Cruise lines do run Memorial Day sales on drink, Wi-Fi, and dining packages — typically 20–30% off pre-cruise Cruise Planner prices — but the discounts are short-lived, the baseline prices vary wildly by line, and knowing the real numbers is the only way to tell a genuine deal from cruise-line theater.
Photo: Carnival Cruise Line
Every May, cruise lines splash "Memorial Day Sale" banners across their Cruise Planner portals and flood your inbox with discount codes. Some of those deals are real. Some are manufactured urgency on packages that were already overpriced. Here's how to separate signal from noise — with the actual numbers you need to evaluate any sale.
What Cruise Package Sales Actually Look Like (Real Numbers)
Most cruise lines discount add-on packages — primarily drink packages, Wi-Fi, and specialty dining — during major U.S. holiday weekends including Memorial Day. The typical sale mechanics:
- Drink packages: Marked down 15–30% from standard pre-cruise Cruise Planner pricing
- Wi-Fi packages: Often bundled at a discount, or thrown in "free" with a fare promotion
- Specialty dining packages: 20–25% off individual cover prices
- The catch: These same packages go on sale multiple times per year (Black Friday, New Year's, spring sales). If you miss Memorial Day, another sale is coming.
| Package Type | Standard Pre-Cruise Rate | Typical Sale Price | Onboard Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drink Package (budget lines) | $50–$65/person/day | $38–$50/person/day | $65–$80/person/day |
| Drink Package (premium lines) | $70–$90/person/day | $55–$70/person/day | $85–$105/person/day |
| Wi-Fi (basic) | $20–$25/day | $15–$18/day | $28–$35/day |
| Wi-Fi (streaming/premium) | $28–$35/day | $22–$28/day | $35–$45/day |
| Specialty Dining Package (3-night) | $100–$150/person | $75–$120/person | $130–$180/person |
| Specialty Dining Cover (single) | $35–$50/person | $28–$40/person | $45–$60/person |
All drink package prices reflect pre-cruise rates. Onboard prices are consistently 20–35% higher. Always check your specific sailing's Cruise Planner — pricing is dynamic and varies by ship, itinerary, and sail date.
Photo: Carnival Cruise Line
Key Factors That Determine Whether the Sale Is Worth It
1. Your actual baseline price matters more than the discount percentage. A 25% discount on a $90/day drink package is $67.50/day. That's still $472.50 per person for a 7-night cruise — before you've even factored in the 18–20% service charge that's already baked into package pricing. Know what you're paying, not just how much you're "saving."
2. Which drink package is being discounted? On Celebrity Cruises, the Classic Drink Package covers beverages up to $12 per serving. The Premium Drink Package covers up to $19 per serving and adds specialty coffees, craft beers, and Coca-Cola products. If you drink premium cocktails (typically $13–$16 before gratuity), you'll hit the Classic cap constantly and get charged the difference. A sale on the Classic package isn't a deal if you need the Premium.
3. The gratuity/service charge is non-negotiable. Most mainstream lines (Carnival, Norwegian, Holland America) now charge 20% service surcharges on beverages, dining, and spa. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity run 18–20%. This surcharge is baked into pre-purchased packages — you're not being charged it twice — but it's already priced in before the "sale" discount is applied.
4. Your itinerary type determines package ROI. Drink packages break even at roughly 5–6 drinks per person per day (including specialty coffees, waters, and non-alcoholic drinks). On port-heavy itineraries where you're off the ship 8 hours a day, hitting that number is hard. On sea-heavy sailings with 4+ sea days, packages often pay for themselves. A Memorial Day sale on a 7-night Bahamas cruise with 5 ports is a different calculation than the same discount on a transatlantic.
5. What's actually included in the fare already? Virgin Voyages includes gratuities and Wi-Fi in every fare. Oceania (as of January 2025) includes gratuities and Wi-Fi via their Your World Included bundle. Regent, Silversea, Seabourn, and Viking Ocean include both. If you're on one of these lines, a "Wi-Fi sale" is irrelevant — you already have it.
