Back to Cruising after a 5 year break - Drinks Package Princess Cruise

[aussiebossyboots]

It's been a long time since we sailed away and we finally chose a Princess Cruise to Tasmania in February this year.  We decided to get the Princess Plus package as it was for only 7 nights.  At the end of the cruise there was no way we could compare whether the package was worth it as there is no record given to us listing the drinks we did consume.  Also all the research I have done seems to focus on American prices or cocktails and wine.

 

Yes, this is another drinks package question, but rather than asking for the alcohol prices, we are interested in the cost of the non alcohol drinks.  It was impossible to get the price of these sorts of drinks as there was no price list when we were on board.

 

My husband does not drink, but needs a large amount of just plain water and has the odd soda/mineral water and coke.  Does anyone know the price of bottles of water, soda and soft drinks.

 

I know we can take about 12 cans of soft drink on board along with 2 bottles of wine per cabin. We are not interested in all the other add-ons to the package such as WiFi, gym, lunches etc.

 

We are booked on a 10 night Princess Queensland cruise in November and are thinking of just paying as we go.  I do drink, but there was no way I could possibly drink enough for two people on the package, this was evident on our Tasmanian cruise.

 

Thanks for your help.

[MicCanberra]

The thing with the Princess Plus package is that it has much more than just drinks. If the other things do not provide value for you than perhaps just pay as you go.

[arxcards]

I agree with Mic.

For us internet, 3 drinks, a coffee and a water covers our daily Plus fare. We don't give a rats about gym & the add on desserts, but the occasional Alfredos/Salty Dog sitting or juice bar gives us a bit more value.

 

Main shelf cocktails/Spirits run at $13.50 to $16, so if you are not using the package for anything else, 4 drinks gets you close, and anything else is a bonus. If 2 to 3 drinks is your tipping point, PAYG.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Small bottles of spring water are $3.50.

Small bottles of sparkling mineral water are $4.50 for Perrier or $5.50 for San Pellegrino.

Cans of soft drink are $4.00.

 

These are all covered under the Plus package. There is a limit of four bottles of water at a time but no limit for how many you can get in a day. We order some on the app to our cabin and also pick up some when we pass a bar.

 

Larger bottles of water are available but not covered by the Plus package. They are $7.49 for a 1.5 litre bottle of spring water.

 

Let me know if you need any more prices. I'm on Coral Princess at the moment and for another 55 days.

[Muffinz]

as post #2 says the plus package covers way more than just drinks

we're not big drinkers either, but do enjoy 2-3 coffees a day with the odd drink here and there. 

That with the Wi-Fi, premium deserts and 2 casual meals means it will be worthwhile for us on 12 night Crown Princess cruise in December

[Aus Traveller]

10 hours ago, aussiebossyboots said:

I know we can take about 12 cans of soft drink on board along with 2 bottles of wine per cabin. We are not interested in all the other add-ons to the package such as WiFi, gym, lunches etc.

 

We are booked on a 10 night Princess Queensland cruise in November and are thinking of just paying as we go.  I do drink, but there was no way I could possibly drink enough for two people on the package, this was evident on our Tasmanian cruise.

 

Thanks for your help.

You can take as much water as you like onto a Princess cruise and I think the same applies to soft drinks. We don't drink a lot so the package isn't cost-effective for us. We would rather pay as we go and the cost of our drinks comes off our on-board credit. I have seen people on the Plus package commenting that they have a lot of on-board credit to use up on stuff (or tours) they don't really want.

[aussiebossyboots]

Thanks everyone for your comments.  It's a hard decision.  OzKiwiJJ, thanks, these were the prices I needed to make a stab-in-the-dark calculation.  I think in the end we will probably be so close that for the convenience the Plus Package will probably be the way to go.

 

The casual dining was OK to have and we used it because we had it, not into the deserts, they were awful and if you ate two per day, they would have to call an ambulance.  Wifi is handy, but again we could do without it.  

 

Also hubby likes an odd mocktail.  Are mocktails the same price as cocktails?

 

Thanks again

[Ozwoody]

13 hours ago, arxcards said:

I agree with Mic.

For us internet, 3 drinks, a coffee and a water covers our daily Plus fare. We don't give a rats about gym & the add on desserts, but the occasional Alfredos/Salty Dog sitting or juice bar gives us a bit more value.

 

Main shelf cocktails/Spirits run at $13.50 to $16, so if you are not using the package for anything else, 4 drinks gets you close, and anything else is a bonus. If 2 to 3 drinks is your tipping point, PAYG.

