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Why Cruisers Are Ditching Royal Caribbean’s Drink Package (7 Smarter Alternatives)

Cruise Like a Pro - Videos
Cruise Like a Pro - Videos
🥈Expert
👁️ 2K views📅 8 months ago⏱️ 16:14
What This Creator Said
Creator Had Mixed FeelingsTips & Advice🥈Expert Creator
Veteran Cruiser

Source: Our analysis of the creator's lived experience, based on what they said in this video.

Creator's Key Takeaways

Those all-inclusive drink packages often cost over $700 per person for just a seven night cruise.

Once you reach diamond level in Royal Caribbean's crown and anchor society, you get four to six free drink vouchers every single day.

If you average just two or three drinks a day, your total bill will be far lower than the cost of a package.

The drink card. It's a simple punch card that gives you 10 drinks for a flat fee, usually cheaper than paying one by one.

Creator's Tips & Advice

Pre-purchase drink packages online before sailing to get the lowest price.
Ask bartenders specifically for premium brands if you have a premium package.
Bring your own allowed drinks to avoid bar charges.
Check the fine print of drink packages to understand inclusions and limits.

🆕New to Cruising? This Creator Addresses:

Missing out on free drink vouchers from loyalty statusBuild up cruise points over time to reach Diamond status for daily vouchers.
Not knowing about free onboard beveragesTake advantage of included coffee, tea, iced tea, lemonade, and water at buffet and drink stations.

Questions This Creator Answers

QWhy are cruisers ditching Royal Caribbean's drink package?
QWhat are smarter alternatives to buying a drink package?
QHow can travelers save money on drinks without missing out?

Topics Covered

Drink Package2½ Sad BaconLoyalty Program3½ Happy BaconValue Pricing2 Sad BaconBooking Process1½ Happy Bacon
How to read the Trip Bacon Score
Happy Bacon — creators loved this aspect
Sad Bacon — creators took issue with this
Meh — no strong opinion either way

Scale: 0–5 strips in half-step increments. 0 = “meh”, 5 = “bacon bliss”. Aggregated from creator-review sentiment, weighted by channel expertise.

About our Bacon Score methodology
YouTube Video Description

Don’t buy a drink package until you see the math. We explain why more cruisers skip Royal Caribbean’s beverage package in 2025—price creep, port-day waste, sharing rules, and fine print that kills value. Then we show 7 smarter alternatives (OBC tactics, loyalty perks, à la carte strategies, and free beverage hacks) so travelers 50+ save money without missing out. #CruiseSecrets #TravelTips #UnlimitedDrinks