If you are researching the Avalon Waterways drink package, there is an important detail to know before looking for a price: Avalon Waterways does not currently market a traditional unlimited beverage package for its European river cruises in the way many ocean cruise lines do. Instead, many beverages are already included in the cruise fare.
On European Avalon cruises, complimentary wine and beer are served with lunch and dinner, soft drinks are available throughout the day, and sparkling wine is included with breakfast. Avalon also provides complimentary specialty coffees and teas in the Club Lounge, along with a complimentary Happy Hour featuring select drinks each evening except the first night.
That makes the answer to “How much is the Avalon Waterways drink package?” somewhat different from what you might expect on a conventional cruise. Rather than paying a fixed daily fee for an unlimited package, many everyday drinks are already part of your Avalon cruise experience.
For current Avalon Waterways European river cruises, you generally do not need to purchase a separate all-inclusive beverage package to receive drinks with meals and selected beverages throughout the day.
Avalon's current beverage information lists complimentary:
Regional wine and beer with lunch and dinner
Sparkling wine with breakfast
Soft drinks throughout the day
Specialty coffees and teas
Filtered water
Select drinks during complimentary Happy Hour
Avalon also describes its Happy Hour as complimentary every evening except the first night, with select beer, wine, spirits, cocktails, and zero-proof options.
So if you are searching for an Avalon Waterways beverage package cost per day, there is not a standard daily package price you need to budget for on a typical European Avalon Suite Ship.
There is no standard daily Avalon Waterways drink-package price for European cruises because Avalon includes many beverages as part of the cruise fare rather than selling a traditional unlimited drink package.
This is an important distinction when comparing Avalon with other cruise lines.
Avalon describes its approach as including wine, beer, soft drinks, Happy Hour beverages, specialty coffees, and other drinks as part of the cruise experience.
That means you should not automatically add a hypothetical $50, $60, or $100-per-day beverage package to your Avalon cruise budget. The actual cost depends on which drinks you choose beyond those included with your sailing.
The included beverages are one of the more valuable aspects of Avalon's river cruise pricing.
On European cruises, Avalon includes a choice of wine and beer with lunch and dinner. The company emphasizes regional wines selected from destinations along its European routes.
For travelers who enjoy having wine or beer with meals, this can significantly reduce the need for additional beverage spending.
Sparkling wine is complimentary with breakfast on European Avalon cruises.
It is a small inclusion, but it illustrates Avalon's approach: beverages are incorporated into the cruise experience instead of being treated primarily as paid add-ons.
Complimentary soft drinks are available throughout the day on European Avalon cruises.
This is useful for travelers who do not drink alcohol or who simply prefer soft drinks during the day.
Avalon provides complimentary specialty coffees and teas in its Club Lounge. The Club Lounge also has a 24-hour self-service beverage station on Avalon Suite Ships.
Depending on the ship, the station can include options such as cappuccinos, lattes, hot chocolate, premium coffees, and tea.
Avalon provides filtered water stations, and its ships offer complimentary water as part of the onboard experience. Avalon also highlights BeWell water stations and reusable water bottles on its beverage information.
Yes. Happy Hour is one of the notable beverage inclusions on Avalon.
Avalon currently states that complimentary Happy Hour takes place every evening except the first night. The selection includes beer, wine, spirits, cocktails, and zero-proof options.
This is particularly relevant if you are comparing Avalon with river cruise lines that charge separately for cocktails or premium drinks.
Avalon has also partnered with mixologist Martin Hudák to create signature cocktails for its fleet, including non-alcoholic mocktail options.
Some cocktails are included during the complimentary Happy Hour, but that does not mean every cocktail or premium spirit available onboard is automatically free.
Avalon describes Happy Hour as offering select beer, wine, spirits, cocktails, and zero-proof beverages. The company also has an onboard bar serving premium spirits.
