Princess Cruises Drink Packages: The Ultimate Guide for 2024

On a Princess cruise, you can buy a beverage package or pay for your drinks individually. But are Princess Cruises drink packages worth it?

When you’re cruising with Princess, there’s a very limited selection of complimentary drinks included with your basic cruise fare. If you’d like to enjoy your favorite sodas, specialty coffees, or adult beverages, it’ll cost you extra.

Some cruisers opt to pay as they go, but there’s also the option of buying a drinks package that covers your drinks for the entire cruise. You’re probably wondering if it’s smarter to pay for your drinks individually or to spring for one of the Princess beverage packages.

Here’s everything you need to know about Princess Cruises drink packages to help you make that decision.

What Princess Cruises drink packages are available for 2024?

For 2024, Princess Cruises offers four beverage package options at various price points. You can choose from all-inclusive packages that cover almost anything you’d like to drink, or one of two non-alcoholic options. One soft drink package covers the basics, and another also includes specialty coffees and teas.

Let’s start with the most comprehensive (and most expensive) drinks package and work our way down to the cheapest.

Along the way, I’ll do some calculations to let you know how much each of the Princess drink packages will cost you in total for the average seven-day cruise.

Premier Beverage Package

The most inclusive of Princess’ drinks packages, the Premier Beverage Package includes any of the following drinks with a menu price of up to $20 USD ($30 AUD for Australia and NZ cruises) each:

• Spirits
• Cocktails
• Wine by the glass
• Beer
• Fountain soda
• Specialty coffees
• Fresh juices
• Smoothies
• Bottled water (sparkling or still, 500ml or under)
• Teas
• Frappés at Coffee & Cones
• Hot chocolate
• Milkshakes
• Red Bull energy drinks
• “Zero-proof” mocktails

Note: If a drink costs more than the menu price limit of $20 USD / $30 AUD, you’ll just be charged the difference.

This package also provides a 25% discount on all bottles of wine and one-liter bottles of water.

At meals in the for-a-fee specialty dining venues on board, the package covers one large bottle (1L) of still or sparkling water.

The Premier Beverage Package is not available for voyages of two nights or fewer, or for voyages under seven nights for Australia-based itineraries.

Premier Beverage Package exclusions

The following drinks are excluded from the Premier Beverage Package on all Princess sailings:

• Bottled wine or spirits in the retail shops onboard
• Stateroom mini-bar items
• Drinks sold in souvenir glassware (passengers may use the package for the drink itself and pay an additional charge for the glass only)
• Beverages offered via self-service or vending machines
• Wine tastings, buckets of beer, or BOGO drink offers
• Drinks ordered for room service

How much does the Premier Beverage Package cost?

For most sailings, the Premier Beverage Package costs $84.99 USD per person, per day. A service charge of 18% is included when booking, bringing the cost to $100.30 per day.

Cost for a seven-day cruise per person: $702.10 USD

Pro tip: It’s actually cheaper to buy a Princess Premier cruise fare (which also includes WiFi, gratuities, and much more) than to pay for this drinks package à la carte!

For all Australian-based ships, the package is $140 AUD per day, which includes a service charge. The Plus Beverage Package is not available for pre-purchase for voyages from Australia and New Zealand.

Cost for a seven-day cruise per person: $980.00 AUD

Plus Beverage Package

The second tier of Princess beverage packages, the Plus Beverage Package includes any of the following drinks with a menu price of up to $15 USD ($22 AUD for Australia and NZ cruises) each:

• Spirits
• Cocktails
• Wine by the glass
• Beer
• Fountain soda
• Specialty coffees
• Fresh juices
• Smoothies
• Bottled water (500ml or under)
• Teas
• Frappés at Coffee & Cones
• Hot chocolate
• Milkshakes
• Red Bull energy drinks
• “Zero-proof” mocktails

Note: If a drink costs more than the menu price limit of $15 USD / $22 AUD, you’ll just be charged the difference.

This package also provides a 25% discount on all bottles of wine and one-liter bottles of water.

Although the Plus Beverage Package used to cover one large bottle (1L) of still or sparkling water at meals in the for-a-fee specialty dining venues on board, this perk is now only available with the Premier Beverage Package.

The Plus Beverage Package is not available for voyages of two nights or fewer, or for voyages under seven nights for Australia-based itineraries.

