NCL Regulars that have tried other cruise lines- Alcohol

[NCLGirl2013]

My husband and I have done multiple NCL cruises and have no complaints. We always have a fabulous time! Recently we have thought about branching out and trying a new cruise line just out of curiosity of differences. Specifically we have been looking at Royal Caribbean. When I price check, they seem to be pretty similar but what is a breaking point for us is the alcohol package. We always get the free beverage package on NCL and we use it to the full 😅 I usually have a couple Irish Coffees before my husband even wakes up for the day then we probably have 5/6 by the pool for hours then a cocktail or 2 before dinner. Then depending on how we feel, we go out after dinner too. So let's say 10 drinks per person per day. On NCL, we never have any problems and it's all included. On RCL or any other line we would be stuck by their package (TA says that is about $75/pp per day so that's pushing an extra $1,050 😳) or paying per drink which at let's say an average of $10/per drink and we drink probably 10 drinks a day..... that's even more. 

 

So my question is, any other couples that like to drink regularly and are well acquainted with the NCL beverage package, how do other cruise lines compare for your bar bill at the end of the cruise? 

[tallnthensome]

Other cruise line drink packages are way better than NCL's free at sea package. If you're a drinker then you're probably going to buy a drink package on whichever line you sail unless it too is part of a promo. Other lines include bottle water and specialty cofffees and with booze as well. I was a huge NCL fan up until recently as they are now the worst value of all the lines and their post covid pricing absolutely sucks. 

[CruisingSince1982]

19 minutes ago, NCLGirl2013 said:

My husband and I have done multiple NCL cruises and have no complaints. We always have a fabulous time! Recently we have thought about branching out and trying a new cruise line just out of curiosity of differences. Specifically we have been looking at Royal Caribbean. When I price check, they seem to be pretty similar but what is a breaking point for us is the alcohol package. We always get the free beverage package on NCL and we use it to the full 😅 I usually have a couple Irish Coffees before my husband even wakes up for the day then we probably have 5/6 by the pool for hours then a cocktail or 2 before dinner. Then depending on how we feel, we go out after dinner too. So let's say 10 drinks per person per day. On NCL, we never have any problems and it's all included. On RCL or any other line we would be stuck by their package (TA says that is about $75/pp per day so that's pushing an extra $1,050 😳) or paying per drink which at let's say an average of $10/per drink and we drink probably 10 drinks a day..... that's even more. 

 

So my question is, any other couples that like to drink regularly and are well acquainted with the NCL beverage package, how do other cruise lines compare for your bar bill at the end of the cruise? 

Royal, IMO, is more upscale than NCL, so the cruise fare is a little higher. We sail both lines a lot, and we like both for different reasons. I would not pay $74pp for the drink package. The most we have paid is $60pp, and that was just on the Symphony in March. I would probably go up to $65pp, but that's it. With Royal, bottled water, fresh squeezed juices, and your speciality coffees are also includes in the drink package. Milk shakes from Johnny Rockets are included as well. Also, you are looking at around $13 per drink on Royal. Wine would be around 10 or so. 

[mafig]

I believe Royal's package is about $65 a day.  Sometimes they have sales!

 

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

I drink black coffee and ice water from the tap suits this steerage passenger just fine (it's probably filtered/purified more than what comes in that bottle).  I'll take the free!

[CILCIANRQTS]

Not sure I’ve ever seen someone pick a cruise line by it’s drink package…

[gknep]

I've been on NCL and Holland America with drinks packages on each. I've purchased the drinks package on HA once because it was not a promo but the cost at the time was pretty affordable. It was less than $400 per person for a 7 day Mexican Riviera cruise. The HA package had more inclusions than the NCL package (specialty coffees, bottled water, etc). On NCL the standard package includes drinks up to $15 if you buy a more expensive drink they only charge you the difference. HA, on the other hand charges you for the full drink. HA also limits the package to 15 drinks per day and the non-alcoholic drinks count towards that total. I cruise like the OP and can not imagine not having drinks package. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

21 minutes ago, CILCIANRQTS said:

Not sure I’ve ever seen someone pick a cruise line by it’s drink package…

I'm pretty sure that you have.  You just didn't know it. 🤣

[chrisdar1]

3 hours ago, NCLGirl2013 said:

My husband and I have done multiple NCL cruises and have no complaints. We always have a fabulous time! Recently we have thought about branching out and trying a new cruise line just out of curiosity of differences. Specifically we have been looking at Royal Caribbean. When I price check, they seem to be pretty similar but what is a breaking point for us is the alcohol package. We always get the free beverage package on NCL and we use it to the full 😅 I usually have a couple Irish Coffees before my husband even wakes up for the day then we probably have 5/6 by the pool for hours then a cocktail or 2 before dinner. Then depending on how we feel, we go out after dinner too. So let's say 10 drinks per person per day. On NCL, we never have any problems and it's all included. On RCL or any other line we would be stuck by their package (TA says that is about $75/pp per day so that's pushing an extra $1,050 😳) or paying per drink which at let's say an average of $10/per drink and we drink probably 10 drinks a day..... that's even more. 

