seafoy

Thanks for your pics on Sandals resort! I wasn't sure if day passes were still available as there have been no remotely current reviews of, and there is nothing on thier website referencing them either. Did you contact the resort and pre-purchase or just show up and purchase onsite? Last price I saw was $110pp....is this still correct? I think I saw another thread lately with bus info on it....hoping not too difficult to figure out, as it would certainly be more cost efficient than the $25 taxi there and back! Thanks for any info!

Thank you for all that great information! You confirmed my thoughts on many levels. Will be buying the package beforehand for sure. wondering if you had any experience in Vintages as I picture myself spending more time there than any other bar. :)

We did spend one evening in Vintages. It is a very nice space, with comfortable seating. There is not a huge selection at all of wines by the glass, so you are kind of limited in what you can order on the package, but we found two pinot noir's, for example, from which to choose. May have been a Cabernet, I don't believe there were any Merlot's, though. Did not look to much at the whites. We also ordered the Tapas there for dinner one evening which was very nice.

In the dining room one evening, I wanted a white wine to go with the formal night lobster, and the only thing close on package was a Riesling which was $14, so I ended up paying the extra buck. I think there was a Pinot Grigio for $15 as well. I don't like Chardonnay, so never looked at those.

We generally only drink wine at home, so that is why we tended to gravitate to the Martini's and Margarita's...something a little different while on vacation! I also will say, I am not a big drinker at home...maybe a glass or two of wine every week or every other week... So, that is why I was a bit hesitant with the package. But, we found so many great people to talk to just hanging out at the various bars/ pools/hot tubs....we would usually have at least 3 cocktails chatting away and never felt drunk at all, especially with the frozen drinks...they were not strong at all. My husband always had a glass of wine at dinner, I can't mix wine and liquor. Then we generally would have a couple of chocolate martini's(these were awesome) in the evening, a bottle of water before bed...and we well surpassed our quota for the day! The other concern I had, was being able to do this for 7 days, but because I paced myself and never "over did it" on day 1 or 2, it was not a problem:D!

Now, my only concern is losing the 7lb's the drink package left me with:eek:!! Enjoy your cruise!!

Without a doubt, the chips and salsa, with a bowl of fresh made guacamole at Sabor on the boardwalk....$5, but sooo worth it!

The 47 plus gratuity for a 7 night cruise comes to $388 when I put it in my basket. When i back out the soda package cost because it doesn't come into play whether the package is worth it for me for wine/alcohol and water bottles - the weekly total is $322 and divides out to $46 total per day including gratuity. 3 wines at 13 each comes to 39 plus gratuity or $46. So any additional cocktails and bottles of water become "freebies" on this package!

 

And I realize that you don't "back out" the soda package - like you have to pay for it no matter what. But in my opinion the soda package "is what it is" and doesn't come into play regarding is the 'alcoholic drink' package worth it. I think those who use the 5-6 drinks per day are flawed in their math because they don't take into account that the soda package consumes $8 per day plus gratuity of that full package price. But maybe that's just me.

I just got off the 6/5 Allure sailing, and like you was going back and forth trying to determine whether we should get the packages. We had done a package on another cruise line(Princess) a year ago and had a tough time "breaking even" so to speak...and that was only a 5 day cruise...lol! BUT, their drink prices were a lot lower at the time than RCCL. So, just like you, I figured I would at least get the soda package, because I enjoy the flavored Dasani waters the freestyle machine offers, at $8 day....an additional $39 more I could get the premium package. On the Allure this is 3-4 drinks! The others that are telling you a $12 limit are incorrect, it is $13 on the Allure.

As you are a wine drinker, you will be most likely spending $12 per glass, as there really wasn't any $13 wines I saw, usually either $11, $12 or $14...and up from there, unless you really wanted the cheap stuff! We felt the bars that made the best drinks were the Martini bar and Sabor for margaritas. Martini's were $13, as well as the margarita's. Most of the frozen drinks were $11.

Let me tell you....we ended up having NO problem meeting that 3-4 per day:D...and am REALLY happy I ended up buying beforehand! There were many times my frozen drink would melt so fast and not taste very good, or a drink was made too sweet for my liking, and I could freely abandon it if necessary. Sometimes, I didn't like a drink or only felt like drinking half. In addition, we usually got a couple water bottles each per day.

