Ultimate Drink Package Thread

[Daghis]

I notice that charmay is from England and sailing on Independence of the Seas from there. According to the UK Royal Caribbean site, it does have different pricing for the soda packages:

Enjoy unlimited refills of Coca-Cola products at any of our bars, lounges, Windjammer Café, Main Dining Room and at our private destinations. A complimentary Coca-Cola souvenir cup is included!

From $5.25 per child / $7.50 per adult per day (approx £3.50 per child / £5 per adult)

 

I'm guessing that these prices are inclusive of gratuities.

[tomahawk246]

I just called Royal asking if one person in a cabin can get the beverage package and the other person who has a medical problem go without by getting a medical note. The response was that I would not need a medical note. Just purchase the package on the ship. This woman also claimed that one person can purchase the package, just do it on the ship medical problem or not. I thought this was strange so I questioned her again with the same response. She claimed that she worked there six months and this is not a new policy. Just buy it on the ship. Is she misinformed or not?

[charmay]

I notice that charmay is from England and sailing on Independence of the Seas from there. According to the UK Royal Caribbean site, it does have different pricing for the soda packages:

 

I'm guessing that these prices are inclusive of gratuities.

That sounds about right then.

Many thanks:)

[constable145]

I just called Royal asking if one person in a cabin can get the beverage package and the other person who has a medical problem go without by getting a medical note. The response was that I would not need a medical note. Just purchase the package on the ship. This woman also claimed that one person can purchase the package, just do it on the ship medical problem or not. I thought this was strange so I questioned her again with the same response. She claimed that she worked there six months and this is not a new policy. Just buy it on the ship. Is she misinformed or not?

 

Apparently this is not a new policy. But keep it down to dull roar. I cruise in 6 weeks and want to be able to take advantage of this loophole!

[dfgf]

I just called Royal asking if one person in a cabin can get the beverage package and the other person who has a medical problem go without by getting a medical note. The response was that I would not need a medical note. Just purchase the package on the ship. This woman also claimed that one person can purchase the package, just do it on the ship medical problem or not. I thought this was strange so I questioned her again with the same response. She claimed that she worked there six months and this is not a new policy. Just buy it on the ship. Is she misinformed or not?

 

Be VERY careful about believing what the service reps tell you over the phone. (That goes for everything - not just the drink package.) The official policies are listed on the website. The unofficial policies are maintained/enforced at the ship level. In my experience most of the service reps no next to nothing about their product and have not been on a Royal Caribbean ship. You can read through the posts on this board and find many unfortunately stories about relying on what a service rep said and then finding out it wasn't exactly true - or sometimes completely false.

[Clarea]

I notice that charmay is from England and sailing on Independence of the Seas from there. According to the UK Royal Caribbean site, it does have different pricing for the soda packages:

 

I'm guessing that these prices are inclusive of gratuities.

This makes sense. When we got on a TA in Barcelona a couple of years ago, we went up to Viking Crown, and the bar staff was replacing all the drink menus with the ones that had US based pricing. The told us that the European prices were higher to include the gratuity.

[sixesandeights]

Ok Everyone!!! I have returned from my 9 Days on the Sea, and come bearing answers to all your questions. My liver is very angry with me, but having the package was INCREDIBLE. I will start by posting the answers to the specific questions I was asked first, then will give an overview, from my opinion, of the package and will then be available to answer any addition questions you might have.

 

Chris

[sixesandeights]

1) The House wine that was included in the package was St. Martin Brand. You simply let them know you had the package and they would ask you White or Red. There were not any "options" so this will hurt the package in some peoples eyes. I am not a wine drinker, but for science I had a glass of each and to my VERY VERY untrained wine pallet both were drinkable.

 

2) The price of a Heineken Bottle was $4.95 + 15% gratuity. Heineken was VERY easy to get even offered in the Windjammer of the push carts. Whenever I grabbed a beer from the cart and showed my card they just gave me the thumbs up and I was able to walk away. No scanning of the card, no filling out the paper receipt they use away from the computer, etc. This was VERY nice for a quick drink.

