Cunard drinks package and gratuities in 2026: what you'll really pay

What Cunard adds to your bill each day

Two automatic charges apply before you order anything.

The first is the Hotel & Dining service charge — Cunard's daily gratuity, a fixed per-person, per-night amount that funds restaurant and housekeeping crew. In 2026 it is $18 per person, per night in Britannia and Britannia Club, and $19 in Queens and Princess Grill Suites. It is charged in US dollars to every guest, adults and children at the same rate. Britannia has gone from $16 to $18 in about two years. You can have this charge adjusted or removed at the Purser's desk if you prefer to tip another way. (For how this works across the industry, see our guide to how cruise gratuities work.)

The second is the bar service charge: 18%, added to every drink. It is already built into package prices, so package buyers do not pay it twice. Pay-as-you-go drinkers pay it on every round.

For a couple in Britannia on a 7-night sailing, the daily gratuity alone comes to about $252 before any extras.

Cunard service charge in 2026: now 18% (and on food)

For years Cunard added a 15% service charge to bar bills. In 2026 that became 18%. The wording on current menus changed as well: it now reads that the charge applies to "all food & beverage purchases" in the bars and restaurants. The previous menus said "all bar purchases."

The change is bigger than three points on drinks. The charge now reaches restaurant food that never carried one before. On a premium fare, those percentages build up across a voyage.

Cunard Beverage Collection and Premium Beverage Collection

The Beverage Collection is Cunard's standard drinks package, covering any drink priced up to $13.50; the Premium Beverage Collection raises that cap to $20. Cunard sells both through its "World of Drinks" Collections, and each works on a per-drink price cap: order under the cap and the drink is covered; order over it and you lose part of the value.

Prices fall the longer the cruise. On a 7- to 14-night voyage the Beverage Collection is $76.50 per person, per day when pre-booked, about $1,071 for a couple over 7 nights. Booking through My Cunard before you sail saves around 10% against the onboard price, and the 18% service charge is included.

New for 2026 are the Signature and Premium Signature packages. Each bundles the matching Beverage Collection with a Wi-Fi plan and a dining credit at one daily price, which is worth comparing if you would buy those pieces anyway.

Is the Cunard drinks package worth it? The break-even math

The Beverage Collection pays off only if you drink steadily. Here is the arithmetic on a typical voyage:

So you need roughly five drinks a day to come out ahead, and that assumes your drinks sit at or below the $13.50 cap. Soft drinks, specialty coffees, bottled water and mocktails count toward the total too, which helps if not everyone in the cabin drinks alcohol (though everyone in the cabin must buy the same package). If your usual order is Champagne or cocktails priced above $13.50, the package covers less of each round and the break-even climbs. Run your own number against your real habits in the Cunard drink package calculator, or see the wider question of whether cruise drink packages are worth it.

The fine print that limits you

The price is not the only thing to weigh. The packages come with rules:

• 15 alcoholic drinks per 24 hours, with the count resetting at 6 a.m.
• One drink at a time, with a wait of about 10 minutes before the next.
• Everyone in the cabin must buy the same collection. You cannot share one package between two people.
• Packages are sold for the whole voyage, on cruises of 5 nights or more.

The change that trims the value works like this: the caps held still while the prices rose. A signature spritz that cost $10.50 now sits at the $13.50 ceiling. According to a detailed June 2026 Cruise Critic thread documenting current onboard menus, the same Queens gin now appears at $15, $15.50 and $17 — above the standard cap — and drinks that previously fell within the package now price above it. The package reads the same on paper and covers a little less in practice.

The Grills "free drinks" question

Grill Suite guests are often told their drinks are included. Sometimes they are, but only through rotating promotions, such as the "Treat Yourself, On Us" offer whose booking window has since closed. It is not a standing benefit, so check whether your own booking carries it.

