Jump to content

"alcohol package" on Princess?


oratheeexplorer

Recommended Posts

No Princess does not offer a package. We sailed the Ruby in the Med this summer and they did not offer. And we will sail on her again in March 2012 and still none offered. RCL is great with their 25% discount for advance purchase packages. Sure do wish Princess would follow suite because we are liking Princess more and more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know Princess has the soda packages, but do they offer any alcohol packages? My sister and brother in law may join us on a cruise, and I am trying to find out some info on this for them.....any information would be greatly appreciated!
No alcohol packages but then when I cruised on Celebrity last June, I was very surprised at how much more expensive their drink costs were than Princess and the alcohol package just brought them down to where you'd pay on Princess to start with. For instance, on Princess a martini is $6.99, a medium-sized Bloody Mary is $5.99 (they come in three sizes), etc. If I remember correctly, on Celebrity a martini was $10. Big difference. Don't be fooled by drink packages because if drink prices are inflated to start with, they're not the bargain you think they are.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

No alcohol packages but then when I cruised on Celebrity last June, I was very surprised at how much more expensive their drink costs were than Princess and the alcohol package just brought them down to where you'd pay on Princess to start with. For instance, on Princess a martini is $6.99, a medium-sized Bloody Mary is $5.99 (they come in three sizes), etc. If I remember correctly, on Celebrity a martini was $10. Big difference. Don't be fooled by drink packages because if drink prices are inflated to start with, they're not the bargain you think they are.

 

I had a similar experience on RCCL where I had to purchase a wine package to reduce the per bottle price to that available on Princess without a wine package. Their very liberal wine policy to basically bring on unlimited amounts of wine/champagne to consume in cabins without any fees or to pay the $15 corkage fee in the dining room is a great option also.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can pre-purchase bottles of alchohol and it will be waiting in your stateroom when you get there it ia a little pricey but still alot cheaper than buying at the bar's. A 325 liter bottle of Jack Daniels is $27.00. When you are in Fort Lauderdale stop somewhere and buy soda we get 2 6 packs of 20 oz bottles each and bring that on board (its alloweyour not breaking any rules) and your all set. We did this on a recent Carnval cruise and it worked great our room steward made sure we always had ice and glasses. We saved alot of money this way and it ,makes it conveinent to sit on our balcony and have a drink.

hope this helps

Jeff

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There have been posts on here about Princess testing a wine package. I don't know the details.

 

We noted passengers aboard the Coral with silver grey cards for wine. Our preference is to the grain rather than the grape but we did ask how they used them and did they liked the idea. The card is not unlike the coffee card where the card is punched after each purchase. We were told that the savings are about 25% and the holders were pleased. The total packages appeared to be 12. Several people seen walking about the ship with opened and corked bottles of wine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Although Princess doesn't offer drink packages their drink prices are really good in my opinion. I can get drinks cheaper on Princess than I can here at home. I've paid a total of $7.75 tax included for martinis and other mixed drinks - although I think I read their drink prices might have gone up by .25 cents or so. Plus, Princess has $3.99 drink specials in their bars in the evening. I can't remember the exact times now but I think they start around 8pm. From what I remember their wine by the glass prices were really good as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We noted passengers aboard the Coral with silver grey cards for wine. Our preference is to the grain rather than the grape but we did ask how they used them and did they liked the idea. The card is not unlike the coffee card where the card is punched after each purchase. We were told that the savings are about 25% and the holders were pleased. The total packages appeared to be 12. Several people seen walking about the ship with opened and corked bottles of wine.
HAL offers what essentially works out to a pre-paid beverage card for all drinks. You pay $45 for $50's worth of anything from sodas to martinis, $90 for $100's worth. You just present the card and the price of the beverage is deducted. HAL's drink prices are closer to Princess than Celebrity.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There have been posts on here about Princess testing a wine package. I don't know the details.

 

I do not remember the one ship name they were trying it on, but from I remeber from the posts about it:

o You paid a certain amount to be able to pick x bottles of wine that cost $yy.yy or less.

o The wines were served to you in the dining room. You could choose the order in which the bottles would be used.

o Bottles which did not get consumed onboard were not permitted to be taken home from the ship.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do not remember the one ship name they were trying it on, but from I remeber from the posts about it:

o You paid a certain amount to be able to pick x bottles of wine that cost $yy.yy or less.

o The wines were served to you in the dining room. You could choose the order in which the bottles would be used.

o Bottles which did not get consumed onboard were not permitted to be taken home from the ship.

