Drinks package on Dream-clarification

[<3_Buble]

Hi,

i've just been reading this thread re drinks package

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1748329&highlight=thomson+drinks+package

 

it seems that there is a suppliment for soft drinks/mixers such as diet coke etc even though youve paid for the drinks package..

can anybody who has been on the dream on the past few weeks confirm if this is true,

do you pay for mixers i.e coke in vodka or is the suppliement for a can of coke for eg.

thanks:confused:

[Grez]

Hi' date='

i've just been reading this thread re drinks package

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1748329&highlight=thomson+drinks+package

 

it seems that there is a suppliment for soft drinks/mixers such as diet coke etc even though youve paid for the drinks package..

can anybody who has been on the dream on the past few weeks confirm if this is true,

do you pay for mixers i.e coke in vodka or is the suppliement for a can of coke for eg.

thanks:confused:[/quote']

Hi. You won't pay for mixers with spirits, but if you want a full can you will have to. Early reports from the new package indicate that Thomson no longer recognise things such as orange juice as a mixer.

[<3_Buble]

thanks very much, looks like it will be vodka and coke then .not orange!

:eek::)

[skioncruises]

Can someone please clarify the new policy regarding soft drinks.

 

I know it's £1.80 per can or 95p if AI but if ordering by the glass how is it being served? ...

 

Draught?

Pouring from bottles by the bar staff? or

Do the bar staff/waiters open a can and pour it into a glass?

 

Also, how big is the glass they serve it in?

 

Can see a lot of soft drinks being brought onboard at the ports.;)

 

I don't drink at all and as DH is a moderate beer drinker our bill won't make them any profit.

[sodafountain]

thanks very much' date=' looks like it will be vodka and coke then .not orange!

:eek::)[/quote']

 

I thought Orange Juice was on the AI anyway, so shouldn't make any difference if you want Vodka and Orange, should still be free.

 

It is Cranberry Juice that they regard as a premium drink!!

[whistlerbc]

Read a review on another site. The tills have no button for orange juice as a splash mixer so vodka and orange would be classed as 2 drinks. They will only serve you one drink at a time therefore you have to order vodka and when the waiter returns then order an orange juice and mix it yourself. Utter madness!!

 

I thought I might cave in and purchase AI but have now decided absolutely NOT, they can keep their very expensive yet restrictive and ridiculous drinks package!

[Jim The Scot]

I thought Orange Juice was on the AI anyway, so shouldn't make any difference if you want Vodka and Orange, should still be free.

 

It is Cranberry Juice that they regard as a premium drink!!

 

 

Fresh orange is free on AI but fizzy orange/fanta is a supplement.

 

 

 

They will only serve you one drink at a time therefore you have to order vodka and when the waiter returns then order an orange juice and mix it yourself. Utter madness!!

 

Am finding that hard to believe.

[whistlerbc]

Posted on 1 Jan 2013 and quoted from a review -

 

"Having returned from this cruise on Christmas Eve, we too were disappointed in the changes to the all inclusive package - only indication of changes came after we'd booked , when we received our 'tickets'. I compared the drinks menu from the Destiny 2009, Dream 2011 and the current one and the changes are significant - and not in a positive way for customers. No fizzy wine by the glass, no cans of soft drinks, but you could have an abundance of cocktails that we'd never heard of, and that never tasted the same twice - which sometimes was just as well!! Most were like cough mixture - bring back a plain and simple vodka and orange - not allowed, as the rule is one drink at a time per person, and orange juice doesn't appear on the computer menu as a splash, therefore one needs to order an orange juice, and a vodka- which counts as two drinks which isn't allowed - and so the saga went on!!"

[kruzseeka]

Posted on 1 Jan 2013 and quoted from a review -

 

"Having returned from this cruise on Christmas Eve, we too were disappointed in the changes to the all inclusive package - only indication of changes came after we'd booked , when we received our 'tickets'. I compared the drinks menu from the Destiny 2009, Dream 2011 and the current one and the changes are significant - and not in a positive way for customers. No fizzy wine by the glass, no cans of soft drinks, but you could have an abundance of cocktails that we'd never heard of, and that never tasted the same twice - which sometimes was just as well!! Most were like cough mixture - bring back a plain and simple vodka and orange - not allowed, as the rule is one drink at a time per person, and orange juice doesn't appear on the computer menu as a splash, therefore one needs to order an orange juice, and a vodka- which counts as two drinks which isn't allowed - and so the saga went on!!"

 

Were they offering a drinks package on board - not the AI to buy but a variety of deals for X-bottles wine or X glasses of beer at fixed prices which represented a saving on the list price of the wine/beer? The Majesty and Spirit had such deals available this year (although they were slightly different from one another) but both of these are Louis managed ships.

 

Now the AI has been brought into line across the fleet (although not too popular by all accounts! :( ) I wonder whether the Dream and Celebration are now offering a drinks package to buy on board like the other two ships.

