Not doing drink Package

[Guest]

Sorry if this has been asked before but do individually purchased drinks already include tip?

Thank you.

[ssawjo]

Yes, each individually purchased cocktail, beer, wine has a tip (18%?) included.  But if you have a drink package, then the tip is included in the cost of the package.

[LHT28]

18 minutes ago, Guest said:

Sorry if this has been asked before but do individually purchased drinks already include tip?

Thank you.

The  20% gratuity is added to the price  on the menu automatically

[ssawjo]

2 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

The  20% gratuity is added to the price  on the menu automatically

Ah, 20%, a little steep IMO.

[LHT28]

8 minutes ago, ssawjo said:

Ah, 20%, a little steep IMO.

it is what it is 

😉

[1985rz1]

58 minutes ago, ssawjo said:

Yes, each individually purchased cocktail, beer, wine has a tip (18%?) included.  But if you have a drink package, then the tip is included in the cost of the package.

No, the tip is not included in the drink price if individually purchased.  It is added on.  It's now 20%.

Edited February 20, 2023 by 1985rz1

[ssawjo]

5 minutes ago, 1985rz1 said:

No, the tip is not included in the drink price if individually purchased.  It is added on.  It's now 20%.

Correction noted.

[MEFIowa]

Reminds me why I bring my own alcohol on board. And make sure to drink up at the Captain's Party evening and the Repeater Party evening.

[susiesan]

2 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

Reminds me why I bring my own alcohol on board. And make sure to drink up at the Captain's Party evening and the Repeater Party evening.

And drink up at happy hour.

 

I do what you do MEFIowa. My O bar bill is always very small.

[MEFIowa]

4 minutes ago, susiesan said:

And drink up at happy hour. I do what you do MEFIowa. My O bar bill is always very small.

My bill to O for alcohol for 20 nights so far is exactly $0.00.

 

And part of the "fun" of port visits is to find the most interesting and inexpensive alcohol, whether beer, hard liquor or wine. I only wish every nation were as inexpensive as Paraguay. Last year when $1=Guarani 6830... Very good beer at a bit over $1.00 for nearly a liter. And 8-year rum for less than $4 per 750 ml. A good white rum was under $3 per 750 ml!

[ORV]

7 hours ago, 1985rz1 said:

No, the tip is not included in the drink price if individually purchased.  It is added on.  It's now 20%.

Glad you straightened that out as some of the wording could leave the wrong impression. Was going to do it myself, but you took care of it. 

[seaventuregal]

I know we can bring wine and other alcohol beverages onboard when embarking the first day, but wanted to know if any problem with Oceania purchasing in other port stops along the cruise and bringing back onboard?

[LHT28]

2 minutes ago, seaventuregal said:

I know we can bring wine and other alcohol beverages onboard when embarking the first day, but wanted to know if any problem with Oceania purchasing in other port stops along the cruise and bringing back onboard?

No problem   for in cabin use

bottles of wine can be taken to a dining venue & pay the corkage fee

[seaventuregal]

Thanks!   I thought that was the case, but hadn't purchased off the ship in several years.  We have a Lima to Miami cruise coming up next month.

[pinotlover]

On 2/20/2023 at 3:24 PM, MEFIowa said:

My bill to O for alcohol for 20 nights so far is exactly $0.00.

 

 

Works only if you mostly enjoy drinking alone with your SO in the solitude of your cabin. We, OTH, enjoy meeting fellow cruisers and sharing experiences along with adult beverages.

 

Almost never had a $0.00 bill. Even with a package I typically end up with corkage fees.

[DeanoNorthPerth]

21 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

Works only if you mostly enjoy drinking alone with your SO in the solitude of your cabin. We, OTH, enjoy meeting fellow cruisers and sharing experiences along with adult beverages.

 

Almost never had a $0.00 bill. Even with a package I typically end up with corkage fees.

