What % of people on the ship have drink packages?

[casinostreer]

Agreed - we're in Charlotte, NC, (which is far from the most expensive city in the world). Prices you quote are very similar here if you are at a restaurant other than a sports bar type place. RCCL prices are in line with what we'd expect to pay on any Saturday night out.

 

We're in Charlotte too! :-) Agreed - the prices are similar.

[casinostreer]

 

Total pr day without package $140 pp

Worth it? Hell yeah. Lush? I don't care.

 

We're with you. FOR SOME - it totally makes sense. For my DM - who has one or two drinks per night - it is ridiculous. That's what makes the world go around.

 

(Sometimes it's the alcohol that we lushes drink that make the world spin - but that's a different story. :p)

[cruisinfanatic]

We will have the up package even though we have a GS.

We want to enjoy our trip and have a drink anywhere we want, and not just inside a closed CL where we probably will not even find a place to sit.

I asume our drinking day will be something like

2 OJ

Before lunch

4 softdrinks and water

1 or 2 beers

 

Lunch

Glass of beer or wine

Water or softdrinks

 

After lunch

3-4 beers

Water

 

Dinner

2-3 glasses of wine

Liquor for desert

Water

 

Evening:

2-3 cocktails

Water

Softdrinks

 

Total pr day without package $140 pp

Worth it? Hell yeah. Lush? I don't care.

your calculations don't work out unless you never leave the ship.

[NJcruisenewbie]

Before stating your opinion, you must not thought about the cost of drinks on the ship. With your $809 for 2 people over a week cruise, that comes out to 4-5 drinks per day per person.

 

When we are on a ship on vacation, hanging out all day long, I don't think that 4-5 drinks is very many.

 

For many of my friends and family 4-5 drinks a day wouldn't be any big deal because they drink on a reguar basis (wine with dinner; a few beers on the weekend; etc). For me and many other who don't drink regularly 1 drink will make me tipsy. I'm a very cheap date :D;).

 

For me I'd rather eat calories than drink them which is why I don't drink very much. I also would rather spend money on other wants than cocktails. It's all about how people choose to enjoy themselves.

 

Have a foo foo cocktail by the pool for me :p

[Mjoellnir]

your calculations don't work out unless you never leave the ship.

 

We have one day in Falmouth where we just plan to go to a beach for some hours and one at Labadee where we can use the packages, then two seadays.. so it will work out. But even if we had more port days we would have no problem reaching the cost of an UP for that day.

[LuvBNatC]

After seeing here that people buy packages because they 1) like having everything paid for up-front, 2) like trying new drinks, 3) like drinking as much of whatever and not worrying about it...I priced 15 nights and the tab was $855. Way beyond anything I've ever paid.

 

And I drink alcohol every night, usually one or two before, one during, and at least one after dinner.

 

I can understand rationales #2 and #3, but as far as peace of mind from paying up front, if I ended up giving Royal a few extra hundred $$ for drinks I didn't consume, I'd kick myself.

 

On the other hand, I wouldn't start drinking from breakfast trying to break even or come out ahead. (I don't think it's possible to come out ahead and remain conscious. ;))

 

Cruise lines push drink packages because they get bulk liquor for a song, and they always profit nicely, even on so-called "lushes."

 

I'll keep paying by the drink, and savor each drink all the more if per-drink prices get ridiculous.

Edited August 21, 2015 by LuvBNatC
typo

[mark22mac]

My wife has 1 drink with me when we board then she usually doesnt have another drink until 4:00 or 5:00.Even being D and in a suite i still get her the package for the convenience and the fact that she is a Hugh worrier she worries about everything.So i buy the package on my cruise planner after i book.When we board its all paid off its on her card and she doesnt have to worry about what the costs are and if she should try something new or not.Do i take a loss probably but i dont care its one less thing she worries about so shes happier which in turn makes me happier.

[tlbutler33]

We will have the up package even though we have a GS.

We want to enjoy our trip and have a drink anywhere we want, and not just inside a closed CL where we probably will not even find a place to sit.

I asume our drinking day will be something like

2 OJ

Before lunch

4 softdrinks and water

1 or 2 beers

 

Lunch

Glass of beer or wine

Water or softdrinks

 

After lunch

3-4 beers

Water

 

Dinner

2-3 glasses of wine

Liquor for desert

Water

 

Evening:

2-3 cocktails

Water

Softdrinks

 

Total pr day without package $140 pp

Worth it? Hell yeah. Lush? I don't care.

 

 

Nice!!!! I want to party with you...

[ryano]

I often wonder where everyone lives that they think these drink prices are so high.

 

.

