Drink Package Reality Check- just off Liberty 3/23/15

I'll do a longer trip report on the trip itself, but wanted to share my thoughts on the drink package while fresh of Liberty 5-day last week (3/23). At first I hedged on the deluxe package ($49/day) but my wife and I enjoy good wine, and I like beer during the day. In fact, I was pretty sure I’d get my value out of it on beer alone, but the 20% discount on wine sealed the deal. “Life’s too short to drink cheap wine” so the opportunity to get a discount on some of the better options made it worthwhile. I purchased the deluxe package for myself on boarding, and we figured we'd buy my wife's drinks separately as she's typically drinks a lot less. :)

HOWEVER... I think this is still something of a work in progress, and is likely having unintended consequences for RCL and cruisers – both good and bad.

On boarding day, we headed out to the poolside, found a table, and to kick off our vacation, I ordered a beer on my drink card, my wife a tropical drink of the day on hers. On our very first drink order, the waiter (to be clear, not us) immediately suggested, “just give me his card. I get them both on his (package). I’ll take care of you, no problem. Just don’t tell anyone, right?” What was I supposed to do, argue? So right out to the gate, you can see problems. Clearly the waiter knew his way around the chaos of first day and perhaps figured his way to a potentially bigger tip by using the same card. This happened several other times as well – generally around the pool.

Interestingly, though, there were scenarios when the opposite would occur- when I wanted to order one drink for myself, and purchase one for my wife (on my card), and the bartenders/waiters in other cases would not let me get 2 drinks without two sea passes – even though I was perfectly happy to purchase one. I don’t know if this was an age-check thing, or something to do with the package, but I don’t recall this limit on previous cruises. Regardless, this process of double-ringing separately is clearly more labor intensive for the bartenders and really slows down the process. Still at other times, I started noticing bartenders simply not ringing my beers at all, but just handing them to me, which I suspect isn’t figuring into RCL’s inventory. Not to mention, not giving me an opportunity to tip additionally. And so about that tipping...

Despite the included tip, I still felt compelled to add $1 to most purchases. That's just me. But honestly, I didn’t get a sense that it mattered a bit and felt kind of dumb afterwards - tipping what amounts to 35% for someone to open a beer bottle. But I still did it anyway...

As I mentioned, overall I found bar service quite slow. All the bars I frequented during the day (solarium, pool bar, sky bar, squeezes) required waits for every drink – often waiting for 3 or 4 other folks per bartender. In addition to the physical bars in the area, most sea days had two separate temporary bars set up often without registers, which required the bartender to write down the folio numbers on a pad of paper, and left them with no opportunity to earn an additional tip. Conceptually I thought this was a good idea to supplement the slow bar service, but without registers and an additional tip opportunity I felt service here was even more painfully slow.

Sadly my guess is it’s only going to get worse. At the risk of being a bit cynical, the reality is once they have you purchasing a drink package, it’s economically not in their interest to provide you with the product and service, it just isn’t. Looking at it historically, I suspect bar service is going very much the way of the MDR/Windjammer/Specialty restaurants. For right now, the selection and brands included are impressive – like the MDR was in the 80’s (or Chops was when it was introduced). But if drink packages become almost compulsory, as I think they eventually will, cuts will become inevitable, items will be removed and you’ll get a very basic package and service, or you’ll pay an up fee for something better. (you could argue you're seeing hints of it already with Select/Deluxe) So while overall I liked the having the package and felt I got use out of it, I’m not really sure it bodes well longer term.

Of course this is just one small part of a great vacation, and as I mentioned I'm still glad I got it. But I know the folks on CC love to banter about the drink package... so have at it. :)

Thanks for your insights! I agree with your thinking

I thought the packages had to be purchased for both people in the cabin?

I thought the packages had to be purchased for both people in the cabin?

No, not since late 2013.

I agree with you. Although we didn't have quite the same experience in regard to service on LOS back in January. Bar service was fairly efficient. Lines were maybe 1-2 people deep at most. Constant service around the track/deck 12 with rolling coolers of beer and several people selling the drink of the day. They too had to manually write a receipt but they all put a big fat TIP line at the bottom. Surely not to be missed! It is worth noting that we did have a group of 800+ on board for a gospel sing. Not many of those cruisers were bellied up to the bar....

I think the removal of the drink menu's plays into this as well. What will sink a new bar or restaurant? An overly complex menu. The same can be said about the drink packages. More people with the packages and more people drinking will result in new efficiencies to be found. Some will argue 'it's their job', but there's nothing a bartender wants to make less than a frozen concoction with 6 different ingredients, two umbrellas, a stick of fruit garnish served in a cup that flashes, blinks and sings Happy Birthday to you. Less options, less inventory to carry, shorter lines, faster service = more profit.