 

I should have added that the card colour may have indicated the price range of the wines one can choose from, there being two offered. It was indicated that the lesser price range was a better deal but as mentioned, this was not our forte. PAX were asked if they would like to take the bottle with them upon leaving the dining room or have it retained for an additional evening. But there was no question the wine was yours to do with as you wish once it was opened. They were being brought to the Platinum/Elite gatherings.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just sailed on the Crown myself, and our group brought bottles of wine for itself (11 bottles), and I bought the UKP (Ultimate Kids Package - not just for kids, mind you) for myself. This included not only sodas, but also fruit juices, smoothies, shakes, and "mocktails" or non-alcoholic beverages which were quite tasty.

 

Also, as mentioned above, they had their "power hour" specials, which were $3.99 for a list of drinks that included Long Island Teas, Margaritas, and some other popular cocktails.....available at that price from 8pm til midnight I believe?

 

The UKP drink package was $56 and change for the week, but I feel I got my money's worth out of it! My favorite became non-alcoholic mudslides from the bar in the International Cafe! :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just sailed on the Crown myself, and our group brought bottles of wine for itself (11 bottles), and I bought the UKP (Ultimate Kids Package - not just for kids, mind you) for myself. This included not only sodas, but also fruit juices, smoothies, shakes, and "mocktails" or non-alcoholic beverages which were quite tasty.

 

Also, as mentioned above, they had their "power hour" specials, which were $3.99 for a list of drinks that included Long Island Teas, Margaritas, and some other popular cocktails.....available at that price from 8pm til midnight I believe?

 

The UKP drink package was $56 and change for the week, but I feel I got my money's worth out of it! My favorite became non-alcoholic mudslides from the bar in the International Cafe! :D

 

 

This is great to know.......my husband always gets the soda card, but I don't drink a lot of soda.....maybe I will get the UKP drink package this time......I love smoothies and the virgin strawberry daquiries are great too!

 

Laura

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do not remember the one ship name they were trying it on, but from I remember from the posts about it:

o You paid a certain amount to be able to pick x bottles of wine that cost $yy.yy or less.

o The wines were served to you in the dining room. You could choose the order in which the bottles would be used.

o Bottles which did not get consumed onboard were not permitted to be taken home from the ship.

 

We were on the Coral in November and bought the wine pkg. We selected the 12 bottle Gold pkg and cost averaged to about $28 per bottle. We were allowed to choose wines up to a value of $45. I considered it to be a good value. The only other restriction I can remember is you have get the wine from a bar attached to a dining area not from a bar like the Martini bar or Wheelhouse.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was on Coral Princess earlier this month and purchased one of the wine packages that they are test-driving.

 

1) Two levels to choose from (gold and silver). The difference in two plans is only price. The gold package was $348 for 12 bottles.

2) They had different sized packages available (6, 9, and 12 bottles I believe). Discount improved as package got larger.

3) You can pick any bottle of wine from the wine list up to a certain price ($45 for gold).

4) There isn't any "order" to what you select or how many bottles you can get at a time. It is one punch/bottle.

5) The package is only good for duration of cruise. If you haven't used up all your punches, you either lose it or take extra bottles home. Yes, you CAN take them home.

6) You can use in any dining room, including Horizon Court. You can't use in the bars.

7) You can get bottles "to go" for in-room consumption if you like. I did this a couple of times. Went to HC and used card for a bottle. They opened, gave me a couple of glasses and I took back to stateroom to drink on balcony.

8) Like any other bottle of wine purchased on board, if you don't drink the entire bottle at one sitting, they will re-cork, label, and save for you.

 

Hope this helps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On the same subject, there is a travel agency in our area that is offering drink packages on the CB Princess for the Southern Caribbean itinerary. "7 days premium bar package for an additional $290". I wonder how this is administered? Maybe it is a sticker on your sign and sail card like the soft drink package?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know Princess has the soda packages, but do they offer any alcohol packages? My sister and brother in law may join us on a cruise, and I am trying to find out some info on this for them.....any information would be greatly appreciated!

