Drink package on long cruise

[Adriftwithcocktailinhand]

Hi guys

 

we have booked a cruise on a 26 day cruise with MSC next April and as we cant access our accounts on MSC until 3 months out (we are a deal thru an agent) I have no idea what cost I will be up for the drinks.  Surely they cannot expect you to pay $60+ straight for 26 days? for the mid tier drinks package. Surely we would all be marinated by trying to drink our weight in drinks over 26 days.  (Sadly we have to buy a drinks package, as some in our group were lucky enough to get a discounted drinks package included in the price)...one in...all in as per MSC policy.

Appreciate your thoughts and knowledge on this one.

[ready2cruzagain]

Yes they do expect you to pay the $60 +. We have an 18 day cruise booked next year and have the package included but on the website the price to purchase it for the 18 days would be $1098 pp if we did not already have it. That is for the Easy Plus Package, the mid tier. Yours would be $1586pp.

[fluffybunny22]

Are the people with the drink packages in your cabin? If they have their own cabin you don't have to purchase the drink package.

[Morgsmom]

12 hours ago, Adriftwithcocktailinhand said:

Surely they cannot expect you to pay $60+ straight for 26 days?

Yes, yes, they do.  You cannot pick and choose which days to have the package.  It's all or nothing.

[ready2cruzagain]

58 minutes ago, fluffybunny22 said:

Are the people with the drink packages in your cabin? If they have their own cabin you don't have to purchase the drink package.

True but it is a group booking and they can't sit together at the MDR if one has a drink package and the others don't. In order to sit together you have to all have a package. This could be why TA is telling them that they have to buy it.  Not sure if you could get the maitre'd to do it or not once you board.

[skittl1321]

You can always pay by the drink if you think that would cost less than $60 per day for 26 days.

 

[jame_g]

Usually with a true group bookings, cruiselines require the entire group to purchase the drink package or you can't get it at all. It doesn't matter who's in your cabin or who you're dining with. That's why some groups opt not to do it at all. However, many cruiselines will also give large enough groups a discount on the drink package too - assuming it's a true group booking and not just people booking individually and travelling as their own group of friends or family. This one sounds odd because groups usually have set pricing with set group benefits and everyone must book and pay within a scheduled timeframe. It's strange that one couple would have the drink package included in their pricing and others wouldn't.

[sidari]

Recently MSC changed the drink package policy, the longer the cruise the less you pay, the price is higher for shorter cruises especially those of seven nights and less. 

[sidari]

On 4/24/2023 at 12:56 PM, ready2cruzagain said:

True but it is a group booking and they can't sit together at the MDR if one has a drink package and the others don't. In order to sit together you have to all have a package. This could be why TA is telling them that they have to buy it.  Not sure if you could get the maitre'd to do it or not once you board.

Not correct, we have been seated with others who didn't have a drink package on the same table. The dining room have no idea who have paid for drinks until they see your cruise card. Despite what MSC or their small print might say.

[jame_g]

24 minutes ago, sidari said:

Recently MSC changed the drink package policy, the longer the cruise the less you pay, the price is higher for shorter cruises especially those of seven nights and less. 

That would make sense to me. The short cruises tend to be party cruises with people drinking a lot. The longer cruises aren't going to attract the same party crowd, so the amount of drinking probably decreases with the length of the cruise, up to a point anyway.

[hamrag]

32 minutes ago, sidari said:

Recently MSC changed the drink package policy, the longer the cruise the less you pay, the price is higher for shorter cruises especially those of seven nights and less. 

Evidence?

[sidari]

2 minutes ago, hamrag said:

Evidence?

Search cruise hive they posted the story about the drink price increases in February.

[hamrag]

8 minutes ago, sidari said:

Search cruise hive they posted the story about the drink price increases in February.

I don't have the will to be bothered, can't you simply hit the highlights?

[sidari]

Premium Extra £91 for 3 days 

[sidari]

MSC Cruises has made some modifications to the pricing structure of its beverage packages, which includes the Easy, Easy Plus, and Premium Extra packages. The new prices have been adjusted based mainly on the voyage length. 

Guests will notice that some package prices have been raised considerably, between 5-30% depending on the voyage length. 

For instance, the Easy package now costs €273, or $322, for a cruise lasting more than seven days. This is a price increase of more than 20%. Per person per day, the Easy package costs €39, or $46, if purchased in advance. It will cost guests €47, or $57 if purchased onboard on a cruise for more than seven days. The Easy package will now cost €43, or $49, if booked in advance, and €51, or $60, on board for trips lasting less than seven days.

[insidecabin]

The on board prices per day are often not relevant as MSC makes up a price for the package taken when booking.

 

The ones I have looked at Virtuosa anything between £10 to £30+.

 

The 3day cruises where the onboard is £91pppd was available for £100pp(before a ta discount)

 

The 7n have been hovering around £25pppd

A 14n in June is £21.50

 

21n Euribia Jan £29

 

I have seen them spap cruise fare to package price eg cruise/package  £700/£500 or £900/£300

 

[ready2cruzagain]

oops

Edited April 26, 2023 by ready2cruzagain

[ready2cruzagain]

12 hours ago, sidari said:

Not correct, we have been seated with others who didn't have a drink package on the same table. The dining room have no idea who have paid for drinks until they see your cruise card. Despite what MSC or their small print might say.

Just going by experience.  Have sat with others that are strangers and correct, they did not have the same or any drink package. Have linked bookings and were not sat together because of not having the drink package. Was able to talk to the maitre'd and get our table together. Maybe different now or maybe just that maitre'd.

[insidecabin]

7 minutes ago, ready2cruzagain said:

Just going by experience.  Have sat with others that are strangers and correct, they did not have the same or any drink package. Have linked bookings and were not sat together because of not having the drink package. Was able to talk to the maitre'd and get our table together. Maybe different now or maybe just that maitre'd.

Think it's just a pre cruise rule to try to limit organised sharing.

 

Once on board they managed shared tables differently.