When it does apply, the included Grills package can be stricter than the one you would pay for. On at least one recent sailing its cap was lower — $12. In a first-hand June 2026 Cruise Critic account, a Queen Victoria guest reported it was raised to $13.50 on board only after passengers raised it with staff; whether that applies fleetwide or was a one-ship response is not clear, so confirm your own package's cap. The part that matters: on that included package, going over the cap meant paying the full price of the drink, not the difference — the opposite of how Cunard describes the paid Beverage Collection, where the wording is "pay the difference."

What that means in dollars: a paying guest who orders a $15 drink on the Beverage Collection may owe only the amount above $13.50. A Grills guest on the free promotion ordering the same drink can owe the whole $15. The free perk is the smaller deal.

Cunard vs Princess, Celebrity and Holland America

All four are premium lines, but they price drinks and tips differently. Cunard is the only one of the four still charging 18% rather than 20%. It also describes a "pay the difference" rule on its paid package — letting you top up an over-cap drink rather than pay full price — which the others do not advertise. (Celebrity uses per-drink caps too, at $12 and $19.)

Want to put two specific cruises side by side, all-in? Use the cruise comparison tool. Holland America's per-drink cap is not confirmed in our data and is left out rather than estimated.

Pack for the dress code, and mind your baggage bill

Here is a cost that never appears in a cruise quote: Cunard is widely regarded as the most formal of the major lines, and dressing for it can cost you at the airport.

When I crossed on the QE2 back in 2002, the dress code was not a polite suggestion. On that transatlantic, every sea day but the last was a formal night, dinner jacket included. Cunard has eased off since then. A week-long Crossing on Queen Mary 2 now carries two Gala Evenings, with black tie or a dark suit for men and a gown or cocktail dress for women, and "smart attire" on the other nights. It is still among the dressiest ships you can book, and the code is enforced. Arrive underdressed and the main dining rooms and the Grills will turn you away, with the buffet as your fallback.

That formality carries a cost most people never budget for. A tuxedo, a gown, and the shoes to match are the kind of weight that tips a suitcase past the airline's 50-pound limit or pushes you into a second checked bag. On a transatlantic, where many people fly one way and sail the other, a second bag or an overweight charge can run $100 or more each way, depending on the airline and the fare. The free formal nights end up with a price tag, payable at the check-in desk.

Two ways to keep it down:

• Rent the formalwear on board. Cunard hires out dinner jackets and full tuxedos from the onboard shops — from about $90 for one night up to around $250 for five, according to recent guest guides — and you can take the jacket alone if you packed your own shirt and trousers. If the tuxedo is the one item forcing a second suitcase, renting can cost less than the baggage fee. There is no hire service for women's formalwear, though the boutiques sell eveningwear.
• Use the launderette. Every Cunard ship has free self-service laundries as well as a full laundry service. On a longer voyage you can pack fewer outfits and wash as you go, for a lighter bag and a smaller airline bill.

Cunard drinks and gratuities: FAQ

Does Cunard include gratuities?

No. Cunard adds a daily Hotel & Dining service charge of $18 per person in Britannia and $19 in Grill Suites, billed in US dollars to all guests including children. It is not included in the cruise fare.

Can Cunard gratuities be removed or adjusted?

Yes. The daily Hotel & Dining service charge can be adjusted or removed at the Purser's desk during your voyage. The 18% charge on bar purchases cannot be removed.

Does Cunard add service charges to drinks?

Yes. An 18% service charge applies to bar purchases. As of 2026 the menu wording extends it to food and beverage purchases in the bars and restaurants. It is already included in drinks-package prices.

What drinks are covered by the Beverage Collection?

Drinks priced up to $13.50 each, including cocktails, wines and sparkling wines by the glass, beers, spirits, soft drinks, juices and mocktails. The Premium Beverage Collection raises the cap to $20. Drinks above your cap are charged separately.

How many drinks a day make the Cunard package worthwhile?

About five a day at the $13.50 cap, based on a package price of roughly $76.50 per person per day. Fewer than that, and paying as you go usually costs less.