If you like to enjoy a drink or three on your cruise holiday, it’s a good idea to find out what drinks are available and how much they will cost before you embark, and preferably, before you book.
This article has pictures of P&O drinks menus with prices, so you can easily see the cost of drinks on P&O Cruises.
If you’re wondering whether the P&O Cruises drinks package is worth it, I have built a P&O drinks package calculator which will work it out for you, based on your individual drinking preferences.
Just enter your email address here and I’ll send it to you.
You’ll also find more information about P&O drinks packages here: P&O drinks package: Is it worth it?
And if you’re interested in the food menus, you can see those here: P&O food menus.
How much are drinks on P&O Cruises?
P&O drinks prices for are:
- Pint of beer: £4.30 to £4.95
- Bottle of beer: £3.50 to £4.50
- Glass of wine: £4.25 to £7.80
- Spirits: £3.50 to £4.71
- Cocktail: £6.20 to £8.75
- Mocktail: £3.25
- Soft drinks: £2.50 to £3.05
- Bottle of water: £1.85
Depending on where in the UK you live, you may find that P&O drink prices are similar to what you’d pay in your local pub.
Wherever in the world you cruise to, drinks on P&O Cruises’ ships are all priced in pounds sterling, so it’s easy to know how much you’re spending.
P&O Cruises drinks menus
Each P&O Cruises ship will have many different bars and restaurants onboard, and each venue will have different drinks available. The pub, for example, has lots of different beers but a smaller cocktail menu, whereas the cocktail bars have lots of cocktails and a smaller choice of beers.
Please note: The photos of the P&O drinks menus in this post were taken on board Britannia in June 2019. Drinks prices have increased by around 20 pence per drink since then.
The following menu is the standard P&O drinks menu and wine list which you’ll find in several places onboard P&O Cruises’ ships, such as the poolside bars and the buffet restaurant. As you can see, P&O bar prices are quite reasonable.
P&O Cruises serve kosher and vegan wines. You can ask onboard for more information.
Extensive drinks menu
In bars, lounges and nightclubs such as the Live Lounge or the Crows Nest, you’ll find a wider choice of drinks, yet the bar prices remain consistent. This is where you’ll find the largest P&O Cruises cocktail menu. Here are some photos of this drinks menu and wine list:
Brodies pub drinks menu
Each ship in the P&O Cruises fleet has a traditional British pub, whether it’s The Rising Sun on Arcadia, Champions Bar on Aurora, The Yacht & Compass on Oceana, The Exchange on Ventura or Brodies on Azura and Britannia. Each pub has its own unique character and charm, but all offer an extensive drinks menu and wine list. Below are photos of the drinks menus from Brodies on board Britannia:
Room service drinks list
If you’d like to enjoy a drink in your room or perhaps on your balcony, then the following menu lists the drinks that are available to order via room service:
If you have a drinks package, you should note that room service drinks aren’t included in your drinks package.
You can order full 70cl bottles of spirits including whisky, vodka, gin and rum on room service. This is a good option for anyone doing a longer cruise such as a world cruise.
Mini bar drinks
Each cabin also has a mini bar which is replenished daily. The drinks menu and price list for the mini bar is as follows:
Mini bar drinks are also not included in the P&O Cruises drinks package.
Can you bring your own alcohol on board P&O Cruises ships?
P&O Cruises allows each passenger aged 18 and over to bring up to 1 litre of alcohol and unlimited soft drinks on-board the ship when they embark. If you purchase any more alcohol, either whilst ashore or in the onboard duty-free shop, it will be held in storage until the end of your cruise.
When we sailed on Britannia I took a bottle of gin and my husband took a bottle of rum and we also took several large bottles of lemonade. We were able to buy more lemonade in port and bring it on to the ship. We called our stateroom attendant each evening to request a bucket of ice. After the first few evenings, the ice was waiting for us without having to ask.
