Drinks package on O

[welwyngirl]

Hi

We are sailing on Regatta on 21st  November Singapore to Sydney.  We are told we have included drinks package.  Does anyone know if this will include most of the regular martinis and also how much to upgrade to a premium package.

 

Thanks in advance.

[1985rz1]

16 minutes ago, welwyngirl said:

Hi

We are sailing on Regatta on 21st  November Singapore to Sydney.  We are told we have included drinks package.  Does anyone know if this will include most of the regular martinis and also how much to upgrade to a premium package.

 

Thanks in advance.

If you have the drinks package that is included with OLife, then it only includes wine and beer in the restaurants at meals.  It does not include any spirits or any alcohol at bars or wth meals in restaurants.

 

To get the spirits and alcohol at bars or with meals, you will need to upgrade to the premium package at US$20 per day per person.

[janecambridge]

O Life drinks package does include ‘fizz’ with meals too.

Edited October 27, 2022 by janecambridge

[welwyngirl]

Thanks for the responses.  Good to know.  We'll definitely upgrade.

[jondfk]

1 hour ago, welwyngirl said:

Thanks for the responses.  Good to know.  We'll definitely upgrade.

If you have the OLIFE package and drink only a couple outside of meal times you'll quickly break even.

 

However, it's important to consider when you actually drink.  For example, if you, like me, are a cocktail or two before dinner sort of person, the upgrade might not make sense. Why?  O has a 2 for 1 cocktail hour every night from 5:00 - 6:00.  Pay for one, get two (or get a double) which is generally enough for me.

Also, every sailing there is a captain's cocktail party before dinner too one night when most drinks are on the house.

 

On the other hand, if you're the sort who likes a bloody mary in the morning, a couple beers by the pool mid day, a drink or two before dinner and a nightcap before bed - the $20 uncharge is a great value.  I've done both within the past year, for sailings with a lot of sea days, I definitely found value in the upgraded package.  For sailings with lots of port days, not so much. 

[welwyngirl]

1 hour ago, jondfk said:

If you have the OLIFE package and drink only a couple outside of meal times you'll quickly break even.

 

However, it's important to consider when you actually drink.  For example, if you, like me, are a cocktail or two before dinner sort of person, the upgrade might not make sense. Why?  O has a 2 for 1 cocktail hour every night from 5:00 - 6:00.  Pay for one, get two (or get a double) which is generally enough for me.

Also, every sailing there is a captain's cocktail party before dinner too one night when most drinks are on the house.

 

On the other hand, if you're the sort who likes a bloody mary in the morning, a couple beers by the pool mid day, a drink or two before dinner and a nightcap before bed - the $20 uncharge is a great value.  I've done both within the past year, for sailings with a lot of sea days, I definitely found value in the upgraded package.  For sailings with lots of port days, not so much. 

Thanks Jon.  Yes, we're more the few beers round the pool, several cocktails before dinner and a few nightcaps after.  We tend to eat late too so the happy hour wouldn't work for us as we're early getting changed around that time.  We'll definitely upgrade which will be great value for us.

[1985rz1]

4 hours ago, jondfk said:

If you have the OLIFE package and drink only a couple outside of meal times you'll quickly break even.

 

However, it's important to consider when you actually drink.  For example, if you, like me, are a cocktail or two before dinner sort of person, the upgrade might not make sense. Why?  O has a 2 for 1 cocktail hour every night from 5:00 - 6:00.  Pay for one, get two (or get a double) which is generally enough for me.

Also, every sailing there is a captain's cocktail party before dinner too one night when most drinks are on the house.

 

On the other hand, if you're the sort who likes a bloody mary in the morning, a couple beers by the pool mid day, a drink or two before dinner and a nightcap before bed - the $20 uncharge is a great value.  I've done both within the past year, for sailings with a lot of sea days, I definitely found value in the upgraded package.  For sailings with lots of port days, not so much. 

You need to remember that you're paying about $40 pp (actually a bit less, if you price it out on a daily basis) for the basic  package as an OLife perk.   So if you drink enough wine and beer at meals to use the perk fully, the $20 pp upgrade is a good deal if you drink enough outside of meals to exceed $20 pd.  But if you don’t drink much wine or beer at meals, then you need to factor the OLife cost in to estimate the true cost per day for the spirits upgrade.

Edited October 27, 2022 by 1985rz1

[welwyngirl]

1 hour ago, 1985rz1 said:

You need to remember that you're paying about $40 pp (actually a bit less, if you price it out on a daily basis) for the basic  package as an OLife perk.   So if you drink enough wine and beer at meals to use the perk fully, the $20 pp upgrade is a good deal if you drink enough outside of meals to exceed $20 pd.  But if you don’t drink much wine or beer at meals, then you need to factor the OLife cost in to estimate the true cost per day for the spirits upgrade.

