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Drinks anyone??

Calebo

By Calebo,
in Princess Cruises

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hughdm

hughdm

Posted
Posted
ROFL! As I said, not going to happen. :) I don't like fresh squeezed (strange, I know), never drink lattes, bring water from the tap, don't drink margarita's, sometimes have one martini before dinner, and my last cruise, 16 days, I stretched one bottle of wine for the entire cruise. Obviously, I'm not a candidate for a drink package. :)
That's about 2 oz of wine per day. We are in different categories for sure!!
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Kentchikan

Kentchikan

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What does "of sorts" mean? I thought I read that there are no Happy Hours on Princess ships? :confused:

 

In the Platinum, Elite, Suite lounge they have appetizers most nights and drink specials as well.

 

Sent from my GT-N8013 using Forums mobile app

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On our last cruise, I stuck with the virgin drinks since I could get a package that included them. For our next cruise, I wanted to be able to get 'real' drinks without worrying about the 'sticker shock' you mentioned. So I purchased $500 worth of on board credit. I probably won't drink anywhere near that much, but it'll help cover costs of excursions as well.

 

Purchasing OBC prior to your cruise is a great way to relax with drinks and not worry about running up a bill :) (depending on the amount, of course).

 

Good idea.

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Cauzneffct

Cauzneffct

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I guess I don't see how the "sticker shock" would be worse based on individual drinks as opposed to a $45 per day charge for AYCD, which would also show up on my bill each night. Unless I'm drinking $45 worth of alcohol per day (or $90 between my wife and I), which is unlikely, I think that the $900 charge for a 10 day cruise would be far more "shocking" than seeing the amount I had paid per drink each day.

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dorisis

dorisis

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Am cruising on the Royal Princess next May and wondering about beverage packages ( alcohol ), does Princess offer any beverage cards, all inclusive packages, or the like? Or do you have to suffer from sticker shock at the end of the cruise.

 

Not yet but maybe by May they will have one.

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Not yet but maybe by May they will have one.

 

I'm sure some people would be delighted if they did but I'm not one of them. I drink but the idea of unlimited drinks seems like it could be fraught with disaster. We were on one cruise where an obnoxious man cleared at Crooner's every night with his filthy vile talk...not just swearing. I can only imagine what he would have been like if he had unlimited drinks. :eek:

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Cruise Junky

Cruise Junky

Posted
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I'm sure some people would be delighted if they did but I'm not one of them. I drink but the idea of unlimited drinks seems like it could be fraught with disaster. We were on one cruise where an obnoxious man cleared at Crooner's every night with his filthy vile talk...not just swearing. I can only imagine what he would have been like if he had unlimited drinks. :eek:

 

Carnival, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Oceania, HAL, Azamara, NCL, Costa, MSC all have drink packages...let's see who's missing from this list...oh yeah, Princess and Disney. There are not many reports of falling down drunks on the other lines.

 

So as Pam stated the drink packages are to make money, Princess is missing out on a Golden opportunity.

Edited by Cruise Junky
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SeaCBear

SeaCBear

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In June, at Cruise3Sixty, I was told by a senior person at Princess that we will see alcoholic drink packages very soon on Princess - I just hope that happens before my cruise in December! We loved the Premium package on Celebrity.

Edited by SeaCBear
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In June, at Cruise3Sixty, I was told by a senior person at Princess that we will see alcoholic drink packages very soon on Princess - I just hope that happens before my cruise in December! We loved the Premium package on Celebrity.

 

I've been leery of them. Could you tell me how it worked for you and if it was less expensive than buying them drink by drink. Thanks.

Edited by Kentskie
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SeaCBear

SeaCBear

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We absolutely felt that we got more than our money's worth from the Premium package. We enjoyed wine with lunch and dinner, cocktails in the afternoon, before dinner, after dinner, etc! But we also enjoyed all the bottled water (we would get a few bottles to take off the ship with us when in port), espressos and cappuccinos each morning, fresh juices, premium teas, San Pellegrino, 'real' and very good coffees, etc. And sparkling wine with breakfast one morning :-)

 

It's not JUST about drinking alcohol. I did keep track the first few days of each drink and what the cost would have been without the card - I gave up after a few days as it was obvious that the Premium package was a great deal for us.

 

I've been leery of them. Could you tell me how it worked for you and if it was less expensive than buying them drink by drink. Thanks.
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We absolutely felt that we got more than our money's worth from the Premium package. We enjoyed wine with lunch and dinner, cocktails in the afternoon, before dinner, after dinner, etc! But we also enjoyed all the bottled water (we would get a few bottles to take off the ship with us when in port), espressos and cappuccinos each morning, fresh juices, premium teas, San Pellegrino, 'real' and very good coffees, etc. And sparkling wine with breakfast one morning :-)

 

It's not JUST about drinking alcohol. I did keep track the first few days of each drink and what the cost would have been without the card - I gave up after a few days as it was obvious that the Premium package was a great deal for us.

 

Thanks. I didn't know about the coffees and bottled waters. It makes more sense now.

