Beverages keep on flowing when you buy a drinks package on your cruise holiday. But those seemingly unlimited drinks from the bars and restaurants come with a hefty initial cost.
One of the big dilemmas I faced when I booked my cruise on MSC Preziosa was whether to book the MSC Cruises Drinks Package or not. I thought I would share my decision-making process in case it helps you assess the ins and outs of the all-inclusive drinks package.
In November 2018, MSC Cruises restructured and renamed the drinks packages in a massive overhaul. The All-Inclusive Restaurant & Bar Drink Package became the Easy All-Inclusive Drink Package, and the All-Inclusive Deluxe Drink Package became the Premium-Plus All-Inclusive Drink Package. New packages – the Premium All-Inclusive Drink Package and the Non-Alcoholic All-Inclusive Drink Package – were also introduced.
2019/2020 MSC Cruises Drinks Package Prices
Turn your full-board cruise with MSC Cruises into an all-inclusive cruise by bolting on a drinks package. For a daily fee, you can order unlimited beverages (subject to restrictions, see below) from any bar, the buffet, or the main restaurants at no additional cost. So you pay a sum of money up-front instead of forking out for drinks as you go along.
There’s just four packages to choose from, and pricing is now simple to understand.
| Drinks Package | From Price Per Night (GBP) | From Price Per Night (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | £26 | $35 (≈ £28) (21 years+) $29 (≈ £24) (12-20 years) $17 (≈ £14) (3-11 years) |
| Premium | £35 | $62 (≈ £50) (21 years+) $29 (≈ £24) (12-20 years) $17 (≈ £14) (3-11 years) |
| Premium Plus | £49 | $79 (≈ £64) (21 years+) $29 (≈ £24) (12-20 years) $17 (≈ £14) (3-11 years) |
| Non-Alcoholic | £17 (12 years+) £12 (3-11 years) | $29 (≈ £24) (12 years+) $17 (≈ £14) (3-11 years) |
Source: GBP prices from MSC Cruises UK 2020/2021 brochure; USD prices from MSC Cruises USA website
Easy All-Inclusive Drinks Package
The Easy All-Inclusive Drinks Package is the cheapest package with booze included. It costs from £26 per person per night for Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Emirates, and Southern Caribbean cruises. The brochure appears to imply that other voyages might have higher ‘from’ rates.
- Unlimited consumption of all drinks priced up to €6 or $6 (€6 for Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Emirates, and Southern Caribbean cruises; $6 for Caribbean, Northern America, and Japan cruises; and $5 for South America cruises).
- Get drinks from the bars, buffet, and the main restaurants.
- It cannot be used in speciality restaurants.
- It doesn’t include souvenir glasses, ice cream, drinks from the minibar, or room service.
So what is included?
| Type | Examples of drinks and brands |
|---|---|
| Beer | Draught (Heineken) |
| Wines by the glass | House wines (Chardonnay; Cabernet Sauvignon; Sauvignon Blanc; White Zinfandel Rosé; Merlot; Prosecco) |
| Selected aperitifs | White Vermouth; Red Vermouth |
| Selected spirits | Beefeater Gin; Bacardi Superior White Rum; Seagram’s 7 Crown Whisky; Jim Beam Black Label Whiskey; Smirnoff Vodka; Dewar’s White Label Whisky |
| Selected mixers | Whiskey & 7 Up; Gin & Tonic; Rum & Coke; Whiskey & Coke; Vodka & Lemon |
| Selected cocktails | Screwdriver; Long Island Iced Tea; Cape Cod; Greyhound; Moscow Mule |
| Mocktails (non-alcoholic cocktails) | Smoothies/shakes; Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri; Virgin Royal Punch; Virgin Mojito; Virgin Magic Island; Cuddles on the Beach (Virgin Sex on the Beach); Coco Colada (Virgin Piña Colada) |
| Soft drinks by the glass | Fruit juice; sodas; Energy drinks |
| Water | Bottled mineral water |
| Hot drinks | Espresso, Caffè Latte, Caffè corretto, Cappuccino, Hot Chocolate, Tea (breakfast, fruit, or herbal) |
Premium All-Inclusive Drinks Package
The next level up is the Premium Package. This builds upon the Easy package and has more inclusions. It costs from £35 per person per night for Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Emirates, and Southern Caribbean cruises. The brochure appears to imply that other voyages might have higher ‘from’ rates.
- Unlimited consumption of all drinks priced up to €10 or $12 (€10 for Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Emirates, and Southern Caribbean cruises; $12 for Caribbean, Northern America, and Japan cruises; and $10 for South America cruises).