Good point, thanks.

[zalusky]

Add to the fact that both people in the cabin have to play.  My wife is diabetic and only drinks a taste of what I get.  There is no way I would come out ahead.  I also prefer spirits to wine anyways so the basic package gives me nothing.

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, zalusky said:

Add to the fact that both people in the cabin have to play.  My wife is diabetic and only drinks a taste of what I get.  There is no way I would come out ahead.  I also prefer spirits to wine anyways so the basic package gives me nothing.

Not mandatory  to take any of the O life perks 

 

[Robjame]

14 hours ago, 1985rz1 said:

You need to remember that you're paying about $40 pp (actually a bit less, if you price it out on a daily basis) for the basic  package as an OLife perk.   So if you drink enough wine and beer at meals to use the perk fully, the $20 pp upgrade is a good deal if you drink enough outside of meals to exceed $20 pd.

With either of the Beverage Packages, whether OLife or paid, there is an automatic 20% savings on your bar bill as the gratuity is included with these packages. Needs to be part of your calculation.

As is usually pointed out in these threads, one glass of champagne, or a couple of beers or a double single malt (pp per day) makes the $20 upgrade worthwhile. Wine, champagne or beer outside of meal times of course.

Edited October 28, 2022 by Robjame

[janecambridge]

4 hours ago, Robjame said:

With either of the Beverage Packages, whether OLife or paid, there is an automatic 20% savings on your bar bill as the gratuity is included with these packages. Needs to be part of your calculation.

As is usually pointed out in these threads, one glass of champagne, or a couple of beers or a double single malt (pp per day) makes the $20 upgrade worthwhile. Wine, champagne or beer outside of meal times of course.

 

Two cocktails and that's more than $20 !

[1985rz1]

7 hours ago, Robjame said:

With either of the Beverage Packages, whether OLife or paid, there is an automatic 20% savings on your bar bill as the gratuity is included with these packages. Needs to be part of your calculation.

As is usually pointed out in these threads, one glass of champagne, or a couple of beers or a double single malt (pp per day) makes the $20 upgrade worthwhile. Wine, champagne or beer outside of meal times of course.

 

3 hours ago, janecambridge said:

 

Two cocktails and that's more than $20 !

Yes, one needs to add the 20% gratuity into calculation that the package includes.  And yes, two cocktails outside of Happy Hours is more than $20. 

 

But for us the calculation is looking at more than just the $20.  For example, if one has 2 gin doubles each evening during Happy Hour that would be $24 pp (The normal gin price of $10 plus 20% gratuity per single, but at 2 for 1, it's $10 plus 20% for a double)  And if one drinks 2 glasses of wine at lunch and dinner...that's 4 glasses per day of  $10 per glass wine...that would add up to an additional $48 per day.  So one's total cost per day would be $72 per day. 

 

Since the cost of the OLife drink package is roughly $25 per day (It varies slightly with each cruise, but you can calculate it from the OLife cost.) and the upgrade is $20 per day, the package plus upgrade route would be a good deal at a total cost of $45 per day. 

 

But if one doesn't normally have wine or beer with meals, and uses Happy Hour  religiously, the daily cost would be only $24 per day, compared the the package plus upgrade amount of $45 per day. That would not be a good deal, even if one has the occasional wine or beer with a meal. Most folks are in between these two options.

 

Then there's the additional complication of 2 night per cruise where there are free drinks:  the Captain's  Welcome reception  and the return passengers party.

 

What I'm trying to say is that to figure out whether it's a good deal for you, you need to take into account your drinking style and the cost of the OLife package with the upgrade, not just focus on the $20 per day upgrade charge.  The upgrade route will be good for some, but not others.  There's no simple rule of thumb.

Edited October 28, 2022 by 1985rz1

[zalusky]

Technically it should be called a perk if you don't have to pay for it.  With Olife you are paying for it so I would suggest people call out the full amount they are paying for day not just the so called upgrade price.

 

Now if Oceania or the TA gave it out as a special for a particular sailing then its a bit of a different story.

Also if one person does not drink its effectively twice as expensive.

[shepherd really]

57 minutes ago, zalusky said:

Technically it should be called a perk if you don't have to pay for it.  With Olife you are paying for it so I would suggest people call out the full amount they are paying for day not just the so called upgrade price.

 

Now if Oceania or the TA gave it out as a special for a particular sailing then its a bit of a different story.

Also if one person does not drink its effectively twice as expensive.

Preach it.  I've given up on explaining that if you pay for something, it isn't free.  

Also, equally tired of O hyping "2 for 1 fares" when no one pays their ridiculous full rate.

 

As a marketing gimmick it's just as deceptive as a three card Monty game.  It makes me sad that even when it is explained, people just refuse to face the facts.  And don't even get me started on choosing to exchange cash for a non-refundable OBC and thinking you got something for free.

