Has anyone regretted NOT buying the drink package?

[Bahamma Mamma2]

Quick question...I just want to know if anyone who has NOT purchased the beverage package (alcohol ones) ever regretted not doing it?

 

I am seeing TONS of drink package posts and I have been reading them. I know there are a million people who are glad they didn't buy it. I want to hear the ones that regret it NOT buying it when they got that final bill.

 

I have never done the package before but I bit the bullet for this cruise for many reason (one being a 21 celebration and 4 ship days for us counting Labadee and the fact we don't like Grand Cayman). I have been back and forth on this since we booked a year ago and with the recent drink price increase I figured I should just go for it. We always blow up the bar tab the first 2-3 days anyway so adding it later in the cruise would make it worse.

 

TIA! We cruise in 4 days, looking forward to it!

[TheTruthCanHurt]

I have done it both ways and never regretted my decision either way. Besides the economics of it.... some of my friends are very budget conscious, not $$$$ wise, but like to know exactly how much they spend. So they tend to get the package because then they know exactly how much the drinks will cost them.. even if it works out to a disadvantage, they know exactly what that number is and to them it's worth it.. then they enjoy their trip and dont have to worry about how high or what the drink tab is...

[Bahamma Mamma2]

I have done it both ways and never regretted my decision either way. Besides the economics of it.... some of my friends are very budget conscious, not $$$$ wise, but like to know exactly how much they spend. So they tend to get the package because then they know exactly how much the drinks will cost them.. even if it works out to a disadvantage, they know exactly what that number is and to them it's worth it.. then they enjoy their trip and don't have to worry about how high or what the drink tab is...

 

 

Thanks for that! That was one of my justifications..I like the no sticker shock at the end. Last cruise we brought wine (white wine) to try and cut back on the bar bill but getting ice to our room to keep it cold was like pulling teeth. Our room guy never understood and would always bring the ice AFTER we left for dinner....SMH...Just want a nice steady flow this time with no worries..but that initial sticker shock I am still trying to get over. I guess I have to remember that my final bill will be next to nothing unless I go nuts at the spa!

[ryano]

I have done it both ways and never regretted my decision either way. Besides the economics of it.... some of my friends are very budget conscious, not $$$$ wise, but like to know exactly how much they spend. So they tend to get the package because then they know exactly how much the drinks will cost them.. even if it works out to a disadvantage, they know exactly what that number is and to them it's worth it.. then they enjoy their trip and dont have to worry about how high or what the drink tab is...

 

I regret NOT buying it this last time for the reasons highlighted above. I spent WAY too much time sweating the new drink prices and worrying about how much my drink tab would be.

 

Ive already said I will buy the Premium package for my next cruise even knowing I likely wont "break even".

Edited August 12, 2015 by ryano

[Bahamma Mamma2]

I regret NOT buying it this last time for the reasons highlighted above. I spent WAY too much time sweating the new drink prices and worrying about how much my drink tab would be.

 

Ive already said I will buy the Premium package for my next cruise even knowing I likely wont "break even".

 

 

Thanks Ryano!! This is helping...my anxiety is lifting and I am starting to feel better! I know, I have stressed over my drink tab many cruises...and that was before the increase!

[nbsjcruiser]

Don't drink enough to worry about it to be honest. So I guess we have never regretted not getting it.

Edited August 12, 2015 by nbsjcruiser

[Sherri914]

We didn't have the drink package on our last cruise, and we regretted it - not because of a high bar tab, but rather that we found ourselves looking at our SeaPass account way too often. And looking at the increasing dollar amount on our SeaPass account influenced what we did - and more often didn'tdo. We aren't big drinkers, but on vacation we like to cut loose some. When we go out at home, one of us always drives which means no drinks for the DD. On vacation, we can both enjoy ourselves. With the drink package on our upcoming cruise, the goal won't be to drink as much as we can or even to break even. The goal of purchasing the package this time is to afford ourselves the freedom to relax and not worry about a whopper of a bar bill at the end of the week.

[Desert Cruizers]

We like to prepay as much as we can for our cruises, this way it reduces our cost during the cruise. Tours, dinners, gratuities, drink packages. Our only cost comes from Hotels booked or things we purchase during the cruise.

