Beverage Packages - Yeah or Nay?

We are leaving on the Jewel of the Seas Feb 25-Mar 4. We haven't cruised in a few years and beverages packages are new since we last cruised.

Are they worth the money? We are looking at the Premium package, for wine and alcohol. In the fine print it says covers drinks up to $12. So.... how much are drinks otherwise? Thinking Cosmos, margaritas, Jim Beam, etc.

The packages are on sale now so I guess I have to decide soon! Any help would be appreciated!

We are leaving on the Jewel of the Seas Feb 25-Mar 4. We haven't cruised in a few years and beverages packages are new since we last cruised.

 

Are they worth the money? We are looking at the Premium package, for wine and alcohol. In the fine print it says covers drinks up to $12. So.... how much are drinks otherwise? Thinking Cosmos, margaritas, Jim Beam, etc.

 

The packages are on sale now so I guess I have to decide soon! Any help would be appreciated!

Fancy drinks (blender/frozen) will be $10-$12. "Worth" is a personal thing and depends on how much you will average drinking every day (including port days) of the cruise.

Also, if you’re not sure you want to do it yet, you can buy now to take advantage of the sale and cancel later if you change your mind.

We had package last few cruises, including last week on Navigator , covered everything including Chevis regal 18 year old, but poor selection of wine by the glass. Was able to order doubles last week for my scotch and Patron

My own opinion:

If you drink even just moderately or more. Worth it.

If you drink only occasionally not worth it.

If you drink on the low side of moderately but enjoy a few specialty coffees, sparkling water and like not having to worry about a bill at the end of a cruise, probably worth it.

EDIT to add: Premium packages are from old literature. Now it is the Deluxe package (Used to be Ultimate) and is now the only package with alcohol.

Select, Premium and Ultimate packages are gone the way of the Dodo bird.

dp

For me, the calculation is a two step.

First, i look at the Refreshment package.

If the price of the non alcoholic drinks (fresh squeezed OJ, specialty coffee, soda and bottled water) I want is more than the price of the Refreshment package, then I look at the price of the alcoholic drinks I want per day and compare it to the difference between the Refreshment Package and the Deluxe Package to decide whether to buy the Deluxe package or buy the Refreshment Package and go a la carte on the booze.

If the price of the non alcoholic drinks (fresh squeezed OJ, specialty coffee, soda and bottled water) I want is less than the price of the Refreshment package, then I look at the price of the alcoholic drinks I want per day and compare it to the difference between the price the Deluxe Package to decide whether to buy the Deluxe package or go a la carte on all of the beverages.

I'm only Platinum, but if/when I make Diamond, I will have to take the free drinks into account as well.

A package hasn't made sense for us in the past as the cruises we've taken have been longer/port intensive/with toddlers, and there were plenty of days when we wouldn't/couldn't make it worth while.

But, if you think you'll drink X amount of covered drinks (particularly at the sale price), go for it.

Worthwhile?

At full price, no way.

On sale, still a stretch - but maybe.

I use notmyrealnameoremail’s method.

Refreshment package is a given, because I drink a lot of soda and specialty coffee. So is the Deluxe package really so much more?

Also, I never drink/buy food at port. Only aboard the ship.

The Beverage Package was definitely worth it for us last week on freedom. Everything we wanted whether it included alcohol or not was included. We did not have to worry about the bill at the end of the cruise.

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Please help me understand what is covered, other than alcohol? The description reads as follows, "...premium coffee, tea, and fresh-squeezed juices, then keep cool onboard with non-alcoholic drinks and bottled still and sparkling water. Relax and unwind with premium and frozen cocktails, domestic and imported beers and a wide selection of wines by the glass"

But then it says, "*All Beverage Packages exclude any beverages served inside licensed Starbucks® stores. "

What is "premium coffee" vs "Starbucks"...? And do they offer any fresh squeezed juices other than Orange Juice?

Please help me understand what is covered, other than alcohol? The description reads as follows, "...premium coffee, tea, and fresh-squeezed juices, then keep cool onboard with non-alcoholic drinks and bottled still and sparkling water. Relax and unwind with premium and frozen cocktails, domestic and imported beers and a wide selection of wines by the glass"

But then it says, "*All Beverage Packages exclude any beverages served inside licensed Starbucks® stores. "

What is "premium coffee" vs "Starbucks"...? And do they offer any fresh squeezed juices other than Orange Juice?

On Oasis class ships, there are licensed Starbucks venues where the drink packages are not honored. On those ships you can get specialty coffees elsewhere.

