Alcohol Package

If you can enjoy approximately 15 drinks a day. Also everyone in the cabin has to purchase the package.

If you're not an alcoholic drinker, then you definitely don't want to get the alcoholic package. However, if you're like me and practically live on soda, get the fountain package. It's free bottomless soda for the duration of the cruise. And if you're going on Royal Caribbean, you get a commemorative cup to use at the freestyle machines!

I like to have a beer or two during day and some mixed drinks in evening.

Depends on the cruise line, the price of the package and the amount that you drink. And whether everyone in your cabin drinks or not. Prices can range from 50 - 100 US $ per person per day and you must purchase for everyone in your cabin. Figure on prices range from 8 - 15 per drink and then do the math.

On some lines such as NCL where they offer the drink package free as a perk you still have to pay the gratuity charge of 20% which amounts to 20 per person per day so for a couple $40 per day. If one of those people do not drink (as in my wife) then to break even on that I need to drink 3 - 5 drinks per day depending on the price.

Cheers

If you drink alot then yes it is

A drinking package is not just alcohol (for example at Celebrity). You can also get the better coffees in the restaurants (for breakfast and lunch) and in the espresso bar, but also the bottled water for the excursions.

My wife doesn't drink either...not counting mocktails...its never presented a problem for me...at ships drink prices, I can blow away that 40 without any strain at all, all day long, dinner, then after dinner.....but then, we usually wind up at the same bar topside, so I always tip the steady bartenders...they appreciate it, and over the course of a week+ so do we....amazingly, once we had the same bartender more or less for the week ON ANOTHER SHIP!...He remembered us...its was an EXCELLENT cruise!!! hehehehe

Just get it and enjoy your cruise. No more worries.

One other thing I learned (they freely admitted) is that Norwegians “free drinks/food/excursions/3rd and 4th passenger free” are NOT free. We started with the price of $799 per guest. When we were all done my husband and I were $1400 each and guest 3 & 4 were about $399 (port taxes etc). I asked for an explanation and was told that nothing is actually free. I could keep my room rate at $799 but I would lose my drink packages, specialty dining and 3/4 free passengers. I guess I knew that...(in her words “Norwegian is a multi million dollar company-they don’t give anything away for free” but it was different when she actually explained it LOL

It depends entirely on the cruise line. We have used (alcoholic) drink packages on Norwegian (via Free at Sea promotion) and MSC (via "experience" upgrade and promotion), opted not to purchase the drink package on Royal Caribbean, and Disney doesn't offer drink packages.

I would never pay the list price for the drink package on Norwegian - though, I'm fairly certain that it is priced such that no sane person would ever pay the list price. On Royal Caribbean? Maybe, if I got it at a discount.

Of course, I could drink a little, a lot, or none at all. Alcohol is but a contributor to the overall experience, not a requirement, or sole purpose. Others may have different objectives when cruising.