[whistlerbc]

Not seen any mention of other available packages so far on Dream but would be great to know if it was, will keep my eyes open for clues. The above quote however was directly related to AI

[Sparkles87]

I am on Dream in Aug...... but I booked it so early that I got the AI drinks package for free. I think i will just consider myself one of the lucky ones...... in any case I think I may just try one of everything to be thorough! :D Especially the cocktails...... supplement or not :D

[kruzseeka]

Not seen any mention of other available packages so far on Dream but would be great to know if it was, will keep my eyes open for clues. The above quote however was directly related to AI

 

 

Sorry just realised you were quoting from another review - I thought you had just returned from the Dream but see you are going in a few weeks' time. We'll be on before that - so I'll be able to tell you for sure whether it's available or not - 'cos we'll have no doubt bought into it if so! :D

 

Now they have standardised the AI across the fleet bringing Dream and Celebration in line with Majesty and Spirit (shame that - D&C was always a better AI selection than M&S :( ) I wondered whether they had also introduced the drinks package across all the ships too (the one you buy into on board for a set quantity of wine/beer - in fact on Spirit they even had soft drinks deals and coffees/hot chocolate packages too).

 

I can see that it makes sense to standardise the AI but they have worked it in their favour I reckon - why not make M & S better and change those to the same as that on D&C? If standardisation really is the name of the game then it doesn't really wash if they don't standardise the drinks packages too.

 

Anyway, I'll report back and see if they have 'standardised' the bought-on-board drinks packages and made them available on Dream in due course. But I'm not optimistic!

[Jim The Scot]

why not make M & S better and change those to the same as that on D&C? If standardisation really is the name of the game then it doesn't really wash if they don't standardise the drinks packages too.

 

Disagree

 

Dont see any reason to make M&S better or in line with with D&C.Both these ships are now classed as platinum so would expect better on both theses ships than the rest of the fleet.

 

but I booked it so early that I got the AI drinks package for free. I think i will just consider myself one of the lucky ones...... in any case I think I may just try one of everything to be thorough! :D Especially the cocktails...... supplement or not :D

 

Ditto on all counts

[kruzseeka]

Disagree

 

Dont see any reason to make M&S better or in line with with D&C.Both these ships are now classed as platinum so would expect better on both theses ships than the rest of the fleet.

 

 

Hi Jim,:)

I agree that there's no reason to bring D&C in line with the other two as far as AI goes - as you say Platinum should offer a superior product but I'm just saying that this was the reason Thomson gave for altering the AI 'to bring Dream and Celebration in line with Majesty and Spirit' and there's the rub! It's been changed for the worse. And I'm certainly not agreeing with that - as I said in my previous post it's been done in Thomson's favour - changing the better AI for the poorer one.

 

But following the logic - I was then querying whether, since they seem to think making the shipos the same is a rationale for the change - why then aren't they offering the drinks package across the fleet too? (available Majesty/Spirit but not as far as I know on Dream and Celebration) Seems like one argument for AI and a different one for the drinks package. Very inconsistent! And that's my point.

 

I may be proved wrong though - perhaps there is a drinks package now available on D&C - in which case I will be wrong - but happy! :D (But still sorry for those on AI who are getting a less good deal.)

[Jim The Scot]

Hi Jim,:)

I agree that there's no reason to bring D&C in line with the other two as far as AI goes - as you say Platinum should offer a superior product but I'm just saying that this was the reason Thomson gave for altering the AI 'to bring Dream and Celebration in line with Majesty and Spirit' and there's the rub! It's been changed for the worse. And I'm certainly not agreeing with that - as I said in my previous post it's been done in Thomson's favour - changing the better AI for the poorer one.

 

But following the logic - I was then querying whether, since they seem to think making the shipos the same is a rationale for the change - why then aren't they offering the drinks package across the fleet too? (available Majesty/Spirit but not as far as I know on Dream and Celebration) Seems like one argument for AI and a different one for the drinks package. Very inconsistent! And that's my point.

 

I may be proved wrong though - perhaps there is a drinks package now available on D&C - in which case I will be wrong - but happy! :D (But still sorry for those on AI who are getting a less good deal.)

 

Hi kruzeeka

 

I agree with you agreeing with me :D

 

A few examples from the old Dream AI to the new

 

Whisky(not just because I am Scottish)

 

Old=17 choices.... 6 carrying a supplement

New=16 choices... 10 carry a supplement

 

Vodka

 

Old=6 choices... 2 carried a supplement

New=4 choices.. 2 carry a supplement

 

 

Rum

 

Old=5 choices...2 carried a supplement

New=5 choices..3 carry a supplement

 

Liqueurs

 

Old=16 choices...2 carried a supplement

New=11 choices..8 carry a supplement

 

Tinned Soft Drinks(Fizzy),including Soda,Lemon,Tonic water etc

 

Old=12 choices..1 carried a supplement

New=14 choices...14 carry a supplement

 

soft drinks free by the glass on the New AI