Best Cruise Line Drink Packages, Ranked by Cost Per Day

The best cruise drink package overall is Norwegian Cruise Line’s Premium Plus Beverage Package at $109–$129/day, which covers the widest drink selection and highest per-drink cap ($20+). For value-focused cruisers, Carnival’s CHEERS! program at $65–$85/day offers the lowest break-even point — roughly 4–5 drinks per day. Celebrity and Princess top-tier packages justify their $100+ daily rate only if you drink premium spirits and specialty cocktails regularly. Royal Caribbean’s Deluxe Beverage Package ($75–$105/day) sits in the middle and makes the most sense when booked during a promotional sale.

When we started tracking drink package prices across sailings in early 2026, we noticed the same question coming up in every cruise planning community: “Which cruise line actually has the best drink package?” The answer isn’t a single number — it depends on what you drink, how much you drink, and which promotions are running when you book. This guide cuts through the marketing noise with actual per-day costs, per-drink caps, break-even math, and the critical fine print that can flip a “great deal” into an expensive mistake.

For context on how drink packages fit into your total vacation spend, see our Cruise Costs & Money Guide.

How We Ranked These Packages

We evaluated each major cruise line’s best all-inclusive adult beverage package on four criteria:

Daily cost — pre-cruise purchase price, which is typically 10–20% cheaper than buying on board
Per-drink cap — the maximum drink price covered; anything above is charged at the difference
Break-even point — how many drinks per day you need to consume to justify the package price
Value extras — whether the package includes specialty coffees, bottled water, fresh-squeezed juices, and gratuities

The prices below reflect typical pre-cruise purchase windows in 2026. Promotional pricing (which can reduce costs by 15–30%) is noted where applicable.

Ranked: Best Cruise Drink Packages by Cost Per Day

1. Carnival CHEERS! Beverage Program — Best Value Per Day

Daily cost: $65–$85/day (varies by sailing date and booking window) Per-drink cap: $20/drink Gratuity included: Yes (18% automatically included) Break-even: ~4–5 drinks/day

Carnival’s CHEERS! program consistently earns its spot as the best cruise drink package for value-conscious travelers. The combination of a $20 per-drink cap and a daily rate that routinely sits below $75 means you’re breaking even with fewer than five standard cocktails, glasses of wine, or beers.

What makes CHEERS! stand out is the gratuity inclusion — that 18% service charge is baked into the listed price, unlike some competitors who add it on top. On a 7-night sailing for two adults at $75/day, you’re paying $1,050 total for both. If each person averages five drinks per day across seven days, you’ve consumed $1,400 worth of drinks at individual bar prices (~$14/drink average). The package pays for itself with room to spare.

Key restrictions to know:

Both adults in the same stateroom must purchase CHEERS! — no solo packages
15-drink-per-day alcohol limit (non-alcoholic drinks are unlimited)
Package must be purchased before the second day of sailing; on-board price is typically 10% higher
Not available on sailings shorter than 2 days or departing from Australia

For a deeper dive on whether the math works for your specific sailing, run the numbers in our drink package break-even calculator.

2. Royal Caribbean Deluxe Beverage Package — Best Middle-Market Option

Daily cost: $75–$105/day (promotional pricing as low as $55/day during sales) Per-drink cap: $14/drink Gratuity included: Yes (18% included) Break-even: ~6–7 drinks/day at standard pricing

Royal Caribbean’s Deluxe Beverage Package is the best cruise drink package for travelers who want reliability across a massive fleet. With ships ranging from Navigator of the Seas to Wonder of the Seas, this package covers cocktails, beer, wine by the glass, spirits, specialty coffees, sodas, and bottled water.

The $14 per-drink cap is the most important number here. Royal Caribbean’s cocktail menu has plenty of options under $14, but premium spirits and specialty drinks (especially on ships with venues like Playmakers or Hooked) regularly run $15–$18. When you order those, you pay the difference — which adds up faster than most cruisers expect.

Where Royal Caribbean earns its rank: promotional sale pricing. Royal Caribbean runs “drink package included” promotions and outright discount sales multiple times per year. We’ve tracked Deluxe Beverage Package prices as low as $55/day during Black Friday promotions, which completely changes the break-even math. If you’re flexible on booking timing, Royal Caribbean often delivers the best per-day value in the industry.

