Holland America Drink Packages – Everything You Need to Know

Want to enjoy a drink but don’t want sticker shock at the end of your cruise? One of the Holland America Drink Packages might be right for you.

Holland America offers several drink packages. These range from a fountain soda package, literally called the Coca-Cola Package all the way up to the 15-alcoholic-drinks-a-day Elite Beverage Package.

I have cruised a lot – 20 plus cruises from your basic cruises up to ultra luxury and Holland America’s Drink Packages are some of the most affordable in the industry. A drink package can be a great way to keep your expenses in check during your holiday-at-sea.

Holland America Drink Packages: Quick Overview

Holland America Drink Packages are split into four options. There are two non-alcoholic choices and two options that include alcoholic beverages as well.

Holland America Drink Package	Main Inclusions	Maximum Drinks	Cost
Coca-Cola Package	Unlimited fountain sodas	Unlimited	$8.00 per guest/per day + 18% gratuity
Quench Package	Non-alcoholic drinks including specialty coffees, sodas, and mocktails	Up to 15 drinks per day	$17.95 per guest/per day + 18% gratuity
Signature Beverage Package	Everything from the Quench package plus beers, spirits, cocktails, and wines by the glass up to $11	Up to 15 drinks per day	$60.95 per guest/per day + 18% gratuity
Elite Beverage package	Everything from the Signature package plus beers, spirits, cocktails, and wines by the glass up to $15	Up to 15 alcoholic drinks per day, unlimited non-alcoholic drinks	$64.95 per guest/per day + 18% gratuity

What’s Included in Holland Americas Drink Packages?

What is included depends on which package you get! There are four levels, each offering something different. There are two options for non-alcoholic beverages only and then two options that include alcoholic beverages as well.

We also talk a bit about the Have-It-All package, available on most sailings, that includes the Signature Beverage Package plus a host of other amenities.

What are the Non-Alcoholic Beverage Packages?

For the non-alcoholic drink package options there is the Coca-Cola Package and the Quench Package.

Option #1: Coca-Cola package

These package includes, as you guessed it, soda. This includes unlimited fountain sodas and on the Pinnacle Class ships (Rotterdam, Nieuw Statendam, and Koningsdam) also includes the Freestyle soda machines.

There is no limit to the number of sodas you can have in a day, so enjoy!

Option #2: Quench package

The Quench package is definitely a step up from the soda-only option as it includes things such as specialty coffees, mocktails, juices (although some juice is included at breakfast time), and yes, sodas. There is a maximum of 15 drinks per day on this beverage package.

What Holland America Drink Packages Include Alcoholic Beverages?

Holland America has two drink packages that include alcoholic beverages. These packages are only for guests who are 21 years and older at the time of sailing.

It’s worth noting Holland America’s alcohol policy does allow on some voyages guests that are 18+ to consume alcoholic beverages.

Holland America Signature vs Elite Beverage Package
Quick Overview

Both the Signature and Elite beverage packages include alcoholic beverages but they each have some restrictions.

Aside from the Elite package being more expensive than the Signature there are two main differences – how expensive the drinks are you can get and how many non-alcoholic drinks you can get as part of the package.

Beverage Package	How Many Beverages A Day?	Including Drinks Up to What Cost?	Cost
***Signature Beverage Package	15 alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages*	Drinks up to $11**	$60.95 per person/per day + 18% gratuity
****Elite Beverage Package	15 alcoholic beverages plus unlimited non-alcoholic beverages*	Drinks up to $15**	$64.95 per person/per day + 18% gratuity

Signature Beverage Package

The Signature beverage package is the most common beverage package Holland America offers. Partially because it is the base level option that includes alcohol and partially because it’s the included package with the Have It All promotion.

The Signature beverage package is $60.95 per person/per day + 18% gratuity. With this package you can enjoy up to 15 drinks per day that are up to $11 each. This is a mix of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

The non-alcoholic drink options are those included with the Quench package.

If you were to order a drink that was more than $11 you would pay the difference in cost not the full cost of the drink.

Elite beverage package

The Elite beverage package starts at $64.95 per person/per day and includes pretty much all of the other packages and you can order drinks up to $15 each.

Other than being able to order slightly more expensive drinks without it costing you more the other big advantage of this package is you can order 15 alcoholic drinks plus as many non-alcoholic drinks as you would like. Now, it would take a lot to go through 15 alcoholic drinks plus some specialty coffees and sodas, but no judgement here – go for it.

🍹 Pro Tip 🍹
There is an off menu item called the Weng Weng.
This is a Holland America tradition.
Use caution though as this drink is strong!

How much does a Holland America Drink Package Cost?

A drink package ranges in price from $8 per person, per day all the way up to $64.95 per person, per day. As you would guess the more expensive package has more included and the least expensive has less.

Here are the basic costs:

Holland America Drink Package	Cost
Coca-Cola Package	$8.00 per guest/per day + 18% gratuity
Quench Package	$17.95 per guest/per day + 18% gratuity
Signature Beverage Package	$60.95 per guest/per day + 18% gratuity
Elite Beverage package	$64.95 per guest/per day + 18% gratuity

The least expensive do not include alcohol. These are the the Coca-Cola Package which costs $8 per person, per day and the Quench Package costs $17.95 per person, per day.

For the packages including alcohol, the Signature beverage package costs $60.95 per person, per day, where as the Elite beverage package costs $64.95 per person, per day.

It’s worth noting that on voyages 6 days or longer, you may have the option to purchase the Have It All package which starts at $60 a day and includes the Signature beverage package and also includes Wi-Fi, a shore excursion credit, and specialty dining credit.

🛳️ Interested in cruising on Holland America?
☑️ Check pricing, availability, and search for deals here!