The alcohol that you bring on board can only be consumed in your stateroom, but if you enjoy a drink whilst getting ready to go out in the evening, or perhaps a nightcap, then bringing your own drinks on board can be a great way to save money on your cruise.
We saved over £400 by bringing our own drinks, compared to if we had bought the same spirits and mixers individually at bar prices. Plus, they were there in our fridge, which was so convenient.
How to stop glass bottles breaking in your suitcase
Worried about your bottle of wine of spirit getting smashed in your case? You can get inflatable bottle protectors on Amazon to prevent that from happening. Sue, you could just wrap your bottles in clothes, but why take the risk?
Do P&O Cruises offer all-inclusive drinks packages?
In 2019, P&O Cruises introduced a drinks package that can turn your cruise from full-board to all-inclusive. P&O drinks packages are available on cruises of five nights or more and much be purchased for every day of the cruise.
Is the P&O Cruises drinks package worth it?
Before you go ahead and buy a P&O drinks package, it’s vital that you work out whether it’s good value for money, and that will depend on what you drink and how much of it.
In my next article, I detail what’s included (and not included) in the P&O Cruises drinks package, and which drinks are always free.
Read more: Guide to P&O Cruises drinks packages
Alternatively, you can use my quick and easy drinks package calculator to do all the maths for you. Just pop your details in this form and I’ll send it to you.
Get the best price when you book a P&O cruise
The price you pay for your cruise will be different depending on who you book it with, even though what you get will be exactly the same.
It’s generally always cheaper to use a specialist cruise travel agent that can access discounted rates.
Click here to see who’s offering discounted rates on P&O Cruises.
Of course, not all travel agents are equal in terms of the service that they provide. If you’d like to get a quote from a trusted travel agent that I’ve used to book multiple cruises myself, click here to get a quote.
Related Posts:
- P&O drinks package: Is it worth it?
- Iona gin distillery: The first at sea!
- How to sneak alcohol on a cruise ship
Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
Hi, this is so informative thank you. Is the free coffee that is available instant or ground coffee, with P and O.
Hi Karen. It comes in a great big vat so I’m not sure, sorry. It tastes okay though. Jenni
Hi, 1st time cruiser and I would like to know how i can choose the floor of my stateroom. I want a balcony but the P&O site just offers Standard, Superior Deluxe or Suite but no information on floor number.
Any advice would be much appreciated
Hi Rosie. If you book a select price P&O Cruises you can choose your exact room number. With Saver and Early Saver it will be allocated for you. I hope this helps. Jenni
Very useful thank you
Great information on the drinks prices. What size are the spirits bottles on the room service menu?
I believe they are full size – 70cl.
Hi .is tea & coffee free all the time or just with your meals .
Thank youv
On P&O Cruises, self-service tea and coffee is always available in the buffet and in your cabin. If you order it from a bar there will be a charge.
Thanks so much for all the information,it’s great to find out about cabins best and worst,about drinks ect,
I’m glad you found it useful. Happy cruise planning! Jenni
Hi,
Don’t know how to set up a new post, hence replying to this. Can we bring canned/bottled soft drinks back on board each time we dock?
Yes, you can bring any soft drinks on at the various ports, no problem. Jenni
Hi . We have paid for a balcony but not paid the extra to see which cabin we want . Do u think its best to do this as we dont want a cabin with a restircked view
Thak you
You should be able to see what grade your cabin is. Restricted views are a different grade, so you’ll know if you have one. If you’ve paid for a standard balcony that’s what you’ll get (or possibly better). Jenni
Joined a carib cruise, luggage search on arrival with no prior notice, several bottles confiscated from luggage, only returned when legal action against cruise co was threatened. Worst cruise ever, poor service, poor food, poor hygiene. High price.
Which ship were you on and when?
Hey, do you know what night is the Gala night on board Iona and what would you suggest is good to do on this evening?