 

So my question is, any other couples that like to drink regularly and are well acquainted with the NCL beverage package, how do other cruise lines compare for your bar bill at the end of the cruise? 

I am by no means an expert.  We have friends that sail RCL often and love it.  

 

Every time I’ve done a similar itinerary  (based off of sail date and port), NCL comes out cheaper with the drink package promo.  Again, this is for similar cabin category, ship location (forward, mid, aft) and ship size. And I have never booked Haven, so not including that price point.

 

Now, I may be missing a loyalty promo (never sailed RCL) but the NCL price always looks more affordable than RCL.

 

If you have had a different experience, let me know…

 

Edited April 3, 2022 by chrisdar1

[chillyw]

I was on the Symphony just before the shutdown with covid, and I found bar service significantly better on NCL.

 

The one benefit of RCCL was including bottled water in their normal drink package, but they are stingy with pours, and charge just as much as NCL (if not more) for premium liquors like whistle pig.

 

For me, and bar service, it's night and day the difference between the premium plus package on NCL and the experience on Royal.  And there's nothing I ran into on Symphony that can match the Haven bar.

Edited April 3, 2022 by chillyw

[kelib]

I loved the Celebrity AI Package. Pretty much covers everything and the upgrade is $12 a day (if you get OBC, then wait till you get onboard to upgrade)

Even though X is higher in initial cost remember that you are not getting dinged with the drink gratuities after initial price and added daily fees at the end of the cruise. 
 

[FreestyleNovice]

Also was going to say try Celebrity, if the demographic and venues (or lack of them vs NCL)  fits you..

[Daytonasailor]

11 hours ago, NCLGirl2013 said:

My husband and I have done multiple NCL cruises and have no complaints. We always have a fabulous time! Recently we have thought about branching out and trying a new cruise line just out of curiosity of differences. Specifically we have been looking at Royal Caribbean. When I price check, they seem to be pretty similar but what is a breaking point for us is the alcohol package. We always get the free beverage package on NCL and we use it to the full 😅 I usually have a couple Irish Coffees before my husband even wakes up for the day then we probably have 5/6 by the pool for hours then a cocktail or 2 before dinner. Then depending on how we feel, we go out after dinner too. So let's say 10 drinks per person per day. On NCL, we never have any problems and it's all included. On RCL or any other line we would be stuck by their package (TA says that is about $75/pp per day so that's pushing an extra $1,050 😳) or paying per drink which at let's say an average of $10/per drink and we drink probably 10 drinks a day..... that's even more. 

 

So my question is, any other couples that like to drink regularly and are well acquainted with the NCL beverage package, how do other cruise lines compare for your bar bill at the end of the cruise? 

Our first cruise on the Monarch of the Seas (RCI) was a 3 day weekender. Our bar bill was $600. That was a shocker, but we were not thinking of the price of each drink as we were having a good time. I switched to NCL as I thought, great, free drinks. Then I compared cheap cruise (RCI) and NCL with drink package. What a minute, the NCL price is close to the RCI when you add the drink package. So I think it's roughly the same price.  One cruise we took on RCI and did not get the drink package. We ordered by the drink. Each time I ordered a drink I thought, I wonder how much I owe on my bar bill. That is not the way to go IMO. Now I just look at the trip and the ship to make a decision on which line to use.

[Sailing12Away]

We tried RCC for the first time this past October. For a true apples-apples comparison, we're sticking with NCL as it just suits us better. I won't pass up a great itinerary at a great price with RCC, but apples-apples NCL is always significantly cheaper for our cruising preferences.

 

On RCC we were in an owners suite, which included access to the suite lounge. They had free drinks in there if we didn't have the drink package - but the problem is that it was only open from like 5pm - 10pm. For people who have high loyalty perks with RCC, they get bonus 'coupons' to trade in for free drinks. I'm not a fan of needing a coupon to drink without regard to what I'm trying, but that works for some I suppose.

 

Without coupons or being in a suite with those perks, you're left with buying the drink package on RCC. We paid $60/pp/day for our 7 day sailing. So that was $420 per person, whereas the 'free' drink package with NCL the month earlier on our Alaska sailing was $138 per person for the gratuities on the package. In the grand scheme of what we ultimately paid as the final price for both trips, $600 isn't a lot, but given the choice of having that money in my pocket or giving it to the cruise line no need to guess on that choice.

 

Drinks were a bit stronger with RCC, so I'll give them that. But then at the same time, RCC is a bit sneaky as they don't advertise everything they have on board. At the wine bar they only had about 3 choices that fell within the limits of the package. When I mentioned it to the bartender he said "oh, we have others... what are you looking for?". Then magically there were Riesling, Moscato, and other Chardonnay choices available to me that were within my drink package price limit. So why not advertise them....?

