Diamond and drink package

[dogsambam]

I am going back and forth on this. We are Diamond members, who on our upcoming cruise will be in Boardwalk balconies (complementary basic Soda package). Am I throwing away money by buying the deluxe drink package? i wouldn't break even until I bought an additional 30 or so drinks.

[4774Papa]

I am going back and forth on this. We are Diamond members, who on our upcoming cruise will be in Boardwalk balconies (complementary basic Soda package). Am I throwing away money by buying the deluxe drink package? i wouldn't break even until I bought an additional 30 or so drinks.

 

We are diamond and it would be a huge waste to buy a drink package.

[UCF_Knight]

We aren't big drinkers, so with "free" drinks between 5:00 and 8:30 in the Diamond lounge (plus 3 around the ship), the drink package would really be a waste of money for us.

[Merly]

We don't it either, the free drinks are enough as we don't drink during the day.

[sellwingri]

We've never bought the drink package on RCI. We're diamond as well and I also drink for free in the casino as a casino royale member. If we're at a show, we'll buy a drink or two but doesn't come anywhere close the cost of the drink package.

 

If we cruise on Princess, we do buy the package. Their prices (other than the cruise)are much lower.

[msjaxson]

I do ...here is why ..I like to drink what i drink not just because its free.. so if I want a Riesling or something not offered i can have it ..by my calculations on what i drink ...some poolside cocktails...some wine during diamond time and dinner and maybe a couple after dinner in the pub ..i come out ahead..especially if you throw in my lattes in the morning and bottled water.. but is all about preference ...

[katiel53]

I am Diamond Plus and have purchased the drink package for my cruise on Allure. I drink a lot of bottled water. I like to have wine with dinner as well as a couple of Mango Coladas during the day.

 

I know I could get my free drinks in the lounge, but it is very crowded early in the evening. I would be able to use the free 3 drinks at other bars before dinner, but I decided to get it so I don't have to be concerned about what pre-dinner drink I choose.

 

I think I will probably break even or close to it, but the peace of mind is worth it to me.

[Biker19]

Am I throwing away money by buying the deluxe drink package? i wouldn't break even until I bought an additional 30 or so drinks.

 

Very simple answer - will you drink more than the value of the package?

[msjaxson]

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Edited October 19, 2016 by msjaxson
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[ColoradoGurl]

Well...will you drink 30 drinks in 7 days? It's probably not hard to do, but if you're not a big drinker then you probably won't. I'm not a big drinker and even if I'm having a fun day where I drink 5 or 6 beers one day, I'm probably gonna be sick of it the next day and drink zero drinks. Which means I'd have to make up for that zero drink day by catching up another day by drinking 12 drinks; to me that is a ridiculous amount of liquids, alcohol or not. So I would never get value out of it, but you might.

 

Another option is to buy the non-alcoholic package and if you want an alcoholic drink one day you can just buy a shot and add it to a free drink (like a shot of whiskey and add it to your free soda, or buy a shot of rum and add it to a free pina colada). This would be a cheaper option, maybe, depending on how many non-water beverages you can drink a day. I think you still need 4 or 5 to break even but you don't have to commit to being sloshed for the whole vacation. That package offers juice, coffee, bottled water etc that some people would be drinking anyway so it might be worth it to you.

 

 

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Edited October 19, 2016 by ColoradoGurl

[Jan_In_Maine]

Last month was our first cruise as diamond. We've bought the package before and it was worth it for us. This time we did not. I brought two bottles of wine onto the ship, my TA purchased a bottle for us and I had a bottle in the room when we got on the ship (Sequoia Grove - which was wonderful) --- We took most with us to dinner and shared with our tablemates.

 

This time we met tons of people in the diamond club (we had late dining) .... by the time we left, I was very satisfied with all the wine I drank. Many people will grab a glass at a bar on the way to dinner also.

 

I had some "foo-foo" drinks that week, and we did have lots of ports, but by the end of the week my bar bill was about $100 for both of us. I don't believe we will be getting the package again. Jan

[dogsambam]

I remember on our last cruise on the Oasis, and e just utilized our free drinks, wine and I bought some drinks along the way. Bar bill was probably $200.00. We usually will bring wine aboard and a case of water for each cabin. Probably won't buy it. If I see I buy a lot of drinks the first day or so, I'll buy the prorated package.

[cruisinfanatic]

I am going back and forth on this. We are Diamond members, who on our upcoming cruise will be in Boardwalk balconies (complementary basic Soda package). Am I throwing away money by buying the deluxe drink package? i wouldn't break even until I bought an additional 30 or so drinks.

You're asking if someone here knows if you will?

[Merion_Mom]

I am going back and forth on this. We are Diamond members, who on our upcoming cruise will be in Boardwalk balconies (complementary basic Soda package). Am I throwing away money by buying the deluxe drink package? i wouldn't break even until I bought an additional 30 or so drinks.

 

It's not the total aggregate of drinks.

 

It's the daily tally.

 

This means both sea days and port days.

 

Will you drink 5 $12 drinks a day, every day?

 

I remember on our last cruise on the Oasis, and e just utilized our free drinks, wine and I bought some drinks along the way. Bar bill was probably $200.00. We usually will bring wine aboard and a case of water for each cabin. Probably won't buy it. If I see I buy a lot of drinks the first day or so, I'll buy the prorated package.

 

Just a thought: The drink packages are on sale pre-cruise, but not on the cruise. That per diem price will be higher once you buy after the first day or two.

[4774Papa]

We have yet to cruise on RCI, but have on NCL and Celebrity. We are elite on Celebrity and so will be Diamond for our two RCI cruises for 2018 out of Sydney.

 

From the first cruise that we took, I tallied up the costs on our final bill for booze, and other items. For a 14 day cruise (we primarily do 14 day cruise) we found that we spent about $500 or so on alcohol for both DW and self. Once we because elite on Celebrity our booze costs dropped to about $250 for a two week cruise. We take full advantage of the elite happy hour and generally don't drink prior to 5 pm.

 

We drink mostly wine on our cruise. We don't drink the fancy frozen drinks, bottled water or the expensive coffee that are sometimes included in the beverage packages.

 

Perhaps if matters what you drink.

 

RCI and Celebrity allow you to bring two bottles of wine on board at embarkation. That should factor into the decision.

 

I am amazed that people sometimes post here on cc that they think they break even or better with the beverage packages without doing more to evaluate what they spend without a package.

 

What is wrong with doing a cruise without the packages and then taking your final bill, adding up the booze cost and making an analytical decision on a guess.

[Doug S]

With the recent 25% off sale we felt it was worth it for our upcoming Liberty cruise. I would get a coke package regardless, so with the sale its only about 3 drinks a day outside the Diamond lounge to break even. I usually have about 2 poolside drinks, and like to order a drink in the MDR, and maybe one or two after lounge hours. Wife enjoys the specialty coffee, and its not always convenient to run to the lounge for coffee. We also drink a lot of bottled water.

 

Without the sale we may have just gone with a coke package for me, and just bought a few drinks on top of our Diamond drinks. But the numbers are close enough with the discount that the convenience of a package and the freedom to order what we want instead of the limited Diamond selection is worth springing for.

[Virtopia]

My last cruise was my first as Diamond. I enjoyed the free drinks and probably wouldn't buy a drink package in future. I'd probably get 1 or 2 frozen drinks during the day, but with my free drinks and my 2 bottles of wine, I wouldn't need much more than that.

 

Do what works best for you.

[Big_G]

We buy it because I'm not a fan of the lounge offerings and we usually drink a half dozen waters a day between the two of us. The value in it for me is drinking what I want when I want it.

 

 

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