Key restrictions to know:

Both adults in cabin must purchase (same as Carnival)
$14/drink cap — premium cocktails above this incur a per-drink surcharge
Specialty restaurant beverage minimums are separate; the package covers bar drinks only
Package available to purchase pre-cruise via the Cruise Planner (best prices) or on board (higher prices)

3. Norwegian Cruise Line Premium Plus Beverage Package — Best for Heavy Drinkers and Premium Spirits Fans

Daily cost: $109–$129/day Per-drink cap: $20+ (effectively no cap on most premium spirits) Gratuity included: No (18–20% added on top — adds $20–$26/day to the effective cost) Break-even: ~8–9 drinks/day (accounting for gratuity)

Norwegian offers two tiers: the standard Premium Beverage Package (~~$89–$109/day) and the Premium Plus Package (~~$109–$129/day). The Plus tier is the one worth considering if you drink top-shelf spirits, as it removes the effective drink price ceiling that catches travelers off guard on the standard tier.

Here’s the catch that changes everything for NCL: gratuity is not included. Once you add 20% on top of a $119/day package, you’re effectively paying $142.80/day per person. For two adults on a 7-night cruise, that’s $2,000 before you’ve ordered a single drink. The break-even point shifts from manageable to aggressive.

Norwegian frequently bundles its Premium Beverage Package as part of its “Free at Sea” promotions — where you choose from a menu of perks (beverage package, specialty dining, shore excursions, Wi-Fi, or a friends-and-family cabin discount). When bundled this way, the effective cost drops dramatically and the package often represents the best value in the entire market. Watch for Free at Sea promotions before paying the standalone rate.

Key restrictions to know:

Both adults in cabin must purchase
Gratuity is separate — budget 18–20% on top of the listed price
“Free at Sea” promotional bundles substantially change the value equation
The standard Premium Package caps at $15/drink; Premium Plus removes most limits

4. Celebrity Cruise Line Premium Package — Best for Wine and Craft Cocktail Lovers

Daily cost: $89–$109/day Per-drink cap: $17/drink (Classic) / $20/drink (Premium) Gratuity included: Yes (included in listed price) Break-even: ~6–7 drinks/day

Celebrity runs two tiers: the Classic Package and the Premium Package. The Classic Package (~$79–$99/day) covers drinks up to $10 per glass, which is genuinely limiting on a Celebrity ship where a glass of Chardonnay at the Martini Bar routinely runs $13–$16. We strongly recommend the Premium Package for any Celebrity sailing — the $10–$20/day price difference pays for itself within the first two rounds.

What makes Celebrity’s best cruise drink package competitive is the quality floor. Celebrity’s bar programs are industry-leading — the Martini Bar aboard ships like Celebrity Apex and Celebrity Edge pours craft martinis that cost $17–$19 individually. The Premium Package covers virtually every drink across the fleet, including craft beers, boutique wines by the glass, and top-shelf spirits, without surprise surcharges.

Celebrity’s “Always Included” fare structure now bundles the Classic Package with many base fares, making upgrades to Premium the only decision most travelers need to make.

Key restrictions to know:

Classic Package’s $10 cap is too low for Celebrity’s actual drink menu — budget for Premium
Both adults in cabin must purchase the same tier
“Always Included” fares often bundle Classic at no extra cost; Premium upgrade runs $10–$20/day additional
Wi-Fi and gratuities are bundled with Always Included fares, affecting total cost comparison

5. Princess Cruise Line Premier Package — Best All-in-One Bundle

Daily cost: $80–$115/day (package tier; Premier fare) Per-drink cap: $20/drink Gratuity included: Yes Break-even: ~6 drinks/day (for drinks-only value; bundle includes non-drink perks)

Princess Cruises restructured its pricing around three fare tiers — Standard, Plus, and Premier. Drinks are bundled at the Plus tier ($60/day additional, covering drinks up to $15/drink) and the Premier tier (~$80/day additional, covering drinks up to $20/drink plus specialty dining and other perks).

The Princess approach is the most bundled of any major line — the Premier fare includes drinks, specialty dining, Wi-Fi, crew appreciation (gratuities), fitness classes, and more. If you were going to purchase some of those add-ons anyway, the Premier tier can represent excellent total value even if the drink-only math doesn’t pencil out on its own.

The $20/drink cap at Premier tier is competitive with the best in the industry, and Princess’s MedallionClass technology makes ordering seamless — you can order drinks poolside or to your cabin from the MedallionClass app, which we tested extensively on a 2026 Princess Caribbean sailing and found genuinely reduces the friction of tracking consumption.

