MSC Drink Package Guide: Which One Is Worth It?
Quick Take
MSC has simplified its drink lineup, and on most North America and Caribbean sailings your real choices are Premium Extra, an alcohol free package, and a minors package. The Easy and Easy Plus tiers have been phased out of the U.S. Market, so the old advice you read online may not apply to your cruise.
If you drink alcohol at all, Premium Extra is usually the package that makes sense. If you only want sodas, coffee, water, and mocktails, the alcohol free package is the cheaper and smarter pick.
I am a travel advisor and a cruise YouTuber, and MSC is one of the lines I get the most package questions about because the lineup keeps changing. Below I will walk you through what each package covers and how to run the math for your own trip. I will keep prices in ranges since MSC adjusts them and they vary by sailing length.
What Changed With The MSC Lineup
For years, MSC offered a stacked menu of packages from Easy at the bottom up to Premium Extra at the top. That has changed, and the lower Easy tiers were removed from North America sailings first and then more broadly. If you booked an MSC cruise expecting the old Easy Plus package, double check what is actually offered on your specific itinerary.
The result is a simpler set of decisions, which is a good thing for most cruisers. You are mainly choosing between a full alcohol package and an alcohol free one. The minors package exists for kids and teens in the cabin who need their own coverage.
What Premium Extra Includes
Premium Extra is MSC's top tier and it covers a wide range of drinks up to a per item ceiling around $16. That includes cocktails, premium spirits, wine and champagne by the glass, draft and bottled beer, and the non alcoholic side too. Specialty coffees, hot chocolate, energy drinks, smoothies, and soft drinks are all in.
The wide ceiling matters because most bar drinks on MSC fall comfortably under it. You are not constantly checking whether your cocktail qualifies, which is a real annoyance on packages with low ceilings. For a drinker who wants flexibility without doing mental math at the bar, Premium Extra is built for that.
What The Alcohol Free Package Covers
The alcohol free package is the quiet hero of the MSC lineup for a lot of families. It covers soft drinks, juices, specialty coffees, mocktails, and bottled water without the alcohol price tag attached. On shorter sailings it tends to run in the low to mid 30s per person per day, with slightly lower rates on longer cruises.
This is the package I point parents and non drinkers toward constantly. If you would never order a cocktail but you do love your morning espresso and an afternoon soda, you are wasting money on a full alcohol package. The alcohol free tier covers exactly what you actually drink.
The Core Math: Is Premium Extra Worth It?
Start by counting every drink you order in a typical cruise day, not just the alcoholic ones. A specialty coffee in the morning, a couple of bottled waters, an afternoon soda, and a few cocktails or glasses of wine adds up fast. Six or seven items is a normal day for a lot of cruisers.
Premium Extra has to beat what those items would cost a la carte. Cocktails on MSC generally run in the low to mid teens, wine by the glass similar, and the non alcoholic drinks a few dollars each. If you land around five or six drinks a day with a few of them alcoholic, the package usually pays for itself.
The break even point is about alcohol. Two or three cocktails a day plus your coffee and water habit will almost always clear the package price. If you only drink one cocktail every other day, run the a la carte numbers, because you may come out ahead paying as you go.
The Rule That Catches People Out
Like most cruise lines, MSC generally requires all adults in the same cabin to buy a drink package if one adult buys one. You cannot put Premium Extra on one person and leave the other uncovered. This matters when one half of a couple barely drinks.
If your partner only wants sodas and the occasional glass of wine, you may be able to pair Premium Extra for one with the alcohol free package for the other, depending on the sailing. Always confirm what mixing is allowed on your specific cruise. The rule is the single biggest reason a package can stop making sense for couples.
Buying Ahead Versus Onboard
MSC pricing is usually cheaper when you buy before you sail rather than at the bar onboard. The package math gets worse as the daily price climbs, so locking in the pre cruise rate protects your value. If you already know you want coverage, do not wait until embarkation day.
It is also worth checking your fare and any current promotions before you add a package. MSC frequently runs deals that bundle drinks into the cabin price, and that can make a separate package purchase unnecessary. Compare the all in cost both ways before you commit.
How To Run Your Own Number In Two Minutes
You do not need anything fancy to make this decision, just a real look at one cruise day. Walk through your morning, afternoon, and evening, and list every drink you would actually order. Count the coffees, the waters, and the sodas, not just the cocktails.
