drinks package on Azura

I will most likely take a package so I know everything paid up front. Like others have already experienced however I do know this will lead me to drink a little more than I usually would. As you approach end of cruise and OBS is almost gone I do tend to cut back and have quiet days! Even more weight put on for next cruise :)

The trial is still ongoing on Azura, but as yet I have not met anyone taking it.

The trial is still ongoing on Azura, but as yet I have not met anyone taking it.

That's interesting.

I take it you are on board, can you get any inside information from any crew members as to what's happening next month. New packages etc.

BTW, as said before we wouldn't take a package but just curious as to what's planned for the future.

Trouble with allowing one person only to buy the package is that people would inevitably share the alcoholic drinks.

 

I agree with your comment on the restriction on bring alcohol on board however and wonder how long it will be till this is reduced further.

 

I do have sympathy with seasoned P&O cruisers who are used to bringing their own alcohol on board and thereby significantly reducing their on board spend - I don’t think P&O (and Cunard) can avoid the drinks package for much longer.

 

 

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As there is a 15 drinks limit.....I dont see why it would matter if a cabin shared? If the packages is 15 alcoholic drinks then what does it matter who drinks them?

As there is a 15 drinks limit.....I dont see why it would matter if a cabin shared? If the packages is 15 alcoholic drinks then what does it matter who drinks them?

I would say that P&O don’t assume everyone will drink 15 alcoholic drinks, if people share they are more likely to hit the maximum and either cost P&O more or push up the cost of the package. The latter is more likely.

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On 7/13/2018 at 11:09 AM, P&O SUE said:

 

It says "only one drink at a time can be ordered" surely that doesn't mean my husband can't buy me a drink or vice versa? That's ridiculous!! I've just worked how much £39.95 a day for 2 of us works out for a 12 night cruise and we didn't spend anywhere near that and that includes some meals in Glasshouse and a couple of items from the shops!

I am sure that if you present 2 cards when ordering you will be able to order 2 drinks at a time.

47 minutes ago, billybrent said:

I am sure that if you present 2 cards when ordering you will be able to order 2 drinks at a time.

Billy, this trial finished early in September and at the moment there are no plans to do anything similar. A few rumours but no definites as of yet.

On 1/13/2019 at 12:24 PM, daiB said:

 

Billy, this trial finished early in September and at the moment there are no plans to do anything similar. A few rumours but no definites as of yet.

Hello, we are travelling on Ventura in March so hoping things are sorted by then, personally I would be happy with the old arrangement of purchasing a Wine Package and then buy drinks as and when required as they P&O are fairly reasonable by cruising standards. 

The trialed drinks package seemed very expensive, £39.99 per day or £960 for our forthcoming 12 nighter!  The four of us travelling would struggle every day to spend anywhere near that amount!

Hello I have received this link following P&O's announcement on Drinks Packages:

https://www.pocruises.com/drinks/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=poem19baujanfri3&utm_campaign=spotlight&utm_term=po-6876219&utm_content=link0main#heading2

34 minutes ago, billybrent said:

Hello, we are travelling on Ventura in March so hoping things are sorted by then, personally I would be happy with the old arrangement of purchasing a Wine Package and then buy drinks as and when required as they P&O are fairly reasonable by cruising standards. 

 

The trialed drinks package seemed very expensive, £39.99 per day or £960 for our forthcoming 12 nighter!  The four of us travelling would struggle every day to spend anywhere near that amount!

 

Just checked not on Ventura in March.

But we are on.  🙂

My wife and I were on a P&O cruise last year during one of the drinks package trials. It was not an experience I wish to have again, I hope they have ironed out the wrinkles and given the staff full training on implementation, otherwise it quickly becomes a farce. We had great difficulty buying one and it was all being done on paper forms, the only person capable was in the coffee shop. We went to the main bar immediately after the drill (as instructed by an officer), they were busy doing receipts from the previous cruise and told us to go to our rooms and get rid of our life jackets and come back later. How rude! We came back later and were now told to go to the coffee shop. All bars were meant to be doing them - this was simply not true. In the dining room on the first evening I was presented with a bill to sign and told, wrongly, we could not use the package in the dining room. I complained and was re-imbursed on the third visit to reception, nobody could decide what to do. There were all kinds of other glitches and compared to Celebrity it was a farce. I read the T&C's very carefully and still think their policy on wine wouldn't stand up in court under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968. You can buy any drink up to the value of £6.95. My wife ordered a large glass of Pinot Grigio priced at £6.95 and was told you could only have a standard glass of wine on the Drinks Package. Come on chaps, if you're going to try to pull that one you need to specifically detail that variation in your T&C's - a judge would throw you out of court. I hope the drinks package corrects this issue and ensures everyone knows how to sell and implement a drinks package. P&O stand to increase their sales profit immeasurably with a drinks package but you must not 'appear' to be upsetting your passengers.

