Pre-purchasing Beverage Package on Regal

[PghCruiseGrrrl]

I know it is now common for you to not be allowed in your room on the Regal until after 1pm. I also know in the past when I had purchased the beverage package ahead of time, there was a voucher in my room I had to take to IC to get my sticker. Are they now starting to put the sticker in the terminal, or if you did buy the beverage package do you have to wait until you can get into your room and retrieve your voucher? I would hate to buy it ahead of time and find out if I want a glass of wine with my embarkation lunch in the MDR it would not be included because I couldn't get the sticker on my card that early.

[chrysalis]

Even if you do get charged, I am sure that they will reverse the charges at Customer Services once you prove that you bought the package.

[cruiseintoheaven]

Or wait until you board and purchase with your first drink [emoji3]

[grouchomarx]

Just walk on board and buy it at the first bar you find. Easier, no stress. Start drinking immediately!

[DonnasMom&Dad]

I know it is now common for you to not be allowed in your room on the Regal until after 1pm. I also know in the past when I had purchased the beverage package ahead of time, there was a voucher in my room I had to take to IC to get my sticker. Are they now starting to put the sticker in the terminal, or if you did buy the beverage package do you have to wait until you can get into your room and retrieve your voucher? I would hate to buy it ahead of time and find out if I want a glass of wine with my embarkation lunch in the MDR it would not be included because I couldn't get the sticker on my card that early.

 

On my last cruise, spring of 2015, I prepuchased my sticker, and it was on my card when I checked in. :D

 

Cato :)

 

 

Completed Cruises !

 

Pre-cruise Days - The Big Red Boat, 1993 ??

1st cruise - Coral Princess, 19 November 2008, 10 day Panama Canal, FLL to ACA

2nd cruise - Coral Princess, 15 May 2009, 3 day Repositioning, Los Angeles to Vancouver.

3rd cruise - Sapphire Princess, 25 November 2009? 7 day Mexican Riviera.

4th cruise - Golden Princes, 12 June 2010, 7 day Alaska. (Golden Anniversary Cruise)

5th Cruise - Island Princess, 04 October 2010, Vancouver - Los Angeles, Repositioning

6th cruise - Sapphire Princess, 05 January 2011, 10 day Mexican Riviera. LA to LA.

7th cruise - Golden Princess, 11 May 2011, 3 day, LA to Vancouver, Repositioning

8th cruise - Sapphire Princess, 14 May 2011, 1 day, Vancouver to Seattle, Repositioning

9th cruise - Coral Princess 19 May 2011 2 day, San Francisco to Vancouver, Repositioning

10th & 11th cruises - Coral Princess 02 July to 16 July 2011, round trip Vancouver - Whittier Alaska, B2B

12th & 13th cruises - Sapphire Princess, x2, Cabins, 18 Sep. 2011, 1 day, Seattle to Vancouver, Repositioning

14th & 15th cruises - Golden Princess, x2, Cabins, 24 Sep. 2011, 1 day, Seattle to Vancouver, Repositioning.

We have now reached Elite status with Princess Cruise Lines

16th cruise - Oasis of the Seas, 26 Nov. 2011, 7 day, Western Caribbean, Ft. Lauderdale, Ret.

17th & 18th cruises - Crown Princess B2B, 03 - 10 Dec & 10 - 17 Dec 2011, 14 Days, South & western Caribbean

19th cruise - Grand Princess, 31 Mar. - 07 April 2012, 7 Days, Eastern Caribbean, FLL - FLL

20th cruise - Island Princess, 06-16 June 2012, 10 day cruisetour Vancouver - Wittier

21th cruise - Emerald Princess, 16 day, 10 - 26 Sep. 2012, TA, Copenhagen - New York

22nd cruise - Carnival Ecstasy 10 - 14 January, 2013, 4 Day Bahamas, Port Canaveral Ret.

23rd cruise - Sapphire Princess 30 March - 06 April, 2013, 7 Day Coastal LA - LA

24th cruise - Coral Princess, 19 May - 22 May, 2013, 3 Day Repositioning Cruise, LA - Vancouver

25th cruise - Royal Princess 16 June - 05 July, 2013, 19 Day Inaugural cruise, Southampton - Venice.

26th cruise - Emerald Princess, 06 - 16 October, 2013, 10 Day Canada - New England, Quebec city to New York

27th cruise - Royal Princess, 24 November - 01 December, 2013, 7 Day,Eastern Caribbean, Fort Lauderdale Ret.

