The price of a cocktail on a Royal Caribbean cruise might be headed up just a bit.
Up until now, cocktails across Royal Caribbean ships maxed out at $14 per drink in almost all cases. Beers and some basic drinks are cheaper, but the signature cocktails would reach $14.
It now appears that limit may have increased to $15 per drink.
Royal Caribbean Blog reader Craig Hart is on Utopia of the Seas and spotted the change in pricing for select drinks in the Schooner Bar.
"I was just told from the bartender that $15 drinks are now covered with the drink package," he posted on Facebook.
He is referring to the fact up until now, that $14 drink price was also the maximum a Royal Caribbean drink package would be included as well.
When speaking to the bartender, he was told the Diamond drink vouchers that are included with the cruise line's top tier loyalty statuses also covers the $15 drinks.
"I was just told diamond cover up to $15 as well," Mr. Hart said in reference to a question about those.
The $14 cocktail price has been in place for many years now. I attempted to determine when drink prices rose from $13 to $14, but it's not quite clear. At the very least, it's been in place since at least 2022, and suffice to say, few things have remained the same price since 2022.
Signature drink prices
If Royal Caribbean is indeed increasing the price of its signature cocktails by one dollar, it's arguably more important to those that are budgeting their vacation at scale.
A one dollar change isn't much, but it does change the basis for deciding if a drink package is worth the cost.
For many cruisers, the decision to buy a drink package or not is based on how many drinks they think they'll order each day, multiplied by the price of the drinks.
In general, you have to drink five to six cocktails per day to "break even" on a drink package cost, although there are other ways to make the math work if you're willing to drink other non-alcoholic beverages.
Drink packages include bottled water, lattes, sodas, and beers, and those all cost much less than $14/$15 per drink. So for the sake of easier math, picking the most expensive drinks to base the decision on is simpler.
Aggressive drink package prices
If there's been a theme so far this year with drink packages, it's been we've seen the lowest prices on drink packages in a long time.
Royal Caribbean has gotten creative with its pre-cruise promotions to target certain cruisers with significant discounts.
While the onboard price a drink package remains well over $100 per person, I've regularly seen discounts up to 40% off if you pre-book at the right time.
Just this week, some of our readers spotted prices as low as $35.99 per day, per person for the Deluxe Beverage Package. That's the lowest price I've seen since last decade.
To be fair, that price is an outlier, but I've consistently seen great prices on drink packages around $50 per person, per day.
The key to getting a great price is to book your cruise early and watch the sales closely.
Royal Caribbean has sales before the cruise begins with some regularity, often targeting major and minor holidays.
Memorial Day sale on drink packages and more
In fact, this weekend Royal Caribbean kicked off its Memorial Day Sale on pre-cruise purchases.
It's valid for sailings departing between May 25, 2025 – December 31, 2026, and runs if you book between May 23, 2025 – May 28, 2025.
It promises up to 45% off beverage packages:
- Evian Water Package: 40% off onboard prices
- Classic Soda Package: Discount varies by ship.
- Refreshment Package: Discount varies by ship.
- Deluxe Beverage Package: Discount varies by ship.
There's also discounts on select shore excursions, wifi packages, spa treatments and more.
You can check the exact discount offered on your cruise by going to Royal Caribbean's website on the Cruise Planner or in the Royal Caribbean app.