[ryano]

We didn't have the drink package on our last cruise, and we regretted it - not because of a high bar tab, but rather that we found ourselves looking at our SeaPass account way too often. And looking at the increasing dollar amount on our SeaPass account influenced what we did - and more often didn'tdo. We aren't big drinkers, but on vacation we like to cut loose some. When we go out at home, one of us always drives which means no drinks for the DD. On vacation, we can both enjoy ourselves. With the drink package on our upcoming cruise, the goal won't be to drink as much as we can or even to break even. The goal of purchasing the package this time is to afford ourselves the freedom to relax and not worry about a whopper of a bar bill at the end of the week.

 

Agreed! That is what I was trying to say myself :) Very well put.

Edited August 12, 2015 by ryano

[Bahamma Mamma2]

We didn't have the drink package on our last cruise, and we regretted it - not because of a high bar tab, but rather that we found ourselves looking at our SeaPass account way too often. And looking at the increasing dollar amount on our SeaPass account influenced what we did - and more often didn'tdo. We aren't big drinkers, but on vacation we like to cut loose some. When we go out at home, one of us always drives which means no drinks for the DD. On vacation, we can both enjoy ourselves. With the drink package on our upcoming cruise, the goal won't be to drink as much as we can or even to break even. The goal of purchasing the package this time is to afford ourselves the freedom to relax and not worry about a whopper of a bar bill at the end of the week.

 

 

That is us...we don't drink at home, because of the DD thing, so we only drink on vacation. I am excited about not having to worry about it. You are right, on past cruises we did skip some things or drinks to try to "cut back" the bill.

 

But then it leaves the tipping stress...I am a VERY good tipper. I bartended for years. So did you tip extra every drink...I like some of the AI's because you are not allowed to tip so that takes the stress off that.

[TheTruthCanHurt]

I will say that...

you might consider not getting the package until the second day of your cruise.

I am not sure how much you drink on the first day.. I usually dont get on the ship until around 1pm... i might have 2 or three drinks that day...

you could maybe save 20bucks if it mattered to you.

 

might be sneaky but wonder what would happen if you bought it at 1201am on day two? would you only get charged for six days?

[Bahamma Mamma2]

I will say that...

you might consider not getting the package until the second day of your cruise.

I am not sure how much you drink on the first day.. I usually dont get on the ship until around 1pm... i might have 2 or three drinks that day...

you could maybe save 20bucks if it mattered to you.

 

might be sneaky but wonder what would happen if you bought it at 1201am on day two? would you only get charged for six days?

 

 

LOL...I actually thought about that...but we are boarding at 11AM and last cruise we had a HUGE bar tab by dinner...I think I would lose out on that one. If we were arriving later I certainly would do that...and just use my drink coupons that they give you for C&A :)

 

Great minds think alike!

[Let'sGo!]

As others have said, we've done it both ways. While on Oasis, we bought the pkg, thinking that we weren't big fans of the Bahamas, so that left us with really only two ports, and a new ship to us, so we knew we'd spend a lot of time on board -- and we did! Along the way we started trying to keep our receipts so we could add up how much we drank and to determine if the pkg was worth it... but we quickly gave up and just enjoyed ourselves. No regrets at all at spending the $$$ for it.

 

The next cruise was also a 7 day but very port intensive (I think 5 ports???) so we opted NOT to buy it. That was also our first cruise as Diamond cruisers, so we enjoyed the Diamond lounge each night. Totally no regrets that we didn't buy the pkg, because I don't think we would've come close to using it to its potential.

 

It's totally a personal choice. But I think you need to decide whether to buy it or not and move on. Don't dwell on whether it was right or wrong... just have a great time!

 

Ann

[Inukshuk Gal]

This thread has been very helpful! I am going on my first cruise in a few weeks and I have literally been stressing over the 'should I' or 'shouldn't I' of drink packages. Knowing hubby and I, sounds like that stress will continue on the ship if we chose not too or chose wrong, which would be a literal buzz kill. (pun intended). We want to enjoy this trip, so as others mentioned even if we don't break even I now believe buying the premium package will reduce a good amount of self-inflicted stress. Plus we are traveling with a group of friends, so likely be more drinking than we normally do.

