YankeesFan4Life

3 hours ago, judgeender said:

Also interested in this.  Primarily a wine drinker and trying to decide whether the upgrade is worth it and what the differences really are once on board.

 

I'm in the fine wine business, and tend to be a "wine snob"....goes with the territory I guess, lol!

We got the Premium Plus (PPB) mainly because we had some OBC and it only cost us $145 out of pocket.  Besides the cost, the wines were definitely better than what they offered on the Premium Beverage Plan (PBP).  Besides the wine, which I'll get to, we also enjoy top shelf Bourbons.  The PBP included some decent spirits, but with the PPB, we were able to drink Woodford Reserve, Whistle Pig Rye, along with some other more expensive "libations".  We also were able to get bottled still and sparkling water wherever, and whenever.  

Now onto the wines....Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label NV.....sells for around $45-$50 retail.  It was listed for $99/btl and $34.95/glass.  Every night, we enjoyed a bottle at dinner.  Heck, every time I went through the Atrium on Breakaway, I had a glass!  We drank quite a few bottles of Diving Into Hampton Water Rose, which retails for over $25, on their list for like $79.  Also enjoyed the 91pt Lucente Super Tuscan, similar pricing to the Rose.  Simi Alexander Valley Cab on the list, as well as a nice Barolo (can't remember the producer), and a killer Cotes du Rhone and great Sancerre from Jolivet (IIRC).  You also were entitled to 40% off any wine by the bottle that was not included, and the prices were not completely out of line!  Dom was like $239, so with the 40% off, you're paying about $10 below cost (in NJ anyway).

Lastly, you get specialty coffee at dinner, cappuccino's and espresso's etc.  They even were nice enough to bring for my teenagers too!  Also, my wife and daughter went to Starbuck's on the ship, expecting to see the room charges, but they never showed up!  Don't know if that was a mistake, or an attribute to the PPB?  I have no clue to this day!

Bottom line, I think the PPB is COMPLETELY worth it, if you are a real wine drinker, like higher priced spirits, like bottled water and an espresso after dinner.  However, we booked a cruise from Venice to Montenegro, 4 Greek Isles and Czech Republic, so 6 ports in 7 days.  Not opting for the PPB, because we just won't have enough time on the ship to truly enjoy it.  We'll "struggle" at dinner with what's available, and if I feel like splurging for ONE bottle, I will....

Good luck with your decision, hope I was able to help or sway....Cheers!

Home Departure City -  EWR

Arrival/Destination City - MIA

Airline(s) used - American

Number of Connections - 0

Outbound Flight departure/arrival time - 10:48am - 2:00pm

Return Flight departure/arrival time - 1:30pm - 3:30pm

Did You Pay for a Deviation (before or after cruise)? Yes, 1 day prior

# of Days Prior to Departure Flights Were Ticketed? 55

Got lucky when I first saw the flight scheduled at 6am on Saturday, I called NCL, and they were able to change my flight to 10:48am the day prior.

Shows were 7 and 9:30pm IIRC.  We had dinner at 7, and had plenty of time to get to the later shows.  Sometimes they even pushed the shows back to 10.  Even specialty dining, you'll have plenty of time.

We had a CC Meet & Greet, and they gave us all NCL Breakaway Lanyards, that had a breakaway (no pun intended) clip 3/4 the way down, which was fantastic!  Someone actually had brought a hole puncher to the M&G, which was a GREAT idea! Otherwise, I heard the guest services desk has them as well.  As long as you don't punch over the magnetic strip, or any of the pertinent info on the card, you'll be fine.  Bottom line, they sell them on the ship, if you need.

4 hours ago, MNcruisingcouple said:

There are wines that are starred on the dining room wine lists.  DH and I had the PPB on our recent Epic sailing and loved it!  It wouldn't be worth it for us on every cruise we do, but we'll definitely consider it on future sailings.  For wine, we primarily drank Champagne, Nebbiolo, and a Syrah/Sangiovese blend.  I wish I had a picture for you, but I didn't bother to take one.

I hope you enjoy.

The only Champagnes they had were Clicquot Yellow Label NV, and Nicolas Feuillate Rose NV, which were both great.  The wines retail for about $50, but on wine lists, they would usually be over $100.  They were supposedly running a special on the Veuve at $99, and $34.95/glass.  Don't remember the Nebbiolo, but the Luce Lucante was a great option for a Super Tuscan.  Rated 91pts, and retails about $35, so I didn't feel cheated.   We did drink a few bottles of Bon Jovi's Dining into Hampton Water Rose, retails for about $24.95, was on the list for $72 or $74.  Don't remember the name, but the Sancerre was tasty, as was the Simi Alexander Valley Cabernet.  We truly enjoyed the PPB, especially since we had a bunch of OBC and only paid about $180 for the two of us.  I am a fine wine distributor in NJ, and am spoiled with the wines I drink, so it made it all the more better!

