Like most cruise lines, Royal Caribbean offers a cruisers a few different drink packages. Depending on what you like to drink (and how much of it you plan on drinking) purchasing a drink package can save you quite a bit of money. In this post, we'll go over what drinks are included with your cruise fare, the three different drink package options and how to decide which is right for you!
What Beverages are Included with My Cruise Fare?
There are multiple beverage options that will be included with your base cruise fare. If you tend to stick to drinks included in this list there's no need for you to spend the extra money on a drink package!
Water: Tap water is served at no charge. I drink the water on board Royal Caribbean every cruise and have no complaints about the taste or quality. It is well-filtered and perfectly safe to drink. Bring your own water bottle from home and you can keep it full by using the drink dispensers found around the ship.
Flavored Water: At the buffet you will also find flavored water that is available to you free of charge. There's always at least two flavors available.
Lemonade: You will find lemonade in the buffet at the drink dispensers.
Coffee: You can get complementary coffee at multiple locations around the ship including the buffet, the main dining room, through room service and at other cafe's which vary by ship. Specialty coffees are not free - we'll go over those in a minute!
Tea: There are hot tea options in the buffet and the main dining room. Iced tea is also free and available in the buffet and the main dining room. Royal Caribbean does not serve sweet tea though.
Hot Chocolate: You can get hot chocolate packets in the buffet and you can also order it in the main dining room or through room service.
Milk: Milk is available free in the buffet. Half and Half is also available for coffee at no charge. You can request almond or soy milk if are lactose intolerant or just prefer those options. If you have a baby or toddler, you can request milk be delivered to your room by contacting room service.
Chocolate Milk: You'll often see single-serve Chocolate milk in the buffet. If it is not set out you can request it and they will bring it to you at no charge. You can also order chocolate milk in the main dining room.
Fruit Juice: You will find a variety of fruit juices in the buffet and these are free as well. Fresh squeezed and cold-pressed juices are not included though!
What Drink Packages Can I Choose From?
Royal Caribbean currently offers three different drink packages. You can see each package along with what it includes in the graphic I made below:
Deluxe Beverage Package
This is the best of the best when it comes to drink packages and it includes pretty much anything you'd want to order to drink. The price varies based on your sailing but generally runs between $56 - $110 per day, per person. This package is going to be a great deal for those who drink alcohol, but it also includes specialty coffees and teas, fresh juices, sodas, and bottled water. We created a simple calculator to help us decide if the drink package is worth the price per day, as you can see below:
Click here if you'd like a copy of this free calculator emailed to you!
Important Notes About the Deluxe Package
The deluxe drink package on Royal Caribbean does not include Evian water, mini bar items, or canned soda or juice.
The deluxe drink package does not include souvenir cups, however it will reduce the total price you'll pay by the amount of the drink. For example, if you buy a pina colada in a souvenir mug for $23.00, you won't pay the $14.00 for the pina colada since you have the drink package, you'll only pay the additional $9.00 for the glass.
Some Royal Caribbean ships now have Starbucks on board and the deluxe drink package does not work at Starbucks.
You will receive a 40% discount on bottles of wine up to $100 and a 20% discount on bottles of wine over $100 with this package.
If one guest over the age of 21 purchases the deluxe package, all guests in the stateroom must purchase the deluxe package per Royal Caribbean's website. We have heard from some cruisers that they have successfully been able to purchase a different drink package if the other person in their stateroom does not drink so if only one of you wants the package, your best bet is to give Royal Caribbean a call.
Very Important: If you purchase the deluxe drink package on Royal Caribbean you can not order drinks for anyone other than yourself. If you are caught getting drinks for others with your package, Royal Caribbean reserves the right to cancel your drink package without a refund or credit of anytime.
Drink packages often go on sale. Once you book your cruise you can log-in to the cruise planner on Royal Caribbean's website and to add items on to your cruise. The best sales are generally on Good Friday so if Good Friday falls before your cruise I'd highly recommend waiting to add your drink package. If not, you can add it as soon as you see a sale!
You can use this (and all other drink packages) at both of Royal Caribbean's private islands - Perfect Day at CocoCay and Labadee, Haiti so keep that in mind when deciding if it's worth it!
Royal Refreshment Package
If you don't drink alcoholic beverages but you'd like to have more options than what you will get free on the boat, the Royal Refreshment Package may be right for you. You will get all the same items as the deluxe drink package with the exception of alcoholic drinks, beer and wine. Mocktails are included so you can use the royal refreshment package to get virgin specialty drinks! On my upcoming cruise, the royal refreshment package is currently on sale for $33.99 per day. Since I love specialty coffees and bottled water, if I didn't drink alcohol this would probably be a good deal for me. While I like the water on the ship I always grab a few bottles of water to keep in my stateroom or to take off the ship with me so without a drink package I'd probably spend $12 - $15 a day just on bottled water!
Classic Soda Package
This one is popular with kids and cruisers who just really can not live without their soda every day! On my upcoming cruise, the soda package is currently on sale for just $9.99 a day. You'll get a Coca-Cola souvenir cup and as many fountain Coke products as you can drink every day. You can use this package at bars, lounges, restaurants, or while dining in the Windjammer Cafe and main dining room. You can also refill your souvenir cup at any of the soda stations on board the ship. With a Coke costing about $3.25 each if you drink even 3 a day this package will pay for itself! It can also be used at both Labadee, Haiti and Perfect Day at CocoCay.
While Royal Caribbean is hands down one of my favorite cruise lines, they do have A LOT of ships and each ship has different offerings and it can get confusing very quickly when you're trying an itinerary on a ship with all the things you just can't live without! We're here to help! Fill out this form or send us an email or call/text us at 800-368-3395 and we'll help you find the perfect ship for your next cruise. That's not all we do, we can also help you make your travel arrangements and even book dinner and show reservations for you and it doesn't cost you a single penny! Contact us today and learn more about how we can make your next cruise headache and hassle free!
If you are a do-it yourself kinds of person and want to search for your next cruise yourself, we highly recommend Cruise Direct for searching and booking cruises. You can learn more about why we recommend Cruise Direct in this blog post!
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