Keeping track of what you drink

We are taking the beverage package on allure. Is there a way to know at the end of the cruise what we actually drank without keeping all of our receipts? I just want to know if we come out ahead so I'll know if I need it next time.

Your drinks are not listed on your final bill.

However, the ship does keep track of them, so maybe you can ask a bartender if there is a way to get a list.

We are taking the beverage package on allure. Is there a way to know at the end of the cruise what we actually drank without keeping all of our receipts? I just want to know if we come out ahead so I'll know if I need it next time.

There is no automatic counter for drinks per passenger onboard - at least not one that RCCL will allow passengers to access.

If you have a drink package, there have been reports that some ships give you a receipt for the 0-charge (in case you want to tip) and others that don't - or that even sometimes you get a receipt and sometimes you don't. Because there is a 0-charge, unless you tip something on that receipt that you get for each drink you order, the 'charge' will not appear on your account. So the only way you can count through your onboard spending account would be to tip the bar staff something for each drink so that it appears on your account to be charged to you at the end of the cruise...

In our experience, my DH gets the drink package and likes to know if/when he breaks even (btw - he always does, at least, break even). He runs a tally at the end of each day of how many of each kind of drink he had... and then he knows if the package was worth it for a particular trip. It doesn't take too much effort to count.

There is no automatic counter for drinks per passenger onboard - at least not one that RCCL will allow passengers to access.

 

If you have a drink package, there have been reports that some ships give you a receipt for the 0-charge (in case you want to tip) and others that don't - or that even sometimes you get a receipt and sometimes you don't. Because there is a 0-charge, unless you tip something on that receipt that you get for each drink you order, the 'charge' will not appear on your account. So the only way you can count through your onboard spending account would be to tip the bar staff something for each drink so that it appears on your account to be charged to you at the end of the cruise...

 

In our experience, my DH gets the drink package and likes to know if/when he breaks even (btw - he always does, at least, break even). He runs a tally at the end of each day of how many of each kind of drink he had... and then he knows if the package was worth it for a particular trip. It doesn't take too much effort to count.

How will he know if he broke even or not? Are there drink menus with prices available?

I was on Explorer and I didn't get a single receipt on any drinks I ordered that were covered by my drinks package.

How will he know if he broke even or not? Are there drink menus with prices available?

There are drink menus... sometimes. Seems to vary by ship and by bar on the ship. From what I've seen (pics on CC reviews of various ships), some menus list larger drink selections, others have limited selections, some have prices, others don't. Some have even reported that the prices for the same drink was different in various bars on the same ship on the same cruise!

But, if no drink prices are posted, the bartender should still be able to tell you the cost of the drink had you not used the package to "purchase" it. Keep in mind though that the price they tell you may not have the gratuity (18%) added in, so that would need to be taken into account when trying to track whether the package was worthwhile or not.

There are drink menus... sometimes. Seems to vary by ship and by bar on the ship. From what I've seen (pics on CC reviews of various ships), some menus list larger drink selections, others have limited selections, some have prices, others don't. Some have even reported that the prices for the same drink was different in various bars on the same ship on the same cruise!

 

But, if no drink prices are posted, the bartender should still be able to tell you the cost of the drink had you not used the package to "purchase" it. Keep in mind though that the price they tell you may not have the gratuity (18%) added in, so that would need to be taken into account when trying to track whether the package was worthwhile or not.

that's what I thought. I have only seen a drink menu in one or two bars. So other than asking the bartender what the cost is, there is really no way of keeping track if you have a drink package.

I find that people tend to forget that many of the drink packages include other drinks besides alcohol, so the bottled water and soft drinks add up as part of the tally as well.

How will he know if he broke even or not? Are there drink menus with prices available?

Me thinks they don't want you to know. :D

If you have orange juice, bottled water, a drink by the pool, two wines with dinner, and a drink at the show you are already ahead. I tend to have all that and then add two or three more at the casino. :cool:

My husband drinks only beer, so easy for us to figure. We have pretty much come out ahead when he buys the package then individually.