22 minutes ago, stormynow said:

RCCL island next door is open, so  GSC should be OK.  We hope.

Coco Cay also has a new pier.  Wish they would do the same with "all the food and drink you could want" at Harvest Caye in Belize, what a joke that was!

5 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

The issue of being charged whilst in port until reaching international waters is something that almost everyone has had. Unless staff decide to delay ringing up drinks (which does occasionally happen) then it happens to everyone who drinks in those ports.

 

However, being charged $4 per drink is extremely rare. Obviously it is dependant on the cost of the drink you buy. There is absolutely no need to wait until you are at sea to start drinking, but it’s probably worth avoiding the $60 drinks at that time.

I was drinking double Woodford Reserve's...Guess that about $18-20/drink x 2?  It was only about $20 total, so not a big deal what so ever

Fees must be a lot different in NYC than in Miami.  I was getting hit $3-4 per drink  while in port in MIA last month.

Also....OP raises a very interesting question/point.  My friend was on a Carnival Cruise out of NYC, and they were not able to use the drink package AT ALL while in port in NYC.  New York City has passed an ordinance a few years back to where there are no more "Open Bars", and they had to wait til the next morning to get anything without paying.  Also, Carnival has a 15 drink per day cap on their package....I would've blown through that by lunch!  Surprised that NCL was is able to get around the "Open Bar" policy while in port....

3 minutes ago, nyc2pdx said:

That we do.  Amazing Pinot's.  How else do you think we survive the 9 months of rain in the Pacific Northwest?!

I work with a lot of Pinot producers from the Willamette Valley and surrounding areas.  Willamette Valley Vineyards, Colene Clemens, DDO, A to Z, King Estate and a few other great ones!  Love me some Oregon Pinot's!

2 minutes ago, nyc2pdx said:

I am leaving from Los Angeles, so I am not sure if it will apply....but good to know!  Believe me, coming from a state where we have no sales tax (Oregon) I feel the sting of sales tax twice as much.  😉

 

But you guys have such great wine in PNW!  Bring some great pinot's and call it a day!!! 🙂

Just an FYI, NCL makes you pay for the taxes while in US Ports (at least in Florida).  They're not just like 6% or 7% like sales tax, but like $4/drink!  We racked up a hefty bill of about $30-$40 while IN PORT before we left the dock!  All because we were drinking double Woodford Reserve's instead of Bulliet Bourbon (which I love), but I thought I'd be the big shot and start to get my money's worth! Oh well, again, you only live once!  (Still waiting for my liver transplant btw.....)

Oh, and btw, my wife and daughter went to Starbucks a few times, thinking it would charge $5-$7/coffee, they were never charged!  NOT saying that it is included, but......

The PPB was amazing!  $243 is the standard price for a 7 day cruise.  I was able to accrue about $345 in OBC, so for the two of us to upgrade for about $140 was a no-brainer.  I work in the fine wine/liquor business, and was thrilled with the ability to get better quality wines with dinner, and a glass of Veuve Champagne at the Atrium Bar whenever I wanted!  The bottles of wine at dinner were interesting, because we did order a bottle of Veuve almost every night, but also ordered other wines off the list in addition.  One night, I wanted a glass of Lucente (SuperTuscan), and the wine steward was trying to push the whole bottle on me.  I really didn't care, since I wasn't paying any more for it, but the question was brought up if you can store the bottle for another night.  The answer is yes, but the proper response is, the bottle will not be as good tomorrow as it was tonight, and it isn't costing you any more, so why not just order the same bottle, or a different bottle the next night?  Makes fiscal sense on your part.  

In regards to the bottled water, no, you cannot get a case to your room.  However, you can go to the bar 6 times, and get 12 bottles of water.  Just an FYI, the mini-fridge only holds about 6.  We squirreled them away for port days.  Also, you can get both still (Aqua Panna) and sparkling (Pelligrino) for dinner every night, took full advantage of that as well!  

My advice, if you think you would enjoy a bottle of champagne a night ($99 on board), higher end Bourbons and Single Malt Scotches, other better quality wines ($65-$99) and all the BOTTLED WATER ($6/each), then go for it!  You only live once!  

Hope that was helpful!

53 minutes ago, Shoppie124 said:

Nope off the ship to the buses waiting to transport us to the airport.   The Breakaway was leaving port tonight from what we heard.

