I added up all my drinks from my 5-night cruise

[drwbrt]

I kept track of all the drinks I ordered on my 5-night Mexican cruise on the Bliss. Here are the results.

 

I ordered a total of 82 drinks that would have totaled $898. This is before the additional $179.60 that I would have spent in gratuity.

 

I accepted the FAS offer at the time of booking, this incurred a $109 gratuity for the bar service. I also upgraded to FAS+ for $210. In total my outlay was $319 for $1,077.60 of value. This is before we consider the added value of unlimited internet (non-streaming) at $125, and two additional specialty dinings at $99 ($10 gratuity per).

 

All in, I spent $349 and received what would have cost $1,369.40 if I purchased individually and a la carte. I don't know that I would assign $1,000+ of extra value that I feel like I got. I do however think that I came out on top. If you value the internet and specialty dining at face value, you only have to drink a Starbucks in the morning and a glass of wine at dinner to come out on top.

[RocketMan275]

How did  you find the availability of high end liquor and wine?

[Monica887]

You had more than 16 drinks a day?! I can't even drink that much water....I don't understand the logistics of that. 

[gmbhardy]

1 minute ago, Monica887 said:

You had more than 16 drinks a day?! I can't even drink that much water....I don't understand the logistics of that. 

What logistics? Having 16 drinks a day on a cruise is pretty average (for drinkers).

[wolft927]

4 minutes ago, Monica887 said:

You had more than 16 drinks a day?! I can't even drink that much water....I don't understand the logistics of that. 

Well o can promise my wife and I do enjoy our drinks on vacation. Starts with bloody Mary’s in the morning 2 or 3 then maybe 2 frozen drinks then switch over to cold beer in the sun by the pool during the day. Then depending on the evening either beer or maybe whiskey sours or wine. I can easily say that we have at least 15 drinks per day. We know this because the last time we cruised carnival we got the max of 15 drinks per day every day 

[Monica887]

1 minute ago, gmbhardy said:

What logistics? Having 16 drinks a day on a cruise is pretty average (for drinkers).

Got it. Like I said, I can't even drink that much water, so it sounds like a lot, but that's just me. Enjoy!

[phillygwm]

19 minutes ago, drwbrt said:

All in, I spent $349 and received what would have cost $1,369.40 if I purchased individually and a la carte. I don't know that I would assign $1,000+ of extra value that I feel like I got. I do however think that I came out on top. If you value the internet and specialty dining at face value, you only have to drink a Starbucks in the morning and a glass of wine at dinner to come out on top.

Drinking is so different for any individual.  I get FAS+ as well, for the reasons you state.  But there are a lot of people out there who drink little or no alcohol.  You're correct: 2 alcoholic drinks pretty much covers the basic FAS gratuities.  But adding FAS+ requires more "upscale" drinking.  I like Champagne and San Pellegrino, which are included in the FAS+ package, but my friends who limit themselves to beer/basic wine would never have benefitted.

Edited January 28, 2023 by phillygwm

[SeaShark]

So explain the other side...if all it takes it a morning Starbucks and wine with dinner to come out ahead, then why would the cruise line kiss all their profit goodbye so easily? If the guest comes out ahead, the cruise line loses...do you really think the program is set up for them to lose?

[phillygwm]

3 minutes ago, SeaShark said:

So explain the other side...if all it takes it a morning Starbucks and wine with dinner to come out ahead, then why would the cruise line kiss all their profit goodbye so easily? If the guest comes out ahead, the cruise line loses...do you really think the program is set up for them to lose?

Because the per drink cost is inflated.  It's not costing NCL $34 for a glass of Champagne, for instance.  And on the other end, someone wouldn't have 16 premium drinks if they were paying ala carte.

 

That said, a bottle of Moet at dinner is ~$50 retail.  That covers the cost alone.

Edited January 28, 2023 by phillygwm

[drwbrt]

18 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

How did  you find the availability of high end liquor and wine?

I’ll post about this in a thread on provisioning. I need to pull up the latest list of premium plus offerings. Short answer: lacking. I bought premium plus for the coffee, bottled water, etc. I was hoping for EH Taylor but was disappointed. 

[drwbrt]

24 minutes ago, Monica887 said:

You had more than 16 drinks a day?! I can't even drink that much water....I don't understand the logistics of that. 

In that is many bottles of San Pelligrino, many bottles of Aqua Panna, coffees in the morning, and cans of soda. I drink around a gallon of water on land, doing that in Aqua Panna is $32.50. It was a lot of liquid but it wasn't all liqour.

[drwbrt]

21 minutes ago, phillygwm said:

Drinking is so different for any individual.  I get FAS+ as well, for the reasons you state.  But there are a lot of people out there who drink little or no alcohol.  You're correct: 2 alcoholic drinks pretty much covers the basic FAS gratuities.  But adding FAS+ requires more "upscale" drinking.  I like Champagne and San Pellegrino, which are included in the FAS+ package, but my friends who limit themselves to beer/basic wine would never have benefitted.

