Royal Caribbean Drink Prices: A Comprehensive Guide based on The Latest Drink Menu and Drink Package prices

When planning any cruise it’s important to know all the costs you are likely to be presented with during your cruise. Royal Caribbean drinks prices can be relatively high depending on what you are used to, so it’s important to know this information upfront before you cruise.

Knowing Royal Caribbean alcohol prices can also help you make an informed decision on whether to book the Royal Caribbean deluxe drink package or not.

The Deluxe drink package essentially offers you unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for the full duration of your cruise. But it comes at a large cost – sometimes even higher than what you might have paid for your cruise.

So if you have full details of all of Royal Caribbean’s bar prices you can work out whether the drink package is worth it for you or not. 

In this article, I will detail all the latest bar prices for all of the most common drinks found on board.

Royal Caribbean Bar Menu 2024 Prices Sampled From Wonder of the Seas

For total clarity, the information presented here was based on the information I gleaned when onboard Wonder of the Seas.  I am also cross-referencing it against the prices I am seeing on the Royal Caribbean App for my next Royal Caribbean cruise. This will be on Oasis of the Seas in April 2024.

A Guide to Royal Caribbean Drink Menus

Every bar on Royal Caribbean’s ships tends to have a printed menu available. If they don’t have a printed menu, there is usually a notice telling you to scan a QR code to view the menu.

The lack of a “standard” pricing menu that applies to all the bars across the ship, might lead you to think that different bars charge different amounts.  This is generally not the case. 

So a can of Budweiser in the Schooner Bar will cost the same as a can in the Lime and Coconut pool bar.

What does change across the menus might be the number of different drinks they offer at that bar, or the “featured” cocktails.

For example, expect to find a decent range of Whiskies in the Schooner Bar. But they might not have this same range at Bolero’s.

The cocktails on offer also tend to match the bar’s “theme”. So The Music Hall has some really cool cocktail names all themed around bands or music tracks. “Raspberry Beret” is a big hit with Prince fans. (Rum, Vodka, Gin, Tequila, Sweet and Sour, and Sprite topped off with a Raspberry liqueur floating on top – YUMMY!)

However, you should know that most of the bars will make any cocktail as long as they (or you) know the recipe. And your price should be the same no matter what bar you are at.

Royal Caribbean Drink Prices In Detail

Now that we know that drink prices are the same across the bars, what about on different cruise ships?

Will I pay more on the larger ships like Odyssey of the Seas, or Symphony of the Seas compared to an older ship like Vision of the Seas? No, you won’t. The prices across the fleet are generally the same.  

Sometimes the timing of a price change can impact this. So one ship might have prices changed before another one, but generally, they are the same across all Royal Caribbean cruise ships.

However, you will notice that the smaller ships may not have the same variety or range of drinks available. For example, the larger ships have a few different draft beers available, whereas the smaller ships may only have one, or none at all.

So let’s take a look at the prices in detail.

How much is a beer onboard Royal Caribbean?

The price you pay for a beer varies depending on the brand or whether it is draft or canned.  But expect to pay from $7.49 to $9.50 plus an 18% gratuity which is added to all bar checks.  This makes the actual cost of a beer anything from $8.84 to $11.21. I have also included Cider, Seltzer, and non-alcoholic beers here as well.

How much is a glass of wine on Royal Caribbean?

In the cruise ship bars on Royal Caribbean, you can expect to pay between $8 to $16 for a glass of wine. With the additional 18% gratuity the actual cost ranges from $9.44 to $18.88.

The price of wine obviously varies by the quality of the wine, but Royal Caribbean doesn’t go as crazy with wine price ranges as you might expect in a local wine bar. 

You will however find the range on offer is larger in the main dining room, and the quality of wines on offer increases as well. 

Drinking wine by the bottle can prove to be a money saver.

How much does a cocktail cost on Royal Caribbean?

Generally, every bar publishes a slightly different list of cocktails that are themed to match the bar. I mentioned the clever naming of cocktails earlier in the Music Hall like the “Raspberry Beret”, the “Jack and Diane” and the “Hotel California”.  Around the pool bar, you will find your regular Bahama Mama’s and Mai Tai’s.

You will find that any bar can generally make you any cocktail as long as the bartender or you know the recipe.

The price for cocktails is generally always $14. If you ask for something that has a lot of different alcohols in it and they don’t have it printed on any of their menus, they could charge you more. However, I have never found that to be the case, personally.

How much is a Vodka on Royal Caribbean?

How Much is Gin on Royal Caribbean Cruise Line?

How Much Does Rum Cost on Royal Caribbean?

How Much Does Tequila Cost on a Royal Caribbean Ship?

How much does Whiskey Cost on Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines?

