My 15 night Drink package experiance.

[MONKEY20]

My wife and I normally cruise alone, but this time we had friends travelling with us. We have never had a drinks package before. We are both in our 50,s and normally do not drink during the week but like a bottle of wine and some beer at the weekend. We both went for the premium package $55 a night. Totall cost $ 800 each.

We only had one rule No alcohol before noon.

We were on Adventurer of the seas out of Southampton.

Day 1 seaday, 6 beers, 3 cocktails, 1 wine and 2 baileys.

Day 2 seaday 4 beers, 2 cocktails, 2 wines, 2 vodkas and 2 baileys

day 3 seaday 4 beers, 4 cocktails, 2 wines and 3 baileys

Day 4 Cadiz 4 beers, 4 cocktails, 2 wines and 2 baileys

Day 5 seaday 4 beers, 3 cocktails, 2 wines and 2 baileys.

 

You can probably see a routine setting in here. The drinks waiter in the MDR was fantastic. He always had a glass of wine waiting for us when we came in and was always quick to bring another, he also always had a baileys ready for our after dinner coffee.

 

Day 6 Barcelona 3 beers, 2 cocktails, 2 wines and 2 baileys

Day 7 Villefrance 4 beers, 2 cocktails, 2 wines and 3 baileys

Day 8 Livorno 4 beers, 1 cocktail, 2 wines, 2 baileys

Day 9 Rome, 3 beers, 1 cocktail, 3 wines, 4 baileys

Day 10 Sardinia, 3 beers, 2 cocktails 2 wines, 3 baileys

Day 11 seaday, 4 beers 1 cocktail, 3 vodkas

Day 12 Gibraltar, 6 beers, 1 cocktail, 4 wines, 2 baileys.

Day 13 Lisbon, 4 beers, 1 cocktail, 2 wines, 3 baileys.

Day 14 seaday, 6 beers, 1 cocktail, 2 wines, 4 baileys

Day 15 seaday, 5 beers. 2 cocktails, 2 wines, 2 baileys , 3 B52'S

 

I have been conservative with my prices . I had

 

65 beers ,26 cocktails, 30 glasses of wine and 44 spirits. I estimate that it would have cost me $ 1470.

 

My wife did not drink as much as I did but she still managed at least 7 drinks a day.

 

I did not wake up any morning with a sore head and think I did not go over the top.

 

Hope this is of some help to you.

 

Ian

[Deeliteful]

Cheers!

[delirious9876]

That's really helpful Ian. Thanks a lot for posting the info.

 

Cheers !!!!

[masonpips]

All I can think is "the calories"!! We did a premium package on Celebrity for a 4 night cruise. I was SICK of alcohol by the time we got off the ship. And that's saying A LOT (ask my kids)!

 

I felt like I had to drink all the time to make it "worthwhile" but the coffees w/Baileys did help! And the martini bar was fabulous!

 

Thanks for the info tho - it is helpful for folks considering the packages

[dadroy]

Okay, you did it! I'm drooling:D

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[cb at sea]

It's totally doable...you have to pace yourself...you get your buzz going, then do not lose it!...don't eat too much and you're good to go! We "older" folks have practiced this for years.....we're good at it!

Edited June 12, 2014 by cb at sea

[Langley Cruisers]

Thank you, MONKEY20. I find this to be a very interesting post, one I don't think I've seen here before.

 

I'm curious to know something - had you not taken the package, what do you think your consumption would have been? Are you a heavy drinker on vacation normally? I guess I am asking if you felt you "had to" consume the amount you did because you had paid for the package, or if you might normally drink this amount and perhaps grumbled about the price? :D

.

Edited June 12, 2014 by Langley Cruisers

[marci22]

omg at first I thought that was what you were -both- drinking per day.

[CP3o]

Total cost $ 800 each.

 

65 beers ,26 cocktails, 30 glasses of wine and 44 spirits. I estimate that it would have cost me $ 1470.

