One thing that you seem to always hear about on cruises is the "drink package." It seems to be the order is you book your cruise, you book your excursions, and next comes the drink package. Each cruise line does their drink package a little differently, so whether or not you should get the drink package depends on which cruise line you're sailing with. This post is about Carnival's drink package, but if you want to know more about Royal Caribbean's drink package, then go to this post here.
What is the Carnival Drink Package
There's actually several "drink packages" on a cruise. When people wear the shirts that say "watch out! I bought the drink package," they're actually referring to the Cheers Package, AKA the alcohol package. There's also the Bottomless Bubbles Package, AKA the soda package. The alcohol is the most expensive package, and the non-alcohol will be the least expensive package. For this post, if I'm talking about a drink package, I'm talking about the alcohol package, which Carnival calls their Cheers Package.
What do you get in the Carnival Drink Package
The drink package is basically everything you'd get for the non-alcohol package (sodas and juices) plus alcohol. You get 15 drinks, up to $20 per drink . If you're wondering, most drinks at the bars will be under the $20 limit, but the specialty drinks are usually over the $20 limit. That doesn't mean you can't order a $20 drink, it just means you have to pay the difference for anything over $20. So if you have the drink package, a $21 drink will cost you $1 Bob.
One thing you don't get in the drink package is full bottles of wine for dinner. You can either buy it buy the glass, or you can save 25% on a bottle of wine.
How much is the Carnival Drink Package
Sadly, it depends. Carnival changes the price for each cruise. But, the price is always per person, per day. What this means is that you could go on 2 cruises and pay $85/per day on the first cruise and $100/per day on the second cruise.
In general, people say you need to drink about 7 drinks a day to break even on the drink package, since drinks are about $14 each.
Why the Carnival Drink Package is NOT Worth It
People always assume you must get the drink package, and I mostly disagree. In fact, I think that most cruisers would actually save money if they didn't get the drink package. You don't have to have the drink package in order to drink alcohol. If you don't have the drink package, then you just charge the drinks back to your room like you would at a hotel. The drink package is just you pre-paying for alcohol, but it's not the only way to drink alcohol on the ship.
Don't get the drink package if your itinerary has a lot of port stops
You can't use your drink package when you're not on the ship. Let's take a hypothetical scenario of where your itinerary is Day 1 embarkation day, Day 2 port day, Day 3 port day, Day 4 sailing day, Day 5 disembarkation day. Let's assume your embarkation day boarding time is 3pm, you're at each port from 8am to 4pm, and your disembarkation time is 8am. In this scenario, you only have from 3pm - 12pm to use your drink package on Day 1; from 4pm - 12pm to use your drink package on Days 2 and 3; all day to use your drink package on Day 4; and you're probably not going to even drink on Day 5.
Given that you have to drink 7 or more drinks each day to break even, how much do you think you can drink during these time periods? While 7 drinks might be totally feasible for you one day, can you do it 5 days in a row? What about if you add in drinking at a Margaritaville or Senor Frogs while you're off the ship? Can you drink 7 more drinks in the evening after drinking ashore? With a schedule like this, it's cheaper to pay per drink, even if you're drinking 5 drinks a day.
Don't get the drink package if the other adults in your room don't drink
If one person 21+ in a room gets the drink package, everyone 21+ in that room has to get the drink package. This is to keep people from sharing drink packages.
So if you're traveling with someone who chooses to be sober, or who just isn't a big enough drinker to drink the 7 drinks a day to justify a drink package, maybe you shouldn't get the drink package. Because the room rate is now two drink packages, it may just be cheaper for you to pay per drink.
Don't get the drink package if you only drink wine
Each person 21+ can bring one bottle of wine with them in their carry-on bag. If you only drink wine, and you bring a bottle of wine with you, then there's no need to buy a drink package. You can take the bottle of wine to dinner and the server will pour you your own wine each night. My personal favorite thing to do is to bring a silicone wine glass and sit out on my balcony in the evenings and enjoy a glass of wine.
And if anyone else you're traveling with is 21+, they can bring their own bottle of wine too. So that hypothetical person from my last point who doesn't really drink can bring your 2nd bottle of wine in their carry-on bag for you, and now you have 2 bottles of wine to last you a whole trip.
Don't get the drink package if you think you might get seasick
Literally, there is nothing worse than being drunk or hungover on a moving ship. If you think the room spins when you lay down on land, just imagine what it feels like when your bed is bobbing in the ocean. I'm not saying you can't drink during your cruise if you get seasick, but I am saying that you more-likely-than-not won't be drinking the 7+ drinks a day you need to break even with a drink package if you're already feeling queasy.
Why the Carnival Drink Package IS Worth It
Get the drink package if your itinerary has a lot of sailing days
Let's take a hypothetical scenario of where your itinerary is Day 1 embarkation day, Day 2 sailing day, Day 3 port day, Day 4 sailing day, Day 5 disembarkation day. Let's assume your embarkation day boarding time is 11am, you're at each port from 8am to 4pm, and your disembarkation time is 9am. In this scenario, you have from 11am - 12pm to use your drink package on Day 1; all day to use your drink package on Day 2; from 4pm - 12pm to use your drink package on Day 3; all day to use your drink package on Day 4; and you're probably not going to even drink on Day 5.
Given this itinerary, it's a lot easier to fit 7 drinks per day on most of the days. This makes it more likely that you'll at least break even on the drink package for most days.
Get the drink package if you don't plan on getting off at the port stops
On the other hand if you have no interest in getting off the ship, then you will be able to use your drink package all day even if your itinerary has a lot of port stops. The drink package is still available for you to use even when your ship is docked at a port.
Get the drink package if you get it on sale
Prices go up as you get closer to the cruise, but you aren’t charged until right before the cruise so if it goes on sale, you can always cancel the drink package at the higher price and then buy it at a lower price. At $14 a drink, the drink package breaks even at only 4 drinks if you can get it for less than $56 a day, or 5 drinks for less than $70 a day.
This makes it a lot more price efficient to get the drink package if you get it on a good sale.
Get the drink package if you're a heavy drinker
If you are a heavy drinker, especially for cocktails or mixed drinks, then the drink package is probably a better deal for you. If you know that you can drink all day at the beach and then get on the ship and keep drinking, and then wake up and do it all again for several days in a row, then this is a good deal for you. Some people fully embrace "vacation mode" and are surprised at the drink bill at the end of their cruise. If you think you'll get close to breaking even on the package (and remember, this is easier to get if you get in on sale), then you might as well get the drink package.
Should you get the drink package for your Carnival cruise
Personally, I think most people don't need the drink package, unless it's on a really good sale.
My husband and I did the math, and for us it's just not worth it. I bring a bottle of white wine in my checked bag and have that at dinner, and my husband brings a bottle of sangria in his checked bag, and I have that in the room in the evenings. My husband will have the occasional 2-3 pina coladas during the day and we usually will share a bucket of beer on a sailing day. And we aim to make sure we have the opportunity to go somewhere all inclusive at our port stops. For us, that's enough alcohol for a trip and is significantly less than the almost $100 per person per day cost of the drink package.
