$60+ per day for alcohol package - am I reading this right?

[KrazyKanuk72]

4 sea days hmmm this just became a very easy choice then lol lol . When you purchase the package they will add tip up front to the package price. They will however present you with a receipt to sign for each drink were they look for additional tip. Now there a re many many many views on these boards about tipping again when it is already included in the price upfront. The way we handled it is if we went to the bar and got our own drink we would not leave an additional tip. If a server brought drinks to us and looked after us pretty good we would tip a a buck per drink.

[reallyitsmema]

Perhaps I should suggest to him that he quit drinking before we go lol. :') So with the package, are tips included? I do tend to worry about the 4 sea days we have - that's a lot!! If we only had 2 I'd say no biggie, but we have 4!

 

 

You mention that you have 4 sea days, I just looked at your itinerary, you also have one day at Labadee where he could use his drink package all day there too. With 5 full days that he could use his drink package, plus boarding day, where you could be on board around 11am, it sounds like it might be worth it for your DH.

[leela14]

You mention that you have 4 sea days, I just looked at your itinerary, you also have one day at Labadee where he could use his drink package all day there too. With 5 full days that he could use his drink package, plus boarding day, where you could be on board around 11am, it sounds like it might be worth it for your DH.

 

 

Oh yeah, I completely forgot about Labadee! Thanks so much for pointing that out!! I do believe you are right, for him it's worth it for sure. Just have to swallow the price and do it. I'll keep an eye out just in case it drops a bit, unlikely I know but I can hope! ;p

 

At least that way it's done and he won't have to worry about the bill at the end. . .

[Rogueperson]

I saw somewhere the price of one beer was $10 USD or $13.50 CAD which is INSANE. So I looked into the beverage package and is it really possible it would cost almost $700 for a 9 day cruise? Holy crap. :o:o:o My husband likes to have a couple + beers per day, but $700???????????

 

Is there any way to get the package for cheaper? And that's with the 30% off. :o:o:o

 

Thank God I don't drink. I want him to enjoy himself but dayum, that was the biggest shock I've had yet.

 

I'm not sure what it is for Canadian with the pre-book discount, but on my last Anthem cruise, we paid $488 for one person for 9 nights. I kept a running tally and even though my wife is not a big drinker, she tallied almost 900 in booze. When you have a bloody mary or two or mimosa's at breakfast and then wine with lunch and dinner, it adds up pretty quick. Due to an unfortunate weather condition, we missed our Bermuda stop and went straight to St. Maarten, which resulted in 4 straight days at sea after embarking in Bayonne which helped.

 

Booze is expensive onboard. No doubt about that. I saw the price drop recently to 400 for a 9 night, but that sale lasted a week. I didn't take advantage of it because it was just me and I don't drink. But yeah, its expensive.

[DrD]

It's also worth something to not have to worry about your bar bill racking up during the cruise. You can drink up with only your liver to worry about. (And your heart, and a few other things, but let's not get technical.)

 

I have the drink package on my upcoming

[Cauzneffct]

It's also worth something to not have to worry about your bar bill racking up during the cruise. You can drink up with only your liver to worry about. (And your heart, and a few other things, but let's not get technical.)

 

I have the drink package on my upcoming

 

I think that's only worth something if you're drinking enough qualifying drinks to "worry" about your bar bill, in which case the package already probably makes sense. In other words, you don't see too many people who plan on drinking $400 worth of drinks gleefully ponying up $500 for the package to ease their minds.

[FrannyK]

Maybe the OP is on Anthem, which I think has higher drink prices.

 

Is this true?

[BNBR]

The issue, clearly, is that the OP is Canadian and the exchange rate is not friendly at the moment.

[DivaMI]

I saw somewhere the price of one beer was $10 USD or $13.50 CAD which is INSANE. So I looked into the beverage package and is it really possible it would cost almost $700 for a 9 day cruise? Holy crap. :o:o:o My husband likes to have a couple + beers per day, but $700???????????

 

Is there any way to get the package for cheaper? And that's with the 30% off. :o:o:o

 

Thank God I don't drink. I want him to enjoy himself but dayum, that was the biggest shock I've had yet.

I paid $759.00 for two drink packages. I did it because I didn't want to be bothered with owing anything at the end of the cruise. So I paid for everything up front and will use my OBC for the small things. When I get off the ship there will be no charges to settle and I will have piece of mind knowing that everything we do is already paid for.

[grouchomarx]

I think if you're uncertain about getting the value out of it, it's much better to just pay by the drink unless you can get a free package during a promotion (really only NCL does that and charges gratuities). Our last three cruises we had a drink package. Got it free on NCL and paid full price on Princess and Royal. After three go rounds, I honestly feel that I end up drinking too much with a package. You just get this feeling like there's no limit, the drinks just keep coming, you feel no guilt because you're not paying per drink. It's a little dangerous. I'm a sort of big drinker on vacation (I do not get falling down or black out drunk, but can handle a buzz well) and will sip on something from late morning through the end of the night but I did find myself overindulging and feeling quite fat at the end of the cruise. Next time I will forgo a package (unless it's free on NCL) and just pay as we go. That way I'll still have a conscience and won't want to have an earth shattering bar tab at the end of the cruise. This is clearly a sign I'm getting old and can't keep up anymore!!! lol just kidding.

[pcorwin]

I seem to recall that you can upgrade your 'free' soda packages on board.

 

 

I was told you could not by royal

 

 

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[katiel53]

I seem to recall that you can upgrade your 'free' soda packages on board.

 

When we sailed on Allure in January, I asked about upgrading my free soda package to the alcohol package and was told I couldn't do that. I think with the last change in the beverage packages, that was one of the changes.

[jamesr3939]

The $7 range for most beers is about what I found on the Allure in November. I even got a decent Black & Tan in the pub covered by the package. We bought the Ultimate Package (UP) when it was still available at $42 per day and were upgraded to Deluxe for free. It was well worth it. Our upcoming Oasis has the DP on 20% off for $46 per day, which is still a great deal.

 

No matter the exchange rate you are still paying the same amount either with the package or "as you go". You might pay USD on board, but when they charge you credit card the conversation rate is still costing you the same CDN if you have bought the package.

 

 

I think the same bottom line applies to buying a package. If you drink more than 4-5 drinks a day (even cheap beer) it's still worth it to buy a package.

Edited March 8, 2017 by jamesr3939