Beverage pkg

[mlmdaisy]

The alcohol doesn't help with much, in my opinion.  It's just as easy to meet and mingle with a club soda, twist of lime.  Yes, I drink hard liquor but prefer not to every day.  This is why we appreciate the cruise lines that include complimentary non-alcoholic beverages. 

[iowananny]

We don't go to the bars to drink although we do.  My husband has found out that on Captain's Night they have a really good non-alcoholic drink that he really likes.  I guess I'm the one who likes alcohol although I've never had to been carried back to our cabin.

 

My husband has a wine cellar and he does like buying wine and bringing it back home if we go to a port with exceptional wine.  We have about 400 bottles in the cellar.  When we die, we're going to have three very happy kids.

[workstocruise]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

Are you on the March 6th, 2025 Marina cruise from Santiago? If so here is a link to our Roll Call. MARINA March 6th 2025, Santiago Chile to Buenos Aires-18 Days. - Marina Roll Calls - Cruise Critic Community

 

[workstocruise]

No we are on the March 24-April 5 cruise Buenas Aires to Rio de Janeiro. We did your cruise in early 2020 on Viking Oceans. It’s an amazing cruise and you will love it. We did it in reverse and since we are from Houston we were able to catch a direct flight home from Santiago.  The Chilean Glaciers are the prettiest ones in the world! We booked this cruise to see Brazil, it will be a first visit for us. Enjoy your trip!

[terrydtx]

1 minute ago, workstocruise said:

No we are on the March 24-April 5 cruise Buenas Aires to Rio de Janeiro. We did your cruise in early 2020 on Viking Oceans. It’s an amazing cruise and you will love it. We did it in reverse and since we are from Houston we were able to catch a direct flight home from Santiago.  The Chilean Glaciers are the prettiest ones in the world! We booked this cruise to see Brazil, it will be a first visit for us. Enjoy your trip!

We have several couples in our RC who are doing the B2B cruise with you. When we booked, we looked at both Viking Ocean and Oceania. Both had 18-day cruises, but we liked the Oceania itinerary a little better (3 more ports) and we got a great deal on the price that was $2000 less than Viking for similar cabins. We booked A2 Concierge class cabin and compared it to DV cabin on VO.  We are flying to Santiago with one stop in Miami and fly home from Buenos Ares direct to DFW on American. We found BC seats for under $4000 per person. 

[lilybug]

1 hour ago, MEFIowa said:

Though do remember that O allows you to bring on board all the beer, hard liquor and wine you want at embarkation and in ports. So you could bring your own Bailey's or equivalent and drink it before bed in your cabin. We sit on our veranda and drink our own alcohol. (The beer and hard liquor can only be consumed in your cabin. You can pay a corkage fee to drink your own wine in their restaurants.)

I did bring my own wine, picked up 6 nice bottles in Belfast.  However, I like to be out and about and I read that in Norway, alcohol is only sold in certain places and it is very expensive.  If I have 2 glasses of wine per day, I'm ahead because if I bought them, you have to add the 20%.  The package includes this.

[Russiamomm]

3 hours ago, lilybug said:

I did bring my own wine, picked up 6 nice bottles in Belfast.  However, I like to be out and about and I read that in Norway, alcohol is only sold in certain places and it is very expensive.  If I have 2 glasses of wine per day, I'm ahead because if I bought them, you have to add the 20%.  The package includes this.

We sound similar to you and your husband.  I drink more than he does.  I think I’d benefit by buying the package, but he likely won’t.  I’m glad we have the option for only one to buy it.

 

I do have a question.  I heard you can buy the upgrade at any rime.  Is that true and is it pro-rated?  I’d like to have a day or two to see if it will really be of value.  (We’re going early August.  It’s our first trip on O.). Thanks!

[EJL2023]

2 minutes ago, Russiamomm said:

We sound similar to you and your husband.  I drink more than he does.  I think I’d benefit by buying the package, but he likely won’t.  I’m glad we have the option for only one to buy it.

