Boozy drink packages are a big reason passengers choose to book a cruise. They are also starting to cost a lot more.
Cruises blame the rising price of all-inclusive drink packages over the past year on high inflation. The companies say cruise demand among travelers is very high, and lines have added capacity compared with 2019. But the industry is still recovering from the pandemic shutdown.
MSC Cruises introduced new prices across its slate of drink packages in February. After factoring in a 15% gratuity that used to be charged separately, prices for the packages have increased as much as 36%. The most expensive package costs $88 a person per night for cruises up to six nights and $85 a person per night for longer sailings, when purchased in advance.
Norwegian Cruise Line
recently hiked prices for two of the drink packages available on sailings by $10. The line’s Premium Plus beverage package, which has fewer limits on what guests can order, now costs $138 a person per day. Last year, Carnival Cruise Line increased the price of its Cheers! drinks package by $8 to nearly $60 a person per day, if booked in advance.
Carnival spokesman
Matt Lupoli,
pointing to inflation and other causes of rising prices for adult beverages, said in an email, “We are not in a position to absorb those higher costs.”
Along with alcoholic beverages, Wi-Fi and the mandatory gratuities passengers are charged have also risen in price recently. These increases can add up quickly for travelers.
“It gets pretty expensive on the longer voyages, so in many cases it’s more advantageous to pay as you go,” says
Annie Scrivanich,
senior vice president of Cruise Specialists, a Seattle-based travel agency.
Reginald Wilson III and Cynthia Wilson on a Carnival Cruise in October 2022, showing off their winnings from a ‘Love and Marriage’ contest.
Photo:
Reginald Wilson III
Reginald Wilson III
and his wife,
Cynthia Wilson,
are in the midst of what he calls their year of cruising. They have completed five cruises since last April, and have another eight planned through 2023.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
How do you assess the value of all-inclusive packages on cruises? Have you found any good deals? Join the conversation below.
For Mr. Wilson’s birthday this fall, the couple from Millington, Tenn., plans to sail with Carnival from Florida to Spain and back. The two cruises are costing the couple around $4,800. Adding the Cheers! drink package and gratuities would have cost nearly $4,000. The Wilsons passed.
They plan instead to get occasional free drinks in the casino, plus a bottle of wine that comes free if you eat at the ship’s steakhouse. They also plan to pre-purchase some wine and bring some bottles onto the ship with them.
“It’s comfortable for us,” the 66-year-old Mr. Wilson says.
Know before buying a cruise drink package
Beware so-called deals: Many cruise lines offer all-inclusive packages that bundle add-ons including drinks, Wi-Fi and gratuities with the overall cost of the cruise. But the price of these packages can be higher than other offers.
The drink package included in these offers sometimes doesn’t include top-shelf spirits or specialty cocktails. There are ways around this:
Tina Robinson-Quirke,
owner of TRQ Travel, a New Jersey-based travel agency, says sometimes the lowest-level drink package on a cruise only includes virgin frozen drinks. Passengers who buy that package can save money by ordering a virgin frozen drink and a shot of liquor separately and mixing them to create their own frozen alcoholic beverage, she says.
Find other ways to get a drink: Many cruise lines let passengers bring a limited amount of their own alcoholic beverages on the ship. Carnival allows each passenger 21 or older to bring one 750-milliliter bottle of unopened wine or champagne in carry-on luggage on embarkation day.
Photo:
ISTOCK
On many cruise lines, people who gamble enough in the ship’s casino can get free drinks. Cruise lines also have loyalty programs that can entitle members to perks like free drinks.
Think of the itinerary: For those on the fence about whether to spring for a drink package, consider how often you’ll leave the ship. Someone on a shorter cruise that includes a lot of port excursions might not get their money’s worth.
Consider your cabin: Generally if one person in a cabin purchases a drink package, anyone else of legal drinking age must do so as well. In cases where one person drinks and the other doesn’t, that can mean wasted money. Travel advisers say cruise lines sometimes offer exemptions to this rule on a case-by-case basis if a passenger can’t drink for medical reasons, and may require proof.
When
Joshua Franciscy
sails with his whole family, he and his wife will say on paper that they are sleeping in separate staterooms, he says. His wife doesn’t drink much, so this allows him to purchase a drink package without needing to buy a second one. “She’s not going to drink enough the whole time we’re there to justify that expense,” says Mr. Franciscy, a police officer in Fort Wayne, Ind.
Look at the big picture: Most cruise lines offer nonalcoholic drink packages that cover sodas, bottled water, lattes, smoothies and nonalcoholic mocktails. These beverages don’t come free with the buffet meals, and the cost can add up quickly. Nonalcoholic packages have generally increased in price over recent months, too.
