FWIW, Why I didn't get a beverage package as planned

[Clarea]

So even though the table what the beverage packages include does not list frozen drinks or mocktails or non-alcoholic cocktails for the Royal Replenish they are still included in the package?....

Yes.

[ceistre]

Same drink pricing i found on the Navigator last year our drink bill was $350 for the two of us for 7 nights. No way was it worth it for us to get a "$60 bucks a day" drink package. Especially when they had the beer bucket deal on sea days! We only got one drink that was $14 bucks and was a cup with the led lights flashing all about, dumb ole me didn't ask for the price assuming it was gunna be $5-$10 bucks like all the other drinks. Nope. but sure was good.

Edited February 17, 2016 by ceistre

[bonvoyagebites]

PlanoTim... no explanation needed. All is well. Everyone does things their own way.

 

I just wanted to make sure we got our money's worth, and we ended up spending so much time doing that... that we felt we lost out on other experiences. I think next cruise we will just choose to pay for our own, and drink less ... But our next cruise is Carnival Vista 8 Day (03JUN), with only ONE sea day... so we will be too busy and tired to drink like that anyway :-D

[KiwiGal117]

I truly think it is personality dependent. Because the drink packages are a big investment, I can see lots of people focusing on it to make sure that they use it appropriately (not necessarily to get ahead, but just so as not to "fall behind"). If you can buy it ahead of time and not worry about it on board, that's great. But if you think you are going to spend too much time thinking about it, buying the package might not be worth it! On a side note, I really wish they still sold the wine bottle packages

[Dianka25]

OP I also have done many all inclusives and I wonder how that has influenced your impressions? My DH and I went on our first cruise last year- he got the drink package, I did not because I knew I would not come close to "getting my money's worth".

 

However, I found that coming from the all inclusive world, I distinctly felt the difference with having to pay for each drink. It just made it slightly less enjoyable, oddly enough.

 

So for our cruise in April we're both getting the drink package for the convenience and inclusive feeling of it. I don't plan on paying any attention to whether I break even or not, because for me it's worth it just to have the feeling of being included and paid for.

[goodycruising]

Great thread. Some very good points for and against. As we have done a few cruises we get asked sometimes by friends if the drink packages are good value, but for us we feel they are not. Thanks OP for such a comprehensive breakdown, and others also for your suggestions.

[jagsfan]

Wow! This is makes two threads this year I've read with atta boys and no snarks. What a pleasure.

[PlanoTim]

PlanoTim... no explanation needed. All is well. Everyone does things their own way.

 

I just wanted to make sure we got our money's worth, and we ended up spending so much time doing that... that we felt we lost out on other experiences. I think next cruise we will just choose to pay for our own, and drink less ... But our next cruise is Carnival Vista 8 Day (03JUN), with only ONE sea day... so we will be too busy and tired to drink like that anyway :-D

 

I hear ya. Back when we started cruising, we were never "too tired to drink." :D But as we age.... :cool:

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[bonvoyagebites]

jagsfan - Good catch, no wonder this thread felt "off" <wink>

 

planotim - Amen, brother.

[Maxit]

Fantastic information from OP. Thankyou

Looking at the information you have provided we will again purchase the drink package. I agree that specials are around to be had and if you are happy with the on board coffee it is worth purchase of as you go. We are traveling with a group of friends and have found you drink more in groups. Less chance to look for the specials when group traveling.

[IsanTom]

Great Post! Thanks for the info!

[jbatinker]

Thank you So much for taking the time to post this. This answers a TON of questions I had.

[lindabodrum]

A few questions for a new cruiser with NOS. can you get free tea coffee and water all day in the buffet or elsewhere. Can you get a free jug of iced water with dinner. Can you take two bottles of wine onboard . Or anything else. Do you have to go to the bar all the time or do the waiters come to you. Is there a happy hour onboard.

[CanadaRob]

A few questions for a new cruiser with NOS. can you get free tea coffee and water all day in the buffet or elsewhere. Can you get a free jug of iced water with dinner. Can you take two bottles of wine onboard . Or anything else. Do you have to go to the bar all the time or do the waiters come to you. Is there a happy hour onboard.

 

Coffee, juice if some kind, water available in many locations, all over.