 

as for being out of items: rye bread, romaine lettuce and strawberries.  Some bars were out of certain liquor.

Did they cut off the drink package on Sunday???

I just called NCL for something unrelated, and my PCC's VM said the offices are closed due to the storm (which is NOT hitting Miami), so I hope they are actually working on getting you guys home than sitting on their butts at home....

Are they letting people stay on the ship until they get a flight home, or are they kicking everyone off as soon as it docks today?

We booked on board for a cruise in August 2021.  Bought CruiseNext for $250, giving us $500 towards that sailing.  The CruiseNext guy was offering to get us a Sail Away rate and guaranteed us a cabin number and free at sea, but the sail away rates were sold out, so that sort of sucked!  Either way, we booked, have 10% down on our cruise, and almost 2 years to pay it off!

24 minutes ago, purpleally said:

For those of you who bought the upgrade package but dine with friends that did not - how did that work out?

 

if I order a bottle of Veuve will they bring glasses for the four of us?

and, is there a limit on number of bottles?

Yes, you can share.  They even brought glasses for my teenage kids a couple times and had to tell them they are underage! lol

11 minutes ago, Jasonmom said:

If you went to Roatan, Coxen Hole, did you notice alot of people at the port selling shore excursions?  We are thinking of trying zip-lining, but don't want to book ahead of time.

 

There's a TON of people in port.  There's a zip lining place literally across the street from the port with a cool restaurant too.  We ate Iguana there!!! 😉

I think it was Jungle Top Zip Lining?

Not for nothing, you'll have enough booze outside your room that you really don't need to risk anything and try to sneak it on board.  Risk does not equal reward.  Just hit the closest bar as often as you want and have a good time. Trust me, I'm the first one to want to party, which is why I upgraded to the PPB, and definitely got my money's worth!

3 hours ago, JezzaC said:

 

And that is bullshit by Sun personnel. Terms and conditions of Premium Plus:

"Package can be used in onboard restaurants, lounges, bars and GreatStirrup Cay. Includes all beverages by the glass. Beverage selection is subject to change on board. Includes fountain soda, freshly squeezed juice, bottled water (flat and sparkling), energy drinks, non-alcoholic beer, and specialty coffee. Includes select wines by the bottle when dining. Select wine list is subject to change. The following will receive a 40% discount when purchased on board; non-selectbottles of wine (champagne and sparkling included), “Wine and Spirit Experiences”, tastings, and flights. "

No exclusion related to Starbucks or other cafeterias on the board.

Funny you mention that, my wife told me just yesterday that none of the Starbucks coffee's her and my daughter purchased ever showed up on our statement.  For future, I'd order a Starbucks and check your on board account...they did say it did not include Starbucks, but who knows....they haven't gotten this whole thing figured out yet either...

Check out Rony's Tours.  We had Brian as our guide, and he was absolutely INCREDIBLE!  They customize your tour to do whatever you want.  We went to the monkeys and sloths and had lots of time to do whatever we wanted the rest of the day.  I'm sure you'll have plenty of time.  If you do book Rony's, ask for Brian, he was FANTASTIC!

JW Blue was $42 with the PBP.  I had the PPB and tried to buy the guy a shot with my card, but wasn't allowed to according to the bartender..

It was TERRIBLE!  The surf and turf was more like a hockey puck and a couple of shrimp.  The show was HORRID!  I actually fell asleep during the show and had to leave halfway through, couldn't take it anymore!  Made absolutely ZERO sense!  We LOVED Burn the Floor, Rock of Ages and Wine Lovers, but Velvet was an absolute waste of my time (and money!)  But then again, that is MY opinion, maybe you can find someone who enjoyed it.

2 hours ago, AMorys322 said:

My wife and I and my parents are cruising on the Bliss this Sunday in separate rooms, however we booked the rooms together. We all took the premium beverage package as an incentive when booking. My wife and I upgraded to the Premium Plus Beverage Package the other day online and after we booked, we noticed the following statement in the fine print:

Beverage packages must be purchased for all guests staying within the same stateroom, additional stateroom, adjoining stateroom or travel with.

It doesn't state that we have to have the same beverage package, but has anyone had an issue with one of the rooms with the PBP and one with the PPBP?  My parents will only have a drink a day, so it wouldn't be worth for them to upgrade.

Did you get a confirmation email about your purchase?  If so, I would imagine that would suffice as to not having to have anyone else take it...I think they'd be hard pressed to make 2 other people spend almost $500 more, they should be thankful they got your money!  Enjoy it, its FLIPPIN AWESOME!!!!  (I think a perk of the PPB should be a discounted liver transplant, or at least a 10 pack of AA meetings when you disembark!)