Do you actually drink enough to come out ahead?
The Deluxe Package is about $88.50 a day once the 18% service charge is added — roughly $620 per person over a 7-night sailing. Breaking even means drinking close to that much every day, not averaged across the week.
Only a drink or two a day?
You'll never get near $88.50 of drinks. You'd be handing the bar money — skip it.
Five or more, with the coffees, sodas and waters counted in?
It pays for itself, and then some.
Is your cruise port-heavy or sea-day-heavy?
Every day in port is a day you're ashore and not drinking — and the package still charges for it. Sea-day-heavy sailings are where it earns its keep; port-heavy ones rarely do.
Sailing to Perfect Day at CocoCay?
Good news: the Deluxe Package works there, which isn't true of every line's private island. Count that day in.
Do both of you need it?
If one adult in the stateroom buys it, the other usually has to as well. So the real question is whether it's worth it for both of you — one steady drinker plus one light drinker usually loses money overall.
Cruising solo?
The all-adults-buy rule only bites when there's a second adult in the stateroom. On your own there's no one else forced to match you, so it's a clean personal call: your own drinks against the daily price, nothing more.
The Deluxe Beverage Package
Royal Caribbean's top drinks package covers cocktails, spirits, wine by the glass, beer, non-alcoholic cocktails, fresh juices, smoothies, premium coffees, and bottled water. It works on the ship and, importantly, at Perfect Day at CocoCay. Carnival's Cheers! package is not honored at Celebration Key, Half Moon Cay or Princess Cays.
What the terms actually say
- The $14 per-drink cap The package covers drinks priced at or below $14 per item. Premium cocktails and higher-end spirits by the glass frequently exceed this. You pay the difference out of pocket. This is in the terms but not in the marketing.
- The stateroom rule Every adult of legal drinking age in the same stateroom under the same booking must purchase the same alcoholic package. No opt-out. One person drinks regularly, the other doesn't? Full price for both.
- The gratuity that isn't in the advertised price An 18% gratuity is added at checkout and is not included in the price shown when you're shopping. At $75 per person per day for a 7-night sailing for two, the package costs $1,050 — plus $189 in gratuity — totaling $1,239 before you've ordered a drink.
- Licensed Starbucks outlets — excluded Ships with a licensed Starbucks charge standard retail prices. Explicitly excluded from all packages. Budget $70–$100 per couple on a 7-night sailing if specialty coffee is a daily habit.
- Souvenir glassware — excluded Drinks served in pineapples, coconuts, or souvenir cups are not covered.
- Coca-Cola Freestyle machines — removed March 2026 Access was removed from the Deluxe and Refreshment packages in March 2026 with no reduction in price. Standard canned and fountain sodas remain included. Freestyle machine access now carries a separate onboard charge.
- Port-specific surcharges On certain itineraries an additional local tax may appear on your receipt when ordering with the package. This varies by port and isn't disclosed pre-cruise.
What's included that often goes unnoticed
The package includes a 40% discount on bottles of wine priced up to $100 and a 20% discount on bottles above $100. If you plan to order wine by the bottle at dinner rather than by the glass, this is the relevant figure. It also includes Johnny Rockets milkshakes, Red Bull, Powerade, and CocoLove coconut water.
Pricing and when to buy
Dynamic pricing applies across the fleet. The package typically runs $49–$90 per person per day before the 18% gratuity, depending on ship, sail date, and when you buy. The tracked median across 30 Royal Caribbean ships is approximately $75 per person per day pre-cruise. Onboard prices run 10–40% higher. Pre-purchase through the Royal Caribbean app (My Royal Cruise) after payment has been applied to your reservation.
If the price drops after you've bought, cancel and rebook in the Cruise Planner up to 72 hours before sailing to get the lower rate. Check periodically — prices on popular items can drop 20–30% during Royal Caribbean's periodic sale events.
One more option few guests know about: if you purchase the package and find in the first day or two of sailing that you're not using it, a visit to Guest Services to request a pro-rated refund is worth trying. It's discretionary, not guaranteed — but it happens more often than most guests expect.
Is it worth it? The break-even
At the $75/day median plus 18% gratuity, the real daily cost is approximately $88.50 per person. Individual cocktails run $12–$16, beer $7–$10, specialty coffees $5–$7. Two cocktails and a coffee per day costs roughly $29–$39 individually — well below break-even. Three cocktails and a coffee runs $41–$55 — still under. At five or more drinks a day, with daily specialty coffees, the math shifts in the package's favor. The Deluxe Package makes financial sense for consistent, moderate-to-heavy drinkers. It does not make sense for occasional drinkers buying it for convenience.
The break-even moves significantly at the top of the price range. At $90 per person per day plus 18% gratuity, the real cost is approximately $106 per person per day — you'd need five or more drinks daily to justify it. Always run your own numbers against the price shown in your specific Cruise Planner, not the median figure.
Alternatives
| Option | What it covers | Best for | Price per day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deluxe Beverage Package | Alcohol plus all non-alcoholic drinks, shipwide and at CocoCay | Steady daily drinkers (about five or more a day) | $49–$90 +18% |
| Refreshment Package | Non-alcoholic only — sodas, juices, smoothies, premium coffees; works at CocoCay, and children can buy it separately | Coffee and soda drinkers; families with kids | $29–$40 +18% |
| Pay as you go | Nothing bundled — you pay per drink and skip the stateroom rule | Light or non-drinkers | Per drink |
Both packages trigger the stateroom rule — every adult in the stateroom has to buy the same one. Not sure which side of the line you're on? Compare your estimated drinks against the package cost for your sailing.