The first cruise I ever did on Monarch in 2013 the drink packages had just come out and your final bill listed all the entries that were made each time your seapass card was swiped. Seeing as I only used it for drinks, I was able to add it up.

Lets just say that for my 4 day cruise, I drank more than enough to pay for the whole cruise package on just the first day...have never thought twice about the package since.

But it would be nice to be able to obtain a list of purchases for sure. I am guessing they have their reason's for not giving it to you.

Having sailed the Oasis this past August 1st, I kept my own logg of how much I drank on the drink package.

My purpose was to try new drinks and if I did not like them just get another. I did not, I stuck with old favorites and drank more in the suite lounge than ever used my package.

Well between suite lounge and all the welcome back parties and sail-a-way parties, I did not get any where near a close to breaking even.

Now next year we are in a suite again.

We will be diamond (3 drinks loaded on sea pass during happy hour).

So if I want one Captains and diet coke, I will just buy it.

Other than that............the cheap champagne keeps me happy.

DH likes the fancy drinks and he got his moneys worth.

Sea Ya

Me thinks they don't want you to know. :D

That sums it up!

I don't think the cruise line WANTS you to be able to compare package to buying drinks a la carte....

Me thinks they don't want you to know. :D

...and since I'm not driving I don't care.

We are taking the beverage package on allure. Is there a way to know at the end of the cruise what we actually drank without keeping all of our receipts? I just want to know if we come out ahead so I'll know if I need it next time.

When we were on Allure in May 2014 we were able to get onto our Onboard Account through our TV in our cabin. I don't recall exactly what section it was under but we were able to pull up a history of every drink we ordered! It just listed every time our Sea passes were swiped and had a $0 charge allotted to it.

Our friends were able to do this as well, so I would think that it was a standard thing you could pull up under your account on your TV!

Enjoy your cruise :D

I was wondering if it would be on the TV and it looks like it will be. It's not a big use because I'm fairly certain that I will be ahead but I'm still curious.

I buy a partial case of bottled water on the first day. On the last day, I know exactly how many I drank. ;)

With the 3 free diamond drinks, diamond lounge, two bottles of wine in the cabin, and port stops.....I don't think I could come out even on a 7 day cruise.

We got the package free on a couple of TransAtlantic's which was nice. Don't think Royal is doing that anymore for US paxs. May try it on my upcoming Vision TA after we leave the European ports and have a bunch of sea days in front of us??

With the 3 free diamond drinks, diamond lounge, two bottles of wine in the cabin, and port stops.....I don't think I could come out even on a 7 day cruise.

 

We got the package free on a couple of TransAtlantic's which was nice. Don't think Royal is doing that anymore for US paxs. May try it on my upcoming Vision TA after we leave the European ports and have a bunch of sea days in front of us??

That's great! But we are not all Diamond and get free drinks:rolleyes::D

That's great! But we are not all Diamond and get free drinks:rolleyes::D

Loyality pays dividends......

So if I am reading this correctly...as Diamond you get 3 "free" drinks a day that you can use at any bar on the ship....PLUS, you get 3 hrs (between 5-8 I think) in the diamond lounge where drinks are also free-not limited there?!

Is there any advantage/disadvantage to buying drink package before the cruise versus buying onboard? I have some OBC I was thinking of using to buy a package. Also, I'm sailing out of Port Canaveral, would I pay FL sales tax if I buy it as soon as I board, or is that only in TX where we get charged tax on purchases while ship is still in port?

So if I am reading this correctly...as Diamond you get 3 "free" drinks a day that you can use at any bar on the ship....PLUS, you get 3 hrs (between 5-8 I think) in the diamond lounge where drinks are also free-not limited there?!

Those three "free" drinks must be consumed during those diamond lounge hours, as well.

That's great! But we are not all Diamond and get free drinks:rolleyes::D

We always do the drink package because we want to drink what we want, not the crap they server during the free couple of hours.