Agreed. I've always thought that after spending thousands on a cruise it seems a bit sad to drink in your cabin to save a few dollars rather than mix with your fellow passengers. But to each their own.

[jackdeb]

Yes drinking alone in your cabin is sad 😞. Since I am ready for dinner before DW I often have a small whisky while waiting (always worth the wait). We do have a quiet glass of Port on the balcony before bed. It is still a nice perk that O lets you bring on alcohol to have in your cabin, do not want Pax to abuse the privilege.

[bob brown]

I am a non-drinker, so the subject is moot to me, but I’ve noticed that some on our cruise avoid the corkage fee, by bringing a full wine glass from their cabin into the Grand Dining Room at dinner time…

[MEFIowa]

13 hours ago, DeanoNorthPerth said:

I've always thought that after spending thousands on a cruise it seems a bit sad to drink in your cabin to save a few dollars rather than mix with your fellow passengers. But to each their own.

Really, I have to drink alcohol at lunch or dinner? No, I don't. And I can certainly mix all day with my fellow passengers, without alcohol. Do I have to drink alcohol around or in the pool? Or spa area? No and no. BUT I can LOVE having some beer, hard liquor or wine on my veranda between 9-10 PM, for example, before I go to bed, thinking of that excursion I'll be doing all day off the ship.

 

Something is WRONG if your formula is "Mixing with fellow passengers means drinking alcohol all over the ship!"

[MEFIowa]

14 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Works only if you mostly enjoy drinking alone with your SO in the solitude of your cabin. We, OTH, enjoy meeting fellow cruisers and sharing experiences along with adult beverages....

You must have an issue if you can only enjoy meeting fellow cruisers and sharing experiences with them while consuming alcohol.

 

I set up and hosted a veterans' gathering in Martinis at 3 in the afternoon on Sirena in 11/2022. Did NOT need alcohol to meet my fellow cruisers or share experiences with them. Funny, I haven't needed to drink alcohol around the pool or in the Terrace Cafe or in Waves or in the smoking areas (wife smokes) or anywhere else on ship to enjoy meeting fellow cruisers and sharing experiences with them.

 

But then I guess some people are more like barflys? (I've never seen the appeal of wasted afternoons or evenings in a potential haze of alcohol. But then I can enjoy some beer, hard liquor and wine on my veranda with my wife before I do to bed thinking of long excursions the next day.)

[MEFIowa]

13 hours ago, jackdeb said:

Yes drinking alone in your cabin is sad 😞. ....

Though it is sadder if people feel forced or expected to drink alcohol in order to enjoy company around the ship whether in the Terrace Cafe, Waves, the pool, smoking areas, etc. Do you need alcohol to socialize on a cruise? You can't enjoy a meal without alcohol?

 

What is "sad" having some beer, hard liquor or wine on your veranda at 9-10 pm before going to bed thinking of excursions the next day? Spending $60 or $70 pp/pd on alcohol to think you "fit in" is truly sad.

 

Our cruise, our choice. To save money. On things I'd rather do. Like magnificent excursions or local purchases to take home, rather than pay for alcohol at O's prices. So, on the New Years' Eve just past, wife and I drank the Brugal Rum I purchased in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. Made rum punch. I bring locally purchased alcohol back home, too. You can do that.

[DeanoNorthPerth]

You seem to have been triggered by this discussion @MEFIowa. Sorry about that. My comment was only directed towards those that do enjoy an alcoholic beverage but rather than enjoy said beverage at one of the ship's bars only imbibe in their cabins in order to save a few bucks. I still find that sad.

[MEFIowa]

14 hours ago, DeanoNorthPerth said:

You seem to have been triggered by this discussion @MEFIowa. Sorry about that. My comment was only directed towards those that do enjoy an alcoholic beverage but rather than enjoy said beverage at one of the ship's bars only imbibe in their cabins in order to save a few bucks. I still find that sad.

