Cruising with a baby is one of the best ways to travel, but it’s important to plan ahead and know exactly what and how you’re going to feed your baby during your cruise.
Whether you’re breastfeeding, bottle feeding or have moved on to pureed or solid food, feeding your baby on a cruise is easy, as long as you plan ahead.
Breastfeeding on a cruise
Breastfeeding in public is welcomed on all cruise ships, and there’s no need to cover yourself unless you prefer to. Most cruise lines have breastfeeding policies that explicitly state that it’s acceptable to breastfeed without a cover anywhere on a cruise ship.
Depending on the countries that your cruise visits, you may need to check the attitudes toward breastfeeding in your cruise destinations.
If you plan to visit one of the few countries where public breastfeeding isn’t widely accepted, it might be a good idea to take something to cover yourself with (I like this cute nautical cover-up, which also doubles as a sun-shade!)
As well as being best for your baby’s health, breastfeeding is the most convenient way to feed your baby while you cruise. It does, however, mean that you might have to turn down the option of an alcoholic drinks package!
If you plan to enjoy a couple of drinks, leave your baby with on-board babysitters, or like your other half to do their share of the night feeds, then you might want to express some milk during your cruise. In this case, don’t forget to pack your breast pump, baby bottles, and anything you need to sanitise them.
You’ll also need to think about where you will store any breast milk. Some cruise ship cabins have a mini-fridge, but it isn’t always cold enough for milk.
If you don’t have a fridge, or it feels too warm, then just ask your stateroom attendant to store the milk for you. There’s a main fridge that they use to store people’s medication, so you can keep your milk in there.
Formula feeding on a cruise
Bottle feeding your baby on a cruise is pretty straightforward; you’ll just need to do some planning to make sure that you have all the equipment you need.
I’ve cruised with a six-month-old formula-fed baby and found that it was no different to staying in a hotel.
Here are my top tips for bottle-feeding your baby on a cruise:
1. Pack plenty of formula
Some cruise ships carry baby formula, and P&O Cruises actually offer it free of charge! However, it might not be the brand that your baby is used to, and it may be expensive to buy onboard.
I’d definitely recommend packing enough formula to last your whole cruise rather than relying on being able to get it on the ship or in ports.
2. Take powdered and ready-to-drink formula
Powdered formula is good because it’s relatively cheap and doesn’t take up a lot of space in your luggage. However, it’s also a good idea to pack some of the pre-mixed bottles for convenience.
I would generally make up powdered formula on the ship. But once you head ashore for your excursions, popping open a carton of the ready-made stuff is super fast and easy.
3. Cruise ship water is safe
Cruise ship water is safe to drink for children and adults, but you should boil it if giving it to babies or using it to make up formula milk.
Of course, using bottled water to make baby formula is an option too, but you’ll still need to boil it, so you might as well use the tap water.
Some bottled water contains too much salt or sodium for babies, so be careful if you choose this option.
4. Check what baby equipment is available on the ship
The following cruise lines allow you to hire bottle warmers and sterilisers free of charge:
Costa Cruises
Cunard
Disney Cruise Line
P&O Cruises
If you’d like to hire any baby equipment, be sure to let the cruise line know before you sail.
If you’re cruising with a different cruise line, you’ll need to bring your own bottle warmers and/or steriliser if you need these.
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5. Check if your cabin has a kettle
The general rule is that if you’re cruising from the UK, you can expect to find a kettle in your room on most ships. Cruise lines know how much us Brits like a cup of tea first thing in the morning!
You won’t be allowed to bring a travel kettle on your cruise ship, so if you’ll need hot water to make baby milk, then it’s definitely worth asking your cruise line if they can provide you with one.
As a last resort, you can get boiling water from the buffet or from room service.
6. Don’t forget bottle cleaning equipment
As a minimum, you’ll need to pack a bottle brush (I like this travel bottle brush with a built-in drying rack) and some dishwashing liquid. If you usually sterilise bottles at home, then you’ll probably want to do so on your cruise.
I’ve always found that a cold water steriliser with tablets is the best for travel. But if you prefer to bring a travel steam steriliser then these are generally allowed, but you might want to confirm this with your particular cruise line first.
If your baby is a little older, you may opt to sterilise bottles using boiling water from the kettle.
Once your child is over 12 months old, you might want to give them whole cow’s milk instead of baby formula. If you do, then you’ll always be able to get this free of charge on your ship.
Whole cow’s milk is available in the buffet and any of the ship’s restaurants. You can also request it via room service and keep it in the fridge in your cabin if you have one.
When we cruised on P&O Britannia when Adam was a toddler, we asked for a jug of milk for our room. After the first couple of days, it appeared in our fridge each day without us having to ask, which was lovely.
If your toddler has an afternoon bottle of milk, I’d recommend filling the bottle at the breakfast buffet, then placing it in a cool bag so that it’s ready when they need it, even if you’re off on an excursion.
Can I bring milk on a cruise?
Cruise line policies normally only specifically mention water and soda for beverages that guests can bring onboard. But generally, if a cruise line allows you to bring water, they’ll let you bring milk as well – as long as you follow the same rules for water.
Some cruise lines don’t allow bottles, but will allow cartons and cans – so milk cartons should be OK. Always check with your cruise line on what drinks you can bring onboard, if you’re not sure.
Baby food on a cruise
If your baby eats pureed food, then you have three options on a cruise:
Ask the restaurant staff to puree some food for you
Bring your own pre-packaged baby food jars or pouches
Use pre-packaged baby food provided on the ship
On almost any cruise ship, the restaurant staff will be happy to make up some mashed baby food for you using fresh fruits, vegetables and rice. MSC Cruises even has a special baby food menu for babies aged six to twelve months!
Although the freshly-prepared mashed food is great, you’ll probably want another option too, for when baby wants to at a different time of day to you, or for when you’re off the ship.
The following cruise lines provide baby food jars or pouches free of charge:
Cunard
P&O Cruises
Princess Cruises
On other cruises, baby food may be available to buy in the on-board shop. It’s probably best to bring your own, though.
Baby-led weaning on a cruise
If you’ve decided to skip the pureed food and go straight to solid food, then a cruise is food heaven for a baby!
We cruised when my son was six months old, and he absolutely loved trying all the different fruits, vegetable sticks, rice, and potatoes, and he even had his first slice of pizza!
Adam with a pizza slice on MSC Preziosa
Of course, baby-led weaning can be messy, but you really don’t need to worry as the cruise ship staff are incredibly friendly and do a great job of cleaning the floor! If you feel guilty about all the sweeping up, you could always slip them an extra tip at the end of your cruise.
Don’t forget to pack some food-catching bibs. The disposable bibs can be handy as an alternative to washing plastic bibs in your cabin sink.
Whilst cruise ships are kept scrupulously clean, if you’re concerned about your child eating food that’s touched the table, you might also want to take some disposable stick-on placemats.
For a full list of things to pack for a cruise with a baby, I recommend that you get my free baby packing list. You can save it on your phone or print it off and tick off items as you pack.
Cruises can be fantastic for babies!
However you choose to feed your baby, you’ll be able to do that on a cruise. What’s available on the ship and whether it’s free or you have to pay for it varies depending on the cruise line and also on the ship.
If you have any unanswered questions about what to expect on your particular cruise, then you should get in touch with your cruise line as they will be able to give you the best answer.
If you’d like to borrow any baby equipment, you should be sure to give your cruise line at least three weeks’ notice so that they can ensure that it’s ready for you when you board the ship.
Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
Every time you book a cruise, you have one very important decision to make: “Should I get the drinks package or not?”
Cruise drinks packages can cost anywhere between £25 and £106 ($30 to $129) per day for all-inclusive alcoholic drinks. The price depends on which cruise line you sail with and which package you choose.
What Makes Me the Expert on Cruise Drink Packages?
I’ve worked in the cruise industry since 2015, and I’ve taken a lot of cruises. Although I do love a drink (or seven), I’m also pretty frugal. Every time I book a cruise, I do the maths and work out whether to buy the drinks package or not. So far, I’ve bought one on 50% of my cruises.
This article will help you to work out whether the drinks package is worth it for your cruise. You’ll find information on drinks prices, package prices, and what different drinks packages do and don’t include.
I’ve also built a free Cruise Drinks Package Calculator, to help you work out whether to buy one or not.
Plus, find out how I once saved over £400 by bringing my own drinks on board (and no, I didn’t break any rules!).
Are Cruise Drink Packages Worth It?
If you like to drink a lot on holiday, then drinks packages are almost always worth it.
But what if, like me, you spend a not-inconsiderable amount of time with one eye on your children, making sure that the little angels don’t take off their armbands and jump into the deep end? Then you might not be able to drink as much as you want to. So, what’s a parent to do?
Of course, with late-night kids’ clubs and babysitting, it can be fabulous to unwind with a few glasses of vino or a cocktail in the sun. And if you’re lucky enough to have a balcony, a nightcap is a lovely way to end the night once everyone’s tucked up in bed.
Even if you’re teetotal, there are soft drinks packages which can be great value for money. So, don’t write off the idea of a beverage package just yet.
How To Decide if Your Cruise Drinks Package Is Worth It
To do the maths on your drinks package, you’ll want to know four things:
What different drinks packages are available on your cruise? Some cruise lines offer up to five different packages, with different things included.
How much are drinks packages? Some cruise lines have fixed prices, while others vary on each sailing and can go up or down before the departure date.
How much are drinks on your ship? Some cruise lines charge pub prices, but others charge more than double that.
How many drinks do you plan to have each day? You’ll drink more on sea days than days spent ashore, so this should be factored in.
Now, if all this seems like a bit too much maths, don’t worry! That’s where the drinks package calculator will come in handy. Just enter your email in the form below and I’ll send it to you.
There are a couple more things you need to consider:
What drinks are free on your cruise?
What drinks aren’t included in the drinks package?
If you like to drink tea, coffee, fruit juice, squash, ice tea, milk and water, it’s possible that you won’t spend a penny on drinks even without a package. Certain drinks are always free of charge.
Drinks packages don’t cover everything. Don’t get caught out by ordering bottles of wine if your package only covers glasses. And don’t raid the minibar unless you know it’s included.
Cruise Line Drinks Packages
The details of drinks packages are different for each cruise line. For that reason, I’ve written detailed guides to drinks packages for each of the following cruise lines.
Detailed drinks package guides for each cruise line:
For the other cruise lines, you’ll find all the drinks package information on this page.
Cruise Drink Package Price Comparison
The following table shows the price of the standard drinks package (when booked pre-cruise) for each cruise line.
Note that many cruise lines offer a choice of packages, so there may be cheaper packages (such as wine and beer only packages) as well as more expensive packages (which include premium drinks).
MSC Cruises and Royal Caribbean have variable pricing. MSC Cruises’ pricing varies with the destination. Royal Caribbean’s prices vary depending on many factors, and prices also go up and down in the period between booking and sailing.
Which Cruise Line Has the Best Drink Packages?
If you like to drink alcohol on holiday, you might want to know which cruise line has the best drinks packages. Of course, that depends on your definition of ‘the best’.
The Cheapest Drinks Package
Fred. Olsen Cruise Line offers the cheapest cruise drinks package, at just £19 per person per day. That’s less than a quarter of the price of Norwegian Cruise Line’s package. So, why is it so cheap?
For one thing, they attract very different crowds. Fred. Olsen Cruise Line attracts British pensioners who tend to enjoy half a bitter or a small sherry, then head off to bed at 9pm. (Yes, these are stereotypes, but that’s often how it is!)
