Drink packages great for pool drinks. For wine drinkers, not so much.

[publicpersona]

This isn't news but worth mentioning again for those that enjoy their wine who may be cruising MSC for the first time and considering a package.

 

If you like a wide variety of pool drinks and cocktails, the drinks packages are an excellent bargain. Easy Plus gets you a long list of contemporary classics cocktails and mocktails. Even the Easy package gets a Long Island Iced Tea or similar. There is much more labor involved with these drinks than pouring a glass from a bottle, so I don't understand the discrepancy.

 

For someone that enjoys wine, the packages don't offer much if any variety. The Easy package consists of the bulk table wines that they get for about $2-$3 in quantity. No specific wineries here .. just something to pass as a table wine in a few popular varietals.

 

One would think the Easy Plus package would have some choices to make. Yes, these are $7-$11 grocery stores wines but still can be interesting to compare and contrast. But here you generally only have one choice per varietal, and not a wide range either. At the Cocktail Bar for example, they have 14 wines by the glass to choose from. But how many of these are available on Easy Plus? Zero.

 

A selling point of Easy Plus over Easy is ability to use the package in specialty restaurants. But wait .. how does that do you any good when Butcher's Cut's only wine by the glass for Easy Plus is a Pinot Grigio. There are no red wines on the menu at the steak specialty restaurant that falls into Easy Plus. In both cases, though, I was able to get a Robert Mondavi chardonnay and a cab sauv, but unless you question about the menu, you won't know they might do that.

 

The Wine Cellar on Seashore appears to be mostly for decoration. There aren't any wines served there except from a vending machine. No one working in there, nor any draw for guests to gather. Strangely, the best wines I had all week were at a $22 for six decent pours wine tasting, but that was held in MDR. There were other wine tastings in the $200 price range.

 

What's the takeaway then? Well, if you really want a drinks package and you're primarily a wine drinker, you might have to consider the top tier premium package. If not, you almost can be as happy with Easy as Easy Plus. The boredom of drinking the same table wines all week can not be much different from having just a very limited palette to choose from.

[skyking]

To the me the upgrade to the Premium was worth it just for this reason. 

 

On the Meraviglia had no problem getting solid wines with the Premium, even in the specialty restaurants. 

 

Solid advice for sure, great post. 

[greg_atlanta]

so if i want several glasses of wine with dinner in main dining room (will drink other stuff rest of the day) are you saying that the Easy Plus wine selection is the same as Easy?  or just one more option per varietal than Easy?  i probably won't go to specialty restaurants, so that's not an issue.

 

the Easy Plus is offered on a November Divina cruise I'm considering at a very attractive price, but it doesn't give me an option to choose a different beverage package in pre-booking.  is that typical? 

 

(this will be my first time on MSC...  i have fond memories of the 20 euro per day drink package on Costa) 

 

 

[skyking]

14 minutes ago, greg_atlanta said:

so if i want several glasses of wine with dinner in main dining room (will drink other stuff rest of the day) are you saying that the Easy Plus wine selection is the same as Easy?  or just one more option per varietal than Easy?  i probably won't go to specialty restaurants, so that's not an issue.

 

the Easy Plus is offered on a November Divina cruise I'm considering at a very attractive price, but it doesn't give me an option to choose a different beverage package in pre-booking.  is that typical? 

 

(this will be my first time on MSC...  i have fond memories of the 20 euro per day drink package on Costa) 

 

 

If you book the price that included the easy package you will be able to upgrade to the premium with no problem either from the website or a quick phone call to upgrade. 

 

It is worth it if you are wine drinker.  

[Nunagoras]

Demystifying the drinks packages: First of its all, bear in mind that unlimited drinks packages were created with multi drinks purposes in mind, not just a specific one.

 

The Easy package is your casual drinker package of sort for house or well drinks on offer plus the nonalcoholic part.

The Easy Plus adds some more options, for generally pretty much everything minus the premium trademarks.

Now the Premium Extra will get you everything minus extra premium products.

 

If one is only interested on wine, better to go by the bottle on MDR. They'll save the leftovers for you the next day if you want. Combining VC discounts and possible bottle packages (they may vary sailing by sailing) that will most likely to be cheaper than going by the drinks packages.

 

On those strange post covid times, also bear in mind the supply chain arising here and there.

 

IMHO; these times I'll only go with a drinks packages if I have no other alternative. These days from where I live, pretty much everyone receives the Easy package with their basic fare, so...

[greg_atlanta]

2 hours ago, skyking said:

It is worth it if you are wine drinker.  

 

I appreciate nice wine but OK with the decent stuff if the price is right.  For the cruise I'm looking at the Easy Plus is $150 per person for a 10 night cruise on Divina (Nov 4) with 4 sea days.

 

Is MSC drink package pricing super competitive compared to other cruise lines?  Seems that way.  I'm just off an NCL cruise and didn't get the drink package, and individual drink prices were pretty steep.

 

Is the tip included in the package price, or do you pay a tip for each drink or for a value of the package?  On NCL the tip was a lump sum in advance which made the package price ridiculous.  Do you have to sign for each drink or just present your card and go?  (On NCL didn't have to sign for each drink unless you paid by the drink).

[greg_atlanta]

2 hours ago, Nunagoras said:

If one is only interested on wine, better to go by the bottle on MDR....

 

These days from where I live, pretty much everyone receives the Easy package with their basic fare, so...

 

definitely more than wine with dinner, maybe drinks at the pool and private island, pre-dinner drinks, and late night drinks if there's a nightlife (hard to predict on a Nov cruise).

 

when I took a Costa cruise in 2012 and 2014 pretty much everyone had the drinks package....  looks like MSC is chasing the same vibe.  mainstream US cruise line drink packages are kinda ridiculous unless you get a last minute special.

