Ultimate Beverage Package...

[Karysa]

I hope that people don't freak over the $700 plus bar tab and remove the auto tips!

[KylaConnor]

I hope that people don't freak over the $700 plus bar tab and remove the auto tips!

 

I guess it depends on the person. I would consider that amount excessive, even for two people for a week. But I know guys who drink a lot, and $800 for a week-long cruise would seem like a dream come true to them. They are the ones who would abuse the crap out of a system like this one. But they also do tip well, so I don't think the bartenders would have a problem with missing out on tips.

 

KC

[js]

[ATTACH]254326[/ATTACH]

Here's the list of what's included and what's not included.

 

I just tried to print and then saved it and zoomed in but it is not coming out (too blurry).

Is there anyway you could please tell us.

THANKS SO MUCH for taking the time to send the picture.

[marazad16]

I would also really appreciate seeing the list. Thank you! :)

[Karysa]

I guess it depends on the person. I would consider that amount excessive, even for two people for a week. But I know guys who drink a lot, and $800 for a week-long cruise would seem like a dream come true to them. They are the ones who would abuse the crap out of a system like this one. But they also do tip well, so I don't think the bartenders would have a problem with missing out on tips.

 

KC

 

 

Ya, they are the ones that I am afraid of. Does the 10 or 11 day SUN offer this program?

[Karysa]

Ya, they are the ones that I am afraid of. Does the 10 or 11 day SUN offer this program?

 

Does anyone know the answer to this Question. Our cruises are for New Years and in March. Thanks

[kalypso333]

Does anyone know the answer to this Question. Our cruises are for New Years and in March. Thanks

 

Yes, the Sun did offer this on our 11 day cruise in October 2012.

[Hockey19]

Here's the easy math. $50 a day is 5 drinks or 8 beers. On sea days, that is kind of easy. Couple of drinks by the pool, a little something before dinner, couple of glasses of wine at dinner and oh yeah, the show. 5 drinks on a port day would be a bit much for most of us -especially my DW. Figure off the ship at 8 or 9 and back at 5. No way she is throwing back 5 margaritas from that point on. And what to do about the tastings- Martini tasting (my favorite) or beer tasting, or margarita tasting. Kind of takes you out of the game for a while. There are some who will kill this deal (ever seen those lining up at Golden Corral). From a convenience standpoint, others will take it. No need to worry which is not a bad way to travel. Overall. I don't see this working out well for most but it is a good PR move by NCL.

[Karysa]

Yes, the Sun did offer this on our 11 day cruise in October 2012.

 

Thanks for the heads up. :)

[msboo18]

We are on the Sun in 3 days, have been told they have this package. We're going to try it - nice to have a mimosa in the morning and not worry about running up the bar bill. Let's see, a mimosa or 2 in the morning, couple of frozen drinks during the afternoon, glass or 2 of wine at dinner, and a chocolate martini as a night cap :rolleyes: Doesn't include room service, darn - we have to walk to a bar to get a drink?? Lol.

 

Makes good PR sense for them - people will come back from port early to drink for "free" on the ship and will spend more money on board. Also cut down on the smuggling :eek:

[Karysa]

We are on the Sun in 3 days, have been told they have this package. We're going to try it - nice to have a mimosa in the morning and not worry about running up the bar bill. Let's see, a mimosa or 2 in the morning, couple of frozen drinks during the afternoon, glass or 2 of wine at dinner, and a chocolate martini as a night cap :rolleyes: Doesn't include room service, darn - we have to walk to a bar to get a drink?? Lol.

 

Makes good PR sense for them - people will come back from port early to drink for "free" on the ship and will spend more money on board. Also cut down on the smuggling :eek:

 

I don't see how people coming back from port early and drinking from their paid drink package and spending more time to eat on board is giving the cruiseline more money. The casino and shops are closed while the ship is in port. Some people may not take NCL excursions and instead stay on board while at port and eat and drink.

 

Please explain what you mean I don't get it.

[Karysa]

I don't see how people coming back from port early and drinking from their paid drink package and spending more time to eat on board is giving the cruiseline more money. The casino and shops are closed while the ship is in port. Some people may not take NCL excursions and instead stay on board while at port and eat and drink.

 

Please explain what you mean I don't get it.

 

 

I just don't get how this policy will make the company money. Most people drink more at open bars compared to cash bars. Sure some smuggling is averted but many people who drink like a couple of drinks on the balcony prior to dinner may not want to spend $50+ dollars a day on booze and still smuggle their bottle on board. Another negative to me is that I think that some people might take their auto tips off to off set their bar bill.

