Free Dining vs Free Drinks

[SJF510]

I just wanted to make sure I was understanding this correctly since we are NCL newbies. We booked the deal that includes your choice of perks. In our case, we picked third guest free and the dining. Now I am logging in since we are close to planning and it seems like an unlimited drinks package is $600 something and the dining package (I believe we get three meals) is $81. Am I understanding that correctly? We are not big drinkers, but I suspect we might get to $81 pp on drinks with sodas, a few glasses of wine etc. That seems like a crazy mismatch in terms of value. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something.

[hawkeyetlse]

You aren't missing anything. The retail value of the 3-meal dining package is $69 (for the whole cruise), while the retail value of the UBP is $79 per day.

[ImADaneFan]

That is correct, but you will have to pay the 18% gratuity on the value of the beverage package. But even at that I think it's the better value. A soda will run $2 +\- and a glass of wine will be $9+. Even if you don't drink you can always get "virgin" versions of the frozen drinks. [emoji39][emoji2]

[BirdTravels]

The drinks package you turned down has a retail value of $652 per person.

[Cruiser Who Knows Nothing]

I got the UBP and DSC. In my book, that's free money, even after the pre paid 18%.

 

 

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[hawkeyetlse]

The drinks package you turned down has a retail value of $652 per person.

The package has a total price of $652.54 for 7 days. The perk (for US customers) has a retail value of $553.

[westcoastman]

Keep in mind you would have pre-paid $99.54 per person for gratuity to get the free beverage package, 18% of $79x7, but that also means you do not have to tip anything additional for the beverages you order during the entire 7 days.

But to your benefit not only did you avoid paying $99 x 2 in drink tips but you got $69 x 2 in specialty dining added. So just think of it as saving $337 over choosing the drink package.

[Son of a son of a ...]

Remember ... there are several places where you can eat for free, but none where you drink for free.

[NutsAboutGolf]

Not sure if the 25% off Vino wine package is offered but if it is it would seem to be your best option because you'll still be "served" by the glass by the bar staff or waitstaff

 

Otherwise you can bring on your own wine and pay the $15/bottle corkage fees...Many have reported if board early enough the corkage fee table won't be setup yet.

Edited August 24, 2016 by NutsAboutGolf

[fritolayNY]

Keep in mind you would have pre-paid $99.54 per person for gratuity to get the free beverage package, 18% of $79x7, but that also means you do not have to tip anything additional for the beverages you order during the entire 7 days.

 

But to your benefit not only did you avoid paying $99 x 2 in drink tips but you got $69 x 2 in specialty dining added. So just think of it as saving $337 over choosing the drink package.

 

 

 

But you do pay 18% gratuities on the dinning package too! Yes it's less than the drink package however unless you are a teetotaler, I bet you could spend $100 (the value of the dinning package) on drinks in weeks time.

 

I booked a long time ago so my gratuities where included plus the soda package for guests 3,4 and 5. So it was a no brainier for me.

 

However I'd pick the dinner package over Internet, or shore excursion credit.

 

 

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[Cruiser Who Knows Nothing]

If I had three picks, dining would be next. I have no interest in Internet, I hit the free spots in ports and the excursion package is laughable.

 

 

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[MikeBTN]

You are correct. The catch is with the free drink package you pay the 18% gratuity on the retail value, which is $79 per day per person. So you pay $199.08 total for the first two passengers. So the question is, would you drink more than $200 during your cruise Keep in mind that sodas are almost $3 after tip, wine $10+, beer $5.50+, and liquor 7+ per drink. If, between the two of you, on average have more than 3 drinks per day, its worth it for the drink package. If not, stick with what you have. Or do free gratuities (a $13.50 per person, per day savings for the first two passengers - $189 savings).

[Newbcruiser1]

You definitely need to resist the temptation of looking at the overall monetary value and look at what you yourself would get out of each package.

 

I am not a big drinker... I initially selected the free drink package but the $249CAD in gratuities (the 18% for my 13 night cruise) was a turn-off as I figured that:

 

a. I would just break even on the gratuity amount and not even use the drink package value itself.

 

And

 

B. I would need to buy the Internet package anyway (10 sea days and need to keep in touch due to ill family members at home).

