What Cruise Lines Include a Drink Package?

Whether drinks are “included” depends on the kind of cruise line. Luxury and premium lines tend to bake beverages right into the fare, so there’s nothing extra to buy. Mainstream lines usually charge for a drink package separately but often hand one out as a booking promotion. Knowing which camp a line falls into helps you compare fares that look very different on paper.

Lines that include drinks in the fare

On these lines, the higher upfront price already covers most or all beverages, so you rarely need a package:

• Regent Seven Seas and other ultra-luxury lines bundle drinks, gratuities, and excursions into a single fare.
• Virgin Voyages includes basic drinks like sodas, drip coffee, and still water, with alcohol charged per drink at simple flat prices.
• Several river cruise lines also include beer and wine with meals.

The trade-off is a steeper base fare, but for travelers who drink regularly, the all-in price can work out well.

Lines that often give a package free

The big mainstream lines don’t include alcohol, but they compete hard on promotions. A free or discounted drink package is one of the most common perks attached to a booking, depending on the season, fare type, and current sale:

• Celebrity frequently bundles a drinks package into its “Always Included” or promotional fares.
• Norwegian has long run its “Free at Sea” promotion, which often features a beverage package as one of the choosable perks.
• Other lines run similar limited-time offers, so it pays to check what’s attached when you book.

How to compare fairly

A fare with drinks included isn’t automatically cheaper or more expensive, it just front-loads the cost. To compare honestly, add the price of a drink package to any mainstream fare that doesn’t include one, then weigh it against the all-inclusive line — our drink package break-even calculator makes that side-by-side cost easy to estimate. If you drink little, paying as you go or skipping the package may beat both. If you drink daily, an included or promo package usually wins.

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