[cellfree]

30 minutes ago, greg_atlanta said:

 

definitely more than wine with dinner, maybe drinks at the pool and private island, pre-dinner drinks, and late night drinks if there's a nightlife (hard to predict on a Nov cruise).

 

when I took a Costa cruise in 2012 and 2014 pretty much everyone had the drinks package....  looks like MSC is chasing the same vibe.  mainstream US cruise line drink packages are kinda ridiculous unless you get a last minute special.

Just off Divina, had “easy plus” and for us was fine. MSC packages are also good on private island. Water, large/small bottles included, flat or bubbly. Also outside gym there is a “healthy beverage” bar that few take advantage of. 

[perakcruiser]

3 hours ago, greg_atlanta said:

so if i want several glasses of wine with dinner in main dining room (will drink other stuff rest of the day) are you saying that the Easy Plus wine selection is the same as Easy?  or just one more option per varietal than Easy?  i probably won't go to specialty restaurants, so that's not an issue.

No. With Easy you only get the house wine. With Easy Plus you can order any glass of wine that costs € 8 or less. That gives you quite a fair selection. I would recommend to go for Easy Plus or no package, "Easy" maybe is fine for beer and cocktails, but not for wine. 

 

 

[Nunagoras]

1 hour ago, greg_atlanta said:

 

I appreciate nice wine but OK with the decent stuff if the price is right.  For the cruise I'm looking at the Easy Plus is $150 per person for a 10 night cruise on Divina (Nov 4) with 4 sea days. - If that price is for the whole cruise, maybe you're under a special promo. We have some nice ones here as well, but those are generally for last minute, or very early bird bookings. Beware that sometimes to be part of said special promo one needs to cancel their booking and rebook. I don't recommend that unless losing your cabin is not that important.

 

Is MSC drink package pricing super competitive compared to other cruise lines?  Seems that way.  I'm just off an NCL cruise and didn't get the drink package, and individual drink prices were pretty steep. - MSC drinks packages used to be of a great value back in the day. They also included Gelato then! Nowadays, while the pricing is sort of lower than on the "US" lines, the real value is actually not as there as it used to be. To each their own. It depends really on what you want. From where I live, pretty much everyone gets at least the Easy package on pretty much every other cruise on the inventory. One can upgrade online, by phone or onboard if one wants.

 

Is the tip included in the package price, or do you pay a tip for each drink or for a value of the package?  On NCL the tip was a lump sum in advance which made the package price ridiculous.  Do you have to sign for each drink or just present your card and go?  (On NCL didn't have to sign for each drink unless you paid by the drink). - It depends on from where you purchase: If it bundled on your cruise fare or you purchase online after booking, there's no tips added. If you purchase onboard there will be a 15% tip on top of the price. No tips per drink ordered within the package.

Many thanks to your kind words on the other post. Have your answers in blue. I was answering in general. No need for a drinks package if what you really want is only wine. Back in the day they used to have a bottle package you could purchase in the MDR, some 4 or 5 bottles, more than suffix for a moderate drinker on a cruise. I didn't see them on my last 2 cruises, but one was on the United Arab Emirates (severe alcohol selling restrictions due to the law of the land) and the other was a transatlantic (maybe with different rules). Usually those wine packages were not advertised or apparent, but if you politely asked your waiter, a packages menu would be offered. Things might have changed though.

Edited October 4, 2022 by Nunagoras

[awhcruiser]

The wines on Easy Plus are fine for me as I am not  that picky.  Just don't try to serve me Boones Farm!

[KKB]

Glad I found this. 

1st MSC cruise in Feb.

I like Sauvignon Blanc from NZ/Aust or Pinot Grigio from about anywhere. 

NOT a sweet wine/Chardonnay/red wine drinker. Champagne once in a while.

But I also enjoy cocktails.

 

On Celebrity the wine selection was worth upgrading a level (not premium) but NCL & Princess it wasn't based on options offered for the upsale.

 

Sounds like it might be worth it to buy bottles as I go; but can I upgrade to Plus onboard if I determine I like the choices? 

I do not plan on any specialty meals.

[perakcruiser]

1 hour ago, KKB said:

Sounds like it might be worth it to buy bottles as I go; but can I upgrade to Plus onboard if I determine I like the choices? 

Yes, you can, but only at the beginning of the cruise. One of the first days.

 

MSC has some Sauvignon Blancs, which exactly depends on the route. I like the one from Friuli called Tenuta Villanova. Not too spectacular, but really good and priced fair also. 

[KKB]

2 hours ago, perakcruiser said:

Yes, you can, but only at the beginning of the cruise. One of the first days.

 

MSC has some Sauvignon Blancs, which exactly depends on the route. I like the one from Friuli called Tenuta Villanova. Not too spectacular, but really good and priced fair also. 

 

I do like Italian & France SB's as well. Villa Maria is a good one.

I see Matua SV on the Plus list...and a PG I like well enough so Plus looks like a good option.

I also like Aperol spritzers which are Plus.

 

 

[perakcruiser]

6 minutes ago, KKB said:

I see Matua SV on the Plus list...

This one I like also, but I don´t think it will be on MSCs lists in Europe, only Caribbean.

[live2skide]

***First time on MSC***  - Hubby drinks energy drinks and things like Mountain Dew, Pepsi  & Monster. He will drink red bull as a sub for Monster. He really doesn't often order a cocktail.  I love my wine and sparkling wines.  I can not determine if we can get his "energy drinks" with the Easy package or if I should just order him Alcohol free package?  ADVICE for novices appreciated.  Which drink package to get?  Can he and I get different packages??