Premium Plus Beverage Package

[Deeliteful]

Not that I disbelieve you SydneyBerlin but there will be a cap, certainly doesn’t make commercial sense if there isn’t and NCL aren’t in the habit of giving something for nothing!

[Sydneyberlin]

On 8/15/2019 at 3:47 AM, Deeliteful said:

Not that I disbelieve you SydneyBerlin but there will be a cap, certainly doesn’t make commercial sense if there isn’t and NCL aren’t in the habit of giving something for nothing!

Well- I got it in writing, even “checked and double checked” and re-confirmed by a NCL employee so if they try to screw me over on the ship itself, then I will as a minimum fight my money for the upgrade back.

[bobsfamily]

11 hours ago, Sydneyberlin said:

Well- I got it in writing, even “checked and double checked” and re-confirmed by a NCL employee so if they try to screw me over on the ship itself, then I will as a minimum fight my money for the upgrade back.

Good luck! I may dispute that max glass but won't get in a fight about it. Will know soon!

[DaCruiseBug]

On 8/14/2019 at 12:27 AM, Sydneyberlin said:

 

Guys- stop it. I’ve gotten written confirmation from staff at NCL who tell me have checked and triple checked and there’s no such thing as a $35 cap. This is made up either on this forum or by badly trained crew which is both not unlikely. 

 

And that was neither the UK nor the US office by the Aussie one. I was even specifically told that Blue Jonny Walker as well as even the most pricey red in the specialty restaurants is DEFINITELY included and got pointed to the clear Ts&Cs which state “any drink by the glass”. He also told me that there’s no 2 bottle maximum for the wines by the bottle as long as they’re drunk during dinner times at dining venues. So nothing keeps you from having a bottle of Veuve in the main dining room and thug follow that up with another bottle of Veueve and a red wine at another restaurant. 

 

And yes I am aware, we are big drinkers. Especially on a cruise with a premium plus booze package 😉

 

You're right, there is no price cap but there is a list of items that are included. The flyer specifically says it includes drinks included in the Premium Beverage Package plus those listed on the flyer. That's it. If you think you're getting JW Blue...you're out of your mind. You can get Platinum but for Blue you're gonna have to shell out $$$. Many of those cruise advisors don't know their sh*t. Call 10 times and you'll get 10 different answers.

 

You can play hardball all you want but you're not getting those super premium drinks that are $50-100 per glass. Sorry.

 

 

[bobsfamily]

15 hours ago, DaCruiseBug said:

 

You're right, there is no price cap but there is a list of items that are included. The flyer specifically says it includes drinks included in the Premium Beverage Package plus those listed on the flyer. That's it. If you think you're getting JW Blue...you're out of your mind. You can get Platinum but for Blue you're gonna have to shell out $$$. Many of those cruise advisors don't know their sh*t. Call 10 times and you'll get 10 different answers.

 

You can play hardball all you want but you're not getting those super premium drinks that are $50-100 per glass. Sorry.

 

 

I tend to agree with you BUT directly above the list it does say ALL BEVERAGES are included... how are you supposed to take that statment?

[Sydneyberlin]

17 hours ago, DaCruiseBug said:

If you think you're getting JW Blue...you're out of your mind. 

 

You can play hardball all you want but you're not getting those super premium drinks that are $50-100 per glass. Sorry.

 

 

 

Oh- sure, I’m the one who’s out of my mind though you are clearly not capable to read. What’s so hard to understand about “Any drink by the glass”? I won’t be playing hardball, I will simply insist on them acknowledging their own written Terms and Conditions.

[DaCruiseBug]

17 minutes ago, Sydneyberlin said:

 

Oh- sure, I’m the one who’s out of my mind though you are clearly not capable to read. What’s so hard to understand about “Any drink by the glass”? I won’t be playing hardball, I will simply insist on them acknowledging their own written Terms and Conditions.

 

It's called marketing. If you look at the flyer it says "unlimited amounts on all drinks". Yet many things aren't included. That's why you have to go by the list included. You can believe what you want but you'll see when you sail...

 

 

[Deeliteful]

Probably should add the word “below” but it will be the named drinks on the list.

[JezzaC]

11 hours ago, DaCruiseBug said:

 

It's called marketing. If you look at the flyer it says "unlimited amounts on all drinks". Yet many things aren't included. That's why you have to go by the list included. You can believe what you want but you'll see when you sail...

 

 

 

Well there is a clear difference. Premium package clearly states 15USD limit. Premium Plus states all drinks by glass, there isn't any price limit mentioned.

