No more "Free Beverage Package" for us

[Mikkar]

We just returned on Sunday from a 7 day cruise on the Breakaway that we had booked with the free internet package and free beverage package. We have sailed quite a few times on the Breakaway and have booked the free beverage package since Norwegian started offering it. After this last cruise, we probably will not choose this package again. Originally, it was truly free because it included gratuities and there were many different drinks to choose from and I usually chose the Mondavi Chardonnay. On this cruise, there was only one chardonnay available by the glass, Meridian brand, which I didn't care for. This brand used to be the least expensive chardonnay that was available and now it's the premium and they have an even cheaper house wine. I met with the beverage manager and he said that this is what corporate wants them to serve and that I could buy the Mondavi chardonnay by the bottle and I would get 20% off because I had the beverage package. I did buy 2 bottles which ended up costing approx. $38.00 for the wine and the auto gratuity. I think that Norwegian has downgraded the brands that they serve to offset the cost of offering the free beverage package. Plus, I paid $80 each for my husband and myself for the beverage service charge for this package. For this amount, I can bring the wine that I want with me and pay the corkage fee. I was unaware of the changes that Norwegian had made and want to let others know.

We had a great time and will sail on the Breakaway again but will select a different package next time.

[luddite]

Imagine if you were a beer geek and had to settle for what they serve on the ship.

[hawkeyetlse]

The selection of wines by the glass has been drastically reduced. Even before that, it was nothing to get excited about for anyone with strong wine preferences.

 

Here is the current wine menu for anyone who hasn't seen it yet.

 

It's clear that if you only drink wine, but won't drink any of the wines by the glass that they now offer, then the UBP makes no sense for you (even if you only pay the 18%).

[LrgPizza]

You should've switched to shots.

 

 

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[Loralye]

Imagine if you were a beer geek and had to settle for what they serve on the ship.

 

Luddite, what beers do we have to "settle with"?

 

Thank you

[luddite]

Luddite, what beers do we have to "settle with"?

 

Thank you

 

Uhhhh...that'd be all of the usual big3 mass batch swill lagers that they stock.

[txagfan]

I don't think this is a fair criticism for what it's worth. There are a lot of alcohol choices.

 

It's funny to me b/c this post is similar to someone complaining there was no Diet Coke or a local microbrew on board. They can't be all things to all people, but they cater to most.

[janetz]

That's too bad.

Last fall we had the package with the grads included and I had any wine I wanted.

Edited April 5, 2016 by janetz

[onespots]

To Hawkeyetlse

 

Thank you for the information & wine list aboard the ship. We thought I should share this information. We are active wine drinkers at home & on the cruise. We usually never find a suitable white wine at the bars or the house wine being offered by the cruise line. We are forced to purchase their beverage package just to get something drinkable. Even then we order bottled wine at dinner to complement the meal. So as a way by example: This is what we can purchase wine for at home in Arizona vs the ship charges.

 

White Wine on NCL similar to competing cruise lines.

 

White Zinfandel Beringer, Calofornia Ship $36.00 Total Wine Store $11.00

Chardonnay Meridan Vineyards, California Ship $36.00 Total Wine $7.99

Chardonnay Louis Jadot Pouilly Fuissee Burgandy France Ship $65.00 Total Wine $14.95

Chardonnay Robert Mondavi Private Selection Ship $ 40.00 Total Wine $8.95

 

My point is the mark-up on alcohol products is obscene & expensive. This does not include the usual 18% added as a service charge or gratitutity. Also as a consumer we are purchasing 1-6 bottles at a time. Imagine what discount the cruise line gets, for ordering thousands of cases of wine across all of their ships.

 

Understanding I am not complaining, just pointing out that drinking wine on any cruise can be expensive & of poor quality.

 

Happy Travels, John

[strykes]

We just got off the Jade and I noticed the same thing. Ex: IIRC, Cagney's only had 3 or 4 red wines by the glass and they were bottom of the barrel. That's crazy for a steakhouse.

