Before we went on our first couple of cruises we spent hours discussing whether or not to have the alcohol drinks packages.
In the end we decided against it and having experienced cruising life we really feel for us it would have been a waste of money.
Cost
The cost of the packages vary from cruise line to cruise line but the break even point for the standard packages seems to be around the price of 6 drinks per person per day.
Some cruise lines it may be 6 drinks with gratuities included, others it may be 8 drinks but you may be expected to tip the staff.
How Much Will You Drink?
Well my wife and I are occasional drinkers, so at home we may have a couple of glasses a wine in the evening.
On holiday we may have a beer, or sometimes two, at lunch and perhaps an extra drink at night so that’s only to five drinks.
We certainly aren’t keen on drinking to ensure our moneys worth and getting a hangover every morning.
Cruises, with never ending food, are also bad for the waistline so the extra calories from more drinks are going to make the situation worse.
Packages Are Only For The Ship
An additional point we hadn’t appreciated until we were on the cruise is the fact that most days the ship was in port, so we were off exploring.
That mean’t that we would be having lunch in a local cafe or restaurant and buying a wine or beer with that meal.
With only evenings on the ship we would only have been having around 3 or 4 drinks on the package on most days of the holiday.