Therefore, travelers should distinguish between:
Drinks included during designated complimentary periods
Wine and beer included with meals
Soft drinks and selected non-alcoholic beverages
Premium or otherwise excluded drinks that may carry an additional charge
If you want a particular premium wine, spirit, or cocktail outside the included selections, check the current onboard bar menu for your ship.
Yes. On European Avalon cruises, wine is included with lunch and dinner, and Avalon also includes sparkling wine at breakfast.
Avalon focuses heavily on regional wines, with selections connected to the destinations through which its ships travel.
For wine lovers, this is an important part of the value proposition because you can enjoy wine with your main meals without purchasing a separate beverage package.
Yes. Beer is included with lunch and dinner on European Avalon cruises.
Avalon also offers beer during its complimentary Happy Hour.
The exact beer selection can vary, so travelers interested in a particular brand or style should not assume that every beer onboard is included.
Some spirits are available as part of Avalon's complimentary Happy Hour, but Avalon does not describe every spirit and cocktail as being included throughout the day.
The company's current beverage information specifically says Happy Hour includes select spirits and cocktails. Avalon also lists an upscale bar serving premium spirits among its Suite Ship amenities.
That distinction matters if you are trying to calculate your potential onboard bar spending.
Although Avalon includes a substantial selection of beverages, you should not interpret “included drinks” as meaning every drink on the ship is free.
Potential extra-cost items can include beverages outside the included selections, such as certain premium drinks or specialty offerings.
Avalon's published terms also state that alcohol and beverages outside the contracted menu can be billed separately.
Because menus and included selections can vary by itinerary and destination, the most reliable approach is to check the beverage menu and inclusions for your specific sailing.
Yes. This is an important consideration.
Avalon's beverage inclusions differ between Europe, Asia, the Amazon, and the Galápagos.
Avalon's current FAQ says European cruises include:
Wine and beer with lunch and dinner
Sparkling wine with breakfast
Soft drinks throughout the day
Specialty coffee and tea
Filtered water stations
On Avalon cruises in Asia, complimentary coffee, tea, soft drinks, and local beer and spirits are available throughout the day. Wine is included with lunch and dinner.
On Amazon itineraries, Avalon lists complimentary coffee, tea, selected soft drinks, and local beer and spirits throughout the day, with wine included at dinner.
For Galápagos cruises, complimentary coffee and tea are available throughout the day, while wine is included with dinner.
For this reason, you should always check your specific destination rather than applying the European beverage policy to every Avalon cruise.
A traditional cruise drink package usually works by charging a fixed amount per person, per day, in exchange for access to a defined range of beverages.
Avalon's approach is different.
Instead of requiring passengers to purchase an unlimited beverage package, Avalon builds many drinks into the cruise fare. The result is a simpler onboard beverage structure for travelers who mainly drink wine with meals, beer, soft drinks, coffee, tea, and selected cocktails.
This can make Avalon particularly attractive to travelers who dislike having to calculate whether they will drink enough each day to justify a beverage-package fee.
If by “drink package” you mean a traditional unlimited package, the question is largely irrelevant for European Avalon cruises because many standard beverages are already included.
The better question is:
Will Avalon's included beverages cover what you normally drink?
For many passengers, the answer may be yes.
Drink wine or beer with lunch and dinner
Prefer soft drinks during the day
Drink coffee and tea
Enjoy an occasional cocktail during Happy Hour
Do not require premium spirits or specialty drinks
Prefer premium spirits
Want specialty drinks outside included selections
Order beverages outside the contracted menu
Regularly purchase premium wines or cocktails
Because Avalon includes many beverages, your personal drink budget can be considerably lower than it would be on a cruise where beverages are largely sold separately.
A practical approach is to start with $0 for standard included beverages, then create a separate allowance for premium or excluded drinks.
For example, your personal onboard drink budget could account for:
Premium cocktails
Specialty spirits
Premium wines
Drinks outside included meal selections
Beverages purchased during free time ashore
Do not assume that you need to multiply a conventional cruise beverage-package price by the number of cruise days. That calculation does not accurately represent Avalon's current European beverage model.
