Royal Caribbean is one of the biggest cruise companies globally, with 16 ships that can hold almost 30,000 passengers. They have trips to over 150 different places.

The Royal Caribbean, as one of the largest cruise companies in the world, offers travelers an array of exciting experiences. Among the many services they provide, their drink packages have gained considerable attention.

If you haven’t heard about it before, Royal Caribbean offers drink packages for a set daily price on all their ships. These packages let guests plan their spending on drinks ahead of time and might even help them save money.

With these plans, you can have as many drinks as you want at any bar or restaurant on their ships. In this guide, we’ll explore Royal Caribbean’s renowned drink packages, helping you make the most of your cruise experience

Royal Caribbean offers drink packages that allow you to have unlimited drinks for a daily cost. While having all-inclusive drinks on your cruise can be great, it might not be the best deal for everyone.

Royal Caribbean has five different drink packages to pick from, and they can be quite tricky to understand!” On your Royal Caribbean cruise, you can get a special package for drinks. This package helps you save money when you want to enjoy your favorite drinks.

It includes things like Coca-Cola, wine, fancy cocktails, different types of beer, fruit juices, and water. You can buy this package when you’re on the ship or before your trip.

You can use it at most bars and restaurants on the ship, like the Windjammer Café and Main Dining Room. But it doesn’t work for room service or the minibar. You can find more info about it in the Beverage section or on Cruise Planner if you’ve already booked your cruise.

You can get these drink packages on all Royal Caribbean cruises, but sometimes, they might not be available on some trips.

When you’re on the ship, you can buy these packages as long as there are at least 4 days left in your trip. You have to buy it for the whole cruise, not just part of it.

If you want an alcohol package, everyone in the same room who’s old enough to drink must get it. Other drink packages are just for one person and can’t be shared.

There’s also a Water Package for people sailing with Royal Caribbean. You can get discounted water in different amounts, like 6, 12, or 24 bottles. They’ll bring it to your room when you want it.

If you like soda, you can get a fountain soda package. This lets you get as many refills as you want at most places on the ship. You also get a special Coca-Cola cup. The price depends on how many days you’re on the cruise.

It’s about $8 per day on average, plus a tip. If you lose the special cup, you can buy a new one for $9.95. The Coca-Cola machines need this cup to work. But you can’t use the special cup for other drinks.

Once you’re on the cruise, your drink package starts working.”

However, finding out the drink package cost today might not be so useful because it could change tomorrow.

However, if you’re unsure about booking it, I understand why you’d want to know.

There are a few ways to check the price of the Deluxe Beverage Package without actually booking it.

1 – Start Your Online Booking: You can kickstart your cruise booking online. I read on the Royal Caribbean blog that when you book online, there’s a step in the process where they ask if you want to add a drink package to your order.

This should show you the current prices for the drink packages. But, at times at different locations, it may not find it. It’s possible they stopped doing it, or it might not work for everyone.

2- Check Out the Cruise Planner Secret: The Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner is where you can see extra things you can add to your cruise after booking, like drink packages.

You may find a forum post that explains how to see drink package prices even if you haven’t made a booking yet. Just make sure you’re not logged in (use Incognito mode) and change the web address (URL) to match the ship and date you’re interested in.

For example, you can use a URL like this: [https://www.royalcaribbean.com/account/cruiseplanner?bookingId=&shipCode=IC&sailDate=20240127]

(the last digits of the URL, 20240127 is actually a date, and you may change it to 20240220 if you are looking for a travel date of around 20 February 2024) the digit to check the drink package price for the maiden voyage of Icon of the Seas.

3 – Consult Your Travel Agent: Travel agents have access to more information than we do, including the current drink package prices. A good travel agent can log into their system and find the price for you.

4 – Join the Cruise’s Facebook Group: Many cruises have their own Facebook groups. If you join one, you can ask other people in the group what they paid for their drink packages. This will give you an idea of not only today’s price but what it has been in the past.

Before we get into what each package includes, it’s important to know that Royal Caribbean’s drink packages don’t cover mini-bar items, bottles of wine, canned sodas, bottled juices, souvenir glasses, or super fancy drinks. But here’s what they do cover…

Deluxe Beverage Package

Royal Caribbean’s alcohol drinks package includes:

• Beer
• Wine by the glass
• Cocktails and mocktails
• Spirits and liquors
• Premium teas and coffees
• Sodas and soft drinks
• Freshly-squeezed juices
• Bottled water

Refreshment Package

Royal Caribbean’s non-alcoholic drinks package includes:

• Non-alcoholic cocktails (mocktails)
• Premium teas and coffees
• Sodas and soft drinks
• Freshly-squeezed juices
• Bottled water

Classic Soda Package

Royal Caribbean’s soda package includes:

• Coca-Cola (including diet, zero, caffeine-free, and many different flavors of colas like strawberry, cherry, and lime)
• Fanta, Sprite, and Dr Pepper (and zero versions)
• Powerade (and zero version), Vitamin water, and Hi-C
• Seagrams ginger ale (and diet version)
• Barry’s root beer and creme soda (and diet versions)
• Minute Maid orange and lemonade (and light versions)
• Dasani-flavoured or sparkling waters

Each of these deals includes a special cup that you can fill up as much as you like from the self-serve machines on the ship. But, if you’d rather not use it, you can still get fountain sodas from bars and restaurants.