 

So all in all, I actually believe I saved about $200CAD (the value of the Internet package) as I would simply be breaking even on what I'd have to pay for the "free" drinks.

 

I do intend on buying the dining package out of pocket - it's the lowest value so that's how I went about that decision.

 

(For what it's worth, the free gratuities are worth more than the Internet on my sailing BUT that wasn't an offer when I booked and it's now past final payment and I have already pre-paid my gratuities).

 

So my suggestion - if you're not going to drink at least the value of the gratuities on the drink package AND the value of one of the other perks (tips or Internet or dining), the beverage package is not worth it.

 

 

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[Cruisin'Christine]

I would go with the beverage package. It is so nice being able to go up to any bar and get an alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink, without worrying about cost. I do not feel that I need the dining package, because I am typically very satisfied with the dining in the main dining rooms (so much better than what I make at home!!!).

[sleepy305]

I agree with the drink package. It trumps the food package all day. There are great sit down restaurants offered for free ++ plus buffet. We did the drink package last year. From what I remember I spent approx. 180.00 my wife hit 80.00 (that's 260.00 on the first day) and we are not drinkers, but when in Rome. We did meet several people that were disappointed by not purchasing the UBP on the 4th day. You basically can go to any bar/restaurant/club/show/venue and order any alcoholic/non-alcoholic drink without opening your wallet. I hear Margaretville is coming to the Getaway in September. Our cruise is in October - it should be a treat. Hopefully they will accept the UBP. (Small disclaimer when your on the port of Miami - until approx 3 miles out. You need to pay the sales tax per purchase of alcohol not sure if it applies to non-alcoholic drinks. Something like .70 cents per drink if that. - you can wait until your 3 miles out, or enjoy your pennies to the dollar fruity drink. Whatever you choose don't opt for the internet package. People it's a vacation - you need to disconnect. You can survive a week without Social Media if not check yourself. (dropped mic) lol..

[sanger727]

It comes down to whether or not you are interested in paying approx $14 per day (gratuities) to have access to free drinks up to $15. For non or minimal drinkers, it's not a good value. For many it is. I'm not a huge drinker but we have 4 sea days so I think I'll do better than break even. But since we are only traveling w 2 in the cabin we were able to pick both ubp and sdp.

[Daghis]

This is a very useful thread because it can be complex to try and decide which free offers are best for a particular individual.

 

We just booked a cruise and originally chose UBP and 3SDP. We know that the beverage package makes sense for us, and we thought that we'd get good value out of the 3SDP.

 

After booking, I did some math and realized that the 3SDP is only worth $69/person (since we had to pay the 18% gratuity anyway), and if we had chosen the DSC perk instead, that'd be worth $94.50/person. So, I called them up today and switched the 3SDP to the DSC.

 

As an added bonus, we decided that we'd rather get the 4SDP since that seems a bit of a better choice for us, so we'll save a bit more rather than getting the 3SDP for "free" and then paying à la carte for the fourth specialty dinner.

[MikeBTN]

This is a very useful thread because it can be complex to try and decide which free offers are best for a particular individual.

 

We just booked a cruise and originally chose UBP and 3SDP. We know that the beverage package makes sense for us, and we thought that we'd get good value out of the 3SDP.

 

After booking, I did some math and realized that the 3SDP is only worth $69/person (since we had to pay the 18% gratuity anyway), and if we had chosen the DSC perk instead, that'd be worth $94.50/person. So, I called them up today and switched the 3SDP to the DSC.

 

As an added bonus, we decided that we'd rather get the 4SDP since that seems a bit of a better choice for us, so we'll save a bit more rather than getting the 3SDP for "free" and then paying à la carte for the fourth specialty dinner.

 

I did the same thing (except the free DSC wasn't an offer when I booked). Final payment isn't for 2 weeks, so switched to free DSC and dropped the UDP. We have $300 in OBC, so I'll buy the dining package on board.

