What are the "regular" prices for shore excursions, beverage and internet?

[PghSunny]

Hi everyone!  I think I'm officially addicted to cruising.  I just booked two more (one is over a year away though).  I'm trying to find out of the prices in the cruise planner for my June sailing on Navigator are really a fantastic deal for Black Friday/Cyber Monday, or if I can wait to book them until after the holidays.  I booked this cruise on Friday, so I didn't have an opportunity to see the "before the sale" price.

 

I'm looking at the following:

 

Cococay:  Thrill Waterpark full day $47 and half day $35.  The banner says this is 20% off on board pricing.

 

Nassau:  Blue Lagoon Stingray Encounter and Beach Day $50.   The banner says this is 20% off on board pricing.  Note: I'm not 100% sure we'll do this, still looking at options.

 

Beverage:  Deluxe package $49.  Banner says this is a BOGO 50%.  If I get the drink package I'm only buying one.  I'm sailing with my son, he is not 21.  I'm leaning towards it because it can be used at Cococay.  

 

Internet:  Voom Surf & Stream Voyage Package 2 devices $18.99.   The banner says this is 40% off on board pricing. Note: according to information I found on on Casino Royale I should get a discount for being a "prime" level player.  I have no idea how much this discount is.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

[Ourusualbeach]

Just now, PghSunny said:

Hi everyone!  I think I'm officially addicted to cruising.  I just booked two more (one is over a year away though).  I'm trying to find out of the prices in the cruise planner for my June sailing on Navigator are really a fantastic deal for Black Friday/Cyber Monday, or if I can wait to book them until after the holidays.  I booked this cruise on Friday, so I didn't have an opportunity to see the "before the sale" price.

 

I'm looking at the following:

 

Cococay:  Thrill Waterpark full day $47 and half day $35.  The banner says this is 20% off on board pricing.

 

Nassau:  Blue Lagoon Stingray Encounter and Beach Day $50.   The banner says this is 20% off on board pricing.  Note: I'm not 100% sure we'll do this, still looking at options.

 

Beverage:  Deluxe package $49.  Banner says this is a BOGO 50%.  If I get the drink package I'm only buying one.  I'm sailing with my son, he is not 21.  I'm leaning towards it because it can be used at Cococay.  

 

Internet:  Voom Surf & Stream Voyage Package 2 devices $18.99.   The banner says this is 40% off on board pricing. Note: according to information I found on on Casino Royale I should get a discount for being a "prime" level player.  I have no idea how much this discount is.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

Prices vary by ship and sailing.  There are no regular prices.

[PghSunny]

1 minute ago, Ourusualbeach said:

 

Prices vary by ship and sailing.  There are no regular prices.

OK.  Thanks.  That's really disappointing.  Should I ask the question again and include Navigator 4 day on the subject line? Maybe someone who previously booked this cruise can tell me if the prices mentioned are lower than they normally are for this sailing.

[rubytue]

FWIW, I only booked 1 ship shore excursion. It was during a memorial day sale, and was 20% off on-boar prices. I've been checking regularly since, and I haven't seen a better deal.  Watching the prices of the shore excursions in general, I would say that for my ship and my sailing, "20% off on-board" was as low as its been.  Its now at a  "precruise deal" price, and my price is 10% lower than that.  For those, you could always cancel and rebook if it goes lower.

 

The beverage and zoom packages.... I can't keep track of the prices.  

[PghSunny]

1 minute ago, rubytue said:

FWIW, I only booked 1 ship shore excursion. It was during a memorial day sale, and was 20% off on-boar prices. I've been checking regularly since, and I haven't seen a better deal.  Watching the prices of the shore excursions in general, I would say that for my ship and my sailing, "20% off on-board" was as low as its been.  Its now at a  "precruise deal" price, and my price is 10% lower than that.  For those, you could always cancel and rebook if it goes lower.

 

The beverage and zoom packages.... I can't keep track of the prices.  

This is helpful.  I'll look at the % off on board prices.  Thank you.

[zdad59]

There really aren't "regular" prices.   That's why people are always searching for a "deal".