 

I do have a question.  I heard you can buy the upgrade at any rime.  Is that true and is it pro-rated?  I’d like to have a day or two to see if it will really be of value.  (We’re going early August.  It’s our first trip on O.). Thanks!

Yes, you can buy it anytime. And the upgraded pricing starts on the day you purchase it through end of cruise. I think a great idea to wait a day or so. Also, will be Captains Party and New To Oceania parties first few days which will have free drinks. 

[iowananny]

You can buy the package at any time during your cruise.  My husband did buy it when we were going into Brazilian waters for the last three days of one of our cruises with no problems.  The second day of the cruise is usually the captain's party and you get free drinks there, so it makes sense to wait until the third day.  I always feel that if I have three drinks a day I've come out ahead and I do like margaritas with premium tequila so I know I usually come home saving a few dollars and not worrying about what I order.  I certainly don't want to come across like I'm Otis, the town drunk but when I go on a cruise I like to have nice cocktails and not just beer and wine at dinner.  Everyone has to make their own decisions on how they want to spend their money.

[Russiamomm]

Thanks!  That is very good to know!

[mlmdaisy]

I'm learning a lot here, thanks!  To clarify, not everyone in a cabin has to buy the package?  Are gratuities included on every drink?  I would double check once on the ship, though.  It seems like a lot of policies have been changing, not only with Oceania.

[AMHuntFerry]

13 minutes ago, mlmdaisy said:

I'm learning a lot here, thanks!  To clarify, not everyone in a cabin has to buy the package?  Are gratuities included on every drink?  I would double check once on the ship, though.  It seems like a lot of policies have been changing, not only with Oceania.

Currently gratuities are included if you have a drink package. If you buy drinks by the glass or bottle, then the gratuity is added (plus any local tax if applicable).

[mlmdaisy]

I just checked for our upcoming cruise in December.  The drink package is $39.95/ day.

[EJL2023]

3 minutes ago, mlmdaisy said:

I just checked for our upcoming cruise in December.  The drink package is $39.95/ day.

Did you book with Simply More or not? If not, then yes that is the daily price for the Basic package. If you booked with SM, the purchase would be to upgrade to the Prestige Package and you’d pay the difference between the two as the basic package is included in SM. 69.95-39.95….$30

[mlmdaisy]

Got it.  I booked with a travel agent and, frankly the SM packaging is very confusing.  As far as I know I don't have it, but apparently if I book five shore excursions I get SM 25% discounts.  This is something I'll take advantage of.

 

Is the basic drink package the wine and beer with meals?  Doesn't everyone get that?  

[EJL2023]

16 minutes ago, mlmdaisy said:

Got it.  I booked with a travel agent and, frankly the SM packaging is very confusing.  As far as I know I don't have it, but apparently if I book five shore excursions I get SM 25% discounts.  This is something I'll take advantage of.

 

Is the basic drink package the wine and beer with meals?  Doesn't everyone get that?  

If you booked the cruise on or after 7/1/2023 you would have booked under Simply More, which includes the wine and beer during lunch and dinner. 

[ORV]

1 hour ago, EJL2023 said:

If you booked the cruise on or after 7/1/2023 you would have booked under Simply More, which includes the wine and beer during lunch and dinner. 

I was thinking it was 9/1/23?

 

At any rate we need to know if Mlmdaisy booked with Olife, SM, or nothing at all. In all those instances the 25% off excursions would apply with a minimum number. 

 

Daisy, did you get a certain amount of On Board Credit for excursions, or just a certain number of excursions? 

[EJL2023]

8 minutes ago, ORV said:

I was thinking it was 9/1/23?

 

At any rate we need to know if Mlmdaisy booked with Olife, SM, or nothing at all. In all those instances the 25% off excursions would apply with a minimum number. 

 

Daisy, did you get a certain amount of On Board Credit for excursions, or just a certain number of excursions? 

I think it was a two step….bookings made 71/23 for sailings of 10/1/23 and later. Something like that as I recall. But…..that memory thing can come and go…

[1985rz1]

1 hour ago, mlmdaisy said:

GAs far as I know I don't have it, but apparently if I book five shore excursions I get SM 25% discounts.  This is something I'll take advantage of.