[Sydneyberlin]

13 hours ago, JezzaC said:

 

Well there is a clear difference. Premium package clearly states 15USD limit. Premium Plus states all drinks by glass, there isn't any price limit mentioned.

 

Thank you, finally someone who is a really able to read. 

 

And don’t dare tell me what Marketing is. It’s not lying so you totally don’t get it.

[bobsfamily]

8 hours ago, Sydneyberlin said:

 

Thank you, finally someone who is a really able to read. 

 

And don’t dare tell me what Marketing is. It’s not lying so you totally don’t get it.

Honestly you don't have to be so strong there... all of us can read or we would not be answering you....

I hope it works for you, the problem I have (and I will try for a expensive drink but not counting on it) are the lines directly below "ALL beverages are included".... the last part states "plus all these additional offerings".  I think that is the gotcha phrase.  Nowhere does it say $35 but it does state the list is the "ALL" in the PP verses regular.  Just saying...

Gook luck!

Edited August 18, 2019 by bobsfamily

[YankeesFan4Life]

So I just got off the Breakaway yesterday (still in withdrawal), and the $35 thing was true throughout my cruise.   Now granted I wasn't in The Haven or at The Haven Bar, but at every other bar, Maltings, Shakers, etc, everything was covered on the plan, with the exception of JW Blue or Louis XIII.  They were offered at 40% discount.  I was sitting next to a guy who ordered a shot of JW Blue, and I asked my favorite bartenter Christian at Maltings if I could buy him a shot with my card, but said it was against policy.  Cost the guy over $40.  

 

When it came to dinner, I had ordered a bottle of Veuve almost every night, sometimes got another bottle of Luce Lucente which is a terrific SuperTuscan.  Just being my wife and myself, it was definitely enough, and I'm sure I could've ordered another bottle, but no need.  I sometimes ordered just a glass of something if needed.  I did have an issue one night though, when I wanted just a GLASS of Luce Lucente, and the wine steward was a little pushy for me to take the bottle.  I had enough to drink, and was completely stuffed, and I just wanted the glass.  He said to take the bottle with me if I wanted to.  I said no, and he went on his way.  You do not need to consume the bottle in the restaurant.  You can take the glass to go, or take the bottle to go.  It's really flexible.

 

Now forgot who mentioned the Bdx by the glass earlier, but there is the same wine list at just about every restaurant.  They specifically denote the wines by the bottle with a *, and only certain wines are available BTG, so if' you're looking for that bottle of Pomerol, you may be able to get it, but only at a 40% discount, they won't offer it BTG.  

 

All in all, the PPB was DEFINITELY worth it!  We hammered the ever living crap out of it!!! 

[JustAPilot]

I forsee in the not so late future "SydneyBerlin" spending half her cruise vacation arguing with customer service on the ship because they got slapped with a hefty bill for drinking the Louis cognac like it was vitamin water lol. I do hope it works out though because the upgrade would pay for itself in the first day for me. 

[JandC_Cruising]

On 8/11/2019 at 9:14 PM, Shidah said:

Let us know how it goes and any recommendations.   I just upgraded for our cruise in two weeks.

We returned from our Escape Bermuda cruise yesterday and had a fantastic time.  

On the flight home we did some rough calculation and the Premium Plus package definitely worked out for us.

We paid the extra $243.60 per person and likely drank what would have been $500 per person worth of beverages that we either would have paid for outright, or chosen to avoid altogether.

We had no billing mistakes, which I always checked.

 

- We consumed 8 bottles of wine from the "free" category over the course of the cruise.  Our favorites were the Doglioti Barolo and the Louis Jadot Chardonay.  (both priced at over $70 per bottle, but free under the PPlus)

- We had at least 20 1-liter bottles of Aqua Panna Italian still water over the week.  We had a bottle with every dinner and most lunches

- We also had 6 glasses of Vueve for free.

- Lastly, since our bartender in the haven got to know us well, he would always make my Manhattan with one of the premium whiskies/ryes rather than Bullet for example, and make suggestions of more interesting options knowing we had the PPlus

 

There is no doubt that if you plan on drinking bottles of wine at dinner- on top of the daily pina coladas and such poolside, it is of value for some better wine choices.

 

The one minor issue was that many bars around the ship do not have the premium liquors or wines available.  For example we went to Headliners for a show and they did not have the Louis Jadot Chardonay available by the glass.  We also were at one bar that didn't have any Vueve, so we had to order another drink for that moment (poor us --- LOL!)

 

 

Our next cruise is in March and we will do the Premium Plus again.