??? What? 3 soft drinks+a coffee+water+internet for $65/day is a good deal???

I obviously live on another planet! 😲

 

[Ozwoody]

12 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Small bottles of spring water are $3.50.

Small bottles of sparkling mineral water are $4.50 for Perrier or $5.50 for San Pellegrino.

Cans of soft drink are $4.00.

 

These are all covered under the Plus package. There is a limit of four bottles of water at a time but no limit for how many you can get in a day. We order some on the app to our cabin and also pick up some when we pass a bar.

 

Larger bottles of water are available but not covered by the Plus package. They are $7.49 for a 1.5 litre bottle of spring water.

 

Let me know if you need any more prices. I'm on Coral Princess at the moment and for another 55 days.

Hi Julie

If is convenient, what is the current cost of Mocktails & smoothies?

 

Regards

John 

 

[arxcards]

57 minutes ago, Ozwoody said:

??? What? 3 soft drinks+a coffee+water+internet for $65/day is a good deal???

I obviously live on another planet! 😲

 

I didn't mention soft drinks.

 

3 hard drinks (old fashioned) = approx $45 when purchased one by one.

Comparatively to most ships, when added to the other items, is good value.

[Ozwoody]

21 minutes ago, arxcards said:

I didn't mention soft drinks.

 

3 hard drinks (old fashioned) = approx $45 when purchased one by one.

Comparatively to most ships, when added to the other items, is good value.

But that was the point, OP's DH does not drink.😁

Hence is Plus worth it.

[arxcards]

51 minutes ago, Ozwoody said:

But that was the point, OP's DH does not drink.😁

Hence is Plus worth it.

Then the advice, as suggested, is PAYG.

[MicCanberra]

Definitely PAYG, if alcoholic drinks aren't part of the picture. 

[aussiebossyboots]

Ok, I had a quick look at the pricing based on an estimate of what we would consume as 'drinks'.  Hubby drinks a lot of water, he has kidney issues so I keep a keen eye on his consumption, hence his reluctance to drink alcohol.

 

Working on 6 bottles of water (they are only small), 4 sparkling waters, 4 coke, 1 coffee (for me only), 1 mocktail and 4 alcoholic drinks per day for me (ok I am on a cruise) that works out to approximately $100 per day.  As WiFi etc we can live with or without, this works out a saving of $300 over the 10 day cruise.  But I would have to watch the consumption.

 

Considering what we are paying for the cruise, travel insurance, travel to and from Sydney, maybe I am nit picking.

 

In addition, we are celebrating his 75th Birthday, so maybe worth the $300 (or 5.5%) extra for a stress free cruise.  Decisions, decisions!!

 

 

[Over from NZ]

17 hours ago, aussiebossyboots said:

It's been a long time since we sailed away and we finally chose a Princess Cruise to Tasmania in February this year.  We decided to get the Princess Plus package as it was for only 7 nights.  At the end of the cruise there was no way we could compare whether the package was worth it as there is no record given to us listing the drinks we did consume.  Also all the research I have done seems to focus on American prices or cocktails and wine.

 

Yes, this is another drinks package question, but rather than asking for the alcohol prices, we are interested in the cost of the non alcohol drinks.  It was impossible to get the price of these sorts of drinks as there was no price list when we were on board.

 

My husband does not drink, but needs a large amount of just plain water and has the odd soda/mineral water and coke.  Does anyone know the price of bottles of water, soda and soft drinks.

 

I know we can take about 12 cans of soft drink on board along with 2 bottles of wine per cabin. We are not interested in all the other add-ons to the package such as WiFi, gym, lunches etc.

 

We are booked on a 10 night Princess Queensland cruise in November and are thinking of just paying as we go.  I do drink, but there was no way I could possibly drink enough for two people on the package, this was evident on our Tasmanian cruise.

 

Thanks for your help.

The KISS theory. works. If you can't do the maths.. it ain't worth it. If you're not much of a drinker.. the packages are irrelevant. 

[Ozwoody]

46 minutes ago, aussiebossyboots said:

Ok, I had a quick look at the pricing based on an estimate of what we would consume as 'drinks'.  Hubby drinks a lot of water, he has kidney issues so I keep a keen eye on his consumption, hence his reluctance to drink alcohol.

