What am I missing, SIP n SAIL vs THREE for FREE

[cjmayes51]

We have been looking at the 28 day South Pacific out of LA on the Emerald Princess cruise in Feb 2020. We were gonna book under the sip and sail before it ended but seems everyone in the past says how much they saved by changing to the 3 for free after the SnS ended. Checked our quote from the big box store for a Caribe balcony now and it’s only about $600 total less then with SIP N SAIL. I don’t think that is a savings as our drinks over 4 weeks will be way more then $ 588 dollars. Does anyone really see and advantage or does it depend upon just what cabin you get. Charlie

[friend of Eeyore]

If I remember right, 3 for free includes free gratuities. For some, free gratuities outweighs what they might drink, especially over 4 weeks. We did change once from S&S to 3 for free for a 2 week cruise, because the savings were right for us. Just depends on you and your expenses.

[mnocket]

I think it works for people who don't want the drink package. I booked this cruise just prior to the Sip N Sail promotion when a TA who must remain nameless had their 3-Day Sale. It's an annual sale and they usually work out even better than Sip N Sail. I did not rebook to 3 For Free as the drink package on a 28-day cruise is a valuable perk for me. There is already a very active Roll Call for this cruise https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2635823

[voljeep]

I personally don't see how 3 4 free can be better than S N S... IF the price of the cabin is exactly the same under both promotions...

 

grats = about $ 30 per day for a couple...seriously, doesn't take long to get to that amount even without any alcohol

 

but, hey - glad the boats afloat and not my turn to drive...;p

[Pam in CA]

I personally don't see how 3 4 free can be better than S N S... IF the price of the cabin is exactly the same under both promotions...

For me, and I rarely drink alcohol, the “3 for Free” is a much better deal. The Sip ‘n Sail was a deal only when I could trade the beverage package for OBC. That’s no longer allowed so for me, the Sip ‘n Sail is almost worthless.

 

You need to calculate the savings for you. Everyone’s different.

[fishywood]

For a 28 day cruise:

 

Sip + Sail perk value $68.99 * 28 = $1931.72

 

3 for FREE perk value ($13.50 * 28 = $378) + $200 = $578

 

So the OP would need the difference to be $1354 or greater per person.

(Not taking into account whatever intangible value one places on the 'FREE Stateroom Location Upgrade')

The OP says their savings is $600 total; don't know if that means per person or total for both in the cabin. So savings are only 1/2 to 1/4 of what it needs to be depending on that.

 

Just crunching the numbers for a 7 night cruise, the difference needs to be $289 per person. That could be a bit more achievable than a near $50/pp/pd price drop on the high demand 28 day Hawaii/Tahiti/Samoa sailings.

[Kamloops50]

For a 28 day cruise:

 

Sip + Sail perk value $68.99 * 28 = $1931.72

 

3 for FREE perk value ($13.50 * 28 = $378) + $200 = $578

 

So the OP would need the difference to be $1354 or greater per person.

(Not taking into account whatever intangible value one places on the 'FREE Stateroom Location Upgrade')

The OP says their savings is $600 total; don't know if that means per person or total for both in the cabin. So savings are only 1/2 to 1/4 of what it needs to be depending on that.

 

Just crunching the numbers for a 7 night cruise, the difference needs to be $289 per person. That could be a bit more achievable than a near $50/pp/pd price drop on the high demand 28 day Hawaii/Tahiti/Samoa sailings.

 

There is also extra OBC given. We got $400 USD for a 15 day cruise. You get the same amount for 28 days(balcony or higher).

[cherylandtk]

For a 28 day cruise:

 

Sip + Sail perk value $68.99 * 28 = $1931.72

 

3 for FREE perk value ($13.50 * 28 = $378) + $200 = $578

Something else to consider is what personal value someone places on the PBP. Just because Princess sells it at 68.99 per day, some may drink more, some may drink less. Over the last couple of years, we’ve found our personal drinking costs to be right around $30 pp per day. (Now my pal Thrak, his value is much higher ;)). But the above math for me would be different.

[Kamloops50]

For a 28 day cruise:

 

Sip + Sail perk value $68.99 * 28 = $1931.72

 

3 for FREE perk value ($13.50 * 28 = $378) + $200 = $578

 

So the OP would need the difference to be $1354 or greater per person.

(Not taking into account whatever intangible value one places on the 'FREE Stateroom Location Upgrade')

The OP says their savings is $600 total; don't know if that means per person or total for both in the cabin. So savings are only 1/2 to 1/4 of what it needs to be depending on that.

 

Just crunching the numbers for a 7 night cruise, the difference needs to be $289 per person. That could be a bit more achievable than a near $50/pp/pd price drop on the high demand 28 day Hawaii/Tahiti/Samoa sailings.

 

The OBC is $200 per person in a balcony or higher.

[molole]

To those who don't drink the drink package is worth about 0 no matter what the dollar value Princess attaches to it.

[voljeep]

To those who don't drink the drink package is worth about 0 no matter what the dollar value Princess attaches to it.

 

so, no brewed coffee, no bottled water, no sodas, no specialty coffees, no specialty teas?

 

 

no fun?:evilsmile:

[molole]

so, no brewed coffee, no bottled water, no sodas, no specialty coffees, no specialty teas?

 

I drink a cup of morning coffee but it doesn't have to be specially brewed. Buffet coffee will do.

 

no fun?:evilsmile:

 

I manage, I manage! :D;p

[moki'smommy]

To those who don't drink the drink package is worth about 0 no matter what the dollar value Princess attaches to it.

