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Unlimited Drink Options Included with other lines: will you still book Carnival?


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Hi:

 

We are platinum on Carnival, but have taken a few years off from cruising. In the time we've been away, both NCL and MSC have started to offer fares with the Unlimited Drink Option included as a perk. Now that we are looking to book another cruise, I have to admit that these perks are very enticing and swaying us away from Carnival, whose drinks package is very expensive to book. I'm just wondering if others are feeling the same?

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It depends, I've only ever sailed with Carnival and a friend of mine only ever sails RC. According to him with their drink package, not all drinks on the menu are included. For me, I love that I can basically order whatever I want. I'm pretty sure we dont get our moneys worth out of the drink package through Carnival, BUT, that feeling of an all inclusive vacation is what matters to me

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My cruise in February is solo, and because of the solo suite and the drink package, I went with NCL. I tried hard to find a comparable cruise on Carnival for the price, but couldn't come close. I have two other cruises booked with a friend on Carnival, and since one is a Journey Cruise and the other a B2B, we wouldn't be doing Cheers anyway.

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FWIW - My wife and are drinkers and we are not big fans of the 15 drink limit. I know. What! 15 isn't enough in a day?? Well yes and no.

 

Number one issue, is having to keep count and planning the difference on sea and port days. As I have said before, from my experience 15 drinks (not beer) is 15 ounces of booze. I watched and if anything, they might short you. Most people when you go out, or especially make your own drinks at home, pour more than one ounce per drink.

 

But, if you are not big drinkers and are just looking to know your all-inclusive experience is covered and there will be no surprised at the end, go for it.

 

We're giving Celebrity a try in January.

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Number one issue, is having to keep count and planning the difference on sea and port days. As I have said before, from my experience 15 drinks (not beer) is 15 ounces of booze.

 

 

 

See, I've had the exact opposite. If I'm drinking a single liquor drink, I almost always see them fill the jigger and continue to pour as the dump the jigger (also, it's 1.5oz, not 1oz). For drinks such as a long island, it is much more than 1.5oz. Same goes for most drinks at Alchemy.

 

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In answer to the op's question, no, it would not/does not sway us. I just received an offer from MSC and their included drink package is a basic type that only included well brands with soda mixers and only Heineken draft beer or a limited list of bottled beers, no frozen drinks, no name brand liquors, unless you paid for an upgraded package.

 

JMHO/YMMV

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Coming from a NCL cruiser, we find the drink perk with NCL nice. You pay gratuities upfront, mine were $100pp for a 7 day cruise. I figure if I have 2 drinks a day that makes it worth it. I like the martinis and frozen drinks. Plus my daughter gets the virgin drinks. It doesn’t include bottled water or coffee which is OK with me. I’m fine with tap water. We just booked our first Carnival cruise due to the itinerary we wanted, no drink package. We do have OBC so we’ll see how it works out.

 

 

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See, I've had the exact opposite. If I'm drinking a single liquor drink, I almost always see them fill the jigger and continue to pour as the dump the jigger (also, it's 1.5oz, not 1oz). For drinks such as a long island, it is much more than 1.5oz. Same goes for most drinks at Alchemy.

 

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I don't know about long islands, so I will trust you. I also drink a single liquor neat and I know it is a small pour. It's fine if it works for you, I was just giving my experience. By the way it was this past January on Splendor, I don't think they had Alchemy. Or I didn't find it. The best pour I found was at the sports bar.

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This is the first time in many years I have not cruised Carnival (my last Carnival cruise was over last New Year's Eve). I've been cruising Carnival about 3 times a year for the past several years. I'm finding Carnival's value overall this year is not very good when considering what I get compared to other vacation opportunities. In fact yesterday I cancelled a free Carnival cruise for next month (inside cabin assigned by Carnival on the lowest deck aft). I'm just having trouble getting excited about Carnival this year. Part of it is the cost of drinks, but that's not the only reason. While my free cruise next month wasn't a bad deal, it did not come with any other perks, and I've been receiving better offers from other cruise lines and land-based casinos. Carnival only offers me free inside cabins with no choice of cabin and no perks, or barely reduced prices with perks, and other cruise lines extend offers for balcony cabins with casino cash back or other better offers. Carnival's casino offers used to offer choice of cabin with opportunity to upgrade for a reduced fee, but that seems to have gone away in my offers. My next cruise is on HAL with a greatly reduced price for a balcony cabin with $500 casino cash and free drinks along with early embarkation/debarkation that I'm used to with Carnival platinum. HAL has better room service too (I like being able to get hot food from room service without paying extra), and HAL's liquor for cabin consumption is about half the cost of Carnival's based on what I purchase. Also, HAL has been transitioning their casinos in the Caribbean to non-smoking, and my latest HAL booking is on a ship with a non-smoking casino. So the bottom line is, I'm just not finding the value in Carnival this year and part of that is the cost of liquor and their casino smoking policy. I wouldn't even consider buying Cheers based on the price and its restrictions. Immediately after I cancelled my Carnival cruise yesterday, I found another free cruise offer in my snail mail from another line that includes other perks and a non-smoking casino. I guess I'm just not as valuable as a casino customer to Carnival as I am to other cruise lines this year.

