Drinks Packages on Princess Cruises

Do any of you who have done a cruise with Princess previously know how the drinks packages work? Do you have to purchase these prior to the cruise? Can you do packages for certain days or do you have to pay for the whole cruise? All 3 of us going enjoy having a drink but wouldnt do that every day so can not see the value of purchasing the package if you have to purchase it for the entire cruise. We would prefer to purchase the non-alcohol one and then just pay the extra for the alcohol for certain days, do you know if this is possible?

We asked our travel agent about it and he said we best to find out from Princess direct but the website says to speak to your travel agents about enquiries.

You can purchase before embarkation or onboard. They must be purchased for the entire duration, not select days. You can purchase a non-alcohol package and then just buy alcoholic beverages (for full ala carte price) when you want them. Have fun!

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You can purchase your package pre-cruise or wait until you board the ship. We prefer to wait and use our shipboard credits towards the package.

All packages must be purchased for the entire cruise, not just certain days. If you are on a B2B cruise, you can choose to buy the package, or not buy it, on each segment.

If you buy the soda and more package, there's no rule that says you can't order a mocktail with your package, take it back to your cabin, and put booze in it. Princess offers bottles for purchase on their website.

There's also "happy hours" a couple of times a day, at different bars, where you can buy one cocktail and get a second one for a dollar.

If you do a search on this forum, there are lots of threads about the different drink packages available. Hope this helps. :)

Thank you for this. So you can purchase on board? Are the ala carte prices expensive?

Thank you for this. So you can purchase on board? Are the ala carte prices expensive?

Most cocktails/martinis are $8.95, plus a 15% gratuity.

Thank you for this. So you can purchase on board? Are the ala carte prices expensive?

Yep alwaysleave mine till onboard.

Thank you for this. So you can purchase on board? Are the ala carte prices expensive?

You can see all current drinks and prices onboard here, in post #653:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2038576&page=33

It's a spreadsheet to download. Lists virtually everything for sale drinkwise onboard.

Yes, you can purchase the drink package onboard on day one/two, price is for duration of the sailing whether bought day one or two (it's not prorated if bought day two). You cannot pick and choose which days you have it - it's all or nothing. Keep in mind the all-inclusive package includes ALL drinks $10 and under - bottled w at er, soda, specialty coffees and teas, non-alcoholic drinks, wines by the glass, cocktails, beers, shots, etc..

Sure, you can buy the Soda and More package and simply buy your alcoholic beverages on a pay-as-you-go basis, no problem. There's no discount on a alcoholic drinks if you have the Soda and More, ie if you have the Soda and More and order a Jack & Coke, you pay for the whole drink, no discount on the soda part....

Have a wonderful cruise!

Thank you for this. So you can purchase on board? Are the ala carte prices expensive?

Depends on what you drink. But the most common drinks with alcohol are less than $10.

Yep alwaysleave mine till onboard.

Unless you want to use OBC it's usually cheaper with the generous exchange rate to pre purchase.

Do any of you who have done a cruise with Princess previously know how the drinks packages work? Do you have to purchase these prior to the cruise? Can you do packages for certain days or do you have to pay for the whole cruise? All 3 of us going enjoy having a drink but wouldnt do that every day so can not see the value of purchasing the package if you have to purchase it for the entire cruise. We would prefer to purchase the non-alcohol one and then just pay the extra for the alcohol for certain days, do you know if this is possible?

We asked our travel agent about it and he said we best to find out from Princess direct but the website says to speak to your travel agents about enquiries.

Hello Carla. Like yourself we don't drink enough alcohol to warrant an alcoholic drinks package. Whenever i am on board a Princess ship i always purchase a soda and more package,which IMO is the best value non alco package available. Mocktails and shakes as well as fountain soft drinks. If we fancy a glass of wine etc we buy as we go,and never felt ripped off. Hope this helps. Happy cruising. :)

Exactly what does the unlimited soda & more include, is it simply unlimited soda, mocktails & hot chocolate? Does it include bottled water or fresh brew coffee (or do I just want to get the coffee card for the fresh brew)?

Exactly what does the unlimited soda & more include, is it simply unlimited soda, mocktails & hot chocolate? Does it include bottled water or fresh brew coffee (or do I just want to get the coffee card for the fresh brew)?