[MikeBTN]

On 8/14/2019 at 12:27 AM, Sydneyberlin said:

 

Guys- stop it. I’ve gotten written confirmation from staff at NCL who tell me have checked and triple checked and there’s no such thing as a $35 cap. This is made up either on this forum or by badly trained crew which is both not unlikely. 

 

And that was neither the UK nor the US office by the Aussie one. I was even specifically told that Blue Jonny Walker as well as even the most pricey red in the specialty restaurants is DEFINITELY included and got pointed to the clear Ts&Cs which state “any drink by the glass”. He also told me that there’s no 2 bottle maximum for the wines by the bottle as long as they’re drunk during dinner times at dining venues. So nothing keeps you from having a bottle of Veuve in the main dining room and thug follow that up with another bottle of Veueve and a red wine at another restaurant. 

 

And yes I am aware, we are big drinkers. Especially on a cruise with a premium plus booze package 😉

 

Unfortunately the land-based side of NCL and actual operations on the ship aren’t always in agreement. You’ll find what they say on the ship goes, regardless of your complaints, email print outs, etc. 

 

As to Louis XIII, it is classified as an “experience” (just like the liquor/wine tastings) and qualifies for 40% off. 

[YankeesFan4Life]

45 minutes ago, JandC_Cruising said:

We returned from our Escape Bermuda cruise yesterday and had a fantastic time.  

On the flight home we did some rough calculation and the Premium Plus package definitely worked out for us.

We paid the extra $243.60 per person and likely drank what would have been $500 per person worth of beverages that we either would have paid for outright, or chosen to avoid altogether.

We had no billing mistakes, which I always checked.

 

- We consumed 8 bottles of wine from the "free" category over the course of the cruise.  Our favorites were the Doglioti Barolo and the Louis Jadot Chardonay.  (both priced at over $70 per bottle, but free under the PPlus)

- We had at least 20 1-liter bottles of Aqua Panna Italian still water over the week.  We had a bottle with every dinner and most lunches

- We also had 6 glasses of Vueve for free.

- Lastly, since our bartender in the haven got to know us well, he would always make my Manhattan with one of the premium whiskies/ryes rather than Bullet for example, and make suggestions of more interesting options knowing we had the PPlus

 

There is no doubt that if you plan on drinking bottles of wine at dinner- on top of the daily pina coladas and such poolside, it is of value for some better wine choices.

 

The one minor issue was that many bars around the ship do not have the premium liquors or wines available.  For example we went to Headliners for a show and they did not have the Louis Jadot Chardonay available by the glass.  We also were at one bar that didn't have any Vueve, so we had to order another drink for that moment (poor us --- LOL!)

 

 

Our next cruise is in March and we will do the Premium Plus again.

 

I agree, definitely worth it!  Especially after I cruised RCL last year and payed $49pp plus, which was $809 for the two of us, and NOWHERE NEAR as much selection of premium liquors and certainly nowhere near the quality of wine. 

 

Granted, I don't know the value of what we drank, and even asked if we can get an itemized list and were refused...We had 4 bottles of Veuve, a bottle of the Fueillate Rose, at least 4 bottles of the Hampton Water Rose, a bottle of Luce Lucente, plus at least 8 glasses of Veuve and a bottle of a Sancerre.  Besides that, bottles of Aqua Panna still and Pelligrino sparkling at dinners every night, plus we must have had at least 25-30 bottles of water throughout the cruise (granted, we gave the waters to our kids too, along with some virgin pina colada's). For our cocktails, we only drank Bourbon drinks, so I was getting double Woodford and Ginger Beer (don't ask for a Woodford Mule...they muddle it, and way overthink the drink...make it simple).  At least 8-10 Woodford Manhattans, oh and don't forget about the Espresso Martini's every day at Shakers (slight upcharge on that)....Just doing simple math, not including the upcharge cocktails, I'm at over $1300 consumed....Worth it?  Hell yeah!

[tv77]

57 minutes ago, JandC_Cruising said:

We returned from our Escape Bermuda cruise yesterday and had a fantastic time.  

On the flight home we did some rough calculation and the Premium Plus package definitely worked out for us.

We paid the extra $243.60 per person and likely drank what would have been $500 per person worth of beverages that we either would have paid for outright, or chosen to avoid altogether.

We had no billing mistakes, which I always checked.

 

- We consumed 8 bottles of wine from the "free" category over the course of the cruise.  Our favorites were the Doglioti Barolo and the Louis Jadot Chardonay.  (both priced at over $70 per bottle, but free under the PPlus)

- We had at least 20 1-liter bottles of Aqua Panna Italian still water over the week.  We had a bottle with every dinner and most lunches

- We also had 6 glasses of Vueve for free.