Then rough out the a la carte cost using low to mid teens for cocktails and wine, and a few dollars for the non alcoholic drinks. If a few of your daily drinks are alcoholic, that total usually clears the Premium Extra price without much trouble. If almost none of them are, the alcohol free package or paying as you go is probably the better play.
Do this once for each person traveling, since everyone drinks differently. The whole thing takes a couple of minutes and it kills the guesswork. That is the exact method I walk clients through before I tell them which package to buy.
✈️ WORK WITH ME
Want help deciding if a package pays off for your sailing? I'm a travel advisor and I book cruises at no extra cost, and I'll run the math with you. Get a free quote and grab my free tips on Substack: substack.com/@jacksonjetsetting.
A Quick Worked Example
Take a family of four on a seven day Caribbean sailing, two adults and two teens. The adults each order a couple of cocktails plus coffee and water daily, which makes Premium Extra a likely win for them. The teens drink sodas, smoothies, and specialty coffees, so the alcohol free or minors package covers them far cheaper than a full package would.
That mixed approach is usually the right call for families, and it can save real money over four full packages. The key is matching each person to what they actually order rather than buying everyone the same tier out of habit. A little planning here pays off across a whole week.
Why The Wide Drink Ceiling Matters
One thing I love about Premium Extra is the higher per drink ceiling, and it solves a real annoyance. On packages with low ceilings, you end up checking the price of every cocktail before you order it. That mental math at the bar takes the fun out of a vacation fast.
With Premium Extra sitting around a $16 ceiling, the vast majority of the bar menu is simply covered. You order what sounds good and you stop worrying about whether it qualifies. For a lot of cruisers, that freedom is worth as much as the raw dollar savings.
It also covers the whole non alcoholic side, which people undercount. Specialty coffees, smoothies, energy drinks, and bottled water all add up over a week. When you tally those alongside your cocktails, the package math tips in your favor faster than you expect.
Families And The Smart Mixed Approach
Families are where MSC packages get interesting, because everyone in the cabin drinks differently. The adults might want cocktails and wine, while the kids and teens live on sodas, smoothies, and specialty coffees. Buying everyone the same tier out of habit usually overspends.
The smarter move is to match each person to what they actually order. Premium Extra for the adults who drink, the alcohol free package for non drinkers, and the minors package for the kids. That mix almost always beats four identical full packages on price.
It does take a few minutes of planning, but those minutes pay off across a whole week. Look at how each person drinks on vacation, not how you imagine they might. The honest tally is what keeps you from leaving money on the table.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which MSC packages are available on Caribbean sailings? On most North America and Caribbean cruises you will see Premium Extra, an alcohol free package, and a minors package. The older Easy tiers have been phased out of the U.S. Market.
Is Premium Extra worth it if I only drink a little? Maybe not. If you have two or three cocktails a day plus coffee and water it usually pays off, but a light drinker should run the a la carte numbers first.
Do both adults in the cabin need a package? Generally yes, if one adult buys one. Depending on the sailing you may be able to pair a full package with an alcohol free package for a lighter drinker, so confirm the rules for your cruise.
What does the alcohol free package cover? Soft drinks, juices, specialty coffees, mocktails, and bottled water. It is the best value for non drinkers and is much cheaper than a full alcohol package.
Should I buy before the cruise or onboard? Before the cruise. Pre cruise pricing is typically lower than onboard pricing, which keeps the value math in your favor.
Could a package already be included in my fare? Sometimes. MSC runs promotions that bundle drinks into the cabin price, so always check before adding a package separately.
Final Thoughts
MSC made the package decision simpler by trimming the lineup, and for most cruisers it comes down to one question. If you drink alcohol with any regularity, Premium Extra is the package that pays off and keeps you from doing math at the bar. If you stick to sodas, coffee, and mocktails, the alcohol free package is the smarter and cheaper choice.
Count your real drinks, match each person in the cabin to the right tier, and check whether a deal already includes drinks. If you want help running those numbers for your specific MSC sailing, that is exactly what I do for clients at no extra cost.
More cruise reads:
- How Much Does an MSC Cruise Cost? A Real Budget Guide
- MSC Gratuities Explained: How Tipping Works Onboard
- MSC Divina Review: Glam, Value, and an F1 Simulator
- MSC Seascape Review: Is the MSC Yacht Club Worth It?
- MSC Seashore Review: A Modern Mega Ship from Port Canaveral
- Cruise Gratuities Explained: How Tipping Works on Any Line