Please help me understand what is covered, other than alcohol? The description reads as follows, "...premium coffee, tea, and fresh-squeezed juices, then keep cool onboard with non-alcoholic drinks and bottled still and sparkling water. Relax and unwind with premium and frozen cocktails, domestic and imported beers and a wide selection of wines by the glass"

But then it says, "*All Beverage Packages exclude any beverages served inside licensed Starbucks® stores. "

What is "premium coffee" vs "Starbucks"...? And do they offer any fresh squeezed juices other than Orange Juice?

No, just orange juice.

On Oasis class ships, there are licensed Starbucks venues where the drink packages are not honored. On those ships you can get specialty coffees elsewhere.

And on all non-Oasis class ships, there are places like Lattetudes that serve specialty coffee. The MDR has some expresso drinks as well.

Where are specialty teas available?

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Where are specialty teas available?

Tea drinkers on the Nav seemed nonplussed by the ordinary tea offerings.

Where are specialty teas available?

What ship?

For me, the calculation is a two step.

 

First, i look at the Refreshment package.

 

If the price of the non alcoholic drinks (fresh squeezed OJ, specialty coffee, soda and bottled water) I want is more than the price of the Refreshment package, then I look at the price of the alcoholic drinks I want per day and compare it to the difference between the Refreshment Package and the Deluxe Package to decide whether to buy the Deluxe package or buy the Refreshment Package and go a la carte on the booze.

 

If the price of the non alcoholic drinks (fresh squeezed OJ, specialty coffee, soda and bottled water) I want is less than the price of the Refreshment package, then I look at the price of the alcoholic drinks I want per day and compare it to the difference between the price the Deluxe Package to decide whether to buy the Deluxe package or go a la carte on all of the beverages.

 

I'm only Platinum, but if/when I make Diamond, I will have to take the free drinks into account as well.

We got it for the first time on our last cruise and it was definitely worth it. (Got it on sale ) Some thoughts to toss in the mix of responses. I tried drinks that I would not have tried without the package - don't forget to take into account the soda and bottled water. I also liked not having the bar bill at the end of the cruise. Don't hesitate on the sale price.

What's the sale price v the regular price?

I think everything you mention will be in the package.

Is it worth it depends how many a day you get through.

For us the beverage package is 20% off right now so $48/p/person/day. For our 5 day cruise total would be $566.40 (including tax and gratuities). We don't drink soda. The water would be nice though. We always bring two bottles of wine on board at embarkation. We do 4-5 day cruises annually and drink till our hearts content and our bar bill has always been between $250-$350. So not worth it for us. Although in our younger years we would have given the package a go :)

Thank you to all who have weighed in on the Beverage package. We have decided to purchase this - it was on sale, and if you have a Bloody Mary in the AM, a beer at lunch and 2 glasses of wine at night, you've paid for it. I do like it that it's paid for in advance and no surprises of huge bar bills at the end.

Thank you to all who have weighed in on the Beverage package. We have decided to purchase this - it was on sale, and if you have a Bloody Mary in the AM, a beer at lunch and 2 glasses of wine at night, you've paid for it. I do like it that it's paid for in advance and no surprises of huge bar bills at the end.

dp

We got it for the first time on our last cruise and it was definitely worth it. (Got it on sale ) Some thoughts to toss in the mix of responses. I tried drinks that I would not have tried without the package - don't forget to take into account the soda and bottled water. I also liked not having the bar bill at the end of the cruise. Don't hesitate on the sale price.

Right, its all about what you place a premium on.

For me, "having a bar bill at the end of the cruise" isn't really a concern unless I'm paying more per drink than I would with the package; I'd rather have a 5 page bill totaling $300 than a 1 page bill totaling $400.

Trying drinks is fine, but I don't place a premium on that as its never really stopped me in the past, and the odds of me being blindsided by an awful drink are pretty low. (Also, if I'm doing a calculation, I wouldn't consider a discarded drink against my daily tally; a loss to the Ship isn't necessarily a gain to me)

Thank you to all who have weighed in on the Beverage package. We have decided to purchase this - it was on sale, and if you have a Bloody Mary in the AM, a beer at lunch and 2 glasses of wine at night, you've paid for it. I do like it that it's paid for in advance and no surprises of huge bar bills at the end.

Dang, now I'm craving a Bloody Mary..

Another thing to consider is whether or not your cruise is port intensive. On a Northern Europe cruise we had a port each day. We had a drink package but thinking back on it there is no way it was worth it for that trip. Just a guess until I can play lab rat on an upcoming cruise, but I think 3 sea days out of 7 might be needed to make it a cost effective drunk.