Yes. On European Avalon cruises, wine, beer, and soft drinks are included with lunch and dinner, while sparkling wine is included with breakfast.
This is one reason the Avalon Waterways drink package cost per day can be misleading as a search term. There is no need to purchase a daily package simply to have a drink with your included meals.
Avalon's current public information does not present a standard unlimited daily beverage package for European river cruises.
Instead, the company promotes included beverages as part of its overall cruise offering.
If you have a specific sailing and want to know whether an additional beverage option is available, check the details attached to that itinerary or confirm with Avalon or your travel advisor.
Avalon's approach goes beyond beverages. The company says many aspects of the cruise are included, including dining, Wi-Fi on Europe Avalon Suite Ships, selected excursions, bicycles and e-bikes, and onboard wellness activities.
The beverage inclusions are therefore part of a broader pricing model rather than a standalone perk.
This is worth remembering when comparing the total cost of Avalon with another river cruise. A lower advertised cruise fare elsewhere does not necessarily mean a lower final vacation cost if more services and beverages are charged separately.
You can keep onboard beverage spending predictable by following a few simple rules.
Before ordering, understand whether the drink is part of the included selection.
If you want a particular spirit, wine, or cocktail, ask whether it carries an additional charge.
Avalon's bar menus can help distinguish included offerings from premium selections.
Europe, Asia, Amazon, and Galápagos itineraries do not have identical beverage inclusions.
Cruise policies can change, so confirm the current information for your itinerary before departure.
Avalon does not currently advertise a standard unlimited daily drink package for its European river cruises. Many beverages are included in the cruise fare, including wine and beer with lunch and dinner, soft drinks throughout the day, and selected drinks during complimentary Happy Hour.
Avalon does not currently present a conventional unlimited beverage package as a standard product for its European cruises. Instead, it includes a broad selection of beverages in the cruise fare.
Wine is included with lunch and dinner on European Avalon cruises, and sparkling wine is included with breakfast.
Yes. On European Avalon cruises, beer is included with lunch and dinner.
Select cocktails are included during Avalon's complimentary Happy Hour. Premium or other cocktails outside the included selection may cost extra.
Avalon provides complimentary soft drinks throughout the day on European cruises, as well as specialty coffee and tea in the Club Lounge. Other beverages have specific inclusion periods, such as wine and beer with lunch and dinner.
Yes. Avalon currently describes a complimentary Happy Hour every evening except the first night, with select beer, wine, spirits, cocktails, and zero-proof beverages.
Not necessarily. Avalon includes selected beverages, while premium spirits and other drinks outside the contracted menu can carry an additional charge.
Drink inclusions vary by destination. Europe, Asia, Amazon, and Galápagos cruises have different beverage policies, so check the specific itinerary before booking.
You can enjoy many standard beverages without an additional charge, but it is sensible to budget for premium drinks or beverages outside the included selection if you expect to order them.
The answer to “How much is the Avalon Waterways drink package?” is different from the answer for many ocean cruise lines. Avalon does not currently rely on a standard unlimited daily beverage package for its European river cruises. Instead, a substantial selection of drinks is already included.
European passengers receive wine and beer with lunch and dinner, sparkling wine with breakfast, soft drinks throughout the day, specialty coffee and tea, and complimentary Happy Hour on most evenings.
That means you should not automatically add a separate beverage-package fee to your Avalon cruise budget. Instead, determine which drinks are included on your particular itinerary and set aside money only for premium or otherwise excluded beverages.
Most importantly, check the current beverage inclusions for your destination before sailing. Avalon has different policies for Europe, Asia, the Amazon, and the Galápagos, so the details can change depending on where your river cruise takes you.
Recent Guide
Your ultimate guide to cruise adventures. Discover amazing destinations, find the perfect cruise, and create unforgettable memories on the high seas.
Quick Links
Cruise Types
© 2026 Portjourney.com. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service