 

One of the issues I have been stressing over is chosing the right package, but I think we will go for the premium package despite not being big hard liquor drinkers. Hubby and I are primarily beer and wine drinkers, I am a big wine snob and hubby is known to only drink a few boozy cocktails while on holiday. But the wine and beer w/o spirits package only allows wine up to $8 glass. After checking many of the menus found in some of the reviews, turns out very few wines are $8 and below, and they are not wines I would ever desire. Most decent wines are between $9-12, and there are some really good ones $12-16. The premium package will cover many of the better wines which I prefer, and I can always pay the difference for pricier wines. Likewise, I know my husband will want some cocktails but will stress if he has a package where it isn't included for 'free'.

 

Thanks everyone :-)

[TheTruthCanHurt]

This thread has been very helpful! I am going on my first cruise in a few weeks and I have literally been stressing over the 'should I' or 'shouldn't I' of drink packages. Knowing hubby and I, sounds like that stress will continue on the ship if we chose not too or chose wrong, which would be a literal buzz kill. (pun intended). We want to enjoy this trip, so as others mentioned even if we don't break even I now believe buying the premium package will reduce a good amount of self-inflicted stress. Plus we are traveling with a group of friends, so likely be more drinking than we normally do.

 

One of the issues I have been stressing over is chosing the right package, but I think we will go for the premium package despite not being big hard liquor drinkers. Hubby and I are primarily beer and wine drinkers, I am a big wine snob and hubby is known to only drink a few boozy cocktails while on holiday. But the wine and beer w/o spirits package only allows wine up to $8 glass. After checking many of the menus found in some of the reviews, turns out very few wines are $8 and below, and they are not wines I would ever desire. Most decent wines are between $9-12, and there are some really good ones $12-16. The premium package will cover many of the better wines which I prefer, and I can always pay the difference for pricier wines. Likewise, I know my husband will want some cocktails but will stress if he has a package where it isn't included for 'free'.

 

Thanks everyone :-)

 

There is one more thing that your post brings up... "traveling with a group"

Lets be honest. There is always one cheapskate in the group. Somehow you always end up paying for them, or their tip or whatever. When you have a drink package, it completely eliminates " you buy this round, I will buy that round" because you can only get one drink at a time on your card. So you will find that the over all buying experience is not unbalanced, if you know what I mean.

[Inukshuk Gal]

There is one more thing that your post brings up... "traveling with a group"

Lets be honest. There is always one cheapskate in the group. Somehow you always end up paying for them, or their tip or whatever. When you have a drink package, it completely eliminates " you buy this round, I will buy that round" because you can only get one drink at a time on your card. So you will find that the over all buying experience is not unbalanced, if you know what I mean.

 

Great point, it will be hard to share your drink packages to 'buy' someone else a drink when you can only buy one at a time. And while we do have some cheapskate friends, fortunately they will not be on this cruise.

 

I know some of the folks I am traveling with will try to sneak booze on the ship and use the soda machines as a mixer, but I imagine that will only work some of the time. I can't see how one gets away with that at dinner, for example. However, they claim to have done it several times and it works great. Personally, I can see it working well while sitting on your balcony enjoying the scenery. (We are going on an Alaskan cruise). That option is risky, of course, and would only work for people who primarily drink hard liquor. It would be a bust for hubby and I being primarily wine and beer drinkers.

[Bahamma Mamma2]

There is one more thing that your post brings up... "traveling with a group"

Lets be honest. There is always one cheapskate in the group. Somehow you always end up paying for them, or their tip or whatever. When you have a drink package, it completely eliminates " you buy this round, I will buy that round" because you can only get one drink at a time on your card. So you will find that the over all buying experience is not unbalanced, if you know what I mean.

 

 

Great point! We are traveling with a group and there are a few not getting the package swearing it is not worth it...This person drinks way more than me...I am hoping to prove him wrong!! LOL...I told him the prices went up...he won't listen. We still have one person in our group on the fence...mine and DH are PIF on ours and I am suddenly getting very thirsty!

[TheTruthCanHurt]

Great point! We are traveling with a group and there are a few not getting the package swearing it is not worth it...This person drinks way more than me...I am hoping to prove him wrong!! LOL...I told him the prices went up...he won't listen. We still have one person in our group on the fence...mine and DH are PIF on ours and I am suddenly getting very thirsty!

 

 

I have a cruise coming up in september. I am going with my bestie...

