A Princess drink package costs about $78 per person per day for the standalone Plus Beverage Package ($64.99 plus the 20% service charge) or about $102 per day for the Premier Beverage Package ($84.99 plus 20%). Most travelers get better value from the Princess Plus fare add-on at $70 a day booked in advance, which bundles the same drinks with Wi-Fi and crew gratuities. On average you need to drink about four to six drinks a day for a drink package to pay for itself.
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Below you will find current 2026 prices, what each package covers, the rules that catch people out, and a simple way to work out whether a Princess Cruises drink package is worth it for your trip. Prices change often, so check princess.com or your booking before you pay.
Princess drink package prices for 2026 at a glance
Princess sells two kinds of drink deal. First, there are standalone beverage packages that cover drinks only. Second, there are the Princess Plus and Princess Premier fare packages, which include a drink package plus other extras. The table shows US dollar prices per person per day at the time of writing.
| Package | Price per day | What’s included |
|---|---|---|
| Classic Soda Package | $14.99 + 20% (about $18) | Fountain sodas, fruit juices, mocktails and smoothies |
| Zero-Alcohol Package | $29.99 + 20% (about $36) | Specialty coffees and teas, sodas, hot chocolate, mocktails, bottled water, San Pellegrino, Evian, Red Bull |
| Plus Beverage Package | $64.99 + 20% (about $78) | Cocktails, beer, wine by the glass and spirits up to $15 each, soft drinks, specialty coffee, bottled water |
| Premier Beverage Package | $84.99 + 20% (about $102) | Everything in Plus, with drinks up to $20 each, top-shelf spirits and reserve wines by the glass |
| Princess Plus (fare add-on) | $70 pre-cruise, $75 onboard | Plus Beverage Package, Wi-Fi for one device, crew appreciation, four casual dining meals, free OceanNow delivery |
| Princess Premier (fare add-on) | $105 pre-cruise, $110 onboard | Premier Beverage Package, Wi-Fi for four devices, crew appreciation, unlimited specialty dining, photos, reserved theater seats, shore excursion credit |
On Sun Princess and Star Princess, the newest ships, Princess Plus and Princess Premier cost $5 more per day: $75 and $110 booked in advance. Industry reports say Princess raised the Plus and Premier prices by $5 in October 2026, and that people who had already bought were kept at the old price. If you booked earlier, check what your confirmation shows.
In March 2026 Princess raised its onboard service charge on food and drink from 18% to 20%. Some of Princess’s package terms still show the old 18% totals, such as $76.70 a day for Plus, so expect the final figure at checkout to be a little higher than older guides show.
UK prices in pounds
If you book through Princess UK, the fare add-ons are priced in sterling. Princess Plus costs £53 per person per day and Princess Premier costs £78 when bought at least four days before you sail. On Sun Princess and Star Princess they cost £58 and £83. The legal drinking age on UK sailings is 18. On North American sailings it is 21.
The Plus Beverage Package explained
The Plus Beverage Package is Princess’s main alcoholic drink package. It covers any drink that costs up to $15 on the menu, including most cocktails, beers, wines by the glass and spirits. It also includes fountain sodas, mocktails, fresh juices and smoothies, specialty coffees and teas, and bottled water. Princess says the selection includes around 50 spirits, 25 wines by the glass and 25 beers.
For sailings from 14 January 2026, the rules changed in a way that matters:
- 15 drinks per day in total. The limit now covers alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks together, so sodas, mocktails and Red Bull count toward your 15. Specialty coffees and teas do not count.
- Water is limited separately. You can have up to 12 bottles of water (500 ml or smaller) a day, and these do not count toward the 15.
- The day runs from 6 a.m. to 6 a.m., not midnight to midnight.
- One drink per order. You cannot order two drinks at once or order for a friend.
- Pay the difference. If a drink costs more than $15, you pay only the amount above $15.
Plus also gives you 25% off bottles of wine, large bottles of water and canned soda.
The Premier Beverage Package explained
Premier raises the price cap to $20 a drink. That opens up top-shelf spirits, reserve and premier wines by the glass, and over 20 crafted cocktails. Princess lists more than 75 spirits and 40 wines by the glass, including a private-label Woodford Reserve and a Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select.
Premier’s terms still limit you to 15 alcoholic drinks per 24 hours, but non-alcoholic drinks do not count toward that limit. If you drink lots of sodas, juices or mocktails between cocktails, that difference alone can make Premier the easier package to live with.
Princess Plus drink package vs Princess Premier fares
For most people searching for a Princess Plus drink package, the fare add-on is the better deal. At $70 a day, Princess Plus costs less than the standalone Plus Beverage Package (about $78 with the service charge), and it also includes:
- Crew appreciation (daily gratuities), currently $18 a day in most cabins, $19 in mini-suites and $20 in suites
- MedallionNet Wi-Fi for one device
- Four casual dining meals, plus free delivery from OceanNow and room service
Princess Premier adds unlimited specialty dining, Wi-Fi for four devices, unlimited digital photos with three prints, reserved theater seating and up to $300 in shore excursion credit per guest. If you would pay for specialty restaurants and photos anyway, Premier often costs less than it looks. If you are booking a suite, it is worth reading up on the Princess suite and mini-suite perks first, because some benefits overlap.