 

Anyone see this as being a money maker for the cruise line with no collateral damage to other guests or staff?

[che5904]

I just don't get how this policy will make the company money. Most people drink more at open bars compared to cash bars.

 

Well besides being a carrot to dangle to entice people to choose NCL since other cruise companies offer drink packages. Or unless they figure people will drink more than they would order individually, since they have already paid for it.

 

For example

A mixed drink = approx $9 with the auto grat included. The package equals slightly better than 6 drinks/person a day. If someone thinks that they may drink near that amount then they will purchase the package thinking that they will save money in the end. Therefore guaranteeing NCL the $394.45 times the number of adults in the cabin. In reality that person's bar bill or their partner may not have come to that much. Nicer to have a guaranteed amount than a maybe for a company.

 

Those are just my guesses. However, you can be darned sure the bean counters at NCL have already figured out how they are going to make money on this deal. Corporations don't offer things just out of the goodness of their heart.

[azgkrudi]

Well, all I know is that we are happy. For the two of us, our actual bar bill was $1290.84, subtract the $788.90 package price - we came out $501.94 ahead.

 

It might be a different story if we had a more port intensive cruise, but we had already been to all the ports except for the Caymans, so we spent a LOT of time on the ship. Plus, we had the added bonus that we knew from the start what our "bar bill" was going to be, so there was no stress about that issue. This is good for those of us who are used to the luxury lines where ALL your drinks and tips are already paid for before you even sail.

[Calcags]

I don't see how people coming back from port early and drinking from their paid drink package and spending more time to eat on board is giving the cruiseline more money. The casino and shops are closed while the ship is in port. Some people may not take NCL excursions and instead stay on board while at port and eat and drink.

 

Please explain what you mean I don't get it.

 

They mark up alcohol to begin with. They may not make as much as they normally would but at $50 per person per day is still a lot of money.

[Karysa]

They mark up alcohol to begin with. They may not make as much as they normally would but at $50 per person per day is still a lot of money.

 

True the mark up is very high. For people making their cruise like an AI vacation and use the cruise as a resort like in Mexico I think this might work out. For people who are on port intensive cruises such as the sailings from San Juan or Europe I can't see why one would purchase this.

 

Optional is ok with me but if they start including it in the price of the cruise I will stick to land based non A-I vacations myself if your out there NCL.

[che5904]

True the mark up is very high. For people making their cruise like an AI vacation and use the cruise as a resort like in Mexico I think this might work out. For people who are on port intensive cruises such as the sailings from San Juan or Europe I can't see why one would purchase this.

 

Optional is ok with me but if they start including it in the price of the cruise I will stick to land based non A-I vacations myself if your out there NCL.

 

They've had add ons for years. Specialty dining, soda packages, bar set up etc. I doubt they will included this into the fare. They want to keep their advertised price as low as possible.

[Karysa]

They've had add ons for years. Specialty dining, soda packages, bar set up etc. I doubt they will included this into the fare. They want to keep their advertised price as low as possible.

 

I have a bad feeling about this one. You can't sneak someone into a specialty restaurant but 3 couples travelling together splitting the cost of 4 drink packages between the 6 of them you could see. Ideally hope that I am wrong.

[sstrong]

I have a bad feeling about this one. You can't sneak someone into a specialty restaurant but 3 couples travelling together splitting the cost of 4 drink packages between the 6 of them you could see. Ideally hope that I am wrong.

 

I wonder how they will police it. If it's just tied to your key card with no other controls, you may be right. It would be easy for one couple to order a round of drinks, return to their lounge chairs, and hand their key cards over to another couple. But maybe there is a way for them to limit it to 1 drink every 15 or 20 minutes on the same room key, or something like that? That would make it pretty inconvenient to share a card.

 

In any event, $50 per day plus gratuity will still be very profitable for the cruiseline, even with heavy drinkers, and even if some people share. It will just be slightly less profitable than if the heavy drinkers were drinking the same amount at regular a la carte cruiseship prices.

 

Think about it. You can buy a huge 1.75L bottle of premium rum or vodka for significantly less than $50 at the grocery or liquor store, and that's the retail price. I saw a 1.75L bottle of Kettle One for $37 last week. Cruiselines buy alcohol wholesale, probably for half that much -- and from what we've read, the drink package doesn't even include "premium" brands. So let's liberally assume that a 1.75L bottle of the stuff available with the new drink package costs the cruise line $15 (and I think it's probably much less than that). Even with that liberal estimate, in order for the cruise line to lose money on the drink package, someone would have to drink more than THREE 1.75L BOTTLES PER DAY. There are about 33 ounces in a liter, so that's 173 ounces per day -- or 115 drinks at 1.5 ounces per drink. No way that's happening.

 

No matter how you slice it, the cruiseline is still making a ton of money on liquor, even with the all you can drink package. Now, the drink package may be significantly less expensive for heavy drinkers. At up to $10 a drink a la carte on the ship, you only need 5 drinks a day to break even. That's easy for someone like me (200 pounds, went to a state school), which is why I would jump at it if it's offered on our next cruise. But the fact is the cruiseline will still be making a huge profit on my alcohol purchases, which just illustrates how ridiculously inflated th

[azgkrudi]

I wonder how they will police it. If it's just tied to your key card with no other controls, you may be right. It would be easy for one couple to order a round of drinks, return to their lounge chairs, and hand their key cards over to another couple. But maybe there is a way for them to limit it to 1 drink every 15 or 20 minutes on the same room key, or something like that? That would make it pretty inconvenient to share a card.

 

 

From what I understand, when they swipe your card, your picture shows up on their screen so they can match you to it...

[Karysa]

From what I understand, when they swipe your card, your picture shows up on their screen so they can match you to it...

 

It would be easy to work out a system if people wanted to.

[Karysa]

I wonder how they will police it. If it's just tied to your key card with no other controls, you may be right. It would be easy for one couple to order a round of drinks, return to their lounge chairs, and hand their key cards over to another couple. But maybe there is a way for them to limit it to 1 drink every 15 or 20 minutes on the same room key, or something like that? That would make it pretty inconvenient to share a card.

 

In any event, $50 per day plus gratuity will still be very profitable for the cruiseline, even with heavy drinkers, and even if some people share. It will just be slightly less profitable than if the heavy drinkers were drinking the same amount at regular a la carte cruiseship prices.

 

Think about it. You can buy a huge 1.75L bottle of premium rum or vodka for significantly less than $50 at the grocery or liquor store, and that's the retail price. I saw a 1.75L bottle of Kettle One for $37 last week. Cruiselines buy alcohol wholesale, probably for half that much -- and from what we've read, the drink package doesn't even include "premium" brands. So let's liberally assume that a 1.75L bottle of the stuff available with the new drink package costs the cruise line $15 (and I think it's probably much less than that). Even with that liberal estimate, in order for the cruise line to lose money on the drink package, someone would have to drink more than THREE 1.75L BOTTLES PER DAY. There are about 33 ounces in a liter, so that's 173 ounces per day -- or 115 drinks at 1.5 ounces per drink. No way that's happening.

 

No matter how you slice it, the cruiseline is still making a ton of money on liquor, even with the all you can drink package. Now, the drink package may be significantly less expensive for heavy drinkers. At up to $10 a drink a la carte on the ship, you only need 5 drinks a day to break even. That's easy for someone like me (200 pounds, went to a state school), which is why I would jump at it if it's offered on our next cruise. But the fact is the cruiseline will still be making a huge profit on my alcohol purchases, which just illustrates how ridiculously inflated th

 

 

My thoughts keep going to cruises that cater to the college crowd. The abuse could be crazy. Whether they are cheating the system or just drinking to excess. When the first overboard incident happens and they interview passengers who comment on " how drunk those kids were all week" and lawsuits happen things may change.

 

The college age kids are one thing to me but the drunk seniors dancing there way back up to the bar in their bathing suits before noon the day we visited Jolly Beach resort in Antigua is a whole other story to me. Sorry but that is disgustingly yucky to me!! Ewww

 

It will be interesting how this plays out. It might work out great or go bust like some of the smoking policies that were in place for a trial run awhile ago on some lines.

[Karysa]

Well, all I know is that we are happy. For the two of us, our actual bar bill was $1290.84, subtract the $788.90 package price - we came out $501.94 ahead.

 

It might be a different story if we had a more port intensive cruise, but we had already been to all the ports except for the Caymans, so we spent a LOT of time on the ship. Plus, we had the added bonus that we knew from the start what our "bar bill" was going to be, so there was no stress about that issue. This is good for those of us who are used to the luxury lines where ALL your drinks and tips are already paid for before you even sail.

 

What does that work out in consumed calories or in hours on the treadmill?:eek:

[lhwils]

How do you get this offer? Do you get a flyer in the room?

[che5904]

How do you get this offer? Do you get a flyer in the room?

 

I'm just going to take a guess at this by looking at the page that was posted. It looks like it's just an insert in the dailies.