The Royal Caribbean drink package comes in three main tiers: the Deluxe Beverage Package for alcohol, the Refreshment Package for premium non-alcoholic drinks, and the Classic Soda Package. Deluxe usually costs between about $55 and $120 per person per day, and Royal Caribbean adds an 18% gratuity on top, so the amount on your account is higher than the one on the sale banner.
Royal Caribbean prices its packages by ship, itinerary and sail date, so two people on different cruises can pay very different rates for the same thing. This guide covers what each package includes, what it leaves out, the rules that change the math, and how many drinks a day it takes before Deluxe pays for itself.
Royal Caribbean Drink Package Prices at a Glance
The ranges below come from the price tracking kept by the Royal Caribbean Blog, last updated in September 2026. They are per person, per day.
| Package | What it covers | Typical price per day | With 18% gratuity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deluxe Beverage Package | Cocktails, beer, wine by the glass and non-alcoholic drinks | $55 to $120 | about $65 to $142 |
| Refreshment Package | Mocktails, juices, premium coffee, bottled water, soda | $32 to $42 | about $38 to $50 |
| Classic Soda Package | Fountain soda and refills | $9.99 to $18 | about $12 to $21 |
The spread is wide because the price is dynamic. It depends on the ship, the itinerary and the sail date, and the same sailing can show a different price from one week to the next.
On a seven-night cruise, a Deluxe package at $80 a day comes to $560 per adult before gratuity and $660.80 with it. Add that to your fare before you decide whether the cruise itself was a bargain.
What the Royal Caribbean Deluxe Drink Package Includes
According to Royal Caribbean's official package page, Deluxe covers cocktails, spirits, liqueurs and beer, wine by the glass, fountain soda, mocktails, premium coffees and teas, bottled still and sparkling water, fresh-squeezed juices, and smoothies and milkshakes where they are available.
The ceiling is the detail to remember. Deluxe covers any single drink with a menu value up to $14, which takes in most of the cocktail menu. Bottles of wine are not included, but the package takes 40% off bottles priced up to $100 and 20% off bottles above $100.
There is no daily limit on the number of drinks. You can order at any bar, café or lounge, in the Windjammer, the Main Dining Room and the specialty restaurants, and ashore on Perfect Day at CocoCay and Labadee, Royal Caribbean's private destinations.
What changed on March 15, 2026
Since March 15, 2026, the Deluxe and Refreshment packages no longer include a Coca-Cola Freestyle cup. If you want to use the Freestyle machines, the cup now costs $4.99 on board. The Classic Soda Package still comes with one.
It is a small charge, but it catches out guests who read an older guide and expect the cup to be waiting for them.
The Royal Caribbean Refreshment Package and Classic Soda
The Refreshment Package is the non-alcoholic version of Deluxe. It covers fountain soda, mocktails, Johnny Rockets milkshakes, bottled still and sparkling water, premium coffees and teas, and fresh-squeezed juices. Guests of legal drinking age also get non-alcoholic spirits, wines and beers.
The Classic Soda Package is simpler: unlimited fountain soda and refills at any venue, with the Freestyle cup included. It is popular with children, and a few cans a day at menu price add up quickly.
Unlike Deluxe, both of these can be bought by one guest without the rest of the cabin. That makes them the flexible part of a family plan: the adults sort out the alcohol question, and each child gets whichever soft drink package suits them.
Coffee card and water package
If coffee is all you want, the Café Select card gives you 15 specialty espresso-based coffees for $31. The water package delivers 6, 12 or 24 bottles to your stateroom on the date you choose, and the Royal Caribbean Blog lists 12 bottles at $39 and 24 at $69.
Before buying either, remember what is already in your fare: water, drip coffee, hot and iced tea, and lemonade cost nothing, with juice included at breakfast.
What the Drink Package Does Not Cover
Every package has gaps, and it is better to find them before you buy than at the bar. The main exclusions are:
- Drinks with a menu price above $14, which rules out high-shelf spirits.
- Drinks served in a souvenir cup, glass or mug, or inside fruit such as a pineapple. The package pays part of the price and you pay the rest.
- Starbucks. Royal Caribbean's beverage FAQ confirms it is not included with Deluxe or Refreshment.
- The Desserted milkshake bar, which sits outside the Deluxe, Refreshment and Coca-Cola packages.
- Bottles of wine, which get a discount rather than full coverage.
None of these is a reason to skip the package on its own. They matter when you run the break-even math, because a drink the package does not cover is a drink that does not count toward it.
The Rules That Change the Math
The fine print decides who has to buy the package and how much value you get from it.
- Every adult in the cabin buys it. Anyone who wants an alcoholic package must buy it for all guests of legal drinking age in the same stateroom.
- One guest, one drink. Packages are for single-guest use, you are served one drink at a time, and you cannot share.
