Drink Package ....is it worth it? + a few other things

[Lazeybear]

HI So myself and my boyfriend are going on our first cruise in sept and im thinking of adding a drink package .I saw on the royal Caribbean site a new premium package that gives you beer wine cocktails and soft drinks eg coke ,orange etc it comes to €500 + for both of us for a week , i know we will probably have a drink every night but some more than others depending on activities the following day so i wonder is it good value or should we just pay as we drink lol.Does anybody know can this be payed before we go ? What do people normally do ? And if we didnt get the package what can we expect to pay per drink him mostly beer and spirits and me cocktails/spirits. I have also noticed you can pre book your table for dinner but on holiday we normally dont have a set time to eat is it a big deal to just go to dinner when you feel like it. And should you tip your barman/waiter everytime? Also how do we pay for drinks or special food i saw something abut an on board account ?Sorry for so many questions thers so much we are a bit lost on:o

[wolfcathorse]

HI So myself and my boyfriend are going on our first cruise in sept and im thinking of adding a drink package .I saw on the royal Caribbean site a new premium package that gives you beer wine cocktails and soft drinks eg coke ,orange etc it comes to €500 + for both of us for a week , i know we will probably have a drink every night but some more than others depending on activities the following day so i wonder is it good value or should we just pay as we drink (to break even you will have to drink 6-8 cocktails a day). Does anybody know can this be payed before we go? (if you order before you go it will be charged immediately to your credit card, you can purchase when you board but it will end up on your Seapass account). What do people normally do? (whatever their budget allows). And if we didnt get the package what can we expect to pay per drink him mostly beer (beers cost $4.25 USD, a few may be $1 more) and spirits and me cocktails/spirits. (Cocktails run around $7.75-9.00 USD, with some $10.00). I have also noticed you can pre book your table for dinner but on holiday we normally dont have a set time to eat is it a big deal to just go to dinner when you feel like it. (if you're referring to My Time Dining, you can either sign up for it before you sail, or change once you board, if there's room left. If you sign up for MTD, you will be charged for all your gratuities and it will be distributed for you. Otherwise you will have a seating assignment and dinner time assigned to you. With MTD you just let the head waiter know when you leave what time you think you want to eat the next night.) And should you tip your barman/waiter everytime? (tip is already included on your bar tab, so a $7.75 cocktail actually costs you $8.90) Also how do we pay for drinks or special food i saw something abut an on board account? (when you check in at the port, you will be given a Seapass card. This is your room key, ship ID that let's you on and off the ship, and "credit card". You will tell the check-in agent how you will be backing your Seapass account at the end of the cruise, whether by letting all charges go to your credit card, or if you're putting a cash deposit on the Seapass card. The on board credit (OBC) is credit you use towards any purchase on the ship. Some travel agents gift their clients with a token amount, stockholders in the company get some if they haven't used any other discounts, or you can go to the gifts 'n gear section in your reservation section at RCI's website and put some on yourself. I think they do it $50 increments. So don't confuse the OBC with your Seapass account, they are 2 different things.

 

all purchases onboard go on your Seapass account. Purchases include alcoholic drinks, specialty coffees, visits to the spa, souvenirs, specialty dining, playing Bingo, using the internet, and your gratuities. On the last night, an envelope will be left in your cabin if you want to tip your cabin steward more than what he is automatically going to get. Here in the states, they automatically charge $12.00 USD per person per day on our Seapass account. You can have them remove it if you intend to pay your waiter, assistant waiter, head waiter, and cabin steward in cash at the end of your cruise. Throughout your cruise you can go to Guest Services and get a print out of what has accumulated so far on your account. We keep track and pay off the Seapass account in cash on the last night of the cruise instead of letting it post to our Master Card.

Edited January 4, 2014 by wolfcathorse

[bellemiche]

You can do My Time Dining instead of having a set dining time. You can bring 2 bottles of wine on board per stateroom. Beers average around $4.50 - $6.25 and mixed drinks between $6.50 - $12.00. You just give your room card to charge everything on board.

[gxchan]

HI So myself and my boyfriend are going on our first cruise in sept and im thinking of adding a drink package .I saw on the royal Caribbean site a new premium package that gives you beer wine cocktails and soft drinks eg coke ,orange etc it comes to €500 + for both of us for a week , i know we will probably have a drink every night but some more than others depending on activities the following day so i wonder is it good value or should we just pay as we drink lol.Does anybody know can this be payed before we go ? What do people normally do ? And if we didnt get the package what can we expect to pay per drink him mostly beer and spirits and me cocktails/spirits. I have also noticed you can pre book your table for dinner but on holiday we normally dont have a set time to eat is it a big deal to just go to dinner when you feel like it. And should you tip your barman/waiter everytime? Also how do we pay for drinks or special food i saw something abut an on board account ?Sorry for so many questions thers so much we are a bit lost on:o

 

 

Let me try and answer the easy questions first. You don't have to do traditional dining, set times, you can do My Time Dining, which allows you to arrange your own dining time in advance or walk up (there may or may not be a bit of a wait if you walk up).