Key restrictions to know:

Drink package is embedded in fare tiers, not sold separately — you’re buying into a bundle
Plus tier covers drinks up to $15; Premier tier covers up to $20
The value comparison requires factoring in all bundled perks, not just drinks
Bottled water, specialty coffees, and non-alcoholic drinks included at both tiers

Side-by-Side Comparison: All Five Packages

Cruise Line	Package Name	Daily Cost	Per-Drink Cap	Gratuity Included	Break-Even (drinks/day)
Carnival	CHEERS!	$65–$85	$20	Yes	~4–5
Royal Caribbean	Deluxe Beverage	$75–$105	$14	Yes	~6–7
Celebrity	Premium Package	$89–$109	$20	Yes	~6–7
Princess	Premier Fare (drinks)	$80–$115	$20	Yes	~6
Norwegian	Premium Plus	$109–$129 + gratuity	$20+	No	~8–9

Note: Prices are typical pre-cruise purchase rates for 2026 sailings. Promotional pricing can reduce costs by 15–30%. On-board purchase prices are typically 10–20% higher than pre-cruise rates.

The Fine Print That Changes Every Calculation

The “Both Adults Must Purchase” Rule

Every major cruise line — Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Celebrity, and Princess — requires that all adults sharing a stateroom purchase the same beverage package. There are no exceptions for medical reasons on most lines (some allow documented cases with significant paperwork). If one partner drinks heavily and the other rarely drinks, the package math deteriorates fast. Our full analysis of when to skip the package entirely is in our cruise drink package worth it guide.

On-Board vs. Pre-Cruise Pricing

Buying your drink package before you sail is almost always cheaper:

Carnival: on-board price is typically 10% higher
Royal Caribbean: on-board price is 15–25% higher, depending on sailing
Norwegian: on-board prices vary but are consistently higher
Celebrity: on-board upgrade pricing runs 10–20% above pre-cruise rates
Princess: bundled in fare tier, so pre-cruise booking is the only way

Per-Drink Caps and Surcharges

The advertised daily rate does not mean unlimited drinks of any price. Every line applies a per-drink price ceiling. When you order a cocktail above the cap, you pay the difference between the cap and the drink price. On a line with a $14 cap (Royal Caribbean), ordering a $17 specialty cocktail costs you $3 out of pocket per drink. This adds up significantly on ships with premium cocktail programs. Our cruise drink package comparison by line breaks down which drinks fall above each line’s cap.

Promotional Sales: When to Buy

The best time to purchase any cruise drink package is during a promotional window — not at booking, and not on the ship. Royal Caribbean and Carnival both run Black Friday/Cyber Monday promotions that can discount packages 20–30%. Norwegian’s Free at Sea promotions make the package effectively free when bundled. Celebrity’s Always Included fares bundle Classic Package at no additional cost. Set a price alert through your cruise line’s Cruise Planner portal, because package prices adjust dynamically and pre-cruise deals refresh regularly.

Which Cruise Line Has the Best Drink Package for You?

Best for value per drink: Carnival CHEERS! — lowest daily cost, highest per-drink cap relative to price, gratuity included.

Best for occasional drinkers: Celebrity Premium Package — the quality-to-price ratio is the best in the industry if you drink 6–7 drinks per day consistently, and the bar program justifies the cost.

Best for deal hunters: Royal Caribbean Deluxe Beverage Package — the promotional pricing during sales events is unmatched, and the fleet size means you can almost always find a sailing that aligns with a sale.

Best for bundled value: Princess Premier Fare — if you were going to buy specialty dining, Wi-Fi, and gratuities anyway, the bundled approach delivers the highest total-package value.

Best for premium spirits drinkers: Norwegian Premium Plus — the highest drink cap and the most permissive spirits list, but the gratuity exclusion means you need to drink heavily to justify the cost.

Final Ranking: Best Cruise Drink Packages

Carnival CHEERS! — Best overall value, lowest break-even, gratuity included
Royal Caribbean Deluxe Beverage — Best promotional value, solid coverage, wide fleet
Celebrity Premium Package — Best quality-to-price ratio for wine and cocktail enthusiasts
Princess Premier Fare — Best total-bundle value when you factor in dining and Wi-Fi
Norwegian Premium Plus — Best drink selection, but gratuity exclusion hurts standalone value

No single best cruise drink package wins for every cruiser — the right answer depends on your drinking habits, the line’s current promotions, and whether both adults in your cabin are likely to hit the break-even point daily. Use the Cruise Costs & Money Guide to factor your drink package decision into your complete cruise budget.

For a line-by-line breakdown of exactly which drinks fall under each package’s cap, see our cruise drink package comparison by line.