There's a lot more in the beverage package than alcohol.....but you won't approach the $68 per day without alcohol.

[tailspintom]

so, no brewed coffee, no bottled water, no sodas, no specialty coffees, no specialty teas?

 

 

no fun?:evilsmile:

It is so individual, voljeep. For moderate and non-drinkers, the value is slight to nil as the person indicated. For an elite who can score coffee cards in exchange for a bar set-up, it makes up for the coffee and tea portion which we enjoy. So, in my case, the three for free values out better. We have managed to have real fine times without a lot of alcohol. And yes, I do appreciate that the "no fun" was said tongue in cheek.

[fishywood]

If you consider yourself a "non-drinker" but need to make your booking during Sip + Sail any decent TA, or a little persistence with customer service reps on your part if you prefer booking direct, should land you a reasonable "naked" no-perks fare.

 

Should you still end up with Sip + Sail whether no alternative found or on someone else's dime, just make it a point to order at least thirty sodas/waters/brewed coffee and tea every day for no reason even if you never get thirsty.

[2theship]

We often sail with my sister who travels solo and does not drink. We booked a transatlantic for next fall under Sip & Sail and it seemed silly for her to pay double for an included drink package that she would barely use. My TA checked and got her a significantly reduced fare without drinks although she had to pay a non-refundable deposit.

[Wrldviewer]

I booked a “naked” fare during SNS and then moved it to 3 for free. The math didn’t work on paying the higher fare cuz we don’t drink that much (no special coffees, take our own bottled water, soda, and bottle of wine). Very happy to have tips and OBC instead. As it has been said - do the math and figure what works for you. Happy sailing to all - regardless of your coffee and alcohol intake!

 

 

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[TravelingEA]

I personally don't see how 3 4 free can be better than S N S... IF the price of the cabin is exactly the same under both promotions...

 

grats = about $ 30 per day for a couple...seriously, doesn't take long to get to that amount even without any alcohol

 

but, hey - glad the boats afloat and not my turn to drive...;p

My wife is on medication that she cannot have alcohol. I go along with that. 3 or free is much better for us. We used to be able to get OBC during the S N S, but they discontinued that.

[Thrak]

Something else to consider is what personal value someone places on the PBP. Just because Princess sells it at 68.99 per day, some may drink more, some may drink less. Over the last couple of years, we’ve found our personal drinking costs to be right around $30 pp per day. (Now my pal Thrak, his value is much higher ;)). But the above math for me would be different.

 

For me this time around the value was negative. I wanted to move our 12 day cruise to the Sip and Sail. For 12 days the "value" of the package is $827.88 per person but Princess raised the price of my cabin by $500 per person the day the "sale" started. Not a bargain. Today the price is even higher. The 3 for Free price as of yesterday was $1,430 per person more than before the Sip and Sail price increase. The price of a balcony for the 12 day cruise is now $4,979 per person. What a "bargain"!

[goofy559]

For me this time around the value was negative. I wanted to move our 12 day cruise to the Sip and Sail. For 12 days the "value" of the package is $827.88 per person but Princess raised the price of my cabin by $500 per person the day the "sale" started. Not a bargain. Today the price is even higher. The 3 for Free price as of yesterday was $1,430 per person more than before the Sip and Sail price increase. The price of a balcony for the 12 day cruise is now $4,979 per person. What a "bargain"!

 

 

 

Holy crap - I paid less than that in Canadian for that cruise with sip and sail! Glad I booked when i did!

 

 

 

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[cjmayes51]

Thanks for the responses, usually the wife and I would have 3 beers each during the day and a couple of glasses of wine each during dinner. Then a mixed drink before bed. The total savings I saw from the big box stores was $588 total for the whole cruise after the difference in on board credit from sip n sail vs 3 for free [which was lower under the second sale] I figured after SNS ended the total cost for both of us would drop by close to the $2900 that the original Sip n Sail was valued at. Charlie:(

[jcscv]

I had talked to a Princess rep when inquiring about a cruise I was interested in. He told me if I wanted to wait another week or so, once the Sip & Sale deal was over, the price of the cruise would go down. He was right, the cruise went down about the same amount as what the Sip & Sale would cost, if you paid separate for it.

 

 

With the 3 Free package I ended up saving quite a bit of money. Even if I decided to pay for the drink package, on my own, it still would come out less than the original price of the cruise with the "free" drink package.

[riclop]

We have been looking at the 28 day South Pacific out of LA on the Emerald Princess cruise in Feb 2020. We were gonna book under the sip and sail before it ended but seems everyone in the past says how much they saved by changing to the 3 for free after the SnS ended. Checked our quote from the big box store for a Caribe balcony now and it’s only about $600 total less then with SIP N SAIL. I don’t think that is a savings as our drinks over 4 weeks will be way more then $ 588 dollars. Does anyone really see and advantage or does it depend upon just what cabin you get. Charlie

Everyone is not a drinker so it may help others.

[Jokare]

Something else to consider is what personal value someone places on the PBP. Just because Princess sells it at 68.99 per day, some may drink more, some may drink less. Over the last couple of years, we’ve found our personal drinking costs to be right around $30 pp per day. (Now my pal Thrak, his value is much higher ;)). But the above math for me would be different.

I think they cut you off at 15 drinks per day even tho they figure 68.99 per day.

[caribill]

To those who don't drink the drink package is worth about 0 no matter what the dollar value Princess attaches to it.

 

Much like the coupon book valued at $1500.