 

Working on 6 bottles of water (they are only small), 4 sparkling waters, 4 coke, 1 coffee (for me only), 1 mocktail and 4 alcoholic drinks per day for me (ok I am on a cruise) that works out to approximately $100 per day.  As WiFi etc we can live with or without, this works out a saving of $300 over the 10 day cruise.  But I would have to watch the consumption.

 

Considering what we are paying for the cruise, travel insurance, travel to and from Sydney, maybe I am nit picking.

 

In addition, we are celebrating his 75th Birthday, so maybe worth the $300 (or 5.5%) extra for a stress free cruise.  Decisions, decisions!!

 

 

 

Maybe check if one person wants plus, are both in cabin required to have Plus?

If so then its $130/day for both of you, not $65.

 

@arxcards do you you know? 

 

[arxcards]

39 minutes ago, Ozwoody said:

 

Maybe check if one person wants plus, are both in cabin required to have Plus?

If so then its $130/day for both of you, not $65.

 

@arxcards do you you know? 

 

After being changed last year, both need to be the same fare type whether standard, plus or premier.

 

For a non-drinking partner, the balance does shift to PAYG. Mocktails & espresso coffee will add up a bit, especially if you don't want to cart your own softies and water aboard. If Barb or I were tea totallers, we wouldn't get plus. Before plus came along, it was rare for us to buy a drink package. It is only because it is a cheaper price and extra benefits that any other drink packages around. We don't get a massive gain out of plus either, but I love not having to justify and reconcile each purchase.  

Edited June 24 by arxcards

[OzKiwiJJ]

5 hours ago, Ozwoody said:

Hi Julie

If is convenient, what is the current cost of Mocktails & smoothies?

 

Regards

John 

 

Mocktails are $10.50. There are only a couple listed on the app but I'm sure the bartenders could make other ones. 

 

Smoothies aren't listed on the app so I'll have to check at Good Spirits later.

[cruiser3775]

On 6/24/2024 at 11:57 AM, aussiebossyboots said:

I think in the end we will probably be so close that for the convenience the Plus Package will probably be the way to go.

Why is the package more convenient?

[Muffinz]

20 minutes ago, cruiser3775 said:

Why is the package more convenient?

For some people it is convenient because they don't have to worry about how many drinks they've had and what the cost is - as long as they have under 15 alcoholic drinks per day within the limits of their package

 

where as others who 'pay as they go' will have to constantly monitor how many drinks / coffees they've had and keep tabs of the cost of each drink

Edited June 25 by Muffinz

[Aus Traveller]

1 hour ago, Muffinz said:

For some people it is convenient because they don't have to worry about how many drinks they've had and what the cost is - as long as they have under 15 alcoholic drinks per day within the limits of their package

 

where as others who 'pay as they go' will have to constantly monitor how many drinks / coffees they've had and keep tabs of the cost of each drink

I have talked to countless people on Princess ships who were charged for drinks even though they had the Plus or Premium package. 😁 It was easy to get the charge reversed, but it was a PITA. They were having more trouble than I was and I don't buy the package.

[Muffinz]

4 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

I have talked to countless people on Princess ships who were charged for drinks even though they had the Plus or Premium package. 😁 It was easy to get the charge reversed, but it was a PITA. They were having more trouble than I was and I don't buy the package.

well yes that would be a pain if you were charged for drinks that were part of your package.... 

 

[arxcards]

46 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

I have talked to countless people on Princess ships who were charged for drinks even though they had the Plus or Premium package. 😁 It was easy to get the charge reversed, but it was a PITA. They were having more trouble than I was and I don't buy the package.

We have had that too, but they have gotten heaps better over the past year. We often found that if we ignored it for a day, it was reconciled off our account without us doing any chasing. We found it was best not to be too diligent and to trust the system till the last night.

[aussiebossyboots]

Thanks again for the further comments.  I think we will just PAYG, take the 2 bottles of wine and 12 cans of soft drink.

 

It will be a good experiment over 10 days, because wifi and causal dining, gym and the other stuff just does not bother us if we don't have it.  And I only have one coffee per day.  It will also ensure that I limit the number of alcohol drinks I consume which is really good for me as I don't really drink as much at home.

[Elorac123]

I have a cruise in November and didn’t book the plus package but now I’m thinking I might u til I saw this which I have copied and pasted 

w much is a Princess Plus beverage package?

 

 

Princess values the Plus beverage package at $65 plus 18% service charge, or $76.69 per person per day which would be equivalent to roughly 4 alcoholic drinks, a specialty coffee, and a soda each day.16 Feb 2024
So what’s with the service  charge ?

Cheers Carole