 

 

Don't the servers feel like they are working harder and not making as much? Even if they share 15% of the $800, aren't they losing the (1470-800)*.15?

 

I'd think bar servers would be wiped and not liking these programs, especially when sailing where tipping is less likely than the states.

 

Not that this OP didn't tip extra, just speaking in general terms. Without extra tipping, seems like every dollar over $55, pricing drinks consumed on premium package per day, that represents a "good deal" for pax is a bad deal for servers.

[mjgep0316]

Unless my math is wrong, that's $800 per person, or $1600, correct?

 

 

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[Langley Cruisers]

Unless my math is wrong, that's $800 per person, or $1600, correct?

 

Yes, that's what he said... :)

 

We both went for the premium package $55 a night. Totall cost $ 800 each.

.

[dplusd]

Wow...that's a lot of drinks. We just tried the Replenish (non-alcohol) package on a 7 day Navigator cruise and could not drink enough to get our money's worth! And we did not leave the ship once!

 

I used to drink a lot of alcohol but even in my younger days, I don't think I could benefit from one of the alcohol packages. All I can say is...good for you!

[Anzura]

We only had one rule No alcohol before noon.

 

Ian

 

That rule SUCKS!! ;) No bloody Mary's or mimosas with breakfast? What kind of vacation was this???

 

Thanks for the breakdown. Dh and I are getting the same package and we're going to keep track as well. We are just going to drink when and if we want. Not going to try and "get our money's worth". But I have a feeling we will.

Edited June 12, 2014 by Anzura

[emeraldcity]

Maybe it's just me ... but for that kind of money, I think I'd book another cruise and stick with the zero calorie flavored waters and the ice tea. My drink tab is pretty small because I have several Drink-of-the-Days during any given cruise, and I'm not a wine drinker, so I find a $1600 fee for beverages to be staggering.

 

But if it's saving you money, I say go for it.

Edited June 12, 2014 by emeraldcity

[Adayatatime]

I love drinking but if I drink before about 6pm I get a headache and fall asleep. So its no good for me unless I binge drink every evening :(

[masonpips]

Maybe it's just me ... but for that kind of money, I think I'd book another cruise and stick with the zero calorie flavored waters and the ice tea. My drink tab is pretty small because I have several Drink-of-the-Days during any given cruise, and I'm not a wine drinker...

 

LOL, I kind of thought the same thing. I may have a beer at the pool or a drink-of-the-day and I drink in the Diamond Lounge to start off our evenings but on average I probably purchase 2 drinks a day?

[jakenashleysmom]

Throw in a several bottles of water and unlimited pop, makes it an even sweeter deal. For the record, I don't think you drink a lot at all OP.

 

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[MONKEY20]

Just to answer a few points made in the posts above.

 

1) On a normal cruise I would still drink between 5 and 8 drinks a day but would not have any cocktails. I saw this as a way to try some drinks that I would not normally ask for.

 

2) I did tip the waiters extra where service deserved it. Mainly in the Dog and Duck, sports bar, theatre and MDR.

 

3) I do not think I am an alcoholic. I have not had a drink since I got back. But with the start of the Football (soccer) world cup I think I will be having a beer or two.

 

4) I only put on 8lbs in a 15 night cruise, I do not think that is to bad.

 

5) This is only what I drank on board the ship. We did have 8 ports of call and it would be rude not to sample the local produce.

 

6) I also had as part of my booking deal a 5 bottle wine package. You will be glad to hear that I did not drink any but collected them and took them home. ( oops perhaps I should not have put that last bit in).

 

7) I did not go out to try and drink the ship dry, I just had a drink whenever the occasion deserved one.

 

Ian

[George C]

My wife and I normally cruise alone, but this time we had friends travelling with us. We have never had a drinks package before. We are both in our 50,s and normally do not drink during the week but like a bottle of wine and some beer at the weekend. We both went for the premium package $55 a night. Totall cost $ 800 each.

We only had one rule No alcohol before noon.

We were on Adventurer of the seas out of Southampton.

