Drink Package Sales Onboard for a 3 night cruise

[tbmrt]

I was told we cannot buy our drink package online before a 3 night cruise.  I'm sure there will be MSC employees at embarkation waiting to sell them there.  Thinking there may be lines to do so.

 

Does anyone know if we can purchase these packages at the bar rather than when we board?  On another cruiseline I seem to remember being offered discounts when we waited to book at a bar rather than book at embarkation.  

 

Or can we purchase through the computer boards on the ship?

[Nunagoras]

Official statement from MSC is that they don't offer drinks packages on cruises shorter than 4 nights. Some CC members state they've been able to purchase onboard a shorter than 4 nights US sailing, so I presume this is a sailing by sailing sort of affair at ship's Captain's discretion. If demographics permit they'll eventually offer them. A 15% tip will be added to the advertised price. Sometimes a discount may appear, but that is usually on longer than 7 nights cruises. You can purchase your package from any bar on embarkation day, or from the employees at embarkation, also bar workers by the way.

Edited October 6, 2022 by Nunagoras

[mowogo]

On 10/6/2022 at 3:37 AM, Nunagoras said:

Official statement from MSC is that they don't offer drinks packages on cruises shorter than 4 nights. Some CC members state they've been able to purchase onboard a shorter than 4 nights US sailing, so I presume this is a sailing by sailing sort of affair at ship's Captain's discretion. If demographics permit they'll eventually offer them. A 15% tip will be added to the advertised price. Sometimes a discount may appear, but that is usually on longer than 7 nights cruises. You can purchase your package from any bar on embarkation day, or from the employees at embarkation, also bar workers by the way.

And having done the purchase onboard on these short cruise, you will fill out a form and they will take your card to have it reprinted with the indicator for the drink package you have.  

[rool]

Thankfully I have been able to book a drinks package on our 3 night cruise in Brazil next month. 

Maybe because most cruises here this season seem to be 3 nighters with a sprinkling of longer ones.

[quattrohead]

The crazy thing is (oh wait this is MSC) is that you can book a 3 night cruise with a drinks package but if you don't book with that offer, then you cannot add a drinks package after.

Bonkers.

[Nunagoras]

10 minutes ago, quattrohead said:

The crazy thing is (oh wait this is MSC) is that you can book a 3 night cruise with a drinks package but if you don't book with that offer, then you cannot add a drinks package after.

Bonkers.

Slightly more complex than that. No Captain is mandated to host a drunken crowd on his ship. The ambiguous rule on 3 nights cruises permission to have or not drinks packages bookable from the beginning is just a way forward to make this an individual ship's decision making. If a ship is OK on them, so be it. If a particular ship is not then there won't. Nor beforehand, nor onboard.

[Nunagoras]

9 hours ago, mowogo said:

And having done the purchase onboard on these short cruise, you will fill out a form and they will take your card to have it reprinted with the indicator for the drink package you have.  

That used to be the regular way to have the onboard drinks packages on MSC. You sign both the T&C's form and the receipt and have your cruise card changed with a new one with the drinks package addition.

[tbmrt]

31 minutes ago, Nunagoras said:

That used to be the regular way to have the onboard drinks packages on MSC. You sign both the T&C's form and the receipt and have your cruise card changed with a new one with the drinks package addition.

Can you please clarify this for me Nunagoras? Tx

[quattrohead]

1 hour ago, tbmrt said:

Can you please clarify this for me Nunagoras? Tx

It's as clear as MSC to me, you may or may not be given the opportunity to buy a drinks package on the first day or 3 😁