The package price onboard was $59 plus gratuities.... So, if you are going to purchase, definitely do so before boarding!

Also...one tip that we learned... When ordering a drink, ask for it to be made with certain liquor...i.e. Bacardi Mojito, Grand Marnier Margarita....or they will most likely use the "generic no brand stuff"!

We actually just left cabin 7158 today:(! We really liked being on the 7th floor and being so close to the stairs. If I were to cruise on Oasis class again, though, I think I would pick close to aft stairs instead, just because it seemed like we were making more trips to the aft, but this would just be personal preference. The positives were the theater and solarium were in the front of the ship. From deck 7, the main deck 5, or Central Park were just a flight or two up or down. However, to get to the deck 6 boardwalk, you had to walk all the way down deck 7 to aft stairs, and go down a flight or go down to deck 5 and walk to aft and up a flight as deck 6 does not go all the way thru from front to aft. Not a big deal, and more walking was a good thing between all the eating and drinking:D...lol! We made several trips to the boardwalk, so that is why I would probably choose aft by the stairs next time, but it still is a really great location, and we enjoyed that room! I'm pretty sure you will as well:)!

Thanks for sharing....we did a 3day a few years back and loved it! Tiny, tiny room though:eek:! Would love to schedule again now she is so close to home!

Thanks for everyone's reply...that is definitely what I was thinking, but this (kind of embarrassed to admit) is our first 7 day trip....have been on many 3-5 days....so thought I'd better confirm.

I was wondering if anyone has had their second formal night be the last day at sea? We are going on the Allure this Sunday, and I believe it's the first run for St.Maarten/SanJuan/Labadee route. Most of our sea days are at the beginning... Wed/Thurs/Fri are port days, and Sat is last sea day. I pre-booked a specialty restaurant for the last evening aboard the ship, but I don't want to miss the second formal night as it is lobster night. What are the chances the last day at sea would be second formal night? Not sure if I should cancel while I still can and wait to schedule on the ship. Thanks!

Café Promenade drink prices:

 

 

 

 

And the last spot on the Promenade for now... Guest Services:

 

 

Let me just say that before 10 a.m, is your best chance to get a short line at Guest services. On port days they are also less busy. However, the last sea day and debarkation day are the worst. Try to plan accordingly.

 

There is, of course, still the Champagne Bar on the Promenade, but I still have to upload those pictures to my iPad.

Do you know if you can get the spirited coffees with the drink package? (Premium pkg)

Awesome pics and I love your tips! Next week it will be out turn...woo hoo:D!

We just got off Allure last Sunday. This was the offer onboard. Note, the price does not include gratuities of 18%

 

 

 

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Thank you so much for posting this! I was wondering if the price was going to actually be more on board than my "20% off sale". Looks like I will actually save ~$100 for 2, so I'm glad I went ahead and pre-purchased. Thanks also for posting drink menu's on another thread, very helpful! I will probably not "break even", but my husband will probably come out a little ahead. I was going to get the soda package at $8 day but for an additional $39day(or 3 margarita's:D) I could upgrade to premium package, so I just went for it! I'm pretty cheap by nature, so at least I won't experience panic :eek: with any bar bill!

We just got off Allure last Sunday. This was the offer onboard. Note, the price does not include gratuities of 18%

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you so much for posting this! I was wondering if the price was going to actually be more on board than my "20% off sale". Looks like I will actually save ~$100 for 2, so I'm glad I went ahead and pre-purchased. Thanks also for posting drink menu's on another thread, very helpful! I will probably not "break even", but my husband will probably come out a little ahead. I was going to get the soda package, but premium pkg came out to be $39 (or 3 margarita's more:D) so I went for it! I'm super cheap by nature, so this way I won't have to panic over each bill!

Thanks for commenting about your spa pedicure....was contemplating getting on the ship as the price was not outrageous, but could not find a review anywhere! I would not like getting hassled buying products, so nice to hear that wasn't the case. Will be on the ship in a little over a week, so will enjoy hearing the rest of your review.

You will enjoy the Premium Package! The only reason you would upgrade to the Ultimate would be if you liked Martini's at the Martini Bar! Enjoy!

