No more "Free Beverage Package" for us

[luddite]

Okay, I will share this will CC one more time on this subject. The UBP is what it is but if you take care of the bartenders, tip them, visit them often, you can get just about whatever you want. We had the UBP on our last sailing on the Gem and by day 3, my wife entered the cabin with a bucket of beer for me and about a half solo cup of jaeger for me to enjoy cause our bartender heard I was relaxing on our balcony and wouldnt be out till later......NOW that is service!!!! All you have to do is take care of the workers.....thats it!;)

 

Well. A cupful of Jaeger sure makes up for a VERY limited wine selection.

[TheDougOut]

Well. A cupful of Jaeger sure makes up for a VERY limited wine selection.

 

Didn't Mary Poppins sing that?!?

[Computer Nerd]

Didn't Mary Poppins sing that?!?

 

that was a spoonful of sugar but it's almost the same. ;)

[LrgPizza]

Didn't Mary Poppins sing that?!?

 

 

Well done, in the most delightful way.

 

 

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[gagal10]

We sail in 11 days & I am curious to see how we 'like' for lack of a better term, the UBP. We did the Getaway in '14 & did the 7 bottle package. Great plan, thinking we'd split a bottle of wine each night at dinner, but then there was a bottle waiting on us in our cabin when we boarded & it was our anniversary so we had gotten a cake and a bottle of sparkling & it seems like there was another random bottle for some reason. By the 4th day, we were so wined out (how did that happen???) & felt like we were missing out because we had so much wine that we didn't really do any fruity drinks around the pool & we only did the mojo to flight at Sugar Canes (jalapeño one hot as jades), so we vowed that next trip we would do no wine pkg or a smaller one. And then when we booked on Escape, free UBP, sign us up.. 😄😎. My idea for this is that I will drink what I want when I want it. And maybe more fruity drinks as I usually do beer because it's cheaper & easy. I am looking forward to the Beer place, I am a craft beer snob, haha.

 

One question though, are there any sweet wines by the glass?? A nice late harvest Reisling or Icewine? Which I know Icewine would be more than $15/glass, but just curious if anyone has noticed that?

 

I would never complain about the no Diet Coke thing, whine about it, but never complain. I'm not a huge Coke drinker, but if I have it, it is Diet Coke. But, I will say that when we pulled up to the port for our first NCL cruise on the Pearl several years ago & I saw those horrid Pepsi trucks loading up my ship that I had confirmed was Coke products when I booked, I was not happy Lori. We had already booked the beverage pkg, but it was a total waste for me cause I don't touch Pepsi of any sort. Apparently between us booking & boarding, they had switched from the good stuff to that stuff. 👹

 

They can't please us all, but I still love to cruise & can't wait to board!!

[hladygirl]

I am a wine drinker at home but with the UBP I will have mixed cocktails I don't have at home. No need for wine when I have that at home any day I want. I will feel free to try martinis, mojitos,margaritas, Russians etc that I never do at home. Won't order one glass of wine the entire trip. Isn't that what vacation is about? Doing things completely different from home life?

[breezy270]

I am very sad to see that Spellbound is no longer offered by the glass. I discovered it on my Epic cruise in 2014. Last year on the Star I must have drank a case over the week! :rolleyes: The selection sure has gone down and I am now wondering what I will replace my nightly wine and dinner routine with....I am sure I will find something.....I agree with others here that the selection is mostly cheaper wines that are less than 10 bucks each at the grocery store...looks like a ploy to me to get us UBP'ers to purchase a decent bottle at 20% off rather than let us have a great glass of wine as part of the package...seems this will also deter anyone thinking of buying a glass of wine with dinner or when they want one to purchase the wine package since the only wines you can get now by the glass are the bottom of the barrel choices...

[Muushka]

What an eyeopener this thread has been for me. We will probably be doing our first NCL cruise this Nov. Looking at the deals, I saw the UBP was included for free. Great! Then today I learn that they tack on the grats to the 'free UPD'. OK, I guess I can understand that. To the tune of close to $100 per person. For 7 days (correct me if I am wrong, still learning). That's a chunk of change!

 

My husband only drinks soda. And they don't serve Coke products (correct?).

 

I only drink wine. And while I'm not a wine snob, I do enjoy a nice glass of wine.

 

I also love to have specialty coffees on a cruise. Nope, not included.

 

My goodness. The UDP is useless to people like us. What a shame.

