Royal Caribbean has quietly rolled out a change to its drink package policy, and the move is leaving many sober and non-drinking travelers feeling frustrated.
The cruise line has long required all adults in a stateroom to purchase the same alcohol package if one guest buys it. However, Royal Caribbean states it will no longer be granting exceptions to the drink package rule, regardless of the reason.
In the past, if one guest in the stateroom didn’t drink alcohol, they could request an exemption from Royal Caribbean. The non-drinking guest could usually opt for the cheaper Refreshment Package, but that exception policy has now been removed.
The change means that even sober guests, or those who avoid alcohol for medical or religious reasons, must pay for the full alcohol package if their roommate wants it.
In a statement made by Royal Caribbean, the cruise line confirmed, “Beginning August 1, 2025, Royal Caribbean will no longer be able to grant exceptions to our policy that both guests in a stateroom must purchase the Deluxe Beverage Package.”
In addition, Royal Caribbean confirms that guests have been abusing the exception policy. This has increased the number of people sharing their drink packages, which is strictly prohibited.
The cruise line continued, “This change allows us to ensure guests are consuming their beverage package responsibly. Over time, requests for exceptions have increased, and sharing of packages has continued, which led us to implement this policy change.”
As the wise Taylor Swift once said: “This is why we can’t have nice things.”
Unfortunately, this situation reflects a familiar pattern: when a policy is abused, the consequences extend to everyone. In this case, the actions of those who misused the exemption have led to the loss of flexibility for guests who genuinely do not drink.
“As someone genuinely sober, this is maddening”
Many Royal Caribbean cruisers are upset by the change, and the cruise line is receiving backlash for its policy adjustment. On Reddit, where the change was first widely noticed, one poster shared:
“This is maddening, more so [that] many people used this much-needed loophole to their own financial advantage. I very much hope Royal Caribbean is making some sort of other shift in regulation to help those of us who really, truly needed that loophole.”
Many cruisers in the comments felt similarly, especially those traveling with sober passengers. One of the top responses reads, “So I’m about to go on a Royal Caribbean cruise on Saturday, my dad has the Deluxe Soft Drink Package and my brother has the Deluxe Alcohol Package.”
“This was done genuinely, as my dad was an alcoholic for 40 years and he hasn’t drank since December and he doesn’t want to. People abusing it ruin it for the genuine cases,” continued the comment.
Another Reddit user shared, “I’m a travel agent who caters to a lot of people with disabilities who cannot drink for medical reasons.”
“It’s going to be a crappy conversation trying to explain to them that if their roommate wants an alcohol package, they’ll basically have to pay double. I can see how this would deter people from booking Royal altogether,” the travel agent continued.
One response also discussed the possibility of fewer people drinking alcohol in general, which has increased the amount of people requesting exemptions for the drink package policy.
The comment reads, “I know this has been covered, but people are probably utilizing the ‘loop hole’ more because more people than ever aren’t drinking…”
Ultimately, this change will likely lead some guests to skip the drink package altogether and buy drinks individually instead. If only one person in a cabin drinks enough to justify the cost of a drink package, being forced to pay for two packages makes it far less appealing.
With only one guest utilizing the drink package for alcohol, you’d need to drink a considerable amount (about 12+ cocktails daily) to make the package worthwhile. And considering Royal Caribbean’s cocktails can easily cost $15 or more, the drink package comes at a steep price.
Why Royal Caribbean says it’s necessary
Royal Caribbean states the policy change is necessary for passengers abusing the exception policy. Although Royal Caribbean attempted to accommodate guests with legitimate reasons, too many people were using this as a loophole to save money.
As one commenter noted, “For years, Royal Caribbean tried to accommodate people, but people proved that they could not be trusted and gamed the system to split drink packages. So, this is very much about stealing. The thieves are the ones that have forced the policy change.”
Some also noted that Royal Caribbean only revised its policy back in 2017 to require both guests in a stateroom to purchase the drink package. Before that change, a single guest could purchase the package without requiring every adult in the stateroom to do the same.
The commenter shared, “It’s not unsurprising. Several years ago, they stopped allowing only one person to buy the drink package because so many were buying one package and sharing it with their cabinmate to save money. Especially once the new loophole was well talked about, people were going to do the same thing with it.”
Others also noted that competitor cruise lines, such as Carnival Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line, already enforce similar restrictions and never provided an exemption policy.
As of now, it’s unclear if Royal Caribbean will walk back or soften the rule in response to customer backlash. Some suggest the cruise line could implement a stricter verification process for exceptions rather than eliminating them altogether. Others predict the policy will stand, given that it brings Royal Caribbean in line with competitors.
A doctors note should be required for the exemption. I medically cannot drink alcohol due to heart failure. This is crazy, we just won’t purchase any package which I feel alot of people will do. If you’re Diamond you get 4 drinks per day so if you truly can’t drink you can get your 4 drinks for your partner which eliminates need for any package!