Plus Beverage Package exclusions

The following drinks are excluded from the Plus Beverage Package on all Princess sailings:

• Bottled wine or spirits in the retail shops onboard
• Stateroom mini-bar items
• Drinks sold in souvenir glassware (passengers may use the package for the drink itself and pay an additional charge for the glass only)
• Beverages offered via self-service or vending machines
• Wine tastings, buckets of beer, or BOGO drink offers
• Drinks ordered for room service

How much does the Plus Beverage Package cost?

For most sailings, the Plus Beverage Package costs $64.99 USD per person, per day. A service charge of 18% is included when booking, bringing the cost to $76.70 per day.

Cost for a seven-day cruise per person: $536.90 USD

Pro tip: It’s actually cheaper to buy a Princess Plus cruise fare (which also includes WiFi, gratuities, and more) than to pay for this drinks package à la carte!

For all Australian-based ships, the package is $110 AUD per day, which includes a service charge. The Plus Beverage Package is not available for pre-purchase for voyages from Australia and New Zealand.

Cost for a seven-day cruise per person: $770.00 AUD

Zero-Alcohol Package

Formerly called the Coffee & Soda Package, Princess’ most inclusive non-alcoholic drink package includes:

• Premium and specialty coffees and teas
• Fountain sodas
• Fresh fruit juices
• Hot chocolate
• “Zero-proof” mocktails
• Frappes at Coffee & Cones
• Smoothies
• Red Bull energy drinks
• Milkshakes

Zero-Alcohol Package exclusions

The following drinks are excluded from the Zero-Alcohol Package on all Princess sailings:

• All alcoholic beverages
• Bottled water and juice or canned sodas
• Beverages offered in shops on board
• Stateroom mini-bar items
• Beverages offered via vending machines (except Coke Freestyle machines where available)
• Drinks ordered for room service

How much does the Zero-Alcohol Package cost?

For most sailings, the Zero-Alcohol Package costs $29.99 USD per person, per day. An 18% service charge is included when booking, bringing the daily cost to $35.39.

Cost for a seven-day cruise per person: $247.73 USD

For all Australian-based vessels, the package is $45 AUD per day, which includes the service charge.

Cost for a seven-day cruise per person: $315.00 AUD

Classic Soda Package

If you’re looking for unlimited soft drinks (but you don’t also need specialty coffees), Princess’ Classic Soda Package might be the right choice for you.

This package includes:

• Fountain sodas
• Canned soda and juice
• “Zero-proof” mocktails
• Smoothies

Classic Soda Package exclusions

The following drinks are excluded from the Classic Soda Package on all Princess sailings:

• All alcoholic beverages
• Specialty or premium coffees and teas
• Hot chocolate
• Ice cream-based drinks
• Bottled water and juice or canned sodas
• Beverages offered in shops on board
• Stateroom mini-bar items
• Beverages offered via vending machines (except Coke Freestyle machines where available)
• Drinks ordered for room service

How much does the Classic Soda Package cost?

For most sailings, the Classic Soda Package costs $14.99 USD per person, per day. An 18% service charge is included when booking, bringing the daily cost to $17.69.

Cost for a seven-day cruise per person: $123.83 USD

For all Australian-based vessels, the package is $23 AUD per day, which includes a service charge.

Cost for a seven-day cruise per person: $161.00 AUD

Princess Cruises drink packages FAQ

If you have questions about drink packages for your upcoming Princess cruise, you’ve probably been scouring Princess’ website looking for answers. I know I did before my very first cruise with Princess!

I’ll answer the most common questions about Princess Cruises drink packages below—it’s a combination of the questions I spent hours looking for answers to before my first Princess cruise in 2017, and questions from readers.

Hopefully I’ll save you some time with my Princess Cruises drink package FAQ. If I don’t have the answer to your question, pop it in the comments at the end of this post. I respond to every comment!

How do you buy a Princess Cruises drink package?

For most sailings, passengers can buy any of Princess’ beverage packages online via your Cruise Personalizer. For most cruise beverage packages, you’ll have the option to buy online up to four days before your cruise sails.

If you haven’t bought a drink package before embarkation day, you still have the option to do so—but only on day one and day two of your cruise.

For Australia and New Zealand cruises, the drinks packages are only sold on board on embarkation day.

Another option is to upgrade to Princess Plus or Princess Premier when you book your cruise. These are more expensive fares, but include either the Plus or Premier Beverage Package plus extra perks like unlimited Wi-Fi and crew gratuities.

Do you need to tip for drinks purchased with Princess’ beverage packages?

When you purchase a beverage package on Princess, you’ll pre-pay your gratuities (18% of the package total).

