Cruise drink packages are one of the easiest places to confuse retail price with value. The package might be cheaper than buying everything separately, but that does not mean it is cheaper than the version of the trip you were actually going to take.

The only worthwhile comparison is this: what would you have spent without the package, including gratuities and the random second coffee you always forget to count?

The break-even question

If the package only makes sense once you start planning your day around getting your money’s worth, it probably does not make sense.

That is especially true on port-heavy itineraries where a big chunk of the day happens somewhere else. The package math changes a lot when your best beach stop has a cheap bucket of local beer ten minutes from the pier.