Buy your drink package before the cruise — pre-purchase prices are typically 10–30% cheaper than onboard rates, and most cruise lines offer their best deals 2–4 weeks before sailing during promotional windows.
Photo: Carnival Cruise Line
Pre-purchasing your drink package almost always beats buying it on the ship. The cruise lines know you're already onboard and captive — so they charge a premium for that convenience. On Royal Caribbean, for example, the Deluxe Beverage Package runs $89–$109/person/day onboard versus $63–$85/person/day when pre-purchased through your cruise planner. That gap pays for a shore excursion.
How Much Cheaper Is Pre-Purchase vs. Onboard?
Here's the honest breakdown across the major lines for their all-inclusive alcohol packages (2025–2026 rates):
| Cruise Line | Pre-Purchase Price | Onboard Price | Typical Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Caribbean (Deluxe Bev) | $63–$85/pp/day | $89–$109/pp/day | 15–30% |
| Carnival (Cheers!) | $57–$72/pp/day | $74–$84/pp/day | 10–20% |
| Norwegian (Premium Plus) | $89–$109/pp/day | $109–$139/pp/day | 15–25% |
| Celebrity (Classic Package) | $79–$99/pp/day | $99–$129/pp/day | 15–25% |
| MSC (Premium Extra) | $45–$65/pp/day | $65–$85/pp/day | 20–30% |
| Princess (Premier/Plus fare) | Bundled in fare | $60–$75/pp/day | 25–40% |
| Holland America (Have It All) | Bundled promo | $55–$75/pp/day | 20–35% |
| Disney (Premium Package) | $49–$99/pp/day | $59–$109/pp/day | 10–15% |
All prices are per person, per day and assume double occupancy (both guests in a cabin must purchase on most lines). MSC and Royal Caribbean occasionally run flash sales that push pre-purchase prices even lower.
Photo: Carnival Cruise Line
Key Factors That Drive the Price
1. When you buy matters enormously The sweet spot for drink package deals is typically 2–6 weeks before your sail date. Cruise lines run targeted promotions to their booked-guest email lists during this window. Check your cruise planner dashboard obsessively in the 60 days before departure.
2. Sale events are real — and time-limited Black Friday, Memorial Day, and Labor Day sales routinely drop drink package prices 20–40% below the standard pre-purchase rate. Royal Caribbean's Black Friday sales have dropped the Deluxe Package as low as $55/day. Set a calendar reminder.
3. Loyalty status can shift the math Carnival Platinum and Diamond members, Celebrity Elite+ and above, and Royal Caribbean Diamond+ members often get onboard beverage discounts or complimentary happy hour perks that reduce the value of a full package. Run your own numbers based on your status tier.
4. Port-intensive itineraries hurt package value If you're doing a 7-night Caribbean cruise with 5 port days, you'll be off the ship drinking at beach bars for a good chunk of the trip. Your onboard drinking days shrink, which changes the break-even math. A 3-night Bahamas party cruise? Package math works great.
5. Gratuity is added either way Most lines add an 18–20% gratuity on top of the package price — whether pre-purchase or onboard. This is not optional. Factor it in. On a $80/day package for two people over 7 nights, that's an extra $268–$336 in gratuities alone.
Photo: Royal Caribbean International
Practical Tips to Get the Best Price
Check your cruise planner at least once a week starting 90 days out. Prices fluctuate constantly. Set a low-price alert if your cruise line supports it, or just make it a habit.
Buy early, but reprice if a better deal drops. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity allow you to cancel and re-purchase your drink package if the price drops before sailing. Take advantage of this — it's free money.
Don't buy at embarkation. The first day of the cruise is the worst time to buy a drink package onboard. Lines push packages hard at the gangway and in the atrium — at full onboard rates. Smile politely and walk past.
Compare the package to your actual drinking habits. The standard break-even math: most packages require you to drink 5–7 cocktails or glasses of wine per day just to break even (at $13–$17/drink). If you're a 2-drink-with-dinner person, the package almost never pays off. If you're poolside from noon onward, it likely does.
Consider the soda or refreshment package instead. If alcohol isn't a heavy priority, Royal Caribbean's Refreshment Package ($28–$32/day pre-purchase) and Carnival's Bottomless Bubbles ($9–$10/day) are far easier to justify financially.
Stack the package with a bundled fare. Princess Plus and Premier fares, Norwegian's Free at Sea, and Celebrity's Always Included offers bundle drinks into the base fare at effective rates that often beat buying à la carte — even at pre-purchase prices. If you're still in the booking window, compare total trip cost with and without bundle fares before committing.
Which Lines Make It Easiest to Save Pre-Purchase?
| Cruise Line | Pre-Purchase Tool | Repricing Allowed? | Flash Sales Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Caribbean | Cruise Planner | ✅ Yes | High (multiple/year) |
| Carnival | Cruise Manager | ✅ Yes | Medium |
| Norwegian | MyNCL | ❌ No (credit only) | Low |
| Celebrity | Cruise Planner | ✅ Yes | High |
| MSC | My MSC | ❌ Limited | Medium |
| Princess | Cruise Personalizer | ✅ Yes | Medium |
| Disney | Disney Cruise Line site | ❌ No | Low |
Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are the most price-flexible — you can buy now, cancel, and rebuy at a lower price with no penalty. Norwegian locks you in with a booking credit rather than a cash refund, which is less consumer-friendly.
The bottom line: pre-purchase wins almost every time, but the exact savings depend on which line you're sailing, when you buy, and how aggressively you monitor your cruise planner. The worst move is waiting until you're onboard. The second worst is impulse-buying at embarkation without checking what pre-purchase rates were available. Use CruiseMutiny to compare drink package costs against your specific itinerary and figure out whether a bundle fare or à la carte pre-purchase actually saves you more money before you hand over your credit card.