Outrageous Cost of Alcohol Package

[vjmatty]

13 minutes ago, billslowsky said:

If it's a 5 nighter with stops at Labadee and Coco Cay, the per day is going to be at the upper end of the price scale since you can use it off the ship as well.  And it being easier to drink heavily for 5 days straight compared to 7.

 

I didn't even think of the itinerary, I was focusing on fewer bars and other venues to get alcohol....but with the two private islands I can see why they feel justified in jacking it up.

[Husky1987]

It seems to me that there are folks around here who measure "value" and "wastefulness" solely in terms of dollars.

 

I know plenty of people who gladly give up quite a bit in wages because they can find better (for them) working hours, a shorter commute, a place that will let them leave for 30 minutes to grab their kid and take them home from school, being around friends who may work at the same place, etc.  

 

The same goes for the drink packages.  Sure, there is value in the dollars spent.  But there have been other reasons given in this thread (and all the other threads) as to why people will spend the money, even if they don't "get their money's worth".  

 

What other people choose to place value on in their lives or vacations isn't up to me.  If you choose to purchase or not to purchase the drink package at $50/day, $80/day, or $120/day and drink three drinks, five, or twelve....totally up to you.

[baelor]

2 hours ago, Joebucks said:

Yet the winners seem to be those that force themselves to drink extra stuff. Seems to me that either aren't winning. 

The winners are the people who naturally drink more than the value they paid for the package, and in fact drink that much on the cruise.

[baelor]

2 hours ago, billslowsky said:

I wouldn't buy the drink package.  Why would I - so I can "save money" on an additional 5+ bar drinks each and every day?

Yes, that would be the benefit.  The package may still be financially beneficial despite the 5 vouchers depending on what else and how much they drink.

[S.A.M.J.R.]

1 minute ago, baelor said:

The winners are the people who naturally drink more than the value they paid for the package, and in fact drink that much on the cruise.

You're both wrong.  the winners are the cruise lines that I *GUARANTEE* are making money off selling the package.  Maybe not off you, but from the majority of people. 

[cruisingguy007]

On your next cruise, thank an alcoholic, someone who only eats at up-charge establishments,  a smoker and/or a degenerate gambler, they are helping to subsidize cruise fares and make it cheaper for everyone else. 

 

It's your money, spend/waste it however you want! Happy cruising! 😄 

[baelor]

Just now, S.A.M.J.R. said:

You're both wrong.  the winners are the cruise lines that I *GUARANTEE* are making money off selling the package.  Maybe not off you, but from the majority of people. 

Which means that there are some cruisers who are also winners.  But I agree.

[Biker19]

16 minutes ago, baelor said:

RCI does not allow you to buy alcohol and then consume it in your cabin. 

While limited and not good value, yes they do.

[PTC DAWG]

1 hour ago, billslowsky said:

If it's a 5 nighter with stops at Labadee and Coco Cay, the per day is going to be at the upper end of the price scale since you can use it off the ship as well.  And it being easier to drink heavily for 5 days straight compared to 7.

I just took this cruise, I think we payed $67.99 plus grats each..it was offered on the ship day one for $105+ grats each…

 

the Wife and I had a blast. 

[baelor]

14 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

While limited and not good value, yes they do.

Thanks--the store is currently down, so I guessed I missed that.

[Biker19]

19 minutes ago, baelor said:

Thanks--the store is currently down, so I guessed I missed that.

Not available on all ships - it's usually in the gifts/gear section: Shop Onboard Wine & Liquor with Royal Gifts | Royal Caribbean International

Edited June 1, 2022 by Biker19

[ReneeFLL]

1 hour ago, Husky1987 said:

It seems to me that there are folks around here who measure "value" and "wastefulness" solely in terms of dollars.

 

I know plenty of people who gladly give up quite a bit in wages because they can find better (for them) working hours, a shorter commute, a place that will let them leave for 30 minutes to grab their kid and take them home from school, being around friends who may work at the same place, etc…

👍🏼 Yep, hubby could take a higher position but he would have to commute out of state at this time. He doesn’t want to so he calls it the cost of a better life.

Edited June 1, 2022 by ReneeFLL

[ReneeFLL]

2 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

Here is a comparable for UBP pricing on a couple sailings.
 

For our sailing, NYE on Harmony, the drink package was $75 US as of yesterday. For Mariner in October it is $100 US, when we last looked.

 

• Are they deals or not, that is up to the individual.  

Very true and some people on here don’t seem to get it.

 

2 hours ago, Jimbo said:

$100 pp per day......Look into purchasing a brewery...........That's license to steal, just don't bend over. 😲

Jimbo, you stay in suites, correct? Some people would also call that a waste of money when you could stay in a balcony for cheaper. Heck, go for the inside and save even more. 
 

Same thing as taking coach versus first class. We come across this type of situation all throughout our lives. Buy what you want to don’t. 

