New Drink Packages Rule

[tabbi_cakes]

Ok so now if one person buys an alcohol package everyone in the cabin is not required to purchase.

 

Not that I would ever do this BUT what is stopping people from buying one per couple then sharing it?

 

Trust me, my fiancé and I rarely drink so even if we were naughty and bought/shared the package it wouldn't be worth it to us. I will probably only have no more than 3 drinks a day if that many and he might have one a day.

 

Just curious.

 

 

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[Jiffymom]

I'm sure that happens all the time

[Lionesss]

RCI probably did a major cost analysis before making this change.

 

I really doubt it dents their profit............besides they will make it up in other ways...........

 

Sea Ya

[SgtNaNa]

On Carnival every person drinking age in the cabin has to purchase the Cheer's package if 1 does!!

 

 

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[aprilfool]

Carnival also limits drinks to 15 in a 24 hr period from 6AM-6AM.

[tabbi_cakes]

I am asking about Royal Caribbean's packages as they recently changed their rule about who has to buy it when one person buys it.

 

 

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[SConnolly]

Ok so now if one person buys an alcohol package everyone in the cabin is not required to purchase.

 

Not that I would ever do this BUT what is stopping people from buying one per couple then sharing it?

 

Trust me, my fiancé and I rarely drink so even if we were naughty and bought/shared the package it wouldn't be worth it to us. I will probably only have no more than 3 drinks a day if that many and he might have one a day.

 

Just curious.

 

 

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Simple answer the bar staff will do their best to monitor. You would be surprised at how good they are and how polite they will be in letting you know.

[bchalker]

Ok so now if one person buys an alcohol package everyone in the cabin is not required to purchase.

 

Not that I would ever do this BUT what is stopping people from buying one per couple then sharing it?

 

Trust me, my fiancé and I rarely drink so even if we were naughty and bought/shared the package it wouldn't be worth it to us. I will probably only have no more than 3 drinks a day if that many and he might have one a day.

 

Just curious.

 

 

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I agreement that it is for only the person buying it. Do you need more than that?

[hansolosmom]

Simple answer the bar staff will do their best to monitor. You would be surprised at how good they are and how polite they will be in letting you know.

 

This.

We were on Celebrity (RC's sister line) & not everyone has to buy the package. My husband had the alc package & I had a non-alc. one morning my dh ordered a drink at breakfast & they brought it while he was getting food. I swear they watched me until he got back & made sure I didn't drink it.

 

If you're sitting at a bar, they know which card has the package and which doesn't & they will come over if you are sharing drinks.

 

There's also a time limit on getting drinks, I think its 20 min, if they swipe your card at 1 bar you can't walk over to another bar & get an other drink until the times up - that also helps keep sharing at bay.

[mplusj]

Since I heard about the new drink rule I have wondered how they prevent sharing? Or maybe they don't care about the guests who share and are trying to reduce smuggling and make their drink packages more attractive?

The drink packages in general seem like a waste of money to me. More and more of my friends and family are giving up on sodas because of the sugar content and for alcohol only you are pretty much drinking 7 drinks a day to break even. I know we're on vacation but I want to remember my vacation. Just my 2 cents.

 

 

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[tabbi_cakes]

I agreement that it is for only the person buying it. Do you need more than that?

 

Well yes. I said I was curious. As to how they stop people from cheating.

 

 

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[icsys]

Carnival also limits drinks to 15 in a 24 hr period from 6AM-6AM.

 

This.

...If you're sitting at a bar, they know which card has the package and which doesn't & they will come over if you are sharing drinks.

 

There's also a time limit on getting drinks, I think its 20 min, if they swipe your card at 1 bar you can't walk over to another bar & get an other drink until the times up - that also helps keep sharing at bay.

 

Based on the 20 min rule, that would be 36 drinks in 24 hours...

An aussie guy on our last TA had the premium drinks package. I'm sure he had drinks more frequent than every 20 mins, his bar tab (he requested a copy) was huge.

Edited January 13, 2014 by icsys

[LMaxwell]

I don't think the bar staff truly care one way or the other. They are instructed and trained to sell and serve, and they happily take a gratuity in return many times. I sincerely doubt they will follow you with your drink to make sure you do not give your wife / husband a taste of your margarita. Could you imagine the tirade a guest would go on at GS if a bar server took away a drink for giving their spouse a sip of it? I'd feel creeped out being watched that intensely.

 

If you're wandering bar to bar ordering drinks as quickly as allowable and handing them out to people without the package in order to screw the cruise line that is an entirely different story. I don't believe they can or would police that any better, how could they, but that is clearly outside the spirit of the program.

[xxHadleyxx]

I am guessing that RCI knows there wil be some dishonest people who cheat the system but has analyzed and determined that they still male more money by offering the variety of packages and not forcing everyone to buy them.

 

In our family, we never bought a package previously, because I do not drink much and DH would enjoy it but is also fine without. Without a package, DH spent an average of $15-20 a day on drinks and I did not buy any. NOW he will buy the package, and drink a little more, but RCI is stilll going to come out much ahead on the two of us.