At the other end of the scale is Norwegian Cruise Line. This trendy line is popular with millennial cruisers, who love to drink cocktails all day and stay up late in the onboard bars and nightclubs.
As well as attracting different clientele, these cruise lines also have large differences in the prices of individual drinks. On Fred. Olsen cruise ships, drinks when bought individually are around half the price as on NCL ships. You’re looking at £4.35 for a glass of wine rather than $10.
So while some drinks packages are cheaper than others, to work out which drinks package is the best value, you have to think about how many drinks you need to ‘break even’.
The Most Inclusive Drinks Package
Most cruise beverage packages have limits, whether that’s a limited number of drinks per day or a limit on the types of drinks you can have. For example, it’s common to exclude bottles of wine and instead request that guests order wine by the glass.
The table below shows the drinks package limitations for each cruise line.
Cruise line
Max. drinks per day
Max. drink price
Mini bar included?
Ambassador
15
n/a
no
Carnival
15
$20
no
Celebrity Cruises
n/a
$10 or $17
no
Costa Cruises
n/a
€9
Only with Connoisseur
Cunard
15
n/a
no
Fred. Olsen Cruise Line
n/a
n/a
no
Holland America
15
$11 or $15
no
MSC Cruises
n/a
$10 or $16
no
Norwegian Cruise Line
n/a
$15 or unlimited
no
P&O Cruises
15
n/a
no
Princess Cruises
15
$15 or $20
no
Royal Caribbean
n/a
$12
no
What if You Order a Drink That Costs More Than The Maximum Drink Price?
In most cases, you’ll pay the extra. So if your package covers drinks up to $12, but you order a glass of champagne for $15, then you’ll pay $3.
However, in this scenario, Holland America Line and MSC Cruises would charge you for the entire drink, so you would pay $15.
When Does the 24-Hour Period Reset?
For cruise lines which have a limit on the number of drinks per day, the new day starts at 6am. Non-alcoholic beverages aren’t included in the 15-drink limit.
Although most cruise lines don’t set limits, if you’re visibly drunk, you’re unlikely to get served more alcohol.
How Much Are Drinks on Cruise Ships?
Cruise ship drinks prices vary depending on the cruise line, and sometimes depending on the ship. The most expensive drinks are on Norwegian Cruise Line, where beer or wine will cost $8 to $10. The cheapest drinks are on P&O Cruises, where beer or wine will cost around $5 (£4).
As a general rule, the drinks on British cruise ships (P&O Cruises and Fred. Olsen Cruise Line) and European cruise ships (Costa Cruises and MSC Cruises) are cheaper than on American-owned ships.
Cruise Line Drinks Price Comparison
The following table shows the prices of drinks on all cruise lines in 2023 in both US Dollars ($) and British Pounds Sterling (£).
Cruise line
Price of a beer
Price of a glass of wine
Price of a cocktail
Ambassador
$6 (£5)
$8.50 (£7)
$7.50 (£6)
Carnival
$7 – $8.50 (£5.50 – £7)
$9.50 – $14 (£7.50 – £11.50)
$10.50 – $13 (£8.50 – £10.50)
Celebrity Cruises
$7 – $10 (£5.50 – £8)
$9 – $10 (£7 – £8)
$9 – $12 (£7 – £10)
Costa Cruises
$6 (£5)
$6 (£5)
$7 – $9 (£5.50 – £7.50)
Cunard
$6 – $7 (£5 – £5.50)
$8- $14 (£6.50 – £11.50)
$9 – $17 (£7 – £13.50)
Fred. Olsen Cruise Line
$6 – $7.50 (£5 – £6)
$7.50 – $11.50 (£6 – £9)
$9 (£7)
MSC Cruises
$9 – $9.50 (£7 – £7.50)
$10 – $12 (£8 – £10)
$12 (£10)
Norwegian Cruise Line
$6 – $9 (£5 – £7)
$9 – $10 (£7 – £8)
$11 – $12 (£9 – £10)
P&O Cruises
$5.50 – $6 (£4.50 – £5)
$8 – $12 (£6.50 – £9.50)
$9 – $10 (£7 – £8)
Princess Cruises
$7 – $7.50 (£5.50 – £6)
$10 – $12 (£8 – £10)
$10 – $19 (£8 – £15)
Royal Caribbean
$8 – $9 (£6.50 – £7)
$9 – $16 (£7 – £13)
$14 (£11)
Cruise Drinks Menus
Whenever I go on a cruise, I take photos of the bar menus. I know that people often like to look at these to see the bar prices, as well as to note which drinks are available.
So far, this blog has detailed info on bar prices for the following cruise lines.
I will add more cruise ship drinks menu photos as I take more cruises.
Should You Buy the Drinks Package?
Now, the million-dollar question…
To decide if you should buy the cruise drinks package or not, you’ll need to estimate how much you would spend on drinks if you didn’t have the package.
If you would spend more on drinks without a beverage package, then the package is worth it. However, it could be the case that you drink as much as you like and still don’t break even on the drinks package cost.
I created a handy drinks package calculator tool, to help you work out how much you would spend on drinks per day with no drinks package. You can then compare that with the cost of the all-inclusive package, to see if it’s worth it or not.
Cruise Drinks Package Calculator
Which Cruise Lines Offer Free Drink Packages?
A cruise with a free drinks package can seem like a great deal. Always remember though, there’s truth in the old saying ‘nothing is for free in this world’.
Cruise lines and travel agents regularly have promotions offering cruises with free drinks packages. It’s quite possible to book an all-inclusive cruise with drinks included, but these drinks are by no means free.
The package price for a cruise with drinks will always be higher than if you booked just the cruise. It’s all just clever marketing.
That’s not to say that you should avoid an offer of cruises with free drinks. Far from it. It could still be a great deal, and it’s likely to be a better price than if you paid separately for the cruise and drinks package.
Cruises offering free drink packages include:
Azamara – always
Celebrity Cruises – sometimes
Holland America Line – sometimes
Marella – always
MSC Cruises – sometimes
Norwegian Cruise Line – sometimes
Princess Cruises- sometimes
Eligibility for Free Drinks Packages
For some of these offers, to get the free drinks you need to book an oceanview or a balcony stateroom, rather than the cheapest inside cabins. These cruises are often cold-weather cruises, where people are less bothered about having a balcony. Cruise lines use ‘free drinks with balcony cabins’ as a way to entice people to go for the cabin upgrade.
For others, you can book an upgraded ‘experience’. This gives you perks such as the best cabin locations, first choice of dining times and free room service, as well as free drinks.
Cruise promotions change all the time, sometimes as often as every few days, but certainly every couple of months. For this reason, I won’t list the exact free drinks promos that each cruise line is offering.
I will mention NCL’s Free at Sea promotion though, because it is an interesting one. And also, as I’ve highlighted, the standard drinks package with NCL is one of the most expensive options. So this is worth pointing out.
NCL typically runs the Free at Sea promotion all year round. You can get drinks included along with other benefits, such as speciality dining, shore excursion credit and free Wi-Fi.
Normally you get to choose one or two of these benefits, depending on your cruise/stateroom choice. But sometimes the promotion lets you enjoy all of them at once, if you pay a relatively low upgrade fee.
These upgrades can sometimes be as cheap as £99 per person, depending on the sailing. And that’s for the entire cruise (up to five nights – longer cruises cost more). That’s a lot less than paying over $100 per day for your drinks package!
If the offer is limited to one or two of the benefits, you can choose the free drinks but you’ll still have to pay the 20% gratuity for the package. And if you choose one of the other benefits, you’ll pay the full price for the drinks package.
Can You Bring Your Own Drinks on a Cruise?
There are many reasons you might want to bring your own drinks on a cruise ship.
The first is to save money. If you’re on a budget, you could bring your own drinks instead of getting a drinks package. We brought a litre of gin, a litre of rum and a lot of lemonade in our luggage on P&O Britannia. This saved us around £400, compared to buying these drinks at the bar.
Sadly, P&O Cruises changed their policy in May 2024 to stop guests from bringing spirits onboard, although you can still bring wine. Many other cruise lines allow you to bring bottles of wine. This varies by cruise line, so click the link below to see exactly what you’re allowed on each ship.
If you have a drinks package, should you bring your own drinks too? Ordinarily, no. But perhaps you have a special bottle of champagne that you’ve been saving for your anniversary? Maybe the ship doesn’t stock your favourite tipple? You may also have dietary requirements, and are concerned about getting vegan wine or gluten-free beer on the ship.
How To Sneak Alcohol on a Cruise Ship
Many cruise lines are very generous in allowing guests to bring a certain amount of alcohol on board, but some people still want to know how to sneak booze on a cruise.
Smuggling alcohol on a cruise ship is not allowed. Cruise lines use scanners to X-ray your luggage to look for prohibited items. Cruisers have been coming up with seemingly ingenious ways to sneak alcohol onto cruise ships, but nothing is foolproof.
What will happen if you’re caught? The best-case scenario is that your alcohol is confiscated and returned to you at the end of the cruise. However, some cruise lines retain the right to refuse boarding to anyone attempting to smuggle drinks on board. Would you take the risk?
Still unsure whether you should buy the cruise drinks package or not? Let’s weigh up the pros and cons…
Pros
No unexpected bill at the end of your cruise
With a drinks package, you pay for it before you cruise. It’s a great feeling to know that everything’s already paid for, and you’re free to enjoy yourself.
Without a drinks package, you’ll receive a bill at the end. You can check your bar tab mid-way through your cruise, either by using your stateroom TV (on most cruise lines) or by asking at guest services. It can be pretty depressing to see, so I wouldn’t recommend checking unless you have to!
If you don’t like your cocktail, you can get another
If I spent $12 on a cocktail and didn’t like it, I’d be furious with myself. So without a package, I’d probably only stick to tried and trusted drinks.
Having a beverage package gives you the freedom to try new things. If you don’t like it, you can always order something else.
It’s so convenient
When you have a drinks package, you can relax without caring about the drink prices on the menu. You don’t have to pack your own wine in your suitcase and worry about it breaking all over your clothes. In fact, all you have to worry about is your hangover!
Drinks packages work on some private islands
In most cases, drinks packages only work on the ship. However, some cruise lines own private islands in the Bahamas, and allow you to use your drinks package while on the island.
Drinks packages work on the following islands:
Drinks packages don’t work on these islands:
Cons
Some drinks are free without a package
The free drinks vary by cruise line. You can generally expect water, tea, coffee, milk and flavoured water (cordial or squash) to be on offer with no charge. Fruit juice is also available at breakfast time.
On river cruises, you may also get wine and beer included at lunch and dinner. Luxury cruise lines like Azamara also include a range of alcoholic drinks with no extra charge.
As you’re leaving the ship, you’ll often see bottles of water available to take ashore with you. These can be handy to grab, if you have a package. If you don’t, then save your pennies (and the environment) by using your own refillable water bottle.
You have to get a package for everyone in your cabin
In most cases, everyone in the cabin has to have the same package. Sometimes, this can even extend to separate cabins on the same booking.
This means that if one person doesn’t drink alcohol – even if they’re pregnant, or have a medical or religious reason to avoid alcohol – they still have to get the package. It’s very rare that an alcoholic drinks package would be worth it if you don’t drink alcohol at all.
Some cruise lines also make you buy a drinks package for children as young as two or three years old, if the adults have a package. My three-year-old drinks nothing but water (his choice, not mine), so a drinks package would be completely wasted on him.
