Are any beverages included for free? And other questions.

[aflyingbuttress]

Just booked Anthem of the Seas and am now looking at the beverage packages. I’m quite shocked at how expensive they are, though I guess I shouldn’t be. 

 

We we will drink water, soda, and coffee. What’s the best option for us? Also, we have a 6 year old with us. She’d drink water, orange juice and chocolate milk. Never soda. Does she have to have the same package as us? 

 

Are any drinks free? Would it be better to pay out of pocket of were only going to have a few drinks per day? 

[maryjaden]

I would get the refreshment package (non alcoholic ) for the adults.  It includes all non alcoholic drinks (except starbucks) and bottled water.  I wouldn't get a package for your daughter.  Water, milk,  juice is available at venues around the ship for free. 

[aflyingbuttress]

5 minutes ago, maryjaden said:

I would get the refreshment package (non alcoholic ) for the adults.  It includes all non alcoholic drinks (except starbucks) and bottled water.  I wouldn't get a package for your daughter.  Water, milk,  juice is available at venues around the ship for free. 

 

Thank you. Do you know of regular coffee is included? Anything else? Tea or lemonade? I found some old blog posts that say those are included but I can’t find anything current. 

[Grandma Dazzles]

Drinks included with your cruise fare for all passengers are:  coffee (not specialty), tap water (not bottled), hot tea, iced tea, hot chocolate, white and chocolate milk, lemonade in buffet and usually some other type of punch or flavored water, juice with breakfast (not fresh squeezed). 

 

You would pay pay for alcohol and sodas. 

 

Above drinks are are available at food service locations. Iced water is available at food service or bars. 

[Gfrench1986]

With the Refreshment package you can get the coffee that is offered at the pastry place. Also tea, and lemonade are free. 

[aflyingbuttress]

6 minutes ago, Grandma Dazzles said:

Drinks included with your cruise fare for all passengers are:  coffee (not specialty), tap water (not bottled), hot tea, iced tea, hot chocolate, white and chocolate milk, lemonade in buffet and usually some other type of punch or flavored water, juice with breakfast (not fresh squeezed). 

 

You would pay pay for alcohol and sodas. 

 

Above drinks are are available at food service locations. Iced water is available at food service or bars. 

 

Exactly what I was trying to figure out. Thanks!

[aflyingbuttress]

8 minutes ago, Gfrench1986 said:

With the Refreshment package you can get the coffee that is offered at the pastry place. Also tea, and lemonade are free. 

 

Thanks. I’ll have to add the numbers. While I love a specialty coffee, I’m not sure I’ll drink enough to add up to $26 per day. I’m likely to have one specialty coffee per day. I’d drink a soda with most meals but otherwise stick to water. I don’t often drink tea or lemonade but I could do that instead of soda. I’d almost rather cans anyway. 

 

‘’But all this info helps me figure out what I should do. 😀

[aflyingbuttress]

Speaking of canned soda. Does anyone know if the cans are cold? Or are they warm and they pour them over ice? Can I buy a can and ask them not to open it?

[Grandma Dazzles]

4 minutes ago, aflyingbuttress said:

 

Exactly what I was trying to figure out. Thanks!

 

You are welcome!  Enjoy your cruise. 

 

Don’t forget you can carry two bottles of wine on board with you. Also rules have recently changed and you can also carry on soda - believe it’s a 12 pack but not sure.  

 

I also carry small individual packages of Crystal Light or similar, like Mio drops, to add to water.  You can also take a sports bottle or travel mug - comes in handy. You are just asked to fill with a glass and not put your bottle up to the sprocket. 

 

[Grandma Dazzles]

Can of soda is just over $4 including automatic 18% tip. Hit and miss if cold - they will give you the can and a glass of ice.

 

If you have a drink package you get fountain soda or from one of the Freestyle machines that have lots of choices. Packages get a mug that you can use at the machine. If you prefer not to carry mug you can get fountain soda at bar. 

[aflyingbuttress]

5 minutes ago, Grandma Dazzles said:

 

You are welcome!  Enjoy your cruise. 

 

Don’t forget you can carry two bottles of wine on board with you. Also rules have recently changed and you can also carry on soda - believe it’s a 12 pack but not sure.  

 

I also carry small individual packages of Crystal Light or similar, like Mio drops, to add to water.  You can also take a sports bottle or travel mug - comes in handy. You are just asked to fill with a glass and not put your bottle up to the sprocket. 

 

 

Those are great tips. Thank you!

[3monkeys4me]

You can also bring soda on board with you, in your carry on bags. I forget the amount, but I think it was 12 bottles or cans up to 16 or 17 oz each.

 

You may also consider just doing the soda package, like mentioned above I think it is around $11.50 per person, per day. At least that is what it is running for my sailing.  If you are going to do more than one or two sodas a day, like different choices or don't want to carry soda on board it may be a good deal for you. 

[Johnamac123]

26 minutes ago, aflyingbuttress said:

 

Thanks. I’ll have to add the numbers. While I love a specialty coffee, I’m not sure I’ll drink enough to add up to $26 per day. I’m likely to have one specialty coffee per day. I’d drink a soda with most meals but otherwise stick to water. I don’t often drink tea or lemonade but I could do that instead of soda. I’d almost rather cans anyway. 

 

‘’But all this info helps me figure out what I should do. 😀

Another consideration, fresh squeezed orange juice is included in the refreshment package, but is a charge without one. It's a staple of my daily breakfast of a cruise, plus bottled water daily and diet coke occasionally throughout the cruise, especially on port days. IMHO $191 is a great deal for 9 days of everything but alcohol and specialty coffees.  