 

We were offered drink packages for Princess not just wine packages, through CAA and Sunwing..... basic package, domestic drinks is $290. pp Enjoy your trip!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was on Coral Princess earlier this month and purchased one of the wine packages that they are test-driving.

 

1) Two levels to choose from (gold and silver). The difference in two plans is only price. The gold package was $348 for 12 bottles.

 

Thanks for those details...does the $348 include the 15% gratuity?

 

I think it was on the Coral three years ago when they were testing a wine package. Slightly different in that the discount amount was based on 3 levels of purchases (5, 10, 15 bottles) up to a 15% discount & was valid for all bottles of wine. I prefer the package you had & it would be nice to have that option fleetwide. I would consider it & might be nice to try some new wine from their 'cellar'! At a Chef's Table, I was introduced to Kenwood's Jack London cab & it's now my favorite splurge for a bottle of wine. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can pre-purchase bottles of alchohol and it will be waiting in your stateroom when you get there it ia a little pricey but still alot cheaper than buying at the bar's. A 325 liter bottle of Jack Daniels is $27.00. When you are in Fort Lauderdale stop somewhere and buy soda we get 2 6 packs of 20 oz bottles each and bring that on board (its alloweyour not breaking any rules) and your all set. We did this on a recent Carnval cruise and it worked great our room steward made sure we always had ice and glasses. We saved alot of money this way and it ,makes it conveinent to sit on our balcony and have a drink.

hope this helps

Jeff

 

Side note to Jeff's comments: We purchased four bottles of liquor from Princess (Pre-Cruise) and they were delivered to our room with no problems.

 

So as I sat there in my mini suite enjoying a nice Rum and Coke, I picked up the in-room service menu and flipped to the section with alcohol listed and noticed the same bottles I bought from Princess (pre-cruise) were TWO DOLLARS cheaper if I had ordered them from Room Service.

 

Go figure. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Side note to Jeff's comments: We purchased four bottles of liquor from Princess (Pre-Cruise) and they were delivered to our room with no problems.

 

So as I sat there in my mini suite enjoying a nice Rum and Coke, I picked up the in-room service menu and flipped to the section with alcohol listed and noticed the same bottles I bought from Princess (pre-cruise) were TWO DOLLARS cheaper if I had ordered them from Room Service.

 

Go figure. ;)

 

I'm not certain but pre-ordering probably includes the tip & maybe the room service price is plus tip?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not certain but pre-ordering probably includes the tip & maybe the room service price is plus tip?

 

Pre-Cruise price had no additional fees and if I remember correctly, no service fee added to the in-room order (I could be wrong..) but I guess the point I was making is... and for those of you who don't know me, I was a F&B Director for Hilton Hotels is this... wouldn't you think it cheaper to order pre-cruise and then make a few extra bucks from those individuals who forgot or couldn't order pre-cruise? This is why your $10 cheeseburger in the hotel is $12 in your room PLUS a 20% service fee and in some cases, as much as a $3 "room service fee"

 

:cool:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not looking to start any controversy (or hijack the thread), but it is cheaper to bring your own. Pack it in the suitcase in 20 oz. water "bottles" and buy the soda card and enjoy. I don't feel guilty doing this as I spend a fortune on everything else; casino, portraits, jewelry, excursions, AND always end up with a few hundred dollar bar tab too.

 

 

 

Side note to Jeff's comments: We purchased four bottles of liquor from Princess (Pre-Cruise) and they were delivered to our room with no problems.

 

So as I sat there in my mini suite enjoying a nice Rum and Coke, I picked up the in-room service menu and flipped to the section with alcohol listed and noticed the same bottles I bought from Princess (pre-cruise) were TWO DOLLARS cheaper if I had ordered them from Room Service.

 

Go figure. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was on the Crown Princess week of 12/17 - 12/24 and in addition to the 3 different levels of wine packages you can order, they also had room service packages of beer, liquor and wine you could purchase, only from room service. I drink wine so the wine package was 4 of those little bottles for $21 and you had to order a minimum of 1 package (4 bottles) at a time. It saved a few dollars over paying per glass at a bar or restaurant....not that I did that.....but it was nice to have it in the room. Interesting to hear that it still seems like part of a test program. Hope it works out for everyone.

 

Michelle

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...