Despite the included tip, I still felt compelled to add $1 to most purchases. That's just me. But honestly, I didn’t get a sense that it mattered a bit and felt kind of dumb afterwards - tipping what amounts to 35% for someone to open a beer bottle. But I still did it anyway...

Yes, I think there are many who feel the same way. I'm definitely one of those type. However, when I'm out locally when I get a drink I almost always tip $1 per drink no matter the cost, especially if I'm at a pay-as-you-go place versus running a tab. So I plan on doing a lot of the drinks of the day and at $8 I'm already tipping $1.44 (based on the 18% gratuity added to the package). So I'm going try real hard to not add that extra $1. That would take the $65 per day for drinks up to possibly $75 on some days (this includes other-than alcohol drinks too). That's getting too high! (no pun intended). :D

I suspect the issue with trying to get two drinks at once on your Seapass is, indeed, related to the package. If your Seapass has a package associated with it, the drinks are free, so I'm not sure they have an easy way to override that and charge you for a drink against your card, even though you were expecting to pay for the second drink.

Yes, I think there are many who feel the same way. I'm definitely one of those type. However, when I'm out locally when I get a drink I almost always tip $1 per drink no matter the cost, especially if I'm at a pay-as-you-go place versus running a tab. So I plan on doing a lot of the drinks of the day and at $8 I'm already tipping $1.44 (based on the 18% gratuity added to the package). So I'm going try real hard to not add that extra $1. That would take the $65 per day for drinks up to possibly $75 on some days (this includes other-than alcohol drinks too). That's getting too high! (no pun intended). :D

No reason to feel guilty about it. I think the auto 18% is very fair on its own, and they are doing it because some people tip nothing. You certainly don't have to tip double.

I suspect the issue with trying to get two drinks at once on your Seapass is, indeed, related to the package. If your Seapass has a package associated with it, the drinks are free, so I'm not sure they have an easy way to override that and charge you for a drink against your card, even though you were expecting to pay for the second drink.

I see what you're saying, but it shouldn't be the case. There are drinks that aren't included in most packages which would need to be paid for - eg if the OP bought a premium coffee - and there are also drinks over the limit that an additional charge must be paid. So drinks are not automatically free and it is certainly possible to charge OP's card for a beverage.

The issue might be if he is trying to buy a drink that is coverd by the package so would otherwise be free, it needs to be manually adjusted in some way to show a charge. Perhaps bartender find this all too hard so prefer to have the other card.

All of that said, IT is not RCI's strong point, so who knows what their registers do!

Thanks for your thoughts, love the quote “Life’s too short to drink cheap wine” I also believe in this

The issue might be if he is trying to buy a drink that is coverd by the package so would otherwise be free, it needs to be manually adjusted in some way to show a charge. Perhaps bartender find this all too hard so prefer to have the other card.

 

All of that said, IT is not RCI's strong point, so who knows what their registers do!

BekkaW - you may be right, and that's one of the possibilities I was thinking as well. Often that's what I was trying to do - just pick up a simple vodka and seltzer-type drink for her - which would be covered on my plan - but pay for it. That seems to confuse them if I was also getting a beer for myself. I also suspect it's possible they're worried that I could go back and question the charge at guest services, claiming I was charged incorrectly since I had the plan, and having it removed.

You also identified correctly that I had no problem paying the extra $ on my card for things not fully covered - like better champaign and better wine at Vintages. :)

We are just off Brilliance and I agree completely with everything you posted. Service was painfully slow even at places like the Schooner Bar when there was only one other person waiting to be served. I, too, felt compelled to tip extra. This was also in hopes of getting better service the next time around. Didn't always work that way though.

I was on the same cruise. Looked like everyone that was drinking had a package by the 2nd day.

Getting a drink on the pool deck and casino took 20 minutes sometimes. Never had a problem getting a drink for my gf as long as I had her card. Most of the time they would make me sign, a few times they didn't even swipe my card.

One of the sea days there was a server going around getting drinks for people on the pool deck. When he finally came to us I gave him a $15 tip in hopes that he would keep checking on us so we didn't have to stand in line at the bar. Never saw him again after that :mad:

I, too, felt compelled to tip extra. This was also in hopes of getting better service the next time around. Didn't always work that way though.

I don't understand this compulsion to tip extra.

Don't feel guilty, people. They are being compensated and they should serve you with a smile. It is their job!

On our last cruise we used our vouchers and tipped for our 'free' D drinks. I have to say, none of the bartenders seemed the least bit appreciative. They were borderline surly.

