What makes a cruise ship stand out from the rest?

Is it size that matters most? If so, Royal Caribbean gets that title twice over for having the two largest ships on the water today, Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas.

Is it the destination? There aren’t too many destinations that are off limits for today’s cruise ships. Every heard of Svalbard? Cruise Norway will take you to this frozen city above the Arctic Circle to meet the polar bears and reindeer.

But for some travelers, it’s all about the alcohol.

Typically, cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and Carnival offer packaged deals that include all the food you can eat, but they usually leave out soft drinks and alcohol. This has caused some frustration with passengers who want to drink on their vacation but are turned off by the high costs on board the ship. Passengers are even prohibited from bringing any of their own alcohol on board. In a move to meet market demand, Royal Caribbean recently announced the arrival of new, one-price, all-you-can-drink packages.

Scheduled to rollout this month, Royal Caribbean International is offering tiered drink packages with varying costs and inclusions. The base package with the smallest price tag costs $29 per passenger per day, and will get you all beers and house wines by the glass plus a 25% discount on all other wines and liquors. The high end of the spectrum will run you $49 per day and includes all beers, wines (house and specialty up to $10 a glass), liquor, cocktails and a 25% discount on bottles of wine, glasses of wine over $10 and specialty liquors.

According to a recent article in USA Today, these new packages are only being offered on three Internationally-based Royal Caribbean vessels as a way to serve the many non-American passengers that have a higher demand for these types of all-inclusive deals. I think the idea is one that would appeal to many Americans as well, especially those who select cruise vacations precisely for the reason that it’s a way to get an entire vacation for one set price and not worry about making many transactions along the way.

I do, however, think these drink packages are a little on the pricey side. If you plan to have at least 4-5 drinks a day then maybe it’s worth it, but I also think it will only encourage excessive drinking in order for passengers to feel like they are getting their money’s worth. And what about the $49 plan? I guess if you are partial to the good stuff and want to splurge at every meal it could be a bargain.

Royal Caribbean isn’t the only cruise line acknowledging the demand for alcohol. Crystal Cruises, which caters to more high-end, upscale passengers, recently announced that it will also be all-inclusive by early next year. Unlike Royal Caribbean, Crystal Cruises isn’t charging for specific packages though. Instead, it will be offering complimentary fine wines and premium spirits at no extra charge on its two ships. Crystal Cruises is also promising the option for pre-paid gratuities, saving passengers from nearly all financial transactions during their vacation.

These new cruising amenities sound like great improvements to any cruise experience, but I would definitely need to ask myself if it’s worth the additional cost. Will this give new meaning to the term booze cruise?