- Get drinks from the bars, buffet, the main restaurants, and speciality restaurants.
- It doesn’t include souvenir glasses, ice cream, drinks from the minibar, or room service.
So what is included? You get everything that the Easy package covers plus more, as it covers drinks with a higher price tag.
| Type | Examples of drinks and brands |
|---|---|
| Beer | Draught; Bottles |
| Wines by the glass | Sparkling; White; Red; Rosé |
| Spirits; Mixers; Aperitifs; Cocktails | Standard and selected premium spirits; Cocktails; Mixers; Aperitifs |
| Non-alcoholic drinks | Smoothies/shakes; Mocktails (Virgin Cocktails); Fruit juice; sodas; Energy drinks; Bottled mineral water |
| Hot drinks | Tea; Coffee; Hot chocolate; Hot and cold speciality coffee drinks; Hot chocolate speciality drinks |
Premium Plus All-Inclusive Drinks Package
The top drinks package that includes alcoholic drinks is the Premium-Plus Package, and it stands out from the others as it covers all drinks by the glass. This is the package to choose if you want the widest range of choice. It costs from £49 per person per night for Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Emirates, and Southern Caribbean cruises. The brochure appears to imply that other voyages might have higher ‘from’ rates.
- Unlimited consumption of all drinks regardless of price.
- Get drinks from the bars, buffet, the main restaurants, and speciality restaurants.
- Drinks and food from the minibar and the room service menu are included.
- It doesn’t include souvenir glasses or ice cream.
So what is included? You get everything that the Premium package covers plus more, as it covers drinks with a higher price tag.
| Type | Examples of drinks and brands |
|---|---|
| Beer | All |
| Wines by the glass | All |
| Spirits; Mixers; Aperitifs; Cocktails | All |
| Non-alcoholic drinks | All |
| Hot drinks | All |
Should you fancy a bottle of wine or champagne, this package entitles you to a 30% discount.
Non-Alcoholic All-Inclusive Drinks Package
Don’t drink alcohol but still want the freedom of a drinks package? Here’s your answer in the form a a package that covers the soft drinks and virgin drinks without paying for alcohol you have no intention of consuming. It costs from £17 per adult per night and from £12 per child per night for Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Emirates, and Southern Caribbean cruises. The brochure appears to imply that other voyages might have higher ‘from’ rates.
The caveat is that the packages are only available to adults and children travelling as part of a group or family where someone has purchased an adult alcoholic package. So, a teetotal family has to buy at least one alcoholic package to avail the cheaper rate of the non-alcoholic package for the remaining passengers. I suspect the definition of ‘group’ and ‘family’ might mean teetotal couples may not be able to take advantage of this package.
- Unlimited consumption of all alcohol-free drinks and soft-serve ice cream.
- Get drinks from the bars, buffet, and the main restaurants.
- It cannot be used in speciality restaurants.
- It doesn’t include souvenir glasses, ice cream, drinks from the minibar, or room service.
So what is included? You get everything that the Premium package covers plus more, as it covers drinks with a higher price tag.
| Type | Examples of drinks and brands |
|---|---|
| Mocktails (non-alcholic cocktails) | All |
| Soft drinks | All, including Fruit juice; sodas; Energy drinks |
| Water | All, including Bottled mineral water; Vitamin Water |
| Hot drinks | All |
| Ice cream | Soft-serve only |
Free all-inclusive drinks
Did you know that Aurea experience passengers get a free Easy all-inclusive drinks package included in their cruise fare? Yacht Club guests get the Premium Plus all-inclusive drinks package. Find out more about the MSC experience levels here.
How Much Does The MSC Drinks Package Cost?
Your itinerary length determines the package price as does the region you are sailing. You cannot order a package on a day-by-day basis. So for example, if you are on a seven-night cruise the pre-booked Easy Package would work out as from £26 per night x 7 night = from £182 per person for the entire voyage. You cannot, for example, go all-inclusive on day two and day five.
Importantly, everyone occupying the same cabin, or travelling together and dining at the same table, must each buy the same drinks package, including children aged three years old or above.
In this example, assuming the from price is used by MSC Cruises, if two adults and two teenagers are sharing a cabin, two Easy Drinks Packages need purchasing – even if only one adult would make full use of the drinks package – plus two Non-Alcoholic packages for the kids. The maths to calculate this is (2 people × (7 nights × from £26 per night)) + (2 people × (7 nights × from £17 per night)) = from £602 for the family of four for the entire duration of the voyage. Remember, the ‘from’ rate can vary from sailing to sailing, depending on what MSC Cruises sets it as based on the duration and region of voyage.