American and Irish Whiskey and Bourbon range in cost from $9.99 to $12.99 a glass. With gratuity (18%) this rises to between $11.79 and $15.33

How much is a Scotch on Royal Caribbean?

The price of a Scotch Whisky onboard ranges from $9.99 to $39.99. With the 18% gratuity, this makes the actual cost range from $11.79 to $47.19.  

The reason for the significant range is that proper Scotch Whisky has to be aged a minimum of three years in barrels before it can legally be called Whisky.  The longer whisky is aged, the higher quality it becomes. A good single malt whisky can be aged for a minimum of 10 years, before being bottled. 

Obviously, that process costs the manufacturer more, so the price of older whiskies increases. The most expensive whisky we found on Wonder of the Seas was “The Macallan Enigma” at $39.99 ($47.19 with gratuity).  Ironically this Whisky doesn’t actually show an age, but it is priced around £300 a bottle in the UK. ($366). 

How much are Specialty Drinks, Sherries, and Liqueurs?

Specialty drinks, like Baileys Irish Cream, Cognacs, and liqueurs like Cointreau are priced similarly to other liquors.

A Warning About Sales Tax!

On some cruises, when you are first leaving the port, we have noticed that Royal Caribbean drink prices have Sales Tax added. This is because the ship is not in International waters yet and Sales Tax is still liable to be collected.

We noticed this for the first couple of hours after we left Port Canaveral on Wonder of the Seas. So an additional 7% will be added to your drinks.

Comparing Drinks on Royal Caribbean Cruise to Other Cruise Lines

Generally, most major cruise lines have similar prices to each other to ensure they remain competitive.

On our most recent cruise with Carnival Cruise line (Carnival Pride in June 2023), the prices for beers and liquor were similar to Royal Caribbean’s prices.

Cocktails however were cheaper and started at $11.

It should also be noted that Carnival’s Drinks package is cheaper than Royals (and they don’t use dynamic pricing which changes constantly).

However, on Carnival, you are restricted to no more than 15 alcoholic drinks a day. With Royal, the only restriction appears to be whether you can still stand or talk LOL

Do Bar Prices Vary At Different Bars on the Ship 

No, generally the prices are the same no matter what bar you are at. Occasionally a bar may have a drinks special.  For example, at Playmakers you can get a pitcher of beer for $18.  At the Lime and Coconut bars, you can get a bucket of 5 beers for the price of 4.

Example Royal Caribbean Drink Prices from The Schooner Bar on Wonder of the Seas

Here is a copy of the menu from the Schooner Bar lounge on our last cruise (why not read our Wonder of the Seas review) which shows you the range of prices to expect

Are Drink Prices in the Main Dining Room the Same?

Yes drink prices in the Main Dining Room are the same. However, you may see a wider range of wines offered than you might see in the bars.

Are Drink Prices at Perfect Day at Coco Cay the same?

Yes, the bar prices on the island of Coco Cay are the exact same as they are onboard the ship. If you have any of the Royal Caribbean Drinks Packages you can also use them while on the island.

Tips to Save Money on Wine Prices

Although Royal Caribbean doesn’t publish it, their standard wine pour seems to be based on the American 5 ounce standard which is just shy of 150ml. With a bottle of wine holding 750ml, that means you will get 5 glasses per bottle.

The lowest-cost wine that I could see was the Berenger White Zinfandel at $8 and $29 for the bottle. With gratuity that is $9.44 and $34.22 with gratuity.

Five glasses of White Zinfandel would cost me $47.20. But by purchasing the bottle instead at $34.22, I would be saving $12.98.  That’s a big saving on even the lowest-cost wine.

If you order a bottle of wine at a bar or at the Main Dining Room and don’t finish it (I know, apparently these people do exist LOL) – they can store it for you until the next evening.

You are also allowed to bring onboard two bottles of wine or champagne in your carry-on luggage at the time of boarding.  When you compare the costs of what you might pay in your local Supermarket or Wine store, you can quickly see the savings here.

You are meant to use this for consumption in your room, but I have seen many guests bringing a glass of wine from their room onto the public decks.

Tips to Save Money on Beer Prices

Saving money on beer can be done by ordering a Pitcher of beer in Playmakers or a bucket of beer at the pool bars.

A pitcher costs just $18 and you’ll get about 4 equivalent drinks from it.

For the bucket of beers, you get 5 beers of your choice for the price of 4. In my experience, they do always seem to run out of buckets though, so you’ll need to be patient as they go and find one.

Tips to Save Money on Cocktail Menu Prices

One way to save money on cocktails is to avoid getting a cocktail in a souvenir glass. Usually the “daily specials” are served by default by the bar waiters who walk along the pool deck. 