P&O Cruises give a free children’s drinks package when you book an adult drinks package. This deal can offer great value if you have older children who like to drink a lot of fizzy drinks and mocktails.
Not all drinks are included
If you’re an aficionado who will only have Hendrick’s with your tonic and wouldn’t ever consider a house wine, a package might not be for you. If you order a drink that’s not included in the package, you might have to make up the difference or even pay full price for it.
Many cruise lines do offer premium packages or wine packages, which include more than the standard package. If you’re somewhat of a connoisseur in the wine and spirits department, you may want to buy a deluxe package if one’s available.
Other drinks that are unlikely to be included in your drinks package include:
Drinks served in souvenir glasses
Wine by the bottle
Buckets or pitchers of beer
Room service drinks
Minibar drinks
Duty-free shops
Drinks which cost more than a certain price
You must buy the package for every day of your cruise
Some days, you’ll be off the ship from early in the morning until the evening. On those days, you might not have any drinks at all until your evening meal (as most breakfast drinks are free anyway).
It’s much easier to break even on your drinks package price on sea days than on port days. So if you plan to explore ashore most days, factor that in when making your decision.
How To Buy a Cruise Drinks Package
There are three ways to book a drinks package:
Over the phone with your travel agent or direct with the cruise line
Using the cruise line’s ‘cruise planner’ website or app
At guest services on board the ship
Unless your cruise includes drinks when you book it, the easiest way to add on a drinks package is via the cruise planner. You should log on to your cruise planner before you cruise anyway, to add passenger details and submit preferences such as dining times or bed configuration.
When To Buy Your Drinks Package
Should you buy your drinks package when you book your cruise, before you sail or once you’re on the ship? You’ll probably see that different prices are available depending on when you purchase the package.
The best time to buy your drinks package is after you book your cruise but before you sail. Buying it on the ship is almost always more expensive.
After you book your cruise, you may receive emails with special offers on drinks packages which can include a discount of up to 30%. Cruise lines may also offer drinks package promotions to encourage you to get one, particularly at times such as Black Friday.
When you board the ship, you may see offers such as ‘buy one get one half-price’ on drinks packages. But look closely at the original price. You’ll see that it’s much higher than if you pre-book before you cruise. So even with these offers, you’ll still get a better price if you buy the package before you set sail.
Click to see detailed cruise drink package guides:
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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
When you’re planning your Fred. Olsen cruise, one thing to consider is whether you should pay for your drinks as you go, or book a drinks package that makes your cruise all-inclusive.
There’s a lot to consider: how much the package is, how much drinks cost if you buy them individually, and whether you’d get value from a package or not. So let’s take a look.
How much is Fred. Olsen’s drinks package?
The Fred. Olsen All Inclusive Upgrade costs £24.99 per person per night, on cruises lasting six nights or more. If you book a shorter cruise or a Speciality Sailing, the price increases to £35 per person per night. You have to pay for the upgrade for the duration of your cruise.
Purely in terms of pricing, Fred. Olsen’s drinks package is pretty good. Many of the biggest cruise lines in the world charge upwards of £50 per person per day for drinks. So your drinks package can cost more than the cruise itself!
If you want to know whether it’s worth it or not, then you can use my drinks package calculator. Just enter what drinks you’ll have on an average day, and it will do the maths for you.
Get it for free here:
There are a small number of cruise lines that have cheaper drinks packages than Fred. Olsen, including Marella Cruises’ drinks package. This costs just £10 per person per day, and includes similar drinks to the Fred. Olsen packages.
Overall though, whether a Fred. Olsen drinks package is good value doesn’t really depend on other cruise lines. It depends on what’s included, and whether it would save you money against buying your drinks separately.
It’s important to note that these prices only apply if you book your drinks package in advance. If you wait until you’re on the ship, then you’ll pay the higher price of £34.99 per night for cruises of six nights or more, or £45 per night for five-night cruises. You can’t book on the ship for cruises of four nights or fewer.
All adults sharing a cabin have to book the All Inclusive Upgrade if one guest wants it – you can’t have one adult buying it and one not. Children don’t need to, but if you want them to enjoy all-inclusive drinks then they do need one, and they cost the same as adults.
However, on cruises of exactly five nights, the All Inclusive Upgrade is free for children if travelling with adults paying for it.
What’s included in Fred. Olsen’s drinks package?
The All Inclusive Upgrade from Fred. Olsen includes selected house wines and house spirits, selected beers and ciders, a cocktail or mocktail of the day and a selection of soft drinks. Tea and coffee is included in the restaurants and buffet areas too.
This strawberry daiquiri isn’t included in the drinks package
Here’s a full look at everything that is included in the bars on the ship
Beers, lagers and ciders
Ale draught
Lager draught
Cider draught (select bars only)
Carlsberg cans – 330ml
Heineken cans – 330ml
Heineken 0.0% cans – 330ml
Spitfire cans – 500ml
Somersby cans – 440ml
This pint of beer is included in the drinks package
House wines (all 175ml glasses)
White
Red
Rose
Sparkling
Non-alcoholic
This glass of wine is included in the drinks package
House spirits (25ml servings)
Vodka
Whisky
Gin
White Rum
Brandy
Irish Cream
Cocktails
Cocktail and mocktail of the day
This mojito is only included in the package if it is ‘Cocktail of the Day’
Soft drinks (by the glass)
Pepsi
Diet Pepsi
Lemonade
Diet lemonade
Tango Orange
Tonic water
Low calorie tonic water
Ginger ale
Juices (by the glass)
Orange juice
Apple juice
Pineapple juice
Cranberry juice
Tomato juice
Not all of these drinks are available in the restaurants and buffet areas on the ship, but you will be able to enjoy:
Soft drinks
House wines
Branded beers
Tea and coffee
These breakfast-time drinks are free for everyone, even without a package
What’s NOT included in Fred. Olsen’s drinks package?
It’s important to know what isn’t included when you buy the All Inclusive Upgrade. You will have to pay extra for:
Wines by the bottle
Premium beers and wines
The full range of cocktails and mocktails
Bottled water
Champagne, Prosecco and dessert wines
However, when you buy the All Inclusive Upgrade, you do get 50% off the premium beers and wines, cocktails, mocktails and bottled water. So you can still make significant savings on those.
If you prefer to buy your wines by the bottle, or you like a more premium wine option than those included on the All Inclusive Upgrade, you can buy one of the packages offered by Fred. Olsen.
These are available to buy once you’ve booked your cruise. All you need to do is log onto your account between 13 weeks and one day before embarkation, and you can add one (or more) of these to your cruise.
Silver Champagne Package – £79
1 x 375ml bottle of Lanson Black Label
1 x 750ml bottle of Moet & Chandon
1 x 750ml bottle of Cava
Gold Champagne Package – £91
1 x 375ml bottle of Moet & Chandon
1 x 750ml bottle of Bollinger Special
1 x 750ml bottle of Cava
Platinum Champagne & Wine Package – £144
1 x 750ml bottle of Champagne
1 x 750ml bottle of Cava
1 x bottle of premium white wine
1 x bottle of premium red wine
The Platinum package is discounted to £130 if you have also booked the All-Inclusive Upgrade.
Diamond Champagne & Wine Package – £288
1 x 750ml bottle of Champagne
2 x 375ml bottles of Champagne
1 x bottle of port wine
1 x bottle of premium white wine
2 x bottles of premium red wine
The Diamond package is discounted to £259 if you’ve also booked the All Inclusive Upgrade.
Hot Drinks Package – Bookmark Bestseller
The Bookmark Cafe is a popular spot for guests to relax on a Fred. Olsen ship. It serves hot drinks, baked goods and even handmade chocolates for you to enjoy.
The Bookmark Cafe has its own drinks package, if you want to take advantage of a special offer. It works similar to the Champagne and wine packages, in that you pay upfront and enjoy a set amount of drinks onboard.
The Bookmark Bestseller costs £20. That gets you seven hot drinks along with a bag of truffles – either milk chocolate or mixed.
Most drinks at the Bookmark Cafe cost £3 or £4. There are some more expensive liqueur coffees, but these aren’t included in the deal. So the savings aren’t huge, but you could save between £1 and £8 on the drinks alone, and you get the truffles included too.
Prices for drinks on Fred. Olsen cruises depend on the brand you choose. Expect a glass of wine to cost from £6, a pint of lager to cost from £5, and soft drinks to cost around £2.50. Most coffees are priced at around £3.
You can always get free tap water on a Fred. Olsen cruise at any of the bars or restaurants. At the buffet, you can also enjoy free tea, coffee and fresh fruit juices during breakfast, but the juices are not available free of charge at other times.
As a cruise line that primarily targets the British cruise market, Fred. Olsen knows how important a good cup of tea or coffee is in the morning. That’s why you’ll find tea and coffee-making facilities in every cabin onboard. Quite the rarity in the world of ocean cruising!
On my cruise on Borealis, the kettle and cups were inside a cupboard and looked like this…
Plus there are tea and coffee stations open 24/7 around the ship, so you don’t have to trek back to your room for a brew. If you want speciality teas and coffees, you’ll need to pay for them.
Is the Fred. Olsen drinks package worth It?
Whether or not the Fred. Olsen drinks package is worth it depends on how much you intend to drink on your cruise. It is one of the better value drinks packages. Most guests can recoup the cost for around four or five alcoholic drinks per day.
If you’re a beer drinker, then a pint costs you around £6 on a Fred. Olsen cruise. Having four pints per day would cost you £24, just £1 less than the price of the drinks package, but that would also include any soft drinks.
Of course, you’re tied into the upgrade for the entirety of your cruise, so that example only applies if you’re going to have four pints every day of the sailing.
Bear in mind that you get 50% off some of the premium drinks too. If you’re someone who exclusively drinks cocktails on a cruise, you’d be paying £7 each at full price. But if you pay £25 per day then you’ll only pay £3.50 per cocktail, and you can drink all the other included beverages too.
The best way to find out if the drinks package is worth it is to use my drinks package calculator. Use this to work out how much you’re likely to spend if you buy the drinks separately, and whether or not the package would be better value.
How To Book A Fred. Olsen Drinks Package
You can choose to book your All Inclusive Upgrade either before you sail or while you are onboard the ship, but you only get the lower price if you book before you sail.
Also, remember you can only book on the ship for cruises of five nights or more.
To book before you cruise, you can either add it on while making your original booking, or call the Guest Services Team to add it on.
You’ll also be able to log into your booking online to add it to your cruise. You can do this anytime before you cruise, up to six days before you sail. Any later than that, and you’ll be charged the onboard price.
If you want to book the All-Inclusive Upgrade while you’re on the ship, you’ll need to visit the Guest Services desk. You have to do this before the end of the second day of your cruise, otherwise you won’t be allowed to book.
The All-Inclusive Upgrade is subject to availability. So if you wait until you’re on the ship, you might not be able to book it.
You can book the Champagne and Wine packages and the Bookmark Bestseller package before you sail as well. These can be booked from 13 weeks before your sailing date, up to the day before you sail.
Final word
The Fred. Olsen All Inclusive Upgrade is pretty good value when compared to many other cruise lines, but that doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone.
If you only have the occasional cocktail, and otherwise stick to soft drinks, it probably isn’t good value.
But if you enjoy glasses of wine with lunch and dinner, or a few beers in the afternoon, it might work out more cost-effective to get the package.
It will also mean you don’t have to worry about how much you’re spending on drinks. You’ll know the cost of the package in advance, and can just budget for that.
Cheers!
