Cocktails and Calculations: Is the Drink Package worth it?

Some people assume that the only way to get your money's worth out of the drink package on a cruise is to drink from sun-up to sun-down. Even for the thirstiest of people, this can take a real toll over the course of a few days.  I went back and forth for a couple months before deciding to go all-in on Carnival's "Cheers" drink package on my most recent Caribbean Cruise on the Mardi Gras - an Excellence Class ship that carries up to 6500 passengers.  I like my drinks when on vacation, but thought it might be hard to justify the hefty $70 per-person/per-day cost - especially considering a few long days out at port. It was hard to swallow the over-$1000 total for our cabin for the 8 days (Carnival requires each person in a stateroom to purchase the package, likely as a way to prevent sharing). After only a couple days of calculations on-board, though, I found that it would be very easy to make it all worth it. If you're not much of a drinker and won't have more than a a couple alcoholic beverages per day, I can save you time and advise you right away not to buy it...but here's what I liked about it and what made it worth it for me.  

1. No surprise bill: One of the things I considered when buying the drink package was that even if I came short of getting my money's worth, that there wouldn't be any surprises at the end of our cruise.  Drinks were already paid for. I could drink what I wanted (aside from the higher-end drinks above $20) when I wanted and not have to think about how much financial damage was being done. 

2. Tips included: Gratuity is worked into the cost of the drink package. Although you can tip more if you'd like, gratuity is already worked into the drink package - so it's not necessary.  If you're a standard 20 percent tipper, factor in that  a good chunk of what you're paying for when you buy the package is gratuity alone.  

3. Specialty coffee, tea, energy drinks, soft drinks, and small bottles of water are included.  I'd usually stop at the coffee shop at least twice per day for a specialty coffee.  Once in the morning for an Americano and once in the afternoon for a quick espresso boost.   Every time you get a coffee or a drink, you're eligible to take a bottle of water.  The price of coffee and water alone can add up - with most coffee bar drinks coming in anywhere between $3 and 6 dollars and water at about $2.00 if I recall correctly. 

4. No penny pinching: Even though Carnival will charge you a discounted price for cocktails over $20.00, you can get just about any beer, cocktail, spirit, or wine for free with the drink package - and you won't find yourself feeling limited in options.  Prices of beers ranged from about 6 to 8 dollars with cocktails in the $12 dollar and up price range.  I occasionally like sipping a good whiskey and so with the drink package, I felt good about ordering premium single-pour $16.00 bourbons - something that would have cost close to $20.00 after tip for a single drink. 

5. Cost savings: Ultimately, I ended up saving money. Could I have saved even more by skipping the "Cheers package" and ordering cheaper drinks (and opting for the ship's free coffee over the specialty coffee)? Probably, but to actually save money, I would have had to keep track of expenses, order cheaper drinks, and skimp a bit by budgeting instead of getting what I really wanted.