No Way I’m Working My Vacation for a $3 Glass of Bubbly — The Cruise Drink Package Is So Worth It!

Good grief. So there’s supposedly a whole strategy for getting free drinks on a cruise that doesn’t involve buying the “expensive” drink package, that is, nine steps, according to a blogger who does more than 10 sailings a year. While a few of them are smart, most of them aren’t drink hacks at all. In fact they’re sales pitches with a glass of champagne taped to the front. Let’s dive into this silliness!

Take the art auctions idea. You get a free sparkling wine, sure. But you’re sitting through a Park West auction to get it, and we both know nobody’s retiring on a “limited edition” print bought at sea. The jewelry and watch events are the same trick with a different prize and just as painful to endure. Free Scotch on gentlemen’s night, free champagne for the ladies, all of it timed perfectly around someone trying to sell you a “ship-exclusive” Effy necklace – hard pass. None of that is a vacation to me. It’s a timeshare seminar with better lighting.

Liquor store tastings are less offensive, mostly because they’re shorter. Five minutes, a sample of bourbon, no commitment. Fine if you happen to be walking by. Not something I’d build my afternoon around that is for sure.

And the casino tip, this is the one that really gets me. Free drinks while gambling aren’t free. They’re a rebate on money you’re actively losing. Drop $200 in slots over an afternoon and get two complimentary rum punches back? You didn’t find free drinks. You bought two drinks for $200 and gave the casino the rest. That’s not a hack. That’s just gambling with a garnish. Again, ultra hard pass.

Now, credit where it’s due. Loyalty cocktail hours are legit. No pitch, no upsell, just a perk you earned by sailing that line enough times. Celebrity’s Elite happy hour, Carnival’s VIFP events, Norwegian’s Latitude parties, if you’ve got the status, use it. Bringing your own bottle onboard is smart too, especially on Virgin Voyages, which skips the corkage fee everyone else charges. And asking your travel advisor if they’re hosting a private reception costs you a phone call so sure, but is this really a “hack”?

But here’s what she is not cluing in on: a lot of cruise lines are already giving you the package for free. Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian, MSC, all of them run fare promotions where the drink package is bundled in at no extra cost. The only thing you’re still paying is the 18% (sometimes 20%) gratuity on top. And that gratuity might be the best money you spend on the whole cruise.

Think about what it buys you. A glass of wine with dinner, no mental math about whether you’ve “earned” it yet. A cocktail at the late show because you wanted one, not because trivia handed you a voucher for it. A piña colada by the pool that didn’t require sitting through a 45-minute sales pitch first. That’s the whole point of a relaxing cruise vacation. It is 100% not a scavenger hunt through the daily newsletter for the next free pour.

So here’s where I land (see what I did there): if the package is already in your fare, use it, tip the 18%, and stop overthinking it. If it’s not included, do the math on what you’d actually drink in a week. But I beg you please don’t let “I’ll just find free drinks instead” turn into giving up half your vacation to sales pitches you’d never otherwise sit through. Loyalty events, BYO wine, asking your travel agent, keep those three. The rest is marketing wearing a hack costume. – René