Which non-alcoholic drinks are not included in a Holland America Drinks Package?

There are a few non-alcoholic drink categories that are not included in any of the Holland America drinks packages.

These include:

• in-cabin mini-bar
• fresh squeezed and cold pressed juices
• all refreshments from the Gelato juice bar
• drinks ashore at Half Moon Cay

What other drink discounts are available?

There are other drink discounts available. On Holland America you can typically find at least one happy hour per day. Which bar this is at and exactly what the discount is will depend a bit on the itinerary and ship that you are on, but it would provide a bit of a discount.

Another option would be the Sommelier suite wine package. This can be purchased once onboard and provides the option to enjoy several bottles of wine at a discounted price.

Additionally, if you are a part of the Holland America loyalty program, the Mariner Society and are at least at the 3 star level you are eligible for discounts on the Sommelier wine package. If you are four star and up you can receive a discount on the wine package plus enjoy complimentary wine tastings, and discounts on the in-cabin mini-bar.

You should also consider there are quite a few ways to get onboard credit on Holland America – money that could then be spent towards your drinks onboard.

How many drinks does it take to make the drink package worth it on a Holland America cruise?

Whether or not a drink package will be worth it for you depends on how much you plan to drink of course! If you were only going to have one or two drinks a day it wouldn’t be worth it – but let’s take a look at just how many it would take to be worth it.

A drink package can also be worth it, not because of a specific number of drinks but because it gives an all-inclusive feel to your cruise.

Holland America Drink Package	Cost (+ 18% gratuity)	Basics of Package	How many drinks to make it worth it?
Coca-Cola Package	$8.00 per guest/per day	Only sodas	Coke is $2.95, or 3 sodas per day ($2.95 x 3 = $8.85)
Quench Package	$17.95 per guest/per day	Up to 15 non-alcoholic* drinks	Acqua Panna is $6, or 3 drinks per day ($6.00 x 3 = $18.00)
Signature Beverage Package	$60.95 per guest/per day	Up to 15 drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic*) costing up to $11 each	Beer at $7.75 you would need 8 beers ($7.75 x 8 = $62) Wine at $11 you would need 6 glasses of wine ($11 x 6 = $66)
Elite Beverage package	$64.95 per guest/per day	Up to 15 alcoholic drinks costing up to $15 each, plus unlimited non-alcoholic drinks*	Beer at $7.75 you would need 9 beers ($7.75 x 9 = $69.75) Glenfiddich 12 yr you would need 5 whiskys (or nice glasses of wine) ($14.50 x 5 = $72.50) **With this you can also get unlimited non-alcoholic drinks, so grab some waters and sodas, too!

Coca-Cola Package

This package is $8.00 per person per day and Coca-Cola or soft drink is $2.95. If you planned to have just three soft drinks per day it would be worth it to have this drink package. $2.95 x 3 is $8.85, so you’d already have an 85 cent savings.

Quench Package

This package is $17.95 per person per day. With this package you can get specialty coffees, soft drinks, mocktails, and bottled water. If you were just to buy bottled water, either the Acqua Panna and San Pellegrino are $6 each so you would just need to buy 3 of these to make it worth it.

Signature Beverage Package

This package is $60.95 per person, per day and allows you to get spirits, wine by the glass, beer, cocktails, soft drinks, and more up to $11 each.

If you were a wine drinker you would need to drink 6 glasses of $11/glass wine to make this package worth it.

If you primarily drank beer, at $7.75 per drink you would need to drink 8 beers per day to make this worth it.

Elite Beverage Package

This package is $65.95 per person per day. For the Elite beverage package it would take 8 beers per day, but would only take 5 glasses of wine if you were to get the $14.50 wine.

FAQ’s of Holland America Drink Packages

What are Holland America beverage cards?

Maybe a full drink package isn’t for you but you want to feel free to spend some on drinks. A good way to budget for this is through beverage cards. These are kind of like gift cards but they can only be used for drinks.

How do I order beverage packages and cards?

You can order beverage packages and beverage cards onboard. Additionally, friends and family could buy a beverage package or card for you as a gift. This could be a great way to brighten up someones cruise or offer them a nice surprise onboard.

Bonus: There are so many ways to get extra onboard credit on Holland America that you can use towards beverages, shore excursions and more.

Another Holland America Drink Package Option:
The Have It All Package

This package might be the golden option for most that would be interested in a drink package.

The Have It All package is a package you can purchase that includes a Wi-Fi package, drinks package, shore excursion credit, and some specialty dining. This package is only available on voyages 6 days and longer, but if you are already considering a drink package this package, starting at $60 per person/per day can certainly be a good value or at least worth considering.

The regular Have It All package includes the Signature Beverage package; where as the Have It All Early Booking Bonus (when you book early you’re eligible for this option) includes the Elite Beverage package.

Which drink package is included in the Have-It-All package?

The Have It All package includes the Signature Beverage package.

If you are comparing the Have-It-All package (starting at $60 a day) to a beverage package, this, the Signature Beverage Package, is the one included in the Have-It-All promotion.

If you are considering this beverage package and the Have It All promotion is available on your sailing just get the Have It All package! We outline all of the value of the Have It All program here.

🍹 In Conclusion: Holland America Drink Packages

While $50 plus per person is a pretty price to pay and certainly adds to the overall cost of the cruise, it can be a good value if you are planning on having a mix of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

However, if you are on a cruise for 6 days or longer and were planning on getting at least the Signature beverage package, you should honestly go for the Have It All package as you get more for your money at the same price point.

🛳️ Interested in cruising on Holland America?
☑️ Check pricing, availability, and search for deals here!