Alcohol Package, is it worth it?

[DannyDisneyFreak]

I'm trying to decide if getting an alcohol package would be worth it. Has anyone got it an felt it paid for itself? I feel like I may drink more than I should just to get my money's worth. What are people's thoughts?

 

 

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[1ParticularHbr]

We found that we DID drink more with the package to "get our money's worth". We bought it just once, on an itinerary that had 4 sea days and even then, think we would have been better off paying by the drink. That's just us though. You'd have to do the math to see if it's worth it for you.

[snappy68]

It was definitely worth it for us. Between bottled water, soda, and alcohol, we definitely got our monies worth.

 

 

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[odis]

Just depends on how much you usually drink on a cruise. It generally takes 6-8 drinks a day to break even. If you have 2 or 3 by the pool, a glass of wine or 2 at dinner, and a few more afterwards (casino, shows, etc), it would pay for itself. Some packages also include bottled water and soft drinks so you can factor that in as well. Plus, it can be used at the private islands.

 

I get it because I will use it (a lot), but it also sets the cost so there is no sticker shock when you get the final bill. Also the package allows me to try something different, and if I don't like it, I don't feel like I've wasted $10.

[yolanda1]

It's an impossible question to answer. It depends on how much you and your party drink, and how much time you will spend ashore or in activities. General consensus seems to be that it only works if you are quite a heavy drinker or use it to try new drinks and leave them if you don't like them.

 

Our personal experience has been that paying as we go has never amounted to the price of the package. We go on port intensive cruises and spend much of the time ashore, so for us the package is an absolute No :)

[Retired LEO]

I feel that the premium package works for me as I don't care so much for the specialty coffees or the OJ.

[coralskygirl]

I did get a pkg previously and deciding if I should get this time. I did like trying different drinks (and I enjoyed them all!). BUT I did drink like I was trying to get my monies worth and by the last few days of the cruise I was tired of drinking! I enjoyed the evening cocktail coffee drinks every night to help keep me up for the late shows 😊

 

I think I may pay as I go the 1st 2 days and see what I spend; then decide.

[Lionesss]

DH thinks so.

 

He was able to try new drinks and if he did not like did not feel guilty about wasting them and trying something else.

 

He probably tried a variety of new drinks a day, and maybe finished 4-5 in a day.

 

In fact he has me convinced to be adventurous and leave my "bubbly" and try the package on our upcoming cruise.

 

Safe travels.

[sassy0930]

My husband and I will definitely get it! On vacation I definitely will drink enough to break even at the least, and come out on top most of the time! I will have a mimosa or irish coffee in the morning (or both!), then one or two drinks through the morning time, a frozen cocktail or beer with lunch. More during the afternoon (3ish?) then probably two drinks with dinner (a wine and a cocktail probably), then depending on the night either a lot or a few more! LOL If you add in the soda in between drinks it's more than worth it for us. And it isn't like I spend all day "drunk".

[RHilla619]

My girlfriend and I both got the Ultimate Package on Oasis during the NYE sailing and thought it was worth every penny. It is intimidating upfront at about $60 per person per day (total was $442.50 per person for a 7 night trip), but at least we knew our cost upfront and didn't have to worry about racking up a big bar tab. The Ultimate included anything and everything, the value also came from bottled waters, powerades, sodas, and then when you throw in all the booze we definitely came out way ahead everyday. It was also nice to try new things and not worry about wasting money. Get the package and enjoy your trip!

[LMaxwell]

Very few people do the math. It's a "feel good" purchase. You can always buy a package as long as there are 4 days remaining on the cruise and evaluate the amount you have had prior to that to determine if the package is worth it. If you have OBC you can use it onboard against the cost of the package. If you prepurchase you pay ahead of time and do not use OBC against it. Things like length of cruise, number of ports, sea days, etc. all come into play. Are you going to have 6-8 cocktails per day, every day, to make up the cost? Are you a staying in a suite or diamond or above where you will get free drinks?

