NCL Drink Package Guide 2026: Prices, What’s Included & Is It Worth It?

The NCL drink package most passengers end up with today is the Unlimited Open Bar that comes with Norwegian’s Free at Sea fare. You pay a pre-cruise package gratuity of around $28.50 per person per day on sailings of six nights or more (around $32 on shorter trips), at the time of writing. Every NCL beverage package has its own rules, though: what’s included, the 21+ age limit and the requirement that everyone in the cabin chooses the same offer. This guide explains each package, the prices and when it’s worth paying for one.

Free: download our 2027 Luxury Cruise Calendar →

NCL drink packages at a glance (2026)

Norwegian has changed its packages a lot in the past few years. The old “Ultimate” and “Premium” names are gone. In late 2025, the More at Sea bundle was replaced by Free at Sea for new bookings. According to NCL, Free at Sea applies to bookings made on or after 5 November 2025, and the Free at Sea Plus upgrade applies to sailings from 1 February 2026. Here is the current line-up, using prices reported at the time of writing. Always check your own booking, because NCL says rates can change at any time.

To put the gratuity in context, on a seven-night cruise $28.50 a day comes to $199.50 per person, or $399 for a couple. On a 14-night cruise it is $399 each.

What the NCL beverage package includes

The standard Free at Sea Unlimited Open Bar covers drinks at bars, lounges and restaurants on board. NCL’s flyer and promotional terms list:

• Spirits and cocktails: more than 100 cocktails, plus premium brands that NCL names as Grey Goose, Casamigos and Woodford Reserve. Brands vary by ship, region and season.
• Beer and seltzer: draught and bottled beer, plus hard seltzers.
• Wine by the glass: a selection of house and package wines.
• Soft drinks: fountain soda and juices.
• Discounts: $15 off drinks from the ultra-premium Connoisseur Collection, and money off some wine and Champagne by the bottle.

What isn’t included

Passengers are often caught out by the exclusions. On the standard package you still pay for:

• Bottled water (still and sparkling)
• Starbucks and other specialty coffees
• Energy drinks such as Red Bull, and fresh-squeezed juice
• Full bottles of wine or spirits
• The minibar, room service and vending machines
• Tastings, flights and wine or spirit experiences

Regular drip coffee, tea, iced tea, lemonade and tap water are free on every NCL ship, with or without a package.

Free at Sea Plus: the premium tier

Free at Sea Plus replaces the older “Premium Plus” style upgrade. On top of the standard open bar, NCL says it adds:

• Top-shelf spirits, plus premium wines and Champagne by the glass from a signature list of more than 50 labels, and 40% off other bottles
• Starbucks drinks (one per visit)
• Red Bull and fresh juices
• Bottled water: Dasani at the bar, and Acqua Panna and San Pellegrino in restaurants
• Unlimited streaming Wi-Fi instead of the standard 150 minutes
• Pre-paid daily crew service charges, plus 50% off extra specialty dining nights

The Plus price is around $49.99 per person per day for adults. That is a big jump, but it also covers the standard daily crew service charge (usually around $20-25 a day), unlimited Wi-Fi and the Starbucks and water you would otherwise buy separately. If you would pay for most of those anyway, the real extra cost is much smaller than it looks. NCL’s terms say the pre-paid service charge does not cover bar service charges on drinks bought outside the package. Your personal cruise consultant or travel advisor can confirm exactly how Plus is priced on your booking.

NCL drink package rules you need to know

1. Everyone in the cabin must choose the same offer. If one adult in the stateroom has the open bar, the other adult (guests 1 and 2) gets it too. You can’t buy it for one person and not the other.
2. 21 and over for alcohol. Guests must be 21 at sailing, or 18 on select UK and European itineraries where the law allows. If guest 1 or 2 is under 21, they get the Soda Package instead. Guests 3-8 who are under 21 get no substitute.
3. Two drinks per person per order. There is no daily drink limit, but you can only order two drinks at a time, and bar staff can refuse service.
4. No sharing. Packages are personal, non-transferable and non-refundable. Ordering drinks for someone who doesn’t have a package can lead to your package being cancelled.
5. Choose before you sail. Your Free at Sea selection must be made at least 24 hours before departure and can’t be changed on board.
6. Some places aren’t covered. The standard open bar doesn’t apply on Pride of America (which has its own Hawai’i package) or at Harvest Caye in Belize. Coverage at Great Stirrup Cay, NCL’s private island, changed in 2026, and the latest flyer lists the island open bar as a Free at Sea Plus benefit “where applicable”. Check your booking terms before you rely on it there.