Buying on board
You do not need to pre-book this drinks package online before you travel on holiday but purchasing the package onboard makes it liable for a 15% bar service charge.
Bar Prices on MSC Cruises
If you are thinking about paying as you go, these are typical prices as supplied to me by an MSC Cruises customer who sailed on MSC Bellissima in 2019.
Cocktails
| Cocktail | Price From |
|---|---|
| Spritz [Aperol Spritz, Tropical Spritz, Hugo Spritz, Martini Royale, Rosato Mio, Apple Martini Spritz] | €8 |
| Signature/Featured Cocktails [MSC Tiki Mule, Molokai Zombie, Electric Iced Tea, King-Kong, MSC Wine Cooler, Mango Tropical Trooper, MSC Blue-on-Blue, Chili Passion Caipirinha, Coco Loco, Aviation Fizz, Lavender Margarita] | €9 to €10.50 |
| Cocktails [Classic Mojito, Mango Mojito, Aloe Vera Mojito, Razz Mojito, Jameson Mojito, Caipirinha, Caipiroska, Mimosa Blossom, Kir Royal, MSC Bellini, Classic Martini, Cosmopolitan, Daiquiri, Long Island Iced Tea, Mai-Tai, Negroni, Bloody Mary, Tequilla Sunrise, Margarita] | €7 to €8 |
| ‘Easy’ Drinks [Moscow Mule, Campari Orange, Screwdriver, Rum & Cola, Gin & Tonic, Vodka & Lemon, Whisky & Cola] | €6 |
| Alcohol-Free ‘Mocktails’ [Piña Colada Zero, Strawberry Daiquiri Zero, Mojito Zero, Coco Loco Zero, Sea Breeze, Aloha, Magic Island (kids), Dirty Banana Shake (kids), Fruit Smoothie (kids)] | €5 |
Wines
| Category | By the Glass | By the Bottle |
|---|---|---|
| Champagne | €11 | €44 to €63 |
| Sparkling Wine | €5 to €7.50 | €18 to €30 |
| White Wine | €5 to €7.50 | €18 to €30 |
| Rosé Wine | €5 to €7.50 | €18 to €29 |
| Red Wine | €5 to €8 | €18 to €31 |
Beers, Spirits, Soft Drinks & Hot Drinks
| Drink | Price From |
|---|---|
| Beer & Cider (20cl to 50cl) | €3.50 to €8 |
| Cognac, Whiskey, Grappa, Vodka, Gin, Rum, Tequila (4cl) | €6 to €7.50 |
| Premium Cognac, Whiskey, Grappa, Vodka, Gin, Rum, Tequila (4cl) | €8.50 to €14 |
| Sweet Liqueurs, Sherry, Port, Bitters (4cl) | €6.50 |
| Fruit Juices (20cl) | €2.50 to €3 |
| Mineral Water (20cl to 1l) | €0.75 to €2.90 |
| Soft Drinks (30cl to 33cl) | €2.50 to €3 |
| Energy Drink (25cl) | €4.50 |
| Coffee | €1.70 to €3.50 |
| Alcoholic coffee | €7.50 |
| Tea | €2.50 |
| Hot Chocolate | €3.50 |
Bear in mind there is an automatic 15% service charge to add to bar prices.
Source: 2019 menu prices courtesy of Stephane M., Geneva, Switzerland.
MSC Drinks Package vs Pay As You Go
To calculate if a drinks package is worthwhile for your cruise:
- Calculate the total cost of the package for your entire group for the entire cruise. For example, two Easy Drinks Packages plus two Non-Alcoholic packages to cover two adults and two teens equates to from £602 for the family.
- Take this figure and divide it by the number of people in your group. In our example, that is £602 ÷ 4 = £150.50. This is the average cost of the drinks package per person for the duration of the cruise.
- Take this figure and divide it by the number of nights your cruise lasts. In our example, that is £150.50 ÷ 7 = £21.50. This is the average price per person per day of the cruise.
- Take this figure and divide it by £3 (the approximate price of a soft drink in Great British Pounds based on a rough currency rate of £1:€1). In my example, that is £21.50 ÷ £3 = 7.16 (so 8, as we round this figure up if it is a decimal).
In this crude example, each member of the family would need to consume at least 8 soft drinks every day to make this package worthwhile.
