I wanted to avoid paying cruise ship drink prices, but I didn’t want to buy a drink package either. So I tried a simple workaround: I brought a 12-pack of soda with me on my Royal Caribbean cruise.
If you're wondering, "Can I bring a 12-pack of soda on a Royal Caribbean cruise?", the answer is a resounding, "Yes!".
I buy beverage packages when it makes sense based on who I'm cruising with, but for my family's spring break cruise, I wanted to rely just on my loyalty drink vouchers. However, I didn't want to use a voucher on a can of soda.
It was pain lugging the 12-pack around on embarkation day, but by the end of the cruise I realized it was an underrated hack.
It ended up saving me more than I expected, and it’s a trick more cruisers should be using.
Can you bring soda on a Royal Caribbean cruise?
One of the best secrets you may not know is Royal Caribbean allows guests to bring non-alcoholic drinks on a cruise.
You're allowed to bring up to 12 cans or bottles of soda, water, juice, or any other non-alcoholic beverage on embarkation day. The limit is per stateroom, not per person.
The only "catch" is you cannot check it. It must be in your carry-on luggage, so that means you need to take it onboard.
It's officially allowed, and not a "sneaky" hack, but many people are unaware of it. I certainly knew about it, but never actually took advantage of it before.
I like having a soft drink with dinner, so I thought my 7-night Star of the Seas cruise would be the perfect opportunity to bring it onboard to reduce costs without sacrificing the enjoyment of my meals.
Why I decided to try this cruise hack
Once I decided not to buy a drink package, I started thinking about ways to maximize my included benefits.
I have 6 drink vouchers to use per day because I'm a Pinnacle Club member in the Crown and Anchor Society, which is Royal Caribbean's customer loyalty program.
Each voucher covers a drink up to $14, so it seemed to me like using one for a soda would be a waste. Of course, a single can of soda would cost $3.50 each, so that would add up quickly.
Moreover, I only want a soda or two per day. Therefore, buying a soda package wasn't worth it either.
Given that all I had to do was buy a 12 pack at home and lug it around for a couple hours on day one, it seemed like the perfect low-effort experiment.
Carrying the soda around on the first day was the worst part
As I expected, having to walk around with the 12 pack wasn't ideal, but it was only for a few hours.
Going through security in Port Canaveral was very easy, and there was no issue with the soda. This is why you need to carry it on and not put it in your bags. Otherwise, the scanner will see a can and not be able to determine if it's beer or soda, and then everything gets delayed.
We boarded the ship around 10:30am, but our cabin wasn't open until 1pm. The 12 pack comes in a cardboard box that is bulky and a little heavy, so it's more of an inconvenience to carry it than anything else.
I found the best strategy is to go to bar, pool chair, or somewhere to use as a "home base" and set it down until your cabin is ready.
It was more of a pain getting it from the car to the terminal to the ship, and then around to complete muster drill, get a coffee, and then finally set it down at a bar.
In reality, it wasn't that bad to lug around for just a few hours.
How I used the soda during the cruise
If I had any doubts about the usefulness of carrying on soda, it was immediately dissuaded at dinner on the first night.
Not only did I bring my own soda onboard to save money, but I brought Dr. Pepper because it's my favorite and it's a brand Royal Caribbean doesn't carry (other than with the Freestyle machines).
It was so nice going into Coastal Kitchen for dinner and having a glass of soda to enjoy with my dinner.
Plus, I had cans ready to go in my cabin. On one afternoon when I wanted a quick pick-me-up, I grabbed a can from the cooler and it hit the spot.
The only downside was getting I had to wait for ice
I would bring a can or two with me to dinner, and it became quickly apparent I had to wait to get a cup of ice.
Waiters in any restaurant I went to were busy, and it would be some time before they arrived with a glass and ice in it. It's not a big deal, but a few times I had to wait more than 15 minutes before the glass of ice was delivered to my table.
Generally speaking, drink service is slow at any Royal Caribbean restaurant. I wasn't surprised by it, but it became a "necessary evil" of this little hack.
I'm sure you're wondering why I didn't keep the cans cool in my fridge. The issue was I wasn't always going immediately from my cabin to dinner. I might stop off at the casino, suite lounge, or another venue before going to dinner. So the soda wouldn't be quite ice cold by the time our meal started.
How much money this actually saved me
Not only is this cruise hack simple, it's easy to track the savings.
Royal Caribbean charges $3.50 per can of soda on its ships. So by bringing a 12-pack, I saved $42 (plus gratuity), and I got the brand of soda I like that wouldn't have otherwise been able to enjoy.
This is the perfect hack for someone that doesn't drink enough to warrant a drink package. For a soda package to make financial sense, you'd need to drink at least 4 sodas per day to justify the cost.
Would I do this again?
I would absolutely bring soda again on my cruise, provided I could easily pre-purchase it before the sailing.
The key is to purchase it once you get to the embarkation city (meaning don't fly with a 12-pack), purchase it there and bring it onboard.
I think bringing your own sodas is great for casual soda drinkers, budget-conscious cruisers, and families. I shared my sodas with my kids after realizing one soda a day would result in leftovers by the end of the cruise.
As I mentioned before, carrying it onboard was mildly annoying. And waiting for a glass of ice to go with it became an expectation. But I don't think either issue was a major problem.
As an alternative to a drink package, I think bringing your own sodas on Royal Caribbean was the perfect money-saving tip. It's one of the easiest cruise tips I’ve actually used, and it worked.
