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In May 2023, P&O announced a new set of drinks packages which at first glance appear to be very similar to the old packages, but there are definitely some notable differences. In this post we'll outline the new packages that are available and we'll add our opinion in case you're interested. If you've followed us for a while, you'll know we normally buy a drinks package so we're very interested in these changes.
There are now going to be 4 drinks packages, which is one more than was available previously. The packages are also available at a 10% discount if you book in advance via cruise personaliser rather than onboard. They all have new names and new prices and we'll take you through them below. All prices mentioned are per person, per day and are the full price, before any discounts.
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What are the new packages?
Refresh - £10.95
This is the equivalent of what used to be known as the 'Kids' drinks package and essentially gives you draught soft drinks and some very limited juices. The soft drinks include Pepsi and lemonade, and the juices include pineapple and orange juice. It's also worth noting that this package will be provided free of charge to any under 16s sharing a cabin with adults who purchase either the Classic or Deluxe.
Alcohol-free - £24.95
The previous version of this package used to be known as the soft drinks package and it doesn't look like there are many differences with this newer version. The previous price was £19.95, so this has increased in price quite significantly. This package has a much wider selection of drinks available, and includes mocktails, non-alcoholic drinks such as Heineken 0% and a limited selection of Costa Coffee. A big difference to the old package is that you can no longer get coolers or frappes from Costa Coffee.
Classic - £44.95
The classic drinks package is essentially the new name for the 'Ultimate' drinks package. We didn't think it ever deserved that name, so we're pleased it's had an update. The price for this has also increased by £5, which does make sense when you consider how prices have increased for everything else in the world.
This package covers everything in the Alcohol-free package, which is a big improvement on the old 'Ultimate' package as this means you can now have bottled or cans of soft drinks. This was one of our biggest gripes about the old package so we're glad to see that feedback has been taken onboard.
Deluxe - £54.95
This is the only one that we'd really count as a completely new addition. As we're yet to see menus from onboard we don't know how good it's going to be, but it is advertised as including a much larger selection of drinks. We're looking forward to testing this one on our next P&O Cruise, all in the name of research of course!
Some inclusions that we do know about, that weren't previously available on the 'Ultimate' package are Aperol Spritz, 250ml glasses of wine and 50ml measures of spirit.
When do the new packages launch?
The launch dates for the new packages vary by ship, see below for a full list of launch dates, as published by P&O -
20 May 2023 – Iona (G315)
20 May 2023 – Ventura (N313)
28 May 2023 – Arvia (K311)
6 June 2023 – Arcadia (J306N)
9 June 2023 – Britannia (B315N)
22 June 2023 – Aurora (R311)
6 July 2023 – Azura (A319)
If you are sailing before these dates, the old packages will still be available for purchase.
How will I know which drinks are included in my package?
P&O are launching new menus to coincide with the drinks package launch. On these new menus there will be icons that correspond to each package, showing you which drinks you can have as part of yours. A few of the new menus have been appearing online from cruisers onboard Iona, here what we've spotted so far, and we'll add more as we find them.
Are these packages unlimited?
There has been a lot of discussion around this as in P&O's terms and conditions it does state that there is a 15 drink limit. This would be different to the old packages where the limit was only applied to alcoholic drinks. P&O have now confirmed that this is an error in the terms and conditions and that the 15 drink limit does only apply to alcoholic drinks which is great news!
Olly Smith talks about the new packages in this video too -