How To Cheat Royal Caribbean Drink Package?

In comparison to other cruise lines, Royal Caribbean’s drink packages are thought to be quite pricey.

It is therefore not surprising that some passengers share ways they scam the Royal Caribbean drinks package in order to get a better deal.

Quick view on how to cheat the Royal Caribbean drink package:

• Sharing Royal Caribbean Drinks Package
• Buy Early & Cancel if Discount Price Later Available
• Make Friends with the Bar-tender / Waiters
• Drink Your Wine
• Sneak Drinks on Board
• Specify Brand of Liquors
• Don’t Overlook the Non-Alcoholic Drinks

Discover a phony Royal Caribbean drink package, plus more, by continuing to read.

Ways to Cheat the Royal Caribbean Drinks Package

Sharing Royal Caribbean Drinks Package

The cruise line Royal Caribbean is aware that visitors will want to share their drink package. To get around this, they have introduced, like most cruise lines nowadays, a rule whereby if anyone wants to purchase a drinks package in a cabin, everyone staying in the cabin of the drinking age has to purchase a drinks package too!

This means that if you are a couple and only one of you wants to buy the drinks package, you will not be able to finish the transaction. The drinks package will only let you pay when both guests select it.

Regardless of the number of adults staying in a cabin, this remains the same. It’s all or none.

Here is where the cheat enters the picture.

The other person does not drink or cannot drink due to a medical condition, so only one person wants the Deluxe Beverage package, you should notify Royal Caribbean in advance. Although it is not a formal policy, Royal Caribbean will make an exception.

For non-alcoholic beverages, the other party will need to purchase the Royal Refreshment package.

There is no way to do this online, so you will need to get in touch with Royal Caribbean directly.

They still need to purchase a package, but it is typically discounted by half. Drinks-wise you are both covered, and although less alcohol between you, you have the opportunity to share some.

Buy Early and Cancel If a Discount Price is Available Later

Getting the Royal Caribbean drink package for the lowest price possible in the beginning is one way to take advantage of it.

Before your cruise even departs is the ideal time to make purchases. It might seem counterintuitive to hold off until you find a better deal. On the other hand, the pre-cruise package frequently has the best prices.

If you find any additional discounted offers, simply cancel your initial order without incurring any fees and place a new order at the new, lower offer price.

You’ll typically have to pay more and stand in line for pleasure if you wait to buy the drinks package until you’re on the ship.

You could order your first drink while others are waiting in line!

Make Friends With the Bar-tender / Waiters

From the beginning of the cruise, tip them a little more in the hopes that they won’t notice some restrictions, like the refill time limit.

The fact that you have a better chance of receiving service sooner even when the bar is busier is another benefit.

Drink Your Own Wine

While Royal Caribbean allows guests to bring wine onboard, there is a $15 corkage fee if you choose to drink it in the ship’s public areas.

However, a corkscrew will be provided in your stateroom, allowing you to open the wine bottle there before taking it outside with your glass of wine and continuing your drinking elsewhere on the ship.

At the ports of call, you can purchase more wine to take advantage of this choice more frequently while also saving some money.

Sneak Drinks Onboard

Some passengers try to scam the drinks package by trying to smuggle alcohol onto the cruise ship due to the high cost of drinks and the restricted amount of alcohol you are allowed to bring on the cruise.

They avoid even needing to purchase the drinks package by adding their preferred, typically potent liquor.

Instead, they can place an order for soft drinks and covertly add their own alcohol to the beverage.

But the game is all about discretion, and being concerned about being seen can make it more stressful than it needs to be.

Utilizing the allowance of two bottles of wine per cabin while switching out the wine for hard liquor is one way passengers smuggle alcohol on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

If you attempt to sneak alcohol onto a cruise ship, be sure to understand how cruise ship scanners detect alcohol so you are aware of the pitfalls to avoid.

Also, keep in mind the repercussions of being caught bringing alcohol on a cruise. Royal Caribbean’s terms are quite strict, and they threaten to deny you access to the ship. Even so, it is listed alongside violations that are more serious. Most likely, you would just lose your alcohol.

Specify the Brand of Liquor

Always take the chance to specify the premium liquor brands in your drinks to get the most value out of your drinks package.

If you ask for generic drinks instead, the bartender will probably give you the less expensive or less well-known house brands.

Even the brands can be requested to be used in the creation of your cocktails.

Don’t Overlook the Non-Alcoholic Drinks

For the alcohol, most people purchase the drinks package.

However, it is worth highlighting, especially for days when you feel like drinking a little less alcohol if you’ve been overdoing it, that there are many other quality non-alcoholic drinks you can get on the drinks package, including:

• Premium coffees
• Freshly squeezed fruit juices
• Bottled waters (ideal for shore excursions)

Another piece of advice is that some non-alcoholic beverages, like energy drinks, count towards your drink package. If you want to order a vodka and energy drink, request the energy drink on the side so you get two drinks.

Is a Royal Caribbean Drink Package Worth It?

Before purchasing a drink package from a cruise line, we suggest doing the math to make sure you’re not wasting money.

In actuality, some people find the drink package to be well worth the price. Others wind up shelling out significantly more money than they would have if they had purchased the drinks separately.

Determine how many drinks you’ll have each day using the aforementioned drink prices. You can determine whether or not the drink package is more expensive than buying individual drinks by adding up the costs.

Does Royal Caribbean Ever Offer Free Drink Packages?

There are no complimentary beverage packages available from Royal Caribbean. However, it’s possible to find an all-inclusive package that includes the drink package included in your cruise fare.

Cruise lines frequently run special offers to entice potential customers. The same is true for Royal Caribbean. Special offers might include a “kids sail free” promotion, “free gratuities,” “low minimum deposit,” or “buy one cruise fare and get one half off.”

Some cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, have run promotions with a “free drinks” offer. You can get a drink package included with your cruise fare if you are fortunate enough to find one of these deals.

You should keep in mind a few things before getting overly excited. Cruise lines run “specials” all year round. Typically, the base fare increases in proportion to the size of the freebie. A cruise that generally costs $599 might cost $899 with the “free drinks” promotion.

Cruise lines often use “included” rather than “free.” Instead of a “free drinks” promotion, you are more likely to see a “drinks included” special. The drink packages aren’t actually free, so they use this wording to cover it. Your cruise fare is adjusted to include the cost of the drink package.

Therefore, you might not receive the deal you had hoped for.

How to Get a Discount on Royal Caribbeans Drink Package?

All year long, Royal Caribbean offers specials on cruises and beverage packages. It is always best to buy your drink package well in advance of your cruise date if you want the best price.

The cost of the beverage packages once on board the ship is nearly always more expensive than the pre-cruise price. On board, there may be a buy one, get one free deal for the beverage package.

This, however, is greatly exaggerated and is never worthwhile waiting for.

The Black Friday shopping season is typically when you can get the best deal. But if you purchase the drinks package early, just as we advise you to do when booking your cruise, you might be able to benefit from price protection.

You can contact the cruise line and request that they match the new price when costs decrease. By making early purchases and utilizing price protection, we have saved thousands of dollars.

The Bottom Line

It is impossible to completely cheat the Royal Caribbean drinks package. It’s not like you can just stick the drink package sticker on your cruise card and get free drinks for the entire cruise.

There are a few ways to do it, but we don’t advise you to because the results could be disastrous.

Instead, we would recommend that you buy your drink package at the best time to take advantage of any sales or special offers that can make it a bit more affordable for you.