Yes 2 bottles of wine are ok.

Some areas have more wait staff than others, typically slower around some pools and it can vary by ship.

Not sure about Navigator.

[Clarea]

A few questions for a new cruiser with NOS. can you get free tea coffee and water all day in the buffet or elsewhere. Can you get a free jug of iced water with dinner. Can you take two bottles of wine onboard . Or anything else. Do you have to go to the bar all the time or do the waiters come to you. Is there a happy hour onboard.

You can get free coffee, hot tea, and water at restaurants when they are open, and at Cafe Promenade 24 hours.

 

The waiters will refill your water glasses constantly at dinner.

 

You can take two bottles of wine per stateroom onboard and drink them anywhere on the ship with no corkage fees.

 

You don't have to go to a bar all the time, there are roving bar servers.

[lindabodrum]

Thanks

[baileymouse]

OP, I feel like you do. I am not buying a drink package this time. I did for my first cruise and quickly realized it wasn't worth it. I'm not much of a drinker and the regular coffee & water were ok.

 

What I did do for this trip, though, was to buy my daughter the premium non-alcoholic package. She's 13 and I can easily see her going through more than 19.00 a day in soda, smoothies, fancy non-alcoholic drinks, etc. This way she can get what she wants and she won't have to worry about me being a nudge.

 

Thanks again, great thread with a lot of great commentary.

[mollyeilis]

I'm probably the odd ball out here, and it may come across as I don't mind throwing money away (which isn't true), but I don't buy the package hoping I "get ahead", or "get one over on RCI", or even to break even.

 

I pre-purchase the package so that part of my vacation expenditure is already covered/paid for/budgeted for before I step foot on the ship. I don't have to be concerned with what my stateroom balance will be at the end of the cruise - at least concerning drinks.

 

I've never bothered to track or care if I break even, come out ahead, or lose money. I do like being able to get/try drinks that I may not normally try if I was paying individually. I also like that on most ships/bars I have experience with, I have not had to to sign a receipt with the package (I realize this is not fleet wide or even the same at different bars on the same ship).

 

To each their own. I've had a beverage package on every sailing I've been on, plan to have it on all future sailings, have enjoyed it, and felt it was money well spent -FOR US. That's all that matters to me! :D

 

Dan.

 

And that's your personality.

 

That's not how I can do things.

 

It was how DH felt, so he got Replenish (he doesn't drink alcohol) for our 3 Royal cruises since the packages came out. But on this last cruise, he realized that unless he forces himself, he just doesn't drink enough to justify it. He had liked the "all inclusive" feel, he liked being able to get what he wanted, but on this cruise it just really hit him that he doesn't need it.

 

Here are my thoughts. I don’t really understand why people work so hard to make sure they come out ahead on the drinks package. Once you make the purchase, it’s done. Why not just drink as you want rather than as you feel you must in order to come out ahead? I’ve read posts where folks would report getting a drink when they really didn’t want one because they felt they had to come out ahead. Doesn’t this diminish the experience?

 

I analyze whether or not the package makes sense for that cruise (considering number of port days, planned activities, etc.). Then, once I buy the package, I don’t give a single thought into getting my money's worth out of it. I just enjoy it as I wish.

Tim

 

Personality. Not everyone looks at it like you do. I don't. I want value in what I buy, and to me, the feeling of "all inclusive" doesn't add value to anything. I recognize that it does for many, but it doesn't for me. :)

 

So on the one cruise where I bought Replenish (I drink booze but not enough for any of the booze packages) I was getting stuff I didn't really want. Decaf latte in the evening along with my morning caff latte. Forced myself to get OJ one morning (I don't normally drink juice). etc. All those caloric drinks while trying to drink all the water I normally drink and I was a sloshy, full, mess, LOL.

 

 

For me, it's all about the Evian package (I do drink spring water and cannot tolerate the ship water) and buying the other things I want as I go. :)

 

 

And our Gold Crown&Anchor discounts were nice. 25% off 3 of my lattes (DH, DS, and I each got that discount, so they bought my lattes to use the discount), 10% off a beer twice (mine and DH's cards had the discounts), and two "buy one get one free" for my Boddington's Ales! Most excellent.

