Read This First If You Want to Buy Disney Cruise Drink Packages

We know when most people picture cruising, they’re sitting on the pool deck, lounging in the sun with a drink of the day cocktail in hand. It’s a vacation of dreams! While some popular cruise lines offer a prepaid all-inclusive drink package, Disney Cruise Line operates a little differently.

Let’s break down what’s included in Disney Cruise Line’s price, what’s not, and the best ways to save on drinks on your upcoming vacation!

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Here’s What You Need to Know About Disney Cruise Drink Packages

Does Disney Cruise Line Offer Drink Packages?

Yes, Disney Cruise Line does offer drink packages, but they aren’t comparable to what’s available on other cruise lines. On DCL, there are individually grouped drink packages depending on the type of drink. For example, there is a wine package and a beer package, offering discounts for purchasing these drinks in bulk versus ordering a la carte. There are no all-inclusive, unlimited drink packages, or all you can drink options.

Before we break down what the Disney Cruise drink packages do include, let’s talk about what is complimentary with Disney Cruise Line. On DCL, guests have complimentary access to more beverage options than they would on other cruise lines, a large selling point.

What is Included with Disney Cruise Line?

With a few exceptions, mostly all soft drinks are complimentary or included in the price on Disney Cruise Line. This includes soda, for which other popular cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean and Carnival charge. If you are an avid soda drinker, this can be a large savings as individual sodas on other cruise lines cost roughly $4 a drink.

Cruisers have access to these included options at any time of day on the pool deck at the self-service drink stations. These drinks are also complimentary in the restaurants. On the other hand, if cruisers wish to purchase a soda or coffee at a bar or lounge, charges will apply.

The following drinks are complimentary with your cruise fare:

• Water
• Hot or iced tea (with multiple types of tea options)
• Regular and decaf coffee
• Lemonade
• Coca-Cola product fountain drinks
• Vitamin water
• Juices
• Hot chocolate
• Milk

All of these drinks are available on the pool decks of all ships 24 hours a day, in the buffet areas (Cabanas or Marceline Market depending on the ship) when open, and all restaurants for no additional charge.

What is NOT Included with Disney Cruise Line?

While the list of included drink options is large with Disney Cruise Line, there are also plenty of offerings NOT included in the cruise fare. Alcohol of any kind is not part of the cruise fare, as well as specialty drinks and a few other varieties.

For guests wishing to purchase any of these items, they can use their Key To The World card. The a la carte price plus an 18% gratuity will be charged to their onboard account.

Don’t worry, we will go over all the prices to help you better budget for your trip soon!

Drinks that are not included in the cruise fare:

• Alcohol of any kind
• Smoothies
• Mocktails
• Speciality coffees (such as lattes, french press, espressos, etc)
• Bottled water
• Cans of soda (ordered through room service or at bars/lounges)
• Specialty teas

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Disney Cruise Drink Packages

While Disney Cruise Line doesn’t offer an all-inclusive “all you can drink” package, they do offer packages for some types of alcohol.

Beer Bucket

There are two ways to save money on beer onboard DCL. The first option is the “beer package”. Essentially, guests have the option to purchase 6 beers but only pay the price of 5 beers. By buying this bucket package, guests are getting a beer for free.

As of December 2023, this option is around $35, depending on your choice of beer. Prices and beer offerings are subject to change at any time, so be sure to check on board. Each stateroom does have a mini cooler that fits a few beers. So, guests could purchase the bucket and bring a few back to their room for later.

The following beers are typically included in this special:

• Bud Light
• Bud Light Lime
• Budweiser
• Blue Moon
• Corona
• Coors Light
• Guiness
• Heineken
• Michelob Ultra
• Miller Lite

Souvenir Beer Mug

The second option for saving money is purchasing the Souvenir Beer Mug. For roughly $16, guests can purchase a 21-ounce souvenir beer mug with the DCL logo on it. Once guests purchase the mug, bartenders will refill the 21-ounce mug for the price of a 16-ounce beer.

All you have to do is hand the bartender your mug, and they will fill up a new one for you! For any beer drinker, this can be a significant savings. Plus, this is a great souvenir to bring home! Another perk is that guests can bring it on their next cruise as all five ships offer this same promotion.

For guests not wanting to carry around a glass mug their entire vacation, I don’t blame you, and neither does Disney Cruise Line. For beers purchased on the pool deck, they will give out the beer in a plastic mug. (It’s still pretty, don’t worry!)

For those who don’t want to carry around anything, everywhere that sells beer will have beer tokens. The token is the size of a credit card and is essentially your “key to the beer” card. When done with your beer, just bring the empty glass to a bar. The bartender will give you a token, and when you are ready for the next beer just hand that token to the next bartender. Viola! They will fill up another 21-ounce beer mug for the price of a 16-ounce beer.