28th cruise - Sapphire Princess, 20 - 24 Jan, 2014, 4 Days, California

29th cruise - Crown Princess, 03 - 10 May 2014, 7 Day, LA to Vancouver.

30th cruise - Pacific Princess, 05 - 12 Aug. 2014, 7 Days, Vancouver RT, Alaska

31st cruise - Golden Princess, 13 - 17 Oct. 2014, 4 Days, LA - Mexican Riv, RT,

32nd cruise - Crown Princess, 20 - 27 Dec. 2014, 7 Days, LA - Mexican Riv, RT.

33rd cruise - Coral Princess, 27Apr. - 02 May.2015, 5 Days, LA - Vancouver, Repo

 

[Pam in CA]

Just walk on board and buy it at the first bar you find. Easier, no stress. Start drinking immediately!

I agree. There's no price difference. You can always send yourself a "gift" of OBC to cover the cost if you want to spread out your expenses. Edited March 1, 2016 by Pam in CA

[jshyshka]

We pre purchased on our December cruise on the Regal and the sticker was on our card as we boarded.

[Marisawrite]

Do you really find that the beverage package is worthwhile? I'm still trying to get over the fact that it's $56 per person per day. Surely I would have to get seriously drunk to get value from that?

[TracieABD]

Even if the rooms are not ready, they will let you into the room to drop your carry-on. Eventhough, my room was not completely ready when I boarded my last cruise, my "goodies" were sitting on the desk for me!:)

[PghCruiseGrrrl]

Do you really find that the beverage package is worthwhile? I'm still trying to get over the fact that it's $56 per person per day. Surely I would have to get seriously drunk to get value from that?

 

 

 

For me it works. I prefer it so I know exactly how much I'm spending rather then asking myself if I'm going over budget. A typical sea day for me: For breakfast a latte - $3.40 (prices are with 15% gratuity) and a Bloody Mary - $9.15. Since I love sparkling water a Perrier mid morning- $3.40. A beer with lunch- $6.85. A couple more bottles of Perrier because you have to keep hydrated- $6.80 A margarita sitting by the pool - $9.15. A pre dinner extra dirty Gray Goose martini - $10.30. A couple of glasses of wine with dinner- $18.40. A espresso with Grand Marner with dessert- $8.40. A large bottle of water to take back to my room - $5.75. That puts me at $81.60 for a sea day. A port day latte, large bottle of water and all the evening drinks I'm still looking at $55-60. Maybe I don't have the poolside margarita and the beer with lunch. Maybe I have an extra martini while listening to the piano player in Crooners. I don't have to worry about going over budget and I can drink the things I prefer like Perrier instead of ships water.

[skynight]

Conclusion, purchase at one of the tables, not at the bar, at least in Ft. Lauderdale.

 

FL State sales tax is due for any purchase while the ship is in port on boarding day. I have purchased some beer at a bar and the tax was indeed added. Our experience is that if you purchase at a bar, your cruise card is swiped and tax is added. If you purchase a package at one of the tables set up around the ship the sales slip is manually completed. These sales slips are then processed in the evening once the ship has sailed, and therefore no sales tax.

[happy traveler69]

Conclusion, purchase at one of the tables, not at the bar, at least in Ft. Lauderdale.

 

FL State sales tax is due for any purchase while the ship is in port on boarding day. I have purchased some beer at a bar and the tax was indeed added. Our experience is that if you purchase at a bar, your cruise card is swiped and tax is added. If you purchase a package at one of the tables set up around the ship the sales slip is manually completed. These sales slips are then processed in the evening once the ship has sailed, and therefore no sales tax.

 

 

aaahhhhhhhh! makes sense!! now I just have to budget this for 11 nights for January!!! thanks for the tip!!

[smilz]

We were just on Regal a few weeks ago and had the AIBP. Stickers were on the card when we boarded. We went to Alfredo's for lunch prior to getting into our cabin and enjoyed a glass of wine, sangria, and a coke during a leisurely lunch. We had a few foo-foo drinks on deck during the sail away, a few glasses of wine during dinner, an after diner Bailys ( 2 actually) another glass of wine during the welcome aboard show in the Princess Theater, and several martinis in Crooners. We were able to get bottles of water easily at any bar to take back to the cabin as well cans of soda.

