No — most cruise ships include water, coffee, tea, lemonade, and iced tea for free, but alcohol, sodas, specialty coffees, and fresh juices typically cost extra unless you buy a beverage package (usually $75–$110/person/day) or book a line that includes drinks in the fare.
Photo: Carnival Cruise Line
You board the ship, head to the pool bar, order a piña colada, and suddenly you're staring at a $14 charge plus an 18–20% automatic gratuity. Welcome to cruise ship beverage pricing — one of the industry's most effective ways to inflate your final bill. Here's exactly what you'll pay, what's free, and how to avoid getting soaked.
What Drinks Are Free on a Cruise Ship?
Every mainstream cruise line includes a baseline of complimentary beverages — but that baseline is narrower than most first-timers expect.
Standard free drinks on nearly all cruise lines:
- Tap water, ice water, water at meals
- Hot brewed coffee and standard hot tea (drip coffee, not espresso)
- Iced tea and lemonade (from dispensers)
- Milk and juice at breakfast (limited portions on most lines)
- Hot chocolate (sometimes, varies by line)
What almost always costs extra:
- All alcohol (beer, wine, cocktails, spirits)
- Sodas and fountain drinks (except on Disney and Virgin Voyages)
- Specialty coffees (lattes, cappuccinos, espresso drinks)
- Bottled water and bottled juices
- Smoothies and fresh-squeezed juices
- Energy drinks and premium non-alcoholic beverages
- Milkshakes and specialty frozen drinks
The short answer: if it has bubbles, a label, or alcohol, assume you're paying for it.
Photo: Carnival Cruise Line
What Drinks Cost on a Cruise — By Tier
Here's a realistic look at what you'll spend on beverages depending on how you approach it:
| Approach | Cost Per Person Per Day | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Free drinks only (water, drip coffee, iced tea) | $0 | Non-drinkers, light consumers |
| Pay as you go (2–3 drinks/day) | $30–$60 | Occasional drinkers, port-heavy itineraries |
| Soda package | $10–$15 | Soda lovers, kids |
| Non-alcoholic premium package | $25–$40 | Non-drinkers who want mocktails, specialty coffee |
| Deluxe alcoholic beverage package | $75–$110 | Daily drinkers, 4+ drinks/day |
| Booking a drink-inclusive line | Bundled in cruise fare | Everyone who drinks regularly |
At $14–$18 per cocktail plus 18–20% gratuity auto-added, a couple having 3 drinks each per day pay $100–$130/day out of pocket without a package. The math on packages gets favorable fast.
Key Factors That Determine What You'll Pay
1. Which cruise line you book This is the biggest variable. Virgin Voyages includes all drinks (alcohol included) in every fare. Norwegian's Free At Sea promo bundles a beverage package. MSC Cruises includes drinks on Yacht Club (suites) bookings. Meanwhile, Carnival and Royal Caribbean charge for nearly every sip beyond the basics.
2. What cabin category you book Suite passengers on Celebrity (The Retreat), MSC Yacht Club, and Holland America's Pinnacle Suites often get complimentary premium beverage packages included. Upgrading your cabin can effectively pay for your drinks.
3. How many days you're sailing Beverage packages are priced per person per day and must typically be purchased for the entire voyage. On a 3-night cruise, a $95/day package costs $285 — possibly more than you'd spend à la carte. On a 14-night cruise, that same math strongly favors the package if you're a regular drinker.
4. Whether you drink at ports or onboard If you're off the ship exploring ports 6 hours a day, you're not drinking onboard — and a full beverage package loses value fast. Heavy port itineraries (Caribbean island-hopping) often make pay-as-you-go smarter than a package.
5. Gratuities on packages Most lines charge gratuity on the package itself — typically 18–20% added at checkout. A $95/day package becomes $112/day after gratuity. Factor this into your break-even math.
Photo: Carnival Cruise Line
Cruise Line Beverage Policies — Quick Comparison
| Cruise Line | Free Basics | Alcohol Included? | Package Cost (per person/day, 2025) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carnival | Water, drip coffee, tea, lemonade | No | $65–$85 (Cheers! Package) |
| Royal Caribbean | Water, drip coffee, tea, lemonade | No | $85–$110 (Deluxe Package) |
| Norwegian | Water, drip coffee, tea | No (unless promo) | $99–$119 (Open Bar Package) |
| Celebrity | Water, drip coffee, tea | No (except suites) | $89–$109 (Classic/Premium) |
| MSC | Water, drip coffee, tea | No (except Yacht Club) | $50–$85 (Easy/Premium) |
| Disney | Water, coffee, tea, sodas | No | $99–$109 (Premium Package) |
| Princess | Water, coffee, tea | No (except Plus/Premier fares) | Included in Plus ($60+/day fare add-on) |
| Virgin Voyages | Everything including alcohol | Yes | Included in all fares |
| Holland America | Water, coffee, tea | No (except Have It All promo) | $69–$99 (Signature/Elite) |
Practical Tips to Avoid Overpaying for Drinks
Break even before you buy a package. Most alcoholic packages break even at 4–5 drinks per day. If you're honest with yourself and you drink 2 glasses of wine at dinner and maybe one poolside cocktail, you likely don't break even. Run your own numbers.
Buy the package before you board. Every major cruise line charges less for beverage packages purchased online before sailing — sometimes 15–25% less than the onboard price. Book it in advance.
Look at Princess Plus or Norwegian Free At Sea promos. Princess bundles drinks, Wi-Fi, and gratuities into their Plus fare for around $60/person/day over the base fare — one of the best value plays in the industry right now. Norwegian's Free At Sea often includes a free beverage package with booking.
BYOB policies are extremely limited — but worth knowing. Carnival and Royal Caribbean allow passengers to bring one bottle of wine per person at embarkation (subject to a corkage fee if consumed in dining venues). That's it. No spirits, no beer, no cases of soda. MSC and Celebrity are stricter.
Book Virgin Voyages if you drink regularly. If alcohol is a meaningful part of your vacation enjoyment and you're flexible on destination, Virgin Voyages' all-inclusive model (which genuinely includes premium spirits, not just well drinks) is often cheaper total cost than a mainstream line once you factor in the package.
Use the ship's dining room for free coffee and juice. The main dining room at breakfast typically includes orange juice and juice refills at no charge — even on lines where juice costs $4–$6 at the buffet. Small habit, real savings over 7 nights.
Bottom Line
You don't have to pay for every drink on a cruise — but you absolutely will pay for most of the ones you actually want. The free tier gets you water, drip coffee, and iced tea. Everything with flavor, fizz, or alcohol will cost you unless you've booked a drink-inclusive line or a package upfront. The smart move is deciding before you book whether you're a pay-as-you-go traveler or someone who'll want the freedom to drink without watching the bill — then choosing your line and package accordingly.
Use CruiseMutiny to compare beverage package costs across cruise lines and calculate whether a package actually makes sense for how you travel — before the cruise line makes that decision for you.