Cruise ships drink · Drink in Cruise ships
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Drink in Cruise ships
Drink in Cruise ships
Typical staples such as coffee, tea/iced tea, lemonade, juices (at breakfast) and iced tea are available at no charge. Other drinks are usually not included in the cruise price, even if the cruise's promotional brochure says or implies "all-inclusive".
Those "others" (e.g., soft drinks, bottled waters, fresh-squeezed juices, specialty coffees, beers, wine, mixed drinks) can be pricey. Prices listed will not include a 15-18 percent service fee/surcharge.
Expect to find one or more well-stocked bars on all public decks, catering expertly to your preferences, many opening mid- to late-morning and some staying open very late.
All dining rooms will have a very good wine list, with a few offerings by the glass, as well as bottled waters, mixed drinks and specialty coffees.
Many cruise lines offer drink packages for unlimited soft drink refills, some for specialty coffees, wine, even a few for mixed drinks...each for a substantial additional cost that often includes the service fee. Understand the terms clearly before committing to any. Examples:
A "pop pass" often runs $30-45 for a week, which can equal 3-5 separately purchased drinks every day...a considerable average daily consumption rate.
A recently-reported mixed-drink package runs over $300 per person for a week, while most separately-priced drinks run $7-11 or so each. Again, this means a considerable daily consumption rate to "break even".
If you delay purchase of a package a day or more, the price often remains the same.
Not counting the service fee, some mixed drinks may be cheaper than you might pay at better watering holes ashore ...but don't count on it. However, you'll usually find drink specials mentioned in the ship's daily newsletter.
These costs prompt some people to try to bring their own. But most lines forbid bringing liquor on board. Any found (at embarkation or as you board from later port visits) will be "held for you", and returned on the last full day of the cruise in the same packaging as received. Some lines will allow you to initially bring 1-2 bottles of wine per cabin, and most will allow you to bring your own soft drinks.
Some ships are primarily party vessels, full of young adults taking advantage of duty free alcohol and (perhaps) lower drinking ages in international waters. You may identify them by their extremely uneventful itineraries: straight out to sea, stay there for much of the trip, then back to port. Their advertising is usually also not particularly subtle. If you want one, you'll recognize the signs; if you want to avoid one, likewise.
Mainstream cruise lines avoid unbridled drinking by:
Requiring at least one occupant of each cabin to be a minimum age (with some exceptions for legitimate families) and/or by not serving alcohol to anyone under 21.
Training and directing wait staffs to control service to minors and those who've had too much.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Cruise ships
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Cruise ships - updated Apr 2024
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Cruise ships Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.