Drink Package Questions

We are trying our first cruise with MSC on the Divina in DEC...:) I got the BOGO Balcony for myself, hubby and son. We have a Fantastica room on deck 10 which we are happy with. The only caveat is that we have been spoled with NCL and their drink package perks! LOL If we were to upgrade to Aurea the cost would be $1500 more! :eek: So my questions to all of you MSC experts are as follows-

1. Do "upgrades" from Fantastica to Aurea typically come avail. as the cruise gets closer? Are they good deals?

2. There are so many drinks packages- which one is an add-on to Fantastica?

3. Are the drink "coupon" books good? Does anyone advise that over a package?

We are def. drinkers, but we tend to have more with a package. :) Tjanks for your thoughts!!!

How many nights is the cruise? On the Musica, anyone could buy the Allegrisimo drink package (the one Aurea comes with) for €26/person/day (+15% if you book on board) and each person in the cabin needs to buy it. I don't know how they handle minors.

Drink prices were approximately as follows (plus 15% gratuity):

Soda can €3

Cappuccino €4

House wine €5

Beers €6+ (didn't drink beer)

Daily special mixed drink €6

Mixed drinks €7-€9

So as you can see, the drink package is a good value for even a light drinker. I don't know about the coupon books but hopefully this information helps. I also don't know if the Divina is in USD if the prices are different.

I booked into Aurea which came with this package and it was great. There were exclusions on the menu but nothing I was dying to have (wine aficionados would be let down by the house wine, but I didn't mind it). I recommend you call MSC or your Travel agent and ask them to quote you the pre-pay price on this package. It was great having it!

Remember too that the Aurea experience also gets you Priority Embarkation, Open Dining (instead of a set dining time) and a couple of spa treatments as well as time in the steam room/sauna. All that in addition to the inclusive drink package.

No, I have not seen upgrade options cheaper at a later date.

Also, with the "all-you-can-drink" packages everyone has to purchase it. The convenience of having it attached to your card so you don't have to pull out coupons is nice, but I have found the coupons to be a good economical substitute. But, I would make sure you get the Escape coupons not the Cocktail package. It offers a much wider variety of things you can get.

Bret