drink package frustration!

[poke315]

Just a little rant.

I have a hard time with the price of NCL's drink packages. I wonder how they justify charging nearly $40. per day more (not including gratuities) than  the other cruise lines (Royal Caribbean, Carnival, ETC) and not offer as much? I think $100 a day( plus gratuity) should at least cover bottled water. I've only ever cruised RCCL but their 59.00 a day package covers coffees, bottled water and even milkshakes,on some ships.

My best friend and I booked an NCL  trip for our families out of New York for Feb. of 2021 because we figured it would be neat to go out of Manhattan, but I'm really starting to rethink it. 

 

Am I the only one who is bothered by this?? I'm thinking not, it's just plain ridiculous! 

 

 

Rant over.

[smplybcause]

The vast majority get the drink package as a perk so the actual cost it 19.80 per day. Much less than the other lines. 

 

 

I'm sure there's some out there that pay for it, but I've never met one yet. 

[phillyguy31]

I personally think they really don’t expect too many people to actually buy it. The vast majority take it as a perk. If you don’t take it in most cases it is cheaper to pay as you go.

[cliffd64]

9 minutes ago, poke315 said:

Just a little rant.

I have a hard time with the price of NCL's drink packages. I wonder how they justify charging nearly $40. per day more (not including gratuities) than  the other cruise lines (Royal Caribbean, Carnival, ETC) and not offer as much? I think $100 a day( plus gratuity) should at least cover bottled water. I've only ever cruised RCCL but their 59.00 a day package covers coffees, bottled water and even milkshakes,on some ships.

My best friend and I booked an NCL  trip for our families out of New York for Feb. of 2021 because we figured it would be neat to go out of Manhattan, but I'm really starting to rethink it. 

 

Am I the only one who is bothered by this?? I'm thinking not, it's just plain ridiculous! 

 

 

Rant over.

Most people take the beverage package as a free-at-sea perk... So that cost is fantasy.   It comes out to less than 20 a day after gratuities,..

 

[CP3o]

Just now, cliffd64 said:

Most people take the beverage package as a free-at-sea perk... So that cost is fantasy.   It comes out to less than 20 a day after gratuities,..

 

Right, but really the cost is the diffence between the "sail away" rate and the rate that includes the perks.  If the OP got a really cheap sale away cabin, they decided to go wo the perk.  On a port intensive itinerary or if like wine best of all and don't mind $15 corkage fee, the math could work out.

 

ps the 59/rccl package would be a sale rate.  regular price is higher.  one of the things I really like about rccl tho, and i don't think there is a similar option on ncl, is that one pax can get drink package and the other the refreshment package.  Bc no water or coffee is included, it's really hard on the non drinker to pay the gratuity charge just to have soda.  If you are able to remove it to soda package only for an adult over 21 in the cabin, use perk for one soda package and one drink package, let me know, if anyone happens to know.

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/booked/beverage-packages

 

 

[tallnthensome]

Tell me you’re not purchasing the package outright? I think only 3 people in history have done or even considered that .....

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, poke315 said:

Just a little rant. I have a hard time with the price of NCL's drink packages. I wonder how they justify charging nearly $40. per day more (not including gratuities) than  the other cruise lines (Royal Caribbean, Carnival, ETC) and not offer as much? I think $100 a day( plus gratuity) should at least cover bottled water. I've only ever cruised RCCL but their 59.00 a day package covers coffees, bottled water and even milkshakes,on some ships. My best friend and I booked an NCL  trip for our families out of New York for Feb. of 2021 because we figured it would be neat to go out of Manhattan, but I'm really starting to rethink it. Am I the only one who is bothered by this?? I'm thinking not, it's just plain ridiculous! Rant over.

so,,, why didn't you select the drinks package as your free perk? If you booked a rate saying "I don't want free drinks", then you either have to pay by the drink, or pay full retail price ($99/day + 20% gratuity). Everyone who wants to drinks, pays a few bucks more for a cabin class where drinks are included. 

[NLH Arizona]

If you feel that it will cost you more than you drink, then don't purchase it or take it as a perk.  I, for example, don't drink enough for even the perk to be beneficial to me.

 

As far as water and coffee, they chose to not include it, if it is important that a cruise line includes these two things, you might want to consider going back to Royal Caribbean.

 

[salty dingo]

The package price is a gimmick to charge the highest possible gratuity for it. You pay for the rest of the price in the form of a higher base fare that is charged to get the perk.

 

I think the actual price you pay is higher on Carnival, but it includes bottles water, energy drinks, and specialty coffee. Since those drinks are not too important to me, I find NCL is the better value.

[poke315]

29 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

so,,, why didn't you select the drinks package as your free perk? If you booked a rate saying "I don't want free drinks", then you either have to pay by the drink, or pay full retail price ($99/day + 20% gratuity). Everyone who wants to drinks, pays a few bucks more for a cabin class where drinks are included. 

we did choose the perk, but it's only for the first 2 people in the room. we will also have our son with us so, for him to have a drink package as well, it will be an $826.00 which is more than his fare, hence my frustration.

