grapestomper Posted January 8, 2014 #1 Share Posted January 8, 2014 I'm leaving on EOS this month and noticed that Royal Caribbean has new all inclusive beverage packages. They are quite expensive ($400-600/person) for our cruise. We are not heavy drinkers, perhaps 3 or so drinks per day plus wine at dinner. We usually get the wine package (a good deal). Has anyone had any experience with Royal's new beverage packages? If so, what are you're thoughts. Are the drinks smaller ith the package, at one time with the drink of the day they were smaller than if you got another type of drink. Thanks for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarea Posted January 8, 2014 #2 Share Posted January 8, 2014 (edited) I'm leaving on EOS this month and noticed that Royal Caribbean has new all inclusive beverage packages. They are quite expensive ($400-600/person) for our cruise. We are not heavy drinkers, perhaps 3 or so drinks per day plus wine at dinner. We usually get the wine package (a good deal). Has anyone had any experience with Royal's new beverage packages? If so, what are you're thoughts. Are the drinks smaller ith the package, at one time with the drink of the day they were smaller than if you got another type of drink. Thanks for your help. The drinks from the package are the same drinks as you would purchase individually. One difference would be that the drinks from the package would not include any souvenir glasses. Edited January 8, 2014 by clarea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Havingfun2010 Posted January 8, 2014 #3 Share Posted January 8, 2014 I'm leaving on EOS this month and noticed that Royal Caribbean has new all inclusive beverage packages. They are quite expensive ($400-600/person) for our cruise. We are not heavy drinkers, perhaps 3 or so drinks per day plus wine at dinner. We usually get the wine package (a good deal). Has anyone had any experience with Royal's new beverage packages? If so, what are you're thoughts. Are the drinks smaller ith the package, at one time with the drink of the day they were smaller than if you got another type of drink. Thanks for your help. Size of the drink only matters when you are cutting back costs. The drink package actually increases cost because it is unlimited. So the drinks are the same size no matter how you buy it. 3 specialty drinks 2 glasses of wine 2 glasses of soda = Break even daily (not counting the water bottles!) It's not that hard to break even on the $55.00 per day package. It is $47.80 a day for the package plus tip, making it $55.00. $6.50 for soda $41.30 for beer, wine and drinks $7.18 for tip From what you said, it looks like you can break even each day. It's not that hard to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNJCruisers Posted January 9, 2014 #4 Share Posted January 9, 2014 The 40.00 select wine, beer and soda package probably would not be a good choice for you since you like your wine by your nickname and your choices are capped at 8.00 per glass. The 55.00 package ups the wine limit to 12.00 per glass and mixed drinks @ 10.00. You need to decide whether this package or the wine package you have had in the past are a better deal for you. You do have the option to buy any of the packages with up to 4 days left in your cruise. So you could bring on your 2 allotted wine bottles per cabin, buy drinks a la carte for the first few days and then get the package for the last 4 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishtaco Posted January 9, 2014 #5 Share Posted January 9, 2014 We had the premium drinks package on a 14 nighter on VOS in March. We cancelled it on the 5th day:D Its very hard not to "chase" the daily $55 in drinks. I thought I drank quite a bit on a cruise but soon realized that I dont drink enough to cost me $55 per day every day! even if I did my wife couldnt so it can work out more expensive than buying as you go. Shorter cruises would be a bit better but you do tend to drink more and also try different/stronger drinks that you would normally not buy. We were waking up not hung over but "Seedy" by day 3 by morning 5 we both decided we were drinking too much, I was just going to have a rest from drink day but the wife called the beverage manager and cancelled both. I am glad she did as even with paying the $55 for the first 5 days our drink bill did not total anywhere near what the drinks package cost. You have to also think of Port days! I know many say they can easily drink the cost on port days as well but do you normally and would you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady_cruiser Posted January 10, 2014 #6 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Size of the drink only matters when you are cutting back costs. The drink package actually increases cost because it is unlimited. So the drinks are the same size no matter how you buy it. 3 specialty drinks 2 glasses of wine 2 glasses of soda = Break even daily (not counting the water bottles!) It's not that hard to break even on the $55.00 per day package. It is $47.80 a day for the package plus tip, making it $55.00. $6.50 for soda $41.30 for beer, wine and drinks $7.18 for tip From what you said, it looks like you can break even each day. It's not that hard to do so. WOW they would make money on me. Even with the free drinks I could get in the Diamond Lounge I could never drink that much. I was more than satisfied with my one free Lemon Drop Martini every night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombiehunter Posted January 10, 2014 #7 Share Posted January 10, 2014 You'll have to do the math yourself for yourself, but for me it had two things going for it: 1) I drink Captain and Coke. Those are $8 each on board. When I get bored I change it up with funny frozen beverages, $8-$10 each. So it was a no brainer. I'm also young enough where I still enjoy binge drinking at the clubs/bars...at the bar up the road during happy hour I can rack up a $50 tab before tip easily. Even if I skip a day or two drinking it'll pay for itself. 