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Alaska Cruise Drink Packages

By Reviewed by Marin HollowayUpdated 3 min readLast fact checked on .

Drink packages are a worse deal in Alaska than in the Caribbean, and the reason is behavioural rather than commercial. Alaska port days are long, active and cold, the pool deck goes unused, and most passengers drink materially less than they would on a warm weather sailing. The break even point does not move, but consumption does.

The short answer

Most Alaska drink packages break even at five to seven alcoholic drinks per person per day once the mandatory gratuity is included. Because Alaska port days are long and active and the weather discourages daytime drinking, many passengers fall short of that. Count your realistic consumption honestly before buying, and remember most lines require all adults in a cabin to buy.

Key points

  • Break even is typically five to seven drinks per person per day, including the gratuity.
  • Alaska drinking patterns are lower than Caribbean patterns, which is what changes the maths.
  • The 18 to 20 percent gratuity on the package price is charged upfront and is easy to miss.
  • Most lines require all adults in a cabin to purchase, which doubles the commitment.
  • Pre cruise pricing is consistently cheaper than buying on board.

The drink package question has a straightforward arithmetic answer and a less straightforward behavioural one. The arithmetic is easy: divide the daily package cost including gratuity by the average price of what you drink. The behavioural part is where people get it wrong, because they estimate their consumption based on how they drink on holiday in general rather than how they will drink on this specific holiday.

Alaska is the clearest case of that gap in all of cruising.

Why Alaska changes the calculation

  • Port days are long and active. You are off the ship from 7:00 am, on a boat or a train, and back at 5:00 pm tired. That is not a drinking day.
  • The pool deck is unused. The single biggest driver of package value in the Caribbean is all day poolside drinking. In Alaska it does not happen.
  • Sea days are few. A seven night Inside Passage itinerary has one or two, and one of those is a glacier day spent on deck in the cold.
  • Early starts. Ships often dock at 7:00 am, so late nights are less common than on a warm weather sailing.
  • Cold reduces consumption. People drink less alcohol in cold weather and more hot drinks, which the cheaper packages often cover anyway.

Break even points by line

Typical drink package pricing and break even
Cruise linePackage per person per dayPlus gratuityBreak even drinks per day
Carnival$60 to $70$70 to $836 to 7
Royal Caribbean$70 to $95$83 to $1146 to 8
Princess$65 to $85$77 to $1015 to 7
Norwegian$100 to $120$120 to $1447 to 9
Holland America$60 to $75$71 to $895 to 7
Celebrity$75 to $110$89 to $1326 to 8
DisneyNo unlimited packagen/aBuy individually
Assumes a typical cocktail at $13 to $16, a glass of wine at $12 to $15 and a beer at $8 to $10. Packages usually cap the per drink value, so premium spirits may still cost extra.

What packages typically include and exclude

Typical inclusions
ItemUsually included?
Cocktails up to a value capYes, commonly capped at $12 to $15
Beer and wine by the glassYes, within the cap
Speciality coffeeYes on most premium packages
Bottled water and soft drinksYes
Fresh juiceUsually
Premium spirits above the capNo, you pay the difference
Bottles of wineNo, though a discount often applies
MinibarNo
Drinks in portNo, ship only
Room service beveragesVaries by line

The value cap matters more than most people check. A package capped at $13 covers most standard cocktails but not the interesting ones, and topping up several drinks a day erodes the value quickly.

Alternatives worth considering

  • Pay as you go. For most Alaska travellers drinking three or four a day, this is genuinely cheaper. Track it on the app and buy a package on day two if you are wrong.
  • Wine packages. Several lines sell bottle packages at a discount, which suits couples who drink wine at dinner and little else.
  • Bring your own wine. Most lines permit one bottle per adult at embarkation, usually with a corkage fee if consumed in a restaurant.
  • Non alcoholic packages. Soft drink and coffee packages cost $12 to $25 a day and break even at three or four speciality coffees, which is realistic on a cold itinerary.
  • Happy hours and drink of the day. Most ships run promotions that materially reduce the pay as you go rate.

Frequently asked questions

Are drink packages worth it on an Alaska cruise?
Less often than in the Caribbean. Break even is typically five to seven alcoholic drinks per person per day once the mandatory gratuity is included, and Alaska port days are long, active and cold in a way that suppresses consumption. If you genuinely drink six or more a day, a package pays. If you drink three or four, pay as you go.
Do both people in a cabin have to buy the drink package?
On most lines, yes. If one adult in a cabin buys the package, all adults sharing that cabin are usually required to buy it too. This is the single most important rule to check, because it doubles the spend and makes the combined break even much harder to reach when one person drinks considerably more than the other.
Is gratuity included in a cruise drink package?
Usually not in the headline price. Most lines add 18 to 20 percent on top, charged upfront when you buy. That turns an advertised $80 a day package into roughly $96, and it applies even when the package was included as a promotional offer, which surprises a lot of passengers.
What does a cruise drink package not cover?
Premium spirits and cocktails above the package value cap, bottles of wine, the minibar, drinks purchased ashore, and on some lines room service beverages. The value cap is the important detail: a package capped at $13 covers standard drinks but you pay the difference on anything more interesting.
Can I bring my own alcohol on an Alaska cruise?
Most lines permit one bottle of wine or champagne per adult at embarkation, with a corkage fee if you drink it in a restaurant rather than your cabin. Spirits and beer are generally prohibited and will be confiscated at security and returned at the end of the cruise. Policies vary, so check your line before packing anything.
Should I buy the drink package before I sail or on board?
Pre cruise pricing is consistently cheaper, often by 10 to 25 percent. However, on an Alaska itinerary we would generally suggest paying as you go for the first two days, checking your actual spend on the app, and buying a prorated package on board if the numbers justify it. You lose the pre cruise discount but you replace a guess with real data.

Keep researching

Gratuities

The package gratuity that catches people out.

Call an Alaska cruise specialist