 

NCL, what in the world are you thinking?:eek:

 

I could go on and on about our normal cruise line and their beverage package, but I won't.;)

[Tinknock50]

What an eyeopener this thread has been for me. We will probably be doing our first NCL cruise this Nov. Looking at the deals, I saw the UBP was included for free. Great! Then today I learn that they tack on the grats to the 'free UPD'. OK, I guess I can understand that. To the tune of close to $100 per person. For 7 days (correct me if I am wrong, still learning). That's a chunk of change!

 

My husband only drinks soda. And they don't serve Coke products (correct?).

 

I only drink wine. And while I'm not a wine snob, I do enjoy a nice glass of wine.

 

I also love to have specialty coffees on a cruise. Nope, not included.

 

My goodness. The UDP is useless to people like us. What a shame.

 

NCL, what in the world are you thinking?:eek:

 

I could go on and on about our normal cruise line and their beverage package, but I won't.;)

 

I had the same experience, so the only perc I went with is the internet. Since we plan on going mostly on our own, the shore excursion credit won't help us either.

[luddite]

that was a spoonful of sugar but it's almost the same. ;)

 

...just a spoonful of sugar with some Vick's 44 makes the hurt go away......

[Texsylvanian]

One question though, are there any sweet wines by the glass?? A nice late harvest Reisling or Icewine? Which I know Icewine would be more than $15/glass, but just curious if anyone has noticed that?

 

I know they have a Reisling (just one) available by the glass. Not sure if they kept the Rosemount or the Spatlese...probably the Rosemount. That's definitely under $15.

 

They also have Inniskillin Icewine, for $17.50 short pour...which means a glass will cost you $2.50 after they knock off $15.

 

 

ETA: I found a picture of the latest by-the-glass wine menu on another thread (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2348836):

 

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160426/5c1c2560716975f9f1f5729244c41ffb.jpg

Edited April 27, 2016 by Texsylvanian

[Dazman61]

For a ncl newbie like me this ubp seems to have more cons than pro's,and my son was so looking forward to rinsing the free drinks

[TheDougOut]

For a ncl newbie like me this ubp seems to have more cons than pro's,and my son was so looking forward to rinsing the free drinks

 

Yet, I wouldn't cruise without it. So long as it's offered as a promo, I'll be a happy cruiser.

[kathybelcher2433]

I am a wine drinker at home but with the UBP I will have mixed cocktails I don't have at home. No need for wine when I have that at home any day I want. I will feel free to try martinis, mojitos,margaritas, Russians etc that I never do at home. Won't order one glass of wine the entire trip. Isn't that what vacation is about? Doing things completely different from home life?

 

 

My sentiments exactly. I live in WA wine country so the NCL wine list whether it's by the bottle or the glass doesn't do it for me but I loved trying all those specialty cocktails. We brought and paid corkage on 5 bottles purchased in ports in Spain and Italy and that covered a few special dinners on an 11 day cruise. I thought the UBP was awesome.

[NLH Arizona]

Yet, I wouldn't cruise without it. So long as it's offered as a promo, I'll be a happy cruiser.

I'm with you. I took it as a perk on my last cruise and also on my next cruise and as long as I drink more than the 18% gratuity, it is a win for me. If one doesn't want to pay the 18% or doesn't feel it is worth the money, then don't purchase it or pick it as their perk.

[LrgPizza]

For a ncl newbie like me this ubp seems to have more cons than pro's,and my son was so looking forward to rinsing the free drinks

I even buy it when it's not offered as a promo. I guess it all depends how you look at it.

[cacj]

Okay, I will share this will CC one more time on this subject. The UBP is what it is but if you take care of the bartenders, tip them, visit them often, you can get just about whatever you want. We had the UBP on our last sailing on the Gem and by day 3, my wife entered the cabin with a bucket of beer for me and about a half solo cup of jaeger for me to enjoy cause our bartender heard I was relaxing on our balcony and wouldnt be out till later......NOW that is service!!!! All you have to do is take care of the workers.....thats it!;)

 

Congratulations on finding a system that meets your needs and adds to your enjoyment.

 

But why should anyone of us feel that in order to receive something more than the current low grade wines or beer or spirits we MUST pay out even more money. If one buys the UBP, that is a great hunk of change, and add the gratuities on top, it is pretty huge. If one got the FREE at Sea offer of the UBP, they still (most) had to pay gratuities at time of booking. So, the gratuities were prepaid.