 

I started the next day with a specialty coffee from IC. Was able to grab a bottle of water on the way off the ship to go ashore (as well as in all other ports) had a few cokes and a few foo-foo drink on Princess Cays when we were finished snorkeling as well as another bottle of water. After returning to the ship, we showered and went out and about. We went to Vines had a flight of red wines and a plate of Tapas and enjoyed the entertainment in the Piazza. Went to alter dinner and several glasses of wine and 2 after dinner dinks. The evening followed the same as the previous evening with a gelato in there somewhere. (Yes gelatos are included-even the ones with alcoholic sauces which we never did try)

 

The week went on like that with several foo-foo drinks at the pool along with waters and sodas. I was able to have a specialty coffee on disembarkation morning. DH had a coke as well. Saw some folks with mimosas. Overall I loved the AIBP. We did not have to lug on wine, soda and water. The servers were very pleasant and service was great everywhere we went. We did drink more than we ordinarily do but it added to the enjoyment of our celebration.

[easyboy]

The AIBP is really worth it for those who wants to enjoy the cruise life with a fixed budget on drinks, $10 and under per order.

[Marisawrite]

For me it works. I prefer it so I know exactly how much I'm spending rather then asking myself if I'm going over budget. A typical sea day for me: For breakfast a latte - $3.40 (prices are with 15% gratuity) and a Bloody Mary - $9.15. Since I love sparkling water a Perrier mid morning- $3.40. A beer with lunch- $6.85. A couple more bottles of Perrier because you have to keep hydrated- $6.80 A margarita...

 

I see what you mean. I guess it's just a shock, having paid for the cruise and then being hit with another $1,000+ just for drinks! Thanks for those prices, it's good information to have.

 

However taking into account that this cruise has so many days in port, I still don't think it will be worth it. We'll be on excursions every day we're in port, so we're only going to be drinking on board in the evenings and on the 3 "at sea" days. I'm hoping I'll have time to buy bottled water at the ports so I don't have to pay the high prices for it on board (and maybe the odd bottle of Prosecco as an aperitif on the balcony before dinner...). I'm thinking of taking some Tang or one of those little bottles of concentrated cordial to flavour the ship water.

 

On my only previous cruise (on RC), the fruit juice with breakfast was free and I used to have several glasses to "stock up" for the day. Do you know if it's free on Princess?

 

It's such a shame Princess don't have a wine package. RC had one on our last cruise and it was perfect - the ability to drink half or three-quarters of a bottle then keep the rest for the following night was ideal. We're mainly wine drinkers so we didn't drink much else - RC always had one cocktail on special every day and we had that, plus maybe one or two G&T's or bourbon & cokes in the evening.

 

Apart from that, we're Australians and our taste in coffee is very different from Americans, so I doubt we'll be buying any specialty coffees.

Edited May 2, 2016 by Marisawrite

[WISH84]

We use the AIBP. We also pay for it along with everything else we can, in advance. We just love knowing everything has been paid for. We also love the freedom of hassle the package gives us. On every cruise we have ever taken we find ourselves watching over our expenses. Knowing it's already been taken care of is just awesome. In our humble opinion.

[GUT2407]

I know it is now common for you to not be allowed in your room on the Regal until after 1pm. I also know in the past when I had purchased the beverage package ahead of time, there was a voucher in my room I had to take to IC to get my sticker. Are they now starting to put the sticker in the terminal, or if you did buy the beverage package do you have to wait until you can get into your room and retrieve your voucher? I would hate to buy it ahead of time and find out if I want a glass of wine with my embarkation lunch in the MDR it would not be included because I couldn't get the sticker on my card that early.

 

When I've pre booked, which is rare as I use OBC to pay, the sticker has been on when I check in.

[Whimsy]

We sailed on the Regal last December and the sticker was on my card when we checked in. As for value I thought it was a good value and will purchase again for our November Cruise. I don't plan on getting it for my August cruise as it's very port intensive. The November cruise has a lot of sea days so I feel it will be justified. I like that we have the option to buy it for one and not the other. It would not be cost effective for my husband as he drinks mostly soda and beer.

[paddingtonbear]

I see what you mean. I guess it's just a shock, having paid for the cruise and then being hit with another $1,000+ just for drinks! Thanks for those prices, it's good information to have.

 

However taking into account that this cruise has so many days in port, I still don't think it will be worth it. We'll be on excursions every day we're in port, so we're only going to be drinking on board in the evenings and on the 3 "at sea" days. I'm hoping I'll have time to buy bottled water at the ports so I don't have to pay the high prices for it on board (and maybe the odd bottle of Prosecco as an aperitif on the balcony before dinner...). I'm thinking of taking some Tang or one of those little bottles of concentrated cordial to flavour the ship water.