 

Now for the harder ones:)

 

Tipping: There is a 15% "tip" on all beverages added to the bill. Some people tip at the end of the cruise, some during, some not at all. I put $1-2 (sometimes more depending on the total) on top of the 15% and tip my fav bartenders cash at the end of the cruise. Each day your seapass account will show $12 billed for tips for your cabin attendant, MDR waiters and others but bartenders/servers aren't listed as being part of that group. Again, some people tip their cabin attendants more, some don't. I don't have an opinion on what other people do, it is their business.

 

All payments (charges) on the ship will be billed to your seapass card, so no need for cash on the ship unless you prefer to tip extra in cash. You should check your seapass account on the tv to (a) make sure you are in budget and (b) for any charges that may not be yours.

 

Drink Packages: Much harder to answer. On my last cruise my fav bartender was saying the drink package break point could be met if you have a couple bottles of water during the day, juices, a few beers and other drinks. I think the total count was 10 drinks per day. I always have a healthy bar bill at the end of a cruise and while I may save some money buying a drink package, it doesn't include the champagne I like (which drives my bar bill up), so at the end of the day I may pay more but I get exactly what I want. I also don't drink fruity drinks but if I did, the package may be worth it just so I could try different ones.

 

Yes, you can pre-order the drink package before you board or buy it the first or second day of the cruise. You will be billed for each day of the cruise even if you buy it on the second day, meaning you'll have paid for the first day without any benefit.

 

You can also pre-book your excursions through the ship, if you wish.

 

I would highly suggest you join the CC roll call for your cruise. There will probably be a lot of veteran cruisers who can answer questions about cruising, Royal Caribbean and the ports you will be visiting. It is also a great way to meet people you will be cruising with, join group activities, including independent tours, etc.

 

Have a great cruise.

[Lazeybear]

HI So myself and my boyfriend are going on our first cruise in sept and im thinking of adding a drink package .I saw on the royal Caribbean site a new premium package that gives you beer wine cocktails and soft drinks eg coke ,orange etc it comes to €500 + for both of us for a week , i know we will probably have a drink every night but some more than others depending on activities the following day so i wonder is it good value or should we just pay as we drink (to break even you will have to drink 6-8 cocktails a day). Does anybody know can this be payed before we go? (if you order before you go it will be charged immediately to your credit card, you can purchase when you board but it will end up on your Seapass account). What do people normally do? (whatever their budget allows). And if we didnt get the package what can we expect to pay per drink him mostly beer (beers cost $4.25 USD, a few may be $1 more) and spirits and me cocktails/spirits. (Cocktails run around $7.75-9.00 USD, with some $10.00). I have also noticed you can pre book your table for dinner but on holiday we normally dont have a set time to eat is it a big deal to just go to dinner when you feel like it. (if you're referring to My Time Dining, you can either sign up for it before you sail, or change once you board, if there's room left. If you sign up for MTD, you will be charged for all your gratuities and it will be distributed for you. Otherwise you will have a seating assignment and dinner time assigned to you. With MTD you just let the head waiter know when you leave what time you think you want to eat the next night.) And should you tip your barman/waiter everytime? (tip is already included on your bar tab, so a $7.75 cocktail actually costs you $8.90) Also how do we pay for drinks or special food i saw something abut an on board account? (when you check in at the port, you will be given a Seapass card. This is your room key, ship ID that let's you on and off the ship, and "credit card". You will tell the check-in agent how you will be backing your Seapass account at the end of the cruise, whether by letting all charges go to your credit card, or if you're putting a cash deposit on the Seapass card. The on board credit (OBC) is credit you use towards any purchase on the ship. Some travel agents gift their clients with a token amount, stockholders in the company get some if they haven't used any other discounts, or you can go to the gifts 'n gear section in your reservation section at RCI's website and put some on yourself. I think they do it $50 increments. So don't confuse the OBC with your Seapass account, they are 2 different things.