Not water...and you have to have the coffee card for fresh brewed (unless you want to pay per cup)

Exactly what does the unlimited soda & more include, is it simply unlimited soda, mocktails & hot chocolate? Does it include bottled water or fresh brew coffee (or do I just want to get the coffee card for the fresh brew)?

http://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-gifts-celebrations/gifts-and-services/culinary-delights-wine/

Here is the explanation from the Princess website.

We used the spreadsheet in the other post and input what we would likely consume - between coffees, pop, wine and a few cocktails plus bottled water to take onshore it added up to make it easily worth it. But that was us! :D

We did the package last cruise as part as the sib and sale promotion. I think my husband used it more than me. This time we will not buy it, just buy a few drinks here and there and get the buy one get one free at the various bars that have that a couple times a day.

While we are not huge drinkers, we chose the alcohol package on our last two cruises and it seemed to work to our advantage. My gf enjoys a specialty coffee every morning which is included. When we went on shore we took water which saved us while on the islands. I did find that I drank a little more alcohol than I have in the past. I drink mostly soda during the day but enjoy a beer or mixed drink in the evening while on vacation. My break even would have been 5 or 6 alcohol drinks per day assuming I did not have anything else. When I figured the soda, waters, coffee (gf drank), gelto and the beers watching my New England Patriots play while in the pool on lido deck it was a no brainer for us! The old days of sneaking alcohol on board are long gone for me!

Hope this helps you with your question!

The ability to order a drink without paying for it by just signing on your cruise card can have a big surprise at the End of your cruise! I feel it is just a personal accounting for your needs vs cost.

Exactly what does the unlimited soda & more include, is it simply unlimited soda, mocktails & hot chocolate? Does it include bottled water or fresh brew coffee (or do I just want to get the coffee card for the fresh brew)?

It is the AIBP that includes water or fresh brewed coffee, not the soda & more package.

Not water...and you have to have the coffee card for fresh brewed (unless you want to pay per cup)

Is coffee available for free at all? (I don't know what non-fresh brewed coffee would be though, lol :confused:). I'm thinking about getting the coffee card but usually only drink coffee in the morning so I'm not sure if it's worth it. Sometimes I like coffee with dessert, so maybe I would use it enough.

The AIBP includes ALL - Absolutely ALL Drinks - that cost $10 or less.

Do any of you who have done a cruise with Princess previously know how the drinks packages work? Do you have to purchase these prior to the cruise? Can you do packages for certain days or do you have to pay for the whole cruise? All 3 of us going enjoy having a drink but wouldnt do that every day so can not see the value of purchasing the package if you have to purchase it for the entire cruise. We would prefer to purchase the non-alcohol one and then just pay the extra for the alcohol for certain days, do you know if this is possible?

We asked our travel agent about it and he said we best to find out from Princess direct but the website says to speak to your travel agents about enquiries.

don't think you have to drink all alcohol, fresh coffee, water, energy drink etc can add up to $20 per day.

Is coffee available for free at all? (I don't know what non-fresh brewed coffee would be though, lol :confused:). I'm thinking about getting the coffee card but usually only drink coffee in the morning so I'm not sure if it's worth it. Sometimes I like coffee with dessert, so maybe I would use it enough.

Regular and decaf coffee is included in your cruise fare. On all ships except Royal class ships, the included coffee is brewed from syrup. For fresh brewed coffee from beans, you have to buy it at the International Cafe PR equivalent, depending on your ship. A coffee card gives unlimited fresh brewed coffee on current sailing ad long as you have one punch left, and 15 specialty coffees/teas - espressos, latte, etc.

On Royal class ships, the included coffee is from coffee grounds, not syrup, so a coffee card is less an issue is a cup of normal coffee is what you want..

Enjoy.

Ok I'm so confused [emoji15][emoji30]

Coffee Card & AIBP

Vicky Roberts ..IDK. but I thought last Nov cruise we paid less i guess I was wrong , BUT I bought one coffee and 2 AIBP cards yesterday. However, I tried to find online when Princess raised the AIBP! As loyal guests you would think Princess would give notice? .... Guess what in Sept 2017 Princess raised the AIBP (booze package) without notice, oh well on me! $$. Well I found this online........... Maybe I didnt need to buy a Coffee Card. [emoji34] for my speciality coffee addiction ???

