Teri West
Two of the largest cruise lines have made high-profile changes to their beverage packages in the last couple of months.
First, Royal Caribbean International began requiring both adult guests in a cabin to purchase a deluxe drink package if one opts to do so. It previously allowed exceptions for guests who don't drink alcohol, but it said it was eliminating the option because some guests took advantage and were sharing one package between two people.
Then, last week Carnival Cruise Line introduced a drink package geared towards guests who don't drink alcohol, allowing them unlimited nonalcoholic drinks of any kind for $29.99 per day.
While one of those policies may seem more friendly to sober guests than the other, ultimately, they both cash in on the popularity of the drink package.
And many clients opt in to a plan, even if it's not the most economic deal for every lifestyle, said Effie Beshere-Walthall, the owner of On Deck Travel, an affiliate of Travel Planners International.
With many drink packages, a passenger would have to drink at least five alcoholic beverages per day for it to be a better deal than buying them a la carte, she said. That isn't a rate that fits every lifestyle -- even on a vacation -- nor is it one that is as well suited for a sailing where passengers are often off the ship during port calls, she said.
Still, she said that "way over 75%" of her clients opt for the packages. And she attributes that rate to guests wanting the peace of mind of knowing how much they will be spending on drinks before the vacation starts.
Beshere-Walthall encourages her clients to do some math to calculate whether a drink package will save them money. Changes like those implemented by Royal Caribbean and Carnival are all the more reason to do so, she said.
"At the at the end of the day, it's just not this impulse buy," she said. "You really need to think of how much you're really going to drink."
That calculation might come more easily to sober passengers evaluating Carnival's new package, said Jenny Koppenhaver, an ambassador, team leader and advisor with Magical Vacation Planner. Guests who drink alcohol often assume that they'll drink more than they typically would because they'll be on vacation, she said.
But sober guests are probably less likely to go all-out with soda or other nonalcoholic beverages just because they're on vacation; the guests who would want the peace of mind of Carnival's new drink package are those who already enjoy multiple nonalcoholic specialty beverages daily, she said.
"To them, it's just, 'I want what I drink at home every single day,'" she said. "'I just want to know I can get it.'"