Plus vs Premiusm

[socmft]

Probably talked to death, but please indulge me...it's been a while since I've read about the packages.  A while ago, the Premium package differed mostly in the wine selection.  I'm more interested in the prices of the drinks...are their margaritas, martinis, manhattans, etc. still covered under the Plus or have the prices changed and now have to get the Premium package in order to get a good alcohol drink?  Thanks for your help!

[memoak]

Just now, socmft said:

Probably talked to death, but please indulge me...it's been a while since I've read about the packages.  A while ago, the Premium package differed mostly in the wine selection.  I'm more interested in the prices of the drinks...are their margaritas, martinis, manhattans, etc. still covered under the Plus or have the prices changed and now have to get the Premium package in order to get a good alcohol drink?  Thanks for your help!

Most brands are covered under Plus. My manhattans were made with Woodford and my wife’s martinis with Grey Goose

[ExploringTheGlobe]

I really enjoy a Stoli Elit martini and it is above the Plus price limit.  But you can just pay the difference. And like memoak said, most of the adult drinks fall within the Plus price limit.   I always get Premier because I also like the fancy wines.  

[TN-Mountains]

I didn’t order any of the drinks you mentioned, but I took some photos of the plus vs premier drink menus while on Sky Princess a couple of weeks ago.  Hopefully these answer your questions.  If not, let me know.  I have several more photos. These just looked like the most comprehensive ones. 😉

 

[TN-Mountains]

And, a few more that show Margaritas, martinis and Manhattans…

 

[Thrak]

Actually your first pic is out of date as Plus now covers drinks up to $15. Some staff may not be up on the recent changes but, if I ordered a drink listed at $15 and was charged for it I would ask to speak with the beverage manager and have the staff educated regarding recent updates to the package.

 

Note: I noticed Redbreast 12 year old Irish Whiskey listed on the "Premium" menu at $15. Of course, now that the price point has been increased I wouldn't be surprised to see the list price of that one go up.

[memoak]

10 hours ago, Thrak said:

Actually your first pic is out of date as Plus now covers drinks up to $15. Some staff may not be up on the recent changes but, if I ordered a drink listed at $15 and was charged for it I would ask to speak with the beverage manager and have the staff educated regarding recent updates to the package.

 

Note: I noticed Redbreast 12 year old Irish Whiskey listed on the "Premium" menu at $15. Of course, now that the price point has been increased I wouldn't be surprised to see the list price of that one go up.

On all 3 of our cruises this year there has been no issue in getting drinks up to $15 on the plus package

[TN-Mountains]

10 hours ago, Thrak said:

Actually your first pic is out of date as Plus now covers drinks up to $15. Some staff may not be up on the recent changes but, if I ordered a drink listed at $15 and was charged for it I would ask to speak with the beverage manager and have the staff educated regarding recent updates to the package.

 

Note: I noticed Redbreast 12 year old Irish Whiskey listed on the "Premium" menu at $15. Of course, now that the price point has been increased I wouldn't be surprised to see the list price of that one go up.

To clarify...The pictures are not out of date. They were taken onboard Sky Princess on June 13, 2023.  To your point, the menus might be out of date, but they are still being used onboard the ship.  I did some quick spot checks against screenshots I took of the Ocean Now menu. 

     Jameson Stout & Black Barrel are both $15, 

     Jack Daniel's Rye $15,

     Glenivet 12YR $16,

     Redbreast 12 YR $15  

     Salted Watermelon Margarita $19

     Amaretto Manhatten $19

     Manhatten $10

     Margaritini $10

     French Martini $11

     24k Gold Margarita $12

     Ultimate  Patron Margarita $11

It looks like the prices shown on the menus above are still accurate, but the Princess Plus/Premier labels are no longer accurate.  As you noted, the $15 drinks should be shown on the Plus Menu instead of the Premier menu.  

[memoak]

3 minutes ago, TN-Mountains said:

To clarify...The pictures are not out of date. They were taken onboard Sky Princess on June 13, 2023.  To your point, the menus might be out of date, but they are still being used onboard the ship.  I did some quick spot checks against screenshots I took of the Ocean Now menu. 

     Jameson Stout & Black Barrel are both $15, 

     Jack Daniel's Rye $15,

     Glenivet 12YR $16,

     Redbreast 12 YR $15  

     Salted Watermelon Margarita $19

     Amaretto Manhatten $19

     Manhatten $10

     Margaritini $10

     French Martini $11

     24k Gold Margarita $12

     Ultimate  Patron Margarita $11

It looks like the prices shown on the menus above are still accurate, but the Princess Plus/Premier labels are no longer accurate.  As you noted, the $15 drinks should be shown on the Plus Menu instead of the Premier menu.  