Any draft beer is available with this special.

Wine

Disney Cruise Line does offer wine packages. DCL offers a classic wine package and a premium wine package. These packages typically are based on the number of nights of the cruise itinerary, but guests are not limited to that. Available for purchase are 3 bottle packages, 4 bottle packages, 5 bottle packages, and 7 bottle packages. The wine options do vary and can change depending on the itinerary, departure port, and time of year.

Since Disney Cruise Line offers rotational dining, guests have the option to open a bottle of wine every night at dinner (or two!). If the bottles are not finished at the end of dining, the servers will store the unfinished bottle for you and have it ready the next night. Guests can also bring the wine back to their stateroom if they choose.

Wine packages do come with a 15% service charge. As of December 2023, the prices of the wine packages are as follows:

• 3 Bottles: $100/Classic, $150/Premium
• 4 Bottles: $130/Classic, $199/Premium
• 5 Bottles: $156/Classic, $244/Premium
• 7 Bottles: $210/Classic, $320/Premium

Happy Hour

This isn’t really a “drink package”, but it is a significant savings opportunity, and guests should know about it! Be sure when getting onboard to check the Disney Navigator App. Throughout the cruise, certain bars and lounges will have a happy hour listed with the times. Usually these times are around 5pm and then a late night happy hour around 9pm or 10pm, but they do vary.

During these happy hours, select drinks are discounted up to 50%! This is a great deal, and guests aren’t restricted to the lounge to finish their drinks. A drink can be purchased from the happy hour bar and then enjoyed elsewhere around the ship.

How Much Do Drinks Cost on Disney Cruise Line?

For those who don’t want to purchase a Disney cruise drink package, don’t worry. Guests have plenty of access to bars and lounges to purchase beer, wine, and cocktails individually. But how much do these drinks cost? Let’s break it down.

Beer Costs

The cost of a beer on DCL is between $6-$9 depending on which beer you choose. A domestic beer such as Bud Light or Coors Light is in the $6-$7 range, and craft beers or premium beers are in the higher $8-$9 range. Seltzers and ciders will also fall in this price range, running from $7-$9.

An 18% gratuity charge is added to all drinks.

Wine Costs

Anywhere you go, wine costs can vary greatly. This is no different on Disney Cruise Line. Wine by the glass can range anywhere from around $8 for lower shelf wine all the way to $50 a glass for something like a Dom Perignon. Though, most glasses of wine are in the $8-$18 range, depending on your taste.

Some bars will offer a Sommelier bin. This is where unfinished bottles of wine go that the bar needs to finish off. These bottles could be the cheapest bottle of wine on the ship or the most expensive. Guests can pay $10 to test their luck. We have tried this before and ended up being able to try a glass of wine that would have otherwise cost us $26. This is a fun way to branch out your taste buds and try something new for a low cost.

Cocktail and Mixed Drink Costs

Just like wine, liquor prices can vary greatly. Disney Cruise Line offers a wide variety of spirits, with something for everyone to enjoy. Most drinks cost anywhere from $10-$18.

Disney Cruise Line is known for its theming, and the drinks are no different. There is not one set standard drink menu across the ship. Every lounge has its own theme of drinks and offerings, but they should all fall roughly in this price range.

Like other cruise lines, Disney Cruise Line offers an alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink of the day. The alcoholic drink of the day costs around $6.50, with the non-alcoholic options being roughly $5.50. These drinks are usually your fruity tropical cocktails such as Bahama Breezes, Mai Tais, and Rum Runners, but can vary by day.

Can Guests Bring Alcohol onto Disney Cruise Line?

Yes! Another perk of Disney Cruise Line, guests can bring alcohol onboard. Per Disney Cruise Line’s website:

Guests 21 years and older may bring a maximum of 2 bottles of unopened wine or champagne (no larger than 750 ml) or 6 beers (no larger than 12 ounces) on board at the beginning of the voyage and at each port of call. These beverages must be packed in carry-on (not checked) bags or luggage.

This is per guest, not per stateroom. If there are three adults in a stateroom, this would allow for 18 beers or 6 bottles of wine. There is a corkage fee if these bottles are brought to the dining room. Further, guests can also bring onboard drinks such as waters and sodas if they wish.

Overview of Disney Cruise Line Drink Packages

Disney Cruise Line does offer drink packages, but they aren’t what an avid cruiser on other cruise lines might expect. Disney Cruise Line does offer more complimentary options than other cruise lines, including sodas and fountain drinks. Whether you are looking for a tropical cocktail on the pool deck, a high-end glass of champagne at the piano bar, or a beer at the pub, Disney Cruise Line has got you covered!

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