As a rough guide, each adult needs to typically drink the equivalent of 7 draught beers or 9 sodas every day to get value from the Easy Package, or at least 13 draught beers or 17 sodas each day on the Premium Plus Package for a week-long cruise in the Med.
These quantities may sound a lot but you will be in holiday mode and may drink more beverages than you would at home. You might enjoy a couple of coffees throughout the day, a couple of beers with lunch, some wine with dinner, and a nightcap or two. Factor in hot sunny weather and the drinks may quickly – and easily – rack up.
Remember that MSC Cruises excludes drinks from the standard cruise fare (the buffet is the only exception where self-service water is available). If you like a drink with your lunch or dinner (even just a glass of water), you will need to pay for this. If you buy a drinks package, you can enjoy mealtime drinks without worrying about the cost.
So Is a MSC Cruises Drinks Package Good Value for Money?
Only you can answer this. If everyone in your party will each drink more than the value of the daily price of the Drinks Package, it would be worthwhile as it will save you money.
If you are likely to drink less than the value of the daily price of the Drinks Package, you would be better off paying as you go.
If you are travelling with children, then consider they might get thirsty more quickly in the heat. An all-inclusive drinks package would allow kids to drink as much as they wanted to without you having to worry about racking up a massive bill onboard.
Factor in the peace of mind too. With the Drinks Packages, you know what the end price is. If you opt to pay as you go, you could accrue a bar tab far more, or far less, than the price of a Drinks Package, depending upon how much, or how little, you drink.
Reasons to Buy An All-Inclusive Drinks Package
- If you enjoy drinking a few alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks each day of your holiday, then a Drinks Package could save you a lot of money. I have heard many stories of people who consumed at least twice the value of their package in drinks on board.
- Do not think the Drinks Packages are just for those who drink alcohol. Teetotallers should consider the Non-Alcoholic package. If you are likely to succumb to the temptation of smooth Italian coffee or soft-serve ice cream, these are part of the Non-Alcoholic Drinks Package.
- Some people plan to drink a lot from the outset. If this describes you, book the package to save money in the long run.
- If you intend to stay onboard at many of the ports of call, you are likely to drink more onboard, so a drinks package might be worthwhile.
- If you are travelling with kids, the Drinks Packages will stop the cries of “I’m thirsty” and the associated escalating bar tab. It can also make kids feel grown-up as they can order drinks as they please, including fancy non-alcoholic cocktails (“mocktails”).
Reasons Not To Buy A Drinks Package
- Nobody likes overpaying, and to make the package worthwhile, you might find the need to drink a certain amount each day just to break even. This ‘target’ can take out some of the enjoyment of your holiday if you are the type of person who gets bogged down in the numbers.
- If you plan to get off the ship at every port of call for as long as you can, you might not drink as much as you expect onboard.
- Bar prices are reasonable compared to other cruise lines and hotels (see above for examples). If you only ever have an occasional drink, an all-inclusive package is probably not for you.
- If you are a super savvy saver and head straight to the buffet for a glass of water or a cup of basic tea or coffee and loathe paying for drinks, the package might not be for you.
- If you are travelling on a budget, the expense of drinks packages for everyone in your group might simply be too high.
Disclaimer: This guide is simply that – a guide. While the information was correct at the time of writing, prices or package details may have since changed. I source all prices from first-hand experience, fellow travellers, online information, and cruise line data. I have rounded up package prices to the nearest Pound, Euro, or Dollar for simplicity. I try to keep this article up-to-date, but if you spot something that has changed, please let me know.
Have you decided to buy or avoid a drinks package on your next cruise? Let me know your reasoning in the comments below.
View Comments (321)
hi. im traveling next week on msc opera Mediterranean cruise. with the easy package up to 6e if i buy a drink for 10 e do i only pay the 4e difference or do i need to pay the full 10e.
thanks
My understanding is it should be the difference.
Hi, we are looking at a Caribbean cruise in Feb 2023 following 2 years of push backs....there will be 7 of us, 6 adults and one child. One of the adults does not drink alcohol at all. Would we have to but an alcoholic package for both occupants of the cabin or can the non drinker buy a non alcoholic package. Seems to be against all human rights to expect someone to pay for an alcoholic package when they do not drink alcohol. Are there any medical grounds where an alcoholic and non-alcoholic package can be purchased on the same cabin? Seems to be a whole lack of trust from MSC........
