Drink Package-how did you like it?

[Clarea]

Do these packages work on CocoCay?

Yes.

[Kayla103]

Yes.

 

You just made my decision haha! Sold! :p

 

And I just realized this was already answered! Thanks for repeating for this bonehead haha

Edited May 23, 2014 by Kayla103

[Clarea]

You just made my decision haha! Sold! :p

 

And I just realized this was already answered! Thanks for repeating for this bonehead haha

No problem. I should have added that you may have to go to a bar on Coco Cay because the roving bar servers are usually carrying drinks in souvenir cups, which are not included in the package.

Edited May 23, 2014 by clarea

[Kayla103]

No problem. I should have added that you may have to go to a bar om Coco Cay because the roving bar servers are usually carrying drinks in souvenir cups, which are not included in the package.

 

Good to know! Thank you :)

[bmoretraveler]

Thank you for all the information thus far! I'll be cruising in July with a few other adults and there are mixed views on the packages. If I were to get the premium package and someone else only gets the select package, would I be able to buy them a liquor drink? Yes I know it's not quite right, but I can see it coming with this group. Also, if we order a bottle of wine for dinner, and not everyone has a package, is the wine still discounted and can the package-less person still drink it?

[Clarea]

Thank you for all the information thus far! I'll be cruising in July with a few other adults and there are mixed views on the packages. If I were to get the premium package and someone else only gets the select package, would I be able to buy them a liquor drink? Yes I know it's not quite right, but I can see it coming with this group. Also, if we order a bottle of wine for dinner, and not everyone has a package, is the wine still discounted and can the package-less person still drink it?

Wine from bottles can be shared with anyone. Drinks obtained via one of the unlimited alcohol packages cannot be shared.

[DCPIV]

If I were to get the premium package and someone else only gets the select package, would I be able to buy them a liquor drink? Yes I know it's not quite right, but I can see it coming with this group.

 

I understand they are policing this pretty hard. They still swipe your card when you order a drink, so your photo pops up. If the person in the photo is not the one getting the drink, you risk losing your package with no refund.

 

Hopefully, your group will understand that and not give you too much grief.

 

 

D

[tightend88]

I spoke with a Royal Caribbean representative yesterday about the $55 drink package. After some in depth questions and specific drink questions (after dinner cordials, scotch, etc) he told me this: "The easiest way for me to describe it is this...it includes everything except BOTTLES of wine. The $10 price limit on cocktails and $12 on glasses of wine is a credit of that amount for the drink types. If you go over that limit you pay the difference. Cordials after dinner are included as are the tips for the wait staff."

I know this is what they say on the phone and what may actually take place is a different story.

We have no doubt that we will make out on the deal on our cruise. We have a group of 12-15 people going to celebrate my wife's 40th birthday. And on top of that we will be on the private island CocoCay on St. Patrick's Day.

[MardiGras316]

My husband had the $55 package on our week long cruise in May. It was a convenience thing more than anything. He averaged out to pretty close to the $55 a day if he figured in his drinks + the tips that would have been added on if he did it individually.

 

My parents were with us and didn't do the drink packages. My mom forgot her corkscrew for her cabin but found a very nice bartender that was more than happy to open her bottles for her. She did tip him nicely even though he refused at first.

 

She talked with another bartender on her RCI cruise in January and he told her there is actually a limit on alcoholic beverages you can order per day but RCI doesn't tell anyone that little tidbit. It's 15 alcoholic beverages, or so he says. So maybe one day RCI will come out and say it really isn't unlimited booze due to a liability issue. I mean, if we were on land in a bar the bartender could stop serving someone who is totally sloshed. Do the bartenders on a cruise ship have that ability, or does pleasing the passenger so they don't get a bad remark on the follow up survey come into play?

 

Just some random questions that may or may not have answers (both accurate or guesses!).

Tricia

[BAV2005]

My husband had the $55 package on our week long cruise in May. It was a convenience thing more than anything. He averaged out to pretty close to the $55 a day if he figured in his drinks + the tips that would have been added on if he did it individually.

 

My parents were with us and didn't do the drink packages. My mom forgot her corkscrew for her cabin but found a very nice bartender that was more than happy to open her bottles for her. She did tip him nicely even though he refused at first.

