Norwegian Drink Package Guide: Is It Worth It?
Quick Take
Norwegian's drink package is one of the better deals at sea, but only because of how they sell it. The Premium Beverage Package, often bundled into the promotion you have probably seen advertised, is an unlimited open bar. The list price looks scary, but most people never pay it.
They get the package "free" as part of a promo and only pay the 20 percent gratuity on the package value. That gratuity is the real cost, and it is the number you actually need to compare against your drinking habits. In this guide I will break down what is included, where the catch is, and how to decide if it pays off for you. I am a travel advisor, so I run this math with clients all the time.
I am Mark from Jackson Jetsetting. If you sail Norwegian, the drink package is the single thing people overthink the most, so I made the video above to cut through it. The blog below has the full breakdown so you can decide before you book.
What Package Are We Actually Talking About
Norwegian keeps this simpler than it looks. The main adult beverage package is the unlimited open bar, which they market as the Premium Beverage Package. It is almost always offered as part of Norwegian's headline promotion, which they have run under the names Free at Sea and more recently More at Sea. Under that promo, the drink package is included with most fares as a perk.
There is also a step-up version, the Premium Plus package, for people who want the very top-shelf pours and bottled water and specialty coffee folded in. For most cruisers the standard Premium package is plenty, so that is what I will focus on, and I will note the upgrade where it matters.
What's Included in the Premium Beverage Package
This is a genuine open bar, not a limited list. Here is what you get:
- Unlimited cocktails, with a list of well over a hundred to choose from
- Premium spirits such as Grey Goose, Casamigos, Woodford Reserve, Mount Gay, and similar name brands
- Wine by the glass, including regionally sourced selections
- Beer, both draft and bottled, plus hard seltzers
- Soft drinks, juices, and non-alcoholic options
The one thing to watch is the per-drink price cap. The standard Premium package covers drinks up to a set dollar value each. The vast majority of the bar menu falls under that cap, so most people never bump into it.
If you are the type who wants the rarest single-malt scotch or a top-shelf aged tequila neat, those can sit above the cap, and you either pay the difference or step up to Premium Plus. For normal cocktail, wine, and beer drinking, the standard package has you covered.
The Gratuity Catch You Need to Understand
This is the part that confuses everyone, so read this twice. When the package is included "free" with your fare through the promotion, it is not actually 100 percent free. You still pay a 20 percent gratuity calculated on the list value of the package.
So if the package carries a high published daily value, your 20 percent of that adds up across a week. On a longer sailing with two adults, that gratuity can run into a few hundred dollars before you have had a single drink. That is not a reason to skip it. It is just the real price, and it is the number you should be comparing against, not the scary full list price that nobody pays.
The good news: that gratuity is the whole cost. Once it is paid, you order drinks all week and sign nothing. No tip prompts, no per-drink charges, no surprise tab on the last night. For people who hate doing bar math on vacation, that simplicity is worth a lot on its own.
So Is the Premium Package Worth It?
Here is the honest math I use with clients. Figure out the gratuity cost of the package for your specific sailing, divide it by the number of days, and that gives you a per-day break-even. Then count how many drinks you would need to buy a la carte to hit that same number.
Because individual drinks on Norwegian are not cheap, the break-even is usually low. For most adults who have a few drinks a day, the package wins. If you have a couple of cocktails at dinner, a beer by the pool, a glass of wine at the show, and a coffee in the morning, you are almost certainly past break-even before the day is over.
Where it does not pay off:
- You barely drink alcohol, or one of the two adults in the room does not drink at all
- You are doing a short two or three night sailing where the gratuity is small but so is your time to drink
- You plan to be off the ship at ports for most of the cruise
One important rule on Norwegian: if the package is tied to your stateroom, typically both adults in the cabin have to take it. You cannot have one drinker on the package and one paying as they go in the same room. That changes the math for couples where only one person drinks, and it is exactly the kind of thing I help clients sort out before booking.
Premium vs Premium Plus
Premium Plus is the upgrade. It raises the per-drink cap so the top-shelf stuff is covered, and it usually folds in bottled water, specialty coffee, fresh juices, and a wider wine list including some by-the-bottle options. You pay a daily upcharge on top of the standard package for it.