Once on board, there’s no need to tip your server or bartender extra each time you receive a drink. But if you’d like to add an extra tip for great service, you absolutely can.

You may also like: Tipping on a Cruise Ship: What You Need to Know About Cruise Gratuities

Do you need to pay tax on your drinks?

When you’re sailing in international waters, there’s no tax on your drink purchases (whether you have a beverage package or not). But if you’re in a jurisdiction that taxes drinks, you’ll see a small charge for tax on your onboard account. This typically happens on embarkation day, in ports, and when you’re leaving port but haven’t yet reached international waters.

Tip: If you’re not sure if you’re in international waters yet, check to see if the onboard shops are open. They’ll only be open when you’re in a tax-free zone.

Can you buy a drink package for certain days of the cruise?

Princess doesn’t allow passengers to buy a drink package only for certain days of a cruise. Although it would be nice to pay for the package just when you’ll use it most (like on sea days), if you buy a drink package it needs to be for every day of the voyage.

Are you charged for your Princess drink package for disembarkation day? Does the package work that day?

When buying the Premier Beverage Package, Plus Beverage Package, Zero Alcohol Package, or Classic Soda Package, you won’t be charged for disembarkation day.

Although I’ve never seen any official policy stating that drinks packages still work on disembarkation day, I always get my specialty coffee on disembarkation morning and I’ve never been charged!

Can you share your Princess beverage package with another guest?

None of the Princess drink packages permit sharing with other passengers. The cruise line can cancel your drink package if you’re caught sharing, without a refund!

Do Princess Cruises drink packages work on their private islands?

On Princess Cays, the cruise line’s private island in the Bahamas, Princess cruisers can use their drink package at any of the bars, just as you would on the ship.

You may also like: Ultimate Guide to Princess Cays

Do Princess drink packages work with room service?

None of Princess’ drink packages work when you’re ordering room service. However, you can order any of the complimentary beverages with your room service order.

How old do you have to be to buy a beverage package on a Princess cruise?

There’s no age requirement to purchase either of the non-alcoholic drinks packages on Princess (Zero Alcohol Package and Classic Soda Package).

To purchase the Premier or Plus Beverage Packages, guests must be age 21 or over. On sailings in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, China, and Singapore, the drinking age on board is 18, and in Japan it’s 20. However, on these cruises, guests under 21 can’t purchase a Premier or Plus Beverage Package even if they’re allowed to buy alcohol on a per-drink basis.

Is there a limit to how many drinks you can order per day with a Princess beverage package?

Princess limits alcoholic drinks to 15 beverages per person in a 24-hour period, beginning at 6 AM each day. The cruise line says that “alcoholic drinks requested above the daily limits are at the discretion of the shipboard management and crew and charged at regular menu prices.”

However, since Princess introduced the daily drink limit a few years ago, I’ve never seen a bartender allow anyone more than 15 drinks.

Tip: Ordering a “double” counts as two drinks toward the daily limit. But ordering a single drink that has more alcohol in it (such as a martini or a Beverly Hills Iced Tea) only counts as one drink.

Non-alcoholic drinks are unlimited with Princess’ beverage packages, and they don’t count toward the 15-drink daily limit.

Does Princess still have a coffee card program?

Princess Cruises retired its New Grounds coffee program in February 2023. Cruisers who want specialty coffees as part of a drink package now need to purchase either the Zero-Alcohol Package, Plus Beverage Package, or Premier Beverage Package. Specialty coffees can also be purchased individually at menu prices.

What do you do if you have a Princess drink package, but your onboard account was charged for an included drink?

I’ve never been on a cruise where I had a drink package and I wasn’t accidentally charged the menu price for an included drink at least once. This doesn’t only happen on Princess!

Smart cruisers always check their onboard accounts periodically for mistakes, and definitely before the morning of disembarkation. If you thought that the line at Guest Services was insane on embarkation day, just wait until the morning that you get off the ship!

The best course of action is to go to Guest Services when you notice a mistake and there’s not a huge line. Don’t wait until you’re home from your cruise! The representatives onboard are far more likely to help when you’re standing right in front of them.

Tip: If you want to be 100% sure that no one accidentally drinks something in your room that has a fee attached, ask your room steward when they introduce themself if they can remove the drinks altogether. This includes mini-bar items as well as any bottles of water provided for your convenience.

Is it worth it to get a drink package on a Princess cruise?

