Cruise ship drink package price hack that travel agent swears by

Cruise ship drink packages are a certified way to make your holiday sailing around the world that little bit more expensive.

But there's a simple, above board trick that you can take upon yourself to bring that price right down.

There is an ongoing debate in the travelling world as to whether drinks packages are even worth it in the first place - or rather, when they become worth it.

For those who don't know, when you book a cruise ship holiday you're given the option of paying a la carte for your drinks or paying for packages. This is where you cough up a day rate, with a number of packages available depending on what you're after.

To provide a bit of context, it'll set you back around £30 a day for the non-alcoholic package with Royal Caribbean. On P&O, it's about £25.

If you're after booze on top of your tea, coffee and soft drinks, it'll be between £50 and £56 on Royal Caribbean. Again, on P&O it's between £44.95 and £54.95.

It's one of several costs which can make the price of your cruise skyrocket.

Over on TikTok, one account called The Paradise Travel Group offers consistent advice on the best ways to enjoy your holidays while also saving cash where possible.

Run by Elisa, her explainers are viewed by thousands of people on a daily basis.

On the topic of cruise ship drink packages, Elisa is clear as day that you can save cash even if you'd paid months before you set sail.

"If you purchased a drink package for your upcoming cruise you're going to want to hear this," she says in one video.

"I'm Elisa, certified travel agent and certified cruise lover.

"Here to make sure you're setting yourself up for success on your next cruise. We all want the best deal, right?

"Well when you book your cruise and you pre-purchase that drink package what the cruise lines don't want you to know is that the price of that drink package is very likely to go on sale before you sail."

Fear not if you've already booked or plan on booking early to get it ticked off your itinerary as you can still take advantage of this, usually right up until the week before you set sail.

Elisa says: "Even though you already paid you are not locked in to that rate.

"So when you catch that drink package sale - and you've seen the cruise line websites, they will put on a sale for literally any reason - give your travel agent a call and they can bring you down to that lower price."

In another video, she explains: "It's always cheaper to purchase the drink package before your cruise but the day on which you purchase it might be a bit more expensive than two weeks later when they throw in a great sale.

"A lot of people don't know that these cruise add ons are refundable. So if you purchase the drink package and then three weeks go by... you find the drink package has dropped in price you can cancel your drink package and rebook it for the new lower rate. You can do this up until the week before the cruise."

Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support.