Edited November 5, 2018 by Johnamac123

[aflyingbuttress]

32 minutes ago, 3monkeys4me said:

You can also bring soda on board with you, in your carry on bags. I forget the amount, but I think it was 12 bottles or cans up to 16 or 17 oz each.

 

You may also consider just doing the soda package, like mentioned above I think it is around $11.50 per person, per day. At least that is what it is running for my sailing.  If you are going to do more than one or two sodas a day, like different choices or don't want to carry soda on board it may be a good deal for you. 

 

I just discovered that there are freestyle coke machines onboard so I think I’m very likely to do at least the soda package now. I was originally thinking it was an older fountain soda type of machine, which I usually find aren’t that fizzy. But the freestyle ones are pretty good in my experience, plus there are so many choices. And it looks like you can get water through them too. 

 

I assume the classic soda package would would give me access to those machines and all the drinks it can make, correct? 

[3monkeys4me]

7 minutes ago, aflyingbuttress said:

 

I assume the classic soda package would would give me access to those machines and all the drinks it can make, correct? 

 

Yes, you can use the freestyle machines with the classic soda package. You will be limited to regular fountain sodas in the dining rooms and bars.

[aflyingbuttress]

33 minutes ago, Johnamac123 said:

Another consideration, fresh squeezed orange juice is included in the refreshment package, but is a charge without one. It's a staple of my daily breakfast of a cruise, plus bottled water daily and diet coke occasionally throughout the cruise, especially on port days. IMHO $191 is a great deal for 9 days of everything but alcohol and specialty coffees.  

 

You’re right, it is a great deal. I’m contemplating doing the classic soda package plus the coffee card, which would total $261 for both my husband and I, instead of $490, which is a big difference and we get the 3 things we drink most. That still leaves us a buffer of about $23 per day before going over the original cost for additional beverages. And that gives us the flexibility to spend that on alcohol of we want. We’re not big drinkers and would probably only have one drink per day on a few days of the cruise. 

[3monkeys4me]

I would also keep an eye on the refreshment package. It may go on sale before your sailing (I didn't catch which sailing you are on). Also, you can purchase the refreshment package for one person and a soda package  (or no package) for one if only one will drink the speciality coffees, etc...  

[mugtech]

And if you attend certain art auctions you will be served free  champaigne.

[starrcards]

For our Christmas Freedom cruise my wife's refreshment package was $18.  Keep an eye out for sales especially Black Friday.

[KimA75]

I am with you on not drinking enough of the specialty coffees or alcoholic beverages.  We buy the soda packages for my husband and I.  We will carry on bottles of lemonade or fruit punch for our older son.  Our younger one only drinks milk.  If you don't see milk at the meals, you can always ask the wait staff for it.  We did this before and once we asked the first day,it was always available at the other meals.  I may buy a couple coffees or beverages and buy them as I go.

[Fishkillbill]

Does the Windgammer have lemonade? Does it have sugar in it? 

[aflyingbuttress]

1 hour ago, starrcards said:

For our Christmas Freedom cruise my wife's refreshment package was $18.  Keep an eye out for sales especially Black Friday.

 

For the whole trip? I'm going on an 8 night cruise. Currently the price is $26 per night, so it comes to $245 at the moment. I think the soda package is on sale right now because it's only $9.99 instead of $12.99. 

 

If I buy something now and there's a sale later, can I get the sale price? Can I cancel the package and get my money back? If I can do that I would do the soda package and if the refreshment package goes on sale get that and cancel soda. 

[Grandma Dazzles]

17 minutes ago, Fishkillbill said:

Does the Windgammer have lemonade? Does it have sugar in it? 

 

I assume it has sugar in it. It’s a basic reconstituted powdered lemonade mix of some kind.  Available in the Windjammer usually with some other kind of flavored water - think Kool Aid/punch. 

Edited November 5, 2018 by Grandma Dazzles

[aflyingbuttress]

34 minutes ago, KimA75 said:

I am with you on not drinking enough of the specialty coffees or alcoholic beverages.  We buy the soda packages for my husband and I.  We will carry on bottles of lemonade or fruit punch for our older son.  Our younger one only drinks milk.  If you don't see milk at the meals, you can always ask the wait staff for it.  We did this before and once we asked the first day,it was always available at the other meals.  I may buy a couple coffees or beverages and buy them as I go.

 

We would definitely drink the specialty coffee if we had the coffee card. We're coffee lovers. I could get by with just the free coffee on a trip but the coffee card seems very reasonably priced. I think the refreshment package would be overkill for us though. I don't see us drinking non-alcoholic beverages to make up the price difference. If I'm getting a mixed drink, it'll have alcohol. But I'm likely only to have a handful of them across the whole cruise. 

 

My husband and I were just talking about bringing powdered mixes for our daughter since I don't think we will want to carry much on except perhaps the bottles of wine. Do you know if they have any non-dairy milk on board? Our daughter has a dairy sensitivity and usually drinks almond milk. 

[Grandma Dazzles]

8 minutes ago, aflyingbuttress said:

 

For the whole trip? I'm going on an 8 night cruise. Currently the price is $26 per night, so it comes to $245 at the moment. I think the soda package is on sale right now because it's only $9.99 instead of $12.99. 

 

If I buy something now and there's a sale later, can I get the sale price? Can I cancel the package and get my money back? If I can do that I would do the soda package and if the refreshment package goes on sale get that and cancel soda. 

 

Yes. You can cancel and re-purchase.