 

North Ga, about 45 minutes north of the ATL since you asked ;) where domestic beers are around 2.50 a piece and margaritas and other assortments of cocktails are no more than 6.00 - 7.00. I just went to lunch at one of the most expensive places in town to have a beer. 16oz beers are 2.50 all the time. Even in Buckhead, one of the most expensive areas of the ATL, drinks arent what they cost on the ship. :)

 

But thats not and never was the real problem anyway. The real problem is that February of this year you could get a Lava Flow (or insert other frozen concoction here) for around 8 bucks + 15%. In March, they went to 12 bucks + 18%. They basically went up 40+ % "overnight". Thats what caused all the drink price gripes. Its clearly a ploy to push these drink packages. Royal was making a killing off alcohol at the old prices. Now they are just being outrageous. It is now cheaper to drink at even the most expensive tourist trap places at the ports than it is on the ship.

Edited August 21, 2015 by ryano

[mark22mac]

North Ga, about 45 minutes north of the ATL since you asked ;) where domestic beers are around 2.50 a piece and margaritas and other assortments of cocktails are no more than 6.00 - 7.00. I just went to lunch at one of the most expensive places in town to have a beer. 16oz beers are 2.50 all the time. Even in Buckhead, one of the most expensive areas of the ATL, drinks arent what they cost on the ship. :)

 

But thats not and never was the real problem anyway. The real problem is that February of this year you could get a Lava Flow (or insert other frozen concoction here) for around 8 bucks + 15%. In March, they went to 12 bucks + 18%. They basically went up 40+ % "overnight". Thats what caused all the drink price gripes. Its clearly a ploy to push these drink packages. Royal was making a killing off alcohol at the old prices. Now they are just being outrageous. It is now cheaper to drink at even the most expensive tourist trap places at the ports than it is on the ship.

 

 

All depends where you live. I live on s Hutchinson island in Florida and I could get a beer over here on the island in one of the best seafood places around overlooking the inlet for $2 or a mixed drink for $5-$6. But go to Miami beach and it'll cost you $18 for a drink.

[ryano]

All depends where you live.

 

I totally agree :)

[akcruz]

Just back from a few days in DC and Rehoboth Beach. Most cocktails STARTED in the $10 range and went up quickly from there. Of course, they did have happy hours which were much more reasonable, but normal prices very comparable to Royals pricing.

 

As with everything else it is up to each of us how and where to spend our $$s, whether that be on drinks, cabin choice, ship choice, vacation choice etc. Either pay for what they offer or choose a different option that works for you.

[slyster]

After seeing here that people buy packages because they 1) like having everything paid for up-front, 2) like trying new drinks, 3) like drinking as much of whatever and not worrying about it...I priced 15 nights and the tab was $855. Way beyond anything I've ever paid.

 

And I drink alcohol every night, usually one or two before, one during, and at least one after dinner.

 

I can understand rationales #2 and #3, but as far as peace of mind from paying up front, if I ended up giving Royal a few extra hundred $$ for drinks I didn't consume, I'd kick myself.

 

On the other hand, I wouldn't start drinking from breakfast trying to break even or come out ahead. (I don't think it's possible to come out ahead and remain conscious. ;))

 

Cruise lines push drink packages because they get bulk liquor for a song, and they always profit nicely, even on so-called "lushes."

 

I'll keep paying by the drink, and savor each drink all the more if per-drink prices get ridiculous.

 

I pretty much buy the package because of reasons 1, 2, and 3. I save a little bit here and there and have enough to buy the package before I get on board. On our last cruise, I would say we "lost money" but I don't think it was much. Lost money is lost money though. I think for me, it's buying it ahead of time and not worrying about the bill at the end of the cruise, it gives liberties to try new drinks

[Sitzmark]

I often wonder where everyone lives that they think these drink prices are so high.

 

Here when we go out to dinner, cocktails are usually $12 and up, the cheapest white wine by the glass is about $9 and specialty drinks can be $14 to $16!

I mean even the watered down Mojito I got at CheeseCake Factory (of all places) was $12!! :eek:

 

I just don't see Royal's drink prices being that expensive.

 

Around here beer is 2 to 4 dollars unless you are ordering something very creative and obscure. Cocktails are typically between 4 and 6 dollars. No idea what a glass of wine would cost since we normally buy it by the bottle.

[kirkaliciasmom]

Really though it is hard to tell if someone has a package or not, either way you just see someone hand over their card and get a drink.

 

 

This is what I'm wondering... How many people only buy 1 drink package and "share" ?

[Mjoellnir]

Nice!!!! I want to party with you...

 

Hehe. You are welcome to, but that amount of drinks stretched out over the whole day will only give me a nice buzz during the day and tired enough in the evening to have a good sleep and wake up sober and refreshed the next morning.

[Ladysilver]

Maybe we're in the minority but we've never bought one and don't plan to. We have coffee in the morning, iced tea or water throughout the day, and 1 or 2 drinks in the evening. Drink packages wouldn't make any sense to us. :)

Edited August 21, 2015 by Ladysilver

[casinostreer]

This is what I'm wondering... How many people only buy 1 drink package and "share" ?

 

(red alert - hot button item on CC)

 

 

I'm sure there are people that do that. It's pretty well frowned upon both here and obviously on board. The only real protection from people doing that is that you can only buy 1 drink at a time per card that shows the name of your package on it. Can you get around it? Certainly. Is it actually "stealing?" Probably.