Write to Jacob Passy at jacob.passy@wsj.com
Copyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Boozy drink packages are a big reason passengers choose to book a cruise. They are also starting to cost a lot more.
Cruises blame the rising price of all-inclusive drink packages over the past year on high inflation. The companies say cruise demand among travelers is very high, and lines have added capacity compared with 2019. But the industry is still recovering from the pandemic shutdown.
MSC Cruises introduced new prices across its slate of drink packages in February. After factoring in a 15% gratuity that used to be charged separately, prices for the packages have increased as much as 36%. The most expensive package costs $88 a person per night for cruises up to six nights and $85 a person per night for longer sailings, when purchased in advance.
Norwegian Cruise Line
recently hiked prices for two of the drink packages available on sailings by $10. The line’s Premium Plus beverage package, which has fewer limits on what guests can order, now costs $138 a person per day. Last year, Carnival Cruise Line increased the price of its Cheers! drinks package by $8 to nearly $60 a person per day, if booked in advance.
Carnival spokesman
Matt Lupoli,
pointing to inflation and other causes of rising prices for adult beverages, said in an email, “We are not in a position to absorb those higher costs.”
Along with alcoholic beverages, Wi-Fi and the mandatory gratuities passengers are charged have also risen in price recently. These increases can add up quickly for travelers.
“It gets pretty expensive on the longer voyages, so in many cases it’s more advantageous to pay as you go,” says
Annie Scrivanich,
senior vice president of Cruise Specialists, a Seattle-based travel agency.
Reginald Wilson III and Cynthia Wilson on a Carnival Cruise in October 2022, showing off their winnings from a ‘Love and Marriage’ contest.
Photo:
Reginald Wilson III
Reginald Wilson III
and his wife,
Cynthia Wilson,
are in the midst of what he calls their year of cruising. They have completed five cruises since last April, and have another eight planned through 2023.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
How do you assess the value of all-inclusive packages on cruises? Have you found any good deals? Join the conversation below.
For Mr. Wilson’s birthday this fall, the couple from Millington, Tenn., plans to sail with Carnival from Florida to Spain and back. The two cruises are costing the couple around $4,800. Adding the Cheers! drink package and gratuities would have cost nearly $4,000. The Wilsons passed.
They plan instead to get occasional free drinks in the casino, plus a bottle of wine that comes free if you eat at the ship’s steakhouse. They also plan to pre-purchase some wine and bring some bottles onto the ship with them.
“It’s comfortable for us,” the 66-year-old Mr. Wilson says.
Know before buying a cruise drink package
Beware so-called deals: Many cruise lines offer all-inclusive packages that bundle add-ons including drinks, Wi-Fi and gratuities with the overall cost of the cruise. But the price of these packages can be higher than other offers.
The drink package included in these offers sometimes doesn’t include top-shelf spirits or specialty cocktails. There are ways around this:
Tina Robinson-Quirke,
owner of TRQ Travel, a New Jersey-based travel agency, says sometimes the lowest-level drink package on a cruise only includes virgin frozen drinks. Passengers who buy that package can save money by ordering a virgin frozen drink and a shot of liquor separately and mixing them to create their own frozen alcoholic beverage, she says.
Find other ways to get a drink: Many cruise lines let passengers bring a limited amount of their own alcoholic beverages on the ship. Carnival allows each passenger 21 or older to bring one 750-milliliter bottle of unopened wine or champagne in carry-on luggage on embarkation day.
Photo:
ISTOCK
On many cruise lines, people who gamble enough in the ship’s casino can get free drinks. Cruise lines also have loyalty programs that can entitle members to perks like free drinks.
Think of the itinerary: For those on the fence about whether to spring for a drink package, consider how often you’ll leave the ship. Someone on a shorter cruise that includes a lot of port excursions might not get their money’s worth.
Consider your cabin: Generally if one person in a cabin purchases a drink package, anyone else of legal drinking age must do so as well. In cases where one person drinks and the other doesn’t, that can mean wasted money. Travel advisers say cruise lines sometimes offer exemptions to this rule on a case-by-case basis if a passenger can’t drink for medical reasons, and may require proof.
When
Joshua Franciscy
sails with his whole family, he and his wife will say on paper that they are sleeping in separate staterooms, he says. His wife doesn’t drink much, so this allows him to purchase a drink package without needing to buy a second one. “She’s not going to drink enough the whole time we’re there to justify that expense,” says Mr. Franciscy, a police officer in Fort Wayne, Ind.
Look at the big picture: Most cruise lines offer nonalcoholic drink packages that cover sodas, bottled water, lattes, smoothies and nonalcoholic mocktails. These beverages don’t come free with the buffet meals, and the cost can add up quickly. Nonalcoholic packages have generally increased in price over recent months, too.
Write to Jacob Passy at jacob.passy@wsj.com
Copyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8