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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
Carnival cruise ships offer a huge array of dining options. With so much to look forward to, I can’t blame you for wanting a look at each food menu before your cruise!
In this guide, I’ll show you all of the Carnival food menus. If you want to see the drinks menus too, you’ll find those here: Carnival Cruise Drink Menus.
I’ll show you which ships feature which restaurant, the meals they are open for and a rough idea of the cost. I’ll also let you know whether you can dine there for free during your cruise.
Main Dining Rooms
Ships: All
Cost: Complimentary with exception of optional Steakhouse Selections $
Meals: Breakfast (port days), Brunch (sea days), Lunch (on cruises over eight days), Dinner
Here is the breakfast menu in the main dining rooms:
Here is the Seaday Brunch menu in the main dining rooms:
Here is the dinner menu in the main dining rooms. It’s worth noting that the Carnival cruise food menu has been updated recently with new vegan options. I’ll add those as soon as I can.
Meals: Lunch (with a complimentary made-to-order pasta bar), Dinner
This venue serves as an alternative to the Main Restaurant on Celebration, Jubilee and Mardi Gras. It is included in the cruise fare. Pre-cruise reservations are not available.
Here is the all-day Carnival menu for Room Service:
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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
I’ve been vegan for many years and have taken over 40 cruises with almost all of the major cruise lines.
On some ships, I’ve enjoyed the most incredible gourmet meals with ever-changing five-course vegan menus. And on others, I’ve had little more than French fries, salad and bread rolls.
How well cruise lines cater for vegans can mean the difference between enjoying a fantastic cruise, and barely surviving the week.
In this guide, I’m rating every cruise line I’ve sailed with from best to worst based on their plant-based offerings. I’ll also let you know about any secret off-menu vegan items I found.
Let’s start with the creme-de-la-(soya)-creme…
1. SeaDream Yacht Club
🏆 Winner 🏆
SeaDream Yacht Club offers boutique yacht-style cruising on small ships with around 100 guests and a crew-to-guest ratio of 1:1. This small scale enables the cruise line to go above and beyond to accommodate everyone’s dietary needs, with plant-based people being especially well catered for.
The owner of SeaDream Yacht Club, Atle Brynestad, has been vegan since 1991 and also owns an organic vegan farm and two vegan restaurants in Norway.
Aboard SeaDream ships, I enjoyed the most delicious and healthy food I’ve ever had. Each evening, there is a five-course plant-based menu. But if there’s anything you don’t like on there, the chef will be happy to veganise any of the other dishes.
During the cruise, Chef Tomas came to find me regularly to ask how I was enjoying the food. He would discuss his plans for the next day and ask if I had any suggestions. He’s so lovely and it’s clear that he loves his craft.
I think it’s great that there’s no separate menu for vegans on SeaDream – it’s just a section highlighted on the main menu. This eliminates any hassle or embarrassment of having to ask for a special menu, and it also encourages every guest to give the plant-based options a try. Which Tomas said that they frequently do.
Raw vegan options are available for every meal too, for those who prefer food that has not been heated above 49°C.
Breakfast and lunch are always served outdoors with a combination of a set menu and a buffet loaded with the freshest fruit, salads, nuts and seeds. For breakfast, I highly recommend the tofu scramble and the hash browns.
On the buffet, nothing is labelled, but that doesn’t matter because there are so many crew members just waiting to help. They’ll greet you by name and even carry your plate from the buffet area to your table for you!
SeaDream yachts carry all the vegan alternatives you could wish for, with all of the different milks, margarine and vegan cheese readily available. I was even given a choice of different cheese for on my burger!
If you like mock meat, you’ll love Chef Tomas’ vegan burger which he handmakes with his own recipe using chickpeas and beetroot. It tastes more realistic than even a Beyond burger and I had to double check it wasn’t meat. He also cooks with ‘prawnz’, which are really nice.
When it comes to snacks, plain Pringles, pretzels and nuts are always available at the bar. But really, you can have whatever you like. Every crew member will go above and beyond to make you happy.
If you want to enjoy the very best in vegan cuisine and avoid putting on weight during your cruise too, the SeaDream Yacht Club is the best cruise line for vegans. I adored the food and would return in a heartbeat.
Disney Cruise Line is my second favourite cruise line when it comes to vegan food. And if you’re cruising with children, it’s a better option than SeaDream, which is orientated towards adults.
Disney has a rotational dining system, which means that you move between three different themed restaurants. As you do, your waiter moves with you, so they really get to know your family as well as everyone’s dietary requirements.
Disney Cruise Line doesn’t offer separate vegan menus, but you’ll find vegan options on every adult menu, and the food is delicious.
There are sadly no vegan options on the kids’ menus. But kids are welcome to order from the adults’ menu too or if they want something simple like pasta with tomato sauce, that’s not a problem.
One thing to know when you cruise with Disney as a vegan, is that you can always ask for what you want, even if it’s not on the menu. And I definitely recommend that you do this!
At breakfast in the main dining room, I was able to order vegan sausages and the most incredible vegan omelette made with ‘Just Egg’, although these weren’t on the menu. Even the Mickey waffles can be made vegan on request!
In the buffet, nothing is labelled with ingredients or allergens, which is a little annoying. I love it when buffets have labels!
However, the buffet staff are really friendly and will help you. They sometimes also offer to make you other things too, and they even brought me an avocado that wasn’t on the buffet.
You’ll have no problem getting any kind of alternative milk, butter or cheese on a Disney cruise.
As well as the three main dining rooms and Cabanas buffet, there are lots more places you can eat in the food court on the pool deck too. Most stations have vegan options, so if you fancy a burger, hot dog, tacos or pizza for lunch, this is the place to go.
Disney Cruise Line is great for families, of course, but it’s also great for adults too. The speciality restaurants, Palo and Remy are both adults-only. If you dine here, be sure to let them know that you’re vegan the day before and the chef will make something special for you.
I’ve cruised on all of P&O Cruises family-friendly ships and I’ll start this section of the review by saying that some P&O ships have much more to offer for vegans than others. Arvia is the best, followed by Iona.
Every P&O ship has a vegan option on the menu in the main dining room. Sometimes you may have a choice, but it’s usually just one thing.
The food is pretty good, but I find that they can sometimes be a little low in protein, which is something to consider if you like to be mindful of that. If you’re a bigger eater, you may find the portions to be on a small side.
The main dining room is a great place to go for breakfast as you can get the most delicious avocado on toast with chillies, as well as vegan sausages and bacon to make a fantastic full English breakfast.
The buffet is always very good on P&O ships and the line does a really great job of labelling things as vegan and also labelling allergens like eggs and milk.
There’s also a section where you’ll find vegan butter, any kind of milk you would like and sometimes there’s even vegan cheese.
If you choose to cruise on one of the newer and bigger P&O ships, Arvia or Iona, you can also eat at The Quays. This venue has three different food outlets and you’ll find a changing menu of burgers, wraps, curries, noodles and the like.
Arvia also has two extra restaurants that are free to dine at – 6th Street Diner and The Olive Grove. Both of these have good vegan options on the menu.
Also unique to Arvia is Green & Co, which is the only fully vegan restaurant at sea. There’s an extra charge to eat here, but if you sail on Arvia you absolutely must. The food and service are both incredible.
Wherever you eat, be sure to look out for the vegan meringue. It’s made using aquafaba and even the omnivores say it tastes great!
Every P&O ship also has poolside dining venues where you can grab a veggie burger, just be sure to ask for no cheese. If you’re lucky, you can also get a pizza with vegan cheese. Not every ship will have this, but it’s worth asking because even if they do, it won’t be on the menu. It’s a secret menu item!
Every P&O ship also offers a variety of speciality dining restaurants that are available for an extra charge. Sindhu is a good one for vegans and the curries are lovely.
If you’re on a budget then P&O Cruises is definitely one to consider. The best ship is Arvia as it has the biggest choice of dining venues, but you’ll be well catered for on any of their ships.
Celebrity Cruises is another cruise line that has a fantastic offering for vegans. When I cruised on Celebrity Apex I ate so much food!
In the main dining rooms, you’ll find a separate vegan menu with a choice of delicious options. Make sure you ask your waiter for it.
If you can’t decide what dish to order, I recommend you order both. The waiter won’t bat an eyelid and the food is so delicious that you’ll have no problem finishing it.
Celebrity Cruises ships have the best buffets I’ve ever experienced as a vegan. There’s always a fantastic vegan corner that changes every day. It has some really interesting and exotic options such as steamed yucca.
The rest of the buffet is huge and everything is clearly labelled making it really easy to know what you can have.
I recommend that you walk around and take a look before making your choices. Even then, everything is so good that I always ended up with a plate that looks like this… (haha)
In the buffet, you’ll also find a pizza station. Vegan cheese is available on request, and the pizza is incredible.
Celebrity Cruises’ ships also have a variety of speciality restaurants that you can enjoy for an extra charge.
If you sail on one of the Edge-class ships, I recommend that you try the seven-course plant-based tasting menu. It’s pricey at $110, but the food is incredible so it’s worth the splurge.
Celebrity Cruises does a fantastic job of catering for vegans. Even the chocolates on your pillow are vegan-friendly!
If you’re considering a cruise with Celebrity, I have lots more guides here for you. Enjoy!
5. Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean does a pretty good job of catering for vegans. In the main dining room you can ask for a vegan menu which has a couple of choices each day. There may also be things you can have on the main menu too, so take a look at both.
The food in the main dining room is very tasty, and the crew members are very knowledgeable and happy to help with any questions.
There are some decent options in the speciality restaurants too. Izumi sushi is a good option and the vegan sushi is very nice. I also ate in Wonderland but was a little underwhelmed by some of the food compared to the main menu versions.
I found the buffet to be quite frustrating on Royal Caribbean ships. Nothing is labelled so you have to ask and the servers never seem to know what the ingredients are. They can go away and find out, but that means a lot of waiting around.
The buffet is huge though, so if you don’t want to wait, you can just select the things that are obviously vegan and avoid anything you’re unsure about. There is a vegan corner, but it’s very small.
You do have to order some of the dishes too, and then wait for them to be cooked. By that point, the rest of your family are probably onto their desserts.
I would rate Royal Caribbean as average when it comes to vegan-friendly cruise lines. Adding labels to the buffet items would make things so much better for people with all kinds of dietary requirements.
6. Windstar Cruises
I was really excited to try the food on Windstar. This is a luxury cruise line that’s know for having excellent food.
While this is wonderfully healthy, it’s clearly a challenge to cook within those limitations. The food was very nice, but I found some dishes to be a little lacking in flavour given the lack of salt and sugar.
On a Windstar Cruise, you’ll enjoy breakfast and lunch in the restaurant with a combination of buffet and a la carte choices. I found the options to be a little limited compared to other cruises I’ve been on.
This breakfast would have been lovely with some vegan sausages, avocado, tofu scramble or mushrooms.
I must praise the room service on Windstar which is free of charge and always excellent. This veggie chilli was particularly delicious.
If you love to eat super-healthy food all of the time, then I have no doubt that you’ll love the food on Windstar. But, if like me, you like a pizza with vegan cheese or a veggie sausage on occasion, it comes in at average in the list.
I’ve cruised with Princess Cruises a few times and I was SO excited to hear that they’d launched a dedicated vegan menu. When I sat down in the main dining room on the first night of my cruise on Sun Princess and was handed the menu, I was even more excited!
The menu wasn’t clear which dishes were vegan and which were vegetarian as some had leaf symbols, but then some without symbols mentioned vegan cheese. The waiter assured me that I could have anything and they would make it vegan.