2) Budget. It's nice not having to pay attention to what I'm spending on booze, soda, bottled water. Buy once, cry once. Set it and forget it. Pick your cliche, it's still really nice knowing that I can literally walk on board and not spend another penny if I so choose. Another amusing caveat I found on my one cruise was that mimosas were not covered. Orange juice and champagne were though. My friend looked at the bartender, ordered the above and an empty glass. Poured them together herself and the bartender just chuckled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swmichigan cruiser Posted January 10, 2014 #8 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Because we are Diamond Plus we can get free drinks every night in the CL so we never considered the beverage package as we usually don't drink that much anyhow. But that being said we are doing a 13 night TA in May on the Liberty of the Seas with many sea days and the package is free for both my wife and me. So we decided to do it but I did have to give up our C&A balcony discount of $325. So this time will be a great time to try it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombiehunter Posted January 10, 2014 #9 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Because we are Diamond Plus we can get free drinks every night in the CL so we never considered the beverage package as we usually don't drink that much anyhow. But that being said we are doing a 13 night TA in May on the Liberty of the Seas with many sea days and the package is free for both my wife and me. So we decided to do it but I did have to give up our C&A balcony discount of $325. So this time will be a great time to try it. How did you swing the free package? Is that a perk to being Diamond Plus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarea Posted January 10, 2014 #10 Share Posted January 10, 2014 How did you swing the free package? Is that a perk to being Diamond Plus? The free drink package is a promo for selected transatlantic sailings that Royal has running now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ULCajunCruiser Posted January 10, 2014 #11 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I'm leaving on EOS this month and noticed that Royal Caribbean has new all inclusive beverage packages. They are quite expensive ($400-600/person) for our cruise. We are not heavy drinkers, perhaps 3 or so drinks per day plus wine at dinner. We usually get the wine package (a good deal). Has anyone had any experience with Royal's new beverage packages? If so, what are you're thoughts. Are the drinks smaller ith the package, at one time with the drink of the day they were smaller than if you got another type of drink. Thanks for your help. My wife and I had the package on our recent 9 day Serenade cruise. As others have said, you need to do the math yourself, but for us it was a great deal. My daily routine was pretty much the same, 2 Bloody Mary's, then a BBC (or 2), a DOTD (just to try it), then over the course of the afternoon, several of the 'Rita's relaxing by the pool. The I'd switch to a glass of wine while getting ready for dinner and one with dinner. For the evening bar hopping it was Crown Royal!!! :D I was never drunk and never sick. Didn't feel the need to slam them down. Nice and easy sipping all day long. We were 3 couples, all had the Premium ($55) Package, and we all loved it. I never noticed a diffence in how our drinks were made compared to those being made for other non package guests. I would buy the package again and again. It was just so nice to not have a big bill at the end of the cruise, and I never had to sign a ticket!!! We on occasion ordered shots for the 6 of us, and never had any problems!! I was never told I couldn't have something I asked for, and the bartenders and bar servers all willingly took our orders and delivered them without delay I was extremely pleased with the whole package, and would recommend it to anyone who was considering it!! Enjoy your cruise!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grapestomper Posted January 11, 2014 Author #12 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Thank you everone who responded. I still am unsure if we will take the package, since we are on the borderline, but all your responses have been helpful!!! Happy Cruising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisegirl1976 Posted January 11, 2014 #13 Share Posted January 11, 2014 You'll have to do the math yourself for yourself, but for me it had two things going for it: 1) I drink Captain and Coke. Those are $8 each on board. When I get bored I change it up with funny frozen beverages, $8-$10 each. So it was a no brainer. I'm also young enough where I still enjoy binge drinking at the clubs/bars...at the bar up the road during happy hour I can rack up a $50 tab before tip easily. Even if I skip a day or two drinking it'll pay for itself. 2) Budget. It's nice not having to pay attention to what I'm spending on booze, soda, bottled water. Buy once, cry once. Set it and forget it. Pick your cliche, it's still really nice knowing that I can literally walk on board and not spend another penny if I so choose. Another amusing caveat I found on my one cruise was that mimosas were not covered. Orange juice and champagne were though. My friend looked at the bartender, ordered the above and an empty glass. Poured them together herself and the bartender just chuckled. Just curious if anyone else has had issues with getting mimosas with the drink package? I look forwarded to having a mimosa or 2 in the morning . