NCL Drinks packages or not

[hayleyfever]

Hi we are cruising on the epic in July. Weve just had the email to purchase the drinks packages at $54 dollars each per day per adult and $4.50 for soda packages for the children. Does anybody know is it worth buying this at all. It seems a lot of money about £500 for a family of 4 plus the 15% gratuity. It seems unfair. Should we buy it or just buy drinks as you go?

 

do all of the packages include water. Can you take water on board bought in the destinations visited?

 

Hopefully somebody can help or advise??

 

thanks

[Cruisin'cockney]

There have been a number of Threads celebrating this latest NCL innovation. No doubt someone will post a link but a quick scan down the page should throw up all the answers to your question.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Va. Plumber]

IMHO it is not worth it.

 

Unless you like to drink more than approx. eight drinks a day and permit your children to have continual soft drinks.

[gymbomb]

None of the packages include bottled water. I just take a reusable bottle and fill it with tap water on the ship, but you can take bottled water on with you if you prefer. We do not buy the drink package. I spend less than $54 on drinks for the entire cruise most of the time!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[LrgPizza]

CC member wichitastatecruiser put this spreadsheet together last week that lists drinks and drink prices. It's fully functional to plug in numbers that you think you might drink each day, and it will tell you if the UBP is a good deal for you or not. Nobody can know but you if it is a good deal for you, since we have no way of knowing your drinking habits. But this will help you do the math to figure it out.

[Sparkles87]

As you are in the UK - a quick heads up.

You have to phone NCL UK to pre-purchase the drinks packages. Tried using the e-mail link I was sent last night and it wouldn't let me complete the form as I don't live in a US State or have an american telephone number! Which is a bit rubbish but hey ho.

 

Im sailing solo in July and the UBP is worth it for me but best to use the spreadie someone mentioned it will really help you work the numbers.

[sverigecruiser]

Hi we are cruising on the epic in July. Weve just had the email to purchase the drinks packages at $54 dollars each per day per adult and $4.50 for soda packages for the children. Does anybody know is it worth buying this at all. It seems a lot of money about £500 for a family of 4 plus the 15% gratuity. It seems unfair. Should we buy it or just buy drinks as you go?

 

do all of the packages include water. Can you take water on board bought in the destinations visited?

 

Hopefully somebody can help or advise??

 

thanks

 

If it's worth buying it depends on how you drink and what you drink! I don't think that the cost is extremely high but since we like to drink Champagne, which for obvious reason isn't included, it's not worth it for us.

[weltek]

It's not intended for you to "save" money overall, really. It's intended to convince you to spend more money on beverages and offer you a convenient way not to worry about how much you are spending on alcohol.

 

If you cannot live without a few sodas daily, the soda package is worth it.

 

If you don't want to worry about your alcohol tab and drink an average of over six alcoholic beverages per day, then definitely it's worth looking into.

 

Remember, you'll probably drink less on board during port-intensive cruises.

 

It's not even a question if it's "fair." It's a product that may or may not be right for everyone. Nobody is forcing you to buy it. We drink a lot (5-12 beverages per day on a cruise), and it's possibly worth it for us. We decided not to buy it last time, and probably would've had far too many hangovers if we did. :-) I like not having the pressure of "I must drink enough to get my money's worth" and we often sail on port-intensive cruises (where we spend money on beverages on land, too, and sometimes come back "too full to drink more" on board). If I had deep pockets, I'd get it in a heartbeat because I wouldn't be worried about assuring I got my "worth" out of it.

Edited May 22, 2014 by weltek

[Cruiseingfamilystyle]

I see most bars open at 11:30 am, can you still order a Bloody Mary or Mimosa at breakfast in the buffet ? Or MDR ? Thanks for your info!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[KeithJenner]

Hi we are cruising on the epic in July. Weve just had the email to purchase the drinks packages at $54 dollars each per day per adult and $4.50 for soda packages for the children. Does anybody know is it worth buying this at all. It seems a lot of money about £500 for a family of 4 plus the 15% gratuity. It seems unfair. Should we buy it or just buy drinks as you go?

 

 

 

do all of the packages include water. Can you take water on board bought in the destinations visited?

 

 

 

Hopefully somebody can help or advise??

 

 

 

thanks

 

 

Without knowing how much you will drink, nobody can tell you whether it is worth it for you.

 

One thing to be aware of, based on the fact that you say this is a lot of money, is that a 15% gratuity and a further 10% tax will be added to all your drink purchases (and the cost of the UBP). You can avoid the tax on the UBP if you purchase it before sailing.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk