Does anyone pay for the beverage pkg?

[dznymom]

We have just booked our first X cruise. Because it is only a month away, we got no perks at all. DH doesn't drink any alcohol, so he will probably get the pkg that includes coffee, water & soda. I like a few drinks, but I am having some trouble justifying the cost. I have never gotten a beverage pkg because on my regular cruises I get comped drinks in the casino which is where I spend lots of my time. I'm a little snooty about wine and whiskey and would want the premium pkg, but I am not sure I spend $475 on booze in a year! I am also thinking I won't have drinks at times that I would like them if I don't have the pkg as my brain will be doing the math every time I order. Does anyone have any insight for me?

[JFontaine]

I just paid for the beverage package, because even with the current 1 2 3 promotion it was much cheaper to book separately (nothing is free). My travel agent and I went through almost a dozen rates and package combinations for our February cruise. Like you, the beverage packages make no financial sense based on how little we drink, but I bought it for the fun factor - getting a drink without thinking of the cost. I did enjoy having it on a previous cruise. Have a great cruise.

Edited January 22, 2015 by JFontaine

[Sapphire723]

We've gotten the premium drink package without the promo before. Whether it's worth it to you depends on how much you'll drink in a day. We were able to make it worth while, but we did have more drinks than we might have normally. I did love how much freedom it gave me to order whatever I want and try new things.

[cle-guy]

I've purchased he package, and done without entirely as well as I often book last minute and therefore don't get 123 perks.

 

I find I come out pretty equal most of the time to pay as I go versus value. As Eliteplus now with free Al Baccio, I'll do even better pay as I go.

 

Here's a link to a post made by another CC user that has an Excel spreadsheet you can input your variables (total days, port days, sea days, and then how many of each drink you think you will enjoy each day) and it will let you know which packages make sense for you based on those selections. It's a good starting point.

 

I also find that over time, i drink less, seem to start out heavy then settle in. Also if you like fine wines, you need to consider the premium package so you only pay the overage for those, rather than full cost if on Classic only.

Edited January 22, 2015 by cle-guy

[GranthamMommy]

I might recommend getting the premium non alcohol package to cover Café al Bacio and the premium waters like San Pelligrino. If you are a coffee/tee/water snob you will get your money's worth. That's about $20 per day. Add on two $12 drinks per day and you're way cheaper than the premium alcohol packager.......imho.

[Safety Squirrel]

I might recommend getting the premium non alcohol package to cover Café al Bacio and the premium waters like San Pelligrino. If you are a coffee/tee/water snob you will get your money's worth. That's about $20 per day. Add on two $12 drinks per day and you're way cheaper than the premium alcohol packager.......imho.

 

I also would recommend like GranthamMommy the premium non alcoholic beverage package. Do not have to think about it and I do love the virgin pina coladas:D and enjoy some of the specialty teas (not a coffee drinker) at Café Baccio. I purchased the water package first time but when I figured in my virgin drinks - was well worth the upgrade and have purchased it every cruise since then.

[huskerc]

Go for a few days without and see what you think. You can buy it pro-rated until (I believe) the last three days.

[Germancruiser]

I just booked the classic package- it covers Al Baccio as well- so says the website- but no premium water- which I don´t care for anyway so I opted for classic non alcoholic- I get my drinks at the Elite hours and that is quite enough. I did not know about the " free Al Baccio" wjem I arrive at Elite Plus- which I will after the upcoming cruise! Nice perk- THEN I see no need for package anymore!

[dznymom]

Thanks for the great suggestions! Cle-guy, that was a fabulous resource. It was really fun to play with. I think I got carried away but I could actually consume enough to justify the Premium package if I really wanted to. I'm still not sure I want to!

 

JFontaine & Sapphire, it would definitely be fun to have the Premium package, and I would love being able to get whatever I wanted anytime. But I fear I might overdo and I would hate to be "That" person :p

 

Grantham Mommy & Safety Squirrel, your suggestion definitely has some merit. I would likely come out ahead of the game financially using that strategy, and would likely be more clear headed in the mornings :)

 

husker, I had no idea I could purchase it pro-rated later in the cruise. Maybe that's the answer! I can start out slowly and build!

 

I think I need to check the Wine Packages more closely. Perhaps the premium non-al package along with some wines at dinner would work out perfectly. Looks like I have more research ahead of me!

Edited January 22, 2015 by dznymom

[blindrid]

We have just booked our first X cruise. Because it is only a month away, we got no perks at all. DH doesn't drink any alcohol, so he will probably get the pkg that includes coffee, water & soda. I like a few drinks, but I am having some trouble justifying the cost. I have never gotten a beverage pkg because on my regular cruises I get comped drinks in the casino which is where I spend lots of my time. I'm a little snooty about wine and whiskey and would want the premium pkg, but I am not sure I spend $475 on booze in a year! I am also thinking I won't have drinks at times that I would like them if I don't have the pkg as my brain will be doing the math every time I order. Does anyone have any insight for me?

 

In our case, it was rarely worth it. My DW drinks lightly and I drink well. We rarely come up with a bar tab of $100 a day as we also drink onshore. I must admit it was nice to have though.

[ailetoile]

Thanks for the great suggestions! Cle-guy, that was a fabulous resource. It was really fun to play with. I think I got carried away but I could actually consume enough to justify the Premium package if I really wanted to. I'm still not sure I want to!

 

JFontaine & Sapphire, it would definitely be fun to have the Premium package, and I would love being able to get whatever I wanted anytime. But I fear I might overdo and I would hate to be "That" person :p

 

Grantham Mommy & Safety Squirrel, your suggestion definitely has some merit. I would likely come out ahead of the game financially using that strategy, and would likely be more clear headed in the mornings :)

 

husker, I had no idea I could purchase it pro-rated later in the cruise. Maybe that's the answer! I can start out slowly and build!

 

I think I need to check the Wine Packages more closely. Perhaps the premium non-al package along with some wines at dinner would work out perfectly. Looks like I have more research ahead of me!

 

If you enjoy wine, please keep in mind that you can also bring two bottles aboard at embarkation for your stateroom. You can drink it in your stateroom for free (and bring a glass of your own wine with you to dinner or anywhere else on the ship), or you can choose to pay a $25 corkage fee per bottle in the MDR.

[dznymom]

If you enjoy wine, please keep in mind that you can also bring two bottles aboard at embarkation for your stateroom. You can drink it in your stateroom for free (and bring a glass of your own wine with you to dinner or anywhere else on the ship), or you can choose to pay a $25 corkage fee per bottle in the MDR.

 

Oh that is great info that I forgot to ask about! No corkage fee to bring wine on board is a bonus for sure. Is that 2 per stateroom or per person?

[GottaKnowWhen]

Oh that is great info that I forgot to ask about! No corkage fee to bring wine on board is a bonus for sure. Is that 2 per stateroom or per person?

 

It is two bottle per stateroom. And there is a corkage fee if you take the bottle elsewhere, though you can carry a glass from your room as stated.

 

And speaking of wine, it is a well hidden option but note that you can buy wine by the bottle on-line ahead of time (for delivery in your room or at your table) or on board. If you mainly drink wine in your stateroom or at dinner, this is an option to factor into your calculations as the price per glass will probably be lower.

[capecodder2]

We never buy a beverage package. At the most we have a glass of wine with lunch, and dinner and maybe a cocktail in the afternoon or an after dinner drink. We don't drink special coffees, soda, or need fancy bottled water. There are plenty of places to get ship water, regular juice, coffee, tea, etc. We like to drink particular brands and don't want to have to consider if they are part of a package or not. We usually buy a bottle of white and a bottle of red wine of our preference and spread it out over several meals. Anyway, that works for us. Our alcohol bill for the last 10 day cruise we took early this month was around $430 for the 2 of us.

[phoenix_dream]

If you drink wine, you can also get discounts by buying a wine package (3 bottles, 5 bottles).

 

I recommend waiting until you are onboard and then deciding.

[sawyer_boy]

We always get a premium beverage package, for us it's worth the money. Whether it be a morning smoothie from the Aqua spa Cafe, drinks by the pool, water for our excursions and late nights at the molecular bar we always leave ahead of the game. For our up coming 18 night cruise Australia to Hawaii the package was a bit over $1300 each.

 

 

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