Very hard to find a friendly, happy bartender the past few cruises. Something is off and I wish RCI would take better care of their staff.

I'll do a longer trip report on the trip itself, but wanted to share my thoughts on the drink package while fresh of Liberty 5-day last week (3/23). At first I hedged on the deluxe package ($49/day) but my wife and I enjoy good wine, and I like beer during the day. In fact, I was pretty sure I’d get my value out of it on beer alone, but the 20% discount on wine sealed the deal. “Life’s too short to drink cheap wine” so the opportunity to get a discount on some of the better options made it worthwhile. I purchased the deluxe package for myself on boarding, and we figured we'd buy my wife's drinks separately as she's typically drinks a lot less. :)

 

HOWEVER... I think this is still something of a work in progress, and is likely having unintended consequences for RCL and cruisers – both good and bad.

On boarding day, we headed out to the poolside, found a table, and to kick off our vacation, I ordered a beer on my drink card, my wife a tropical drink of the day on hers. On our very first drink order, the waiter (to be clear, not us) immediately suggested, “just give me his card. I get them both on his (package). I’ll take care of you, no problem. Just don’t tell anyone, right?” What was I supposed to do, argue? So right out to the gate, you can see problems. Clearly the waiter knew his way around the chaos of first day and perhaps figured his way to a potentially bigger tip by using the same card. This happened several other times as well – generally around the pool.

 

Interestingly, though, there were scenarios when the opposite would occur- when I wanted to order one drink for myself, and purchase one for my wife (on my card), and the bartenders/waiters in other cases would not let me get 2 drinks without two sea passes – even though I was perfectly happy to purchase one. I don’t know if this was an age-check thing, or something to do with the package, but I don’t recall this limit on previous cruises. Regardless, this process of double-ringing separately is clearly more labor intensive for the bartenders and really slows down the process. Still at other times, I started noticing bartenders simply not ringing my beers at all, but just handing them to me, which I suspect isn’t figuring into RCL’s inventory. Not to mention, not giving me an opportunity to tip additionally. And so about that tipping...

 

Despite the included tip, I still felt compelled to add $1 to most purchases. That's just me. But honestly, I didn’t get a sense that it mattered a bit and felt kind of dumb afterwards - tipping what amounts to 35% for someone to open a beer bottle. But I still did it anyway...

 

As I mentioned, overall I found bar service quite slow. All the bars I frequented during the day (solarium, pool bar, sky bar, squeezes) required waits for every drink – often waiting for 3 or 4 other folks per bartender. In addition to the physical bars in the area, most sea days had two separate temporary bars set up often without registers, which required the bartender to write down the folio numbers on a pad of paper, and left them with no opportunity to earn an additional tip. Conceptually I thought this was a good idea to supplement the slow bar service, but without registers and an additional tip opportunity I felt service here was even more painfully slow.

 

Sadly my guess is it’s only going to get worse. At the risk of being a bit cynical, the reality is once they have you purchasing a drink package, it’s economically not in their interest to provide you with the product and service, it just isn’t. Looking at it historically, I suspect bar service is going very much the way of the MDR/Windjammer/Specialty restaurants. For right now, the selection and brands included are impressive – like the MDR was in the 80’s (or Chops was when it was introduced). But if drink packages become almost compulsory, as I think they eventually will, cuts will become inevitable, items will be removed and you’ll get a very basic package and service, or you’ll pay an up fee for something better. (you could argue you're seeing hints of it already with Select/Deluxe) So while overall I liked the having the package and felt I got use out of it, I’m not really sure it bodes well longer term.

 

Of course this is just one small part of a great vacation, and as I mentioned I'm still glad I got it. But I know the folks on CC love to banter about the drink package... so have at it. :)

That's an interesting perspective. Most people felt that bar service was slow because bartenders were disgruntled at not getting as many tips. However your insight likely has a lot to do with it; RC has no incentive to keep as many bartenders because they don't care if service is slow, in fact it's better for them if it is slow because they get more money for less drinks served. I have always liked all inclusive resorts for the fact that I can drink more without feeling like I'm paying so much money, but I have never bought the drink package on the ship because the cost is a high that I would never drink that much. It would be worth it for a day or two, but I've never drank $400 worth of alcohol on any vacation, even the all inclusives where alcohol was covered. The stories of slow service have discouraged me from buying one even moreso, and I think you're right on the reasons for the slow service.

