Buying a Beverage Package on Norwegian or Carnival Cruise Lines

On our first cruise in 2012 on the Carnival Fascination we never thought to buy a beverage package. Being our first voyage on the seas we decided to keep expenses down by drinking only what was offered on the ship. This actually worked out fine as we enjoyed the complimentary water, lemonade and ice tea until we were ready to float away with the ship! LOL! :) We were unaware that we could bring any beverages on board then, so we just did without soda and alcohol for five days. Other than bringing 2 bottles of wine, half a dozen sodas and a case of bottled water on our next 3 Carnival cruises we pretty much enjoyed the complimentary beverages. On our trip on the Carnival Liberty in 2014 we tried some of the frozen cocktails like the yummy Mocha Getaway and the refreshing Miami Vice. That had us hooked. :) However, a couple of drinks were close to $20 with a tip (automatically added on by the cruise line), and we had spent more than we planned on at the conclusion of the cruise. So, when Norwegian offered an Unlimited Beverage Package as a perk to getting a balcony room in 2015 we jumped over to try them out. At the time we did not need to pay the gratuities on the package, it was just 100% complimentary. Between the awesome Mojito Bar, the snazzy Sunset Bar and fun drinks offered all around the ship we had a ball! Plus, soda was included as well. Fast forward to our cruise on the Spirit and Getaway again in late 2015 and May 2016- we received the drink package again but did need to pay the gratuity on the total value of the package per person. This amount was 18% of the total price- roughly $86 per person for my husband and myself. Our son had the totally free soda package on the Getaway in May 2015, but he is not a big soda drinker so he only drank 3 sodas in 7 days! This led us not to get the additional kids drink package for him on later cruises. We figured if we drank at least enough to meet the amount we paid in gratuities the UBP was a good deal for us. Being that the UBP on NCL included just about all cocktails up to $15, we easily met our money vested in the first two days. On the MSC Divina we ended up getting the 104 package for sodas and water (plus wine and beer at dinner), as well as two voucher booklets for 18 cocktails each, which we happily used for alcoholic drinks, smoothies and gelato. MSC offers a plethora of beverage packages- almost too many as it can get confusing! :) So perhaps you are wondering if getting a beverage package is right for you or your family- and only you can determine that based on your budget, typical consumption of beverages and personal wishes. :) As I was feeling curious about what all the major cruise lines offer as a beverage package I decided to research the topic and post my findings here. While this information is timely as of July 2016, please don't use my blog post as your ultimate point for information. Before your next cruise ask your personal cruise consultant, travel agent or contact the cruise line online or over the phone to access their latest information regarding your beverage options. My plan is to post two cruise lines at a time otherwise my posts would be too long! I hope you find this information helpful. :)

Norwegian Cruise Line-  
Unlimited Beverage Package- Known also as the "UBP" this package is $79 per person (21 and up), per day, and an additional 18% gratuity will be added to the package per adult as well. 
Corks and Caps Package- This package for guests 21 and older includes soft drinks, beers, and wines by the glass. The cost is $59 per person, plus an 18% gratuity fee for the package.
Adult/Teen Soda Package-Endless Pepsi products including Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Sierra Mist, Mountain Dew, Ginger Ale, Tonic Water and Club Soda available to purchase for $7.50 per person per day. An 18% gratuity for the entire package is additional, but a Souvenir Thermal Mug is included with this package. This package is for anyone age 13 and older.
Kids Soda Package- Children age 12 and under can get an endless soda package for $5.50 per person, per day. This includes a Souvenir Thermal Mug. An 18% gratuity will be charged on the package total, which is extra. 
Things To Note- All alcoholic beverage packages purchased must be bought for every adult in the cabin who is over age 21. Soda packages are not subject to these stipulations. This means that if you buy the UBP, every adult over age 21 in your cabin will need to purchase it. No sharing is allowed. If you choose the UBP as a Perk, however, only the first two adults listed for the cabin in your room (age 21 and up) will receive the UBP perk. Other adults will need to purchase the package should they want it. If you only have an adult and a guest under age 21 in your cabin and select the UBP as a perk the underage guest will automatically receive the soda package. 
Advantages to the Beverage Packages- If you think you and your traveling companions will utilize the value of any of the above packages (minus the cost of gratuities) as either a perk or to buy, then these are absolutely an advantage, Receiving the UBP as a perk, or freestyle choice, for example is a benefit if you think you will drink more than $86 in alcohol for the week (cost of gratuities on the package). The value of the UBP as a freestyle choice/perk can be great for some cruisers. If you are buying the package you would need to drink more than roughly $600 worth of alcoholic beverages and sodas in a week. If you typically get $15 cocktails you have to drink roughly 40 of these in a week to break even- on average, per person. All drink packages, either purchased or received as a perk can be used on Norwegian's private island of Great Stirrup Cay.
Bottled Water Basics- Bottled water is not included in any of the beverage packages and you cannot bring bottled water on the ship either as of today, July 15, 2016. NCL sells bottled water individually and by the case here-  https://www.ncl.com/onboard-packages/bottled-water-packages
As of now the bottled water packages are pricey, so drinking the filtered water on the ship will be our best bet!