Below is from a travel article Sept 2017 "Princess Cruises Raises Price of Unlimited Beverage Package"

One of the biggest changes is that Princess Cruises will now limit the number of alcoholic drinks to 15 per day, sharing will not be allowed. In addition, guests who purchase the Premier Beverage Package will receive unlimited non-alcoholic beverages, including bottled water (500ml per serving), fountain sodas, fresh juices (when available), "specialty coffees" and teas, Frappes at Coffee & Cones and Red Bull energy drinks.

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The AIBP no longer exists. What you purchased yesterday is the Premier Beverage Package.

But both old and new versions included (almost) all beverages under the limit, not just alcoholic ones. So you are correct that it is redundant to purchase a coffee card as well. (Unless you are travelling with someone who is not purchasing the package but you wish to have a coffee with). In your Cruise Personalizer where you made the purchase you could have just clicked on 'View full terms & conditions' and would have seen:

Your Premier Beverage Package includes:

• All beer, wine by the glass and cocktails $12.00 USD and under as listed on our menu(s) or $16.00 AUD and under for ships based in Australia
  
• Bottled water (500ml only)
  
• Fountain sodas, fresh juices ( if available), specialty coffees and teas, Red Bull energy drinks
  
• Gong Cha items (if available) 

  
• Frappe’s at Coffee & Cones
  
• Smoothies and milk shakes (if available) 

  
• Enjoy the convenience of your beverage package on our Private Islands and all food and beverage venues that offer beverage service
  

The package includes an extra 25% discount on the following items that are otherwise excluded from the package:

• All bottles of wine 

  
• One-liter bottles of water (if dining at a specialty venue, a large one-liter bottle of water, still or sparkling, is covered by the package)

  
• Canned soda, and bottled juices 

  

I encourage you to rely on the primary source--the official description of the package in your personalizer--rather than third party articles that always have several errors. Including this one that implies that sharing was allowed on the old AIBP. It most certainly never was.

And please check the many current threads here on Cruise Critic; while I commend your use of the search function you have bumped a thread more than a year old containing out of date information. Which is likely the source of your confusion.

Ok I'm so confused [emoji15][emoji30]

Coffee Card & AIBP

Vicky Roberts ..IDK. but I thought last Nov cruise we paid less i guess I was wrong , BUT I bought one coffee and 2 AIBP cards yesterday. However, I tried to find online when Princess raised the AIBP! As loyal guests you would think Princess would give notice? .... Guess what in Sept 2017 Princess raised the AIBP (booze package) without notice, oh well on me! $$. Well I found this online........... Maybe I didnt need to buy a Coffee Card. [emoji34] for my speciality coffee addiction ???

Below is from a travel article Sept 2017 "Princess Cruises Raises Price of Unlimited Beverage Package"

One of the biggest changes is that Princess Cruises will now limit the number of alcoholic drinks to 15 per day, sharing will not be allowed. In addition, guests who purchase the Premier Beverage Package will receive unlimited non-alcoholic beverages, including bottled water (500ml per serving), fountain sodas, fresh juices (when available), "specialty coffees" and teas, Frappes at Coffee & Cones and Red Bull energy drinks.

 

 

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No, you won't need coffee cards with the drink package. The full drink package has always included coffees and water. Are you able to cancel the coffee card order and get your money back?

No, you won't need coffee cards with the drink package. The full drink package has always included coffees and water. Are you able to cancel the coffee card order and get your money back?

Thank You for the "NICE" response!

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While I can't say for certain and others may know for sure, I THINK if you buy the package before you leave port, you get hit with a sales tax.

That being said, we had the package the last cruise which finished up last week. It was a promotion so we didn't actually "pay" for it separately.

I found the something/mixer (bourbon and water; scotch and soda, etc) were really watered down. How do I know besides appearance? Many more trips to Ladies than at home and I mix "weak" drinks at home (lol). A friend got a Bloody Mary and, if there was any vodka in it, it was well disguised. Don't know if it was because it was in the package or not but even a $1 tip on top of the tip included in the package didn't help. Some of our group would watch them mix the "fou fou" drinks to see what was going into them. Others would order a "double on the rocks" and a mixer as a side and mix their own if they didn't want to go to the bar. My sail companion figured she needed to order 8 alcoholic drinks a day to make it "pay." She had no problem and I never saw her "tipsy."

What was really nice was getting wine at dinner delivered to the table (done promptly and refills offered when empty glass noticed) and the non-alcoholic drinks of specialty coffee/tea and other "pay for": treats at the International Cafe. When you combine those with alcoholic drinks, you can make the "break even" price.