Is a drink package worth it for you? This handy tool lets you see if it’s better to pay out of pockets for drinks or to sign up for the drink package. Most cruise lines require that EVERYONE who is in the cabin and 21 or older to purchase the package.
Step 1: Tell us about your cruise
Step 2: How many of each do you think you’ll have a day?
If you will be sailing on a Royal Caribbean ship, and you get the Soda Package of Deluxe Beverage Package, you will receive a cup once you board the ship. That cup will allow you to fill up with sodas and other beverages from the Coke Freestyle Machines (see the drink selection here). It technically holds 16 ounces of beverage, but the dimensions are larger because of its thick insulated walls.
These carrier holders made it easy to carry your cup around the ship. The strap is easy to hold on to, and it can even click onto a bag or your shorts so you can carry it while your hands are full of plates from the buffet. This sleeve is thin enough that the Coke Freestyle machines can read the chip inside the cup without taking it out.
In 2019, many cruise lines stopped using plastic straws on board in an effort to stop plastic waste from entering the ocean. Some lines have paper or candy alternatives and others have nothing. Since I’m addicted to soda and prefer a straw, I bought these for my last cruise.
They’re just a few inches tall but can expand, so they can be used in anything from a highball glass to a large hurricane glass. They’re solidly made and the little carrying case makes it easy to slip it into your pocket between drinks.