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When we ordered Belvediere Vodka martinis up, she poured 3 shots of vodka and 1 shot of Vermouth. We are going to try MSC as they are matching cruise level perks. So they will honor my Platinum status. MSC also has upgraded Yacht Club status, not cheap, but the perks look wonderful. The reviews appear to be very good

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I don't know about long islands, so I will trust you. I also drink a single liquor neat and I know it is a small pour. It's fine if it works for you, I was just giving my experience. By the way it was this past January on Splendor, I don't think they had Alchemy. Or I didn't find it. The best pour I found was at the sports bar.
I've found it's like any bar. A couple extra bucks goes a long way. Not every bartender had a heavy hand, but the ones I got to know the ones at the bars I would frequent and was well taken care of.

 

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Hi:

 

 

 

We are platinum on Carnival, but have taken a few years off from cruising. In the time we've been away, both NCL and MSC have started to offer fares with the Unlimited Drink Option included as a perk. Now that we are looking to book another cruise, I have to admit that these perks are very enticing and swaying us away from Carnival, whose drinks package is very expensive to book. I'm just wondering if others are feeling the same?

 

 

 

Lipstick on a pig is still lipstick on a pig. Clever marketing where they raise fares and offer options for “free” are just that. There is no free lunch, not before not now not ever.

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I saw an add for NCL that said the drink package was included. My upcoming Carnival cruise where I am buying Cheers for us is still cheaper for me.

 

Here is a good example why nothing else matters except the final bill when discussing drink packages. And no, there is no way to hide what you paid by these "tricks" like cruise cash, buying stuff now vs later, obtaining "free packages". There's way too many people who just "want the feeling of all-inclusive" and that is the guiding principle over actual costs. People will fall for NCL's marketing for "free drinks" when they will pay more overall than they might on Carnival with Cheers. What makes it even better? They end up not drinking enough to even warrant a package, or force themselves to over-indulge to feel like they got their value. To each their own, but it all seems silly to me. At the end of the day, $2000 is $2000. It's quite easy to see how much a cruise is with drinks included for each line. No need to convolute it.

 

I book my cruise on what is important to me. If I'm looking for a cruise with alcohol included, I would consider another line if the price and other conditions were right. I love a good drink, but 7 days of heavy drinking is a lot to me.

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I have 3 cruises booked right now. One 15 day on NCL, an 11 day on Celebrity and a 5 day to Cuba on Carnival. The drink packages on the two other than the one we have on Carnival has been the reason we booked them, Whenever we find a similar criuse on Carnival, the price of Cheers vs. the free package we get from Celebrity and NCL makes the Carnival cruise more expensive. When you get a 15 day drink package on NCL for under $500 and Carnival wants $1800 for Cheers for the same duration it's a clear choice. If you don't drink and don't use NCL or Celebrity's drink package then that is different. You aren't forced to take any drink package or pay for it contrary to what a poster above said. Free drink packages have been a better deal than paying for Cheers on Carnival has ever been on sailings of our liking.

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I have 3 cruises booked right now. One 15 day on NCL, an 11 day on Celebrity and a 5 day to Cuba on Carnival. The drink packages on the two other than the one we have on Carnival has been the reason we booked them, Whenever we find a similar criuse on Carnival, the price of Cheers vs. the free package we get from Celebrity and NCL makes the Carnival cruise more expensive. When you get a 15 day drink package on NCL for under $500 and Carnival wants $1800 for Cheers for the same duration it's a clear choice. If you don't drink and don't use NCL or Celebrity's drink package then that is different. You aren't forced to take any drink package or pay for it contrary to what a poster above said. Free drink packages have been a better deal than paying for Cheers on Carnival has ever been on sailings of our liking.

 

 

 

We all like options.... sounds like you found yours

 

 

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I saw an add for NCL that said the drink package was included. My upcoming Carnival cruise where I am buying Cheers for us is still cheaper for me.

I agree with you! When I have priced cruises in a mock booking the NCL versus Carnival with cheers, Carnival is always cheaper.

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I agree with you! When I have priced cruises in a mock booking the NCL versus Carnival with cheers, Carnival is always cheaper.

 

 

 

NCL openly admits it despite what some here think, they marked up the cruise to cover the costs of the “free” options....fact.

 

 

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NCL openly admits it despite what some here think, they marked up the cruise to cover the costs of the “free” options....fact.

 

 

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I'm sure most people know that nothing is really free and NCL and Celebrity do figure that cost in. It's when you get into longer cruises, above 10 days, where the value of a "free" dink package starts to become more visible versus a 5 day cruise and such.
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I would never get the cheers package but I have been on several cruises that a package was included and I think carnival has the best package regarding what is included.

 

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I'm sure most people know that nothing is really free and NCL and Celebrity do figure that cost in. It's when you get into longer cruises, above 10 days, where the value of a "free" dink package starts to become more visible versus a 5 day cruise and such.

 

 

 

Based on a lot of posts here, I question that.

 

 

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