 

I will not drink from his package, but I will (as I have done when he paid per glass before) have a sip now and again to try things. And if I really like something I will order (and pay for) my own.

 

I imagine there are a lot of people or groups that will now spend more than they would have otherwise, enough to more than off set the cheats, or at least that is what RCI is banking on.

[Bobal]

Simple answer the bar staff will do their best to monitor. You would be surprised at how good they are and how polite they will be in letting you know.

 

I don't think the bar staff truly care one way or the other.

 

Not true that all of them don't care and it is true that some of them do their best to monitor. We've seen bar staff warn someone for getting a drink for someone else. However, if the drink is taken away from sight of the bartender how is he/she to know who's drinking it.

 

It will be interesting to see how this goes, when it was first introduced as a trial on some ships - a few years ago - they did not require everyone to buy it. It was only when people abused the system by getting drinks for others that they made the requirement everyone should buy one.

[Havingfun2010]

What is better? A company that trust you, or a company that distrust you? RCCL trust you that you will be honest, and by giving a huge range of packages, to make it easier for you to select one that fits your lifestyle. CCL on the other hand does not trust you, believes that it will be abused and limits the number of drinks.

 

So the question is, what is better? Think from a PR point of view.

 

Although "stealing" of drinks may happen, I don't believe it would be widespread and I am sure it will be monitored in some way to verify profit.

[LovesCruising]

Interesting question OP - let me first start by saying on our last cruise we did not have the drink package - its not worth it for us for the amount we consume - we paid each tab as we went - we did buy the wine and dine. Sitting in one of the bars having a conversation with the bar tender on this very topic. I asked him how do you control sharing? He said - "you can't"

[lupinsmum]

This.

We were on Celebrity (RC's sister line) & not everyone has to buy the package. My husband had the alc package & I had a non-alc. one morning my dh ordered a drink at breakfast & they brought it while he was getting food. I swear they watched me until he got back & made sure I didn't drink it.

 

If you're sitting at a bar, they know which card has the package and which doesn't & they will come over if you are sharing drinks.

 

There's also a time limit on getting drinks, I think its 20 min, if they swipe your card at 1 bar you can't walk over to another bar & get an other drink until the times up - that also helps keep sharing at bay.

 

Have to disagree, on the Eclipse in October with premium drinks package

at the martini bar if I ordered a martini I didn't like, I had

it replaced with another more than once. Husbands a heavy drinker

and can easily drink more than one drink in 20 minutes. We never

Felt we were watched by bar staff. In the Molecular bar the same used to happen. These drinks were not wasted as DH drank them we were never

Told there was a time limit, in fact we had such a good relationship with

The waiters and bar staff, drinks were bought without having to ask.

[tabbi_cakes]

Thanks for all the replies. Like I said, we are not drinkers so we wouldn't but the package. If we did buy it, I would probably get sick trying to break even! :rolleyes:

 

We will probably buy the basic soda package.

[Dave85]

Not true that all of them don't care and it is true that some of them do their best to monitor. We've seen bar staff warn someone for getting a drink for someone else. However, if the drink is taken away from sight of the bartender how is he/she to know who's drinking it.

 

I've noticed the same thing. While there will always be some staff who don't care for whatever reason or are mailing it in, on whole, I've found Royal Caribbean bar staff to be very vigilent and attentive. Many of them are very rules oriented and for good reason, they can get in a lot of trouble if something goes wrong with alcohol service. Of course, their attentiveness is also much appreciated when they remember your face and drink preference as the sailing goes on. :)

[Laurba99]

Curious after reading this what are the costs for alcohol package and soda package?

[Clarea]

Curious after reading this what are the costs for alcohol package and soda package?

 

http://media.royalcaribbean.com/content/royal/en_US/pdf/beverage_packages.pdf

 

Note that the all-inclusive packages on the first page already include the 15% gratuity.

 

The packages on the second page do not, so add 15% to those packages.

Edited January 13, 2014 by clarea

[brenjmull2]

I think the package should just have a per day amount of drinks and then 2 could share it.. We are doing the wine package to have a bottle per day.

But even it it were limited to 15 drinks in 24 hours,, the two of us would be tanked,, 3 each is more then we light weights could drink..

[xxHadleyxx]

I think the package should just have a per day amount of drinks and then 2 could share it.. We are doing the wine package to have a bottle per day.

But even it it were limited to 15 drinks in 24 hours,, the two of us would be tanked,, 3 each is more then we light weights could drink..

 

That takes away the chance to try things and just get something else if you do not like it, and the package also includes soda, and virgin drinks etc. I think plenty of people can drink more than whatever limit without being drunk throughout their vacation (besides it takes only about a quarter as much alcoholic for me to be tipsy as DH, whose limit do you set it for to be realistic?)

[readytolose]

I've never heard of the 20 minute rule between drinks. Is this true? There are many times when out with my hubby I will order a drink, drink it very quickly and then order another right away. I won't be able to do that on the ship?

 

 

I'm not going to have drink after drink after drink etc. Just sometimes I can drink a drink very quickly and then immediately get another and then just nurse that one.