 

The fresh juice that everyone loves to talk about.... where exactly do you get that on the ships? Because I honestly never even saw it. It's not like there's a juice bar where you can get fresh made smoothies that NCL doesn't offer - or if there was, I never found it. Specialty coffee.... meh, I'm fine with the Nespresso pods in the room. Bottle water... again, meh. I bring a refillable bottle with me, so I don't need extra plastic bottles. It's not like RCC is offering you cans of soda in your room for free and NCL doesn't. So those "extras" that RCC provides, they're not a value add for us.

[oteixeira]

My wife saw a Vlog of the new Wonder of the Seas and she was asking me to price it out.  I had no idea how much you have to spend on RCCL to get unlimited drinks.  Needless to say, there is a lot more you have to factor in then the price you seen on those comparison sites.  Drinks added well over 800 dollars to the bill, where on NCL, it is normally about 250 (I am factoring 2 people).   I am trying to steer her back to trying Celebrity and the MSC YC again, as I know with both of those I can get "included" drinks that don't tack a large sum onto the bottom line price.

[NCLGirl2013]

15 hours ago, CILCIANRQTS said:

Not sure I’ve ever seen someone pick a cruise line by it’s drink package…

Happy to be your first! 😂 that is 1000% the deciding factor for my husband and I 

[NCLGirl2013]

4 hours ago, FreestyleNovice said:

Also was going to say try Celebrity, if the demographic and venues (or lack of them vs NCL)  fits you..

Way too expensive compared to NCL 😅 we spend no more than $699 max per person for the base prices of our NCL cruises 

[njkate]

They run sales and you can cancel the package very easily online and repurchase the package now on sale. That said I prefer the NCL way and not have to watch for sales.

 

Also on RCC deposits are higher, I think $250 PP so $ 500 and they are NON REFUNDABLE, you can pick refundable as you are checking out but it raises the cost of the cabin. In todays travel world I like my deposit even if it's a cruise next certificate to be refundable

[NCLGirl2013]

12 hours ago, chrisdar1 said:

I am by no means an expert.  We have friends that sail RCL often and love it.  

 

Every time I’ve done a similar itinerary  (based off of sail date and port), NCL comes out cheaper with the drink package promo.  Again, this is for similar cabin category, ship location (forward, mid, aft) and ship size. And I have never booked Haven, so not including that price point.

 

Now, I may be missing a loyalty promo (never sailed RCL) but the NCL price always looks more affordable than RCL.

 

If you have had a different experience, let me know…

 

This! I keep doing the math trying to make RCL work for us but NCL keeps coming out on top price wise every time. I'd like to try RCLs new ships but not if it is going to cost me another $1,000 in drinks 😅

[NCLGirl2013]

35 minutes ago, oteixeira said:

My wife saw a Vlog of the new Wonder of the Seas and she was asking me to price it out.  I had no idea how much you have to spend on RCCL to get unlimited drinks.  Needless to say, there is a lot more you have to factor in then the price you seen on those comparison sites.  Drinks added well over 800 dollars to the bill, where on NCL, it is normally about 250 (I am factoring 2 people).   I am trying to steer her back to trying Celebrity and the MSC YC again, as I know with both of those I can get "included" drinks that don't tack a large sum onto the bottom line price.

I am similar to your wife as I did the same thing and watched a vlog and now want to try their ships! But not at a significantly more expensive price overall 

[NCLGirl2013]

5 minutes ago, njkate said:

They run sales and you can cancel the package very easily online and repurchase the package now on sale. That said I prefer the NCL way and not have to watch for sales.

 

Also on RCC deposits are higher, I think $250 PP so $ 500 and they are NON REFUNDABLE, you can pick refundable as you are checking out but it raises the cost of the cabin. In todays travel world I like my deposit even if it's a cruise next certificate to be refundable

Ohhh! I did NOT know the deposit is non refundable. That is a big deal for us as well. 

[deweytrader]

Just paid $1090 for the drink package on Royal for my Symphony sailing on 4/9.  $65 pppd with 18% on top of that.  Royal drink prices have been climbing recently, used to be able to get it in the $50's even $40's.  I sail multiple lines and NCL is our favorite.

[NCLGirl2013]

2 minutes ago, deweytrader said:

Just paid $1090 for the drink package on Royal for my Symphony sailing on 4/9.  $65 pppd with 18% on top of that.  Royal drink prices have been climbing recently, used to be able to get it in the $50's even $40's.  I sail multiple lines and NCL is our favorite.

Yikes! That is a significant addition the cruise fare 😳

[njkate]

27 minutes ago, NCLGirl2013 said:

Ohhh! I did NOT know the deposit is non refundable. That is a big deal for us as well. 

Yes, you need to look for it on check out and click the box but it does raise the cost of the cabin, I guess how much depends on cabin type

[Hutcha]

44 minutes ago, NCLGirl2013 said:

Way too expensive compared to NCL 😅 we spend no more than $699 max per person for the base prices of our NCL cruises 

Celebrity has gratuities and unlimited wifi for two included, in addition to the drinks