 

On my only previous cruise (on RC), the fruit juice with breakfast was free and I used to have several glasses to "stock up" for the day. Do you know if it's free on Princess?

 

It's such a shame Princess don't have a wine package. RC had one on our last cruise and it was perfect - the ability to drink half or three-quarters of a bottle then keep the rest for the following night was ideal. We're mainly wine drinkers so we didn't drink much else - RC always had one cocktail on special every day and we had that, plus maybe one or two G&T's or bourbon & cokes in the evening.

 

Apart from that, we're Australians and our taste in coffee is very different from Americans, so I doubt we'll be buying any specialty coffees.

 

 

Princess have several wine packages. The coffee card gets you good espresso coffee at the international cafe. I suggest if you don't like instant or syrup coffee you but the coffee card. DH thought it was gods and he's very fussy.

There is also a beverage card about $8 a day which gives you yummy unlimited mocktails (and milkshakes- on some ships).

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[moki'smommy]

It depends on how much and what you drink. My beverage of choice is ice tea, so the beverage package would not be a value for me.

[Alaskan Joe]

A fellow CC made this Excel spread sheet. It appears to be about 2yrs old not sure if the prices are still the same. However you can figure out approx. how much you will drink p/day, and the spread sheet will say 'Yes or No' hope this help you it most definitely help my wife and I make the decision.

Attached Files Princess Beverage Package Evaluator rev0 posted 5-7-2014.xls (67.5 KB, 16464 views)

[justafem]

It depends on how much and what you drink. My beverage of choice is ice tea' date=' so the beverage package would not be a value for me.[/quote']

 

I can not stand the iced tea on board. I'm assuming it's syrup by the metallic, bitter taste. I cured that by ordering hot tea with a glass of ice.

 

I get the soda and more package, enjoying the heck out of the mock-tails (choco banana!) and juices. A single mock-tail per day and there's the price of the package.

[Marisawrite]

Princess have several wine packages. The coffee card gets you good espresso coffee at the international cafe. I suggest if you don't like instant or syrup coffee you but the coffee card. DH thought it was gods and he's very fussy.

There is also a beverage card about $8 a day which gives you yummy unlimited mocktails (and milkshakes- on some ships).

 

It depends what you mean by "good espresso coffee". Australian taste in coffee is very different from some other parts of the world!

 

I was touring California once and even though I sought out cafes that were mentioned on Google as having "real" coffee rather than Starbucks rubbish, I didn't find anything remotely drinkable. I have a similar problem here in the UK (where I'm living at the moment). The barista on our Royal Caribbean cruise had a great write-up from other CC'ers but I didn't like his coffee either. I do love the coffee in Vienna, though!

 

So if Princess really does have good espresso coffee, I will be most surprised, but pleased!

[jasper59]

We were just on Regal a few weeks ago and had the AIBP. Stickers were on the card when we boarded. We went to Alfredo's for lunch prior to getting into our cabin and enjoyed a glass of wine, sangria, and a coke during a leisurely lunch. We had a few foo-foo drinks on deck during the sail away, a few glasses of wine during dinner, an after diner Bailys ( 2 actually) another glass of wine during the welcome aboard show in the Princess Theater, and several martinis in Crooners. We were able to get bottles of water easily at any bar to take back to the cabin as well cans of soda.

 

I started the next day with a specialty coffee from IC. Was able to grab a bottle of water on the way off the ship to go ashore (as well as in all other ports) had a few cokes and a few foo-foo drink on Princess Cays when we were finished snorkeling as well as another bottle of water. After returning to the ship, we showered and went out and about. We went to Vines had a flight of red wines and a plate of Tapas and enjoyed the entertainment in the Piazza. Went to alter dinner and several glasses of wine and 2 after dinner dinks. The evening followed the same as the previous evening with a gelato in there somewhere. (Yes gelatos are included-even the ones with alcoholic sauces which we never did try)

 

The week went on like that with several foo-foo drinks at the pool along with waters and sodas. I was able to have a specialty coffee on disembarkation morning. DH had a coke as well. Saw some folks with mimosas. Overall I loved the AIBP. We did not have to lug on wine, soda and water. The servers were very pleasant and service was great everywhere we went. We did drink more than we ordinarily do but it added to the enjoyment of our celebration.

 

Hi You mention princess cays can you use your AI ashore here...

[WISH84]

Hi You mention princess cays can you use your AI ashore here...

 

 

Yes you can. Loved this aspect of the AIBP