Norwegian (NCL) Drink Package Calculator
Norwegian's drink package math is unusual: most guests get the Unlimited Open Bar "free" through the Free at Sea promo but still pay a daily beverage service charge. Use the calculator to see what your habits cost against that charge — and whether the Premium Plus upgrade earns its keep.
Unlimited Open Bar (via Free at Sea)
Unlimited cocktails, beer, wine, and soda up to $15 per drink. Taken as the Free at Sea booking promo, you pay only this daily beverage service charge (gratuities included)
- Does NOT cover Starbucks/specialty coffee, bottled water, or energy drinks
- All adults (21+) in a cabin must purchase; under-21s must take the Soda Package
- $32/day on 2-5 night sailings; $109/day retail if bought without the Free at Sea promo
- Not usable at Great Stirrup Cay from March 2026 without the Plus upgrade
Open Bar + Premium Plus Upgrade
Removes the $15 per-drink cap and adds top-shelf spirits, premium wines, Starbucks specialty coffee, bottled water, and energy drinks
- Priced as the Free at Sea charge plus the $29/day Premium Plus upgrade (20% gratuity applies to the upgrade portion)
- All adults (21+) in a cabin must purchase
Unlimited Soda Package
Unlimited fountain Coca-Cola products (fountain only — no cans, bottled water, or juice)
Unlimited Starbucks Package
All Starbucks coffees, teas, Refreshers, and Frappuccinos onboard
Typical cruises range from 3 to 14 nights
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Norwegian (NCL) drink packages at a glance
Unlimited Open Bar (via Free at Sea)
Unlimited cocktails, beer, wine, and soda up to $15 per drink. Taken as the Free at Sea booking promo, you pay only this daily beverage service charge (gratuities included)
- Does NOT cover Starbucks/specialty coffee, bottled water, or energy drinks
- All adults (21+) in a cabin must purchase; under-21s must take the Soda Package
- $32/day on 2-5 night sailings; $109/day retail if bought without the Free at Sea promo
- Not usable at Great Stirrup Cay from March 2026 without the Plus upgrade
Open Bar + Premium Plus Upgrade
Removes the $15 per-drink cap and adds top-shelf spirits, premium wines, Starbucks specialty coffee, bottled water, and energy drinks
- Priced as the Free at Sea charge plus the $29/day Premium Plus upgrade (20% gratuity applies to the upgrade portion)
- All adults (21+) in a cabin must purchase
Unlimited Soda Package
Unlimited fountain Coca-Cola products (fountain only — no cans, bottled water, or juice)
Unlimited Starbucks Package
All Starbucks coffees, teas, Refreshers, and Frappuccinos onboard
Prices are typical standalone pre-gratuity rates and change by sailing and promotion — the calculator lets you adjust any price to match your quote.
How NCL's Free at Sea drink package really works
Nearly every NCL booking includes the Unlimited Open Bar package through the Free at Sea promotion — but "free" means you pay the beverage service charge: $28.50 per person per day on 6+ night sailings, or $32.00 per day on 2-5 night cruises (as of May 2026). That's still a fraction of the $109/day retail price, so if you drink at all regularly, taking the promo is usually a straightforward win. The break-even is only about two to three drinks a day.
The catch is what's excluded. The Open Bar covers drinks up to $15 — cocktails, beer, wine by the glass, and fountain soda — but not Starbucks specialty coffee, not bottled water, and not energy drinks, all of which are covered by comparable packages on other lines. Coffee drinkers and bottled-water devotees should factor those à-la-carte costs (about $6 and $4.50 respectively) into the comparison, or look at the Premium Plus upgrade.
Premium Plus costs $29 per day (plus 20% gratuity) on top of the Open Bar and removes the $15 cap while adding Starbucks, bottled water, premium spirits, and energy drinks. Two more rules to know: all adults in the cabin must take the same package (under-21s must buy the Soda Package), and starting March 2026 the standard Open Bar no longer works at Great Stirrup Cay, NCL's private island — only Premium Plus and Free at Sea Plus holders drink on the package there.