Another way to save money is to ask for your cocktail to be made with premium brands. So if it is a vodka cocktail ask for it to be made with Grey Goose for example. You’ll have a nicer cocktail, but you’ll still be charged the same $14 for it.

Get Free Drinks! What Drinks are Complimentary on Royal Caribbean?

Lots of free drinks are available on board. From tea and coffee to fruit juices and water, you can save by sticking to the complimentary drinks.

I’ve actually published a full article entitled “What drinks are free on Royal Caribbean” which will give you everything you need to know.

Cutting Costs: Is the Royal Caribbean Drink Package Better Value For Me?

Royal Caribbean offers a few different drink packages that can sometimes save you a lot of money.  These offer unlimited drinks although you are limited to ordering just one drink at a time per card.

The alcohol package is known as the Deluxe Beverage Package. This covers all alcoholic beverages and drinks priced at $14 or below and includes the cost of your gratuity. You do however pay an 18% gratuity on the cost of the package itself.

The annoying thing about this is that Royal uses a sales and marketing technique called dynamic pricing. This means that there is no fixed price for the Drinks packages. Even people on the same sailing as you will see different prices.

The price is always quoted per day. 

I’ve seen the price as low as $50 per day and as high as $120 per day. 

Royal is currently offering me the deluxe beverage package at $72 per day plus gratuity. I’m not sailing on that particular cruise until next year, so I will probably wait until Black Friday to see i I get a better deal. Usually, if I can get it below $60 I will jump on it.

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Is the drink package better value – for even moderate drinkers it can be a great deal. You just need to do the sums yourself.

I’ve published a full article on everything you need to know about the Royal Caribbean drink package which should help you decide if it is worth it for you or not.

For me, it’s a tougher decision on whether to buy a drinks package or not. My wife Morag and I are both Diamond-level Crown and Anchor members, so we actually get four free alcoholic drinks per day.  This makes that decision a little more complicated.

On our last cruise, we didn’t purchase the package and still saved money.

There are other ways to save money on Royal Caribbean drinks prices, but you do these at your own risk and I certainly would not condone it.

How to Get The Best Price on the Deluxe Beverage Package

The general advice here is to purchase it as soon as possible. That way if the price drops you can cancel the order and rebook it at the lower price.

Royal Caribbean always has a sale during holiday periods and the Black Friday sale period is always a good one.

What’s included in the Deluxe Beverage Package?

The deluxe beverage package includes any non-alcohol or alcohol drink priced at $14 or under. Premium coffees and teas (with the exception of Starbucks) are also included in the package.

You also receive a free Coca-Cola souvenir cup which you can use for free Coke products at the special vending machines around the ship.  Bottled water is also included in the price.

The other key thing to note is that the bar service gratuity is included as well.

Some newer cruisers assume that if they prepay their gratuities it includes ALL gratuities. IT DOESN’T! Bar service and room service gratuities are not included in your prepaid gratuities – this is just for your dining room staff and room steward.

Tips on How To Get Served Quicker at a Royal Caribbean Pool Bar or Any Cruise Bar.

If you’ve been cruising for any length of time, you will no that the bars (especially the pool bars) can get very busy at times. Nothing is more frustrating than to be standing for some time and another person strolls up and gets served immediately.

The staff can’t help it, they just look up and say who’s next and someone jumps in without even checking if they were next.

If you do want a little ”extra attention” at the bar, pick a favorite bartender and try to get their attention each time and tip them a couple of extra bucks. They will soon get to know you and shout your name as you walk past the bar. 

Cheers to a Wonderful Cruise Whatever You Drink!

Alright, let’s wind this down with a final splash of insight, shall we?

After going over many drinks and weighing the cost of alcohol on a Royal Caribbean cruise, you might be wondering: is a drink package really worth it?

If you’re like me and enjoy trying out a new drink or two (have you tried a lavender daiquiri?), the deluxe package could be your best bet.

But here’s the deal: the alcohol package costs aren’t for the faint of heart. In some cases, you could be dropping more cash on drinks than you did for the cruise itself!

Tally up how much you’d typically spend on drinks. I mean, if you’re planning on sipping energy drinks by day and transitioning to cocktails by night, the numbers add up quickly.

Now, if you’re more of a casual drinker and wouldn’t be able to order drinks at a pace that would make a pirate jealous, perhaps going a la carte is better.

Drinks without the package are pricey, but you might end up spending less overall.

In a nutshell, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Look at what Royal Caribbean beverage packages cost and what you’d likely get onboard, then do the math.

Is the cost of unlimited drinks worth it for you? That’s a question only your liver—and your wallet—can answer.

So, whether you’re lifting a glass to the horizon or simply enjoying a soda, may your drinks be plenty and your worries few.

After all, you’re on vacation! Cheers!

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