 

I can’t believe this is still going on after 12 pages and I just added to it.  🤔 🤣

 

Edited June 1, 2022 by ReneeFLL

[BND]

1 hour ago, Husky1987 said:

It seems to me that there are folks around here who measure "value" and "wastefulness" solely in terms of dollars.

 

I know plenty of people who gladly give up quite a bit in wages because they can find better (for them) working hours, a shorter commute, a place that will let them leave for 30 minutes to grab their kid and take them home from school, being around friends who may work at the same place, etc.  

 

The same goes for the drink packages.  Sure, there is value in the dollars spent.  But there have been other reasons given in this thread (and all the other threads) as to why people will spend the money, even if they don't "get their money's worth".  

 

What other people choose to place value on in their lives or vacations isn't up to me.  If you choose to purchase or not to purchase the drink package at $50/day, $80/day, or $120/day and drink three drinks, five, or twelve....totally up to you.

When you're talking about buying something, then the value is usually related to money.

 

But, I get what you are saying.  I agree that it's up to each person on how they spend their money.  My issue here is that there have been at lease one poster who resorts to belittling people who give their opinion about the value or lack thereof of the package for themselves.   The original poster  said the cost is outrageous, and even some of those that buy it agree that it is.  There are all kind of choices each of us makes about our vacations.  We always stay in a JS, which some people think is a waste of money, but we see as money well spent for the space and balcony.  We don't play bingo because to us it's a waste of money, but there are people who are die hard bingo players.  I know people who play bingo, gamble, etc and will agree that it's not worth the money, but they get enjoyment out of it.  

Edited June 1, 2022 by BND

[Pandamonia]

Well the good news is that Royal just put the price up AGAIN LOL

 

Its gone from £50 a day to £73.50 a day as of today online. $91.87 per day 

 

Last cruise I paid $38 plus grats lol

[Jimbo]

41 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

Very true and some people on here don’t seem to get it.

 

Jimbo, you stay in suites, correct? Some people would also call that a waste of money when you could stay in a balcony for cheaper. Heck, go for the inside and save even more. 
 

Same thing as taking coach versus first class. We come across this type of situation all throughout our lives. Buy what you want to don’t. 

 

I can’t believe this is still going on after 12 pages and I just added to it.  🤔 🤣

 

Sorry not really a  Suite Person here, Inside once, never an outside.........Only had I think 2 suites, JS and an Owners Suite..........and Only the Owner's Suite we  had  was because it was mispriced by Royal. All the rest were just regular Balconies.

 

Though we did just cancel a L&S Owner's Suite for this fall to Europe. Just getting back our Non Refundable deposit in Cash. Didn't book anything in place of it.

 

And like you said Suites are a WASTE !

Edited June 1, 2022 by Jimbo

[rudeney]

2 hours ago, cruisingguy007 said:

On your next cruise, thank an alcoholic, someone who only eats at up-charge establishments,  a smoker and/or a degenerate gambler, they are helping to subsidize cruise fares and make it cheaper for everyone else. 

 

It's your money, spend/waste it however you want! Happy cruising! 😄 

 

 

You forgot to thank the guests who pay for suites and subsidize the $120 cruise fares for guests choosing inside cabins.  😜

[A&L_Ont]

5 hours ago, Jimbo said:

$100 pp per day......Look into purchasing a brewery...........That's license to steal, just don't bend over. 😲

A licence to print money is a cruise during a holiday such as NYE, Christmas, July 4th. UBP is small change compared to the mark-up of a holiday sailing. 

 

5 hours ago, vjmatty said:

Yikes....now I am starting to think that theory someone posted, that RC are trying to avoid running out of their limited supply of booze might be on point.  Mariner i s a rather small ship and these are higher than Oasis prices, so the theory makes sense.

It could also be prorated price of a 5 to 7 night sailing.  

 

4 hours ago, billslowsky said:

If it's a 5 nighter with stops at Labadee and Coco Cay, the per day is going to be at the upper end of the price scale since you can use it off the ship as well.  And it being easier to drink heavily for 5 days straight compared to 7.

This exactly. That’s why we booked it early. If the price drops we can rebook it.  We can also easily use the package in CoCo Cay, Labadee and the two sea days.  If there were port stops that were not RC owned we would most likely not have bought it. 

Edited June 1, 2022 by A&L_Ont

[exm]

2 hours ago, Pandamonia said:

Well the good news is that Royal just put the price up AGAIN LOL

 

Its gone from £50 a day to £73.50 a day as of today online. $91.87 per day 

 

Last cruise I paid $38 plus grats lol

 

We are in between "sales". Next sale will be later this month closer to 4th of july

[Joebucks]

8 hours ago, Husky1987 said:

It seems to me that there are folks around here who measure "value" and "wastefulness" solely in terms of dollars.

 

I know plenty of people who gladly give up quite a bit in wages because they can find better (for them) working hours, a shorter commute, a place that will let them leave for 30 minutes to grab their kid and take them home from school, being around friends who may work at the same place, etc.  