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kcruiser2014 Posted January 12, 2014 #14 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Fishtaco-- how were you ably to cancel on the fifth day? I've always been told it was for the remainder of the cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombiehunter Posted January 12, 2014 #15 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Just curious if anyone else has had issues with getting mimosas with the drink package? I look forwarded to having a mimosa or 2 in the morning . OJ is a soft drink so it didn't violate the one drink per order rule. Just get an OJ and a glass of champagne. I would definitely not call it an "issue" :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bchalker Posted January 12, 2014 #16 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Dont know about back in March but with the current packages you can not cancel them part way thru. You can buy them part way as long as there are 4 days left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinaky1114 Posted January 13, 2014 #17 Share Posted January 13, 2014 I was on Allure the week before Christmas and had many mimosas and bellinis every day. The champagne bar knew me so well that they were making me things not shown on the menu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNJCruisers Posted January 13, 2014 #18 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Fishtaco-- how were you ably to cancel on the fifth day? I've always been told it was for the remainder of the cruise. I'm inferring that it was a one time deal authorized by the beverage manager on that particular sailing and certainly not a fleet wide occurrence since that was the first and only posting that I have read on many different drink threads on these boards about someone being able to back out of their drink package commitment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony O Posted January 13, 2014 #19 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Recently DW ordered a mimosa with breakfast one morning with no problem at all Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare little britain Posted January 17, 2014 #20 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Does anyone have a list of wine that is available with the Premium Drinks package please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merion_Mom Posted January 17, 2014 #21 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Does anyone have a list of wine that is available with the Premium Drinks package please? There is no list of included or excluded wines. The package includes wines that cost up to $12 per glass. So, anything under $12 a glass is included. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarea Posted January 17, 2014 #22 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Does anyone have a list of wine that is available with the Premium Drinks package please? Best thing to do is to wait to purchase on board. The price will be the same, and you can ask them specifically what wines they have in stock that are included. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNJCruisers Posted January 17, 2014 #23 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Does anyone have a list of wine that is available with the Premium Drinks package please? This link will give you an idea as to what is available. http://cruisewithgambee.com/royal-caribbean-drink/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiamondPlusQueen Posted January 29, 2014 #24 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I've been on over 55 Royal Caribbean cruises - just love them. However, this drink package is new - and I will be sailing on the Liberty in February, 2014. We are interested in purchasing the Ultimate package - my husband loves his beer - but not Bud or Coors - he likes Heinken or other beers. The package does have a disclaimer as follows: "Package does not include room service or in-stateroom purchases, mini bar items, Evian water, canned sodas, bottled juice and souvenir glassware, specialty beers as listed on bar menus, or super premium category beverages." As far as I am concerned Heinken is NOT a specialty beer and they don't provide a copy of the bar menus - you'd think I would have them memorized by now! Anyone have any input on what is included in the Ultimate package - I know when I was on the Majesty a few months back - they did offer the "Select" and "Premium" on the 4 day cruise and people were complaining that it included only bar liquor and crappy beer. I have not sailed with the "Ultimate" package yet and wonder if they just threw in bottled water and couple other things but not half way decent beer or wine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alyrica Posted January 29, 2014 #25 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I've been on over 55 Royal Caribbean cruises - just love them. However, this drink package is new - and I will be sailing on the Liberty in February, 2014. We are interested in purchasing the Ultimate package - my husband loves his beer - but not Bud or Coors - he likes Heinken or other beers. The package does have a disclaimer as follows: "Package does not include room service or in-stateroom purchases, mini bar items, Evian water, canned sodas, bottled juice and souvenir glassware, specialty beers as listed on bar menus, or super premium category beverages." As far as I am concerned Heinken is NOT a specialty beer and they don't provide a copy of the bar menus - you'd think I would have them memorized by now! Anyone have any input on what is included in the Ultimate package - I know when I was on the Majesty a few months back - they did offer the "Select" and "Premium" on the 4 day cruise and people were complaining that it included only bar liquor and crappy beer. I have not sailed with the "Ultimate" package yet and wonder if they just threw in bottled water and couple other things but not half way decent beer or wine. Yes, from what I've read the only differences between the Premium and Ultimate packages are fresh squeezed juices, premium coffee/tea and sparkling water. The liquor, beer and wine options are the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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