The 20% service charge explained

NCL adds a 20% beverage service charge to drinks bought à la carte and to standalone packages such as the Starbucks package. This is separate from the daily crew service charge on your account. With the Free at Sea open bar, the daily amount you prepay (around $28.50) is the package gratuity itself. You don’t pay a further 20% on drinks the package covers. You will see the 20% again if you order something outside it, such as a bottle of water or a Connoisseur Collection whisky, so build that into your budget.

Soda, Starbucks and water packages

Unlimited Soda Package

At around $12.50 a day, the soda package covers fountain soft drinks and juice from the gun. It doesn’t cover canned or bottled drinks. It mainly makes sense for teenagers and non-drinkers who would otherwise have three or more sodas a day at around $3.50 each.

Unlimited Starbucks Package

This package costs around $16.50 a day before the 20% charge, so roughly $19.80 in total. Starbucks drinks on board typically cost about $5-7, so you need about three a day to come out ahead. It covers one drink per person per order and excludes food, merchandise and bottled drinks. Check that your ship has a Starbucks outlet before you buy.

Water packages

NCL sells packs of 12, 24 or 48 bottles of 16.9 oz water, delivered to your cabin. A single 500 ml bottle at the bar costs around $4.50, so a pack is cheaper if you drink bottled water every day or want some for excursions. Tap water and water at the buffet are free.

How to buy an NCL drink package

• At booking: choose a Free at Sea fare and select the Unlimited Open Bar as your perk. The package gratuity is paid before you sail.
• Before you sail: log in to My NCL at ncl.com to buy soda, Starbucks and water packages. You can also upgrade to Free at Sea Plus through the upgrades tab, your personal cruise consultant or your travel advisor, at least three days before departure.
• On board: some packages can be bought at Guest Services or any bar, but NCL says on-board prices can be higher, and the open bar must cover the whole cruise.

Is the NCL drink package worth it?

Here is a simple way to work it out. Cocktails on NCL ships cost around $12.50-15, beer around $10 and wine by the glass from about $12.50, before the 20% service charge. That makes a typical drink $13-18 once the charge is added. At $28.50 a day, the Free at Sea open bar pays for itself after only two alcoholic drinks a day. A glass of wine with dinner and one cocktail by the pool is enough.

In practice, it is worth it for most adults who drink at all. The bigger question is whether to choose the open bar over another Free at Sea perk, or pay for Plus. Consider:

• Take the standard open bar if you have two or more drinks on most days, including sea days.
• Consider Plus if you also want daily specialty coffee, bottled water, better wine and unlimited Wi-Fi, and would pay for the crew service charge anyway.
• Skip alcohol packages if you rarely drink, or if your cabin-mate doesn’t drink and you’d be paying the gratuity for both of you.
• Port-heavy itineraries lower the value, because you’ll spend many days drinking ashore.

If you booked under the older More at Sea bundle, our guide to whether NCL’s More at Sea drink package is worth it covers that offer in detail. To see how Norwegian compares with other lines, read our ultimate guide to cruise drinks packages or our Royal Caribbean drink package guide. Royal Caribbean’s packages usually cost more per day, but they aren’t bundled into the fare.

FAQs

How much is the NCL drink package per day?

With a Free at Sea fare, the Unlimited Open Bar costs a pre-paid gratuity of around $28.50 per person per day on cruises of six nights or more, and around $32 on shorter sailings, at the time of writing. The Free at Sea Plus upgrade is around $49.99 per day for adults.

Is bottled water included in the NCL drink package?

Not in the standard open bar. Bottled water is included with Free at Sea Plus, or you can buy a 12, 24 or 48-bottle water package. Tap water is free everywhere on board.

Do both adults in the cabin have to buy the NCL drink package?

Yes. All guests in the stateroom must choose the same Free at Sea offer, so if guest 1 has the open bar, guest 2 has it too. Under-21s in those first two berths get the soda package instead.

Is there a drink limit on the NCL drink package?

There is no daily limit, but you can order a maximum of two drinks per person at a time. Bartenders can refuse service to anyone who has had too much.

How much is a drink on an NCL cruise without a package?

Expect around $12.50-15 for a cocktail, about $10 for a beer, from $12.50 for wine by the glass, $3.50 for a soda and $5-7 for a Starbucks drink, all before the 20% service charge.