If you’re thinking about buying a drink package for your upcoming Princess cruise, it’s important to have a few factors at the top of your mind. Beverage packages aren’t cheap, and you’ll want to consider:

1. Will you mainly drink the beverages that are free with your cruise fare?
2. Can you get any free alcoholic drinks on your Princess cruise?
3. Are there any allowed drinks you’d like to bring from home on your cruise vacation?
4. How much do the drinks you like cost on Princess if you buy them individually?
5. Will you drink enough to make buying a package worth the money?

In this section, I’ll help you answer all of these questions so you can decide if it’s worth it to get a drink package on a Princess cruise.

What drinks are free on Princess Cruises?

When you’re considering purchasing a drinks package on Princess, it’s good to know which drinks are already included with your cruise fare. If you’re OK with just drinking these beverages during your cruise, you won’t need to buy a package (or purchase individual drinks) at all!

Free drinks on Princess Cruises include:

• Ice water
• Lemonade
• Iced tea
• Hot tea (except at International Café)
• Brewed coffee (except at International Café)
• Fruit juice (at breakfast only)

Tip: Ask for extra fruit juice at breakfast and you can store it in your stateroom mini-fridge to enjoy throughout the day!

Can you ever get free alcoholic drinks on a Princess cruise?

There are a few times during your cruise that you’ll be offered a free alcoholic drink. However, 99% of the time it’ll just be a small glass of sparkling wine.

That said, here’s where you can enjoy a free glass of bubbly on your Princess cruise:

• Art raffle
• Captain’s Welcome Aboard Party
• Captain’s Circle (past passenger) Party
• Art Auction
• Events at the Effy store (Morning Mimosas, Pink Party)
• Lightning Fast Art Auction

You may also like: 21 Princess Cruise Tips You Need to Know

Can you bring your own drinks on a Princess Cruise?

Princess permits passengers to carry on one 750 ml bottle of wine per guest. The cruise line charges a $20 corkage fee if you drink the wine in a bar or restaurant. They permit additional bottles, but will charge the $20 fee regardless of where guests drink that wine, including in your stateroom.

Guests can carry on up to 12 cans or cartons of water, sodas, or other non-alcoholic beverages on embarkation day (not in your checked luggage).

How much are drinks on a Princess cruise if you buy them individually?

These prices are based on the most recent (2024) menus and include the most common drinks that cruisers purchase. Of course (especially if you’re ordering premium alcohol) prices can skew higher.

But here’s a general price range of typical drink prices on Princess in 2024 (note that these prices are for ships that use USD):

• Beers: $6.25 – $10
• Wine (by the glass): $10 – $19+
• Cocktails and standard spirits: $7.50 – $18+
• Mocktails: $7
• Espresso drinks: $2.50 – $4.50
• Fountain soda: $2.50
• Bottled water (500ml): $2.65

You may also like: Are Cruise Drink Packages Worth It?

How many drinks will you consume each day on your cruise?

Most people tend to drink a little more on vacation, whether that’s soda, alcohol, or specialty coffees. Think back to your last vacation and consider how many servings of your favorite drinks you had each day.

Here’s how many servings of some popular drinks you’ll need to consume each day to break even with a Princess drink package:

Plus Beverage Package – $64.99 per day

Strawberry Daiquiri (menu price $10.00): 6-7 per day to break even

Heineken (menu price $7.00): 9-10 per day to break even

Glass of house Sauvignon blanc (menu price $11.00): 6 per day to break even

Zero-Alcohol Package – $29.99 per day

Fountain soda (menu price $2.50): 12 per day to break even

Café Mocha (menu price $3.50) – 8-9 per day to break even

Mocktail (menu price $7.00): 4-5 per day to break even

Bottled water (menu price $2.65): 11-12 per day to break even

Classic Soda Package – $14.99 per day

Fountain soda (menu price $2.50): 6 per day to break even

Mocktail (menu price $7.00): 2-3 per day to break even

Obviously, most cruisers won’t exclusively drink one beverage on a cruise! So consider what you enjoy drinking and how many of each you’d like to have before choosing the right drink package—or skip the package altogether!

More Princess cruise posts you’ll love:

• 21 Princess Cruise Tips You Need to Know
• Princess Premier Cruise Package on Princess Cruises
• Princess Plus on Princess Cruises: Can it Save You Money?
• Ultimate Balcony Dining on Princess Cruises
• Princess Cruises Pub Lunch Review (With Menu)
• Ultimate Guide to Princess Cays

If you’ve ever bought one of Princess Cruises’ drink packages, did you think it was worth the price? Or do you have more questions about the beverage packages I haven’t answered? Let me know in the comments below!

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