Royal Caribbean Coffee Deal!

If you’re a big coffee drinker, Royal Caribbean has something for you called the Cafe Select Coffee Card. It costs $31 and lets you have 15 special coffee drinks during your cruise. This makes each coffee cost about $2 instead of the usual $4.

But before you decide to get the Coffee Card, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. You can’t use the Coffee Card in Starbucks cafes on Royal Caribbean ships.
2. If you order bigger sizes like Grande or Venti, it will count as two drinks on the card.
3. You can share the card with others and get multiple drinks at once.
4. Regular brewed coffee is always free at the Windjammer buffet.
5. The fancy coffee drinks are already part of both the Deluxe and Refreshment drink packages.

Royal Caribbean Water Package

On Royal Caribbean cruises, the tap water is safe to drink, though it might not always be very cold, depending on the weather. If you like having bottled water in your room, you can order 12 or 24 bottles to be delivered to your stateroom for $39.

Before you decide to get the water package, you’ll want to know a few things:

1. The water package can’t be used in Royal Caribbean’s Starbucks cafes.
2. If you get bigger sizes, like Grande or Venti, it counts as two drinks.
3. You can share the water package and buy multiple drinks at the same time.
4. Regular brewed coffee is always free at the Windjammer buffet.
5. Special coffee is already included in the Deluxe and Refreshment drink packages.

Royal Caribbean Drink Package Promotion 2023

Here’s good news for you!! Royal Caribbean gives a discount when you pre-book your drinks package on the cruise planner before you sail. The discount can be up to 30% during promotional periods.

If you buy it early and later see a lower price due to a promotion, you can cancel and re-purchase at the lower rate. This can save you money if you keep an eye on the prices.

Things to Remember about Royal Caribbean Drink Packages

1. You can’t share a drink package, and if caught, it might be canceled without a refund.
2. Every adult in your cabin must have the same package for each day of the cruise.
3. There are some exceptions based on medical conditions, pregnancy, alcohol addiction, or religion.
4. Kids don’t need to buy a drinks package.
5. There’s no limit to how many drinks you can have, but if you seem too drunk, they won’t serve you more.
6. Not all drinks are included in the Deluxe Beverage Package.
7. Drinks from robot bartenders are included.
8. The drink packages work on private islands too.
9. Drink package prices include tips.
10. The value often comes from relaxation.
11. Royal Caribbean doesn’t offer free drinks packages, but you might get drinks included with certain cruise deals. Many drinks are free during your Royal Caribbean cruise, like at the Captain’s Toast, liquor tastings, and special events for loyal guests.

12. Diamond Members Enjoy Free Drinks: If you spend a lot of nights on Royal Caribbean ships, you can become a Diamond member through their Crown & Anchor Society. After 80 points (equal to 80 nights at sea), you become a Diamond member and get four free drinks per person each day, making a drink package less necessary.
13. Drinking Age Varies: The minimum drinking age on Royal Caribbean cruises is 21 for trips starting in North America and 18 for those starting elsewhere. If you have a birthday during the cruise, ask Guest Services to update your record so you can drink alcohol after your birthday.

Considering Your Cruise:

• Sea Days vs. Port Days: Think about how much time you’ll spend on the ship. If you’re exploring ports most days, a drink package might be less valuable since you won’t have as much time on board. It’s especially worth it on cruises with many sea days, like transatlantic voyages.
• Who You’re Cruising With: If you’re with a partner who doesn’t drink, it might not be worth getting a drink package. But if you’re with friends who enjoy a good party, a drink package can be a great idea to try all the cocktails!

How to Buy and Save on Drink Packages:

• Two Ways to Buy: You can purchase a Royal Caribbean drink package online at least 72 hours before your cruise using the Cruise Planner. Alternatively, you can buy it onboard by asking at any bar.
• Saving Money Tips: The best way to save on your drink package is to buy it a few days after booking and regularly check the Cruise Planner for price drops. If you see a lower price, cancel and re-purchase it to get a better deal.

Cancellation Information:

• Canceling Online: You can cancel your drink package online through the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner up to two days before your cruise and get a full refund.
• Onboard Cancellation: If you need to cancel after that, do it when you first get on the ship, but not later.

Wine Package Info:

• No Wine Package: Royal Caribbean doesn’t offer a wine package anymore. In the past, you could buy multiple bottles at a discount, but this option is no longer available.

Conclusion:

For all the travel lovers looking forward to a voyage on a Royal Caribbean cruise, also check out this ultimate drink package guide.

Planning for a dream vacation sounds exciting whereas picking the right drink package in a long journey over water is a big part of it.

To make it easy for you, above are the details of perks, and potential savings of Royal Caribbean’s drink packages so you can make smart decisions. Remember, planning ahead is the key to a great cruise.

Do look out for promotions, track prices, and use discounts by pre-booking through the Cruise Planner. In the world of Royal Caribbean, where sea days and port adventures await, each sip becomes a part of the journey.

Do look into Diamond member privileges, age restrictions, and who you’re cruising with when choosing your drink package. Be a smart traveler – save money, choose your drinks wisely, and enjoy every moment of your vacation.