Deen on Deck. It's a travel blog.

1. You find a fare that already includes it, for cheap. For a while, I got out of the habit of checking “other” fares besides the cheapest one, usually positioned at the top of the list. This was a mistake. Scroll down, and see what’s available: once I got a Carnival cruise that included Cheers, for a TOTAL of $50 more (not per day, total) than the fare that didn’t include it. So always check. MSC in particular has some nice fares right now, drinks included!

2. You want to be free… Many cruisers find the drink package liberating. You don’t have to think about it, you don’t have to add anything up in your head; it’s all already taken care of. You can try every crazy cocktail that ever caught your eye, with impunity. (Ok, you can try 15 of them on Carnival). Bonus points if the ship has specific bars you’re excited to try (Bionic, Havana, Fortune Teller... I’m looking at youz guys…)

3. Your cruise is short. They call ’em booze cruises for a reason, folks. I’m not sure if you guys are aware of this, but I’m out of my 20’s. And 30’s… and… 4…we’ll stop there. I can’t hang like I used to, and I generally only drink, festively…if you will…one day in a row. The second day is all about recovery. So, if I’m on a 3 or 4 -day itinerary, there won’t be too many “wasted” days on the package. Also, paying the package fee for 3 days hurts the wallet much less than paying it for 10. It doesn’t seem so crazy to say, “I drank $180 worth of alcohol” — vs. “I drank… $6000 worth of alcohol.” Or whatever. Math can be difficult for me.

4. Someone else in your cabin really wants the package. You actually don’t have much of a choice with this one, if someone sharing your cabin wants the drink package, and you are of age, then you must also purchase the drink package. Or do you? People get around this rule by having drink package people and non-drink package people from the same group pair up in cabins together and later switch places. I’m not here to tell you if it’s right or wrong, but people 100% do this and the cruise lines don’t give a hoot. In fact, they’ll make extra key cards so that you can get into the cabin you’re actually staying in.

5. There’s peer pressure. I was once cruising with a group of friends who all had the drink package and I did not. It sounds silly, and I’m not even a huge drinker, but I did feel just a little bit left out. Maybe it’s the “freedom” aspect, but there’s just something about having the drink package that makes it feel like a little bit more of a party, in my book. So, yeah, if all my friends are getting it, I’m more likely to lemming myself right off that cliff along with them.

6. You can hold your liqua. Can you be trusted? Do you enjoy yourself, but don’t get sloppy or throw a punch? Than YOU, my friend, might be a great candidate for the drink package! We’ve all seen those who do NOT fit the bill here, but for those who do (and do not feel constant pressure to “get their money’s worth” and drink as much as humanly possible, every single day of the cruise), than the drink package can be a nice treat. You’re on vacation, after all.