 

3) Champagne/Sparkling wine was included in the package. Again like the wine you did not get a choice, but I was able to order a glass, or a mimosa at every bar Including the pool bar so you should not have any problems getting a glass

 

4) Martinis are 100% included in the package. My wife discovered the "Chocolate Martini" on the 3 from last day and had a LOT of them after that. I did not try every martini on their extensive list, but all the ones we asked for we were happily given.

 

5) Gentleman Jack and Coke would cost you $7.40 after the gratuity. That mean if you have 8 you are ahead. This sounds like a lot, but they really go quickly on the boat.

 

6) There is no difference in the Beer offerings between the Beer only package and the Premium package. In the "Crown and Kettle" on the Explorer of the Seas they had an EXTENSIVE beer list that included so VERY nice beers. Almost all of these beers were included and it was clearly marked with an * if it was not included. The not included beers were Very High end beers that I do not fault them for not including such as Chimay.

 

If there are any questions I missed just ask and I should be able to answer them. I talked to many bartenders about the package so I got a ton of info.

 

Chris

[NightOne]

Ok Everyone!!! I have returned from my 9 Days on the Sea, and come bearing answers to all your questions. My liver is very angry with me, but having the package was INCREDIBLE. I will start by posting the answers to the specific questions I was asked first, then will give an overview, from my opinion, of the package and will then be available to answer any addition questions you might have.

 

Chris

 

Did any of the bar staff seem to treat you any different when you used the package?

 

Did they seem to "fish for" tips?

 

Regardless of their demeanor, did you give additional tips to bar staff when using the card?

 

Do you think you got your value from the package? (i.e. did you both manage to drink your 8 drinks a day all 9 days)

 

Would you buy it again?

[luvseaair]

Hi Chris, thanks for carrying out this research for us all. Will be trying one of those chocolate martinis :) Just a couple of questions;

 

Would I have to pay separately for an orange juice mixer for a gin & orange?

 

Did you sample the house champagne or overhear any comments on it? I'm not overly keen on champagne as little dry (IMHO) so a Cava type alternative would be fine

 

:)

 

 

 

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[sixesandeights]

Overview and Review

 

The biggest question on everyone's mind is "Is the package worth it?" There is NO DOUBT that I got my moneys worth out of the package. This came in a very interesting way that I was not anticipating however. I will explain.

 

The package opened up a lot of doors. One very memorable instance was a Sea Day where I found myself at the pool Bar at 10am. I was soon joined by about 8 other people that all turned out to have the package. Realizing this we all began talking and proceeded to take turns ordering "Rounds for the Bar." We each selected a shooter or shot and got one for everyone. The bartenders would grab all our cards and swipe them, and only the person ordering had to sign. This went on ALL DAY. Next thing I know it was 5pm and I was feeling no pain. The friends we made during that marathon were incredible. We danced to the pool band, talked to everyone that came to the pool bar, started group dances and cheers that made everyone on the pool deck smile. It was a great day.

 

Another thing that was very nice with the package was I would simply ask bartenders to make me their special drink sight unseen. I would take anything they would give me. Most were fantastic. Some I did not care for. In those cases I would simply put it aside and get a different drink. This opened up a lot of new drink options I never would have considered and it was fantastic.

 

I had Many frozen drinks on this cruise. This was my 9th and until this one I had ZERO total frozen drink because 1) the price for each is very high and 2) I would rather stick with something I know I will enjoy for the money you spend per drink on a cruise ship. I loved having this option.

 

I did on a few occasions however thinking 'I have not had many drinks today, I better grab something'. This was not an overwhelming concern, and if you look at the fringe benefits that I mentioned and not shear quantity as the deciding factor this will be a minor concern. I will say that on shorter cruises (Mine was a 9 Day) drinking the quantity needed should be much easier. 9 Days of hard drinking at times got a little challenging.

 

It was not all roses. Lack of education to some bartenders made getting some drink difficult and even at times required us to show a receipt for an earlier purchase of the same drink to get them to make it for us. This is mainly trun from drinks that RCCL does not have in the system. An example of this was ordering a "Tuaca Bomb" (Shot of Tuaca dropped in Red Bull). Tuaca was included, Bombs were included (Jager Bomb for example) but trying to combine the two was difficult because they never heard of the drink. Eventually at the Night Club where we had the problems they separated the bar that had Red Bull from the bar that had Tuaca and this prevented us from getting our drinks. I am 100% sure they did this on purpose and it really soured things for me a bit. Also the availability of certain Beers and Liquors seemed to change rapidly. Order many of one type of thing at a bar and the next day they would magically no longer have that liquor of beer. It almost seemed like they tried to limit the access as this happened every time our group would order one specific thing many times. This was no them running out of the liquor they would simply not stock it the next night. It was very odd and often required trips to several bars to find the correct ingredients to make these drinks.