Edited October 28, 2022 by shepherd really

[Bongomauka]

On 10/27/2022 at 12:28 PM, zalusky said:

Add to the fact that both people in the cabin have to play.  My wife is diabetic and only drinks a taste of what I get.  There is no way I would come out ahead.  I also prefer spirits to wine anyways so the basic package gives me nothing.

That's the clincher isn't it? Rarely do both partners drink substantially so someone is paying for more than they should and the other will need to drink more to compensate. I would have been glad to drink more when I was younger but now being messy in a ship only means you'll likely run into the audience from the night before with their disapproving looks and tut-tuts. And several sea days of that is just too shameful.

[LHT28]

26 minutes ago, Bongomauka said:

That's the clincher isn't it? Rarely do both partners drink substantially so someone is paying for more than they should and the other will need to drink more to compensate. I would have been glad to drink more when I was younger but now being messy in a ship only means you'll likely run into the audience from the night before with their disapproving looks and tut-tuts. And several sea days of that is just too shameful.

If only one party in the cabin drinks  then it is better not to take the O Life  beverage package

 

Just buy the package that suits your needs  for 1 person 

Pick the Excursions if you must take O Life  or book "cruise only"

[Psoque]

On 10/27/2022 at 8:26 AM, jondfk said:

If you have the OLIFE package and drink only a couple outside of meal times you'll quickly break even.

 

 

I thought that the basic drink package paid for by OLife is only for meal times???

[1985rz1]

4 minutes ago, Psoque said:

I thought that the basic drink package paid for by OLife is only for meal times???

It is only with meals, as you say.

[Guppy99]

On 10/27/2022 at 1:05 PM, 1985rz1 said:

You need to remember that you're paying about $40 pp (actually a bit less, if you price it out on a daily basis) for the basic  package as an OLife perk.   So if you drink enough wine and beer at meals to use the perk fully, the $20 pp upgrade is a good deal if you drink enough outside of meals to exceed $20 pd.  But if you don’t drink much wine or beer at meals, then you need to factor the OLife cost in to estimate the true cost per day for the spirits upgrade.

That simply doesn't make sense if one has already booked with the basic package.  The only mathematical consideration then is the extra $20 per day.

[1985rz1]

39 minutes ago, Guppy99 said:

That simply doesn't make sense if one has already booked with the basic package.  The only mathematical consideration then is the extra $20 per 

But no one is forced to book with the basic package, so one needs to consider the over all cost of the basic package in the booking plus the upgrade and compare that to what one would pay without the two packages, based on one's level of consumption.  Maybe in some cases, it would better to have not booked with the basic package to begin with.  If one has already booked with the basic package and hasn't made final payment, one can drop the package from the booking.

 

If one doesn’t drink enough with meals to justify the basic package, it's a waste of money.  It just depends on one's personal drinking habits.

Edited October 28, 2022 by 1985rz1

[Guppy99]

15 minutes ago, 1985rz1 said:

But no one is forced to book with the basic package, so one needs to consider the over all cost of the basic package in the booking plus the upgrade and compare that to what one would pay without the two packages, based on one's level of consumption.  Maybe in some cases, it would better to have not booked with the basic package to begin with.  If one has already booked with the basic package and hasn't made final payment, one can drop the package from the booking.

 

If one doesn’t drink enough with meals to justify the basic package, it's a waste of money.  It just depends on one's personal drinking habits.

The OP has already booked with the basic package. So the cost of the basic package is moot.

[1985rz1]

13 minutes ago, Guppy99 said:

The OP has already booked with the basic package. So the cost of the basic package is moot.

If final payment has not been made, the OP can remove OLife from the booking. It looks like it's past final payment so the OP is stuck with it.   Either way, it doesn’t change  the comparison of costs which others can use to see if the package(s) are (or in the OP's case, was) worthwhile based on their own consumption profile.

Edited October 28, 2022 by 1985rz1

[zalusky]

4 minutes ago, Guppy99 said:

The OP has already booked with the basic package. So the cost of the basic package is moot.

 

I have switched my packages after booking and after final payment.  As a newbe I learned and I went went from ship credit to the excursion Olife package.

 

I booked a cruise that leaves in December and paid the whole thing up front.  I later realized what the excursion Olife package allows you to effectively double the credit and with the YWC on top of that I was got my average price down further.

 

Nobody complained about the change request.

[1985rz1]

1 minute ago, zalusky said:

 

I have switched my packages after booking and after final payment.  As a newbe I learned and I went went from ship credit to the excursion Olife package.

 

I booked a cruise that leaves in December and paid the whole thing up front.  I later realized what the excursion Olife package allows you to effectively double the credit and with the YWC on top of that I was got my average price down further.

 

Nobody complained about the change request.

Good point. Yes, you can change to a different OLife choice after final payment, you just can't get a refund for the OLife.