Royal vs NCL - Drunks

[Denversail]

We have a Thanksgiving cruise booked on royal this year. Given that it is a holiday cruise the price is rather high. We were considering doing NCL instead. I've cruised on Royal a LOT and done some Carnival cruises. I'm curious if the fact that NCL gives the drink package as a booking perk if it is more of a party atmosphere. Don't get me wrong I plan to drink a lot. Just because I'm going to be drunk doesn't mean I want to be surrounded by a bunch of them. 

[Liljo22]

9 minutes ago, Denversail said:

We have a Thanksgiving cruise booked on royal this year. Given that it is a holiday cruise the price is rather high. We were considering doing NCL instead. I've cruised on Royal a LOT and done some Carnival cruises. I'm curious if the fact that NCL gives the drink package as a booking perk if it is more of a party atmosphere. Don't get me wrong I plan to drink a lot. Just because I'm going to be drunk doesn't mean I want to be surrounded by a bunch of them. 

My last two cruise have been on Royal and I felt like the vibe was similar as NCL.  The only time I was on a NCL cruise that felt like a party was a spring break cruise out of New Orleans.  A lot of college spring breakers on that cruise.  The second spring break cruise had almost none so it might have been a one off.  

[Funky Fusion FoodsJ]

RCL and NCL are very similar in that aspect, time of cruise is primary factor for both.

[hotsauce126]

The two lines have the same target market, the experience is going to vary by sailing, not by line

[Tin can]

Not directly related to your query as this is a UK experience but "Free' drinks packages with Royal on summer sailings here changed the vibe and behaviour considerably.

 

So much so that this promotion isn't offered anymore and you can't even pay for drinks packages on short cruises now departing from Southampton as they are not allowed.

 

I like a drink as much as anyone but I avoided Southampton sailings when this promotion was running.

[Magicat]

I've been drunk on both lines.

[MCC retired]

Not everyone gets the "free drinks" on NCL as there are lower rates to book available without the "free drinks" included.

[The Fun Researcher]

We did a 5 night Holiday (Christmas) cruise last year on the NCL Getaway and did not notice an appreciable difference versus Royal.

 

Also, Celebrity offers similar packages and we did a 7 night on the Equinox in mid summer out of Miami and didn't notice the drink package impact guest behavior.  ...and before others comment on Celebrities demographics, it felt just like that of Royal.  It did not feel skewed at all to an older crowd, perhaps because it was mid summer but there were lots of singles, families with kids...

Edited February 8, 2023 by The Fun Researcher

[The Fun Researcher]

1 hour ago, Tin can said:

Not directly related to your query as this is a UK experience but "Free' drinks packages with Royal on summer sailings here changed the vibe and behaviour considerably.

 

So much so that this promotion isn't offered anymore and you can't even pay for drinks packages on short cruises now departing from Southampton as they are not allowed.

 

I like a drink as much as anyone but I avoided Southampton sailings when this promotion was running.

Wow you guys are hardcore!

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, Denversail said:

We have a Thanksgiving cruise booked on royal this year. Given that it is a holiday cruise the price is rather high. We were considering doing NCL instead. I've cruised on Royal a LOT and done some Carnival cruises. I'm curious if the fact that NCL gives the drink package as a booking perk if it is more of a party atmosphere. Don't get me wrong I plan to drink a lot. Just because I'm going to be drunk doesn't mean I want to be surrounded by a bunch of them. 

The atmosphere is similar on both cruise lines (we did 2 RCCL and 4 NCL cruises last year). If you go out looking for people who have enjoyed their drinks package too much, you can find them, but it is not the predominant demographic. Other than a spring break cruise when you got a lot of college kids, both cruise lines are pretty mellow. Thanksgiving cruises are pretty mellow with a few more families than at other times... we last cruise on Thanksgiving in 2019, just before the shutdown. 

 

The NCL included package is good. No limits on number of drinks. Up to $15 off every drink, two at a time. Unless you are asking for top-shelf stuff, I have never exceeded $15. Start with mimosas at breakfast and move up throughout the day. 

Edited February 8, 2023 by BirdTravels

[The Fun Researcher]

3 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

The atmosphere is similar on both cruise lines (we did 2 RCCL and 4 NCL cruises last year). If you go out looking for people who have enjoyed their drinks package too much, you can find them, but it is not the prevalent demographic. Other than a spring break cruise when you got a lot of college kids, both cruise lines are pretty mellow. Thanksgiving cruises are pretty mellow with a few more families than at other times... we last cruise on Thanksgiving in 2019, just before the shutdown. 

 

The NCL included package is good. No limits on number of drinks. Up to $15 off every drink, two at a time. Unless you are asking for top-shelf stuff, I have never exceeded $15. Start with mimosas at breakfast and move up throughout the day. 