Hi Sophie. On Gala night you will have a special dinner in the main dining room, which will be four or five courses. You’ll probably want to dress up in evening wear such as a ball gown or smart suit. Before or after dinner, you might like to watch a show in the theatre or enjoy some live music in one of the bars. It’s also a great opportunity to get photos taken. It’s usually on a sea day around the middle of your cruise. Enjoy! Jenni
Hi we have booked Azura Feb 2022 for our 50th wedding anniversary . We,r at sea on the 12th whicj is our anniveraaryv. Do we have to book one of the formal dinning please or do u surgest something else that will make it special. Its,a,suprise cruise fir my hubby
Did you have to pay a corkage for the gin that you took on?
Hi Rachael. We drank it in our room so we didn’t need to. If you take a bottle into public areas of the ship you would be asked to pay corkage. If you were to pour a glass in your room and then happen to leave your room with it, nobody would ever know 😉 Jenni
We have been on Britania twice and have another two cruises booked with this Boat, alway buy the commodore wine packaged for the evening dinner not only good value but excellent quality wines, other drinks we buy as we go along and have never found them over expensive,
Thank you so much for this article, we’re travelling to the Northern Lights in November and have been doing some research as the best way to buy drinks. You’ve helped us enormously as some evenings we might only have a couple of drinks but others we like a few so we definitely won’t be buying the drinks package. A lovely bottle of gin for me and a good bottle of single malt for us will be going in the cases
Hi. Im going on the Britannia t the Caribbean. My wife doesn’t drink but I think the drinks package would be beneficial for me. Can I get one for myself?
Hi Gary. No, you can’t. Every person in the cabin has to get the same package. Sorry!
Love the useful comments. Are cigarettes sold in board we are going on Oceana.
Yes. There’s a Liquor and Tobacco shop on each ship.
Be careful as the Aurora was very limited on brands of cigarettes I don’t smoke but wanted two diff brands fir daughter and daughter in law which was ok if they’d both smoked silver lambert and butler I ended up getting duty free in port at Gibraltar
Good to know! Thanks for the tip, Kath!
Hi there, we are going on Britannia in May & having just read all of your tips & advice regarding the drinks you have made our decision not to get a drinks package an easy one.
Do you have any advice on internet access on board?
Hi Dave. The internet can certainly be expensive. I find that when cruising in Europe I’m able to use my 4G from my normal data package when in port. So I only use the internet in port and put my phone on airplane mode as soon as the ship leaves. On sea days I enjoy having a 24-hour digital detox. Of course that depends on what deal you have with your mobile phone provider bu it works well for me and I don’t pay for internet. Jenni
Hi, we’re sailing on the Britannia at the end of this month in the Caribbean, we seem to be getting conflicting messages. We’ve been told by the travel we can not take alcohol on board, similar info on other posts. Have things changed?
Hi Reg. According to P&O Cruises website, you are allowed to take one litre of alcohol per person on-board. See info here: https://ask.pocruises.com/help/PO/before-you-sail/alcohol
Cheers, think it’ll be a bottle of gin and a bottle of rum….. 😉😁.
That’s what we took too 🙂
Great article, thank you!
My two kids don’t tend to drink anything but water.. is that free of charge onboard or is there a charge for water?
Thanks
Thanks 🙂 Yes, tap water is free of charge and safe to drink. Bottled water can also be purchased.
Thanks, are you allowed to take refillable drinks bottles on board? (Like the ones they take to school or on walks?)
Yes you are, but you’re requested not to fill them at the buffet for hygiene reasons. A solution to this is to first put water in a glass and then tip it into your bottle.
I like your thinking! Awesome thanks!
We have a 9 month old and have been told that we can only use certain “babyfriendly” bottled water, such as Evian and Volvic. Do you know what brands they have on board? We go next week and I’m worried I am not going to be able to use the water?