 

She talked with another bartender on her RCI cruise in January and he told her there is actually a limit on alcoholic beverages you can order per day but RCI doesn't tell anyone that little tidbit. It's 15 alcoholic beverages, or so he says. So maybe one day RCI will come out and say it really isn't unlimited booze due to a liability issue. I mean, if we were on land in a bar the bartender could stop serving someone who is totally sloshed. Do the bartenders on a cruise ship have that ability, or does pleasing the passenger so they don't get a bad remark on the follow up survey come into play?

 

Just some random questions that may or may not have answers (both accurate or guesses!).

Tricia

 

Are you sure she wasn't confusing it with carnival's cheers program? I know 15 is the limit on that one.

 

 

 

 

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[MardiGras316]

Are you sure she wasn't confusing it with carnival's cheers program? I know 15 is the limit on that one.

 

 

 

 

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My mother is Diamond with RCI she has never done Carnival. It was definitely a RCI ship in January.

Tricia

[jaydc2]

My take on the drink packages is that I am paying a convenience fee to not have to worry about drink prices, worry about how much of a drink I actually drank and to try new things.

 

On the Oasis I had the premium package ($55/day) and I felt it was worth it. Most of the drinks fall into the limits of $10/for beer and liquor and $12 for wine by the glass. I'd order a drink, drink some of it and get bored with it and get something else. Some of the drinks are really sweet so its hard to drink the whole thing. It came in really handy when I was at the pool because if the beer was warm or my drink melted, I'd just get another one.

 

I really got my money's worth at the Champagne Bar because I was there a lot drinking various champagnes and champagne cocktails and talking to the hot Ukrainian bar tender.

[Deely]

we were on Adventure a few weeks ago and my DH had the $55/day package and he had more than 15 alcoholic drinks some days (plus water and soda) and nothing was said to him.

 

We did ask about $ limit per drink and were told $14 for glass wine and $12 for all other alcoholic drink.

[Cruiser8576]

In January, on a 9 day trip on EOS I purchased the Classic package, AKA the ‘beer’ package at $45 per day. This was my first time buying any package. I’ve traditionally been a beer only (and lots of it) kind of guy so I didn't think I would be able to take advantage of the other Premium package.

 

I calculated roughly 6 -7 per day for a breakeven and had no problem with that.

 

In April, on the Celebrity Constellation, the beverage package was an incentive and included with the fare. This gave me the opportunity to try lots of other things which I did daily. As a long time exclusive beer drinker my world opened wide, I tried all the frozen drinks, had martinis in the martini bar (appletini and cosmo), and even had a couple glasses of wine with dinner. I know these are all chick drinks and my friends did make some fun of me, but I really did enjoy all the options and took advantage of not being limited to beer. It’s not likely I would have done this without the package. I probably only had a couple beers all week. Although wasteful, you can order something and if you don’t like it, order something different. This worked out great for a virgin spirits drinker like me. I also seemed to feel a lot better the next day after not pounding a bunch of beer the day before.

 

Bottom line = Premium beverage package for me from now on. The wife only has a couple drinks a day, so it’s not cost effective for her.

 

Sometimes I was provided a receipt to sign, other times not. Not sure how they split the tips but I assumed it was based upon how many drinks they sold and that’s why we had to sign a $0.0 receipt. It’s also possible the bartenders were fishing for additional tip. I did give some additional tip and that paid off big time from the perspective of prompt service. As soon as my bartender saw me he came right over. It pays to develop that relationship early.

 

The other thing I like is not having to worry about my bar bill at the end of the week. Next time, I will buy the package ahead of time as opposed to on the ship. That will make it even less painful at the end of the trip.

 

We’re going on a 5 day to Bermuda in Oct on EOS and then a 10 day on Quantum in January. There is no question that I will have the package on both trips. $275 on the 5 day is not so bad, $550 on the 10 day is a big nut to chew but still worth it for me. Bring on the Appletinis, Strawberry Daiquiris and Cosmopolitans!

 

By the Way, for reasons mentioned all over this forum, the last 5 ships I have been on have had one issue or another with limes. Either they have none for the whole trip, have some for part of the trip (usually after San Juan) or only select bars have them. I brought my own limes on board the last 3 times. There were no issues in doing so. You can bring fruit on, you just can’t bring it off. Bring extras because you will have lots of friends once people know you have limes!

 

Being new to this forum, I noticed a lot of talk about the CL and Diamond perks regarding 'free' drinks. The beverage package kind of obviates all the excitement about free drinks in the CL/DL or diamond events I think. As a GS guest with the premium beverage package, the CL/DL is more of a social event rather than a 'free drink' event, which it seems most people are looking for.

