You’ve booked your P&O Cruise holiday to your dream cruise destination, but now comes perhaps your biggest decision yet. Do you take the plunge and buy a drinks package?! There are various types of P&O Cruises drinks packages that have the potential to save you money while on board your cruise. With four options available, your first task is to weigh up whether a P&O drinks package is worth it for the duration of your cruise.
Join us as we break down the P&O Cruises drinks packages, giving you all the costs and benefits of each package to help you decide if you wish to purchase one and, if so, which P&O drinks package is right for you!
P&O Cruises offers four different drink packages, providing guests with a selection of refreshments throughout their cruise. With two non-alcoholic packages and two alcoholic packages, the selection has something for everyone, but what does each package include and more importantly. How much do they cost?
P&O drinks packages are only available on sailings of five nights or more. On shorter cruises, drinks are only available on a pay-as-you-go basis and will be added to your onboard account.
Before we break down what each P&O drinks package includes, first let’s discuss the price of each package.
The most affordable drinks package is the Refresh package, priced at £14.45 per person per day. Next is the alcohol-free package, which costs £26.95 per person per day but offers more than the Refresh package. The two other packages, Classic and Deluxe, cost £48.85 and £60.50 per person per day, respectively, and offer a wide selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
Below, you’ll discover more about what’s included in a P&O Cruises drinks package. We take a closer look at the costs and how they compare to buying your drinks individually.
Costs: £14.45 per person, per day
The Refresh package is the most affordable of the drink packages, but what do you get for £14.45 a day? Guests who choose the Refresh package have access to unlimited regular and large soft drinks on tap: Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Max, and R. White’s Lemonade, as well as orange, pineapple, and apple fruit juices.
But is it good value? A regular-sized soft drink on P&O Cruises will cost around £3, increasing to £3.70 for a large. For the daily price of the Refresh Drinks Package, you would need to drink four large soft drinks to make it worthwhile.
Costs: £26.95 per person, per day
If you’d like more variety from your non-alcoholic drinks, then this could be the package for you. The P&O Alcohol-Free Package includes everything offered in the Refresh package and a whole lot more. Guests can enjoy selected Costa Coffee and teapigs, as well as non-alcoholic beverages, including beers, ciders, mocktails, wines, and spirits. You will also have a wider selection of soft drinks, fruit juices, and waters to choose from. These include Sanpellegrino, Red Bull, and premium Fever-Tree tonic waters.
To illustrate, in a day, you would need to order the following drinks to make the Alcohol-Free Package financially worthwhile:
TOTAL: £27.35
Costs: £48.85 per person, per day
P&O Cruises Classic drinks package includes everything from the two non-alcoholic drinks packages and a whole lot more. You will be able to enjoy a wide selection of alcoholic beverages, including beers and ciders, select cocktails, prosecco, select 175ml wines, and select 25ml spirits. Guests who opt for this package can also enjoy a 20% discount on all drinks not included in the package and receive a complimentary Refresh package for children aged 17 years or younger.
Sample day:
TOTAL: £49.30
Find some of the drinks available on the Classic Drinks Package by checking out the P&O Drinks Menu.
Costs: £60.50 per person, per day
Although the P&O Deluxe Drinks Package costs £60.50 per person, per day, the value of the individual drinks within it soon mounts up.
Sample day:
TOTAL: £62.05
To help you decide for yourself, take a look at this sample menu to see the cost of some of the drinks you’ll receive on the Deluxe Drinks package.
Whenever you visit one of the bars, restaurants, cafes, or lounges on board a P&O Cruises ship, the drinks list will display which options are included in your P&O drinks package, as seen on this sample menu.
As a guide, here is a list of exactly what is included in each of the four P&O drinks packages.
Now that you have all the information, it’s time to address a question we’re often asked: Are P&O Cruises’ drinks packages really worth it? The answer is that it all depends on how you like to cruise. If you’re planning to keep things alcohol-free, the Refresh Package is a great choice. It includes a wide range of soft drinks, juices, teas, and coffees, which are perfect for staying refreshed throughout the day without worrying about your onboard bill.
Prefer something a little stronger while you relax by the pool? The Classic Drinks Package offers excellent value, covering beers, wines, spirits, and a variety of cocktails. It’s ideal for cruisers who enjoy a tipple or two and who appreciate a speciality coffee along the way.
Then there’s the Deluxe Drinks Package, which includes everything in the Classic tier, plus premium spirits, craft cocktails and P&O’s exclusive Perfect Serves. If you’re keen to sample the very best the bars have to offer, this might just be the one for you.
Families can benefit, too. When the grown-ups purchase a Classic or Deluxe package, children receive the Refresh Package free of charge, which means unlimited soft drinks for them and a more relaxed experience for you.
One factor to bear in mind is that anyone over the age of 18 who is sharing a cabin will need to purchase the same drinks package. So, if one of you chooses a Classic Drinks Package, the other will need to do the same. Guests aged 17 or under who are sharing a cabin with adults who have purchased a Classic or Deluxe Drinks Package will receive a complimentary Refresh Drinks Package.
The other main limitation to be aware of is that alcoholic drinks are limited to 15 per guest in any 24-hour period, which begins at 6am. But don’t forget that there are plenty of non-alcoholic drinks included, too, which are unlimited throughout the day, depending on which package you have selected.
