Cruise Hive Feature Reveals if Drink Packages are Really Worth It

Many of the major cruise lines offer drink packages to their guests, where passengers essentially pay for their drinks in advance in order to save money onboard. But are guests really saving money?

Cruise Hive now has a feature that will calculate if passengers are actually saving money or losing money when they invest in drink packages based on their specific needs. It’s called the Cruise Drinks Package Calculator, and you can check it out here.

Saving Guests’ Money

The cruise lines encourage guests to invest in drink packages in advance by saying that they will save money onboard.

However, that is not true for every passenger. It ultimately comes down to the needs of the specific guest and what package they are interested in purchasing.

For example, guests who love to indulge at the bar and enjoy specialty coffees and teas daily may benefit from a premium or deluxe package rather than purchasing à la carte onboard.

However, people who consume less or no alcohol and forgo specialty drinks and soft drinks might find that they actually save money purchasing their refreshments as they go.

Cruise Hive’s Cruise Drinks Package Calculator lets guests compare the cost of their average daily drinking habits with cruise drink packages to see if they are actually making a worthy investment.

Guests are given an accurate idea of how the drink package falls into their budget rather than simply guessing, which helps them make better decisions for their vacations and their wallets.

How To Use the Calculator

The first step is to access the tool, which can be found on the Cruise Hive website under the “Cruise Tools” tab.

Then, all you have to do is select your cruise line, set the gratuity percentage (if applicable), and choose your package tier.

Next, you will be prompted to enter the number of different types of drinks you consume each day on average, including waters, coffee, soda, cocktails, wine, beer, and spirits.

Your average daily bar spend will automatically be calculated and compared to the total daily package cost. A box will appear at the bottom of the screen that shows the specific amount you would be saving or losing by purchasing the package.

If you would like to reference your results later, you can also have them emailed to your inbox by entering your name and email address at the bottom of the page.

At the moment, this feature is available for Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, and Holland America Line.

But make sure to stay tuned, as more helpful features and additional cruise lines will be added in the future.

Drink Packages Can Be Confusing

Every cruise line handles drink packages a little bit differently, which can lead to confusion about what is included and who needs to purchase packages.

Many passengers end up purchasing packages without fully understanding them because they’ve been told it’s the right thing to do by the cruise line and other cruise fans.

For example, brands like Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean sell drink packages on a per-person basis.

However, many don’t realize right off the bat that all adults staying in the same cruise cabin are typically required to purchase a package once one person does to prevent sharing. In other words, it’s an all-or-nothing situation.

Additionally, some cruise lines include gratuity for the crew as part of the package’s purchase price, which is what Princess Cruises does for the Premier and Plus packages.

Other brands, like Norwegian Cruise Line, tack on a gratuity and service fee of 20% to their drink packages.

With these details changing from brand to brand, it’s certainly a lot of information to keep straight. Hopefully, this calculator can make your cruise planning easier.