I placed my order. After 90 minutes, no food had arrived. I asked the waiter and he said that there had been some confusion and actually we couldn’t have anything on the menu at all!
He said that everything must be pre-ordered so we could only order for tomorrow. Tonight, we could have only plain salad and pasta. This was pretty disappointing, especially given how long we had waited.
Princess Cruises ships have so many different dining venues. This makes pre-ordering the main dining room very difficult as you may not eat there two nights in a row.
We did eat in the main dining room again, but the food wasn’t great. I hope that you have a better experience than me when ordering from Princess Cruises vegan menu as on paper, it looks great.
I feel that Princess Cruises’ redeeming feature is the buffet, which is so good that I would happily eat there for every meal. The buffet is huge and everything has labels. There’s even a vegan pasta station with a choice of sauces on Sun Princess!
I particularly loved the buffet at breakfast time. You can have avocado, hash browns, and lots of delicious fresh fruit including things like strawberries and raspberries which you don’t often see on a ship.
The buffet has some great options for lunch and dinner too with cuisine from around the world. Outside the buffet and up on the pool deck there are stalls with vegan hot dogs, burgers, tacos, nachos and other dishes. The choice is incredible.
If you purchase the Princess Plus or Princess Premier package, you can also dine in some extra venues. I loved Alfredos on Sun Princess. You don’t need to book, just turn up. They have vegan cheese and the pizzas are lovely.
On the whole, Princess Cruises is pretty good for vegans. And I hope that when you eat in the main dining room you have a better experience than me. If It wasn’t for my bad experiences there, Princess would be one of my favourite cruise lines for vegan food. I’ll definitely try it again.
The vegan food on Cunard was surprisingly good. In the main dining room on the first evening, I was told that there was a meal being prepared for me already.
The waiter explained that on the following evenings, if I would like to pre-order, then I could have anything from the vegan menu. This was great communication.
Cunard’s vegan menu is huge, and it was great to have so many choices. However, I’m not a fan of pre-ordering as I don’t like to eat in the main dining room every night and I don’t always know what my plans will be for the next day.
Cunard’s main dining room food is very well-presented and tastes great. My only complaint is that the portion sizes are usually quite small. If I ate at 6 pm I would be hungry again by 9 pm and there’s nowhere that you can get food at that time as the buffet is closed.
I particularly loved the main dining room breakfast – the avocado on toast was lovely. The British cruise lines always do the best English breakfasts.
The buffet on Cunard is good too. It’s pretty big. On Queen Mary 2 I found it to have a very strange layout with hidden sections, so be sure to look around it all before you decide what to have.
There’s a sushi station every day at lunchtime – the vegan sushi is excellent.
You’ll have no problem getting any kind of plant milk. It’s not advertised anywhere, but you can also get vegan sausages and bacon at breakfast in the buffet. Mine were rock hard though so I only had those once.
Ambassador Cruise Line is a British cruise line offering regional departures from ports across the UK. It also has a pretty good offering for vegans.
The food in the main dining room is excellent. You do need to pre-order, though. You’ll have several options that change each day.
When you write your name and room number on the paper, just remember to write VEGAN so they don’t serve you the vegetarian option.
On one night of your cruise, you’ll enjoy a seven-course Gala dinner. There’s a vegan version for every course and the food is incredible.
After dinner is the baked Alaska parade. While you can’t have the baked Alaska if you’re vegan, you can opt for vegan ice cream.
The buffet is fairly small, but then so are Ambassador ships, so that’s to be expected. Everything is clearly labelled though and you can get plant-based butter, milk and most things that you need.
The vegan sausages aren’t very nice, but they’re there, and you don’t have to ask for them to be cooked especially, so that’s not bad at all. I would definitely cruise with Ambassador Cruise Line again and I love their main dining room.
10. MSC Cruises
Like most cruise lines, MSC Cruises has got much better at catering for vegans over the past few years and on my latest MSC cruise in 2024, I was thrilled to see that they have now introduced a vegan menu.
The menu shows a few days at once, and it’s not clear which are starters and which are mains, or how many you’re supposed to order. I just ordered everything and this is what arrived…
What I received didn’t match up to the menu. I’m pretty sure that’s not ‘mango coconut cream’, but the waiter just said ‘that’s the vegan option’. So I ate it.
The service on MSC sometimes leaves a little to be desired. I find that the crew members often lack both the time and the language skills to help with any slightly complex questions, which is shame. That’s not their fault, they still work really hard.
MSC’s buffet is pretty good. There’s a decent selection and meat alternatives are used in some of the dishes, which is great.
Unfortunately, the labelling can be inconsistent, with some items marked as vegetarian that are actually vegan and no allergen labelling.
You can get a pizza with no cheese on request and all the plant milks are available.
Star Clippers offer cruises on the world’s largest square-rigged sailing ships. With only around 200 guests on each ship, the dining options aren’t as varied as they are on larger ships.
Breakfast and lunch is served buffet-style in the dining room. Here’s what that looks like…
There isn’t a whole lot of choice, and nothing is labelled. However, the staff are helpful so you can ask if you’re not sure what something is.
At lunch, the chef came over to ask if I would like anything else. I requested penne arrabbiata and he made it, which was very impressive.
Dinner is a three-course meal where you’ll dine in the company of your fellow guests. There are no vegan menus – special diets are catered for on an individual basis.
In the main dining room, I was never given a menu. Instead, the waiter would deliver me a surprise dish. I had no idea what it was until it was in front of me, and sometimes not even then!
The food was very nice and always fresh and colourful. I was always given at least two whole avocados in every meal, which made me a little concerned over the calories! Although I’m sure that if I had asked for no more avocados that could have been accommodated on future evenings.
Star Clippers is another cruise line that offers the baked Alaska parade, with an alternative dessert for people who don’t eat dairy.
If you like vegan cheese, margarine and meat alternatives, or are anything like a picky eater, then this probably isn’t the cruise for you. But on the whole, I was very happy with the food.
12. Celesytal Cruises
Celestyal Cruises caters mostly to a European market, and it feels as though they haven’t put too much thought into their vegan offering.
I last sailed with them in 2022 and will be sailing again in late 2024, so I’ll update this guide with any new info after my next cruise. Perhaps things have improved?
The menu in the main dining room does have vegan labelling, although it’s not 100% accurate, which made me wonder if the head chef fully understands what vegan means.
There aren’t always options for vegans. But what you can do is request to see the menu for the next day, then discuss how any of the dishes could be modified to suit your needs. For example, I asked for the Gigantes dish without honey.
The food in the main dining room is Mediterranean-themed and is very tasty. Although the starter is a plan salad and the dessert is fruit a little too often than I’d like.
Breakfast is served buffet-style and there’s not a whole lot of choice. There is soya milk and margarine though.
There’s also another buffet on the top deck for lunch. Nothing is labelled here and as you serve yourself, it can be hard to find someone to ask. But, the food is very nice and the chips are some of the best ever!
If you cruise with Celestyal you certainly won’t go hungry. You just need to be prepared to discuss your requirements with the crew members and possibly also explain what vegan means and what you want to avoid.
13. Fred.Olsen Cruise Lines
I’ve cruised with Fred. Olsen twice. The food that they offer for vegans is very nice, but it’s not always easy to know what’s available.
In the main dining room, the menu is labelled, but it doesn’t always have vegan options. If you speak to the waiter they will let you know what they can come up with. They’re very helpful.
You can request to see the menu for the next day. But if there’s nothing vegan on there then it feels like it’s up to you to come up with ideas! And as you’re discussing this with a waiter rather than a chef, they don’t know what’s possible.
For that reason, I ate in the buffet most evenings. The buffet on Fred. Olsen ships isn’t like a normal buffet. You’ll be shown to a table by a crew member and served drinks at your table so it doesn’t feel too casual for an evening meal.
The buffet team are really friendly and are happy to modify dishes where possible.
For example, one night there was Pad Thai with chicken and prawns, and they made me one with tofu which was great. Not what you would usually expect from a buffet at all!
At the Poolside Grill, there’s nothing vegan on the menu aside from French fries. But when I asked, they said: “Yes, we have vegan burgers!” The burger was really good.
I have no idea how many of these burgers they make, but since it’s a secret menu item, it can’t be many as people just won’t know to ask for it. This is a shame as some meat-eaters and flexitarians will order a veggie burger if its there but won’t go out of their way to ask for one.
At breakfast, there are also secret vegan sausages and secret vegan bacon, so be sure to ask for those if you want them!
I thought the food on Fred. Olsen Cruises was great. My only wish is that they would make it easier for people to know what they have by putting it on the actual menus.
Costa Cruises are the cheapest you’ll find with prices often as low as £30 per day, including food! But even though the cruise line obviously has a low budget for ingredients, vegans won’t starve. But, you may become protein deficient though, so pack protein shakes. (I’m not joking).
I love how the main dining room works on Costa Cruises. Solo travellers are seated together, so you can easily make friends. And you always get four courses rather than the usual three. Which is needed, because the plates are quite small.
Each day you’ll be given a vegan menu with some choices for the next day. It’s great that there are choices, but it can be a little annoying if you don’t want to eat in the main dining room every day.
The buffet on Costa Smeralda was pretty big. But nothing is labelled and most of the buffet attendants don’t speak enough English to help. Most guests on Costa Cruises speak Italian, French, Spanish or German, so expecting English as well is a big ask.
There’s not much that looks vegan aside from salad and bread. There’s a fantastic pasta station though, and I had the pasta every day. I added chillies. There was no option to add vegan protein or even vegetables, only meat and cheese.
By the pool on Costa Smeralada, there’s an interesting-looking food outlet called Green. I was disappointed that it remained closed throughout my whole cruise. It costs extra, but I would have gladly paid for a poke bowl.
One speciality restaurant that was open was Sushino, which does some lovely vegan sushi for an extra charge.
The menu says there are take-away boxes, but I was told I must sit in the restaurant. This was a little embarrassing for me as it was formal night and I was wearing jeans, hoping to grab a takeaway to enjoy in the privacy of my cabin.
Costa is the only cruise line I have ever sailed with that doesn’t have refrigerators in the cabins. If you like to bring your own supplies like cheese, milk or butter and keep them in there, this could be an issue.
You can get soya milk in the buffet. You might have to ask around a few people who send you from one person to the next until you find someone who knows and they open the secret fridge for it.
The food on Costa is mixed – ranging from fantastic to inedible. But one thing’s for sure, vegan protein is pretty non-existent. You get what you pay for and if you get a good deal, Costa Cruises aren’t awful. But you’ll definitely want to pack some trail mix for emergencies!
There are a few cruise lines missing from this list. Carnival, Marella, Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Virgin Voyages and Azamara are some of the cruise lines which I would love to review the vegan options onboard.
I haven’t included these either because I was vegetarian when I cruised with them rather than vegan (I’ve only been vegan since 2019), or because I have only visited for a day rather than taking a full cruise, and so I haven’t had a chance to fully experience all of the dining options.
It’s certainly not the case that any cruise lines missing from this list are bad. I’m sure many of them are very good. I have a Marella cruise booked for 2025 and will be updating this article once I’ve sampled their cuisine.
If you’d like to see real examples of vegan food on cruise ships then I recommend that you follow VeganCruiser on Instagram. In her stories, Sanna shares photos of all of her meals along with her opinions, and she doesn’t hold back!
If you have any experiences that you’d like to share, please add them in the comments below.