Day 1 seaday, 6 beers, 3 cocktails, 1 wine and 2 baileys.

Day 2 seaday 4 beers, 2 cocktails, 2 wines, 2 vodkas and 2 baileys

day 3 seaday 4 beers, 4 cocktails, 2 wines and 3 baileys

Day 4 Cadiz 4 beers, 4 cocktails, 2 wines and 2 baileys

Day 5 seaday 4 beers, 3 cocktails, 2 wines and 2 baileys.

 

You can probably see a routine setting in here. The drinks waiter in the MDR was fantastic. He always had a glass of wine waiting for us when we came in and was always quick to bring another, he also always had a baileys ready for our after dinner coffee.

 

Day 6 Barcelona 3 beers, 2 cocktails, 2 wines and 2 baileys

Day 7 Villefrance 4 beers, 2 cocktails, 2 wines and 3 baileys

Day 8 Livorno 4 beers, 1 cocktail, 2 wines, 2 baileys

Day 9 Rome, 3 beers, 1 cocktail, 3 wines, 4 baileys

Day 10 Sardinia, 3 beers, 2 cocktails 2 wines, 3 baileys

Day 11 seaday, 4 beers 1 cocktail, 3 vodkas

Day 12 Gibraltar, 6 beers, 1 cocktail, 4 wines, 2 baileys.

Day 13 Lisbon, 4 beers, 1 cocktail, 2 wines, 3 baileys.

Day 14 seaday, 6 beers, 1 cocktail, 2 wines, 4 baileys

Day 15 seaday, 5 beers. 2 cocktails, 2 wines, 2 baileys , 3 B52'S

 

I have been conservative with my prices . I had

 

65 beers ,26 cocktails, 30 glasses of wine and 44 spirits. I estimate that it would have cost me $ 1470.

 

My wife did not drink as much as I did but she still managed at least 7 drinks a day.

 

I did not wake up any morning with a sore head and think I did not go over the top.

 

Hope this is of some help to you.

 

Ian

 

The only thing I do not understand is the rule about no drinks before noon, I have never heard my wife saying no to a glass of champane with breakfast. And as Jimmy Buffett song goes "Its 5 o'clock somewhere"

[baldercash]

The only thing I do not understand is the rule about no drinks before noon, I have never heard my wife saying no to a glass of champane with breakfast. And as Jimmy Buffett song goes "Its 5 o'clock somewhere"

 

Mimosa's on the balcony with breakfast and Baileys in the 1st coffee of the day and the day is all good.

[scubadiverswife]

Hi my hubby and I are going to try the drinks package on our next cruise because we are going with my sis in law and her hubby so we will probably drink more than what we do when we cruise alone. I defo think it is worth it tho especially as I discovered peach bellinis among a few other cocktails so if I can manage a few of them during the course of the day I am pretty sure it will be worth it :-)

[George C]

Mimosa's on the balcony with breakfast and Baileys in the 1st coffee of the day and the day is all good.

 

We normaly cruise but also like Sandals, at breakfast they will ask coffee or tea, then mimosa or bloody mary

[hebbie67]

Just to answer a few points made in the posts above.

 

6) I also had as part of my booking deal a 5 bottle wine package. You will be glad to hear that I did not drink any but collected them and took them home. ( oops perhaps I should not have put that last bit in).

 

 

Ian

 

 

Thanks for this Ian - we too have the 5 free bottles of wine and it is causing a real dilemma as to whether we get the drinks package as we've done previously.

 

Can I just ask where you collected them from and when?

 

Many thanks

 

 

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[MONKEY20]

Thanks for this Ian - we too have the 5 free bottles of wine and it is causing a real dilemma as to whether we get the drinks package as we've done previously.

 

Can I just ask where you collected them from and when?

 

Many thanks

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

I just asked my table waiter in the MDR if I could have a bottle every other night because I wanted to drink it in my cabin. It was no problem. The only down side of this was the extra weight and space in my suitcase.

 

Ian