I've had a drink package on all 14 of my cruises. Every single one. And only once did I pick the wrong one. It was on the Costa Toscana, my 13th cruise, and I still don't understand what happened with the water.

In this post I'll tell you why I always buy one, what's included and what isn't, the differences between Costa and MSC, what it means for everyone else in your cabin, whether the premium package is worth it, and when it's best to buy. Plus the time it went wrong.

Fair warning: you won't find a spreadsheet here on how many beers you need to break even. I don't do that math. And I'll explain why.

For me, always. No exceptions.

And not mainly because of money, but because of something that's worth more on vacation: not having to think.

That's what vacation is for. Not constantly figuring out whether something's included. If I feel like a coffee, I have one. A beer, a cocktail or a bottle of water, same thing. No checking prices, no mental tally of how much I've spent that day.

You don't have to max it out. I know there will be days I don't get much out of it and others when I do. But when it comes to peace of mind, it has always, always been worth it for me.

Take my case. In everyday life, I don't usually drink alcohol. But on a cruise I'm on vacation, in a social setting, meeting new people. I have two or three coffees a day, the odd beer or glass of wine, a mocktail or two and water. That alone makes it more than worth it.

And I've seen the opposite. People I've traveled with who skipped it to save money and spent the whole trip second-guessing: should I order that beer, have another coffee, pay for this round… Many end up spending almost the same on individual drinks. But that's not the problem. The problem is all the time they spend thinking about it.

It was on the Costa Toscana, my second-to-last cruise, number 13.

At the time, I wasn't drinking alcohol. So for the first time, instead of my usual alcoholic package, I bought the non-alcoholic one. It made sense: what I wanted was water, my coffees and the occasional mocktail.

The coffees were included. But I ran into something I didn't expect: in my case, bottled water wasn't included in the non-alcoholic package.

With the alcoholic package, I'd always gotten one bottle of water a day. With the non-alcoholic one, none.

It was a letdown. I'd bought that package precisely for the water. It felt like paying for something that didn't give me the main thing I needed.

I can try to understand it. Ships are under close scrutiny for plastic use, and there are filtered water stations all over the ship. If they want to cut down on bottles, that makes sense. But if I'm buying a non-alcoholic drink package, I expect bottled water to be part of it.

Since then, one thing's clear: I wouldn't pay for a non-alcoholic package again unless water is included. And before buying any package, I check exactly what's in it.

It depends on the cruise line and the package, but overall I've been pleasantly surprised by the variety on both Costa and MSC.

The standard alcoholic package covers beer, wine, most cocktails, soft drinks, coffee and water. If you ever want a premium cocktail that isn't included, you just pay the difference. I've done it a few times and it's no big deal.

What usually isn't included is your cabin minibar. One trick: grab a bottle of water from the minibar and replace it later with the ones you order at the bar under your package.

And as I mentioned: watch out for bottled water on the non-alcoholic package. Check before you buy.

The brands.

For me, Costa does this a lot better than MSC. In the alcoholic package, Costa uses well-known brands like Baileys and Aperol. MSC uses more generic brands, almost store brands.

If you're just having a coffee and a beer, you might not care. But if you like an Aperol Spritz at sunset, like I do, you'll notice.

Yes. And that's worth knowing before you book.

If one person in the cabin buys the drink package, everyone has to. Adults and kids alike. For kids, if I'm not mistaken, you're charged for the non-alcoholic package instead. But everyone has to have one.

It's like an all-you-can-eat buffet: one person can't pay while four people sit at the table. Same idea here.

I haven't tried it yet, so I'll tell you what I know and what I think.

There's always a higher-tier package, called something different depending on the line. It includes almost every drink, the best brands and more elaborate cocktails.

And on Costa there's something extra: they now have a policy where certain areas of the ship, at certain times, are reserved for guests with the premium package. Honestly, this bugs me a bit. It's like creating something similar to MSC's Yacht Club, but in a space that normally belongs to everyone. And they tend to do it with the area at the back of the ship, one of the best spots to watch the sailaway.

Would I pay extra to be in that area? In many cases, yes. Would I take advantage of the premium cocktails? I guess I'd order them since I'd be there. But since I don't drink in everyday life, I'm not sure it would improve my experience that much. I'll try it someday and let you know.

Before. Always.

It's usually cheaper to buy it in advance than on the ship. I book mine through the club, and it works out cheaper than buying it on board.

But there's a reason that matters even more to me than price: time. Anything you know you're going to buy, the drink package, Wi-Fi, whatever it is, buy it ahead of time. That way you board and forget about it. You don't waste a single minute of your vacation on admin.

Think about it this way. You work 300 or 330 days a year, maybe more. And you go cruising for how long? 7 days? 15? 20 a year? Then clear all the admin out of those days. Make the most of them for the best vacation possible, without spending time on things that won't help you relax.

Obviously, it has to fit your budget. But if it does, for me there's no question.

Buy it. Always.

Buy it before you board. Check carefully what's included, especially if it's the non-alcoholic one. And then forget about it for the rest of the trip.

I've had a package on all 14 of my cruises, and the only time I regretted it wasn't for having one, but for picking the wrong one. On the Costa Toscana I learned that what matters isn't the package's name, but whether it includes what you'll actually drink. And on the Favolosa this October, I went back to my usual package: my coffees, my Aperol at sunset, my water and zero math in my head.

So which are you: drink package all the way, or order-as-you-go?

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