On sailings where I've had the drink package (X and NCL), I'm about drunked out by day 5 or 6 and am ready for a break from my vacation LOL.

[aubreyc1988]

I've never noticed a difference between NCL/RCI. 

 

I have experienced a difference on Carnival. Of course, that is just my experience. 

 

You will tend to see higher "Drunk incidents" on shorter cruises and Spring Break, but as a rule, it just depends sailing to sailing. I've had two cruises to Alaska where I encountered more really drunk people than Caribbean sailings, go figure. 

[retired dude]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

The atmosphere is similar on both cruise lines (we did 2 RCCL and 4 NCL cruises last year). If you go out looking for people who have enjoyed their drinks package too much, you can find them, but it is not the predominant demographic. Other than a spring break cruise when you got a lot of college kids, both cruise lines are pretty mellow. Thanksgiving cruises are pretty mellow with a few more families than at other times... we last cruise on Thanksgiving in 2019, just before the shutdown. 

 

The NCL included package is good. No limits on number of drinks. Up to $15 off every drink, two at a time. Unless you are asking for top-shelf stuff, I have never exceeded $15. Start with mimosas at breakfast and move up throughout the day. 

don't forget about the $40 per day gratuity charge on ncl per day for the booze package. Rccl does not charge that and it sure adds up

[SteveH2508]

17 minutes ago, retired dude said:

don't forget about the $40 per day gratuity charge on ncl per day for the booze package. Rccl does not charge that and it sure adds up

Interesting maths - it is about $20 per person per day  for gratuities on the booze package in the US. 

[retired dude]

1 minute ago, SteveH2508 said:

Interesting maths - it is about $20 per person per day  for gratuities on the booze package in the US. 

forgive me we are a married couple so i always include my wife in calculations...Like i said, rccl does not charge a daily gratuity charge for the booze package, and that works for us although with us being diamond, we seldom to drink more than 4 drinks a piece per day. 

[SteveH2508]

8 minutes ago, retired dude said:

forgive me we are a married couple so i always include my wife in calculations...Like i said, rccl does not charge a daily gratuity charge for the booze package, and that works for us although with us being diamond, we seldom to drink more than 4 drinks a piece per day. 

Forgiven - just clarifying for other readers.😀

[The Fun Researcher]

26 minutes ago, retired dude said:

forgive me we are a married couple so i always include my wife in calculations...Like i said, rccl does not charge a daily gratuity charge for the booze package, and that works for us although with us being diamond, we seldom to drink more than 4 drinks a piece per day. 

That’s only because you have to pay for gratuity upfront when you purchase a boost package so you do in fact pay for gratuity.  I’m not aware of any cruises out of North America by Royal that includes a drink package.

Edited February 8, 2023 by The Fun Researcher

[Liljo22]

1 hour ago, retired dude said:

forgive me we are a married couple so i always include my wife in calculations...Like i said, rccl does not charge a daily gratuity charge for the booze package, and that works for us although with us being diamond, we seldom to drink more than 4 drinks a piece per day. 

What do you mean RCCL doesn't charge a daily gratuity for its booze package?  RCCL charges somewhere around $70 pp/pd plus 18% gratuity.  On a 7 day cruise, the drink package for 2 costs usually between $1100-$1200.  On NCL, its $305.20 for the package gratuities. 

[retired dude]

i got confused and said rccl when it was celebrity AI plan that is open bar with no grats when the ai plan is booked....I was so used to booking rccl and the perks of free drinks with diamond status that i confused it with our many celebrity sailings that you pay up front for the ai package that incudes drinks, wifi, regular grats and a bunch more....It was hard to see the fine print with ncl that when you book their version of the ai plan that you have to pay the booze grats in addition to the original purchase plan...Once again i am sorry for any confusion. I guess we just cruise too much and got our cruise lines confused.....p.s. we have sailed with ncl in the past, but did not care for it at all, but that is just us. have a blessed day all.

[BirdTravels]

17 hours ago, retired dude said:

don't forget about the $40 per day gratuity charge on ncl per day for the booze package. Rccl does not charge that and it sure adds up

No, RCCL does not charge that. They charge the gratuities plus the cost of the package. And it does add up. 

[The Fun Researcher]

27 minutes ago, retired dude said:

i got confused and said rccl when it was celebrity AI plan that is open bar with no grats when the ai plan is booked....I was so used to booking rccl and the perks of free drinks with diamond status that i confused it with our many celebrity sailings that you pay up front for the ai package that incudes drinks, wifi, regular grats and a bunch more....It was hard to see the fine print with ncl that when you book their version of the ai plan that you have to pay the booze grats in addition to the original purchase plan...Once again i am sorry for any confusion. I guess we just cruise too much and got our cruise lines confused.....p.s. we have sailed with ncl in the past, but did not care for it at all, but that is just us. have a blessed day all.

