Do Drinks Packages Exist on Virgin Voyages? Explained

No, Virgin Voyages does not have a traditional drinks package

Virgin Voyages does not offer a conventional cruise drinks package. There is no unlimited beverage plan in the usual cruise-line style, no compulsory cabin-wide buy-in, and no old-fashioned package rules designed around hitting a daily minimum just to “make it worth it”.

Instead, Virgin Voyages includes a core range of essential drinks in the fare and then gives Sailors the option to either pay as they go for premium beverages or pre-purchase Bar Tab before sailing. That is the key distinction. If you are searching for “Virgin Voyages drinks package”, what you are really looking for is how Bar Tab works and whether it suits your travel style.

This matters because a lot of cruise advice still assumes every line works on the same package model. Virgin Voyages does not. Clear planning beats assumptions every time, and drinks are one of the easiest areas where a small misunderstanding can distort the whole budget conversation.

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What drinks are already included on Virgin Voyages?

Virgin Voyages includes the basics many Sailors use every day: filtered still and sparkling water, non-pressed juices, sodas, sachet teas, and drip coffee. So although there is no traditional drinks package, you are not paying for every sip from the moment you board.

That included base is part of why Virgin Voyages often feels better value than people expect once they understand the model properly. If you mostly drink water, soft drinks, and standard coffee, your extra spend can stay fairly low. The budget changes when you move into premium drinks such as cocktails, wine, beer, spirits, speciality coffees, smoothies, juices, or mocktails.

This is also why “does Virgin Voyages include drinks?” is not the same question as “does Virgin Voyages have a drinks package?” Some drinks are absolutely included. The premium part of the menu is where Bar Tab or pay-as-you-go comes in.

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What Virgin Voyages offers instead: Bar Tab

Bar Tab is Virgin Voyages’ alternative to the usual drinks package model. Instead of paying a fixed daily rate for unlimited drinks, you pre-purchase drinks credit before sailing and Virgin Voyages adds bonus credit on top. That prepaid credit can then be used for premium alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages around the ship and at The Beach Club at Bimini.

Current Bar Tab tiers add extra value to tiered prepaid amounts, which is why many Sailors see it as the smarter, more flexible version of a drinks package. It rewards realistic planning without forcing every cabin to buy the same plan. That is a major philosophical difference from most traditional cruise package structures.

Bar Tab can cover cocktails, wine, beer, speciality coffee, smoothies, cold-pressed juices, and other premium beverages prepared by crew. It cannot be used for non-beverage purchases such as spa or Shore Things, and if the balance runs out, eligible purchases move on to Sailor Loot and then to your payment card on file.

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Is Bar Tab basically a drinks package?

It is the closest Virgin Voyages equivalent, but it is not the same thing. A traditional drinks package is normally sold as unlimited or semi-unlimited daily access. Bar Tab is prepaid drinks credit with bonus value. That means it works best when your spending is reasonably predictable rather than when you want a fixed-rate unlimited model.

For many Sailors, that is actually a better system. You are not forced into overbuying to chase break-even value, and you are not locked into cabin-wide package rules. You can also use Bar Tab to buy drinks for other people, which is another area where Virgin Voyages behaves differently from many cruise lines.

But it only feels better if it matches how you actually drink. If you mainly stick to included beverages and only order the occasional premium drink, pay-as-you-go may be more sensible. If premium beverages are a regular part of your holiday, Bar Tab often becomes the cleaner budgeting tool.

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RockStar and Mega RockStar differences

This is where the “do drinks packages exist?” question gets more nuanced. If you are sailing in a RockStar Quarter, you receive a stocked in-room bar and a select first round of beverages on the house, but that does not mean all drinks everywhere onboard are automatically covered. RockStar still needs proper drinks planning if you expect regular premium beverage spend around the ship.

Mega RockStar is a more meaningful shift. Mega RockStar Sailors receive a daily drinks setup with alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages up to a set price threshold, plus two bottles of wine per day per cabin up to a stated value. Above those thresholds, discounts apply rather than total inclusion. So even Mega RockStar is not technically a traditional cruise drinks package - it is a premium suite-led drinks benefit structure.

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Can you bring wine or Champagne onboard instead?

Yes. Virgin Voyages allows Sailors to bring up to two 750 mL bottles of wine, sparkling wine, or Champagne per cabin in carry-on bags. That does not create a drinks package, but it can modestly change the drinks budget for couples who prefer to enjoy a bottle in the cabin or save it for selected moments during the voyage.

If you bring your own bottle into an onboard eatery, a corkage fee applies. That is why this allowance is best thought of as a practical budgeting detail rather than a substitute for Bar Tab or proper drinks planning.

For many Sailors, this is simply another example of how Virgin Voyages prefers flexibility over rigid package rules. It gives you more control, but it also expects you to understand the model properly.

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How to budget without a drinks package

Start with what is already included, then decide honestly how often you expect to order premium beverages. From there, the decision is usually straightforward: if premium drinks are going to be a regular part of your voyage, Bar Tab often makes sense; if not, paying as you go is often cleaner.

1. Work out your likely premium drinks pattern rather than guessing from the mood of the booking.
2. Remember that speciality non-alcoholic drinks count too, not just cocktails and wine.
3. Factor in your cabin category if comparing Sea Terrace, RockStar, or Mega RockStar.
4. Use Bar Tab strategically if it genuinely matches your onboard habits.
5. Review the wider cost picture with gratuities, Shore Things, spa, and other optional spend together.

If you want the simplest way to do this properly, my real cost guide, drinks budget guide, and gratuities guide work well together.

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Why this is different from traditional cruise lines

On many cruise lines, the drinks package conversation is mainly about whether you drink enough each day to break even. On Virgin Voyages, the better question is whether you prefer flexibility or structured prepayment. That change sounds small, but it completely changes how you should budget.

Virgin Voyages avoids the usual package rules, but that does not mean drinks are “basically free”. It means the system is less prescriptive. For the right Sailor, that is smarter and better value. For someone expecting all-inclusive alcohol, it can feel unfamiliar until it is properly explained.

That is also why so much confusion online comes from people asking the wrong version of the question. The right version is not “Does Virgin Voyages have a drinks package?” It is “What is Virgin Voyages’ drinks model, and does it suit the way I travel?”

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