Thankyou
Hi Stephanie. The tap water is perfectly safe to drink, even for babies. I’m not sure what brand the bottled water is. If you’re concerned, you’ll have no problem in bringing your own water on-board. Jenni
Are children 11 years old allowed in the Azura bars say up to 9pm?
Yes, children are allowed in most bars on the ship until late in the evening.
To take large bottle of carbonated soft drink on board is it better too leave sealed or open too let gas out. Will be putting it in luggage. I need it too take medication
Thanks for the info, great post. On the Oceana in February and love trying all the different cocktails so think we will treat ourselves to a package!
Hi, just booked 1st time cruise on P&O Oceana for 7 days in April. My husband and I don’t drink alcohol but wondered if we should have the soft drink package. I don’t know if Costas are pricey on the ship. The soft drinks look about average. But £280 seems a lot to pre pay on soft drinks & coffee.
Standard tea and coffee is always available free of charge. You can take unlimited soft drinks on-board with you too. But generally, drinks aren’t expensive at the bars.
Hi Hayley, I’m not sure about the package yet either, we are on the Azura in August, I like the idea of the budget being sorted before you go but it does seem like a lot and although we like a drink im not sure we would drink that much, we did spend a bit on Costa’s on our last cruise and this is included but still seems a lot for the average person to consume to break even
Do you need to pay up front for the ultimate package or do they add it to your bill at the end of the cruise? I know you need to let them know you want it before hand.
Hi Great information, thank you.
Can we use our on board credit to buy drinks from the bar ?
Yes, you can. All bar drinks go on your cruise card. When you get the bill at the end of your cruise, your on-board credit will be redeemed against any purchases including drinks.
Can one adult get the drinks package and buy the drinks for both of us?
Hi Paul. No, that’s not possible I’m afraid. You would both be required to get one. Jenni
We are going on Azura in March and I just can’t make up my mind about the drinks package , first time cruisers, we would normally have a couple of drinks in the afternoon and again at night after our meal whilst on holiday, it just seems so expensive at nearly £1200 for 2 weeks, I’m wondering if they ever have special offers on once you are actually on the cruise ?
Hi Hayley. They do sometimes have offers on the first day on board but they’re not much cheaper. I think you’d be better buying drinks individually by the sounds of it. We drank quite a lot and our bar bill was £800 for two weeks. It would have been more if we hadn’t have brought two litres of spirits on board with us though!
I’m on the ventura in May single how much are the packages this year
Love your nails! Thank you for this amazing blog!
Thanks! I love holiday nails 🙂
We are considering the drinks package when we cruise on board Iona in August, just for the boys drinks alone it would be worth it as they drink lots and absolutely love mocktails. £80 per day for a family of 4 seems reasonable but will get my calculator out and go through the menus you have kindly provided to see if it will be beneficial for us. Thanks.
Hi, how do you take your bottle of alcohol on board? Do you put it in your hold luggage or carry on?
You can put it in either. Personally I feel safest with it in the middle of my suitcase secured with one of these: https://amzn.to/2R0MQFl
We are going on the Azura at Christmas for 2 weeks and are considering the drinks package. Is each person required to go to the bar for every drink? My husband and I normally take turns in going to the bar so that someone is left at the table. It would not be good to leave out son alone (unattended) while we both stood at a queue at the bar. I would rather just pay as you go. Can anyone tell me how it works in practice?
Hi Charlotte. Most of the time I found that bar staff come over and ask if you’d like a drink or it’s easy to get their attention. If you go to the bar, only one of you has to go, and this is the same whether you’re on pay as you go or have a drinks package. You can just take both cruise cards with you. Jenni
We had the all inclusive drinks package on Oceana this year and thoroughly had our moneys worth. They state the drinks are capped, but they are not and we used that to our advantage 🙂
You state that we could bring our own drinks on board. we were told we were not permitted….I am travelling again in December on a four night cruise and as we are unable to purchase the AI drinks package, a nice bottle of pink gin would be amazing! Can anyone confirm if this is possible as our booking states alcohol will be removed and returned on our return to England?