 

I can speak for the deluxe package.   If you find it for UNDER $50/pp/pd (plus 18% gratuity) its a pretty good deal.   I've seen as low as $45 on some cruises and never under $50 on others.  If I find it in the 40's, I book, then stay alert for a lower price.

 

(PS - I am Pittsburgh born and raised.   Live in Philly now, but still am a Steeler season ticket holder.   Now I must go "red up" my room.)

Edited November 25, 2018 by zdad59

[MNfamilycruiser]

1 minute ago, PghSunny said:

This is helpful.  I'll look at the % off on board prices.  Thank you.

I would definitely wait for the beverage package to go back to 20-25% off rather than the BOGO if you only need one.  Based on what I have read, you can always book, cancel and rebook if a better price comes along before the cruise.  The prices change all the time and vary for each ship and each sailing.  

[PghSunny]

4 minutes ago, zdad59 said:

There really aren't "regular" prices.   That's why people are always searching for a "deal".

 

I can speak for the deluxe package.   If you find it for under $50/pp/pd (plus 18% gratuity) its a pretty good deal.   I've seen as low as $45 on some cruises and never under $50 on others.  If I find it in the 40's, I book, then stay alert for a lower price.

 

(PS - I am Pittsburgh born and raised.   Live in Philly now, but still am a Steeler season ticket holder.   Now I must go "red up" my room.)

Thanks for the info on the deluxe package.   I didn't buy it on my last cruise. It would have been nice to have when watching the Thursday night game in the Shooner bar.  That was a lot of fun!!    PS.  I just told my son to red up his room before I saw your post!   

[PghSunny]

10 minutes ago, MNfamilycruiser said:

I would definitely wait for the beverage package to go back to 20-25% off rather than the BOGO if you only need one.  Based on what I have read, you can always book, cancel and rebook if a better price comes along before the cruise.  The prices change all the time and vary for each ship and each sailing.  

Ok thank you!

[marys350]

Coco Cay Thrill Water Park is a good price. I have been monitoring excursion prices for several months. The half day excursion price was $44  and is now $35 on sale. The full day was $59 and is now $47. I just purchased the half day for 12 people for Christmas present and am happy with the saving. Can always cancel and repurchase if price drops further in the future.

[PghSunny]

1 minute ago, marys350 said:

Coco Cay Thrill Water Park is a good price. I have been monitoring excursion prices for several months. The half day excursion price was $44  and is now $35 on sale. The full day was $59 and is now $47. I just purchased the half day for 12 people for Christmas present and am happy with the saving. Can always cancel and repurchase if price drops further in the future.

Thank you!   I thought this might be a good price.  I'll purchase it today.

[zdad59]

remember you can book now and if a better price comes along, you can cancel and re-book at the lower price.

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, PghSunny said:

Hi everyone!  I think I'm officially addicted to cruising.  I just booked two more (one is over a year away though).  I'm trying to find out of the prices in the cruise planner for my June sailing on Navigator are really a fantastic deal for Black Friday/Cyber Monday, or if I can wait to book them until after the holidays.  I booked this cruise on Friday, so I didn't have an opportunity to see the "before the sale" price.

 

I'm looking at the following:

 

Cococay:  Thrill Waterpark full day $47 and half day $35.  The banner says this is 20% off on board pricing.

 

Nassau:  Blue Lagoon Stingray Encounter and Beach Day $50.   The banner says this is 20% off on board pricing.  Note: I'm not 100% sure we'll do this, still looking at options.

 

Beverage:  Deluxe package $49.  Banner says this is a BOGO 50%.  If I get the drink package I'm only buying one.  I'm sailing with my son, he is not 21.  I'm leaning towards it because it can be used at Cococay.  

 

Internet:  Voom Surf & Stream Voyage Package 2 devices $18.99.   The banner says this is 40% off on board pricing. Note: according to information I found on on Casino Royale I should get a discount for being a "prime" level player.  I have no idea how much this discount is.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

You might want to rethink the pkg.  You drink free in casino as Prime.  Pay as you go could be more advantageous 

[dswallow]

There most certainly are regular prices. They just aren't the same across each ship or sometimes even specific sailings on a ship. But except for those times when there's an across-the-board price increase that affects them (figure annually), they stay pretty consistent.

