For years, I never felt the need to buy a drink package on a Celebrity cruise. Because I have Elite Plus loyalty status through Royal Caribbean’s status match, I already receive nightly complimentary drinks during happy hour. Honestly, this was always more than enough for me (and free!).
As someone who cruises often and tries to stick to a budget, spending more than a thousand dollars on drinks didn’t always make sense. I wasn’t even sure if I could drink that much!
But last fall, I took an incredible 15-night repositioning cruise from Sydney to Singapore on Celebrity Solstice. My travel agent offered an All Included group rate that was actually cheaper than Celebrity’s cruise-only fare.
The bundle fare included the Classic Beverage Package and Basic Wi-Fi. Once I compared the pricing, it was too good to pass up.
This was my first time cruising with Celebrity’s drink package, and it completely shifted how I experienced the cruise. I was so impressed that I’ve already booked another Celebrity cruise with the Classic Drink Package this winter.
Here’s everything you should know and consider before booking Celebrity’s drink package.
What does Celebrity’s drink package include?
Celebrity has three main beverage-package options for cruisers to book. Here’s a quick overview of each:
Non-Alcoholic Package: Includes specialty coffees, teas, bottled water, soft drinks, mocktails, premium waters like Evian, and fresh juices from the Spa Café.
Classic Drink Package: Adds beer, wine by the glass, spirits/cocktails up to $12 per drink and a 15 % discount on bottles of wine.
Premium Drink Package: Covers higher-end cocktails/spirits, premium wines/glasses, upgraded bottles of water (Evian), and the drink limit is higher at $19 per drink. You’ll also receive a 20% wine-bottle discount.
Here’s a range of typical costs per person, per day, without gratuities:
- Non-Alcoholic: $45 – $55
- Classic: $65 – $90
- Premium: $80 – $105
- Classic to Premium upgrade: $15 – $20
Frequent Celebrity cruisers don’t just evaluate these packages based on alcohol. They often point out that the value comes from the cheaper inclusions, such as lattes every morning, bottled water for excursions, fresh juices, and sparkling water. These add up faster than people might expect, especially with inflated onboard prices.
Also, all adults of legal drinking age in a cabin often must choose the same package. Sharing or mismatched packages are not normally allowed.
What “All Included” actually offers
Celebrity’s All Included pricing bundles the Classic Beverage Package with Basic Wi-Fi. This package is designed to save guests money on amenities most people end up buying anyway.
Celebrity advertises potential savings of $200 to $800 per person, but it only makes sense if you are planning to purchase a drink package and internet access. You can choose to upgrade your Classic Drink Package to the Premium option for a flat daily rate.
The drink package enhanced my cruise experience more than I expected
During my cruise across Australia, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed having the Classic Drink Package. It made my cruise feel more all-inclusive, as I wasn’t waiting around each evening for a limited happy hour.
We started our sailing with mojitos on deck as we cruised past the Sydney Opera House, and it felt relaxing not to think about individual prices. I could grab my morning latte, enjoy a cocktail at lunch, or try something new at dinner without worrying about the cost.
A lot of cruisers would likely agree: the convenience factor can be just as valuable as the financial savings. It’s nice not having to track what you’ve spent or what drinks cost individually.
Celebrity’s Classic Drink Package was less restrictive than I expected
I’ve tried drink packages on Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, and Norwegian Cruise Line, so I had some context for how flexible they can be. I honestly expected Celebrity’s Classic Package to feel limited because of the price cap.
I was pleased to discover that I wasn’t as limited as I anticipated! Most drinks I wanted, like mojitos, martinis, spritzes, piña coladas, frozen cocktails, and wine, were all included.
On our sailing from Sydney, the price cap was actually slightly higher than the advertised price, as we were sailing from Australia.
Once the ship corrected some early confusion, nearly every drink we ordered fell under the allocated amount. In my experience, Celebrity’s Classic Drink Package is surprisingly generous unless you prefer very premium spirits or higher-end wines.
Unlimited bottled water was a huge perk
One thing I didn’t expect to appreciate so much was the unlimited bottled water with our drink package.
As our itinerary moved north toward Bali, the temperatures soared, and the humidity was intense. We found ourselves constantly grabbing water for excursions. This was especially useful in Bali, where tap water isn’t recommended for safe drinking.
When determining if you want a drink package, consider how much bottled water you might be drinking each day. This is one of the most valuable and underrated perks of Celebrity’s drink package!
Would I pay full price for Celebrity’s drink package? Probably not
On my upcoming 7-night cruise on Celebrity Apex, the Classic Drink Package costs $1,209.32 for two people, including gratuities. This comes out to $86.35 per person for each day of the cruise.
Similarly, my upcoming 14-night South America cruise has the Classic Drink Package priced at $1,612 for two people with gratuities. This is much cheaper, but still pricey at $57.57 per person per day.
Using these daily rates, the Classic Drink Package would cost me between $863 and $1,300 for my 15-night cruise! To break even, I would need to drink around 4 to 7 alcoholic drinks each day. On a 15-night cruise, that would be a lot of drinking!
As someone who typically drinks one or two cocktails a day (plus a latte and water), I don’t think I could personally justify the cost outright. In particular, long itineraries make it harder to break even, as it’s tough to drink consistently and frequently.
In addition, I don’t enjoy the pressure of constantly checking whether I consumed enough to break even. Most Celebrity cruisers would agree that the drink package can be convenient and good value, but only when the math makes sense for your drinking habits.
My verdict: Celebrity’s drink package could be worth it for the right price
For my Australia sailing, the drink package was absolutely worth it because it didn’t cost me more than the cruise fare. That was a no-brainer! The bundled fare through my travel agent made it an easy yes, and it genuinely made the cruise feel more relaxing and all-inclusive.
But would I buy the Classic Beverage Package separately at full price? Probably not. The value just isn’t there for light or moderate drinkers, especially on longer sailings. I definitely wouldn’t splurge on the Premium Drink Package, and I wouldn’t recommend it unless you drink top-shelf liquor.
However, I already booked another All Included cruise on Celebrity Edge. Similar to my Australia cruise, my travel agent offered a group rate with perks that were only slightly more than the base fare.
If the fare difference is small, All Included can be a fantastic value for casual drinkers, especially if you plan to purchase internet access. If Celebrity’s drink package is full price, I would carefully think about how much you would actually drink to make it worth it.
