P&O Cruises Drinks Packages

What are the new P&O Drinks Packages?

There are 4 P&O drinks Packages.

Refresh drinks package
Price: £10.95 per person, per day
10% discounted price when purchased before your holiday.

Alcohol-free drinks package
Price: £24.95 (per person, per day)
10% discounted price when purchased before your holiday.

The Classic drinks package
£44.95 per person per day
10% discounted price when purchased before your holiday.

The Deluxe drinks package
£54.95 per person per day
10% discounted price when purchased before your holiday.

What are the key changes?

Apart from price increases and a new premium drink package, here are some more the key changes I’ve noticed…

• There is now no mention of the £6.95 drink limit which might mean price changes on the new menus are ahead.
• There’s now a 10% discount incentive to book before you get on board.
• The Refresh drink package now replaces the Childrens’ Drinks Package.
• The Alcohol-free drink package is the new Non-Alcoholic Drinks Package.
• The Classic drink package seems to be the Ultimate Drinks Package

While The Deluxe drink package is listed as offering ‘everything from the Classic and even more!’ such as double measures, large glasses of wine and the full range from Costa coffee – this package still has a LOT of exclusions which I’ll go into below.

What’s not changed:

• You will still receive your Peninsular Club loyalty discount on your drinks package (this is the only discount which can be combined with the 10% advance purchase discount)
• Drinks packages are available on cruises of 5 nights or more.
• Drinks packages can only be purchased for the entire duration of the cruise. They cannot be purchased on a per-day basis.
• All adults in the same cabin must purchase the same drinks package.
• The sharing of packages isn’t permitted, so each adult sharing a cabin must buy the same drinks package individually.
• Only one drink may be ordered at a time.
• All drink orders must be at least 15 minutes apart
• Guests are entitled to up 15 drinks per day, per package. After which, any drinks will be charged at full price less 20% discount.
• Any guests aged 16 years and under will receive a complimentary Refresh drinks package when all adults occupying the same cabin purchase a Classic or Deluxe drinks package.
• Any guests aged 17 years must purchase an Alcohol-free or Refresh drinks package when any adult guests purchase an alcoholic package.
• Only one drink may be ordered per package at any one time at a minimum of 15-minute intervals.
• If purchasing a round of drinks, only one drink will qualify under their drinks package and the rest will be charged, with a 20% discount applied.
• Only guests aged 18 years and older on the date of embarkation (or 21 in USA/UAE territorial waters) may purchase the Classic or Deluxe drinks package.
• Guests aged 17 years and under may purchase the Alcohol-free drinks packages but will not be allowed to order non-alcoholic beers, wines, spirits, or Red Bull.
• You can buy packages at any bar on board until midnight on night two of your cruise and you can use your package in all the restaurants, bars and cafés on board.
• Children can have the refresh package independently of their parents. There is no requirement for adults in the same cabin to also purchase a package.
• Any loyalty discount will be applied when purchasing a drinks package.
• Drinks Packages purchased on board may not be cancelled once purchased (Drinks Packages purchased pre-cruise can be cancelled no later than 3 days before departure. In this event, a full refund will be applied to the credit/debit card used to make the purchase.)
• All bottles and cans will be served opened

What’s included in the new P&O Cruises drinks Packages? 

For an overview of what’s included see below.

What’s excluded from the Drinks Packages?

The following are NOT included in any drinks Package.

• All Signature whiskies, cognac and rums
• Bottles of wine, Champagne or spirits
• Selected glasses of fine wine
• Large bottled water
• Freakshakes
• Seven Wonders cocktails / Seven Treasures cocktails in Amber Bar (on Arvia) and Emerald Bar (on Iona)
• Exclusive Cocktails in Anderson’s Bar
• Drinks sold in shops on board
• Wine, beer and spirit flights or buckets of beer
• Drinks provided via self-service or vending machines
• Room service orders
• In-cabin water orders
• Mini-bar items
• The Retreat menu items

For guests under the age of 18, non-alcoholic beers, wines, spirits and Red Bull are not available ·
Use at special events such as P&O Cruises cocktail parties, wedding receptions or similar pre-booked private events.

Other than Peninsular Club loyalty discounts, Drinks Packages may not be combined with any other programmes, promotions, or on-board specials offers, or applied toward speciality dining cover charges.

They may not be used with any ‘Buy One Get One Free’ or multi-buy offers or used as part of any guest experiences (such as Wine Tastings, Cocktail Masterclasses or Spirit Masterclasses).

The Classic Drinks Package also excludes spirits served in 50ml measures, wine served in 250ml measures and medium size Costa Coffee products.

If your cruise ends in the UK, customs restrictions require that only non-alcoholic drinks are available once the ship has entered UK waters prior to disembarkation.

When Can you buy the Drinks Package on board P&O Cruises?

• Drinks Packages are available on cruises of 5 nights or longer.
• Drinks Packages can be purchased in advance of your cruise via My P&O Cruises or on board during the first 2 days of your cruise.
• If you purchase a Drinks Package on board, you will only pay for the day of purchase and the remaining days of your cruise.
• Drinks Packages must be purchased for the entire duration of your cruise. They cannot be purchased on a per-day basis.
• Classic and Deluxe Drinks Packages may only be purchased by adult guests. Adult guests are guests over the age of 18, or over the age of 21 if your cruise visits USA or UAE waters.
• Any guests aged 17 years must purchase either a Refresh or Alcohol-Free Drinks Package when any adults in the same cabin purchase a Classic or Deluxe Drinks Package.

For the full set of Terms and conditions click the image below. 

It looks like Drinks Menus will be changing

One thing which P&O cruises have made simpler is having a refresh of the drinks menus to show whether a drink is included in your package or not.

While I think this is a great thing – it will be interesting to see whether the prices of drinks change too.

Is the Drinks Package worth it?

Until we see the new drinks menu prices, we can’t say for sure how much value the new drinks packages will be. It also depends on your preferred drinks of choice, who you’re travelling with, how many ports and sea days you have, and even what cabin or loyalty tier you’re in. 

Watch this space for a fuller review once the new menus have been published. 

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