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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
One of the cruising traditions that typically hasn’t survived to the modern day is the classic Captain’s Dinner. It’s still available sometimes, but now the event tends to be different – to the disappointment of some passengers who’ve been cruising for a long time.
But on some cruises, you may still get the chance to enjoy this special occasion. I was lucky enough to share a table with Captain Michael Macleod on a recent cruise with SeaDream Yacht Club and I thoroughly enjoyed his company!
In this guide, I’ll explain what a Captain’s Dinner is on modern ships, what it used to mean, and what to do if you are lucky enough to get an invitation to such an event on your own cruise.
What is the Captain’s Dinner on a cruise?
The Captain’s Dinner can refer to several different events on a cruise ship. On most modern ships, it is one of the formal dining nights on the ship, but potentially with a party beforehand where guests may meet the ship’s captain. Traditionally, it would refer to dining at the captain’s table and on some cruises it remains that way.
The idea of a Captain’s Dinner – sometimes referred to as the Captain’s Table – has existed for a long time on cruises. And it would always mean one thing – the opportunity for guests to join the ship’s captain at the best table in the restaurant for dinner.
It’s an exciting and exclusive opportunity – but one which has faded over the last 10-20 years. Now, the Captain’s Dinner will often refer to just the first elegant night at sea, and will be something open to either a larger group or to everyone onboard.
Indeed, when I received my invitation to dine with the Captain, I wasn’t sure whether it actually meant dining at his table, or just that he would be in the same restaurant and do a speech!
As it happens, it was both! The Captian made his pre-dinner speech and then I was invited to his table. I sat next to him and he told me lots of fascinating stories about his time at sea and how he spends his time off, living on a remote Scottish island.
What exactly the captain’s dinner entails can vary. It may be as simple as the ship’s captain giving a speech at the start of dinner, and then the rest of the night playing out as normal. On some other cruises, there may be a cocktail party held before dinner where the captain is present, and guests can meet them and maybe get a photo with them.
Many Cruises Have Stopped Doing A Captain’s Dinner
Some cruise lines still host a Captain’s Dinner in the traditional style, but not as often as they used to. Captain’s Dinners used to be a mainstay of cruising but many modern ships have moved away from traditional dining altogether and so the event doesn’t fit.
That being said, there are modern versions of the dinner where the first formal night includes the chance to meet the captain at a pre-dinner event.
For example, on our recent cruise with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, there was a Captain’s reception on the first night. We enjoyed canapes as the captain told us all about himself, his crew and the ship.
There are some cruise lines that do still host a Captain’s Dinner or Captain’s Table – although, it may not always be with the captain. Sometimes it’s with another senior officer on the ship.
But many modern ships have moved on from traditional dining times and are actively encouraging guests to try speciality restaurants, rather than the main dining room. Whereas cruising used to be all about sharing large tables with other parties, now it’s much more common to have your own table for your family or group
These Cruise Lines Have A Captain’s Dinner…
Most of the modern American cruise lines have done away with the idea of a Captain’s Dinner where there’s a sit-down meal with the captain.
Carnival Cruise Line doesn’t offer a captain’s dinner. But the cruise line does sometimes offer a Captain’s Gala night or Captain’s Welcome Evening, which is a cocktail party before dinner. Officers may attend but even this is becoming more rare these days.
Disney Cruise Line and P&O Cruises both offer something similar – a formal night where the captain and other officers may be mingling with guests beforehand.
I had a chat with the Staff Captain on Azura over a glass of sparkling wine at such an event it was very interesting.
NCL has hosted Captain’s Dinners in the past but it’s not something that is common these days, and it isn’t really a thing on Royal Caribbean anymore either, although it used to be.
Some more traditional cruise lines may offer the experience but it’s not guaranteed. Marella Cruises sometimes do, as does Cunard. They’re the only cruise line to make a real mention of a Captain’s Table on their own website.
There’s no guaranteed way of getting an invite to the Captain’s dinner, but the best advice is to cruise with a line regularly, make sure you’re well dressed (but not overdressed) for the cruise, and try networking with the ship’s host, without being too obvious.
It’s impossible to give a definitive list of ways for you to get invited to a Captain’s Dinner event because every cruise line that still hosts them is different.
As a guide, the captain wants to dine with people who will make for good conversation. It’s not really an event to suit the shy and timid. So a good first step to securing yourself an invite is to make sure you’re being social, without being so obvious that you’re trying to make a good impression.
This means chatting with the restaurant’s host, building up a rapport, and potentially dropping some hints as to why you’d be interesting company – but try not to come across as a try-hard.
You should also make sure you’re appropriately dressed. Cruise lines have a dress code even on non-formal nights and while it isn’t strict, the people who are dressed more smartly will be more likely to be invited. Don’t turn up in a tuxedo or cocktail dress to a casual night, but avoid t-shirts and shorts too.
Otherwise, most cruise lines reward loyalty, so if you’re cruising on the same cruise line more frequently and you know they host a Captain’s Dinner, then you probably increase your odds of being invited.
That being said, there are thousands if not millions of people who remain loyal to a cruise line and never get an invite – so regular cruises are not a guaranteed way of being invited.
In some cases, first-time cruisers may be invited to a Captain’s Dinner – it all depends on the policy of the captain or the organising officer at the time.
The Captain’s Dinner Is Usually A Formal Night
The Captain’s Table events that are still held on modern cruise ships will normally be on the first formal night of the cruise, which is often either the second night of the itinerary or the first full sea day, depending on the cruise line.
In older times, when dining at the captain’s own table was more common, invites could be extended for multiple nights on a cruise. Now it just tends to be for one night, and usually towards the start of an itinerary.
Make Sure You Dress To Impress
When dining at the captain’s table, guests should dress formally – suits or tuxedos for men, and either a suit or an evening gown for women. Captain’s Dinner events tend to happen on a cruise’s formal night anyway, so guests should expect to dress as such.
Gala events or cocktail parties will also normally be held on a cruise itinerary’s formal night, but depending on the cruise line the dress code may be slightly more relaxed. Men may be fine with a shirt without a tie, but not jeans. Women could wear a blouse and trousers, or a cocktail dress.
Basically, for any kind of event held with the ship’s officers, it’s best to stick to the dress code for a formal night on the ship.
The captain can eat wherever he or she wants to on the ship. You may see them dining in the buffet or one of the speciality restaurants, or they may eat in the crew mess or order room service to their quarters.
The captain might choose to eat with their senior officers or with their family if their family happens to be on board.
On our recent Fred. Olsen cruise, we often saw the captain and senior officers eating together in the buffet. The children made autograph books in the kids’ club, so once they had finished their meal, my daughter went over to ask for an autograph, and they happily obliged.
Final word
The tradition of dining at the cruise ship captain’s own table hasn’t been completely lost, but it’s a lot less common now. And even when it was done more regularly, getting an invite was still very exclusive. So if you’re invited to the captain’s table on a modern cruise, snap up that opportunity!
And if not, look out for any Captain’s Gala or cocktail parties on your ship. While you won’t get the attention of your captain for a full dinner service, you can still say hello and get to know them briefly.
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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
Whether you’re trying to work out if a Princess Cruises drinks package is worth the cost, or you’re just budgeting for how much money you’ll need for your cruise, knowing the drinks prices on your Princess cruise is definitely useful.
You want to be able to enjoy your holiday without thinking about the cost of each drink you order, and it’s also good to know if your favourite drinks are served on the ship. If not, you can work out which new drinks you want to try during your cruise.
Here’s a look at the different drinks available on a Princess cruise, and their prices.
This is the latest Princess Cruises drink menu from the Pool Bar, which gives you a good idea of the latest Princess drinks prices:
Princess Cruises beer menu
Enjoy a cold, refreshing beer from the list of options served on a Princess cruise.
Most of the beers served are lagers, including primarily American brands such as Budweiser, Coors and Miller. But there are a couple of ales available too, along with perennial Irish favourite Guinness.
There are a huge number of cocktails served on a typical Princess cruise – you’ll certainly need more than one cruise to be able to try them all. From Martinis to Cosmopolitans and Manhattans to Margaritas, you’ll love the range of options to sip while sitting by the poolside.
There are many spirits and liqueurs available on your Princess cruise, so whether you want a shot of tequila to liven up your night, or a whiskey to help you unwind, you won’t be missing out while at sea.
There’s an extensive menu of wines available for your Princess cruise. You can order by the bottle or by the glass, including a number of reds, whites, sparkling wines, Prosecco options and Champagne when you’re in the mood to celebrate. Ideal for dinner, or just as a drink in your stateroom before the night gets going.
Enjoy these non-alcoholic cocktails and sodas when you want something fun and flavourful without the hangover spoiling your cruise the morning after.
From Italian classics to unique flavours, there are some wonderful coffees that you can try as part of your Princess cruise. If you need a shot of Espresso to perk you up in the morning, that’s an option (including doubles), or why not try something different like a Butter Pecan or Honey Lavender latte?
This is an older coffee menu so the prices will have increased, but it gives you an idea of the variety of drinks available:
When you want a drink that’s a little more soothing, take your pick from a classic hot chocolate or one of the range of teas served on a Princess cruise, including fruit teas, breakfast teas and chamomile.
On your room service menu, there are a number of other products you can order, as well as services such as laundry collections or turndown services. Everything here is complimentary, so just use your room service menu to order what you need.
Final word
The drinks menu on a Princess cruise is pretty extensive, with a selection of the most popular brands from around the world.
Find your favourites and make a note of the prices – this’ll help you decide whether you want to pay for a beverage package, whether you would be better off with the Princess Premier or Princess Plus package, or if you’ll be better suited paying for each drink individually.
And remember that as well as what’s on the drink menus, Princess Cruises offers a selection of free drinks like tea, coffee, water and juice that you can get from the main dining room or buffet, amongst other locations.
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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
Drinks on Royal Caribbean cruise ships are pretty pricey. We’re taking $14 for a cocktail, $8 for a beer or $3.50 for a soda.
The good news is that Royal Caribbean cruises include certain drinks for free. And if you want to enjoy unlimited drinks you can purchase one of Royal Caribbean’s all-inclusive drinks packages.
To work out if the drink package is worth it, it’s a good idea to take a look at the Royal Caribbean drink menus to see how much drinks will actually cost on your cruise.
This article lists the drink prices on Royal Caribbean cruises, along with photos of Royal Caribbean drinks menus, to help you to work out how much you will likely to spend on drinks during your cruise.
Or, to do a quick calculation, you can use my drinks package calculator tool. Just pop your details in the form below, and it will be sent straight to your inbox, for free.
Royal Caribbean Drink Prices 2024
The cost of drinks on Royal Caribbean cruises is in the mid to high range compared to other cruise lines. Drinks are priced in US dollars no matter where in the world you cruise.
Unfortunately, if you’re used to pub-priced drinks on P&O Cruises, you might be a little disappointed to find that drinks on Royal Caribbean ships cost a little more than you would pay in your local pub at home.
Royal Caribbean alcohol prices vary slightly depending on the ship, with drinks on the newer ships costing up to $1 more per drink.
How Much Are Drinks on Royal Caribbean Cruises?