 

So there are a lot of factors to determine if something is worth it. I don't fall into the trap of not doing the math. The math is the sole determination if it is worth it (for me)

 

If everyone was breaking even or better RCI would raise prices...

[George C]

Most of what I order is about 9 or 10 dollars so 6 drinks puts me even, I like the package will get it again. Get package have a glass of champagne with breakfast

[Cauzneffct]

Not worth it for me. I'd have reverse sticker shock since the daily charge would almost certainly be more than I'd spend a la carte, particularly when factoring in port days and just a lack of desire to "earn it" day in and day out. And the "freedom" to try new drinks with the ability to discard isn't much of an incentive since, for me, a drink not consumed is of little value and wouldn't count against my cap; I could "break even" by buying a bunch of drinks and immediately pouring them out, but I'd probably be better off just going for what I actually want.

 

There's no right orwrong; its your money, so do what you think makes the most sense.

[LetsGetWet!]

These are the threads asking if the drink package is worth it or not - just the ones active since January 1st...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2145508&highlight=alcohol

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2142419&highlight=alcohol

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2152951&highlight=drink

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2033129&highlight=drink

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2141062&highlight=drink

[tm3750]

I always buy the ultimate package,but I have to be honest, I don't drink to get even, I drink when I want and what I want. Between the alcohol, coffee, water and fresh squeezed orange juice it is definitely worth it to me.

 

The fact that it is prepaid I don't have to worry about sticker shock.

 

Don't buy it to get even, buy it because it works for you!!!

[Hank99]

We had one premium package and one soda package. OH rarely drinks alcohol, but I do like plenty :)

 

The PP....they do say "ok you are pee pee, thank you" and sometimes I was asked to sign my chit and other times not asked at all. No idea why that was.

 

It was a bit annoying that having gone for the PP package there seemed to be a serious shortage of the wines by the glass at the price permitted. The champagne bar was the worst for that... The 8 or 9 dollar sparkling wine I think was just about all I could get, before missing out anything higher than that until $14+ where you then pay the extra... but it seemed to affect the wine bar too where several were not available, and in the MDR the wine list on night one as we left Port Canaveral was pretty much all not available. I went to Vintages bar to get a glass of something I knew they had!

 

A couple of times we were permitted to get two drinks on the one PP card when the OH decided to have one drink... That is exceptional though and not the policy, so don't expect that to work very often if you try it. We're fine with paying the extras for some nice champagne or a treat brandy above the normal allowed prices. We got value from one PP card and one soda card. As someone else said, it was good for use on the private island too.

 

I think the idea you have of seeing how much you'd spend in the first/second day first is a good one. We jumped into PP on day one and there was a couple of times when I thought, must have another to get my monies worth. I would never normally have wine then port then brandy to go at dinner. But it was fun for sure. We did take two champagnes on board at the start. If we were going on RCI again and had decided to do PP then we'd not bother with that.

[3dog]

It's an impossible question to answer. It depends on how much you and your party drink, and how much time you will spend ashore or in activities.

 

Indeed. Each cruiser has to decide for themselves it's worth. One item left out, though, is the value of the convenience.

 

General consensus seems to be that it only works if you are quite a heavy drinker or use it to try new drinks and leave them if you don't like them.

 

Don't agree with any consensus that "it only works if you are quite a heavy drinker", as it also works if you have a preference for more expensive drinks. Doesn't take many nice glasses of wine to justify the daily cost, or as tm3750 mentions: adding the cost of non-alcoholic beverages that you would otherwise pay for.

 

I always buy the ultimate package,but I have to be honest, I don't drink to get even, I drink when I want and what I want. Between the alcohol, coffee, water and fresh squeezed orange juice it is definitely worth it to me.

 

This is exactly why I get it: what I want and when I want it. It has been noted about the "free drinks" in the loyalty or suite lounges. But not only is it limited, I find the wine to be the definition of "cheap". I much prefer to get a decent glass at Vintages, and take it to the lounges to socialize.