The price of things like Manhattans and Martinis are dependent on the brand of liquor used. That’s why I always ask which brands fall under the Plus plan. As long as Woodford Reserve is included I am happy 

[TN-Mountains]

7 minutes ago, memoak said:

The price of things like Manhattans and Martinis are dependent on the brand of liquor used. That’s why I always ask which brands fall under the Plus plan. As long as Woodford Reserve is included I am happy 

Very true.  I always specify Grey Goose when I order something with vodka.  Most folks aren't as picky as me.  Since @socmft didn't ask about a specific brand, I assumed they probably order a "martini" and are happy with it regardless of the liquor brand.  🙂    

[Thrak]

I usually specify Tanqueray and Tonic. Once in a while I've ordered Hendrick's and Tonic. For martinis I ask for a Chairman of the Board. Other than that my drinks are generally straight liquor served neat so that takes care of the brand. I never simply order "bourbon" although I would likely get served Jim Beam which, while not the best, is definitely drinkable. I prefer Bulleit Bourbon and Bulleit Rye. With scotch there are several I sometimes order but, again, I'd never just order "scotch". They would probably serve me Dewar's White Label. <shudder>

[memoak]

30 minutes ago, Thrak said:

I usually specify Tanqueray and Tonic. Once in a while I've ordered Hendrick's and Tonic. For martinis I ask for a Chairman of the Board. Other than that my drinks are generally straight liquor served neat so that takes care of the brand. I never simply order "bourbon" although I would likely get served Jim Beam which, while not the best, is definitely drinkable. I prefer Bulleit Bourbon and Bulleit Rye. With scotch there are several I sometimes order but, again, I'd never just order "scotch". They would probably serve me Dewar's White Label. <shudder>

Have you tried Buffalo Trace or Woodford on ship they are my preferred of the plus plans for bourbons but always specify brand 

[victory2020]

Can't remember - what limit does the regular drink package cover?

[Projunior]

I didn't see Crown Royal or Canadian Club being offered in any of the pictures. Bummer. 

[socmft]

Thanks for the replies.  Think I'll stick with Plus - certainly don't need extra desserts (or fitness classes for that matter!!) each day.  I like Southern Comfort manhattans so I believe I'm covered!  Thanks, again, for the information.

Edited June 30, 2023 by socmft

[Thrak]

On 6/29/2023 at 12:21 PM, memoak said:

Have you tried Buffalo Trace or Woodford on ship they are my preferred of the plus plans for bourbons but always specify brand 

 

Yes, I've done both of those and they are fine but... I prefer Bulleit as it is a high rye bourbon. (I really like the Bulleit Rye but it's not always easy to find on Princess ships and it used to be above the price limit.) I drank Woodford pretty much exclusively on one cruise last year and I have purchased Buffalo Trace a number of times in the past but I still prefer Bulleit. 😉

[Thrak]

On 6/29/2023 at 9:33 AM, TN-Mountains said:

To clarify...The pictures are not out of date. They were taken onboard Sky Princess on June 13, 2023. 

 

My apologies for misstating what I meant. Yes, I had read your post and it did clearly say when the pics were taken. I should have said, as you noted in your reply, that the Plus vs Premium info seems to be out of date. Sorry about that.

Edited July 3, 2023 by Thrak

[gvre]

On 6/29/2023 at 9:52 AM, TN-Mountains said:

Very true.  I always specify Grey Goose when I order something with vodka.  Most folks aren't as picky as me.  Since @socmft didn't ask about a specific brand, I assumed they probably order a "martini" and are happy with it regardless of the liquor brand.  🙂    

Only Grey Goose please!

[memoak]

12 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

Yes, I've done both of those and they are fine but... I prefer Bulleit as it is a high rye bourbon. (I really like the Bulleit Rye but it's not always easy to find on Princess ships and it used to be above the price limit.) I drank Woodford pretty much exclusively on one cruise last year and I have purchased Buffalo Trace a number of times in the past but I still prefer Bulleit. 😉

Come up to the PNW all of these are available in liquor stores and bars.

[Thrak]

5 hours ago, memoak said:

Come up to the PNW all of these are available in liquor stores and bars.

 

I live in a college town. There are liquor stores everywhere, bars galore, and grocery stores sell liquor as well. Some of the mini marts sell liquor. The only "difficulty" one might have getting what they want is the restriction that no alcohol can be sold between 2:00 AM and 6:00 AM. Hardly a hardship. (Okay, I can't get Foursquare Rum anywhere in town but could likely order it if I really wanted to get some. Mount Gay is sold everywhere but not Foursquare.)

[memoak]

1 hour ago, Thrak said:

 

I live in a college town. There are liquor stores everywhere, bars galore, and grocery stores sell liquor as well. Some of the mini marts sell liquor. The only "difficulty" one might have getting what they want is the restriction that no alcohol can be sold between 2:00 AM and 6:00 AM. Hardly a hardship. (Okay, I can't get Foursquare Rum anywhere in town but could likely order it if I really wanted to get some. Mount Gay is sold everywhere but not Foursquare.)

I lived in California for years so I get it. Here in Oregon you must go to a liquor store for hard liquor and the state regulates the price but it does seem that we have more selections than I remember in California