No worries. Thanks for clearing that up. I thought that might’ve been what happened but wasn’t sure. I do agree about the drink plan with NCL. I’m not sure everyone notices that it’s not truly “free”.  
 

Even with Celebrity now, it’s very obvious that there is extra cost when you choose the drink package because now it is bundled with the Wi-Fi and gratuities at a higher cruise fare that you have to intentionally choose during the booking.  It’s either choose the bundle, or choose the “cruise only” price.  At least that’s how it was for our upcoming Celebrity cruise on the Equinox in December.  Honest question… Does Celebrity still run specials where the drink package is truly included?  That is how it was for us back in 2017 on the Equinox if we booked a balcony or higher. I think their pricing strategy has changed since the though, to what I mentioned above.
 

 

Edited February 9, 2023 by The Fun Researcher

[retired dude]

1 hour ago, The Fun Researcher said:

No worries. Thanks for clearing that up. I thought that might’ve been what happened but wasn’t sure. I do agree about the drink plan with NCL. I’m not sure everyone notices that it’s not truly “free”.  
 

Even with Celebrity now, it’s very obvious that there is extra cost when you choose the drink package because now it is bundled with the Wi-Fi and gratuities at a higher cruise fare that you have to intentionally choose during the booking.  It’s either choose the bundle, or choose the “cruise only” price.  At least that’s how it was for our upcoming Celebrity cruise on the Equinox in December.  Honest question… Does Celebrity still run specials where the drink package is truly included?  That is how it was for us back in 2017 on the Equinox if we booked a balcony or higher. I think their pricing strategy has changed since the though, to what I mentioned above.
 

 

we were faced with making the decision whether to do the ai plan for an upcoming trip on the celebrity "connie" and since we did not need the wifi or  pre- paid  grats we chose to just book the cruise only package. We are elite with celebrity and they gave us an additional $850 obc so when we saved an additional $1600 off of the ai plan cost, it was a no brainer...Being elite level, we  are restricted to an open bar from 5-7 every night and for us with all of that obc it was a great decision that we made..Like everyone has said here on this website, you have to do the homework and decide what is best for you...wish everyone a great day....

[The Fun Researcher]

31 minutes ago, retired dude said:

we were faced with making the decision whether to do the ai plan for an upcoming trip on the celebrity "connie" and since we did not need the wifi or  pre- paid  grats we chose to just book the cruise only package. We are elite with celebrity and they gave us an additional $850 obc so when we saved an additional $1600 off of the ai plan cost, it was a no brainer...Being elite level, we  are restricted to an open bar from 5-7 every night and for us with all of that obc it was a great decision that we made..Like everyone has said here on this website, you have to do the homework and decide what is best for you...wish everyone a great day....

Agree 100%.  It all comes down to your individual situation and cruising style.

 

Yeah, the cost for the Celebrity "drink, gratuity and WiFi package" can vary widely.  We will also be elite on X in December on our 5 night cruise, but still decided to purchase the package.  Why? 

1)  5-7 pm is a horrible time for us to have drinks.  We're at dinner at that time.  

2)  To upgrade to the package it was only $240 more per person (of which gratuities were $88 which we would have needed to pay anyway).  That left the drink package and WiFi costing $152 per person for drinks and wifi which is a steal.

 

HOWEVER,

Our three kids in the connecting balcony, (of which only one is old enough to drink) for some reason would have had to pay over $700 per person for the package in their room.  That is a total no go.  Weird how X's pricing works sometimes.

[Liljo22]

4 hours ago, retired dude said:

i got confused and said rccl when it was celebrity AI plan that is open bar with no grats when the ai plan is booked....I was so used to booking rccl and the perks of free drinks with diamond status that i confused it with our many celebrity sailings that you pay up front for the ai package that incudes drinks, wifi, regular grats and a bunch more....It was hard to see the fine print with ncl that when you book their version of the ai plan that you have to pay the booze grats in addition to the original purchase plan...Once again i am sorry for any confusion. I guess we just cruise too much and got our cruise lines confused.....p.s. we have sailed with ncl in the past, but did not care for it at all, but that is just us. have a blessed day all.

No problem.  I sail both RCCL and NCL and always get the package when I cruise so I am well versed on the costs.   I understand your comment about NCL fine print but the gratuities are in the price when you go to book.  Its not like they are adding a daily charge on your bill and its going to be a surprise at the end.    

[Tatka]

We sailed with Celebrity, Princess, Royal, NCL, Cunard, MSC, Holland and Carnival multiple times and while level of pax refinement varies by line, I never seen many drunks or uncontrollable drinking on any.