 

At any given time you can generally identify the onboard prices by dividing it out.

 

You mention the Deluxe Beverage package for your sailing is $49/day, promoted as a "Buy one get 2nd at 50% off". That is actually the same as if they said "25% off" and the dollar amount they advertise is always inclusive of that discount already. So $49/0.75 represents the onboard price, or $65.33. Now we get to Royal Caribbeans rounding practices. They'll round the resulting price down, giving you a tiny bit more than the discount percent indicates, just to have whole-dollar amounts (aka, "save 'over' 25%."). So the onboard price is likely going to be about $66 for the Deluxe Beverage package.

 

In reality there are typically 3 different price points Royal Caribbean will use for the Deluxe Beverage package. In 2018 they were $57, $60 or $63 (Royal says the price will be $57-$63, depending on ship/sailing). In 2019 it appears that's become $63, $66 and $70 (Royal says $63-$70). We'll see if they start using any other prices in that range or stick to the 3 specific prices.

 

So when you look at the Cruise Planner pricing, calculate the onboard prices with this method, and follow along. Every different sale for your sailing will consistently be based on those onboard prices, subject to the tiny rounding differences.

 

One other thing I've noticed is when a new sale starts, prices are updated immediately, but sometimes the banners indicating the discount are missing or maybe even left over from the prior sale with different percentages. Give it a day; they get fixed up shortly after new pricing appears, just not usually right away. Chalk that one up to an incompetent design for their online store.

[Keri's Cruisin']

I just saw a review of the Navigator which showed the onboard (regular pricing) for the deluxe beverage package is $57/day. Right now the Black Friday sale is $49/day, which is no where near the advertised 25% off onboard pricing.  I too am booked on the NOS for next May and the deluxe beverage package has been $52/day for months.  It is now $49/day.  Not sure it will go down from there so I will probably book it tomorrow. 

[dswallow]

1 minute ago, Keri's Cruisin' said:

I just saw a review of the Navigator which showed the onboard (regular pricing) for the deluxe beverage package is $57/day. Right now the Black Friday sale is $49/day, which is no where near the advertised 25% off onboard pricing.  I too am booked on the NOS for next May and the deluxe beverage package has been $52/day for months.  It is now $49/day.  Not sure it will go down from there so I will probably book it tomorrow. 

 

That $57/day is a 2018 price. Prices were increased for 2019 sailings.

 

Your May 2019 sailing is at a $66/day onboard price.

20% off $66/day = $52.80, rounded down to $52/day

25% off $66/day = $49.50, rounded down to $49/day

 

There are very occasionally Deluxe Beverage Package sales at 30% off, which would make your sailing $46/day when/if it happens. But that's not a reason to wait; if it goes down, you can cancel your previous order and buy it at the new, lower, price. Because it could also go up, and not come down, or at least not come down again when you happen to be looking for it.

[PghSunny]

1 hour ago, John&LaLa said:

 

You might want to rethink the pkg.  You drink free in casino as Prime.  Pay as you go could be more advantageous 

Good point.  That reminds me, when I went on Adventure earlier this month, I did not get free drinks in the casino, even though my card said "prime".  I am not sure why.  I asked if they could give me a sticker. I was told no.  I earned an interior cruise certificate and I still did not qualify for free drinks.  I even spoke with a host.  I do not drink much in the casino as I prefer to keep a clearer head, maybe two drinks max, it was just the point that I if I was supposed to be getting free drinks, even pop (soda), I should get it.  I was told I would on my next cruise.  

 

I need to look at my invoice from my last cruise and see if the drink package would be advantageous for me.  I don't drink beer, so my drinks are more expensive.  I know I had a couple cocktails by the pool on sea days, wine with dinner, and one or two glasses of wine in the casino.  Thursday night I definitely could have used the drink package watching the Steelers at the Schooner bar.  I'd probably take advantage of fresh squeezed OJ, specialty coffee and bottled water (if it is included).  I missed my bottled water.  The cruise planner says I can use the drink package at Coco Cay.  I think that might tip the scale for me.  

[PghSunny]

1 hour ago, dswallow said:

There most certainly are regular prices. They just aren't the same across each ship or sometimes even specific sailings on a ship. But except for those times when there's an across-the-board price increase that affects them (figure annually), they stay pretty consistent.