 

The problem is that NCL is gaming the system. Lower than average mostly undrinkable wine offerings, premixed cartons of mixers that are generic and pretty awful.

 

Your method works for you, but for us, we ask : why should we have to spend even more money to get what we want, which for us is just some fair choices at drinkable wines.

 

We are not asking the moon here, or for excessive top shelf offerings, but please, it is an insult to the paying customer to offer the junk wines and to limit the choices to just them.

 

And yes, there are many low cost drinkable wines. We are not wine snobs by any means, and we don't do taste tests, but we know what we like. Just as many beer drinkers prefer a specific lager...it is about preference and choice.

[newbe dave]

Then do what I have done on my past 4 cruises and skip UBP and bring your wine paying corkage. No one said that UBP was for everyone.

 

I am anxious to try it trading my good wines for scotch, bourbon and whiskey. It is helpful for me to know that only crap wines are included so I can prepare my drinking plan!

 

 

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[luddite]

Then do what I have done on my past 4 cruises and skip UBP and bring your wine paying corkage. No one said that UBP was for everyone.

 

I am anxious to try it trading my good wines for scotch, bourbon and whiskey. It is helpful for me to know that only crap wines are included so I can prepare my drinking plan!

 

 

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The wines are a step above crap.

They aren't LaTerre or Tisdale. Which, indeed, is ........ crap wine.

[jerseygirl111]

That is incorrect. Anybody with all inclusive drinks package as the booking perk (only available in UK and CE) does not pay anything extra because of that package on top of their cruise fare.

 

But depending on the ports, itinerary and ship's location, one might have to pay VAT/sales tax on all drinks – even with the package.

 

 

I am not familiar with UK or CE booking but US bookings with the current drink package promo are charged 18% gratuity on what the cost of the package is if you purchased it.

[LrgPizza]

Congratulations on finding a system that meets your needs and adds to your enjoyment.

 

 

 

But why should anyone of us feel that in order to receive something more than the current low grade wines or beer or spirits we MUST pay out even more money.

 

 

That is so ridiculously false. I've sailed with the UBP 3 times now, and it's a struggle to find anything over $15.00. 99.9% of the drinks you can think to order, including premium spirits, are included. On Escape, you might have 75 beer choices and 2 that aren't included. I don't know where you're getting your info, but your blanket statement is simply wrong.

 

 

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[TheDougOut]

That is so ridiculously false. I've sailed with the UBP 3 times now, and it's a struggle to find anything over $15.00. 99.9% of the drinks you can think to order, including premium spirits, are included. On Escape, you might have 75 beer choices and 2 that aren't included. I don't know where you're getting your info, but your blanket statement is simply wrong.

 

I believe the reference was directed toward tipping the bar staff, not paying above the $15 per drink threshold. Just to be clear - I'm not agreeing with the original sentiment, if that's what it was.

 

Edit: Nevermind - you're probably right.

Edited April 27, 2016 by TheDougOut

[Computer Nerd]

My husband only drinks soda. And they don't serve Coke products (correct?).

 

correct. ncl serves pepsi products. rccl and carnival serve coke products.

[Computer Nerd]

The wines are a step above crap.

They aren't LaTerre or Tisdale. Which, indeed, is ........ crap wine.

 

i heard next year ncl is going to add md20/20, thunderbird, and wild irish rose to the ubp.....:eek: .......:D

[cacj]

Then do what I have done on my past 4 cruises and skip UBP and bring your wine paying corkage. No one said that UBP was for everyone.

 

I am anxious to try it trading my good wines for scotch, bourbon and whiskey. It is helpful for me to know that only crap wines are included so I can prepare my drinking plan!

 

 

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We appreciate your suggestion, but carrying bottles of wine in baggage is not an attractive alternative for us. We are just asking that NCL offer something better than the current offerings for wine in the UBP. And again, we agree, the UBP isn't for everyone. We tried it in January, and we found it disappointing, as stated earlier. To limit wines to the few that they offer at bars and dinner in that package is low end. And we found the mixed drinks made with prepackaged generics pretty off for our tastes.

 

But if one does think of a cruise as an experience that includes fine dining and enjoying a wine with dinner, why can't we hope for it?

 

Again, we don't drink shots, nor do we have high expectations to get what some refer to as premium spirits...we don't even know what folks mean by that term. Is it Glenlivet or Johnny Walker Blue? Is it some fancy name we don't know about?

 

We are just sharing our experience, and it is just as valid as anyone's. It is a true experience, not made up.