Royal Caribbean Drink Package Math: Is It Worth It?

A Royal Caribbean drink package saves money when its total cost is lower than the eligible drinks you would otherwise buy. Use the final checkout total for your sailing and compare the whole cabin over the whole cruise. Add the published 18% gratuity only if it is not already included in the displayed price for your booking market. There is no reliable universal number of cocktails that makes it worthwhile.

A worked example

Suppose your package offer is US $80 per person per day before gratuity. That is a hypothetical price, not a quote we obtained. With 18% added, it becomes $94.40 per day or $660.80 over seven nights.

If the drinks you would otherwise buy cost $14 each before the same gratuity, each costs $16.52. The package equals about 5.7 of those drinks daily. Five cost $82.60; six cost $99.12. Different menu prices change the result.

Now include eligible coffee, bottled water, soda and drinks without alcohol that you would actually buy. If those would cost $20 daily including service charges, the remaining $74.40 equals about 4.5 of the example cocktails. This calculation measures spending; it is not a drinking target.

Calculate the cabin and port days

Royal's current FAQ requires every guest of legal drinking age in the same stateroom to buy Deluxe if one does. At the example price, two people pay $1,321.60 for seven nights. A partner who spends little still affects the combined calculation.

Do not budget around an exception remembered from an old Reddit post. Later passenger reports describe refused exceptions, and the published rule requires all eligible occupants. Ask Royal about your actual reservation if a circumstance needs clarification.

List what you expect to buy on each day. A long excursion can mean far less use than a sea day. Use the full package period charged, rather than dividing the cost only by the days you expect to stay aboard.

Compare the actual tiers

Classic Soda covers soda; Refreshment adds eligible drinks without alcohol, including premium coffee, tea, juice and water. Deluxe adds alcoholic beverages within its limits. Licensed Starbucks stores are excluded even though other onboard coffee outlets may serve eligible specialty coffee.

Read the ship's current package sheet for excluded products, drink price limits and any port taxes. Royal's FAQ says Deluxe is unavailable on cruises of two to four nights departing Australia. Packages cannot be shared.

Use existing benefits first

Subtract drinks already covered by your Crown and Anchor benefits, suite arrangements or other credits. A package does not save the menu price of a drink you could already obtain without paying.

Compare final prices when a sale appears; a percentage discount is not a fixed cash value. For refundable purchases, Royal's online purchase terms allow cancellation at least 48 hours before departure. Its onboard package sheet has a separate refund request window within 48 hours of purchase, subject to consideration. Low usage does not promise a refund.

The same approach applies across lines in our drink package guide. Keep the result inside your complete vacation budget; convenience may be worth paying for, but call that a preference rather than a saving.