I was invited by Emerald to join them on what was my first river cruise.
We cruised from Arles to Lyon onboard the Emerald Libertie.
We had the premium drinks package. This post will explain what is included in each drink package and how much each one costs.
The drinks packages are listed below, prices are based on cruising in 2023 and may change.
What Drink Packages do Emerald River Cruises have?
Europe and Southeast Asia river cruising drinks packages are available.
If you want to drink other than at lunch and dinner, you may want to consider buying a drinks package.
Drinks Packages available on Emerald River Cruises
NON-ALCOHOLIC PACKAGE €9.80 per person/per day
Unlimited access to a range of soft drinks, bottled juices, and mocktails
EXTENDED PACKAGE €13.80 per person/per day
A daily selection of wines by the glass, draft beer, and soft drinks will be available to you throughout the day.
PREMIUM PACKAGE €27.00 per person/per day
The entire beverage menu available all day long – from an international selection of draft/bottled beer to cocktails, long drinks as well as wine and Prosecco by the glass.
There are some Rules Regarding Drinks Packages:
Rules regarding buying drinks packages, and there are some drinks excluded. The rules that apply to buying drinks packages are listed below:
- All packages are available to guests of 18 years or older.
- Packages are applicable throughout the entire public areas and lounges only.
- Wine from Chairman’s Wine List is excluded from the Premium package.
- The mini-bar and the serving of beverages in your cabin are excluded from any of the packages.
- The packages are also valid on disembarkation day – this day is not charged.
- The responsible service of alcohol policy applies at all times.
- Beverages cannot be taken ashore due to local custom regulations.
- Both guests sharing a cabin must purchase the same drink package.
- Beverage packages are non-refundable and cannot be extended to other guests.
- Prices include the standard beverage service charge.
- Drinks package prices are subject to change.
It is worth noting that you can either purchase a package for the entire cruise or you can “upgrade” midway through your cruise.
If you get to day 3 of a 7-day cruise and decide you want to buy the drinks package, you can buy it for the remainder of the cruise and only pay for the remaining days.
To buy the package you just talk to any member of staff in/around the bar.
What Drinks Are Included in Emerald Waterways River Cruises?
The standard cruise fare includes a number of drinks with meals. If you don’t drink a lot it would be very easy to come away from the cruise with a very small bill.
While on board, a daily selection of complimentary wines, draft beer and soft drinks are available with lunch and dinner.
It is worth noting that these complimentary drinks aren’t only available in the main dining room.
Emerald also offers a ‘lighter’ lunch option in the main lounge so you can enjoy a complimentary drink here too.
When onboard I completed a daily diary which details everything we did, everywhere we went and also everything we had to drink.
To learn more about the onboard experience click here:
Emerald Waterways – Daily Diary 2019.
You’ll find bottles of water around the ship for free. There are little bottles for excursions and bigger bottles in your cabin. All complimentary!
Drinks Packages Available
I thought that the drinks packages on Emerald were very reasonable when comparing them to similar packages on Ocean cruise ships!
Soft Drinks Package
NON-ALCOHOLIC PACKAGE €9.80 per person/per day (Around £8.50/$10.40)
This gives you unlimited access to a range of soft drinks, bottled juices, and mocktails.
In comparison, a similar package on British Ocean cruise line costs £25 a day! ($30/ €28)
Emerald Extended Drinks Package
This package means that you can have the beer/wine and soft drinks usually offered at lunch/dinner all day long.
EXTENDED PACKAGE €13.80 per person/per day (Around £12/$14.60)
A daily selection of wines by the glass, draft beer, and soft drinks will be available to you throughout the day.
A similar classic drinks package on Celebrity Cruise Lines costs around $89 per day (€ 95/ £73)
Emerald Premium Drinks Package
This is the package that we had. It is an ‘unlimited’ package which allows you to drink anything from the menu.
PREMIUM PACKAGE €27.00 per person/per day (Around £23.40/$28.50)
Norwegian Cruise lines Premium Plus drinks charge is around $165 per day (£135/ €156)
An unlimited drinks package on an ocean ship could easily cost you €80 per day!
Hot Beverages (Free)
A range of hot beverages are available at no extra charge:
- Coffee
- Espresso
- Double Espresso
- Cappuccino
- Latte Macchiato
- A Selection of Teas
- Hot Chocolate
There is a tea and coffee machine in the main lounge which can be used at any time.
I was lucky enough to take an Emerald Super Yacht Ocean cruise recently.
Emerald have two Luxury Ocean Yachts, Emerald Azzurra and Emerald Sakara. These Yachts only have 100 passengers onboard – very different from your average ocean cruise ship!
Find out all about that amazing trip here:
Before You Go
Now that you’ve got your drinks package sorted, you may be wondering what to wear on your river cruise.
Before my first river cruise, I was worried that the dress code may be too formal, however, I didn’t find it to be in any way formal or ‘stuffy’ as I had feared!
In this post we talk about daytime dress, what to wear on excursions and what you wear around the ship: Emerald Waterways: Dress Code, What To Wear.
I took a more “Budget” river cruise with Tui. Find out what i thought of it below:
TUI River Cruise Review – Ship, Cabins, Food, Entertainment & More
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