The big difference in the Celebrity Classic vs Premium drink package comes down to the price cap. Classic covers drinks costing up to $12 each, and Premium covers drinks up to $19. Bought on its own, Premium usually costs about $13 to $25 more per person per day. On an All Included fare, Celebrity lists the upgrade at around $20 per person per day. If most of your drinks are beer, house wine and standard cocktails, Classic is enough. If you order martinis, top-shelf spirits or the better wines by the glass, Premium often pays for itself.
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Below you’ll find what each package includes, what they cost as of November 2026, the rules that catch people out, and a break-even table so you can work out which tier suits how you actually drink.
Celebrity Classic vs Premium drink package at a glance
Both packages work in the main restaurant, the specialty and casual restaurants, and every bar and lounge on board. Each one also includes non-alcoholic drinks. What separates them is how expensive a drink you can order before you start paying extra, plus a few extras on the non-alcoholic side.
| Feature | Classic | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Per-drink cap | Up to $12 | Up to $19 |
| Typical spirits | Standard brands such as Absolut, Bacardi, Jim Beam, Beefeater | Adds top shelf such as Grey Goose, Patrón, Bombay Sapphire, Courvoisier VSOP |
| Wine by the glass | House and everyday labels | Adds a wider, pricier by-the-glass list, including Champagne |
| Beer | Mainstream lagers and imports | Adds craft and premium imports |
| Specialty coffee and tea | Yes | Yes |
| Fresh-pressed juices | Generally not included | Included |
| Bottled water | Standard bottled water | Premium brands such as Evian, Acqua Panna, San Pellegrino |
| Zero-proof cocktails, alcohol-free beer and wine | Yes | Yes |
| Discount on wine by the bottle | 15% | 20% |
| Typical pre-cruise price | About $55-$90 per day | About $70-$105 per day |
| 20% service charge | Added on top | Added on top |
Brand line-ups change from time to time and can differ between ships, so treat the names above as typical examples, not a guarantee.
What the Celebrity Classic beverage package includes
The Celebrity Classic beverage package covers beer, spirits, cocktails, liqueurs, frozen drinks and wine by the glass, as long as the menu price is $12 or less. In practice, that takes in most draught and bottled beers, the house wines and many of the standard cocktails on bar menus. The non-alcoholic side includes specialty coffees and teas, soft drinks, bottled water, zero-proof cocktails and alcohol-free beer and wine.
What Classic tends to miss is the signature stuff. That means many martinis, cocktails made with named premium spirits, and the higher-priced wines by the glass. It’s also the drinks you’ll see at the destination bars on the newer ships. Order something above $12 and Celebrity charges you the difference plus a 20% service charge.
What the Celebrity Premium drink package adds
The Celebrity Premium drink package raises the cap to $19 per serving. In practice, that covers nearly everything on a standard bar menu: top-shelf vodka, gin, tequila and cognac, a wider choice of craft and imported beers, and most premium wines by the glass. Premium also adds fresh-pressed juices, premium bottled water and energy drinks. For coffee drinkers who also like a morning juice and a bottle of Evian by the pool, those extras add up.
Premium still isn’t unlimited. Rare whiskies, cognacs and Champagnes priced above $19 still cost the difference, and wine by the bottle only gets 20% off. If you’re staying in a suite, the Retreat fare already includes Premium. You can read more on that in our look at whether Celebrity Retreat is worth the price.
Celebrity drink package prices in 2026
Celebrity prices its drink packages dynamically. The price changes with the ship, the itinerary, the sail date and any sale running at the time. A short European sailing on an older ship can cost much less per day than a Caribbean cruise on one of the Edge-class ships. Here are typical ranges at the time of writing, per person per day, before the 20% service charge:
| Package | Pre-cruise (Cruise Planner) | Onboard (newest ships) |
|---|---|---|
| Classic | About $55-$90 | Up to about $100 |
| Premium | About $70-$105 | Up to about $125 |
| Zero Proof (non-alcoholic) | About $40 | About $45 |
Buying pre-cruise is nearly always cheaper. You can buy in the Cruise Planner up to 48 hours before departure, and you can cancel there for a full refund up to two days before sailing. Members of Captain’s Club, Celebrity’s loyalty programme, usually get a further percentage off at the higher tiers. Whichever way you buy, the 20% service charge is added on top. It covers the bar gratuity, so you won’t be asked to tip on each covered drink.
Buying separately vs the All Included fare
Most Celebrity sailings are now sold with an “All Included” fare option. It replaced the earlier “Always Included” branding. All Included bundles your cruise fare with the Classic drink package and Basic Wi-Fi for everyone in the stateroom. Retreat suites get the Premium package and Premium Wi-Fi instead. Two points are worth knowing:
- Crew gratuities are no longer bundled. Since October 2023, newly booked All Included fares have left out daily staff gratuities. The beverage service charge is still covered. You can prepay the daily tips separately.
- Single guests don’t get extra value. A solo traveller paying a single supplement doesn’t receive a second drinks package or Wi-Fi.
Before you book, compare the All Included price with the standard fare plus a separately bought Classic package for the same sailing. Sometimes the bundle is clearly cheaper. On other sailings a sale on the stand-alone package brings the two close together.
