring the whole family and pay only taxes for 3rd and 4th guests on select cruises. Exclusive: Norwegian Cruise Line Free at Sea Deals. If so, you may be able to use your beverage package off of the ship. as long as the regular drink package is offered as the free at sea promotion,i find that this is sufficient for my wife and myself, by nature she is not a big drinker (although neither am I) but we will have a glass of champagne or mimosa at breakast and she will join me in a mojito during the afternoon. With the high price of the package and price restrictions on included beverages, youll need to purchase 6-8 alcoholic beverages every day to break even. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Home Cruise Norwegian Cruise Line Is the Norwegian Cruise Line Drink Package Worth It? Luckily, the cruise line runs the Free at Sea promotion so frequently that we dont really ever have to worry about this scenario. If your favorite tipple is a more expensive premium single malt Scotch, you will have to pay the difference in price. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If your second passenger is under 21 and only receiving a Soda Package, then you'll be charged $11.13 for that package. Further, there are several other factors you should keep in mind when determining if you should buy a beverage package on a cruise. The Plus package is included when passengers book suite accommodations. Purchasing alcohol in port: Same rules as above apply for wine and Champagne; all other alcohol will be retained until the end of the cruise. Take your tastebuds on a trip with free meals at our Speciality Dining venues. At checkout, you will be charged gratuities on the drink package, usually between 15-20%. These are: Premium Beverage Package (AKA Open Bar) - $99 per day Premium Plus Beverage Package - $128 per day Corks & Caps Wine and Beer Package - $65 per day Adult & Teen Soda Program - $7.95 per day Hawaii Beverage Packag e - $99 per day It also includes fountain soda, juice, and non-alcoholic beer. When you choose the UDP, the 18 percent of the cost of the package is added to the cost of the cruise. With Norwegian's Premium Plus Beverage Package, you'll get all the drinks included in the Premium Package, plus premium brand liqueurs and spirits, and wines by the glass. Although most cruise lines dont have a specified drink limit, bartenders will cut you off from ordering more drinks if youre intoxicated. As a bonus, guests can take advantage of the Princess Cruises Princess Plus fare, which includes the Premier Beverage Package, unlimited WiFi for one device, and daily gratuities. BIGGER & BETTER NEW HUGE 40oz BEAST has arrived! So, for a 7 day cruise, you will be assessed a charge of $124.60 for each adult beverage package. Fine print: Theres a limit of 15 alcoholic drinks per day. This means less time on the ship to take advantage of that drink package. The even less pricey Easy package only includes a limited number of drinks and is not valid in extra-charge specialty restaurants. Ultimately, you need to know your own drinking habits (and your cabin mates). Cost per day: $84, not including a 20% automatic gratuity charge, for passengers who have purchased a cruise-only rate. Package name: Premium Drink Package. I've cruised with Carnival before and with their drink package, they have a 15 drink limit per day. First, guests must be at least 18 years old at the time of sailing to purchase this package. We took our first cruise vacation together 13 years ago and have been hooked ever since. Note: Final prices will add a gratuity to the cost of the package. Guests who are 21 or over will receive a, Adult alcoholic beverages generally incur charges in the $8 to $10 arrange. Limitations related to drink cost: Cannot be used for drinks priced over $20. While the $99 per person per day base charge will be waved, you'll still be paying the 20% gratuity and beverage service charge on the full retail price of the package. Is the drink package worth it on a cruise? is one of the most common questions we receive. Yes. Please explain how that works when one receives the UDP as a Freestyle Choice perk. But, there is one scenario where you may want to purchase a package even if you wont be saving money.