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If you’ve cruised with American cruise lines before, stepping onboard a P&O Cruises ship can feel a little different. And the drinks situation is one of the biggest reasons why.
On Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, or Celebrity, drinks packages can almost feel essential. Cocktails are pricey, gratuities get added onto every round, and the final bill can become mildly terrifying by day three.
P&O Cruises is a different story.
Because it’s a British cruise line, the pricing feels far more familiar to UK cruisers. What you see on the menu is what you pay. No surprise tax added at checkout. No automatic 18% gratuity suddenly appearing on your bill.
That changes the maths.
P&O drinks are actually reasonably priced
This is probably the biggest reason many people skip the package altogether.
Unlike some cruise lines where a cocktail can creep toward £16 after taxes and gratuities, P&O’s onboard prices are much closer to what you’d expect in a decent UK pub, hotel bar, or city restaurant.
Wine, beer, and cocktails are generally priced sensibly enough that many cruisers never come close to “winning” against the package cost.
The current drinks package pricing starts around:
- Classic package: from £50 per person per day
- Deluxe package: from around £60 per person per day
That means a couple could easily spend over £100 per day before they’ve even ordered their first drink.
And that’s where many people pause.
You need to drink quite a lot to break even
The reality is fairly simple.
If you’re someone who enjoys:
- three/four cocktails by the pool
- wine with dinner
- a few beers during the evening entertainment
- coffees and soft drinks throughout the day
…then yes, you can absolutely get value from the package.
But if you’re a lighter or moderate drinker, pay-as-you-go often works out cheaper on P&O.
One cruiser online compared the numbers directly:
“No drinks package: £9.50 per 250ml wine X 2 people X 7 nights = £532. Deluxe drinks package: £50 a day X 2 people X 7 days = £700.”
That’s really the key thing with P&O. Because the drinks aren’t outrageously expensive to begin with, you need to consistently drink a fairly high volume every single day to come out ahead.
And remember, port days matter too.
If you’re off exploring Barcelona, Rome, or the Norwegian Fjords for eight hours, that’s a huge chunk of the day where you’re not using the package at all.
The onboard vibe matters too
This is something people don’t always mention, but it genuinely affects whether a drinks package feels worthwhile.
P&O Cruises generally has a more relaxed, British atmosphere onboard.
It’s not really a Royal Caribbean / Carnival style cruise.
You’ll absolutely find bars, cocktails, live music, and people having a great time, but the overall energy is usually calmer than some American lines where pool decks turn into full-blown party zones by lunchtime.
That naturally changes drinking habits for a lot of people.
Many P&O cruisers are perfectly happy with:
- a coffee in the morning
- a glass of wine with dinner
- maybe a cocktail during the evening show
And that’s often nowhere near enough to justify £50+ per day.
Several cruisers online mentioned that even drinking regularly onboard, they still found paying individually worked out cheaper than buying the package.
Where the package does make sense
There are definitely situations where it works well.
I’d seriously consider it if you:
- drink cocktails regularly throughout the day
- love speciality coffees
- drink premium spirits or wine
- spend lots of time onboard during sea days
- want the convenience of not thinking about prices
- enjoy trying different drinks without caring about the running total
There’s also something psychologically nice about going all-inclusive on holiday. Ordering another Aperol Spritz without mentally calculating your onboard account does feel freeing.
And if you’re someone who would naturally spend heavily anyway, the package can remove that little voice in your head constantly doing maths.
The hidden advantage of P&O
This is where P&O quietly wins against a lot of competitors.
No added gratuities.
No service charge.
No tax surprise.
On some US cruise lines, a “$14 cocktail” suddenly becomes $18 or $19 after extras are added. P&O avoids all of that. That alone makes pay-as-you-go feel much less painful.
So… is it worth it?
For many cruisers, especially moderate drinkers, paying individually can work out better value on P&O Cruises.
The drinks are already fairly affordable, the atmosphere onboard is less party-heavy, and the lack of added gratuities makes buying drinks individually feel much more reasonable than it does on some American cruise lines.
But if you’re someone who genuinely enjoys several alcoholic drinks, coffees, soft drinks, and cocktails every single day onboard, then the package can still work in your favour.
The key is being realistic about how you actually drink on holiday, not how you imagine you’ll drink once you’re staring at the booking page six months before sailing.
