Cruisers love to debate every aspect of each cruise line’s various beverage packages. The key question is “is it worth it,” but that builds off other questions.
First, it’s important to know what’s included. An unlimited beverage package that includes all-you-can-handle alcoholic beverage packages, like Royal Caribbean’s Deluxe Beverage Package, has more value for some people than Carnival’s Cheers package, which caps alcoholic drinks at 15 per day.
Related: Royal Caribbean cruisers share surprising way to improve cruises
In other cases, it’s what’s included in the package that matters.
Some beverage packages will include an upcharge for certain whiskeys that are included by other cruise lines. If that includes your favorite being offered without paying extra per drink, that can be very meaningful for some passengers.
In other cases, passengers will make decisions based on other included beverages. Someone might look for fresh juice to be offered, while others will be focused on the included coffees or milkshakes.
It’s a confusing choice, but many passengers had noticed one major omission from a key Royal Caribbean package. That’s something the cruise line has corrected.
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Royal Caribbean offers both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
Image source: Dan Kline/ComeCruiseWith.com
Carnival has a beverage package problem
Unlike Carnival, Royal Caribbean offers a mid-tier drink package that includes essentially all beverages aside from ones including alcohol. With the Refreshment Package you get soda, bottled water, fresh juice, milkshakes, specialty coffee, and mocktails.
Carnival Cruise Line only offers Cheers package and a soda package.
That means it has no real option for people who don’t drink alcohol, but want unlimited other beverages.
Carnival does not offer a Refreshment Package or anything similar. Both cruise lines require that if one adult in a cabin buys the unlimited alcohol plan (which Carnival caps at 15 alcoholic beverages), then everyone in the cabin must buy it.
Royal Caribbean has the same rule, but allows cruisers who call to substitute the Refreshment Package for the DBP. For Carnival cruisers, it’s all or nothing, even in the case of a medical situation where one or more adults in the cabin cannot drink alcohol.
Royal Caribbean fixes beverage package problem
The Royal Caribbean DBP covers nearly every beverage you can think of. The cruise line lays out what’s included on its website:
“Enjoy unlimited drinks and exclusive savings when you purchase the Deluxe Beverage Package for your cruise. Sip on all your favorite beverages for any mood — from a premium cup of joe to a poolside piña colada. Plus you’ll save 40% on bottles of wine worth up to $100, and 20% on any over $100. And with such an array of brands to choose from, you can toast with your fave drink of choice all vacation long,” it shared.
The cruise line then goes on to share an extensive list of liquor brands that are included. If you want a single drink that’s over $14 ($15 on some ships), you simply pay the difference.
Refreshment package customers get a similarly wide array of choices minus the alcohol, but there was one notable admission. That’s something Matt Hochberg of the Royal Caribbean Blog noticed has been fixed.
“The Royal Refreshment package is the mid-tier beverage package that includes pretty much all nonalcoholic drinks. However, it omitted one type of drink that baffled some cruisers,” he wrote.
Nonalcoholic beer had previously not been included in The Refreshment Package, but it has been added.
“Revised terms of service show the cruise line now includes nonalcoholic beers in it,” Hochberg shared.
There is a small caveat on their availability, according to Royal Caribbean’s website:
“Nonalcoholic spirits, wines, and beers (only available to guests of legal drinking age).”
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