 

The premium package does not include coffee so the CL will come in handy for that. I don't drink $10.00 a day in coffee and OJ so it's not worth it for me to upgrade to the ultimate package.

[Nhsaltshaker]

Bottom line = Premium beverage package for me from now on. The wife only has a couple drinks a day, so it’s not cost effective for her.

 

Thanks for your review. I'm wondering if your wife was on the Premium package also, since you say it's not cost effective for her.

Edited June 19, 2014 by Nhsaltshaker

[brenderlou]

Had the ultimate pkg for the 1st time on Oasis in March. Will always buy it from here on out. Not just alcohol but coffee, juices, etc. it paid for itself!

 

 

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Edited June 20, 2014 by brenderlou

[southern cruising couple]

Does anyone know the price of Absolute on the Rocks? That is basically all my husband drinks, but he can consume alot of it on vacation. Wanted to make sure it was within the price restriction of the package...

[CalJas]

You're confusing the soda package with the other unlimited packages.

 

The Replenish, Select, Premium, and Ultimate packages can be purchased for as little as 4 days of the cruise, and you only pay for the days you selected.

 

Do the 4 days have to be consecutive? Purchasing just for sea days and Cococay would be ideal.

[Clarea]

Do the 4 days have to be consecutive? Purchasing just for sea days and Cococay would be ideal.

Yes, the 4 days must be consecutive and extend to the end of the cruise.

[LMaxwell]

Do the 4 days have to be consecutive? Purchasing just for sea days and Cococay would be ideal.

You can not select particular non-consecutive days.

[jaydc2]

Does anyone know the price of Absolute on the Rocks? That is basically all my husband drinks, but he can consume alot of it on vacation. Wanted to make sure it was within the price restriction of the package...

 

I'm not sure what the actual price was but I had many, many, many Absolute with Cranberry juice if you want to compare. The only drinks that didn't fit into the package were the specialty drinks like the cucumber and basil martini served in 150 Central Park.

[Cruiser8576]

Bottom line = Premium beverage package for me from now on. The wife only has a couple drinks a day, so it’s not cost effective for her.

 

Thanks for your review. I'm wondering if your wife was on the Premium package also, since you say it's not cost effective for her.

 

The wife doesn’t get any package on RCI. She may drink 2 drinks per day. She drinks Grey Goose only, so figure $12.00 or so for a Grey Goose martini times 2 = $24 a day. Much more cost effective to pay as we go for her. And we knew that up front so didn't buy any package for her on RCI. On the Celebrity Cruise, we both had the basic package included in the fare. The basic package included mixed drinks, beer and wine, but if you wanted top shelf (like Grey Goose) you needed to upgrade to the Premium package for an additional $10.00 per day. That was worth it for her and she did have the premium package on the Celebrity cruise but it only cost $10 per day. I did not upgrade to the premium package on Celebrity because I am less picky about top shelf and Absolute would be fine for me. Top shelf (Grey Goose) is included in the premium and ultimate package on RCI as long as it is under $12.00, anything over you just pay the difference.

 

On the RCI cruises I’ll buy the premium package for myself and drink foo-foo drinks all day, a couple martinis at night and maybe some wine or a couple beers. I’ll get my moneys’ worth. The wife will stick with her two Grey Goose martinis per day and we’ll pay as we go for those.

 

Even with the new Diamond benefit where your seapass card is preloaded with 3 free drinks per day, I’m pretty sure that does NOT include Grey Goose so we’ll still pay as we go for the Wife’s martinis.

 

Speaking of Absolute, there is a package store (that’s what we call a liquor store here in Mass, actually we call it a ‘packie’) after you go through security in San Juan. Anything you buy will be sent to the holding area on the ship and can get it when you get off. Except for nips…. That’s right; they let you bring on as many nips as you want! I brought on several nips of absolute and bought the soda package. But…. That was my first experience with vodka and I learned (the day after) that you should not drink vodka at the same rate you drink beer. Live and Learn I guess.

[Phillygirl1]

I have a question maybe someone could answer when buying a drink package say the $55. Friend just bought for our 10 day cruise which it would be $550. But was charges $630. Is that normal?

 

 

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[Nhsaltshaker]

Sounds like the auto tip

[Clarea]

I have a question maybe someone could answer when buying a drink package say the $55. Friend just bought for our 10 day cruise which it would be $550. But was charges $630. Is that normal?

No, it should have been $550 even. Call Royal customer service and have them fix it.