 

Grey area - I have the package and the bartender offers to make me some exotic drink of his native country. I hate it. My mother - who doesn't have a drink package tries it - and loves it. I let her finish it. Doing it once - maybe twice a cruise - I don't feel bad about. Doing it 3-4 times a day - not so much.

 

Of course everyone COULD survive on free coffee, tea, tap water and iced tea on a cruise. I personally would feel like I was in jail - and not on vacation. And though I only drink maybe once or twice a MONTH - it certainly takes a lot more than 5 drinks to make me drunk. Plus - people forget that the many of the packages also include water, juice, GOOD coffee, sodas, etc. So - I could have 25 drinks in a day - and only 1 of them could be alcoholic - and I'm STILL breaking even. But that's JUST ME!! :D

[wolfganghowell]

Here's our drink package experience.

 

We bought one on our Indy itinerary that included Labadee. We were totally fine with it. Our next cruise we didn't buy it and I kept our itemized statement to compare. Now...we are D+ in a GS so we have concierge lounge access. We also got in Club Royale on the last cruise so all drinks in casino were free and will be from now on. Last cruise, the average was around $375 so we "came out ahead" by not having the package.

 

This upcoming cruise it was a real dilemma on what to do. We decided to go ahead and do the package this time but probably won't on future cruises. The deciding factor to do it is we are traveling with friends and probably won't spend as much time in the casino. We have a day on Labadee again so will be using the package there. Even though we are in a GS again, we like hanging at the pool bar and having a few foo foos throughout the day. Will we win,lose or break even? Doesn't matter - we know from experience it will be close.

 

We aren't lushes. But cruises are the only vacation where we drink every day. As long as we aren't rude and obnoxious to others, our alcohol intake on vacation is no one's business but our own. We aren't driving, we aren't working and we aren't looking after kids, pets or seniors.

 

I totally agree that the big price jump earlier this year is definitely a subtle enticement to get more people on the packages. I'm also in the camp that the prices are comparable to what we pay at home anyway.

 

happy sails

[Tinious]

After seeing here that people buy packages because they 1) like having everything paid for up-front, 2) like trying new drinks, 3) like drinking as much of whatever and not worrying about it...I priced 15 nights and the tab was $855. Way beyond anything I've ever paid.

 

Not trying to knock you off your plan because I'm right in the middle of the fence, but when was the last time you cruised and priced things out? It's been 3 years since I've cruised, and so I'm looking at my last 7 day costs at about $45/day average, and relating that to the price increases since then to see if it's worth getting a $65/day package...

[grandgeezer]

We will have the up package even though we have a GS.

We want to enjoy our trip and have a drink anywhere we want, and not just inside a closed CL where we probably will not even find a place to sit.

I asume our drinking day will be something like

2 OJ

Before lunch

4 softdrinks and water

1 or 2 beers

 

Lunch

Glass of beer or wine

Water or softdrinks

 

After lunch

3-4 beers

Water

 

Dinner

2-3 glasses of wine

Liquor for desert

Water

 

Evening:

2-3 cocktails

Water

Softdrinks

 

Total pr day without package $140 pp

Worth it? Hell yeah. Lush? I don't care.

 

Is this what you would drink, even if you were paying by the drink, or what you drink to get your moneys worth out of the drink package?

[caseymorgan]

 

We aren't lushes. But cruises are the only vacation where we drink every day. As long as we aren't rude and obnoxious to others, our alcohol intake on vacation is no one's business but our own. We aren't driving, we aren't working and we aren't looking after kids, pets or seniors.

 

 

 

Exactly.

[TheGinBoy]

What, without bitter lemon or tonic?

Tee heee

(can't find the smiley face icon)

 

Why waste room in the glass with mixers? ;)

 

[princess*bride]

Of course everyone that gets the drink package are not "Lushes" in the same way as you are not living up to your Screen Name by making a mountain out of a casual comment. And yes we are all guilty of passing judgement on these pages the term "Cruise Critic" allows us to do so:D

 

 

 

The definition of Critic in various dictionaries is:

 

A critic is someone who communicates his or her opinions and assessments of various forms of people, art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture and food or drink :eek::D

 

 

I don't understand your reference to my screen name. I was married on a princess cruise ship hence the name. Don't slip getting off of your soapbox.

[kirkaliciasmom]

(red alert - hot button item on CC)

 

 

 

 

 

I'm sure there are people that do that. It's pretty well frowned upon both here and obviously on board. The only real protection from people doing that is that you can only buy 1 drink at a time per card that shows the name of your package on it. Can you get around it? Certainly. Is it actually "

 

Thank you for your response. I was just curious. I have no intention of buying a drink package. We (my daughter and I) may have 1 or 2 drinks per day, so I don't think the drink package will suit us. We are also not soda drinkers either. Give me iced tea and I'm happy![emoji3]