 

Is the basic drink package the wine and beer with meals?  Doesn't everyone get that?  

If you booked recently, it is SM and you get the basic wine and beer at lunch and dinner included.  Basically that is what the SM fare does for you. The SM excursion discount is a separate option from booking the cruise with SM. 

 

If you booked under the old OLife, then there are no included beverages.

 

Your invoice, assuming it's the Oceania one that your TA sends you, should tell you your status.  If not ask your TA.

Edited Saturday at 08:37 PM by 1985rz1

[mlmdaisy]

It was not clear from my invoice but my agent confirmed that I have Simply More.  Since I booked a short while ago, I believe everything is simpler (no pun intended now).  I think there are only two options, SM and SM with air.

 

We have a credit to be applied to shore excursions.  I much prefer this to have a certain number of excursions, excluding the pricier ones.

 

Adding to my confusion, I sailed with Oceania last summer, when (I think) the deal was OLife.  Unless we opted out of the perk, we were limited to certain excursions.  What we have now is better, I think.

 

The WIFI package seems to be per device now, not per stateroom.  The basic drink package is fine for us; I rarely have more than one alcoholic drink per day (wish I liked wine more, and yes I'm ashamed).  The two specialty dining meals are appreciated and I'm OK taking the leftover times (cheapo cabins).

 

Friends we made on Atlas last month actually felt sorry for us when they saw that our cabin was near the lockers; we thought that was funny.  We'll take steerage if it means more vacations and more cruises!!! 

[mlmdaisy]

And I have to say that everyone is so helpful here!  Thanks all!

[terrydtx]

6 hours ago, mlmdaisy said:

Got it.  I booked with a travel agent and, frankly the SM packaging is very confusing.  As far as I know I don't have it, but apparently if I book five shore excursions I get SM 25% discounts.  This is something I'll take advantage of.

 

Is the basic drink package the wine and beer with meals?  Doesn't everyone get that?  

Simply More, IMO was Oceania's way of more directly competing with their #1 competitor, Viking Ocean. Viking Ocean cruises include wine and beer with meals and offer 1 included tour in each port. Oceania actually went a step further because the wine and beer includes any wines by the glass on the ship and most beers. Oceania also has a shore excursion credit that gives you many choices of tours offered. Our one VO cruise we found the wine offered for lunch and dinner was one house white or red wine, no choices beyond that. They only offered one or two beers. Their included shore tours were just one in each port free, which in our case tended to be walking or city tours by shuttle buses. Any tours beyond the free ones we had to pay for with no excursion credits offered. Our one VO cruise was pre covid and we thought an all-inclusive cruise sounded great until we found it wasn't so all inclusive. We were so disappointed with VO, that we would not cruise with them again.

[mlmdaisy]

OK, so still learning.  Are you saying that the wine and beer is all day on Oceania, not only with meals?  I think I'm so confused because we're comparing to less than a year ago (which seems like yesterday).

 

For anyone focused on drink packages, you might want to look into Atlas.  They didn't offer anything specifically for shore excursions, but we did get SBC and their fare includes all beverages, minus premium brands, but still very comprehensive.  Their disadvantage, in my opinion, was a lack of entertainment.  From what I hear they do a better job with their expedition itineraries. 

[Techno123]

10 minutes ago, mlmdaisy said:

OK, so still learning.  Are you saying that the wine and beer is all day on Oceania, not only with meals?  I think I'm so confused because we're comparing to less than a year ago (which seems like yesterday).

 

With SM you get wine from the 'by the glass' menu or beer (or soft drinks) with lunch and dinner. For an extra $30 per day you get those plus other types of alcohol such as spirits and mixers or cocktails at any time.

 

Personally, I take the drinks package because I like to try out different wines and cocktails and if I don't like them, I just order something different 😁

[mlmdaisy]

I misinterpreted; thank you for clarifying.