I agree. On the ship, I embrace the bougie.

[farmecologist]

17 minutes ago, drwbrt said:

I’ll post about this in a thread on provisioning. I need to pull up the latest list of premium plus offerings. Short answer: lacking. I bought premium plus for the coffee, bottled water, etc. I was hoping for EH Taylor but was disappointed. 

 

Glad you got a good value out of FAS+! 👍

 

We wouldn't drink anywhere near 16 drinks a day, so I'm not sure the 'math' would work out for us.  Also, my wife is a very light drinker...BUT she loves coffee...so the Starbucks benefit of FAS+ certainly needs to be taken into consideration. 

 

While we won't drik 16 drinks a day, the drinks we do try are the 'expensive' ones that we wouldn't normally pay for a la carte, which is the beauty of the package, regardless of the 'math'. 👍 In other words, we can try exotic (to us) things without worry.  I never thought about the "expensive bottle of wine at dinner" thing either.  I enjoy wine at dinner...so an "upscale" bottle of wine seems to have value as well.   Is there a limit to the bottle cost?

 

Thanks for this thread.  We never even considered FAS+. However, we were considering upgrading to unlimited internet anyway...so it seems like I should go do the 'math' to see if it works for us.  I think it just might! 👍

 

 

 

[drwbrt]

22 minutes ago, SeaShark said:

So explain the other side...if all it takes it a morning Starbucks and wine with dinner to come out ahead, then why would the cruise line kiss all their profit goodbye so easily? If the guest comes out ahead, the cruise line loses...do you really think the program is set up for them to lose?

I think this view looks at cost, price, value, and profitability all at the same time. NCL makes money on people that don't exploit the package like I did. They make money assigning value to internet that has very little added cost. They make money assigning value to specialty meals that for the most part use the same food and are prepared by the same staff as the MDR of buffet. They make money by assigning $23 a glass to my Woodford Reserve that I can source for <$40 per bottle.

 

I think NCL comes out ahead on most FAS+ upgrades. I think I came out ahead on mine, not to the tune of $1,000 but still ahead.

 

The other point is, unless you're violating the TOC, the cost for those services is the $1,300+.

[CILCIANRQTS]

56 minutes ago, drwbrt said:

I kept track of all the drinks I ordered on my 5-night Mexican cruise on the Bliss. Here are the results.

 

I ordered a total of 82 drinks that would have totaled $898. This is before the additional $179.60 that I would have spent in gratuity.

 

I accepted the FAS offer at the time of booking, this incurred a $109 gratuity for the bar service. I also upgraded to FAS+ for $210. In total my outlay was $319 for $1,077.60 of value. This is before we consider the added value of unlimited internet (non-streaming) at $125, and two additional specialty dinings at $99 ($10 gratuity per).

 

All in, I spent $349 and received what would have cost $1,369.40 if I purchased individually and a la carte. I don't know that I would assign $1,000+ of extra value that I feel like I got. I do however think that I came out on top. If you value the internet and specialty dining at face value, you only have to drink a Starbucks in the morning and a glass of wine at dinner to come out on top.

And how did you enjoy the accounting profession?? 😉😎

[phillygwm]

12 minutes ago, farmecologist said:

 Is there a limit to the bottle cost?

There's a specific list to choose from; that can be found on the NCL website when you look at the FAS+ package.  I'd link to it but it changes frequently and what you get onboard is almost always a bit different.  I'd say most of the bottles would retail at $30-50.

Edited January 28, 2023 by phillygwm

[SomewhereGirl]

42 minutes ago, Monica887 said:

Got it. Like I said, I can't even drink that much water, so it sounds like a lot, but that's just me. Enjoy!

And me.  Glad to hear there was also some water in there.  Hopefully some food too.  My liver hurts just thinking about it.  Not judging, just shocked.  Per day?  I know some people can handle it but wow.  I do like a good value though.  Good thing there's a choice in having the package or not.

[Travelicious]

1 hour ago, drwbrt said:

I ordered on my 5-night Mexican cruise . . . a total of 82 drinks.

Impressive!

[phillygwm]

10 minutes ago, SomewhereGirl said:

And me.  Glad to hear there was also some water in there.  Hopefully some food too.  My liver hurts just thinking about it.  Not judging, just shocked.  Per day?  I know some people can handle it but wow.  I do like a good value though.  Good thing there's a choice in having the package or not.

If I were only looking to get loaded, it's easy enough to do on the basic package.  JW Black will get you just as drunk as JW Blue will.  

 

For me, the value is:

• Champagne
• Bottle with Dinner (nice to have but I could just order a glass or two instead)
• Bottled Water (I probably drink 3-4 bottles of Pellegrino/day)

 

Others will have a few Starbucks everyday, which also quickly helps offset the cost.  Not really my thing; I might have 3-4 over the course of the cruise. 

 

I'm getting the Internet and going all premium anyway, so the FAS+ package makes more sense than P+ alone.