[SJF510]

Thanks for the words of wisdom everyone. I figure, I need to justify approximately $340 in beverage purchases to make the switch. $200 for the gratuities on the UBP and $140 for the missed dining plan. I really like the idea of the freedom of just showing up anywhere and getting drinks, non alcoholic too, but I calculate that at slightly more than 3 alcoholic drinks per day for my hubby and me. That is a gray area. I figure at this point it will just depend on whether Hubby and I want to have that freedom. I guess the fun thing is we could try a bunch of new drinks and if we didn't like them, no harm in not finishing them.

[hawkeyetlse]

You will spend $200 on UBP service charges, and lose a further $140 in the lost SDP, but at the same time you will get the $25 in SDP service charges back. That makes $315 in drinks to break even if you choose this perk, or $23 per person per day. That's two glasses of wine, or two cocktails per person per day. I know you can do it. I believe in you. :)

 

Your point about freedom is an important one. Because the question people need to ask themselves is not "How much do I normally drink, without a beverage package, worrying about my final bill with every drink?" but "How much am I likely to drink if I have the freedom to order whatever I want with the UBP?" For a lot of people, the answers to those two questions are not at all the same, and it's the second one that determines how much value they will get out of the UBP.

 

But be sure to ask yourself this follow-up question: "Is this going to make my vacation more enjoyable for myself and those around me, or is it going to end in divorce and prison?" If you think you might enjoy the UBP a little too much, choose the free wifi instead. :D

[SNJCruisers]

Just make sure that you do not go over the 15 dollar limit. Recently many drinks were raised from 10.95 to 16.95 or 17.95 and you would then be charged the difference over 15.00, plus the 18% in additional gratuity. Some of the items increased makes no sense like Grey Goose flavored vodkas, when regular Grey Goose is still covered or Goslings Rum, which is 9.00 on Carnival and 16.95 now on NCL

[Cruiser Who Knows Nothing]

I like that if my beer gets warm I got a new one and I don't have to force myself to drink hot swill because I paid $6 for it. It's adds up fast. A Bloody Mary with breakfast, a couple sodas and beers in the day. Pre dinner drink, wine w dinner and a couple more after dinner. Baileys on your coffee. There are so many new things you can try and you don't have the little devil on you shoulder reminding you of your bill on the last night. It's heaven.

 

 

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[SquishTheWhale]

Thanks for the words of wisdom everyone. I figure, I need to justify approximately $340 in beverage purchases to make the switch. $200 for the gratuities on the UBP and $140 for the missed dining plan. I really like the idea of the freedom of just showing up anywhere and getting drinks, non alcoholic too, but I calculate that at slightly more than 3 alcoholic drinks per day for my hubby and me. That is a gray area. I figure at this point it will just depend on whether Hubby and I want to have that freedom. I guess the fun thing is we could try a bunch of new drinks and if we didn't like them, no harm in not finishing them.

 

I'm not a drinker- I think I had a grand total of 3 alcoholic drinks on my last cruise- and my partner is pretty much teetotal. However I am still excited to have the UBP for our next cruise for the reason you state above- it's nice to just be able to try whatever you want without worrying about the cost. Although I barely drink I'd have loved to try the sake cocktails in the teppanyaki etc, but didn't bother due to cost. I had the soda package and was very glad I wasn't paying per drink, as often the bartenders would fill the whole glass with ice and squirt a teeny bit of soda in. Not so bad when you can get another for free, but I'd not be happy if I was paying $3 a go. Not to mention all the drinks that kept blowing over on windy sea days- I saw one ladies mojito go on the floor 3 times in a row! I'm guessing she had the UBP as she just kept going for another. If any of that might annoy you then maybe the UBP is something to consider.

[LrgPizza]

When paying just the 18% on the package price, you only need to drink approximately one soda and one alcoholic drink per day to break even. Anything after that is the benefit you've received from the promo.

 

 

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[fshagan]

When paying just the 18% on the package price, you only need to drink approximately one soda and one alcoholic drink per day to break even. Anything after that is the benefit you've received from the promo.

 

 

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You are still paying way too much for that soda and alcohol, which is why we will grab a drink in port and only very occasionally on board. But that's just us.

 

I think for most people who drink beer or mixed drinks daily the ~$13.50 per day is a deal if they are going to drink on their cruise. It is a cost to consider when comparing other cruises that don't charge the gratuity, but it amounts to "small potatoes" in the overall scheme of things.