How Celebrity's drinks packages actually work
Celebrity sells two alcoholic packages and they work on a price cap per drink rather than a list of what you can order. On the 2025 pricing, Classic covers drinks up to $12 and Premium takes that to $19. Sail out of a UK or Australian port and both go up, to $14 and $23, because those sailings carry tax the others don't. Order something above your cap and you pay the difference, not the full price, so a $22 cocktail on Premium costs you three dollars.
The number that decides everything is the gratuity. Celebrity adds 20% to every drink you buy on its own, so the $9 beer on the menu is $10.80 on your bill. Your package price already has that in it. That gap is most of the reason a package pays for itself, and it's why doing this on the back of an envelope usually flatters the bar tab.
Two other things the calculator builds in. Everyone of drinking age in your cabin has to buy the same package, so the answer that matters is the one for the whole booking, not for the person who drinks most. And a sea day is not a port day: you're at a bar from lunchtime on one and rarely back on the ship before five on the other, which on a port-heavy itinerary changes the sum completely.
What we paid
£1,384.40 for two premium drinks and WiFi packages on a 10 night Celebrity sailing around Europe, which is £69 each per day. We broke even on alcohol alone before the coffees, bottled water and fresh juices that also come with it. The full story, the per-drink prices we saw onboard, and the bit about cancelling and rebooking to chase a better price are all in the post.
Read: is a drinks package worth it? Why we moved from Virgin to Celebrity
Common questions
▸ How much is the Celebrity drinks package?
There's no fixed price, which is the frustrating bit. We paid £1,384.40 for two premium drinks and WiFi packages on a 10 night European sailing in May 2026, so £69 each per day. Celebrity run near-constant sales and dynamic pricing, so the same package can be a very different number a week later. Put the price you've been quoted into the calculator and it'll tell you whether it's a good one.
▸ What's the difference between the Classic and Premium drinks package?
It's a price cap per drink, not a list of drinks. On Celebrity's 2025 pricing, Classic covers alcoholic drinks up to $12 and Premium takes that to $19, rising to $14 and $23 on sailings out of UK and Australian ports. Go over the cap and you pay the difference rather than the full price, which is why the calculator only ever credits you the cap.
▸ Does the Celebrity drinks package include the 20% gratuity?
The package price you're quoted is the final figure. Drinks bought without a package have 20% added to every single one, so a $9 beer is really $10.80. That gap is most of the reason a package can pay, and it's in every number the calculator gives you.
▸ Does everyone in the cabin have to buy the drinks package?
Yes. Everyone of drinking age on the same booking has to buy the same package, unless there's a genuine reason not to, like a medical one, in which case they can ask to be moved to the non-alcoholic package instead. That's why the calculator works the whole booking out at once rather than one drinker at a time.
▸ Can you cancel and rebook a Celebrity drinks package at a lower price?
Yes, as many times as you like, up until 48 hours before you sail. After that it's locked in and non-refundable. We did it four times in one week. The catch is that each rebooking puts a fresh hold on your card while the refund processes, so you can have quite a bit of money tied up at once.
▸ What drinks are free on Celebrity without a package?
Fountain water, juices, and plain tea and coffee from the buffet and the dining room. Premium coffees, fresh juices, smoothies and bottled water all cost extra, and every one of them comes free once you've got a package. That's why the calculator has rows for them.
Prices as at August 2026 and taken from what we paid onboard. Celebrity's package prices vary by ship, itinerary and length, so treat every figure here as a guide rather than a quote. We aren't affiliated with Celebrity Cruises.