Personal economics is hardly "triggering". I think we can all do the math. Take that Prestige Package. $60 or $70 per day for 10 nights is $600-700 total. I think you're confused as to what "a few bucks" are? Might have paid all or most of one's airfare to Miami!

 

What is sad is paying O's inflated alcohol prices, including outrageous forced gratuities (is that 18% or 20% during happy hour?). Don't know about you, but when I can bring my own alcohol on board AND do the captain's & repeater parties drinking for free, I've got better, more interesting things to do with my "few bucks" on a cruise. Like lots of shore excursions.

 

For perspective, for these 3 10-night cruises our TOTAL cruise-only is $6697. 30 nights! All with verandas.

 

2022 Sirena B2= $2349.00 pp

2023 Riviera B4= $2249.00 pp

2021 Riviera Concierge A4= $2099.00 pp

 

BUT if I add $600 pp to each, a total of $1800, I've nearly paid for a 4th cruise!

 

So, I'll save hundreds of dollars, drink what I want when I want, and take some back home with me.

Edited February 24, 2023 by MEFIowa
Added a clarifying comment

[GregoryPaul]

46 minutes ago, MEFIowa said:

Personal economics is hardly "triggering". I think we can all do the math. Take that Prestige Package. $60 or $70 per day for 10 nights is $600-700 total. I think you're confused as to what "a few bucks" are? Might have paid all or most of one's airfare to Miami!

 

What is sad is paying O's inflated alcohol prices, including outrageous forced gratuities (is that 18% or 20% during happy hour?). Don't know about you, but when I can bring my own alcohol on board AND do the captain's & repeater parties drinking for free, I've got better, more interesting things to do with my "few bucks" on a cruise. Like lots of shore excursions.

 

For perspective, for these 3 10-night cruises our TOTAL cruise-only is $6697. 30 nights! All with verandas.

 

2022 Sirena B2= $2349.00 pp

2023 Riviera B4= $2249.00 pp

2021 Riviera Concierge A4= $2099.00 pp

 

BUT if I add $600 pp to each, a total of $1800, I've nearly paid for a 4th cruise!

 

So, I'll save hundreds of dollars, drink what I want when I want, and take some back home with me.

Yep! And if you were to switch to an inside cabin, you could save more $$! And by discretely making up some on-Shore lunch sandwiches at the breakfast buffet, save more $$! Maybe hitchhike to the departure port for more $aving$! $aving$ abound if we look for them!

 

I don’t get why decisions on any of this MUST ALWAYS come down to the math. Let’s see: is [(3.4 drinks per day + 20% x 10 days) / square root of my waist in inches > $69.95 - my O life credit]?

 

For me - and apparently for some others - some of these decisions (especially on a once-in-a-long time vacation) hinge more on a undefinable “Happiness Factor” than on a strict accounting of how much money I could save if do things like carry on alcohol and drink in my cabin … or forgo the massage … or skip the nice tour … or whatever.

 

To each of us our own and we all should watch over our shekels as best suits our own situations. And let others do the same.

 

BTW, you really did seem triggered. 
 

 

[MEFIowa]

3 minutes ago, GregoryPaul said:

Yep! And if you were to switch to an inside cabin, you could save more $$!... BTW, you really did seem triggered. 

You seem obsessed with the word "triggered". Funny odd modern term based on a subjective evaluation and an air of judgmental superiority. Are you "triggered" on "triggering"?

 

YOU spend your money your way. Just don't try to fob off some alcohol expenditure as virtuous or somehow as making everyone's cruise better. See all those people who don't drink at all. But they must be "sad" creatures to you. Are you this disdainful for vegetarians who choose not to eat the plethora of free meat daily?

 

AND YOU miss the point of cabin-upgrade sales. You pay a price akin or closer to the inside but get a better room. Wake me when you pay $2099 pp for 10 nights on Riviera for a Concierge A4 like I did in 2021.