How much it costs to upgrade from Classic to Premium
If you’ve booked All Included, you can upgrade to Premium in the Cruise Planner before you sail. Celebrity’s All Included FAQ lists the pre-cruise upgrade at $20 per person per day, beverage service charge included. Upgrading on board is possible but costs more. If you’re buying packages separately, the gap between Classic and Premium usually runs about $13 to $25 a day depending on the ship. Celebrity has raised upgrade pricing before, so check the figure for your sailing in the Cruise Planner.
The non-alcoholic Zero Proof package
Celebrity’s only alcohol-free package is the Zero Proof (non-alcoholic) package, at roughly $40 to $45 a day plus the service charge. It includes specialty coffees and organic teas, fresh-pressed juices and smoothies from the Spa Café, premium still and sparkling water, Red Bull, Vitamin Water, soft drinks and zero-proof cocktails. Heavy coffee drinkers who also want juice and bottled water may find it good value. If you only want a couple of lattes a day, paying per drink is usually cheaper.
Teens get this package when an adult in the cabin buys an alcoholic package. That means ages 13 to 20 on US sailings, and 13 to 17 on sailings from Europe, Asia and Australia. Children 12 and under don’t need one.
Rules to know before you buy
- Everyone in the cabin must match. If one guest of legal drinking age buys Classic or Premium, every guest of legal drinking age in that stateroom must buy the same tier. Upgrading one person means upgrading everyone. Exceptions apply for pregnancy and for medical reasons, including recovery from alcoholism. Those guests get the Zero Proof package instead.
- There’s no daily drink limit. You may have seen a 15-drinks-a-day cap mentioned online. Celebrity’s FAQ says there is no daily limit on its drink packages.
- One drink at a time. You can only order one drink per package at a time. A second drink ordered at the same time is charged at bar prices.
- No sharing. Packages are for the holder only. Ordering for a friend without a package can get your package cancelled.
- Not covered: room service, the minibar and gift-shop purchases. Packages aren’t sold on Galapagos sailings or on some 2-3 night Southampton cruises.
- Over the cap, you pay the difference. On Classic, a $16 cocktail costs you $4 plus 20%, or $4.80.
There are a few legitimate ways to get more value from a package, such as ordering at the main dining room or bringing your allowed bottles of wine on board. Our roundup of cruise drink package loopholes that still work covers what’s allowed.
Is the Celebrity Premium drink package worth it? Break-even examples
The simplest test for All Included guests is this. Add up what you’d pay in over-cap charges on Classic each day, then compare the total with the roughly $20-a-day upgrade. Each example below includes the 20% service charge on the difference.
| Your typical sea day | Extra cost on Classic | Better choice |
|---|---|---|
| Coffees, 3 beers, 2 glasses of house wine (all $12 or less) | $0 | Classic |
| 3 cocktails at $14 | $7.20 | Classic |
| 4 premium cocktails at $16 | $19.20 | Roughly even |
| 2 martinis at $17, 2 glasses of wine at $16, plus a fresh juice | $19.20 plus the juice | Premium |
| 5 top-shelf drinks at $18 | $36.00 | Premium |
A few things push the decision toward Premium. Port days, when you drink less on board, push the other way. Keep in mind that everyone in the cabin has to upgrade, so a couple pays roughly $40 a day between them. On a 7-night cruise that comes to about $280 before any onboard sale. If one of you mostly drinks beer, Classic for both is often the better deal.
If you’re buying separately rather than on All Included, start with the plain break-even. Divide the daily package price, including the 20%, by the average price of your usual drink. On a $70 Classic package that works out to $84 a day, or about seven $12 drinks. On a $90 Premium package it’s $108 a day, or six drinks at $18. To see how Celebrity’s packages compare with other lines, read our guide to cruise drink packages compared.
Our verdict: Classic or Premium?
Choose Classic if you mostly drink beer, house wine, standard cocktails and coffee, or if your cruise is port-heavy. Choose Premium if you like named spirits, martinis or the better wines by the glass, or if you’d use the fresh juices and premium water every day. On the newest ships, where many cocktails cost more than $12, Premium is more likely to pay off. For anyone who doesn’t drink alcohol, Zero Proof or paying as you go is the sensible choice. Whatever you pick, buy pre-cruise and compare the All Included price before you book.
FAQs
What is the difference between Celebrity Classic and Premium drink packages?
Classic covers drinks up to $12 each and Premium covers drinks up to $19. Premium also adds top-shelf spirits, more wines by the glass, fresh-pressed juices, premium bottled water and a 20% (rather than 15%) discount on bottles of wine.
How much does it cost to upgrade to Premium on Celebrity’s All Included fare?
Celebrity lists the pre-cruise upgrade at $20 per person per day, beverage gratuity included, when you upgrade in the Cruise Planner. Upgrading on board costs more, and every adult in the cabin must upgrade.
Is there a daily drink limit on Celebrity drink packages?
No. Celebrity says there is no daily limit, but you can only order one drink at a time and packages can’t be shared.
Do both adults in a cabin have to buy the Celebrity drink package?
Yes. Every guest of legal drinking age in the stateroom must buy the same package tier. Pregnant guests and those with a medical reason not to drink can take the Zero Proof package instead.
Does the Celebrity drink package include gratuities?
The 20% service charge on the package covers the bar gratuity on included drinks. It doesn’t cover daily crew gratuities, which are charged separately, even on All Included fares booked since October 2023.