[zqvol]

We just returned on Sunday from a 7 day cruise on the Breakaway that we had booked with the free internet package and free beverage package. We have sailed quite a few times on the Breakaway and have booked the free beverage package since Norwegian started offering it. After this last cruise, we probably will not choose this package again. Originally, it was truly free because it included gratuities and there were many different drinks to choose from and I usually chose the Mondavi Chardonnay. On this cruise, there was only one chardonnay available by the glass, Meridian brand, which I didn't care for. This brand used to be the least expensive chardonnay that was available and now it's the premium and they have an even cheaper house wine. I met with the beverage manager and he said that this is what corporate wants them to serve and that I could buy the Mondavi chardonnay by the bottle and I would get 20% off because I had the beverage package. I did buy 2 bottles which ended up costing approx. $38.00 for the wine and the auto gratuity. I think that Norwegian has downgraded the brands that they serve to offset the cost of offering the free beverage package. Plus, I paid $80 each for my husband and myself for the beverage service charge for this package. For this amount, I can bring the wine that I want with me and pay the corkage fee. I was unaware of the changes that Norwegian had made and want to let others know.

We had a great time and will sail on the Breakaway again but will select a different package next time.

 

I cannot imagine how the beverage package can be a good deal if you are a wine drinker.

[Loralye]

Uhhhh...that'd be all of the usual big3 mass batch swill lagers that they stock.

 

That helped a lot...

 

Not

[hawkeyetlse]

It's funny to me b/c this post is similar to someone complaining there was no Diet Coke or a local microbrew on board.

I don't read the OP's posting as a complaint (if it is, they really need to take some lessons from others on this board about how to write a complaint for the NCL board :D). And pointing out that NCL slashed two-thirds of their wine selection for UBP holders seems like justified and useful criticism to me. This is quite a recent development (unlike the absence of Coke products, for example), so this thread may be helpful for people with current bookings who chose the UBP based on outdated information about the wines available by the glass.

[kelkel2]

When you say gratuities are no longer included are you referring to the service charge that you pay when you select the package and book the cruise? Or are you saying that while on the ship you were charged gratuities for each drink?

 

 

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[karoo]

I'm with you OP- the wine you could get by the glass was very limited. They try to push their own brand. The Matua Valley that I do drink on board I was told at all the bars wasn't available, however I observed someone not on the UBP was able to get it by the glass. When I questioned the barman, he then gave me a glass and said he had been instructed to try and get people to drink the NCL brand. Interesting fact - The Matua Valley that sells for $38+ onboard, sells here for around $8 Aus dollars. Around $10 in the US. I've decided to buy my own wine next cruise, pay the corkage and actually drink something I like.

[LrgPizza]

I don't read the OP's posting as a complaint (if it is, they really need to take some lessons from others on this board about how to write a complaint for the NCL board :D). And pointing out that NCL slashed two-thirds of their wine selection for UBP holders seems like justified and useful criticism to me.

The wine selection is the same regardless of whether or not one is a UBP holder. To say they slashed the selection for UBP holders sounds... odd. I know you didn't mean that, but the wording was kind of awkward, so I wanted to clarify.

When you say gratuities are no longer included are you referring to the service charge that you pay when you select the package and book the cruise? Or are you saying that while on the ship you were charged gratuities for each drink?

That has never happened and cannot happen in the current system. No one who has the UBP, whether it was purchased or received as a promo, EVER pays gratuities on drinks on the ship.

Edited April 5, 2016 by LrgPizza

[luddite]

I cannot imagine how the beverage package can be a good deal if you are a wine drinker.

 

Especially if you only drink a particular brand of one style.

[luddite]

The wine selection is the same regardless of whether or not one is a UBP holder. To say they slashed the selection for UBP holders sounds... odd. I know you didn't mean that, but the wording was kind of awkward, so I wanted to clarify.

 

That has never happened and cannot happen in the current system. No one who has the UBP, whether it was purchased or received as a promo, EVER pays gratuities on drinks on the ship.

 

The wine they will serve you with the package is very limited.

[hawkeyetlse]

The wine selection is the same regardless of whether or not one is a UBP holder. To say they slashed the selection for UBP holders sounds... odd. I know you didn't mean that, but the wording was kind of awkward, so I wanted to clarify.

There is no question in my mind that the motivation for changing the wine menu was to reduce choice for UBP holders.

[Mikkar]

Especially if you only drink a particular brand of one style.