 

At any given time you can generally identify the onboard prices by dividing it out.

 

You mention the Deluxe Beverage package for your sailing is $49/day, promoted as a "Buy one get 2nd at 50% off". That is actually the same as if they said "25% off" and the dollar amount they advertise is always inclusive of that discount already. So $49/0.75 represents the onboard price, or $65.33. Now we get to Royal Caribbeans rounding practices. They'll round the resulting price down, giving you a tiny bit more than the discount percent indicates, just to have whole-dollar amounts (aka, "save 'over' 25%."). So the onboard price is likely going to be about $66 for the Deluxe Beverage package.

 

In reality there are typically 3 different price points Royal Caribbean will use for the Deluxe Beverage package. In 2018 they were $57, $60 or $63 (Royal says the price will be $57-$63, depending on ship/sailing). In 2019 it appears that's become $63, $66 and $70 (Royal says $63-$70). We'll see if they start using any other prices in that range or stick to the 3 specific prices.

 

So when you look at the Cruise Planner pricing, calculate the onboard prices with this method, and follow along. Every different sale for your sailing will consistently be based on those onboard prices, subject to the tiny rounding differences.

 

One other thing I've noticed is when a new sale starts, prices are updated immediately, but sometimes the banners indicating the discount are missing or maybe even left over from the prior sale with different percentages. Give it a day; they get fixed up shortly after new pricing appears, just not usually right away. Chalk that one up to an incompetent design for their online store.

Thank you.  This is very helpful.

[dswallow]

11 minutes ago, PghSunny said:

Good point.  That reminds me, when I went on Adventure earlier this month, I did not get free drinks in the casino, even though my card said "prime".  I am not sure why.  I asked if they could give me a sticker. I was told no.  I earned an interior cruise certificate and I still did not qualify for free drinks.  I even spoke with a host.  I do not drink much in the casino as I prefer to keep a clearer head, maybe two drinks max, it was just the point that I if I was supposed to be getting free drinks, even pop (soda), I should get it.  I was told I would on my next cruise.

 

It sure seems counter to what they've promoted as casino tier benefits that began in early 2018:

 

[Biker19]

4 hours ago, PghSunny said:

Internet:  Voom Surf & Stream Voyage Package 2 devices $18.99.   The banner says this is 40% off on board pricing. Note: according to information I found on on Casino Royale I should get a discount for being a "prime" level player.  I have no idea how much this discount is.

With very few exceptions, the on board price is $16 for Surf and $20 for Stream - for one device. Two devices usually discount that by $2 - a two device Stream would be $38. $19/day for two device Stream is a very good price. Ignore RCI math, it doesn't work many times.

[Clarea]

5 hours ago, PghSunny said:

OK.  Thanks.  That's really disappointing.  Should I ask the question again and include Navigator 4 day on the subject line? Maybe someone who previously booked this cruise can tell me if the prices mentioned are lower than they normally are for this sailing.

 

Prices for excursions and beverage packages vary sailing to sailing also.

[Iamcruzin]

6 hours ago, MNfamilycruiser said:

I would definitely wait for the beverage package to go back to 20-25% off rather than the BOGO if you only need one.  Based on what I have read, you can always book, cancel and rebook if a better price comes along before the cruise.  The prices change all the time and vary for each ship and each sailing.  

I purchased one deluxe package and on refreshment package. I paid the same $49 for the deluxe package as I would have if I purchased 2 on the BOGO.  Comparing drink packages between other cruise lines $49 is on the low side. Other cruise lines are charging more. I know Princess is up to $59 and the Premium beverage package on Celebrity which includes the same top shelf brands as the Royal Caribbean package is $69.

[LuCruise]

We originally booked CoCo Cay full day for $77 CAD and it went on sale for $62 for Black Friday.  Cruise is 4 day Navigator in August so similar to yours. (You'll need to convert to USD to see how it compares).

 

In contrast, 7 day Anthem following March has HALF day for $77 CAD.

[juju2454]

We just purchased our deluxe and refreshments package for our up coming xmas nye cruise for $45 and $15  pp/pd respectively.