These are the average Royal Caribbean drinks prices in 2024:
Beer – $8.25
Glass of wine – $9 to $16+
Cocktail – $14
Mocktail – $7
Spirit and mixer – $9 to $11+
Soda – $3.50
Coffee – $4
Energy drink – $5
Fruit juice – $3.50
Bottle of water – $3.25
Beers & Ciders
Price
Corona Extra
$8.25
Coors Lite
$8.25
Bud Light
$8.25
Budweiser
$8.25
Miller Lite
$8.25
Red Stripe
$8.75
Angry Orchard
$8.25
Amstel Light
$8.25
Blue Moon Belgian White
$8.25
Daura Damm (Gluten-Free)
$8.25
Dos Equis
$8.25
Foster’s Oil Can (750ml)
$9.75
Paulaner Weiss
$8.25
Stella Artois
$8.25
Strongbow Hard Cider
$8.25
O’Douls Alcohol-Free
$7.75
Heineken Alcohol-Free
$7.75
Cocktails
Price
All cocktails
$14
All mocktails
$7
For wines, there are a lot of different variants – so I’ve grouped together the different wine types for simplicity.
Wines (by the glass)
Price
Sauvignon Blanc
$11
Pinot Grigio
$10
Chardonnay
$11
White Zinfandel
$8
White Blend
$16
Rose Cotes de Provence
$14
Brut
$13
Prosecco
$11
Pinot Noir
$11-12
Merlot
$12
Cabernet Sauvignon
$9-11
Spirits
Price
Rum
$8.99-12.99
Vodka
$9.99-13.99
Gin
$10.99-12.99
Tequila
$9.99-13.99
Whiskey
$9.99-12.99
Cointreau
$10.99
Jagermeister
$10.99
Bailey’s
$10.99
Kahlua
$10.99
Aperol
$10.99
Pimms
$10.99
Southern Comfort
$10.99
Hennessy VS
$10.99
Remy Martin
$12.99
Sambuca
$10.99
Non Alcoholic Drinks
Price
Sodas
$3.50
Red Bull
$4.95
Coffee
$4
Fruit Juice
$3.50
Bottle of water
$3.25
This cocktail cost me $14
Free Drinks on Royal Caribbean Cruises
These beverages are included for free on Royal Caribbean cruise ships:
Tea and coffee
Iced tea
Hot chocolate
Lemonade
Flavoured water
Water
Milk
Fruit juices with breakfast
The flavoured waters are really good, more like cordial or squash than water. There’s certainly enough choice to keep most kids happy with the free drinks without paying extra for fizzy drinks, freshly squeezed juices and mocktails.
The free drinks aren’t available in all venues and at all times, but you can find out exactly where and when to get them here: Guide To Royal Caribbean’s Free Drinks.
When it comes to drinking the tap water, it’s fine to do so in most places. But you’ll want to avoid drinking the water in any public handwashing stations and instead stick to water dispensers or the bathroom in your stateroom.
Tip: I like to take a tiny bottle of super concentrated cordial and add it to tap water for the kids
Royal Caribbean Drink Menus 2024
To see a detailed Royal Caribbean drink prices list, take a look at these photos of Royal Caribbean bar menus which I took onboard Anthem of the Seas from Southampton in May 2022. The prices do vary slightly depending on which ship you choose, too, so bear that in mind.
Good to know: US cruises Vs. UK cruises
On most cruises, including cruises departing from the US, an automatic gratuity of 18% is added to the cost of each drink when you receive the bill.
On cruises departing from the UK, the gratuity is included in the price of each drink as shown on the menu, so the menu prices may appear higher.
These photos of Royal Caribbean drinks menus are from the UK, so there will be no gratuity automatically added on top.
Royal Caribbean Pool Bar Menu
This is the pool bar menu from Anthem of the Seas. These are the drinks that are available at all of the outdoor bars. Other drinks are available on request, too. The prices may be slightly out of date but it’s good to see the options.
Schooner Bar Menu
The Schooner Bar is a classic bar that you’ll find on most Royal Caribbean ships. Here’s the drinks menu that shows the prices of beers, wines, cocktails and spirits.
Royal Caribbean Main Dining Room Wine List
This is a copy of the wine list from the main dining room of Anthem of the Seas from the UK. As you can see, there’s not a large choice of wines.
Wonderland Cocktail Menu
Speciality restaurants like Wonderland have their own menus. The cocktails in Wonderland are particularly special and are priced at $13 on this menu…
However, I suspect that this may have been an older menu on our 2022 cruise, as when we received the drinks receipt we were actually charged $14 and $7 for the virgin versions without alcohol.
More Royal Caribbean Drinks Menus
Below is a selection of menu photos from my 2019 cruise on Mariner of the Seas from Port Canaveral, Florida. The drinks prices are a little cheaper here, but, as this ship sailed from the US, an 18% gratuity was added afterwards.
So, in reality, the drinks were actually cheaper on my 2022 cruise from the UK as the menu prices included the gratuity on that cruise. The prices do vary and I’ve added more up-to-date pricing earlier in this article, but I think that looking at these menus is useful as it shows you what drinks are available…
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The Main Royal Caribbean Drinks Menu
This is the drinks menu which you’ll find at many of the onboard bars such as the Pool Bar and the Viking Crown Lounge.
The menu has a focus on cocktails, with a different page for each spirit – rum, vodka, gin, tequila and whiskey. This makes it a bit easier to narrow down your choice. It also has a wine list at the back.
Despite the huge choice of cocktails, the bar staff on Mariner of the Seas always seemed keen to conjure up something new and often said: “What do you like? Tell me some flavours and I’ll make up something.”
Schooner Bar Drinks Menu
The Schooner Bar is a cosy nautical-themed bar with a piano at the centre. You’ll find this bar onboard all Royal Caribbean ships. The Schooner Bar also offers a large choice of cocktails, as well as beers and lots of wines by the glass or bottle.
Here is the Schooner Bar drinks menu and wine list…
The Bamboo Room Menu
The Bamboo Room is a quirky Polynesian-themed cocktail bar that was added to Mariner of the Seas and Navigator of the Seas when they were renovated as part of the Royal Amplified program.
The menu has cocktails, beers and wines.
Royal Caribbean’s English Pub Menu
Most Royal Caribbean ships have an English-style pub on the main promenade featuring expansive beer collections and live music. If you want a good draft beer, this is the place to go.
Cafe Promenade Menu
Most Royal Caribbean ships have a Cafe Promenade which offers complimentary food as well as complimentary basic teas and coffees.
Speciality teas, coffees and hot chocolates have an extra charge, as can be seen from the menu below…
Royal Caribbean Starbucks Menu
Some Royal Caribbean cruise ships also have Starbucks cafes onboard. Coffees are priced between $4 and $6.
Playmakers Bar Menu
Playmakers is a sports bar that can be found onboard several ships in the fleet, including the Freedom-class ships, some of the Oasis-class ships, and the Icon-class ships.
Here, you’ll find a great selection of beverages including craft ales, draft and bottled beers, ciders, cocktails and wines.
Each Royal Caribbean ship has different bars and lounges, and there are lots to choose from on each ship. Favourites include Boleros, R-Bar, Two70, and the Rising Tide Bar which moves between decks on Oasis Class ships. Many bars will have their own unique menu.
Royal Caribbean Mini-Bar Menu
Royal Caribbean also has a mini-bar menu. Rather than arriving to a fully-stocked mini-bar, you’ll find that your mini-bar is empty and you can request what you like in it via a menu that you tick off and hang on your door handle.
As someone who doesn’t use the mini-bar except to store my own drinks and children’s milk, I love having an empty mini-bar.
You Can’t Buy Bottles of Liquor on Royal Caribbean
Some cruise lines such as P&O Cruises allow you to buy bottles of spirits such as vodka, rum or whiskey to drink in your stateroom.
Unfortunately, Royal Caribbean does not allow guests to buy bottles of liquor to drink on board the ship. If you buy duty-free liquor from the onboard shop, it will be delivered to your stateroom on the final evening of your cruise.
Bringing Your Own Drinks on Royal Caribbean Cruises
Royal Caribbean carry-on rules state that each stateroom may bring up to two 750 ml bottles of wine or champagne to drink in your stateroom.
If you wish to drink your wine in one of the public areas, a corkage fee of $15 per bottle will be charged.
Guests may also bring non-alcoholic drinks on board. The limit is 12 cans, bottles or cartons per stateroom. You may also bring milk and water for babies or medical use.
If you’re doing a fly-cruise, it’s probably not worth the hassle of bringing your own drinks on-board. But, when we cruise from the UK and don’t have a drinks package, we’ll definitely be bringing two bottles of wine and 12 cans of Pepsi Max to drink in our room to save a bit of money.
If you do plan to bring your own wine on a cruise, then I’d recommend that you buy an inflatable bottle protector from Amazon to make sure that it arrives in one piece and doesn’t smash in your suitcase.
How awful would it be to open your suitcase to find broken glass and wine all over your clothes?
How To Sneak Alcohol on a Royal Caribbean Cruise
Sneaking alcohol on a Royal Caribbean cruise is a bad idea because if you are caught, you could be kicked off the ship. Royal Caribbean’s alcohol policy states:
“Guests who attempt to conceal alcoholic items at security and or luggage check points may be disembarked or not allowed to board”
That said, many people do successfully sneak alcohol on to cruise ships. You can find out how they do it here: How to sneak alcohol on a cruise ship
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Royal Caribbean Drink Packages
Royal Caribbean offers alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks packages. When you buy a drinks package, you pay a set price, and then all your drinks are included free of charge.
Before you buy a Royal Caribbean drinks package, it’s important to work out whether it offers good value, or whether you would save money if you buy drinks individually. So, now that you know how much drinks cost on Royal Caribbean, you can start to work that out.
My next article gives you all the info on Royal Caribbean drink packages to help you decide whether to get one or not.
Alternatively, you can use my drinks package calculator tool to work out whether the drinks package is good value based on how many drinks you’re likely to have. Just pop your details in the form below, and I’ll email it to you right away.
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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
When you book a Royal Caribbean cruise, an important decision is whether to buy a drinks package or pay for your drinks individually.
On a Royal Caribbean cruise, the drinks can be pretty expensive. You can take a look at the menus to see exactly how much they cost.
However, savvy cruisers will know that lots of drinks are completely free of charge on Royal Caribbean cruises. If you stick to these, you won’t need to spend a penny on drinks for your cruise.
Wondering if the Royal Caribbean drinks package is worth it? Thousands of cruisers use my free drink package calculator to work it out:
1. Water
Tap water is free on a Royal Caribbean cruise. And there are lots of places you can get it on the ship. You can ask for a jug of iced water in any restaurant, or get iced water by the glass for free at any bar.
Most people say that tap water on cruise ships tastes better than water on land. It’s filtered well, and doesn’t have to travel through as many pipes as it does in your home.
You’ll also be able to help yourself to water in the Windjammer buffet, as well as from drink dispensers around the ship.
It’s not sanitary to use a water dispenser to fill your personal bottle that you’ve been drinking out of. It’s recommended that you use one of the clean glasses provided, and then pour it into your bottle.
His breakfast choices may be unhealthy, but Adam only ever drinks water
It’s not just plain old tap water that you can enjoy for free on a Royal Caribbean cruise. You’ll also find a choice of flavoured waters available for free in the Windjammer buffet restaurant.
The flavoured water on Royal Caribbean ships is really nice. I think it’s a bit more like fruit cordial than water. And there are always at least two flavours to choose from.
3. Lemonade
In the Windjammer Marketplace buffet, the machines that dispense flavoured water also dispense lemonade. Royal Caribbean’s lemonade tastes absolutely delicious – it’s cloudy, with a little pulp and just the right amount of sweetness.
If you prefer fizzy lemonade like Sprite or Minute Maid, you can get this on board too, but you’ll have to pay for it.
