Which Cruise Line for my Birthday

[ZsaZsa2019]

Not new to cruising, but only did it a few times.  I'm looking to go the week of Nov 25th 2023 for my birthday, bringing two other couples with us.  We prefer a deal on a drink pkg as we enjoy our drinks and I enjoy my wine with dinner.  I'm looking at these right now, which would you guys lean towards?  Price is a factor, so adding in a drink pkgs looks horrendous to me, unless I'm missing something?  Do I wait for a sale, do these guys offer AI pkgs?

 

Celebrity Reflection Nov 25 8 days

NCL Escape Nov 25 7 days

Princess Sky Princess Nov 25 7 days

 

I did see a Royal Caribbean for that week also, but not sure on them?  We cruised them about 20 years ago.

Also, should note that our same group did NCL Bliss in Alaska a few years ago, with a drink/tip/etc pkg included in the price.  That worked out well for us.  

 

 

[9tee2Sea]

1 hour ago, ZsaZsa2019 said:

Not new to cruising, but only did it a few times.  I'm looking to go the week of Nov 25th 2023 for my birthday, bringing two other couples with us.  We prefer a deal on a drink pkg as we enjoy our drinks and I enjoy my wine with dinner.  I'm looking at these right now, which would you guys lean towards?  Price is a factor, so adding in a drink pkgs looks horrendous to me, unless I'm missing something?  Do I wait for a sale, do these guys offer AI pkgs?

 

Celebrity Reflection Nov 25 8 days

NCL Escape Nov 25 7 days

Princess Sky Princess Nov 25 7 days

 

I did see a Royal Caribbean for that week also, but not sure on them?  We cruised them about 20 years ago.

Also, should note that our same group did NCL Bliss in Alaska a few years ago, with a drink/tip/etc pkg included in the price.  That worked out well for us.  

 

 

Look at the price of the cruise without a drink package, and compare the price with the drink package.  Google the price of your preferred drink on which ever line you prefer ( as if you were paying for drinks al la carte).   Some drink packages are very expensive and can raise the price of the cruise significantly.  In my opinion, if one can drink at least 5 drinks a day ( at $15.00 per drink), a drink package is the way to go. Also, it depends how many hours you will log on the ship.  If you are going to be off ship all day, and only on ship for evening, maybe the drink package is not the way to go. As for lines, I prefer NCL.  FYI, Carnival had the cheapest a la carte drinks.  Don't wait to book, that is during Thanksgiving, and I am sure prices will not go down.  BTW, you can reserve your spot on your cruise now, with a minimal deposit, and if the price goes down before final payment, you can cancel and rebook ( read the fine print to make sure the deposit is refundable)

[George C]

I would go with celebrity nice ship and a extra day, we have rccl harmony booked that week from Galveston. 

[wowzz]

Princess offers a Plus package that includes 15 alcoholic drinks a day (up to $15 each) payment of autogratuitues,  wifi and a few other bits. Cost is $60 a day. Break even is around three glasses of wine a day. It's a bargain. 

[mjkacmom]

NCL usually adds the drink package for $20 pp per day (gratuities).

[NantahalaCruiser]

The cheapest balcony cabin on the Reflection cruise is $892 pp. Adding AI adds another $677 pp for the Classic Beverage Package, WiFi and Gratuities. The Gratuities would otherwise cost you $280 pp, so the AI is giving you the Beverages and WiFi for $397 pp.  Even if you could care less for WiFi, you are still getting the Classic Beverage Package for slightly less than $50 per person per day.

 

$50 pppd seems like a lot, but you could exceed $50 quite easily. A $7 specialty coffee, two $9 cocktails and two $10 glasses of wine adds up to $45; but there is a mandatory 20% drink gratuity, which brings the total up to $54! 

 

And if you place any value on WiFi, then your breakeven would be more like a coffee and two glasses of wine.