Food + drink hacks for your cruise

Eating and drinking on a cruise is arguably one of the best parts about cruising. There are tons of ways to make your dollar stretch when you get on your cruise, so these are my top tips.

Drink package - This is unsurprisingly my top tip lol. They run anywhere from $50-90/day on your cruise depending on the line. Drinks run anywhere from $8-15/drink. So if you drink anywhere from 5 -7 beer and/or cocktails a day (or even coffee and soda!), this makes sense. If you work it out to a mimosa in the morning, 2 cocktails by the pool, 1 glass of wine at dinner, and a cocktail in the evening, this adds up and makes sense. Royal doesn’t have a limit on the number of drinks or how frequently you buy them, so it also helps if you get a drink, hate it, and want something different. You just get a new one and don’t have to worry about it! This package also includes sodas and coffees. They also run a ton of deals on drink packages (I’ve seen it as low at $20/day for Royal Caribbean), so keep an eye out for deals and book it when you see a good one.

PRO TIP: If you get the drink package and end up going to the cruise line’s private island, the drink package usually works there, as well.

Try different foods - Your food is paid for when you get on the boat, so use this time to try different foods! This is a great time to experiment without it feeling like a risk since the food is paid for :) When you get into your ports, try some local food and drinks and try to support the local economy as much as you can.

Try specialty restaurants - These are like the drink package in that you can purchase a “dining plan” ahead of time, but it is worth it. On Harmony of the Seas, they had 15 restaurants. We didn’t have this plan for every night, but we had a few nights and ate at an Italian place (incredible), a steakhouse (great wine), and a “dining experience” called Wonderland. You can pay for your dinner there if you choose to eat there one night, but it tends to be a bit more expensive. Similar to the rest of the dining on the ship though, you can get whatever you want and multiple plates of it.

Dinner Hacks - You can order multiple plates at dinner… If they have steak, lobster, and chicken and you want a DIY surf n turf, order the steak and lobster. That’s okay!

Pizza Hacks - You can get a whole pizza for free. This may be Royal specific, but if your ship has a pizza spot, you can usually get an entire pizza for free. This is always nice if they’re out of the style you want.

Grab snacks from the buffet for your shore excursions - Buying snacks on land can add up. Grab a banana and some other small, easily transportable items from the buffet to pack in your bag when you’re off the ship.

If you have any additional hacks for your cruise, share them in the comments below :)