- It covers the whole cruise. Onboard, the all-inclusive packages are sold while at least four days remain, at a price prorated from the day you buy, and always for the rest of the voyage.
- The 18% gratuity is automatic. It is added to every package purchase, before the cruise or on board.
The cabin rule changes the most. A couple where only one person drinks pays for two Deluxe packages, which doubles the break-even point for the drinker. Some sailings do not offer packages at all, so check yours in My Royal Cruise before building a budget around one.
The 18% on drinks is separate from the daily crew tips charged to every guest. Our guide to cruise gratuities by line covers that second charge.
How Much Drinks Cost Without a Package
The Royal Caribbean Blog's drink price list, updated in August 2026, gives these menu prices. An 18% gratuity is added to each drink you order.
| Drink | Menu price |
|---|---|
| Beer | $7.49 to $7.99 |
| Glass of wine | $8 to $25 |
| Cocktail | $10 to $14 |
| Drink of the day | $11 |
| Zero-proof cocktail | $8 |
| Can of soda | $3.50 |
| Latte | $4.25 |
| Bottled water, 500 ml | $3.25 |
Because the same 18% applies to bar drinks and to the package, it cancels out in the comparison. You can set the package's base price against menu prices and get the right answer without adding gratuity to either side.
Is the Royal Caribbean Drink Package Worth It?
The break-even point is the daily package price divided by what you usually drink. Here is how many drinks a day it takes at three package prices:
| Deluxe price per day | Cocktails at $14 | Cocktails at $12 | Beers at $7.99 |
|---|---|---|---|
| $55 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 6.9 |
| $80 | 5.7 | 6.7 | 10.0 |
| $120 | 8.6 | 10.0 | 15.0 |
At the bottom of the range, four cocktails a day already covers the package. At the top, you need nine or more, every day, which few people manage on a holiday they want to remember.
A typical sea day
Picture a day at sea with two lattes ($8.50), a bottle of water ($3.25), two beers by the pool ($15.98) and three cocktails at dinner and the show ($42). That is $69.73 in menu prices.
On a sailing priced near $55 to $65 a day, that sea day beats the package; at $80 or more, paying at the bar is cheaper. Lattes and water count only because Deluxe covers them; if you drink the free buffet coffee instead, the gap grows.
Port days and short cruises
You pay the same daily rate on port days, but many of those hours are spent ashore where the package does not apply, apart from CocoCay and Labadee. Count your sea days and check how long the ship stays in each port before you buy.
Port times can also move. If weather or traffic delays an arrival, Primo Nautic flags it by setting the captain's reported ETA beside its own route-based estimate, so you can see early whether a port morning is turning into extra hours on board.
Sea days are also when family at home start to wonder where you are. With Primo Nautic set to follow a loved one on a cruise, they get plain-language updates on the ship's live position, its ETA and the weather at its location.
When Paying at the Bar Is Cheaper
Deluxe suits steady drinkers on itineraries with several sea days. Other guests usually come out ahead without it.
- Light drinkers: two or three cocktails a day costs $28 to $42 at menu price, below even the cheapest Deluxe rate.
- Couples where one person drinks: the cabin rule means paying for two packages, which rarely adds up.
- Wine drinkers: under the carry-on policy, each guest of drinking age may bring one sealed 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne on embarkation day.
- Coffee and soda fans: the coffee card or Classic Soda covers most of what they want for a fraction of Deluxe.
You can also bring up to 12 standard cans, bottles or cartons of non-alcoholic drinks per stateroom as carry-on items on boarding day. Beer and spirits are not allowed.
How to Pay Less for a Drink Package
Royal Caribbean runs frequent pre-cruise sales on its packages, and the Royal Caribbean Blog has seen discounts of up to 40% off the onboard price. Because pricing is dynamic, the rate shown in My Royal Cruise can change several times before you sail.
The practical approach is to check the price when you book, again a few weeks later, and once more closer to sailing, then buy when it drops to a level your break-even math supports. Waiting until you are on board rarely helps, since the onboard price is the one the sales are measured against.
If you are still choosing between lines, the ceiling matters as much as the daily rate. Carnival's CHEERS! covers drinks up to $20 against Royal Caribbean's $14, and our Carnival drink package breakdown runs the same math for that line.
Conclusion
The Royal Caribbean drink package costs roughly $55 to $120 per person per day for Deluxe, plus an 18% gratuity, and it must be bought for every adult in the cabin for the whole cruise. It covers drinks up to $14, with no daily limit, at the bars, lounges and restaurants on board and at CocoCay and Labadee.
It pays for itself at about four cocktails a day on a cheaply priced sailing and closer to nine on an expensive one. Steady drinkers on sea-day-heavy itineraries who catch a pre-cruise sale do well. Light drinkers, couples where one person drinks, and wine drinkers who bring their own bottle are better off paying at the bar, while kids and non-drinkers get most of the value from the Refreshment or Classic Soda packages.
