Should You Get the MSC Drinks Package?
Our honest take
Short answer: it depends on how much you actually drink. We've been sailing with MSC since 2013, and we bought a drinks package on every cruise for years, then stopped, and our holidays got cheaper and better. Here's what we learned.
The cocktail challenge
Our very first cruise was with MSC, sailing from Barcelona in December 2013, to celebrate my birthday.
Dave and I weren't married yet and our daughter wasn't born, so buying the drinks package felt like a no-brainer.
I still remember boarding with our excitement through the roof. Dave picked up a cocktail menu and announced that by the end of the week he would have tried every cocktail on it.
He has never been a big cocktail fan. He did it anyway.
Why we kept buying it
We did a few more cruises before our daughter arrived, and the drinks package came with us every time. We've tried both the standard package and the premium one.
Even after our daughter was born, we kept buying it. Her first cruise was on MSC Musica when she was five months old, and we still told ourselves the package was good value for money.
What changed
Over time, Dave was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. He had never been a big drinker but he started cutting right back on the little alcohol he did have on holiday. That made us look honestly at how we used the package.
We aren't big drinkers. Too often we were ordering a drink because we had to get our money's worth, not because we fancied one. I remember ordering a cocktail just after 10am, and that simply isn't me.
There was a bigger cost too. The whole point of a cruise is to see different places. Late nights and one drink too many make it easy to miss a port, or to drag yourself off the ship feeling rough just to make an excursion.
Our Experiment: Paying as we go
A few years ago, we decided to skip the package and see what we actually spent. We ordered only what we really wanted and paid for what we drank.
The result surprised us:
• It was far cheaper than buying packages for all of us.
• We drank what we fancied, not what we felt obliged to.
• We were fresher for excursions and made the most of every port.
• We were more relaxed, and the whole holiday felt more enjoyable.
Our insider tip
Book early and use your onboard credit. We usually book our cruises more than nine months ahead, because MSC often offers onboard credit for early bookings. We use that credit for drinks, ice creams and even the MSC shop. It doesn't cover everything, and we still top up our drinks bill at the end, but it's far less than we'd pay without it.
Our verdict: is it worth it?
Before you buy, think honestly about how much you drink on an average holiday day.
It's probably worth it if you:
• Have more than four or five drinks a day
• Drink regularly throughout the day
It's probably not worth it if you:
• Barely drink, like us
• Are a social drinker who enjoys a glass or two of wine with dinner
• Mostly want a speciality coffee in the morning and the odd ice cream
The exception: if the package comes included with your fare, or as part of a really good cabin promotion, take it. We've had deals so cheap that it made no difference how much we drank. Turning it down would have been the silly choice.
Over to you
There's no right or wrong answer, only what suits the way you holiday. Did you get the drinks package on your last cruise, and was it worth it?
Viky & Dave