Gratuities: the full picture
The daily charge
Royal Caribbean automatically applies a daily service gratuity to every guest's SeaPass account unless prepaid at booking.
- US and UK bookings: $18.50 per person per day in standard staterooms; $21.00 per person per day in Grand Suite and above. Two guests in a standard stateroom on a 7-night sailing pay $259 in daily gratuities.
- Australian bookings: Gratuities are included in the published fare — no separate daily charge. Drink package prices on Australian sailings also have the service charge built into the listed price.
- Children: The daily gratuity applies to every guest in the stateroom regardless of age, including infants. A family of four in a standard stateroom pays $518 in daily gratuities on a 7-night sailing. The booking pages don't make that obvious.
Prepay or pay onboard?
Prepaying locks in the current rate — useful if a rate increase has been announced. Paying onboard means the nightly charge posts automatically to your SeaPass account. Either way the total is identical unless rates change between booking and sailing.
Can you modify or remove the daily gratuity?
Yes. Royal Caribbean's published ticket contract states that gratuities "may be modified at the guest's sole discretion" by visiting the Guest Relations desk at any time prior to the morning of disembarkation. That wording is legally meaningful — Royal Caribbean cannot require payment of the daily gratuity as a contractual obligation. If you did not prepay, you can visit Guest Relations from embarkation day onward. If you prepaid, most guests report needing to contact Royal Caribbean or their travel agent before sailing, as Guest Services may not be able to reverse a prepaid charge once onboard.
Gratuities on top of the daily gratuity
The daily charge is not the complete picture. The following are added automatically at point of purchase, separately from the daily amount:
- 18% on all individual drinks and beverage packages
- 18% on specialty dining cover charges
- 18% on room service orders (on top of the $7.95 service fee)
- 20% on spa and salon services
On a sailing where you've bought a drinks package, eaten at two specialty restaurants, had a spa treatment, and ordered room service twice, the total gratuity across those line items comfortably exceeds the daily service charge itself.
Wi-Fi: VOOM Surf + Stream
Royal Caribbean offers one Wi-Fi product fleet-wide: VOOM Surf + Stream, running on Starlink satellite. It covers streaming, video calls, social media, and general browsing. There's no longer a cheaper browse-only tier.
Pricing is dynamic. The tracked median across 30 ships is approximately $20 per device per day when purchased pre-cruise. Onboard prices run $29–$39 per device per day depending on the ship — buying pre-cruise typically saves a third to a half. Packages cover up to four devices under one plan, with the per-device rate dropping for additional devices. If your party needs two devices, buy a two-device plan rather than two individual packages.
The cancel-and-rebook rule applies to Wi-Fi too: if your pre-purchased price drops in the Cruise Planner before sailing, cancel and rebook for the lower rate up to 72 hours before departure. Wi-Fi is included as part of The Key program (one device per person). Sky Junior Suites included complimentary VOOM only on the newest ships (Icon, Star, Spectrum and Utopia), and even there it ended April 30, 2026.
The Key: Royal Caribbean's priority program
The Key is a pre-purchased daily add-on that bundles priority services for your sailing. It must be bought before the cruise through the Cruise Planner and can't be purchased onboard. Every guest aged six and above in the same stateroom must purchase it. Pricing runs $25 to over $50 per person per day depending on ship and date.
What it includes
- Priority embarkation during a dedicated arrival window
- VOOM Surf + Stream Wi-Fi for one device per person
- Reserved seating at main theater shows
- 20% off specialty dining booked on day one of the sailing
- Exclusive disembarkation breakfast with choice of departure time
- Carry-on bag delivery to your stateroom on embarkation day
- Priority tendering at tender ports
- Fast-track access to select onboard activities
- $60 one-time spa discount against a treatment of $250 or more
It was reduced in early 2025 and partially restored in August 2025. If you sailed with The Key previously and liked it, verify the current list before buying again. The no-show fee for specialty dining — up to $50 per person at Supper Clubs, Hibachi, Omakase, and Chef's Table — applies even to Key holders who pre-booked online. Cancel at least 24 hours in advance to avoid it.
Is it worth buying?
If The Key is priced within $5–$15 of the standalone Wi-Fi cost ($20–$30 per device per day pre-cruise), the other perks are effectively free — buy it without overthinking. If it's $35 or more per day and Wi-Fi isn't a priority, or you already carry loyalty status perks that duplicate several benefits, the math is harder to justify.
The perks that consistently move the purchase decision: Wi-Fi, reserved show seating on the newer ships where productions fill fast, and the disembarkation breakfast if you have an early flight. The $60 spa discount is only relevant if you were planning a $250-plus treatment anyway — treat it as a bonus, not a reason to buy.
The cancel-and-rebook rule
This applies to every pre-cruise Cruise Planner purchase — drinks package, Wi-Fi, dining packages, shore excursions, and CocoCay add-ons. If you've pre-purchased an item and the price subsequently drops in the Cruise Planner, you can generally cancel the existing purchase and rebook at the lower price. The refund returns to your original payment method.
The cancellation window closes 72 hours before the sailing date. After that, pre-cruise purchases are non-refundable. Check your Cruise Planner prices periodically between booking and the cutoff, particularly during Royal Caribbean's periodic sale events when prices on popular items can drop by 20–30%.
That covers the three add-ons end to end. To see where they land in your all-in total — fare, port fees, gratuities, and dining together — see what a Royal Caribbean cruise really costs.