 

One concern I had was the bartenders would know you had the package and would give you degraded service. This could not have been further from the truth. The bartenders were fantastic. They would always offer you another drink when they saw you were low and were happy to keep the good times flowing.

 

In the end I would be very comfortable recommending the package to anyone that thinks they will party into the early hours. I would also recommend it to anyone that wants to expand their liquor palette. If you tend to only have a few DOD's a day then the package is probably not for you. If wine is a staple for you then I would also probably not recommend it. The shorter the cruise the easier it would be for me to recommend it. Remember the longer the cruise the longer you have to keep the consumption up to have it pay for itself. And so everyone knows my background I am 30 years old, and traveled with my 28 year old wife. We drink VERY infrequently in the "Real World" so we are not boozers by nature. We did absolutely get our moneys worth.

 

 

TL;DR; Shorter Cruises the package is a must buy. As the cruises get longer (Over 7 Days) it gets harder on your body to keep the drinking level up.

Edited June 9, 2013 by chrismarois

[sixesandeights]

Did any of the bar staff seem to treat you any different when you used the package?

 

Did they seem to "fish for" tips?

 

Regardless of their demeanor, did you give additional tips to bar staff when using the card?

 

Do you think you got your value from the package? (i.e. did you both manage to drink your 8 drinks a day all 9 days)

 

Would you buy it again?

 

I was typing up my review when you posted this so a lot is in there but I can answer these questions easily.

 

The bar staff was great. I think I actually got better service then people without it because I got to know the bartenders well

 

At no point did ANY bar staff fish for tips. They were happy to serve you drinks and they would even shy away when I asked them directly if the package was good or bad from them. A direct quote was "Dont worry about it man, just enjoy your drinks"

 

I would tip extra on some drinks. If I ordered a round for many people I would throw them an extra dollar or 2. If they went out of their way to recommend or find me something I would also tip. I did this purely at my discretion however.

 

I am 100% sure I drink more then my moneys worth on this cruise. I went into more detail in my full review, but it was hard on a 9 day. Also it came in batches. I would party really hard one day and have maybe 14 drinks, and then the next day maybe only 4. Keeping the level up on a 5 day would be much easier.

 

I would absolutely buy the package again on a 7 day cruise. I would STRONGLY consider it again on a 9 day as well. If you read my review you will see that for me the quantity was only 1 aspect that makes this package worth it. The Warm Drink benefit was fantastic (if I got talking and my drink got warm I just got a new one).

 

Chris

Edited June 9, 2013 by chrismarois

[sixesandeights]

Hi Chris, thanks for carrying out this research for us all. Will be trying one of those chocolate martinis :) Just a couple of questions;

 

Would I have to pay separately for an orange juice mixer for a gin & orange?

 

Did you sample the house champagne or overhear any comments on it? I'm not overly keen on champagne as little dry (IMHO) so a Cava type alternative would be fine

 

:)

 

 

It was my pleasure. I had such a hard time finding info on the package I wanted to do this to make it a bit easier for other to decide if they should purchase it.

 

You pay for nothing. You want a Gin and Orange they will make it for you. All mixers are included. In fact there was not a single time I was told no on the entire 9 day trip. In fact....They poured me a VERY high end Bourbon that ended up not being included and they simply let me know and did not charge me for the one I got. This was a Liquor that usually at bars sells for $12 - $14 a shot so I should have know.

 

I had many mimosas and a few glasses of champagne and it was Brut style champagne. I really hope that answers your question as my pallete in that area is VERY weak. At home we use what is called Brut to make our mimosas and it was very similar in taste. Please forgive my lack of knowledge in this area.

 

Chris

[luvseaair]

Thanks Chris that's good to know. :)

 

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[dfgf]

I have the same experienced overall. I returned last Sunday from a 7-night. Myself and 2 others in my party all had the premium package.

 

I had 90 drinks over the 7 days. The other two guys each had 120 drinks.