4. Coffee
On Royal Caribbean cruise ships you can get complimentary coffee in the main dining room, Windjammer buffet, Cafe Promenade, Lafe Latte-tudes, the Park Cafe and also through room service.
There’s a choice of regular or decaf coffee. When it comes to milk you can choose from whole, semi-skimmed (half and half) skimmed, (fat free), soy or almond.
There’s a difference between the free coffee and speciality coffees like Cappuccino and Espresso, as these have an extra charge. Some ships have Starbucks on board, and the coffee from there isn’t free either.
Royal Caribbean’s free brewed coffee tastes fine. It’s not amazing, but it’s pretty good. Always ask for a ‘brewed’ coffee to make sure that you get the free version. If you’re something of a coffee aficionado, you might want to pay to upgrade to the fancy coffees.
5. Tea
You’ll find a selection of complimentary hot teas to choose from in Royal Caribbean’s main dining rooms and Windjammer buffet. There’s quite a big choice, includingEarl Grey, English Breakfast tea, black tea, green tea, orange tea, peppermint tea, chamomile tea and other herbal teas.
You can also get unsweetened iced tea for free in the main dining room and buffet. If you prefer sweet tea, one tip is to add a little lemonade.
This machine always has iced tea as an option
If you cruise from the UK, you’ll also find a kettle in your room with tea bags. Isn’t it great that Royal Caribbean realises how much Brits love a cup of tea first thing in the morning?
6. Hot chocolate
On Royal Caribbean ships, you’ll find packets of hot chocolate mix in the Windjammer buffet. You can also order hot chocolate or hot cocoa in the dining rooms, Cafe Promenade and through room service for free.
The hot chocolate is very chocolatey, so you may wish to add a little milk to it.
7. Milk
In the Windjammer buffet, you can help yourself to milk. There’s semi-skimmed and skimmed milk next to the coffee and cereal, but you can also ask for almond or soya milk if you prefer that.
If your room has a kettle (cruises from the UK do), you’ll get small pots of milk. But if you need dairy-free milk for your morning cuppa or want some whole milk to feed your baby or toddler, call room service and they will bring some to you. You can keep it in your fridge until you need it.
As I’m vegan, I requested almond milk on room service for my coffee. It was delivered free of charge.
8. Chocolate milk
In the Windjammer buffet, you’ll often see single-serve cartons of chocolate milk. If they’re not there, just ask and the staff will bring one out for you. You can also request chocolate milk in the main dining room – the staff will make it up for you using chocolate milk powder. Chocolate milk is also available for free via room service.
My daughter drank a lot of chocolate milk on Mariner of the Seas
9. Fruit juice
On Royal Caribbean cruise ships, fruit juices are available free of charge. In the main dining rooms and buffet, you’ll find a choice of fruit juices that usually include apple juice, orange juice, and one or two other types such as grapefruit juice or tropical breakfast juice.
Fresh juice al fresco – is there anything better?
Most other cruise lines only offer free fruit juice at breakfast time. So I love that on a Royal Caribbean ship, you can help yourself to free fruit juice in the buffet at any time of day. The photo above shows us enjoying fruit juice at lunchtime.
If you prefer freshly-squeezed juice, you can request this for an extra charge.
Enjoying freshly-squeezed orange juice in the Main Dining Room
Other ways of getting free drinks
So now you know which drinks you can get for free. If those aren’t enough for you, it’s worth looking into the various Royal Caribbean drinks packages. Those can make all of your drinks free, once you’ve bought the package of course.
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There are also some other times when you can get alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for free on Royal Caribbean cruises, as explained below.
Free fizz at art auctions
If you attend one of the art auctions on board your cruise, you’ll be handed a glass of free Champagne. It’s probably not real Champagne, but it tastes good and it’s free. Just be careful that you don’t drink too much and end up bidding on some art that you don’t really want!
After I drank this free mimosa, I placed a bid on some art and and bought it! It was only $60 though and it hangs in pride of place in my living room, so I feel like I got a good deal.
Concierge Club and Suite guests
If you’re staying in a suite or are a Diamond, Diamond Plus or Pinnacle Crown & Anchor member, you’ll have access to the Concierge Lounge, Diamond Lounge or Suite Lounge. The type of lounge depends on the ship.
In your VIP lounge, you’ll get complimentary alcoholic drinks during happy hours between 5pm and 8pm.
Guests staying in suites on Oasis Class ships used to be able to get free wine, beer and soft drinks between 11am and 11pm, but it appears from a discussion in a forum that this has now been halted.
There’s usually a second party for Platinum members and above, called the Top Tier event. Look out for the cards placed in your stateroom with the invitations.
Bring your own – it’s cheaper than buying onboard!
When you board your Royal Caribbean cruise ship, each stateroom may bring up to two 750ml bottles of wine or Champagne. You can drink these in your stateroom free of charge. If you want to drink them in a public area, a corkage fee will be applied.
You can bring soft drinks too…
You can bring up to 12 cans, bottles or cartons of non-alcoholic drinks per stateroom on board with you on boarding day. So sodas are fine – just make sure you pack them in your carry-on luggage.
There are lots of free drinks available on Royal Caribbean cruise ships, especially in the Windjammer Marketplace Cafe and the main dining rooms. In most bars and lounges, you may be limited to tap water for the free drink selection. But the Windjammer is open almost all of the time, you can always head there and get your free drinks to take away.
Remember that with the Royal Caribbean soda policy, you’re allowed to bring 12 cans or bottles with you, so that’s another way you can save. Or bring bottled water if you prefer to drink that. The tap water is clean and refreshing, but you may not want to leave your cabin to get it (and I wouldn’t recommend drinking the warm tap water in your stateroom bathroom!).
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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
If you like to enjoy a drink or three on your cruise holiday, it’s a good idea to find out what drinks are available and how much they cost before you book.
This article has pictures of P&O drinks menus with prices, so you can easily see the cost of drinks on P&O Cruises.
If you’re wondering whether the P&O Cruises drinks package is worth it, I have built a P&O drinks package calculator which will work it out for you, based on your individual drinking preferences.
Just enter your email address here and I’ll send it to you immediately.
And if you’re interested in the food menus, you can see those here: P&O food menus.
How Much Are Drinks on P&O Cruises?
P&O Cruises Drinks Prices:
Pint of beer: £5.05 to £5.40
Bottle of beer: £4.85 to £5.15
Glass of wine: £5.75 to £9.25
Spirits: £4.45 to £7.10
Cocktail: £7.15 to £8.50
Mocktail: £3.75
Soft drinks: £2.55 to £3.60
Bottle of water: £2.00
Depending on where you live in the UK, you may find that P&O drink prices are similar to what you’d pay in your local pub.
Wherever in the world you cruise to, drinks on P&O Cruises’ ships are all priced in pounds sterling, so it’s easy to know how much you’re spending.
P&O Cruises Drinks Menus
Each P&O Cruises ship will have many different bars and restaurants onboard, and each venue will have different drinks available. The pub has lots of different beers but a smaller cocktail menu, whereas the cocktail bars have lots of cocktails and a smaller choice of beers.
The following menu is the standard P&O drinks menu and wine list. You’ll find this in several places on board P&O Cruises’ ships, such as the poolside bars and the buffet restaurant. As you can see, P&O bar prices are quite reasonable.
P&O Cruises serve kosher and vegan wines. You can ask onboard for more information.
P&O Cruises Costa Coffee menu
Here’s the menu for the Costa Coffee shop on P&O Cruises’ ships. You can also get Costa speciality coffees in many of the other bars and lounges on your ship.
Brodies Pub Drinks Menu
Each ship in the P&O Cruises fleet has a traditional British pub. These include The Rising Sun on Arcadia, Champions Bar on Aurora, The Yacht & Compass on Oceana, The Exchange on Ventura and Brodies on Azura, Britannia and Iona.
Each pub has its own unique character and charm, but all offer an extensive drinks menu and wine list. Below are photos of the drinks menus from Brodies on board Iona:
P&O Cruises’ Wine List
Here is the P&O Cruises’ wine list. It’s available in each of the restaurants as well as selected bars and lounges on each ship.
Crow’s Next Drinks Menu
The Crow’s Nest is an elegant bar, located at the very top of the ship. It has an extensive menu with a large choice of cocktails and spirits. The Crow’s Nest is a popular spot to enjoy a nightcap before bed. It’s also a lovely place to go for a pre-dinner drink, especially if you can admire the views before it goes dark.
See The Crow’s Nest Drinks Menu
Anderson’s Bar Drinks List
Iona has its very own gin distillery on board, so you can enjoy Marabelle gin that was crafted on the ship. Marabelle gin is available in every bar, but here is the menu for Anderson’s Bar and Library which has the largest selection of gins.
More Bar and Lounge Drinks Menus
The other bars and lounges on P&O Cruises ships include The 710 Club, The Glass House, Emerald Bar, The Keel and Cow and The Limelight Club. Each has their own drinks menus too.
I haven’t added them all here, but they’re of similar size to the other drinks menus so there are lots of choices.
Room Service Drinks List
If you’d like to enjoy a drink in your room or perhaps on your balcony, then the following menu lists the drinks that are available to order via room service:
If you have a drinks package with P&O Cruises, you should note that room service drinks aren’t included in your drinks package.
You can order full 70cl bottles of spirits on room service, including whisky, vodka, gin and rum. This is a good option for anyone doing a longer cruise such as a world cruise.
Each cabin also has a mini bar which is replenished daily. The following drinks menu and price list for the mini bar is from a couple of years ago, so the prices have increased slightly since then, but this will give you an idea.
Mini bar drinks are also not included in the P&O Cruises drinks package.
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Bringing Your Own Alcohol On P&O Cruises Ships
P&O Cruises allows each passenger aged 18 and over to bring up to 1 litre of wine or Champagne, and unlimited soft drinks, on board the ship when they embark. If you purchase any more alcohol, either ashore or in the onboard duty-free shop, it will be held in storage until the end of your cruise.
The alcohol that you bring on board can be consumed in your stateroom without a charge. So if you enjoy a drink while getting ready to go out in the evening, or perhaps a nightcap, then bringing your own drinks can be a great way to save money on your cruise.
If you want to drink your wine elsewhere on the ship, there’s a £20 corkage fee to pay.
You used to be able to bring spirits onboard too but they’ve changed that policy now. On previous cruises, we saved over £400 by bringing our own drinks, compared to if we had bought the same spirits and mixers individually at bar prices. Plus, they were there in our fridge, which was very convenient. So it’s a shame that the policy has changed.
How to stop glass bottles breaking in your suitcase
Worried about your bottle of wine getting smashed in your case? You can get inflatable bottle protectors on Amazon to prevent that from happening. Sure, you could just wrap your bottles in clothes, but why take the risk?
P&O Cruises All-Inclusive Drinks Packages
In 2019, P&O Cruises introduced a drinks package that can turn your cruise from full-board to all-inclusive. P&O drinks packages are available on cruises of five nights or more, and must be purchased for every day of the cruise.
Is the P&O Cruises Drinks Package Worth It?
Before you go ahead and buy a P&O drinks package, it’s vital that you work out whether it’s good value for money. That will depend on what you drink and how much of it.
In my next article, I detail what’s included (and not included) in the P&O Cruises drinks package, and which drinks are always free.
Alternatively, you can use my quick and easy drinks package calculator to do all the maths for you. Just pop your details in this form and I’ll send it to you.
Cheers!
NEW DEALS JUST RELEASED!
Don’t miss the latest P&O Cruises offers…
Related Posts:
If you found this interesting, please share!
Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
