Free guide · Fares, Packages and the Onboard Account, Explained
Know What You’ve Paid For Before the Bill Arrives on the Last Night
What a Celebrity fare covers, what the bundled fares add, what always costs extra, and how to work out — with actual arithmetic — whether a drinks package is worth it for how you really drink.
For anyone trying to work out what a Celebrity fare covers, whether an "All Included" fare is worth it, and what will land on the onboard account.
- Understand the three layers of Celebrity pricing and stop comparing apples to oranges
- Work out whether a bundled fare beats a cruise-only fare for how you actually travel
- Know every common charge that lands on the onboard account
- Understand how gratuities work and when they are already paid
- Avoid the Wi-Fi, specialty dining and excursion surprises
- A printable break-even worksheet for drinks packages
Revolution Travel Group Free planning guide
What’s Actually Included on a Celebrity Cruise
Fares, Packages and the Onboard Account, Explained
Revolution Travel Group Free planning guide
What’s Actually Included on a Celebrity Cruise
Fares, Packages and the Onboard Account, Explained
Get the free guide
Sent to your inbox + instant download. Version 1.0, reviewed 2026-09-11.
What’s inside
Cruise pricing is deliberately hard to compare. The same sailing can be sold as a low cruise-only fare or a higher bundled fare, and whether the bundle is good value depends entirely on your habits. This guide separates the three layers — what every fare includes, what the bundles add, and what always appears on the onboard account — and gives you a worksheet to run the numbers for your own trip. It also explains how our group rates fit in, since those carry inclusions of their own.
01 The three layers of a cruise price
02 What every Celebrity fare includes
03 Bundled ("All Included") fares
04 What our group rate includes
05 Drinks, and the break-even question
06 Gratuities
07 Wi-Fi
08 Specialty dining
09 Shore excursions
10 Everything else that hits the onboard account
11 How to compare two fares honestly
Printable worksheets included
- does a drinks package pay?
- your real total
TICO registered
Registration 50021282 — Ontario consumer protection on eligible bookings
Written by specialists
Canadian cruise planners who match travellers with Celebrity sailings every week
Independent advice
We work for you, not the cruise line — and it costs nothing extra
Questions about this guide
Are drinks included on a Celebrity cruise?
Not on a basic cruise-only fare. Water, standard coffee and tea, and some juices at breakfast are included; alcohol, specialty coffee, bottled water and soft drinks are not. Celebrity also sells bundled "All Included" fares and standalone beverage packages that do cover drinks up to a per-drink price limit — what you have depends on which fare you booked.
Are gratuities included on Celebrity?
It depends on the fare. Bundled fares typically include gratuities; a basic cruise-only fare does not, and gratuities are then either prepaid or charged daily to your onboard account. Amounts vary by stateroom tier and change over time, so confirm the current figure for your sailing.
Is a drinks package worth it?
It depends entirely on how much you drink. Packages have a break-even point measured in drinks per day — below it you lose money, above it you save. Two people who drink very differently should also check whether the line requires both guests in a stateroom to buy the package, which is common. The worksheet in this guide runs the arithmetic for you.
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