Three booking points to know:
- The advance price applies only if you buy at least 96 hours (four days) before departure. After that, or onboard, it costs $5 more per day.
- The first and second guests in a cabin must choose the same package level. Third and fourth guests are not required to match.
- Crew gratuities are already included, so you do not need to prepay them separately. Our guide to whether to prepay cruise gratuities explains how this works on other lines.
Do both people in a cabin have to buy a package?
For the Princess Plus and Premier fares, yes: guests one and two on the booking must choose the same level. For the standalone beverage packages, Princess’s published terms do not clearly require every adult in the cabin to buy. Some passengers report buying for only one person. Whatever you buy, you cannot share it, and staff can cancel a package if they think you are sharing. If one of you drinks a lot and the other hardly drinks, ask Princess or your travel agent how your booking is set up before you buy.
Rules, deadlines and what’s not included
- Whole cruise only. You must buy the package for every day of the voyage. Princess does not sell packages for part of a cruise or by the day.
- When to buy. You can buy online up to four days before sailing. Onboard, standalone packages are sold only on embarkation day (some terms also allow the day after).
- Refunds. Packages are non-refundable within a few days of sailing and once you are onboard.
- Not included: drinks above your price cap (you pay the difference), full bottles of wine (25% off instead), canned soda, minibar items, and drinks in some premium venues.
- Under-age guests cannot buy the alcoholic packages. In the Plus and Premier fares, they get the Zero-Alcohol package instead.
- Staff discretion. Bar staff can refuse service to anyone who appears intoxicated, even if they are under the limit.
If you want ways to stretch your drinks budget within the rules, see our roundup of cruise drink package loopholes that still work in 2026.
Princess drink prices and the bring-your-own wine policy
If you skip a package, you pay as you go, plus the 20% service charge. Approximate menu prices at the time of writing are:
- Beer: about $6 to $9
- Wine by the glass: about $9 to $15
- Cocktails: about $10 to $18
Some drinks are free without a package: water, tea, regular coffee, iced tea, lemonade and juice at breakfast.
Each adult of legal drinking age may bring one bottle of wine or Champagne, up to 750 ml, in their carry-on bag at embarkation. There is no corkage fee if you drink it in your cabin. Extra bottles, or a bottle opened in a restaurant, incur a corkage fee. This has been reported at around $20 a bottle, so check the current fee when you board. Princess does not allow you to bring beer or spirits aboard for your own use.
Is a Princess drink package worth it? The break-even maths
Most guides say “it depends on how much you drink” without showing the numbers. Here is a simple way to work it out. Take the daily price, then divide it by what an average drink costs you including the 20% service charge.
| Option | Daily cost | Value to earn back from drinks | Drinks per day to break even (at $14.40 a drink) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plus Beverage Package | about $78 | $78 | about 5.4 |
| Premier Beverage Package | about $102 | $102 | about 7.1 (fewer if you choose premium drinks) |
| Princess Plus fare | $70 | $52 after $18 gratuities | about 3.6 |
The $14.40 figure assumes a $12 average menu price plus 20%. For example, two glasses of wine at dinner, a cocktail by the pool, a beer in the afternoon and a soda already comes to five or six drinks. On a sea day that is easy to reach. On a busy port day, when you are ashore from morning until late afternoon, you may drink much less. Count your realistic sea days and port days, because the package must cover every day of the cruise.
Two quick rules of thumb:
- If you would pay the $18 daily gratuity and buy Wi-Fi anyway, Princess Plus pays for itself at roughly three to four drinks a day.
- If you drink one or two glasses of wine with dinner and little else, paying as you go, or bringing your one free bottle, is usually cheaper.
Comparing lines? Our MSC drink packages guide shows how a different pricing model works.
FAQs
How much is the Princess drink package per day?
The standalone Plus Beverage Package is $64.99 plus a 20% service charge (about $78), and Premier is $84.99 plus 20% (about $102). The Princess Plus fare, which includes drinks, Wi-Fi and gratuities, is $70 a day when booked at least four days ahead.
Is gratuity included in the Princess drink package?
The standalone packages add a service charge on top of the price, now 20% on most itineraries. Princess Plus and Premier fares already include the service charge on covered drinks and the daily crew appreciation.
How many drinks can you have with Princess Plus?
Up to 15 drinks per day (6 a.m. to 6 a.m.), including sodas and mocktails, plus unlimited specialty coffee and tea and up to 12 small bottles of water. You can order only one drink at a time.
Can you share a Princess drink package?
No. Packages are for the named guest only, and Princess can cancel a package if it finds you are sharing drinks or ordering for others.
Can you bring wine on a Princess cruise?
Yes. Each adult of legal drinking age can bring one 750 ml bottle of wine or Champagne at embarkation. There is no fee if you drink it in your cabin. A corkage fee applies to extra bottles and to bottles opened in restaurants.