 

I don't drink just one brand of one style but Norwegian used to have several selections of each style and that was the one that I liked the best. Now, there is no selection.

[cruisebie]

The wine selection is the same regardless of whether or not one is a UBP holder. To say they slashed the selection for UBP holders sounds... odd. I know you didn't mean that, but the wording was kind of awkward, so I wanted to clarify. .

 

 

That may no longer be true based on the information posted by Karoo quoted below. Does seem like an odd way to do things and a lot more trouble for bar staff to keep up with what is or is not included.

 

 

I'm with you OP- the wine you could get by the glass was very limited. They try to push their own brand. The Matua Valley that I do drink on board I was told at all the bars wasn't available, however I observed someone not on the UBP was able to get it by the glass. When I questioned the barman, he then gave me a glass and said he had been instructed to try and get people to drink the NCL brand. Interesting fact - The Matua Valley that sells for $38+ onboard, sells here for around $8 Aus dollars. Around $10 in the US. I've decided to buy my own wine next cruise, pay the corkage and actually drink something I like.

[CP3o]

The wine selection is the same regardless of whether or not one is a UBP holder. To say they slashed the selection for UBP holders sounds... odd. I know you didn't mean that, but the wording was kind of awkward, so I wanted to clarify.

 

I think they have slashed the selection BECAUSE the now are offering so many promos that have the UBP option. It's a marketing thing, in my mind, and once they have so many pax on the UBP, it stands to reason they'd try to contain costs where they can. The non-UBP wine drinker loses too if wanted to buy by the glass. They'd likely decide to buy by the bottle or pay corkage.

 

Unfortunately, it's wine drinkers that seem to bear the brunt of "containing costs" as I think mixed drinks and beer offerings sound pretty good from what I've read (haven't sailed NCL yet). I usually drink wine but b/c of selection, plan on trying different things.

 

Seems crazy to me to bring wine on (and pay corkage) during my first every sailing with a alcohol package but I can see how wine drinkers would want to do that. Too bad they don't follow Carnival and RCCL and allow 2 bottles of wine per adult w/o a corkage fee.

 

The price of UBP is so much higher than other lines I don't believe NCL plans to sell many packages, it's something they do trying to be more all inclusive and it generates pretty good reviews if it's "free". (lots of newbies are fine with the gratuity charge, takes pressure off tipping to feel it's already covered). If they actually sold many packages at the $79/day rate, they probably could offer better wine.

 

Watch out beer drinkers, would be disappointing if the District started only serving Miller, Bud Lite, Coors, etc. The UBP still seems to have "reasonable" offerings, outside of wine. Still, I'd only choose to enjoy it in the form of a "free+gratuity" promo.

[hladygirl]

I am a wine drinker at home but indulge in mixed drinks on a cruise because they make them for me. I never drink wine on a ship because it is what I do at home. On vacation I want to try drinks I never usually have at home. This makes the UDP very worth it to me.

Edited April 6, 2016 by hladygirl

[CP3o]

I am a wine drinker at home but indulge in mixed drinks on a cruise because they make them for me. I never drink wine on a ship because it is what I do at home. On vacation I want to try drinks I never usually have at home. This makes the UDP very worthitto me.

 

Good point, I've had the same thoughts at local nice bars. It's so easy for me to pour a glass of good wine from a $15 bottle in wine fridge bought from TW&M guru's advice. But to have everything on hand for a fancy mixed drink, forget about it! It's worth paying more and indulging is something that is "hard" for me to make w/o a fair amount of prep and planning.

 

That said, it's wine I enjoy most with food and mixed drinks can get me in trouble quick so I TRY to be careful. One of my "fears" with having a UBP is drinking things I'm not use to and feeling bad next day. I feel like I KNOW how to handle wine! :p

 

I liken UBP wine offerings to similar to the DL offerings on RCCL for "free" drinks. I'm not that picky, something that sells for $9 a bottle at TW&M would be fine, but the wine selection had me turning to simple mixed drinks and beer.

[IsanTom]

Unbelievable! What is NCL thinking. I guess they forgot we have choices! I may go ahead

and cancel my two cruises and go with Celebrity or RCCL! At least I know they haven't

lowered their standards to NCL's level!