I get where you are coming from, but I believe it's the actions of a few that spoils it for us all. Allowing mixed packages means you'd only require one alcohol-enabled package for a potentially large group of travellers, with that person buying the drinks for everyone. From MSC's perspective, this is uneconomical. The only viable option that works for the line is to ensure that everyone in the same party has the same level of package, to avoid abuse of any potential loopholes. It does mean, of course, in your instance, the non-drinker will be penalised by paying more for an alcoholic package but only using the non-alcoholic portion. Unfortunately, there's no workaround, other than nobody taking out the drinks packages (which may upset more of your group). The only viable solution is for the non-drinker to try and get their money's worth, by maximising the number of hot and cold drinks they consume during the cruise. I tried doing this an its certainly a challenge, but easier with juice/carbonated drinks and fancy coffees for each meal, in the theatre, by the pool, etc. The other way to look at it is to bake it into the cost of the cruise, and once paid, ignore the prices and instead value the convenience and peace of mind of having non-alcoholic drinks available on tap.
Hi David,
We booked our cruise with MSC for the first time and just trying to find out more details about it. Would you happen to know what kinds of drinks available outside of the drink packages? Will there be sodas fountains or juice options at the buffet area?
Without the drinks package, you'll find the basics (water, tea, and coffee) in the buffet. There's also a bar where you can purchase drinks as you go, should you fancy something carbonated, juices, etc.
Hi David! I loved that article! If the current situation gets better, I am waiting to go somewhere. Hopefully to use some of your tricks and tips! Have a great day!
It'll take a bit of time but we're starting to see green shoots of recovery in the cruise industry, especially in the UK. Fingers crossed everything is back to normal very soon.
Thank you for this fantastic information -- it is exactly what we needed for help deciding on whether to choose a drinks package for our upcoming MSC cruise.
Hi, cruising on the Seaside in September 2020 with a group of friends. I saw that there were several different drink packages. I see on the website that everyone traveling in a group must have a drink package if they want to dine together, but do we all need to have the same package? For example, some of us want the top package (premium plus) and some want the basic easy package ($6 drinks and below). Can we still dine together if we have different tiers of the alcoholic packages?
I'm pretty sure you can dine with whoever you like, irrespective of drinks package tiers.
That is incorrect, everybody in the same reservation (except kids) must have the same drinking package.
This is written everywhere, plus you cannot make a reservation with different packages to begin with.
If you book 2 cabins, all adults in those cabins must have the same package (except kids).
Yes, everyone in the same cruise booking must share the same drinks package. But Candace asked whether groups with differing drinks packages can dine together, and the answer is yes. That's the premise behind shared dining tables.
Hi, Brilliant page by the way. We have booked on Splendida next November from Barcelona to Barbados. We have an aurea balcony cabin and it comes with the inclusive easy package which seems very limited in choice of included drinks.. Only one beer available and limited cocktail, spirits. and wines available. It also says it cannot be used in speciality restaurants.
It's a 17 night re-positioning cruise so we would want to try a few of the speciality restaurant during the cruise. and we lwould like a drinks package we can use in them and also gives us more choice of drinks during the cruise.
Do you know if we can upgrade from easy package to premium package? If so do we pay the difference between the two packages or pay the whole amount for the premium package?
Our drinks package came with the aurea cabin so we didn't actually buy it. I
If we can upgrade can we do it on line before we travel or do we have to wait until we board the ship? Thanks for your help
As I understand, you're able to upgrade, at cost, to the next package tier. A phone call to your travel agent or MSC should yield a price for this, but I'd expect it to be somewhere around the difference between the two.
You can do this prior to your cruise and once you board, although you'll incur the automatic 15% service charge on the upgrade if purchased on the ship. I'd say it's definitely worth a call, even just to get the upgrade price so you know what to expect on the ship (should you choose to delay the purchase).
Hello.. Me and the wife have booked on the MSC Armonia in late september and we was wondering... Can you book a drinks package on selected days? I.e just the days that we are at Sea or is it all trip or nothing..
Thank in advance
I'm afraid it's all or nothing - but that would be a great idea for the cruise lines to adopt.
I am travelling on msc Fantasia 1st March. Does msc offer any other deals apart from all inclusive? Such as 2for 1 at certain times of the day, or to be able to buy just a wine package or a beer package, as my cruising companion does not wish to go all inclusive.
I can't recall seeing anything on-board, but I think there are various promotions here and there. All-inclusive is where the main focus is, and you'll find the packages sold on-board for the first day at least.
On the 'Easy Package' can you order a gin and tonic and also a simple gin with ice and lemon? ie one way of getting a double G&T without having to pay extra
You can order one drink at a time per package. I'm guessing that if you get a different bar tender in swift succession, it might be possible, but I wouldn't fancy my chances.