Celebrity Cruise Drink Packages Explained: Are They Actually Worth It?

One of the questions I get asked most often before people sail with Celebrity Cruises is whether the drink packages are actually worth the money.

And honestly? The answer really depends on how you like to cruise.

Some people barely drink anything beyond coffee and water all day. Others love poolside cocktails, specialty coffees, wine at dinner, sparkling water, and a martini before a show. Celebrity also bundles far more than just alcohol into their packages, which is where many people underestimate the value.

After many Celebrity cruises, here’s my honest breakdown of what’s included, who each package makes sense for, and a few things I wish I’d understood before booking my first one.

Updated March 2026. Prices can and do change frequently, so always double check your specific sailing in the cruise planner.

First Things First: What’s Included?

Celebrity currently offers several beverage package options, but the two most popular are the Classic Package and the Premium Package.

The important thing to understand is that these are not limited menus. You are not choosing from a tiny “package drinks list.” Instead, the package covers any drink priced up to a certain dollar amount.

The Classic Drink Package

The Classic Package is the standard alcoholic package most people choose. It currently includes:

For sailings departing from the UK and Australia, the limit increases slightly to $14 per drink.

At the time of writing, the package costs around $90 per person, per day before gratuities, although Celebrity runs sales constantly, so very few people actually pay full price.

For many cruisers, the Classic Package is more than enough. If you’re someone who enjoys a morning latte from Café al Bacio, bottled water throughout the day, a cocktail by the pool, wine with dinner, maybe another drink during a show…you can get surprisingly close to the daily package cost without even trying very hard.

That’s why so many people end up liking the convenience of having everything prepaid before the cruise even starts.

The Premium Drink Package

This is the package we usually upgrade to.

The Premium Package includes everything from the Classic Package, but raises the drink limit significantly and includes more top-shelf liquor, craft cocktails, premium wines, specialty water brands, and upgraded coffee options.

At the moment, drinks up to $19 are included, or up to $23 on UK and Australia sailings.

This matters more than people think because many of the cocktails at venues like the Martini Bar, Eden, and World Class Bar often sit above the Classic Package pricing threshold. If you enjoy nicer wines, premium cocktails, or specialty venues, the upgrade can absolutely make sense.

The current upgrade cost from Classic to Premium is usually around $15 per day plus gratuity, and honestly, we’ve personally found it pays for itself pretty quickly.

Fresh squeezed juice in the morning, upgraded bottled water, a few nicer cocktails in the evening, and suddenly the math starts mathing very quickly.

Stateroom Bar Setups

Celebrity also offers pre-stocked liquor setups for your cabin.

The Classic setup includes brands like: Dewar’s Captain Morgan Beefeater.

The Premium setup upgrades to options like: Hendrick’s Gin Ketel One Johnnie Walker Black Bacardi 8Mixers and ice are included.

These setups are more popular with guests who prefer relaxing on their balcony or entertaining in suites rather than ordering drinks around the ship all day.

Wine Packages

Celebrity also offers wine-by-the-bottle packages, although these are not always available pre-cruise.

The nice thing is that your bottle follows you around the ship. If you don’t finish it at dinner, the sommeliers can send it to another venue or even back to your stateroom.

It’s a surprisingly elegant little touch.

The Options Nobody Talks About Enough

Water & Coffee

A lot of people hear “drink package” and immediately think alcohol. But on Celebrity, the packages often make just as much sense for the non-alcoholic items.

Bottled water alone adds up quickly, especially on warmer itineraries. Then add specialty coffee, smoothies, sparkling water, mocktails, fresh juice…and suddenly even lighter drinkers can find value in a package.

This is especially true on port-heavy itineraries where you’re constantly grabbing water before excursions.

Water Packages For Your Cabin

If you mainly care about bottled water, Celebrity also offers water delivery packages for your stateroom.

At the moment Acqua Panna packages start around $43, and San Pellegrino sparkling water packages start around $35.

These are one-time deliveries placed in your cabin on embarkation day, not daily restocking packages. And honestly, this can be a good middle-ground option for people who don’t want a full beverage package but still like having water readily available in the cabin.

What If You Don’t Drink Alcohol?

Celebrity also offers a Non-Alcoholic Package, which is honestly a solid option if you mostly want bottled water, premium coffee, smoothies, soft drinks, mocktails, teas and energy drinks.

At the time of writing, it’s around $45 per person per day before gratuities.

There’s also a Wi-Fi bundle version available, which combines internet and the non-alcoholic package together for a discounted rate.

Is It Better To Buy Before The Cruise?

Usually, yes. Celebrity runs frequent flash sales in the cruise planner before sailing, and prices are almost always cheaper online than onboard.

If you wait until embarkation day, there may still be promotions available during the first couple days of the cruise, but they are not always better than the pre-cruise sales.

One thing many Captain’s Club members don’t realize is that additional loyalty discounts may apply depending on your status level.

Can You Bring Your Own Drinks Onboard?

Yes, within limits. Celebrity allows guests to bring a limited amount of non-alcoholic beverages onboard in carry-on luggage.

Guests can also usually bring one or two bottles of wine or champagne onboard at embarkation, depending on the current policy for that sailing. And this is important: those bottles must be carried on personally, not placed in checked luggage.

If you decide to drink your wine in a restaurant or lounge, a corkage fee may apply unless you already have a beverage package.

So… Are The Packages Worth It?

This is the question everyone really wants answered. For us personally, yes, usually. But not because we’re sitting around drinking cocktails all day.

The value comes more from the convenience. I genuinely love not thinking about prices every time I order a coffee, bottle of water, cocktail, or glass of wine. Once onboard, it feels much more relaxing to simply enjoy the vacation without mentally adding everything up.

That said, not every cruiser needs a package. If you rarely drink alcohol, are happy with free beverages onboard, or spend most of your time in port, paying individually may absolutely make more sense.

But if you enjoy specialty coffees, bottled water, cocktails, wine with dinner, and a few drinks throughout the day, the packages can become worthwhile surprisingly quickly.

A Few Final Things To Know

A couple important details that catch people out:

And always double check your cruise planner before purchasing anything because Celebrity changes pricing and promotions frequently.

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