We experienced a couple service failures but more systems failures in our recent Liberty of the Seas cruise. Whomever said "who knows what their registers will do???!!!" is spot on. We couldn't buy a photo at the photo desk because our C&A discount wasn't being applied so they said, "you'll have to go to guest services to fix this" to which I replied, "so your system downstairs won't talk to your system upstairs so I, the customer, have to go spend 45 minutes in line to fix that for YOU?"

Ultimately they have lowered their fares to a price point where they cannot afford to pay for good staff (either programming their systems, ever see the website?) or tending their bars etc so we get mediocore service and systems because we are paying quite low prices and their ships are full to capacity almost every ship, every sailing. Thus, it's working for them in the short term. I just read a couple posts from people saying that shorter cruises (3 day, 5 day etc) on much less featured ships that they took way back on their first cruise 20 years ago or something cost MORE for a smaller room etc. than their most recent cruise with bigger room, way more ship amenities etc. But they got top notch service, the inventory flowed whether it was tee shirts or drinks, and service was impeccable. Customers dictate the business model, we are all to blame right, because we fill their ships up to capacity again and again.

Ultimately they have lowered their fares to a price point where they cannot afford to pay for good staff (either programming their systems, ever see the website?) or tending their bars etc so we get mediocore service and systems because we are paying quite low prices and their ships are full to capacity almost every ship, every sailing. Thus, it's working for them in the short term.

It's working in the short time but I really don't think they can continue on this path and sell out their ships.

People always say, 'yeah there were cutbacks, less this, less that, but the service was amazing'. If they cut the service they have no room for error in all the other areas.

As a uk rci cruiser on allure on 19th from Barcelona be interested to see how it all pans out with drinks, we are going to get a package of some sort, tipping isn't such a big thing here in the U.K. Compared to the states so I wonder how the bar staff will be? Probably used to it if they've been on a European sailing before???

Service was painfully slow even at places like the Schooner Bar when there was only one other person waiting to be served. I, too, felt compelled to tip extra. This was also in hopes of getting better service the next time around. Didn't always work that way though.

This was also the case on Vision recently. Extremely slow at the Pool bar as well. Long lines of people with only 2 bartenders.

When we arrived on Jewel March 7 with no drink package. We stopped at the pool bar and solarium bar. The ship was very empty at that time. Both bartenders were pushing the drink package big time. Since this was a port intensive cruise it didn't make sense for me, but it probably makes big profits for RC.

Wish I could get more excited for our upcoming cruise on Freedom. Unfortunately this will probably be our last RCCL cruise for a while.

We have had the ultrimate drink package on Celebrity (included with our sailing) and have always had excellent, fast, friendly service. The service certainly has gone downhill on RCCL. The only reason we sail them is when we want to cruise the Caribbean when Celebrity has their ships in Europe. I REFUSE to buy the drink package as we don't drink enough to justify it. I have always tipped extra having worked as both a server and bartender but doubt I will this time. We will probably look at other cruise lines for our next Non-Celebrity cruises.

Just makes me really sad to see where RCCL is headed. :(

A cruise is what you make it and service is always subjective. If you go on a trip thinking it will be lousy, well good luck with that. If a server ignores me, I get up and get my own drink somewhere else and not stew over it. Yup-I'm in the vacation mode with my first ever drink package beginning in two days (well worth it for us) and hope I can return with rave reviews of the Liberty service :)

After a 3 year hiatus from cruising, we were on Oasis last week, finally, with our acquired Diamond status. We gave the Premium Beverage Package a shot. I love a challenge and we were up to trying to drink our way even after the considerable extra expense. We fantasized about just giving the Seapass and not having to mess with pens and paperwork, receipts, tracking expenses while on vacation. The idea of ordering another drink the instant the ice began to melt was very appealing. Even though the 18% was included, we felt compelled to grant the extra $1 with a blank receipt thrust in our face, when it happened, which was all but the Dinner Table.

We DID notice a distinct lack of bar service in public areas. It wasn't too long ago when you heard "Bar Service?" like every minute on the pool decks when they were 'selling' drinks. Now they are just fulfilling their part of the package...SLOWLY. :( You actually had to flag them down and hope they would notice you.

There was DEFINITELY a shortage of Bartenders and they sure worked at their own pace. This was not the Royal Caribbean treatment to which we had become accustomed.

I will be submitting my online survey this week and it's going to be disappointing.

A cruise is what you make it and service is always subjective. If you go on a trip thinking it will be lousy, well good luck with that. If a server ignores me, I get up and get my own drink somewhere else and not stew over it. Yup-I'm in the vacation mode with my first ever drink package beginning in two days (well worth it for us) and hope I can return with rave reviews of the Liberty service :)

I hope exactly the same for you! It certainly didn't break my vacation, have a blast!