How this works

Most drinks packages charge a flat price per person, per night — but there’s usually a per-drink price cap, and gratuity is often added on top. That means the package only pays for itself once you’re having enough drinks a day to beat what you’d have paid buying them individually.

Almost every cruise line also adds an automatic service charge (typically 15–20%) to every individual drink you buy at the bar, not just to packages — so a menu price of $13 can actually cost $15–16 once it hits your bill. We factor that into the “pay as you go” total above so the comparison is fair, using each line’s published per-drink gratuity rate. P&O is the one exception — its drink prices are fully inclusive, with no charge added at the bar.

Five cruise lines don’t offer a traditional “unlimited” package to buy separately: Virgin Voyages sells a discounted prepaid Bar Tab instead, Princess and Oceania bundle drinks into wider fare packages alongside things like Wi-Fi, and Crystal and Marella already include drinks in every fare as standard, with nothing separate to buy. For those lines, this calculator shows an explanatory note instead of forcing a package comparison that wouldn’t be meaningful.

Figures on this page are based on published pricing researched in July 2026 — not live data, and not a prediction or guarantee of what you’ll be charged. Always check the current package price and terms with your cruise line before booking.