Huh? When I called RCI... the lady I spoke with said the premium pkg would cover martini's. Anyone on Allure with premium pkg that didn't cover martini's?? That may make a difference in whether I purchase! I thought I read $13 limit for Allure on threads?

Nope, I have been tracking it since January when I booked October on Oasis. I was waiting to see if the 20% discount would pop up and just last week it did and I bought it. It went from $49 per day to $44 per day not counting the 18% gratuity.

 

Came to $363 total for the premium package.

Consider yourself lucky...my big 20% discount drops the price from $49 to $47 before gratuity!

At the very least, book the comedy show. That venue is small and you might not get in if you use the standby line.

I have never been given the option of booking comedy shows online....says to book onboard. Is this due to them already being full? I booked cruise about 4-5wks prior to cruise date. Booked all other shows without a problem.

i have always wanted to try Celebrity(we have cruised RCI,NCL, Princess, and Carnival prior) and had a great opportunity this past Feb. with a quick, inexpensive 2 nighter offered. It was on the Celebrity Millenium. The ship was very nice, good food, etc., but like the person above, we found the ship to be very boring...just not much going on. We went with another couple, so still had a great time, but probably would not cruise for anything more than a short 3 day. Just to let you know, it looks like we have about 10yrs. on you, and other couple we went with were mid/late 40's and thought the same. Princess had a bit older crowd(like us..lol), but we found it to be much more lively. Could have been just this particular ship, but I get the feeling that may not be the case. Hope this helps!

Most of the "menu" cocktails have been in the $11 - $13 range. Not sure what the going price has been for spirit + mixer.

Thanks so much...that is exactly what I wanted to confirm!

If you could get any pictures of drink menu's at the bar, that would be awesome!...after exhaustive research, still haven't really figured out if all cocktails are going to run around $12-13 or they still have some in the $10 range. Specifically, looking for Margarita, Mojito, and red wine prices. Thanks!

Bummer!....just checked my offers and not there...different AMEX cards must have different offers. Could have definitely used that!

The gratuities promotion is free gratuities for OV or higher as stated on the cruise lines website.

Thought I had mentioned...booked a supreme oceanfront balcony...so definitely qualified.

Can you cancel, and start over?

A little information, please.

 

There should be two prices, according to what you are saying.

 

The price under the BOGOHO sale.

 

The price under the Going, Going, Gone sale.

 

How do the two prices compare?

The problem is....there was NOT two prices listed, or ANY options for that matter...I screen shot the entire mock booking! Everything stated I was getting bogo with free gratuities.

Can you cancel, and start over?

Did you ask the agent to change your reservation to the promotion with the bogo 50% and free gratuities? You should be able to do that. Also, did you book Oceanview or higher cabin? The inside cabins do not include free gratuities. Also, the free gratuities comes in the way of an OBC, (on board credit). Hope this helps you out some. If you were not satisfied with the final price, why did you book?

Well...if you actually change to the "promotion"...guess what? The price of the cruise goes up $200 to cover those "free" gratuities! I booked because I was satisfied with the price, assuming I was getting my gratuities covered. I was deciding between this an an NCL cruise, if I had known I wasn't getting the gratuities, I probably would have went with NCL, as it would have come in a couple hundred cheaper!

Can you cancel, and start over?

Unfortunately, no...our cruise is the first week of June, so entire amount was paid up front.

Not sure anyone else has encountered this...purchased a cruise two days ago under the assumption I was receiving the current promo of BOGO 1/2 price and free gratuities. I logged into my account, and thru the entire purchase process the deal banners of bogo and free gratuities displayed on the website each click of the way. I finished the purchase, and was very excited for upcoming cruise! Went into my reservation today and nowhere did it state free gratuities, just my purchase price, and I thought that was a bit odd, but maybe it doesn't show. I gave RCI a call just to confirm them. Long story short, apparently the "best price" for you just automatically pops up...so, without my knowing, I apparently was booking under the "going,going,gone sale" even though everything on my screen continued to display I was booking bogo with free gratuities...and you guessed it, the going going gone sale doesn't include free gratuities. I went in and did a mock booking to screen shot it along the way....will send to corporate even though It may not make it past the trash can. REALLY DISAPPOINTED Royal Caribbean...Totally false and misleading information on your website!!!