Is it cheaper to buy a drinks package on board? Here's what cruise passengers should know.

A latte in the morning here, a piña colada by the pool there. On a cruise, ordering drinks can rack up a steep bill before you know it.

Though beverages like water, regular coffee, iced tea and lemonade are generally included in cruise fares, others cost extra. That’s where drink packages come in handy.

The optional add-ons broaden the range of beverages you can order without worrying about incurring charges each time. But they aren’t always worth it, and it can be cheaper to quench your thirst a la carte.

“What I tell clients is: Do the math on it,” said Rusty Pickett, a travel adviser and owner of Shellback Cruises.

What do cruise drink packages include?

“Each cruise line has a different package system,” Pickett said. The packages typically range from more limited soda or coffee packages to those that cover a wide range of alcohol and other drinks.

Carnival offers a Bottomless Bubbles package that includes sodas and juice. The line’s Cheers! package includes those, plus spirits, beer and wine by the glass priced at $20 or less, specialty coffee and more (guests can order only one drink at a time and are limited to 15 alcoholic drinks in 24 hours). Carnival also offers wine-specific packages.

Be sure to read the fine print, too, because there are often restrictions. On Royal Caribbean International ships, for example, beverage packages exclude drinks served in licensed Starbucks stores.

How much do cruise drink packages cost?

Beverage packages are typically priced per person, per day and sold for the duration of a cruise. Starting prices vary but can range from $10 to $15 for soda and specialty coffee packages to upward of $100 for those that include alcohol. Pickett also noted that a number of lines have raised drink package prices in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The aforementioned Cheers!, Carnival's most comprehensive package, starts at $59.95 per person, per day, while the Bottomless Bubbles package starts at $6.95 for kids and $9.50 for adults. During a recent cruise on the line’s newest ship, Jubilee, cocktails at new venues Dr.Inks, Ph.D., and The Golden Mermaid were priced at $14 a la carte, plus an 18% gratuity charge. Beverage packages generally include gratuities, Pickett said.

The most I racked up in a single day on Jubilee – for two lattes at the ship's JavaBlue Cafe and Marina Bar; two bottles of water in my stateroom; and one cocktail at the Marina Bar that night (plus additional gratuities I added) – was $34.86.

“When (clients) want to talk it through, it's usually about how much you drink per day,” said Valerie Dorsey, a franchise owner and travel adviser at Cruise Planners. “And if you're only going to have one or two drinks, even at $15 a drink, it's still cheaper than buying a $100-a-day package.”

Mainstream cruise lines may offer lower prices if guests purchase a package advance, according to Dorsey (luxury lines tend to include more in their fares, including drinks). Operators may also bundle them as part of other offers.

Even if not for cost savings, Pickett and Dorsey both said some travelers are drawn to drink packages for the convenience. “They're willing to pay money for not being nickeled-and-dimed when they go up to the bar,” Pickett said.

Does everyone in the cabin need to get the drink package?

Often, all guests of legal drinking age in the same stateroom are required to purchase a drink package if any guest in the cabin buys one, including the Cheers! package and Royal Caribbean's Deluxe Beverage Package.

Can I buy a drink package midcruise?

Even if you don't buy a drink package beforehand, you're not out of luck. Passengers may be able to buy them after they board, depending on when they make the purchase.

Royal Caribbean, for instance, sells drink packages on the first or second day of cruises four nights or longer; for sailings three nights or less, they're sold only on the first day. Celebrity Cruises (also part of Royal Caribbean Group), meanwhile, sells them up until three days before the end of a cruise.

Prices would be prorated on a per-day basis.

Can I bring my own drinks on a cruise?

Yes, depending on what it is. Beer and hard liquor are not allowed, but guests can bring wine or champagne to enjoy during their sailing – though Dorsey warned they will probably have to pay a corkage fee if they want to drink them outside their cabin.

For example, Princess Cruises charges $20 “should guests wish to consume their wine or champagne in the ship’s public areas,” according to its passage contract.

Guests may also be able to bring non-alcoholic drinks like bottled water, sodas and milk, but policies vary by line.

Dorsey also noted that if guests don’t mind going without espresso-based drinks or cocktails, they can opt not to buy a drink package at all. “I say to clients, ‘You don't have to put up extra money on a cruise if you don't want to.’ ”

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Are cruise line drink packages worth the price? Not necessarily