Our Complete 2025 Guide to Windstar Cruises Drink Packages

Are you considering purchasing a beverage package for your next Windstar cruise? In our 2025 guide to Windstar Cruises drink packages, we’re breaking down the different packages, prices, and inclusions to help you decide if choosing one is right for you.

While there are many benefits of buying a beverage package on a cruise, there are also many reasons why cruise ship drink packages can be a waste of money. So, whether or not you purchase one for your next cruise depends on your own drinking habits. Essentially, you will need to decide if you will consume enough to make the purchase “worth it.”

Quick Summary

Windstar Cruises has one drink package that can be purchased on its own or through the line’s inclusive All-In package. It includes nearly all alcoholic beverages on board, including wines by the glass, beers, cocktails, and liqueurs. Non-alcoholic drinks such as specialty coffees, bottled water, and juices are already included in the cruise fare. The drink package must be purchased in advance or within the first two days of the sailing, and is only available to guests 21 or older.

Windstar Cruises Drink Package Basics

Before deciding whether to purchase the beverage package, there are some basic facts about the Windstar Cruises drink package that you should know.

• The Windstar Cruises drink package is priced per day, per person. Thus, there is no sharing of drink packages.
• The drink package must be purchased at least five days prior to departure or during the first two days of your cruise. Further, the package must be purchased for the entire duration of the cruise.
• If you receive the drink package through the All-In package, you are not charged an additional gratuity. However if you purchase the Ultimate Beverage Package on its own, you will be charged an 18 percent gratuity at the time of purchase. Additional taxes may be added at the time of purchase for certain itineraries or ports of embarkation.
• The minimum drinking age aboard Windstar Cruises is 21 years old.
• Unlike on some other cruise lines, both guests in the same cabin are NOT required to purchased the Windstar Cruises drink package. Thus, only one person in a cabin may purchase the package.
• The beverage package works at any onboard bars and lounges, the main dining room, and specialty restaurants.
• Unlike other cruise lines, you do NOT need to purchase a beverage package to enjoy non-alcoholic beverages like soda, bottled water, mocktails, juices, or specialty coffee and tea. These items are always complimentary on Windstar Cruises.
• Windstar Cruises’ passengers are allowed to bring two bottles of wine or champagne (750ml) per cabin for a seven-day cruise or three bottles for an eight-day cruise or longer.
• There are no daily limits on the number of beverages you can consume; it is truly unlimited. Of course, Windstar encourages the responsible use of alcohol and reserves the right to limit alcohol service to guests to avoid intoxication.

Windstar Cruises Alcoholic Drink Packages

While all non-alcoholic beverages are complimentary, alcoholic beverages will cost extra on your Windstar cruise. The line essentially offers one drink package that you can purchase two ways: either on its own or bundled into the All-In Package.

Ultimate Beverage Package (also referred to as the Captain’s Exclusive Beverage Package)

The Captain’s Exclusive Beverage Package costs $79 per person, per day if purchased in advance, or $89 per person, per day if purchased once on board.

This Windstar Cruises drink package includes all domestic and imported beers, at least 33 varieties of wine and champagne by the glass, unlimited cocktails (based on house and select brands), and liqueurs, cordials, and aperitifs. Even mini bar beverages are included in the Ultimate Beverage Package. The drink package also includes a 30 percent savings on all bottles of wine that are valued at $100 or less.

Windstar’s All-In Package

Windstar’s all-inclusive package includes three of the most popular add-ons: a drink package, unlimited wifi, and daily gratuities, all wrapped into one price of $99 per person, per day if purchased in advance. If you wait to purchase once on board, it costs $109 per person, per day.

This beverage package includes the same drink selections as the Captain’s Exclusive Beverage package without the additional 18 percent service charge.

So for $100 per person, per day, you’re getting daily gratuities ($16 value), wifi access (which normally costs $35 per day for two devices), and the beverage package (a value of $79 per person, per day).

What Are the Costs of Drinks on Windstar Cruises?

Now that you have a guide to the drink packages on Windstar, you might be wondering how much beverages cost on board if you were to purchase them a la carte.

Here’s a guide on what you can expect to pay:

• Beers: $6 to $8 (average $7)
• Wines by the Glass: $8 to $13 (average $10 to $11)
• Cocktails: $8.75 to $13 (average $10 to $11)
• Wines by the Bottle: $30 to $1,200

Note that if you purchase drinks a la carte, an automatic 18 percent service charge is added to your purchase.

You would need to drink about 11 beers a day or 7-8 glasses of wine or cocktails a day to hit the break even point with the Ultimate Beverage Package.

For an example of exactly what’s available on Windstar Cruises, check out this bar menu from a Windstar cruise we took to Tahiti on Star Breeze.

Are Windstar Cruises Drink Packages Worth It?

While we generally find drink packages with cruise lines like Carnival, MSC Cruises, and Royal Caribbean to be a good value, some of this value is recognized from non-alcoholic beverages like bottled water, mocktails, and espresso drinks. However, these beverages are included with Windstar so cannot be factored into the cost analysis.

Further, many Windstar itineraries are very port-intensive. We always tend to drink more on sea days than on port days, as we are off the ship for a good portion of the day. So, for us, purchasing a Windstar Cruises drink package alone would probably not provide us any cost savings.

However, when you consider the All-In package is priced at just $99 per day, which is only $20 more than the beverage package on its own, it becomes a better value. The cost of mandatory gratuities is $16 per person, per day. The cost of WiFi, which we always purchase anyway, is around $35 a day. This leaves the drink package at just $48 per person, per day. This equates to about seven beers or 4.5 glasses of wine or cocktails. While this still may be too much for some, it definitely makes choosing the All-In Package more enticing for others.

Ultimately, deciding whether Windstar’s drink package is worth it comes down to the math based on your own personal consumption. Consider how many port days you have and how many (and what kind) of alcoholic beverages you’re likely to enjoy throughout the trip. Once you’ve calculated, on average, how much you’re likely to spend on drinks per day, you’ll have a clear idea on whether the drink package is right for you.

Comments

Have you purchased one of the Windstar Cruises drink packages? Do you think beverage packages are worth it? Drop us an anchor below to share your experiences with drink packages on a cruise.