You can purchase a P&O Cruises drinks package before or during your cruise. They can be purchased at any time during the booking process or up to two days after you depart. Booking ahead of time is simple, you just need to access your booking via the My P&O Cruises portal and choose your package.
If you want to purchase a package after you have set sail, so long as you are within the first two days of your cruise, then you need to head to a bar or restaurant and make a drinks package purchase through a member of staff. Your drinks package must be purchased for the full duration of your cruise.
We all love a good cruise deal, ensuring we get the most for our money, and drinks packages are no exception! With some smart tips, you can maximise your options and enjoy your cruise holiday on your terms.
Purchasing your drinks package before your cruise entitles you to a 10% discount from the onboard price. Simply choose your drinks package through My P&O Cruises up to three days before your departure date, and you will benefit from the discount.
If you have signed up for the P&O Peninsular Club, you will be entitled to discounts on selected purchases, including the P&O drinks packages. The amount you save will depend on your tier, and the discount can be applied when booking online before travel or when purchasing your drinks package on board.
Purchasing a Classic or Deluxe drinks package unlocks a world of possibilities. Why not choose the more expensive liqueurs, beers, or wines on offer that you wouldn’t justify spending on at home? A drinks package is all about getting the most out of your money, so be sure to enjoy some of the finer options.
Even if you choose one of the Classic or Deluxe packages, you can still enjoy all of the non-alcoholic options on offer. Start your day with a hot Costa Coffee before moving on to some soft drinks in between your bottles of beer or glasses of wine.
Now you know all there is to know about P&O Cruises drink packages, it’s time to book your next cruise getaway here at Bolsover Cruise Club! If you have any questions about our P&O Cruises itineraries or about their drinks package options, be sure to contact us, and one of our Cruise Experts will be happy to help.
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View Comments
My husband can’t drink alcohol for medical reasons. Is it possible just to purchase the alcohol drinks package for myself if husband gets a doctors letter confirming he can’t drink alcohol
Hi Susan, this would be at the discretion of P&O Cruises, so please contact them for further details.
I’m sharing a cabin with my daughter aged 16 and my husband is sharing a cabin with my son aged 12. What drinks package can we purchase please?
Hi Susan, this is the guidance from P&O Cruises:
The same Drinks Package must be purchased by guests aged over 18 years sharing a cabin. However, children can have the Refresh Drinks Package independently of their parents and this can be purchased on board. There is no requirement for adults in the same cabin to also purchase a package.
Hope that helps!
I only drink non alcoholic for health reasons. I know I can get non alcoholic wine by bottle or glass in the restaurant but can I get it in the bars during the day pls
Is there a update price list for P&O drinks to see if the package is worth buying?
If we purchase a refresh drinks package can we still buy separately alcohol as we like
Is the drinks package useable in all venues on Brittania, limelight club and specialty restaurants such as Sindu and epicurean?
Also
If I want a double spirit, do I have the single as part of my package and then just pay the 25ml price -20% discount?
Thanks for any help
Good afternoon Kim,
Apologies for the delay in replying to you. I wanted to ensure I passed on the correct information.
I'm happy to say there's absolutely no restrictions on where you can you can use your drinks package allocations - so the Limelight Club and restaurants like Sindu and Epicurean are all included.
With regards to double spirits, for drinks packages there is a guideline on board P&O cruises that there should be 15 minutes between serving alcoholic beverages, of which a double spirit would count as two. You could order a single spirit and then wait 15 minutes and order another shot and those would both count within your drinks package and not cost extra.
It should also be noted that there is a limit of 15 alcoholic drinks per package per day but no limit on soft drinks. So if you ordered a spirit which was your 15th alcohol beverage that day and then did order another shot afterwards, then it would cost you extra in that instance minus a 20% discount.
However, I cannot say whether you'd be able to order a single spirit within your drinks package and pay for another shot to make it a double so as to not to wait the 15 minutes - I beleive that would be something that you would have to check on board and be at the discretion of the venue that is serving you at the time.
Can you tell me if Brandy is included in P&O drinks Classic Package please
Hello! We've looked into this for you, and I'm afraid that brandy or cognac isn't included on the P&O drinks packages. There is a downloadable PDF document that can be found here which lists all of the inclusions on the drinks packages, and all signature whiskies, cognacs and rums are listed under exclusions.
I'm sorry if this wasn't the answer you were looking for, but I do hope that this helps. Any further questions, do let us know.
Can adults also have the kids drink package and can u book it each day or choose the days u want it or do u have to book the entire week. Just thinking if we are off the boat all day we won't be drinking much that day on a p&o cruise
Hi Andrea, you can book the non-alcoholic package but all drinks packages have to be booked for the duration of the cruise. Thank you.
Hi looking at purchasing a drinks package for my cruise in January 2024 what happens if there is a price increase after I’ve purchased the package
Hi Kay, If you have already purchased the drinks package then the price increase wouldn't affect this. Thank you.
i think £1.11.86 for the drinks package is extortionate when only i drink and my husband doesn't don't think this is fair to be honest why not give a wrist band to the one who's paid the drinks package its simple. im looking at this for my next holiday as ive just done Marella and this wasn't an issue with drinks