Royal Caribbean Changes Popular Drink Package Benefit to an Add-On

Royal Caribbean guests who purchase various drink packages will soon have fewer soda options to enjoy. In a quiet change to the package details, the cruise line is removing the Coca-Cola souvenir cups, which means guests with select packages can no longer access the Coca-Cola Freestyle machines.

Guests with booked sailings noticed the change when logging in to check drink package pricing and options and began discussing the adjustment on Reddit.

This change applies to both the Deluxe Beverage Package and the Refreshment Package. If guests add on the Royal Beach Club Open Bar Day Pass to their package, the cup is still excluded.

The cups are still available for purchase as an add-on to both drink packages for an extra $4.99. That cost is a one-time charge, not a per-day add-on.

This change begins on Sunday, March 15, 2026. It is unclear whether the change may impact guests who have already pre-paid for drink packages but who set sail after that date, though it is likely they will not receive free cups.

This does mean that guests will not have the same variety of drinks that is available from the touch-screen machines, which permit users to mix and customize their sodas in more than 100 combinations.

Cans and fountain soda is still included in the applicable packages, it is only the Coca-Cola Freestyle Machines that will be excluded. Instead, guests will have to order their sodas at a bar or from a server instead of getting their own.

The cup and therefore the Coca-Cola Freestyle Machines are still available with the classic soda package. Only one cup is included per package, and if lost, a replacement cup can be purchased for the same price as the add-on: $4.99.

Guests React to Change

While Royal Caribbean has not confirmed an explanation for the change, guests familiar with the Freestyle machines and how they’re used onboard think beverage package cheating may have prompted the exclusion.

“Too many people handed the cup to their kid to use. Just another hack people used that ruined it for others,” commented one guest.

Cruise Hive previously reported on Royal Caribbean tightening drink package restrictions in mid-2025 in an effort to combat certain types of package cheating behavior.

Other guests responded to that conclusion, noting that unscrupulous travelers could still simply pay the extra $4.99 for the cup and do the same thing.

Nevertheless, this change might stop some of that unauthorized behavior. It could also be a waste-reduction tactic, as some guests may never use the cups at all even if they were still included.

“I rarely used it. My kid and I had the soda package and 99.9% of the time we just went to the bar to get a soda. My wife and son had an alcohol package. They never used it,” one guest described.

“At the end of the cruise we left them in the room because I don’t need another souvenir cup at home and they couldn’t be used on a future cruise.”

Some guests simply prefer the taste of soda from cans, or don’t want to have to find a Freestyle machine when they want a drink.

Cruise Tools: Cruise Drinks Package Calculator

Coca-Cola Freestyle machines are available fleetwide except for four vessels: Brilliance of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas, and Vision of the Seas.

In August 2025, Cruise Hive reported that the machines were being added to Liberty of the Seas. It is possible they may be added to the remaining ships in the future.

In addition to Coca-Cola sodas, the Freestyle machines also dispense other sodas manufactured by Coca-Cola along with iced tea, fruit punch, water, lemonade, and more. Exact selections can vary based on demand.

The location of the machines varies on each ship, but they are typically located in the Windjammer Marketplace buffet, near Sorrento’s Pizza, and occasionally another location on the ship’s Royal Promenade.