 

The same goes for the drink packages.  Sure, there is value in the dollars spent.  But there have been other reasons given in this thread (and all the other threads) as to why people will spend the money, even if they don't "get their money's worth".  

 

What other people choose to place value on in their lives or vacations isn't up to me.  If you choose to purchase or not to purchase the drink package at $50/day, $80/day, or $120/day and drink three drinks, five, or twelve....totally up to you.

 

You aren't wrong. Heck, there are people who take backpack trips across the world. Not something I think I could handle. They might even call my vacation spending wasteful! I do think there is something to be said for enjoying the trip for what it is, vs what you can spend on it.

 

I probably shouldn't care about some of these topics as much as I do. It probably has to do more with growing up in a family of very frugal parents. We enjoyed ourselves, but never spent more than we had to. It's funny. Because now my dad enjoys the Cancun trip and its convenient all-inclusive nature, which he never traditionally did. "The drinks are all free and whatever you want." Then he'll probably have about 8 drinks, tops. Then hell go out to dinner outside of the resort and buy a drink or so there. Then he complains to me that vacations cost too much and he can only do 1 every 1-2 years. He's not the only one. I can only hear the amazing convenience story so many times.

 

Is a $6,000 cruise a suite and drink package that much more enjoyable than a $1500 cruise without those amenities? To some it may be. To some, we don't buy it. Literally.

[rudeney]

25 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

Is a $6,000 cruise a suite and drink package that much more enjoyable than a $1500 cruise without those amenities? 

 

Yes. 

 

[billslowsky]

16 hours ago, Husky1987 said:

It seems to me that there are folks around here who measure "value" and "wastefulness" solely in terms of dollars.

 

I know plenty of people who gladly give up quite a bit in wages because they can find better (for them) working hours, a shorter commute, a place that will let them leave for 30 minutes to grab their kid and take them home from school, being around friends who may work at the same place, etc.  

 

The same goes for the drink packages.  Sure, there is value in the dollars spent.  But there have been other reasons given in this thread (and all the other threads) as to why people will spend the money, even if they don't "get their money's worth".  

 

What other people choose to place value on in their lives or vacations isn't up to me.  If you choose to purchase or not to purchase the drink package at $50/day, $80/day, or $120/day and drink three drinks, five, or twelve....totally up to you.

The difference is that one can anticipate the cost of drinks compared to buying a drink package while your other examples are not as quantifiable.  If I anticipate buying 4 drinks per day at a total cost of $60, I can compare that directly to the cost of the drink package.

 

There is no intrinsic value to paying, for example, $200 more per person for a beverage package compared to buying $420 per person in OBC or setting the money aside to be paid later.  Add in another $100 for margin and you still are better off.

[Mum2Mercury]

1 hour ago, billslowsky said:

There is no intrinsic value to paying, for example, $200 more per person for a beverage package compared to buying $420 per person in OBC or setting the money aside to be paid later.  Add in another $100 for margin and you still are better off.

I get what you're saying:  By purchasing OBC ahead of time, you're not saving money.  I'm all about avoiding "fake savings" like putting your change aside in a jar, but I can see several reasons for purchasing OBC instead of a drink package:

 

- If you have the right credit card, you might be purchasing that OBC with "rewards points".  While that is a use of your resources, it's not quite the same as spending cash out of your pocket.

- A lot of people want a package because "it's easy once you're onboard": You don't have to stop and consider whether you SHOULD buy another drink.  Having OBC on your account gives you that same freedom -- the money's spent, the decision's made, no guilt involved. 

- On the other hand, having X amount of OBC purchased ahead of time can be a limiting factor for a person who's inclined to "go overboard"; that is, a person who knows he's likely to over-drink can allot enough OBC for 3 drinks a day and tell himself, "That's what I'm allowed." 

- If you buy an alcoholic drink package, you have to spend THIS AMOUNT, whereas, if you buy OBC, you can estimate what you think you'll really drink /have a more realistic amount of money set aside for drinks.  It's kinda like a custom-sized drink package.

 

Most of this, as you can see, is MINDSET rather than black-and-white finance decisions.

[bigque]

If I get the drink package I never think about if I am breaking even or not. I don’t know if I had 4 drinks in a day or 5 or 6 or 3. I don’t go get a Johnny Rocket’s shake or go get a soda or latte just to try to make up for the cost of the package just so I can say it was worth it. It is what it is and at the end of the cruise I am happy and content with however it worked out. 

[billslowsky]

32 minutes ago, bigque said:

If I get the drink package I never think about if I am breaking even or not. I don’t know if I had 4 drinks in a day or 5 or 6 or 3. I don’t go get a Johnny Rocket’s shake or go get a soda or latte just to try to make up for the cost of the package just so I can say it was worth it. It is what it is and at the end of the cruise I am happy and content with however it worked out. 

And I am happier if I only spend $600 for all the drinks I want than if I spend $700 for the same thing.