We have a crown loft suite on the oasis.. so we have access to those free drinks. (for her... thats the only free drinks)

For me, I will also get the 3 coupons loaded on my card from 5pm to 8pm for being diamond .. and I also get free drinks in the casino...

 

That being said. She is still wavering to get the package. and I am actually contemplating it for the very reasons I have stated above. If I was sailing by myself I would probably not get it.

 

Either way. We are going to wait until we get on board. check out all the options and if we do get packages.. most likely wont get until day two...

 

it's funny on land I can go months without having any drinks at all, and yet when i am on a boat I have to rationalize $60 per day in drinking.. LOL

For some reason, being in the middle of the ocean makes me feel like it's ok for a grown man to have a drink with an umbrella in it ;)

[Bahamma Mamma2]

.

 

it's funny on land I can go months without having any drinks at all, and yet when i am on a boat I have to rationalize $60 per day in drinking.. LOL

For some reason, being in the middle of the ocean makes me feel like it's ok for a grown man to have a drink with an umbrella in it ;)

 

We don't drink at home either...but I tend to make up for it on vacation!! :D

[LibertyCruiser]

Amazes me how many people concede that they won't break even but purchase the package because it will reduce the stress of having a tab at the end of the cruise.

[TheTruthCanHurt]

Amazes me how many people concede that they won't break even but purchase the package because it will reduce the stress of having a tab at the end of the cruise.

 

 

I think perhaps it's the thought of it... maybe you break even.. maybe you dont. It's sorta the same way people look at an all inclusive. ( you are certainly paying for all the food and drink) and maybe you drink a lot, or maybe you dont. but you dont have to worry. It's (included)

[DarthGrady]

After doing cruises with the package, it's hard to do it without one. It's nice to just walk up to the bar and get a drink without having to worry about the bill. But unfortunately buying the package for every cruise isn't feasible.

[KiwiGal117]

There is one more thing that your post brings up... "traveling with a group"

Lets be honest. There is always one cheapskate in the group. Somehow you always end up paying for them, or their tip or whatever. When you have a drink package, it completely eliminates " you buy this round, I will buy that round" because you can only get one drink at a time on your card. So you will find that the over all buying experience is not unbalanced, if you know what I mean.

 

So, so true! My parents went on a cruise years ago for their 45th wedding anniversary. They were travelling with friends who were also celebrating that milestone. Every night at dinner, my father would order a bottle of wine, and they would drink some. Never once did they offer to pay for one. My mother STILL talks about that 13 years later!!

[Doug S]

We were on the fence on our last cruise. It was the first time we got drink vouchers, and lounge privileges, so we waited to see how it worked out. We ended up going without a package but there were moments we regretted not having one, but not for financial reasons. We came out way ahead in that department, with an end of cruise bill far less than even one package for the 2 of us. What we did miss on occasion was the freedom a package gives you to have water, specialty coffees, morning bloody marys, and to try some more exotic drinks in the evening than offered with our C&A benefits without stopping to consider cost. The moscow mules and cucumber jalapeno margaritas in the RBar were hard to pass up in favor of my usual G&T.

[Sherri914]

....

I know some of the folks I am traveling with will try to sneak booze on the ship and use the soda machines as a mixer, but I imagine that will only work some of the time. I can't see how one gets away with that at dinner, for example. However, they claim to have done it several times and it works great. Personally, I can see it working well while sitting on your balcony enjoying the scenery. (We are going on an Alaskan cruise). That option is risky, of course, and would only work for people who primarily drink hard liquor. It would be a bust for hubby and I being primarily wine and beer drinkers.

 

Same here. I may be alone in this train of thought, but sneaking booze onto the ship, then trying to find things to mix it with just seems to be a lot of work for a vacation buzz. :)

 

Personally, I like the idea that I can be sitting at the pool, walking thru Central Park, or watching a show and be able to get a drink anywhere, anytime, no sneaking or pre-planning needed! I do enough planning and researching for my job. I don't want to have to research booze smuggling just to take a vaca. To me, food, tips, cab fares, alcohol, souvenirs are all part of the vacation, and if I can't afford all the things that make the vacation special to me, I wait a year, save more $$, then take the vacation. I'm sure people may disagree with that thought process, but it's just my humble opinion.