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  • 2 months later...
FLTinyDancer08

FLTinyDancer08

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In June, at Cruise3Sixty, I was told by a senior person at Princess that we will see alcoholic drink packages very soon on Princess

 

Princess does offer drink packages but only for group bookings (min 30ppl) - and ALL persons in the group have to participate in the same package, and the cruise has to be longer than 5 days. This may be their way of trying it out to see if it would work. I am curious to see how much we do drink on my next short trip. We're a group but our booking too short to qualify. (4days)

 

I am bringing 2 bottles of wine for the cabin and pre-ordering 2 small bottles before hand as well, to help with costs, but I'm sure we'll still buy a few a la carte beverages here and there.

 

On another note - anyone know drink prices in Cozumel? I've heard that some off the beaten path places have Coronas for a buck or so.

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SeaCBear

SeaCBear

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At the Cruise3Sixty conference in Vancouver this past June I asked Princess if they had plans to introduce beverage packages for all customers, like those available on RC and Celebrity. I was told "we want to keep our customers happy - so the answer is yes" or words to that effect. I asked how soon that would happen, and he seemed to indicate it would be very soon. But now it's November.....

 

I was really hoping it would be introduced before my cruise at New Year's!

 

 

 

Princess does offer drink packages but only for group bookings (min 30ppl) - and ALL persons in the group have to participate in the same package, and the cruise has to be longer than 5 days. This may be their way of trying it out to see if it would work. I am curious to see how much we do drink on my next short trip. We're a group but our booking too short to qualify. (4days)

 

I am bringing 2 bottles of wine for the cabin and pre-ordering 2 small bottles before hand as well, to help with costs, but I'm sure we'll still buy a few a la carte beverages here and there.

 

On another note - anyone know drink prices in Cozumel? I've heard that some off the beaten path places have Coronas for a buck or so.

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Mulege

Mulege

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In my experience, drink prices on other lines are higher, some are significantly higher to start with.

 

For instance, on RCCL, the cost of a soda package is $6.50/day; on Princess, it's $4.95/day. That's a 31% difference per-person/per-day. The cheapest beverage package is $45/pp/day and every adult in the same cabin must buy it whether or not they drink. For a couple, that's $90/day and a whole lotta drinks. Going by Princess drink prices since I don't know RCCL alcohol drink prices, I'd have to have nine (9) Long Island Iced Teas every single day of the cruise for $45/day to pay. That's not going to happen.

 

You keep forgetting that Celebrity's package includes bottled water, specialty coffees at the coffee bar, fresh squeezed juices, non alcohol and alcohol drunks, and wine. Just about everything you need. While you may not need the plan, for many it adds up quickly when you include all of the above. Not everything has to have alcohol in every purchase to enjoy. The plan is accepted in all bars and dining rooms, including specialty venues. Just one person in a cabin can purchase it. The plan is there for those that choose to buy it. I bet Princess is not far behind offering it. Granted this is not for you but would likely be very popular when offered.

Edited by Mulege
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FLTinyDancer08

FLTinyDancer08

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It would be a nice option for those of us who do tend to drink a bit more on vacation. If we had the package option, I actually wouldn't bring any wine or buy the spirits for my room.

 

For some the packages don't make a lot of sense. But the pricing of the packages I did see - $30 a day unlimited alcohol, soda, etc. at the bars only. $45 a day includes wine at all bars, in the MDR for dinner and lunch as well (under $8 per glass). If you're having 2-3 glasses of wine with dinner and a few margaritas or beers in the afternoon - it can quickly add up. And tips are included in those package prices. I'm sure they would make alot of money on port intensive cruises as you're off and exploring more.

 

After this cruise we'll see how it goes, I have only been on RCCL and I didn't drink on board, except wine with dinner and my bill was over $80 for a 3 nighter! :eek:

 

But drink packages could attract a different crowd for sure, I'm in the weird in between stage, Carnival and RCCL just too busy and "party" cruising for me...I'm worried Princess may be a bit too sedate. So we'll see....

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cruiseclues

cruiseclues

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I've looked at the princes of drink packages on other ships and comparing them to the price of individual drinks we would do better to buy them one by one.

 

Many of the drinks in most cruise line bar menus are made with higher priced liquor like Grey Goose Vodka...often dollars can be saved per drink for that same drink by asking the bartender to make it with a less expensive vodka or whatever primary liquor was used for the drink. :):):):)

Edited by cruiseclues
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Many of the drinks in most cruise line bar menus are made with higher priced liquor like Grey Goose Vodka...often dollars can be saved per drink for that same drink by asking the bartender to make it with a less expensive vodka or whatever primary liquor was used for the drink. :):):):)

 

Very true but since I tend to drink vodka martinis without vermouth the taste matters. OK I know it's not really a martini it's just cold vodka but that's the way I like it. I am with the person who said as long as there's a bottle of vermouth somewhere in the vicinity that's good enough for me. My wife often drinks mixed drinks so it doesn't matter as much to her. All that being said often even the high priced call drinks on board ship are cheaper than than they are in our local watering holes. Depending upon the place sometimes twice as much as on board. But your suggestion is a great one.

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