 

all purchases onboard go on your Seapass account. Purchases include alcoholic drinks, specialty coffees, visits to the spa, souvenirs, specialty dining, playing Bingo, using the internet, and your gratuities. On the last night, an envelope will be left in your cabin if you want to tip your cabin steward more than what he is automatically going to get. Here in the states, they automatically charge $12.00 USD per person per day on our Seapass account. You can have them remove it if you intend to pay your waiter, assistant waiter, head waiter, and cabin steward in cash at the end of your cruise. Throughout your cruise you can go to Guest Services and get a print out of what has accumulated so far on your account. We keep track and pay off the Seapass account in cash on the last night of the cruise instead of letting it post to our Master Card.

 

Thank you so much this was really really helpful its so confusing i feel the more forum posts i read the more confused i become my boyfriend has left the whole trip up to me so i want to make it a really nice trip and don't want to panic about money while im there. so its nice to know what to expect.

:o

[Lazeybear]

Let me try and answer the easy questions first. You don't have to do traditional dining, set times, you can do My Time Dining, which allows you to arrange your own dining time in advance or walk up (there may or may not be a bit of a wait if you walk up).

 

Now for the harder ones:)

 

Tipping: There is a 15% "tip" on all beverages added to the bill. Some people tip at the end of the cruise, some during, some not at all. I put $1-2 (sometimes more depending on the total) on top of the 15% and tip my fav bartenders cash at the end of the cruise. Each day your seapass account will show $12 billed for tips for your cabin attendant, MDR waiters and others but bartenders/servers aren't listed as being part of that group. Again, some people tip their cabin attendants more, some don't. I don't have an opinion on what other people do, it is their business.

 

All payments (charges) on the ship will be billed to your seapass card, so no need for cash on the ship unless you prefer to tip extra in cash. You should check your seapass account on the tv to (a) make sure you are in budget and (b) for any charges that may not be yours.

 

Drink Packages: Much harder to answer. On my last cruise my fav bartender was saying the drink package break point could be met if you have a couple bottles of water during the day, juices, a few beers and other drinks. I think the total count was 10 drinks per day. I always have a healthy bar bill at the end of a cruise and while I may save some money buying a drink package, it doesn't include the champagne I like (which drives my bar bill up), so at the end of the day I may pay more but I get exactly what I want. I also don't drink fruity drinks but if I did, the package may be worth it just so I could try different ones.

 

Yes, you can pre-order the drink package before you board or buy it the first or second day of the cruise. You will be billed for each day of the cruise even if you buy it on the second day, meaning you'll have paid for the first day without any benefit.

 

You can also pre-book your excursions through the ship, if you wish.

 

I would highly suggest you join the CC roll call for your cruise. There will probably be a lot of veteran cruisers who can answer questions about cruising, Royal Caribbean and the ports you will be visiting. It is also a great way to meet people you will be cruising with, join group activities, including independent tours, etc.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

Thank you so much for replying its been so helpful and you've given me a great tip there about buying my package before i think ill wait until im on-board now :D I had joined CC and the more i red the worse i got i found i had to Google things like OBC lol so you really have made it much easier

[ginadc]

Yeah, it's not like you have to drink $55-plus worth of alcoholic beverages a day to break even on Premium! It now includes bottled water as well, or so I have read on the forums-- that and the inclusion of nonalcoholic frozen drinks and fountain soda is probably worth about $10 a day for me. Adding in a good 4 glasses of wine on most evenings and 2-3 cocktails of various types over the course of the day, and I'm pretty sure I'll be breaking even. The added benefit is also not having to nickel and dime myself and think, "Do I want to spend another $7-8 on this cocktail or $10-11 on this glass of wine or not?" I can just order what I want.

 

These drink menus from Gambee might help you figure out whether the package is a good deal for you or not:

 

http://cruisewithgambee.com/royal-caribbean-drink/

[dacsmom]

Thank you so much this was really really helpful its so confusing i feel the more forum posts i read the more confused i become my boyfriend has left the whole trip up to me so i want to make it a really nice trip and don't want to panic about money while im there. so its nice to know what to expect.

:o

 

Congratulations on your first cruise, hopefully you will be as addicted to it as many of us are. Don't stress over the planning. Relax and enjoy, everything will work out just fine. Feel free to ask any questions even if you think they are silly, most people are very helpful on these boards. What ship are you on?

[gxchan]

Thank you so much for replying its been so helpful and you've given me a great tip there about buying my package before i think ill wait until im on-board now :D I had joined CC and the more i red the worse i got i found i had to Google things like OBC lol so you really have made it much easier

 

You are welcome. The coolest part of being a first time cruiser, at least it was for me, was the excitement of something completely new and not really knowing what to expect. Were there a few surprises both good and not so good? Yes, far more good than not, but as in everything in life, live and learn.

 

Don't get bogged down, everything will work out just fine. Just bring a current passport and have a great time.