Royal Caribbean’s Pre-Black Friday Drink Package Sale Has Some Legit Good Deals
It’s almost Black Friday, which means it’s time for cruise sales to gear up. And Royal Caribbean has led the way by launching its pre-Black Friday deals on drink packages and other onboard expenses.
Now, sales at Royal Caribbean aren’t anything new. They have Black Friday, Christmas, Valentine’s Day. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had an Arbor Day sale. But just because the line is promoting it as a “sale” doesn’t mean it’s a true savings.
Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing for many of its items, which means prices can vary by individual sailing and also based on when you book.
So are these Black Friday deals actually good?
To get a more scientific answer, we checked the Deluxe Beverage Package prices for 99 sailings across 28 ships and compared them with earlier prices recorded for those same cruises. And the results were very positive.
Almost 90% of Sailings Had Their Lowest Recorded Price
Of the 99 sailings we checked, 88 had a lower drink package price than we’d previously recorded. Another nine matched their previous low, while only two were more expensive.
That puts 98% of the cruises in our sample at or below their previous lowest recorded price!
By using a larger sample size, we were hoping to get an idea of the overall patterns. Checking one or two cruises might tell you whether those particular sailings have a good deal, but it doesn’t give you much of a feel for what’s happening elsewhere.
Our sample included departures from December 2026 through December 2027. We compared the prices available on November 5 with earlier prices in our database for each sailing.
How Much Can You Save?
Across the sailings we checked, the average drink package price was $67.32 per person per day. The average of those same cruises’ previous lowest prices was $73.29, making the November 5 prices about 8% cheaper.
The typical savings were around $6 per person per day compared with the previous low.
Six dollars might not sound particularly exciting, but multiply that by two people on a seven-day cruise, and you’re looking at $84 in savings at those daily rates. That’s enough to make checking your Cruise Planner worthwhile.
Some sailings had even bigger reductions.
| Ship | Sailing Date | Previous Recorded Low | Pre-Black Friday Price | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mariner of the Seas | January 30, 2027 | $67.99 | $56.99 | 16.2% |
| Independence of the Seas | January 10, 2027 | $70.99 | $59.99 | 15.5% |
| Allure of the Seas | August 15, 2027 | $77.99 | $65.99 | 15.4% |
| Harmony of the Seas | March 6, 2027 | $77.99 | $65.99 | 15.4% |
| Odyssey of the Seas | May 30, 2027 | $77.99 | $65.99 | 15.4% |
In total, 19 sailings were at least 10% cheaper than their previous recorded low.
The Two Exceptions Were Sailing Soon
Two cruises had drink package prices above their previous recorded lows.
For the December 6, 2026, sailing of Symphony of the Seas, the package was $73.99 per day, compared with a previous low of $70.99.
For the December 7, 2026, sailing of Utopia of the Seas, it was $77.99 per day, compared with a previous low of $71.99.
Both cruises were among the four closest departures we were tracking.
The other two cruises in that earliest group, Radiance of the Seas on December 5 and Star of the Seas on December 6, matched their previous lows. None of those four cruises had a new lower price.
Being close to departure could help explain why those deals weren’t as strong. It matches advice we’ve heard widely online: don’t wait until your sailing is close to book, as prices are often higher then, even with Black Friday deals.
Why Your Cruise Might Have a Different Deal
Royal Caribbean sets prices to maximize revenue for each sailing. That means the company can have different reasons to discount the drink package on different cruises.
If a cruise is light on pre-cruise purchases, a better offer might encourage more guests to buy. If plenty of people have already purchased packages, there may be less reason to offer a bigger discount.
That’s why two sailings on the same ship can have different prices during the same sale.
The only way to know for sure is to check the Cruise Planner or your Royal Caribbean app. And don’t look at the percentage off; Royal Caribbean plays games with these by increasing the base price to offer bigger “savings.” Always look at the actual price per day.
Check Your Price, Even If You’ve Looked Before
Based on this sample, the pre-Black Friday sale is worth a look. Most of the cruises we checked had their lowest recorded drink package price, and some were around 15% to 16% below their earlier low.
Look at the daily price and the final checkout total, and compare them with what you’ve seen before. A quick note or spreadsheet can make it much easier to tell whether the next sale is offering anything better.
You can also use our Cruise Planner Price Lookup to check pricing for a specific sailing.
Of course, getting a better price on a drink package only helps if you’ll use it enough. Before spending hundreds of dollars, try our Drink Package Calculator to see how the package compares with paying for the drinks you’d normally order.
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