Carnival Cruise Line-  
Cheers Beverage Package- This package is for adults age 21 and older and is for alcoholic beverages. The charge prior to your cruise is $49.95 per day, plus a 15% gratuity. If you wait to purchase the Cheers package on the ship you will pay $54.95 per person, plus the 15% gratuity. The cut-off for pre-purchasing is 11 pm the day before embarkation, EST, via the call center.

The Cheers package includes wine, beer and all spirits and cocktails under $50 per beverage. While you cannot get a $49 bottle of wine you can get a $49 glass o wine! Also included are non alcoholic cocktails, sodas, hot tea, specialty coffee, energy drinks and bottled water 500 ml or less. Guests will also get a

25% discount off the menu price for any spirit or wine by the glass which costs above $50, a 25% discount off the menu price for wine and champagne by the bottle and a 25% discount off any beverage seminars or classes. If your cruise includes a visit to Half Moon Cay you cannot use your Cheers package there. Bottomless Bubbles Soda Package- Adults and Kids- Adults are charged $6 per day for the duration of the cruise and kids will be charged $4.50 per day. Kids are considered to be anyone under age 18! :) A 15% gratuity will be added to all packages. This unlimited soda package includes Coke, Diet Coke, Ginger Ale,Caffeine Free Coke, Sprite, Sprite Zero, Orange Fanta, Mr. Pibb, Barqs Root Beer, Tonic Water and Club Soda. Also included are Orange Juice, Cranberry Juice, Tomato Juice, Pineapple Juice and Grapefruit Juice.This package cannot be shared and one beverage serving, per sticker on your Sign and Sail card (indicating your Bottomless Bubbles purchase) will be given at a time. Sodas are served by the glass (16 oz) and juice is served in a 10 oz glass. If your cruise includes a visit to Half Moon Cay you cannot use your Bottomless Bubbles package there. 
Things to Note- For the Cheers package every adult in the cabin must purchase the Cheers package if one adult decides to purchase it. There is a five minute waiting period between drinks and no sharing is permitted. A maximum of 15  alcoholic drinks may be obtained in a 24 hour period of 6 am to 6 pm. If you happen to sail from Galveston or NY you are unable to activate (or be charged) for this package until the second day of the cruise.
Advantages to the Beverage Packages-While there is a 15 drink limit on alcoholic drinks, the Cheers package does include unlimited bottled water, soda and bottled energy drinks. This is a nice addition to the package. The soda package does not have to be purchased for everyone in your cabin so if you have folks who are not fans of soda pop or juice they will not have to pay extra for the package. So, for the soda package, or Bottomless Bubbles, the cost for an adult for a 7 day cruise is $48.30 for the week, and for kids under 18 it is $36.23 for a 7 day cruise. At a couple bucks a soda this could definitely be worth it for anyone who drinks at least 4-5 sodas or juices daily. The alcohol package can be as low as roughly $400 with gratuity per person, if purchased ahead of time. Considering this package includes bottled water, soda and other beverages, which are unlimited, it may be a great deal for many guests. Cocktails at the Alchemy Bar, for example, cost my husband and I almost $20 with a tip- for two drinks. This can add up quickly throughout the day! If you tend to drink cocktails, high end spirits or specialty wine the Cheers package could work out to your advantage. 
Bottled Water Basics- As Carnival does not permit guests, like NCL, to bring bottled water on board any longer they instead offer bottled water at a reasonable price which can be delivered to your room. A case of 12 bottled of Carnival water is $3.99. There is no limit on cases you can order. You can find detailed information on this and their other offerings here:https://www.carnival.com/FunShops/in-room-beverages/water

Stay tuned for beverage package info for Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruise Lines next! Cheers!