Perks extra with drinks package

[fourfigg]

We are thinking about purchasing this package for our June 12th cruise.  Has anyone else?   Our cruise was comped through Blue Chip Club so did not receive any perks.  We are looking at the $129 a day per adult package.  We always upgrade to premium drink package and purchase the Wifi package. So for the price seems to be a good deal especially since it includes $225 excursion credit each and a dinner in a specialty restaurant.  

[jelayne]

My first question is do the charge a 20% gratuity on the entire cost of the package or just on the beverage package portion.

 

Do you have any status in the Captains Club would provide you discounts on the with-fi or beverage package or provide a bag of free laundry.  Generally you can book dinner in a Speciality restaurant for the 1st night in the Cruise Planner at a 30% discount.

 

If you normally do the ship excursions it could be a good deal, we rarely do ship excursions so the $225 has no value to us.

 

 

[LGW59]

40 minutes ago, jelayne said:

My first question is do the charge a 20% gratuity on the entire cost of the package or just on the beverage package portion.

 

Do you have any status in the Captains Club would provide you discounts on the with-fi or beverage package or provide a bag of free laundry.  Generally you can book dinner in a Speciality restaurant for the 1st night in the Cruise Planner at a 30% discount.

 

If you normally do the ship excursions it could be a good deal, we rarely do ship excursions so the $225 has no value to us.

 

 

but you may have no choice but to do ship excursions in the future, time will tell.  So the $225 may be of use.

[Bruin Steve]

3 hours ago, fourfigg said:

We are thinking about purchasing this package for our June 12th cruise.  Has anyone else?   Our cruise was comped through Blue Chip Club so did not receive any perks.  We are looking at the $129 a day per adult package.  We always upgrade to premium drink package and purchase the Wifi package. So for the price seems to be a good deal especially since it includes $225 excursion credit each and a dinner in a specialty restaurant.  

I'm a little too lazy right now to look up all the numbers...but, here's the way I look at those packages in general.  (I don't have to do it for my upcoming bookings since my next two on X are in Sky Suites and include everything at the top level...If I really thought about what I was actually paying for it blended into that Suite price, I'd probably faint...but, with the suites, it wasn't an option to do otherwise.  On my upcoming Princess cruise, I was offered two prices--with and without...On theirs, it was a mere $40 per person per day...So, figuring the gratuities alone are about $15, that leaves $25...about the price of three CHEAP drinks a day (and theirs allows drinks up to $12)...so, it's like pre-buying three drinks a day and having them throw in unlimited WiFi and a night at a specialty restaurant...Not bad...

 

But $129 is quite a bit more than that...So, here is the formula:

Deduct the per night gratuity amount...deduct the cost of that free specialty restaurant, divided by the number of nights...You can deduct the WiFi value if you want...I don't--because I don't use it except to check email--which I can usually also do for free in port...And, as an Elite Plus, we get 240 minutes each per cruise anyway...But, if you use it a lot, subtract the cost...

 

That leaves you a number which is the amount you are, basically, agreeing to pre-purchase in drinks each day...Say, it's a remainder of $90...This is the "Premium" package, right?  That allows drinks up to $15 (maybe it's a little less if you blend in that OBC, divided by number of days)...the "Classic is drinks up to $10 each...BUT, if it's the Premium, you are, basically agreeing to pre-pay for SIX $15 martinis each every day...If you drink something lesser...say Margaritas or Mojitos or Pina Coladas or "Well" bourbon or scotch, then figure you're paying for NINE drinks a night each whether you drink them or not...

 

If you are heavy drinkers and you normally drink more than that...or you add a lot of sodas and other things which they throw in for free on the package, then you are ahead...If you're going to fall short of that, you probably should have just charged to your account...By the end of the cruise, your total bill will be less...

 

OTOH, since you got the whole cruise comped anyway, you may just want to pay the freight and not care...

Edited April 19, 2021 by Bruin Steve

[PTC DAWG]

10 minutes ago, Bruin Steve said:

 

OTOH, since you got the whole cruise comped anyway, you may just want to pay the freight and not care...

That is simpler math.  🙂