Photo: Carnival Cruise Line
How to Evaluate Any Memorial Day Sale Before You Buy
Step 1: Log into your Cruise Planner before the sale starts. Screenshot the current prices for every package you're considering. Sale prices are only meaningful if you know the pre-sale baseline. Cruise lines occasionally inflate the "original" price before a sale window — your screenshot is your protection.
Step 2: Do the drink package math honestly. Estimate your actual daily consumption:
- Domestic beer: ~$7.50 before 18–20% gratuity = ~$9/drink
- Well cocktail: ~$11.50 before gratuity = ~$13.80/drink
- Signature cocktail: ~$13.50 before gratuity = ~$16.20/drink
- Specialty coffee: ~$6 (often NOT included in Classic packages)
If you drink 3 cocktails and 2 beers per day, you're spending roughly $62–$72 out of pocket per day without a package. A package at $55–$70/day on sale starts looking reasonable.
Step 3: Compare the sale price to the break-even, not to the onboard price. Cruise lines love to say "save $X vs. buying onboard." That's true, but irrelevant if the package still doesn't break even based on your actual drinking habits. Nobody who orders two beers a day should buy a drink package at any price.
Step 4: Check if packages can be cancelled and re-purchased. Most Cruise Planner packages (Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Princess) can be cancelled penalty-free before sailing and re-purchased if a better price appears. This means you can buy now during the Memorial Day sale and still re-purchase at a lower price if another sale hits before your cruise. Set a calendar reminder to recheck prices 60–90 days out.
Step 5: Watch the gratuity math on bundled deals. Celebrity's All Included pricing bundles Basic Wi-Fi + Classic Drink Package (including beverage package gratuities) for Retreat suite guests, it's Premium Wi-Fi + Premium Drink Package. When a Memorial Day sale offers a percentage off All Included, the gratuities on the drink package are still covered — that's a real and often underappreciated part of the value.
Line-by-Line: What to Expect From Memorial Day Package Sales
| Cruise Line | Typical Sale Mechanics | Watch Out For |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Caribbean | 20–30% off drink/Wi-Fi in Cruise Planner | $14 drink cap on Deluxe package; premium cocktails often exceed it |
| Celebrity Cruises | All Included bundles at reduced fares; Classic vs. Premium package distinction matters | Classic cap is only $12/drink — upgrade to Premium if you drink premium spirits |
| Norwegian | Free At Sea perks often bundled; drink package gratuities sold separately | 20% service charge on packages NOT pre-included; adds real cost |
| Carnival | Cheers! Package occasional discounts; covers drinks up to $20 | Must be purchased for ALL guests in cabin 21+; no solo upgrade option |
| Princess | Package bundles (Premier, Plus) discounted during sales | Plus vs. Premier tiers have different Wi-Fi speeds and dining credits |
| MSC | Lower baseline prices; sales less dramatic | Lower drink caps; bar service gratuity is 15% (lower than competitors) |
| Disney | Rarely discounts packages; fare sales are more common | Premium pricing baseline; expect to pay full rate on add-ons |
The Bottom Line on Memorial Day Cruise Package Sales
Memorial Day deals can be legitimate — particularly on drink and Wi-Fi packages where pre-cruise pricing is already 20–35% below onboard rates, and a sale stacks another 15–25% on top of that. The best plays are: buying a drink package on a sea-heavy itinerary when the sale price drops it below your personal break-even, or locking in Wi-Fi at sale prices and cancelling/re-purchasing if something better comes along.
What the sale rarely changes: whether a package makes mathematical sense for your actual consumption habits. A 30% discount on something you didn't need is still money out the porthole.
Before you click "buy" on any holiday sale, run the real numbers through CruiseMutiny — it'll show you exactly what your onboard spending profile means for package ROI on your specific sailing.
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