 

Given that I spent $385 including gratuities on it - here are my thoughts.

 

1) It was worth it on a per-drink basis. I spent about half as much as I normally would have on 90 drinks.

 

2) It is more worth it if one of your stops is Labadee or Coco Cay, since you spend a whole port day still drinking on the package.

 

3) Overall, I wouldn't pay for it again on a 7-day cruise. Simply because I never spend $385 on my bar tab. When I drink like I typically do on a cruise I end up spending about $250. So you could say I spent $135 more than I would have and taxed my liver much more as well.

 

4) I will absolutely buy the package on a 4- or 5-night cruise. Without a doubt.

 

5) The service that I had was FANTASTIC. Like Chris said, you get to know the bartenders. I never felt pressured to tip them extra. I tipped one of them $20 at the beginning of the week and gave her another $20 at the end. But she was the best bartender I've ever met on a ship - so, there's that. I tipped another guy an extra $2 on one of the drinks - I forget what he did, but I appreciated it enough that I tipped him extra.

 

(Some of) the drink menus will follow shortly.....

[hebbie67]

Hi Chris

 

Many thanks for this - we sail in six weeks and are still undecided! You mention red and white wine - was rosé an option?

 

Also do you know if they include Sherry eg Harvey's Bristol Cream or Croft Original for example?

 

Did you have any issues or views on special drinks offered on special (chargeable) glasses?

 

Thanks again

Heather

[dfgf]

These pictures taken aboard Freedom of the Seas - June 2nd, 2013.

 

Click on any picture for the full-size version. (You can download them to get the full-size picture or click on "X3" at the top of the screen to see it larger on your monitor.

 

 

 

 

Note that the ones with an asterisk describe it as not being a part of any beverage package.

 

Edited June 9, 2013 by dfgf

[dfgf]

This is from the last page of the bar menus - basically, it explains the Premium Beverage Package.

 

Edited June 9, 2013 by dfgf

[sixesandeights]

This is from the last page of the bar menus - basically, it explains the Premium Beverage Package.

 

 

Thanks for this Dave. I will say though that this is NOT an all inclusive list of what it included and is a bit deceiving. There are many liquors that I tried that are not listed and were included in the package so keep that in mine. This list is a good representation of what is included.

 

Chris

[sixesandeights]

Hi Chris

 

Many thanks for this - we sail in six weeks and are still undecided! You mention red and white wine - was rosé an option?

 

Also do you know if they include Sherry eg Harvey's Bristol Cream or Croft Original for example?

 

Did you have any issues or views on special drinks offered on special (chargeable) glasses?

 

Thanks again

Heather

 

I was never offered a rose, but I really did not try to get wine. I sampled each as it was requested on this forum but that's it. The first night in dinner they saw my card and asked if I wanted Red or White, so if I had to guess there was not a rose option.

 

If a drink is in a special glass you will have to pay for it. To avoid this you just need to ask for one in a regular glass. I did this for the after dinner shots and my bartender made sure to bring us one each night in the regular glass without us having to ask after that. If you want the glass you just pay for the glass, the drink portion is still free. The only time this was inconvenient (and it was very minor) was on Labadee where I had to go to the bar to get Labadoozies as all the guys walking around only had special glasses. There are bars everywhere however so it was not a far walk.

 

I do not drink Sherry and did not ask about that. Sorry.

 

Chris

[hebbie67]

Thanks Chris - appreciate the feedback.

 

 

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[Frankmac]

Thanks Chris. Did you notice if there were draught pints of Heineken and what the price was?

[sixesandeights]

Thanks Chris. Did you notice if there were draught pints of Heineken and what the price was?

 

They did have draft Heineken and the cost was comparable to the bottle. Around 4.95 + 15%.

 

Chris

[The Sunset Glow]

Thanks so much for reporting back on the package and answering my question about the martinis. Looking forward to trying a bunch of them on our next crusie, especially the chocolate one you mentioned!:D

[sixesandeights]

Thanks so much for reporting back on the package and answering my question about the martinis. Looking forward to trying a bunch of them on our next crusie, especially the chocolate one you mentioned!:D

 

You are very welcome. I think you will LOVE them. My wife is now obsessed. Enjoy your cruise :-)

 

Chris