 

The fact that it is prepaid I don't have to worry about sticker shock.

 

Though I do buy drinks that are above the included price, this is another bonus: the bar bill is pretty much known beforehand, and the onboard bill tends to be quite small.

 

Don't buy it to get even, buy it because it works for you!!!

 

Best advice here!

[snappy68]

"Heavy Drinkers" is not a fair statement. I'm not a "heavy drinker" and the premium package was a great option for me as it paid for soda, bottled water, and a few alcoholic beverages each day. I don't down alcohol all day but I do enjoy a cocktail by the pool and drinks before and after dinner.

 

 

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[3CatsInMA]

Very few people do the math. It's a "feel good" purchase. You can always buy a package as long as there are 4 days remaining on the cruise and evaluate the amount you have had prior to that to determine if the package is worth it. If you have OBC you can use it onboard against the cost of the package. If you prepurchase you pay ahead of time and do not use OBC against it. Things like length of cruise, number of ports, sea days, etc. all come into play. Are you going to have 6-8 cocktails per day, every day, to make up the cost? Are you a staying in a suite or diamond or above where you will get free drinks?

 

So there are a lot of factors to determine if something is worth it. I don't fall into the trap of not doing the math. The math is the sole determination if it is worth it (for me)

 

If everyone was breaking even or better RCI would raise prices...

 

Well said...I agree.

[LoveyHowell]

You can still order "what you want, when you want" without the package.

 

It's kind of like paying $20 at a buffet but just having a salad, when they already sell "just a salad" for $12, but you didn't have the mental anguish<?> of the $12 at the end.

[ncbn0902]

With the ultimate package, can you get wine at Vintages from the machines or just from the bar? Is hot chocolate also included from the little cafes?

Thanks in advance

[fdpevey]

My husband and I both got the premium package for the first time last year on the Allure. We tried (as much as possible) to save receipts, not the glasses of cola, and otherwise keep a record of what we drank.

 

My husband, who likes a glass or two of wine with dinner every night, easily drank the number of drinks required to meet the per day charge of the package. I don't drink wine but prefer water with my dinner, and my amount may not have reach the per day charge on port days (because we went off ship each day) but did on sea days.

 

I cam to think of the package more of a step closer to an "all-inclusive" experience rather than a charge I needed to equal. I LOVED the idea of trying new drinks and, if I didn't like them, ordering something else.

 

We will do the package again this year when we go on the Oasis.

[fdpevey]

My husband and I both got the premium package for the first time last year on the Allure. We tried (as much as possible) to save receipts, note the glasses of cola and bottles of water, and otherwise keep a record of what we drank.

 

My husband, who likes a glass or two of wine with dinner every night, easily drank the number of drinks required to meet the per day charge of the package. I don't drink wine but prefer water with my dinner, and my amount may not have reached the per day charge on port days (because we went off ship each day and I didn't have my afternoon in the Solarium frozen refreshment) but did on sea days.

 

I came to think of the package more of a step closer to an "all-inclusive" experience rather than a charge I needed to equal. And - for the record - I LOVED the idea of trying new drinks and, if I didn't like them, ordering something else.

 

We will do the package again this year when we go on the Oasis.

[readytolose]

We just had the Ultimate Package last week on Allure. We didn't utilize the coffee or fresh oj aspect so I think next time we will just get the Premium package.

 

I loved having our drinks paid for before we even stepped foot on the ship. We ordered what we wanted, when we wanted and didn't think twice about it. My husband more than broke even with his. I had a day where I wasn't feeling the best so I didn't drink as much that day. I still wouldn't hesitate to get a package again.

 

On our first cruise our bill at the end of the cruise was somewhere around $2500. Our cruise with our kids was about $5000. When we left the ship this time we had a bill under $200. Even if you factor in the almost $900 we paid for the two packages ahead of time we are still way under what our usual end of cruise bill is.

 

I can't imagine ever going on a cruise again without pre purchasing a drink package.