Royal Caribbean's Deluxe Beverage Package is the cruise line's unlimited alcohol offering for guests to enjoy a wide variety of drinks for one fixed price.
There is one unlimited alcohol package for guests who wish to "have it all" and lock in their price. Beer, wine, cocktails, coffee, water and more are all included in this package and purchasing the Deluxe Beverage package means you will know your cost for drinks in advance and be able to lock it in now.
Similar to the Refreshment package, the Deluxe Beverage package includes sodas, water, mocktails, premium coffee and tea, fresh-squeezed juice, as well as cocktails, spirits and liquors, as well as beer by the bottle or can and wine by the glass.
Read more: Royal Caribbean Drink Package Info & Tips
It promises a flat cost to enjoy as many beverages during a cruise with very few limitations.
What does the deluxe drink package include?
Guests can choose between unlimited cocktails, beer, wine, non-alcoholic beverages, premium coffee, tea, and bottled water. This package includes drinks with a value of up to $14. For guests that would like to enjoy a beverage over that threshold, a $14 credit will be applied towards the beverage of choice and guests will be required to pay the balance.
Guests with Deluxe drink package can also get 40% discount on wines under $100. Wines above $100 will receive a 20% discount.
All Beverage Packages exclude any beverages served inside licensed Starbucks stores.
How much is the deluxe drink package?
Based on observed prices we researched, the base price is between $56 to $105 per person, per night excluding the service charge.
An automatic 18% gratuity will be added to the cost of any drink package at the time of purchase.
This means the daily price you pay covers all the drinks in the package as well as gratuity.
There are pre-cruise discounts available for guests that purchase the drink package online, via Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner.
Royal Caribbean uses variable pricing for its Deluxe Beverage package, and the price can change a lot depending on the ship, time of year, and itinerary.
When should I buy a Royal Caribbean drink package?
Without a doubt, you're better off buying any drink package before your cruise begins from the Royal Caribbean website.
Prices onboard are always higher than the pre-cruise offering.
Royal Caribbean employs a great deal of sales throughout the year, and the price of the Deluxe Beverage package will likely fluctuate. There's no telling when there will be a discount or better price, so our advice is to book the drink package early and then cancel and rebook if there's a lower price later.
By booking now, you lock in the current rate, but if there's a better sale later (like on Black Friday) you cancel and rebook at the lower price with no penalty.
Read more: How to get a get a discount on a Royal Caribbean drink package
Who is the deluxe drink package best for?
Someone who wants to be able to pick from the widest variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks without having to pay for each drink individually will want the deluxe package.
Royal Caribbean advertises the deluxe package as having "virtually unlimited options" and that is pretty close to the truth. Guests who can consume a lot of cocktails, beers, coffees, juices and more are well-suited for this package.
A common scenario we hear about is a guest who likes to drink a lot of coffee and/or juice in the morning, and then enjoy alcoholic beverages during the day and evening.
Is the Deluxe Beverage package worth it?
Does it make sense for you to invest in a drink package now with the large up-front cost?
The Deluxe Beverage package has the highest cost among all the Royal Caribbean drink packages, but your bar bill could stack up quickly without one.
A bottle of beer will cost around $8 or $9, cocktails will cost $12-$14, and wine by the glass can easily get up to $25 each. And that's before the automatic 18% gratuity.
If you're trying to decide if Royal Caribbean's Deluxe Beverage Package is worth it, you should also consider it includes non-alcoholic drinks. Premium coffees, bottled water, and even sodas are included, and these can make it much easier to get your money's worth from the package.
Your best bet is to buy a drink package before the cruise to get the lowest price, otherwise you'll probably need to drink another drink every day to make up the difference.
If your drink package cost is around $65 per day, then you'll need to order enough drinks every day to make it worthwhile. If having that much to drink every day sounds impossible, you could just skip a drink package and order drinks a la carte instead.
You should also think about the itinerary you're sailing to make sure a drink package makes sense. If your cruise goes to Perfect Day at CocoCay or Labadee, your drink package benefits work there too, and that's added value.
But if your sailing is a port intensive Alaska cruise or Mediterranean cruise, you'll have significantly less time on the ship to consume enough drinks.
Can I get souvenir glasses/mugs while using the deluxe drink package?
You can get drinks like Labadoozies, Coco locos, after dinner shots or the drink of the day with the deluxe drink package but does not include the souvenir mugs/glasses they are often served in.
If you were to order a drink in a souvenir cup, you'd be charged the difference for the souvenir cup.
You should tell your waiter or bartender to get the drink without the souvenir cup to avoid being charged extra for the souvenir cup.
Can I purchase the deluxe drink package and share drinks with someone I know onboard?
No, sharing beverages on any of Royal Caribbean's unlimited drink packages is strictly prohibited.