 

 

 

I'm a fan of fancy-schmancy coffees, so I got the nonalcoholic beverage package on my last cruise so I wouldn't need to worry about the cost . . . realized after the fact that I hadn't been consuming enough per day to cover the package cost. I'll just accept the micropayments each day this time.

 

 

Yep! Same. :)

Edited April 7, 2016 by mollyeilis

[AZAficionado]

Great thread and good job by the OP.

 

Having watched many drink package threads over the years, I can say what is being presented is nothing new and has been said by many people before. However, it often wasn't well received and/or fell on deaf ears (or so it seemed). The bottom line on the packages is pretty simple:

 

If you want the piece of mind of knowing the total cost of your cruise is covered and you are willing to pay a little extra for that piece of mind, get a package.

 

Otherwise, DO THE MATH. You know what and how much you consume. Get a current price list and a calculator. Pick the method that is cheapest for you: package or pay-as-you-go. Keep in mind, you have to do the math for just about every cruise. The drink prices and package prices have changed over the years. Also, what is offered in terms of wines by the glass and bottles have changed. My "answer" on the package has changed more than once because of these factors.

 

As for "coming out ahead" or "getting your money's worth", it is better stated as "not overpaying for no reason". If you have ever price shopped, you get the concept. Finding the lowest price and/or making sure you don't overpay is just being a smart consumer.

[mollyeilis]

Every time someone says "do the math" now I think of The Martian. :)

 

 

 

And to me, "not overpaying for no reason" means that if you just truly love the AI feel, that's a reason! So if YOU don't care if you are overpaying, then no one else should. :)

[papcx]

seems like hard work to save a few $

 

 

 

We work hard to make $, shouldn't we work hard to save them too?

[Tee & Chilli]

Make your own "frappuccino" type drink. Mix coffee with soft serve ice cream. Yum

[AZAficionado]

seems like hard work to save a few $

I let the calculator do the heavy lifting, but the math is grade-school level. Depending on how much your consumption differs from the package, it can add up quick. Being off by one $12 drink each day for one person adds up to just under $100 for a seven day cruise (with mandatory gratuity). Many people would consider that worth a little baisc math. Some may not (Mr. Bill Gates and company, I'm looking at you).

Every time someone says "do the math" now I think of The Martian.

 

And to me, "not overpaying for no reason" means that if you just truly love the AI feel, that's a reason! So if YOU don't care if you are overpaying, then no one else should.

I'd consider that "paying" for something: the AI feel, just like "paying" for peace of mind. Ugh, just realized I used the wrong peace in my last post. Sigh... In both cases you are trading money for something you value. Overpaying for no reason is just paying more than you needed to because...nothing.

 

I agree completely that no one else should care if someone overpays and I'll even go so far as saying I don't think anyone really cares if someone else overpays. I certainly don't. I think most responders to package questions (myself included) are making the safe assumption that the person asking does not want to overpay by making an uninformed or poor choice.

[jaygee77]

According to some of the CC members, those who share drinks on the package are partly responsible for the rise in drink prices across the board. Thus, by the same logic, those who buy the package for the all-inclusive feel yet order less than their money's worth are effectively keeping drink prices down for the rest of us.

 

I see no reason to talk them out of it. In fact, I raise my overpriced-no-matter-how-you-look-at-it glass to you, underdrinkers!

 

Cheers everyone!

[mollyeilis]

Just have a few drinks more. Enjoy it. Your on holiday

 

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

Believe it or not, some peoples' stomachs don't care if they are on vacation; there's a limited capacity. :)

 

 

I'd consider that "paying" for something: the AI feel, just like "paying" for peace of mind. Ugh, just realized I used the wrong peace in my last post. Sigh... In both cases you are trading money for something you value. Overpaying for no reason is just paying more than you needed to because...nothing.

 

I agree completely that no one else should care if someone overpays and I'll even go so far as saying I don't think anyone really cares if someone else overpays. I certainly don't. I think most responders to package questions (myself included) are making the safe assumption that the person asking does not want to overpay by making an uninformed or poor choice.

 

OH I wasn't saying that anyone DOES care. But just in case. :)

 

And that's a neat way of looking at it, that you pay for the AI feel.

 

I was seeing the AI feel as being a reason, but it's also something that some feeling like paying for, too. :)