Edited January 28, 2023 by phillygwm

[sailorusvi]

Some people drink more average, others less than average, in the end the house still comes out ahead.  You set the a la carte prices to it appears like a value.   Also they bank on some of us (including us) not to do a breakdown to see if it was worth it.   We were comfortable with the price we paid via the FAS and know our own drinking habits.  It will definitely be worth it to us, others it won't.   

 

Note:  we compared the prices of the specialty dining packages to the a la carte prices.  Based on our eating habits, we choose not to take the package.  

 

That said, you can NOT compare NCLs prices and the price you get at a liquor store.   Prices are set to include staff wages (including purchasers, stocking, delivery, etc), equipment, detergent, , ice (yes ice has a cost), fun glasses (including restocking due to breakages/theft), delivery costs, warehouse space,, blah, blah.   And of course profit.     You are better off comparing prices to your local restaurants.  

[dbrown84]

I've never taken the drink package because I didn't feel there was much value in it, for me.  I just drank at the casino bar.  Drink are on the house, but there is no pre-paid gratuities with it.  But for my next cruise, I'm thinking taking the package and upgrading to FAS+ for the higher end Scotch, particularly Macallan.  With the $20 FAS gratuity plus the $42 upgrade cost, I'm looking at $62 per day.  Macallan cost $30 a pour, so just three a day puts me ahead.  I'll easily have two double pours with my daily cigar.  BTW, I'll easily have 16 drinks a day.

[Lionkingrichard]

1 hour ago, drwbrt said:

I kept track of all the drinks I ordered on my 5-night Mexican cruise on the Bliss. Here are the results.

 

I ordered a total of 82 drinks that would have totaled $898. This is before the additional $179.60 that I would have spent in gratuity.

 

I accepted the FAS offer at the time of booking, this incurred a $109 gratuity for the bar service. I also upgraded to FAS+ for $210. In total my outlay was $319 for $1,077.60 of value. This is before we consider the added value of unlimited internet (non-streaming) at $125, and two additional specialty dinings at $99 ($10 gratuity per).

 

All in, I spent $349 and received what would have cost $1,369.40 if I purchased individually and a la carte. I don't know that I would assign $1,000+ of extra value that I feel like I got. I do however think that I came out on top. If you value the internet and specialty dining at face value, you only have to drink a Starbucks in the morning and a glass of wine at dinner to come out on top.

Only $10 per drink? Step it up next time and really see a savings!🤑

[European_CruiseGirl]

For us the FAS+ package always makes sense. Not because we’d drink very much booze but we drink all the other stuff. As someone already mentioned FAS+ can be valued at approx $62/day. Now how we drink on a cruise is as follows (per person):

 

Morning: mimosa made with freshly squeezed oj + additional large freshly squeezed oj, Pellegrino (approx $22 w/o tax) 

 

After breakfast before lunch: a couple of cokes etc (approx $6)

 

Lunch: 1 glass of wine + Pellegrino and/or more coke (approx $15)

 

Afternoon: 1 cocktail by the pool, cokes, Starbucks Frappucino etc (approx $25)

 

Dinnertime: 3 glasses of wine, Pellegrino (approx $35)

Add there a couple of additional cokes here and there and it is already well over $100 per day per person. And thinking about alcoholic drinks it required only a mimosa, one cocktail and 4 glasses of wine during the day as we had so many non alcoholic drinks too. Now obviously with FAS+ we take the mimosa with champagne and one of the wine glasses at dinner is champagne too but tbh if we didnt take FAS+ we’d take prosecco so I calculated the above with the prosecco prices. 

Edited January 28, 2023 by European_CruiseGirl

[drwbrt]

Just now, European_CruiseGirl said:

For us the FAS+ package always makes sense. Not because we’d drink much booze but all the other stuff too. As someone already mentioned FAS+ is approx $62/day. Now how we drink on a cruise is as follows (per person)

 

Morning: mimosa made with freshly squeezed oj + additional large freshly squeezed oj, Pellegrino (approx $22 w/o tax) 

 

After breakfast: a couple of cokes etc (approx $6)

 

Lunch: 1 glass of wine + Pellegrino and/or more coke (approx $15)

 

Afternoon: 1 cocktail by the pool, cokes, Starbucks Frappucino etc (approx $20)

 

Dinnertime: 3 glasses of wine, Pellegrino (approx $35)

Add there a couple of additional cokes here and there and it is already over $100 per day per person. And it required only a mimosa, one cocktail and 4 glasses of wine during the day. Now obviously with FAS+ we take the mimosa with champagne and one of the wine glasses at dinner is champagne too but tbh if we didnt take FAS+ we’d take prosecco so I calculated the above with the prosecco prices. 

Exactly this. I’ll post my whole list when I get home. It was at least $70 in soda alone. 

[v3cruiser]

3 hours ago, gmbhardy said:

What logistics? Having 16 drinks a day on a cruise is pretty average (for drinkers).

Yup, especially sea days. On port days its tougher to get to 15 drinks/day on average - - -at least for us. Especially when we may be getting back on ship between 6-9pm.