What a farce, as you say.  We will stay as we are.  Some days we drink more than others, particular if we are in port.  There's no way I could find £39.95 per person as reasonable particularly as it doesn't include bottles of wine.

This is a subject that is greatly misunderstood and P&O need to proceed very carefully if they are to get it right. Celebrity started planning their route to a drinks package over 10 years ago. Their market is different, their passengers are slightly different but the result of getting the Drinks Package right is the same. They have raised their income on drinks immeasurably since it started to get popular back in 2012/2013. It's now almost mandatory and it comes 'free' with almost every cruise. For them to say that is first class marketing. Of course it's not 'free' but legally, after seven years of preparation they can get away with that. It's $60 day on Celebrity but over the last seven years they have slowly, slowly raised the price of a pint of lager to £8.50. So you get the package and you save a fortune. I don't see it that way but thousands of happy passengers do. It's clever, and when you are in port you are buying your  booze off-ship so your not drinking Celebrity's booze (which you've already paid for). It's win win for them. However, a pint of Stella on P&O is £3.95 and Peroni is only £4.10 so if you compare it to £39.95 per day it doesn't work. P&O are trying a quick fix to making more money on booze with a Drinks Package because other lines are coining it in with them. It doesn't work like that. Do it well and they'll clean up, try to cut corners and they'll shoot themselves in the foot. P&O regular customers are not the ones that go on a weekend booze cruise for a hen night or stag party.

I certainly wont be going for the "ultimate drinks package"... I usually have 1 or max 2 drinks before dinner - share a bottle of wine with the wife over dinner then maybe 2 more drinks watching the entertainment max 3.. so 5 drinks at a £5 is 25£ and id still have to pay for the bottle with a discount... wife would have 1 large glass of wine before dinner and maybe 1 after with a coke or 2...We don't drink anything in the day normally bar tea and this doesn't add up anywhere near 80£ for us unless they start massively increasing their drinks prices... so this is why they have tightened their bring onboard policy and will continue to up their port monitoring too... cant have passengers bringing own drinks onboard..

Just a thought, but I wonder if the moderators could close this thread?  It was started in relation to what was a trial on one ship. Now that it is fleet wide and there is a newer thread that picks up where this thread left off, this thread is somewhat obsolete. Having two threads discussing the same issue at the same time  is never ideal. 

3 hours ago, Chasie said:

This is a subject that is greatly misunderstood and P&O need to proceed very carefully if they are to get it right. Celebrity started planning their route to a drinks package over 10 years ago. Their market is different, their passengers are slightly different but the result of getting the Drinks Package right is the same. They have raised their income on drinks immeasurably since it started to get popular back in 2012/2013. It's now almost mandatory and it comes 'free' with almost every cruise. For them to say that is first class marketing. Of course it's not 'free' but legally, after seven years of preparation they can get away with that. It's $60 day on Celebrity but over the last seven years they have slowly, slowly raised the price of a pint of lager to £8.50. So you get the package and you save a fortune. I don't see it that way but thousands of happy passengers do. It's clever, and when you are in port you are buying your  booze off-ship so your not drinking Celebrity's booze (which you've already paid for). It's win win for them. However, a pint of Stella on P&O is £3.95 and Peroni is only £4.10 so if you compare it to £39.95 per day it doesn't work. P&O are trying a quick fix to making more money on booze with a Drinks Package because other lines are coining it in with them. It doesn't work like that. Do it well and they'll clean up, try to cut corners and they'll shoot themselves in the foot. P&O regular customers are not the ones that go on a weekend booze cruise for a hen night or stag party.

You do know that it is only available on cruises of 5 days or more taking out the idea of being available on a booze cruise.

As the new Ultimate Drinks Package doesn't come in to force on Ventura until April 2019, does anyone know if the Commodore & Captains Wine Packages will be available to purchase for my upcoming cruise in March 19? 

We have purchased these on previous Ventura Cruises, however they were temporarily suspended pending the decision announced on Thursday.  Will they be re-introduced prior to introduction of the new Packages?

Many thanks

I have had contact from P&O and wine packages will be available on my Cruise which is good news 👍