My take: most people do not need it. If you drink mainstream cocktails, beer, and wine, the standard Premium covers you and Plus is wasted money. The people who benefit are the specialty-coffee-every-morning crowd and the top-shelf-spirits crowd.
If that is you, price the upgrade and decide. If it is not you, save the money.
How This Compares to Other Lines
Norwegian's open bar is one of the more generous in terms of brand quality, and the promo structure usually makes the effective cost very reasonable since you are only paying the gratuity. Royal Caribbean, by contrast, more often sells its package as a flat daily price you pay in full rather than a perk, which can land higher per day depending on the deal. The brands and the cap differ line to line, so the smart move is to compare the actual out-of-pocket cost for your specific sailing rather than assuming one line is always cheaper.
It also matters how you drink. If you are someone who likes to try new cocktails and does not mind a top-shelf spirit, Norwegian's package leans in your favor because the brand list is strong even at the standard tier. If you are a one-style-of-beer person who has three a day and nothing else, the value is still there but it is closer, and you should run the actual numbers rather than assuming.
The point is that there is no universal answer. The right call depends on your sailing length, your group, and your habits, which is why I never give clients a blanket yes or no on the package without looking at their specific booking first.
What About the Non-Drinking Adult
This question comes up a lot, so let me address it directly. Because both adults in a stateroom typically have to take the package when it is tied to the room, couples often worry they are wasting money on the partner who does not drink alcohol. Here is the reframe.
The package is not only alcohol. Soft drinks, juices, hard seltzers, and the non-alcoholic options are all included, so the non-drinker still pulls some value from it across the week. It will rarely break even on its own for a true non-drinker, but it softens the blow, and in most promo structures you cannot opt one person out anyway. If you have a cabin where neither adult drinks much at all, that is the scenario where I would seriously look at declining the package and paying as you go, and I am happy to price that out with you.
✈️ WORK WITH ME
Want help deciding if a drink 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.
Tips to Get the Most Out of It
If you do take the package, here is how to make it pay:
- Start your day with the package, not after. The morning specialty coffee, the lunch beer, and the afternoon poolside drink all count toward your value
- Try the cocktail menu instead of defaulting to the same drink. The premium spirits are the part you are paying gratuity on, so use them
- Watch the per-drink cap on top-shelf orders and just pick something under it if you do not want to pay the difference
- Remember soda, juice, and non-alcoholic drinks are included too, so the non-drinker still gets value if the package is on the room
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Norwegian drink package actually free?
Not entirely. When it comes bundled with the promotion, the package itself is included but you pay a 20 percent gratuity on its list value. That gratuity is the real cost to compare against your drinking.
What's included in the Premium Beverage Package?
Unlimited cocktails, premium-brand spirits, wine by the glass, beer, hard seltzers, and soft drinks, all up to a per-drink price cap that covers most of the menu.
Do both people in the cabin have to buy the package?
Usually yes. If the package is tied to the stateroom, both adults in the room typically have to take it. You cannot split it one drinker on, one drinker off.
What is the difference between Premium and Premium Plus?
Premium Plus raises the per-drink cap for top-shelf pours and adds bottled water, specialty coffee, and a wider wine list, for an extra daily charge. Most people do not need it.
How many drinks do I need to make the package worth it?
Take the gratuity cost, divide by your number of days, and compare to a la carte drink prices. Because drinks are not cheap, most people who have a few a day come out ahead.
Does the package cover non-alcoholic drinks?
Yes. Soft drinks, juices, and other non-alcoholic options are included, which matters when both adults in a room have to take the package.
Final Thoughts
Norwegian's Premium Beverage Package is a strong deal for one simple reason: you usually only pay the gratuity, not the full price. Compare that gratuity cost against your drinking habits, remember that both adults in the cabin typically have to take it, and skip the Plus upgrade unless you are a top-shelf or specialty-coffee person. For most adults who enjoy a few drinks a day on vacation, the package wins and the all-inclusive simplicity is a bonus. If you want me to run the exact numbers for your sailing and your group, that is what I do, and it does not cost you anything to have my help.