- Lastly, since our bartender in the haven got to know us well, he would always make my Manhattan with one of the premium whiskies/ryes rather than Bullet for example, and make suggestions of more interesting options knowing we had the PPlus

 

There is no doubt that if you plan on drinking bottles of wine at dinner- on top of the daily pina coladas and such poolside, it is of value for some better wine choices.

 

The one minor issue was that many bars around the ship do not have the premium liquors or wines available.  For example we went to Headliners for a show and they did not have the Louis Jadot Chardonay available by the glass.  We also were at one bar that didn't have any Vueve, so we had to order another drink for that moment (poor us --- LOL!)

 

 

Our next cruise is in March and we will do the Premium Plus again.

Great to know!  Did you have to upgrade the package by the first day of the cruise?  Or could you upgrade on the 2nd or 3rd day?  Thanks!

[JandC_Cruising]

9 minutes ago, tv77 said:

Great to know!  Did you have to upgrade the package by the first day of the cruise?  Or could you upgrade on the 2nd or 3rd day?  Thanks!

I upgraded to the package the week prior to the cruise online.  So I do not know if you can "test the waters" so to speak and upgrade later in the cruise.  Sorry

[MikeBTN]

1 hour ago, JandC_Cruising said:

We returned from our Escape Bermuda cruise yesterday and had a fantastic time.  

On the flight home we did some rough calculation and the Premium Plus package definitely worked out for us.

We paid the extra $243.60 per person and likely drank what would have been $500 per person worth of beverages that we either would have paid for outright, or chosen to avoid altogether.

We had no billing mistakes, which I always checked.

 

- We consumed 8 bottles of wine from the "free" category over the course of the cruise.  Our favorites were the Doglioti Barolo and the Louis Jadot Chardonay.  (both priced at over $70 per bottle, but free under the PPlus)

- We had at least 20 1-liter bottles of Aqua Panna Italian still water over the week.  We had a bottle with every dinner and most lunches

- We also had 6 glasses of Vueve for free.

- Lastly, since our bartender in the haven got to know us well, he would always make my Manhattan with one of the premium whiskies/ryes rather than Bullet for example, and make suggestions of more interesting options knowing we had the PPlus

 

There is no doubt that if you plan on drinking bottles of wine at dinner- on top of the daily pina coladas and such poolside, it is of value for some better wine choices.

 

The one minor issue was that many bars around the ship do not have the premium liquors or wines available.  For example we went to Headliners for a show and they did not have the Louis Jadot Chardonay available by the glass.  We also were at one bar that didn't have any Vueve, so we had to order another drink for that moment (poor us --- LOL!)

 

 

Our next cruise is in March and we will do the Premium Plus again.

 

Anyone know if the Chimay bottles in District Brewhouse are included?

[plode682]

2 hours ago, MikeBTN said:

 

Anyone know if the Chimay bottles in District Brewhouse are included?

They are $19.95 per bottle(or at least it was when I was on board), so it should be.  

[aero777]

3 hours ago, MikeBTN said:

 

Anyone know if the Chimay bottles in District Brewhouse are included?

Yes they are, but check your onboard account immediately with the app. They charged us twice on our May cruise and I’ve read a couple others reporting they were charged. Requires a trip to guest services to remove. Hopefully they’ve fixed it by now.

Edited August 20, 2019 by aero777

[Shidah]

Thanks for all the great reviews.  We upgraded for our cruise leaving this Sunday and am even more excited now!

[wetcoast]

3 hours ago, MikeBTN said:

 

Anyone know if the Chimay bottles in District Brewhouse are included?

According to guest services it is not, but they ended up taking off the charge anyway

[AlexandNessa]

Anyone know:

 

If you upgrade onboard, do they print you a new card or do you get a sticker or something to indicate the Plus package?

 

And has anyone had issues recently using N/R OBC to upgrade? We have 600$ OBC, so thinking of a splurge since we're staying right outside the Haven bar. If we can't use OBC,  may upgrade in advance so the Plus package will already be indicated when we get our card at check in.

 

[wetcoast]

12 minutes ago, AlexandNessa said:

Anyone know:

 

If you upgrade onboard, do they print you a new card or do you get a sticker or something to indicate the Plus package?

 

And has anyone had issues recently using N/R OBC to upgrade? We have 600$ OBC, so thinking of a splurge since we're staying right outside the Haven bar. If we can't use OBC,  may upgrade in advance so the Plus package will already be indicated when we get our card at check in.

 

I upgraded on board and they printed a new card for me