Hi! Yes you can definitely take one litre per person on embarkation, you just have to drink it in your cabin, not in any public areas. If you bring any on in the ports they will keep it for you until the end of your cruise. Jenni
Are there plumbed in water coolers on board? we are contemplating taking a cordial squash with us.
Yes. We took one of those miniature concentrated bottles of cordial. You can get water from the buffet, by the pool or just ask for a glass of water at any bar and it’s free of charge.
We considered it on Britannia in May, having cruised with another line for years we knew how much we saved with them, despite not being heavy drinkers. The cost of the package would have been £1120 total, for us, including standing our friends a few rounds the bill was £600. I wouldn’t bother at the current prices.
Did you know that apart from “mocktails” no other “non- alcoholic drinks “ are included in any of the packages. So no non-alcoholic beer , cider or wine!!
Yes it’s misleading as it should be renamed as “Soft drinks package”
I messaged P&O and they confirmed non-alcoholic drinks are excluded from packages and need to be bought separately.
Are coffees such as Irish coffee included?
Good question! I’m not sure. If they’re not, you may be able to get around it by just ordering a glass of whiskey and tipping it in yourself as coffees are free of charge.
Hiya, great review, certainly helpful, I have one question. how much are the teas and coffees, I ask this because we drink a lot of tea and coffee in the afternoon before we have a drink in the evening so would like to work out the sums for teas, coffees, alcohol etc. Thanks in advance
Hi Chris. Tea and coffee are free of charge in the restaurants and buffet and there are also tea and coffee making facilities in the cabins. There are also Costa coffee outlets on board Britannia serving premium teas and coffees which I believe are around £2.50. I hope this helps. Jenni
Hi, been talking to a friend today and she said that wine packages are available on P&O. Is this on specific ships or on all. Also, am I right in saying that if one person in the cabin has a package, then both have to? The goalposts seem to change all the time. We had a soft drinks package (only available on the ship) when on Arcadia recently and we got our money’s worth, as don’t drink much alcohol.
In February I had a wine package, the 12 bottle one. I think it was £204 ish. This was per cabin , 2 of us shared it. You get a voucher book and just present it at dinner
( or on a bar). Worked out great as it was pre paid, you can arrange on ship too. For dinner some nights we had a red and rose onened and they just keep any left over for you for the next night. 1/2 a bott is all I drink
With dinner. Got to leave room for a cocktail or two ??
Wine package Commodores Collection £145 for 6 £270 for 12 this includes port which we ordered on our first night. A litre bottle arrived and we had a glass most evenings at end on meal.
Captains Collection £120 for 6 and £230 for 12
We always phone up and book and pay for this prior to cruise then pay as we go for other drinks.
Just returned from 14 nights I have sat down with bill and taking wine package into consideration we are almost £600 in credit for not taking up on drinks package.
This is good to know. I suppose if OBC & Loyaly discount is taken in to account it might look more appealing to some. As for me as a solo traveller I haven’t yet decided, but it would be good for budgeting purposes. I will definitely be doing my sums and looking out to see if the offer still applies when I cruise in September. Thanks
The OBC and loyalty discount are irrelevant to the calculation as they would be applied to your pay as you go drinks as well
We have just returned from Britannia & for us the drinks package was worth it! We brought at an offer price of £320 with 2 days free, this was a 7 night cruise
That’s great to know Sarah! How did you find out about the offer?
Wow was that offered on board ? People keep just saying about alcohol but it includes much more than that I think it’s fab
If that’s £320 for two people we would probably make a saving. Any more than that would not be worth while for us.
Hi Sarah how did u get the two day free offer , we are hoping take package up in less then five weeks on Ventura also a 7 night cruises so love to know how u got the offer ☺️thanks ..x
How did you find the offer please
Hello Sarah…..the drinks package offer was a great saving….. how did you get it please?