Edited November 11, 2019 by poke315

[ColeThornton]

Well, since you aren't going until 2021 you can easily shop around and if you find something better that gives you a satisfactory bottom line with all things included take that.  Simple.

[varich1011]

It would probably be cheaper for your son to just pay for what he drinks.  This really holds true is you have a good number of port days.  I believe you can change around your reservation so that your heavy drinkers would be the first and second person on your reservation and make the lightest your third (pay as you go). When we had additional people in our cabin, we took bottles of wine and paid the corkage fee for their wine at dinner and then they just ordered thier drinks by the pool when they wanted them.  It worked out great for us.

 

[smplybcause]

Depending on the time and ship, if it has studios you can likely get him his own cabin for less. With the added bonus of having a room to yourself. 

 

Otherwise you put the two people that drink the most as 1 & 2. With the third ala carte. 

 

 

Also drink package on royal is 1462 for 3. The free drink package gratuities plus drink package for the third is 1108. So about $350 cheaper than Royal. Even more savings if you used 3/4 guest free which Royal doesn't offer for adults. 

Edited November 11, 2019 by smplybcause

[ray98]

So....don't buy it.  Seems simple.

[DirtyDawg]

I agree NCL pricing is frustrating but that's free enterprise for what amounts to a near monopoly situation. The third guest in you cabin is at the mercy of the cruise line. He can't but Royal's drink package and stay in your NCL cabin can he. 

 

You have lots of time. Shop around. All cruise lines; pricing will frustrated you in some way, just pick the one that is the least frustrating for you.

[hallux]

11 hours ago, poke315 said:

we will also have our son with us so, for him to have a drink package as well, it will be an $826.00 which is more than his fare, hence my frustration.

Would it be cheaper to put him in a solo cabin with the perk?  You don't say what ship or sailing you're on, some ships don't have those cabins.

[Caroldoll]

13 hours ago, poke315 said:

Just a little rant.

I have a hard time with the price of NCL's drink packages. I wonder how they justify charging nearly $40. per day more (not including gratuities) than  the other cruise lines (Royal Caribbean, Carnival, ETC) and not offer as much? I think $100 a day( plus gratuity) should at least cover bottled water. I've only ever cruised RCCL but their 59.00 a day package covers coffees, bottled water and even milkshakes,on some ships.

My best friend and I booked an NCL  trip for our families out of New York for Feb. of 2021 because we figured it would be neat to go out of Manhattan, but I'm really starting to rethink it. 

 

Am I the only one who is bothered by this?? I'm thinking not, it's just plain ridiculous! 

 

 

Rant over.

I agree completely and I am Platinum Plus and in the Haven Owners Suite and still no water!

[BirdTravels]

12 hours ago, poke315 said:

we did choose the perk, but it's only for the first 2 people in the room. we will also have our son with us so, for him to have a drink package as well, it will be an $826.00 which is more than his fare, hence my frustration.

At some point, it is [almost] cheaper to put the kid in his own room (which he would greatly prefer) and get the drinks perk. 

[beerman2]

15 hours ago, poke315 said:

we did choose the perk, but it's only for the first 2 people in the room. we will also have our son with us so, for him to have a drink package as well, it will be an $826.00 which is more than his fare, hence my frustration.

Have you checked solo cabin/rate for your son? Not sure it would be beneficial but worth looking at.

[kollegekreed]

Fact is you are allowed to get two drinks at once. As long as you aren’t overt about it,  none of the bartenders will care if you order him a drink.

[GA Dave]

On our first cruise back in 2001, my wife and I sailed on the Norwegian Sea.  Seven day cruise out of NYC to Nassau and GSC.  There was no such thing as a drink package back then.  Our bar tab for the week was $750, plus I gave out a very large wad of singles as tips.  If I look at the purchase price now, it would be $99 X 7 X 2 = $1,386.  Using an online inflation calculator, the $750 we spent in 2001 comes out to $1,087.96 in 2019.  So, don't buy the package.  Just pay per drink and see where you come out!

 

[ray98]

1 hour ago, kollegekreed said:

Fact is you are allowed to get two drinks at once. As long as you aren’t overt about it,  none of the bartenders will care if you order him a drink.

 

 

Stretching the truth there.....

[ziggyuk]

1 hour ago, kollegekreed said:

Fact is you are allowed to get two drinks at once. As long as you aren’t overt about it,  none of the bartenders will care if you order him a drink.

 

Very probably true but if caught, the whole cabin could have their drinks package rescinded, that could be expensive.

[ray98]

I don't know of many bartenders who would be 'good with it' since it means they are taking money out of their own pocket.

[kollegekreed]

Can’t say I’ve ever heard of someone losing the package....

 

In any case As I said not overtly. I can say confidently my cabin mate and I ordered upwards of 30+ drinks last week that didn’t Go into our bellies. 
 

Obviously ordering a drink at the bar and turning around and Handing it to someone they saw but a drink ten minutes earlier isn’t wise.

 

But for example, In The social on the joy Last week groups kept ordering shots and the bartender just asked how many room keys they could produce with the package and made two shots for each card