A few observations on the UBP (Ultimate Beverage Package)

[GITC]

Just debarked the Jade in Houston after the Transatlantic sailing from Barcelona. This was our first Norwegian and first TA sailing so had a few new things to get used to but will limit this discussion to the UBP which we had as one of our perqs.

 

Now I'll be the first to admit that this is a little nitpicky but it's also a little bit amusing, at least to me. Notwithstanding the fine print about the package, which I would guess the vast majority of people surely don't read, one of the first things that stood out to us was that bottled water and canned soda were not included. Being a persnickety sort, I immediately wondered about the naming and marketing of the package as "ultimate". As an adjective, it has many meanings as follows:

 

1. last; furthest or farthest; ending a process or series:

the ultimate point in a journey; the ultimate style in hats.

 

2. maximum; decisive; conclusive:

the ultimate authority; the ultimate weapon.

 

3. highest; not subsidiary:

ultimate goal in life.

 

4. basic; fundamental; representing a limit beyond which further progress, as in investigation or analysis, is impossible:

the ultimate particle; ultimate principles.

 

5. final; total:

the ultimate consequences; the ultimate cost of a project.

 

6. not to be improved upon or surpassed; greatest; unsurpassed:

the ultimate vacation spot; the ultimate stupidity.

 

Now, to be certain, one can get a fountain soda or a glass of ice water from a bartender but in either case wouldn't it just be easier to provide the container that they come in? For shore excursions, which are few a far between on this particular sailing, it's also nice to be able to take water ashore and one might reasonably argue that the "Ultimate" package could/would/should include it, no? It's clearly a cost issue for the line as fountain soda and water is no doubt cheaper but the point still comes back to the name of the package.

 

A quick anecdote from our sailing: In the Garden Café, I wanted a Diet Pepsi with my lunch and I asked for a can. I was told politely that per company policy my UBP only allowed for a cup of soda and not the can. Fine, so that's what I ordered. The gentleman then proceeded to open a can of Diet Pepsi and poor the whole thing into a plastic cup...What am I missing? :confused: :rolleyes:

 

These things just struck us as strange, in comparison to some other lines we've sailed with, that these items (along with VAT which was not charged to us on Celebrity sailings) were not included in the package. Maybe the name should be "Penultimate Beverage Package" because, well, it's not quite the ultimate... ;)

[Paul Bogle]

I'm guessing the ship isn't made of jade either but what's in a name.

 

I'll agree with you that the canned soda rule is rather anal but the bottled water rule is clearly stated.

[mousecrazy]

Perhaps they keep the can for the purpose of recycling.

[TheDougOut]

I'm guessing the ship isn't made of jade either but what's in a name.

 

Haha :D

 

I know it's been mentioned in other posts... but the UBP is more of an alcohol package than anything else, which is fine by me. (so long as district brew house isn't restricted... at which time I'll start voicing some objections of my own)

[Paul Bogle]

Haha :D

 

I know it's been mentioned in other posts... but the UBP is more of an alcohol package than anything else, which is fine by me. (so long as district brew house isn't restricted... at which time I'll start voicing some objections of my own)

 

Doug that's how I always saw it, it's a booze plan. :)

 

I think the OP has a point about the soda cans as that must be inferred from the wording in the terms and conditions. The bottled water is clearly excluded.

[rvsullivan]

On some ships you can get a can of soda if it is available. On other ships not so much. It clearly mentions fountain soda in most cases when soda is mentioned. Depending on the cabin your in, cans of soda may be included.

It's been this way since the UBP was initiated.

[KeithJenner]

I can see why they don't let you take bottled water ashore under the UBP. Far too much opportunity for getting bottles for all and sundry. As iced water is available anywhere onboard, I'd imagine that NCL would claim that bottled water isn't required to be covered.

[cb at sea]

Anything in the "mini-bar" is NOT included in any package.

[GITC]

Perhaps my point wasn't succinct enough. If one concludes that soda and water are actually "beverages" and the company claims to have the "ultimate" beverage package, it should be that such a package could not be improved upon. Excluding certain beverages belies the definition of the word "ultimate" IMO.

 

And there was no question on my part that bottled water and soda were excluded as I prefaced my remarks in acknowledging the fine print.

 

As I said, just a few observations and comparisons to other cruiselines that offer beverage packages with different approaches.

[LrgPizza]

Perhaps my point wasn't succinct enough. If one concludes that soda and water are actually "beverages" and the company claims to have the "ultimate" beverage package, it should be that such a package could not be improved upon. Excluding certain beverages belies the definition of the word "ultimate" IMO.

 

And there was no question on my part that bottled water and soda were excluded as I prefaced my remarks in acknowledging the fine print.

 

As I said, just a few observations and comparisons to other cruiselines that offer beverage packages with different approaches.

This package has several things different than those offered by other companies. Some are better, some are worse. Personally, I'd prefer to have different options by different cruise lines, but that's just me. I've sailed 3 time with UBP, and at this point, I'm perfectly happy with it. I did take the time to read the terms before purchasing, so there were no surprises.

[hawk1972]

Don't forget that fresh squeezed juices aren't included either, and those could be considered beverages. I'm just glad fountain soft drinks are included as I suspect I will drink more of those than I will alcoholic beverages when we sail in January.

[BurtonRiderT6]

I just wish they'd include the specialty coffees in the package :( Ship water is just as good as bottled water, so I just bring a camel back with me off the ship. No real need for soda unless it's a mixer :D

[dshefter]

On the Grand Princess last January, I had the all-inclusive beverage package and it included cans of soda. C'mon NCL, soda is not that expensive. That is just being cheap. It's the ultimate beverage package and should include all drinks under a certain price. Can't tell me a can of soda is more than $15.

[clivep]

I think the aim of the package is to provide drinks ONLY whilst on board to those entitled to the package.

 

If canned soda and bottles of water were allowed then they could be taken off ship, which is what they don't want to allow. They could also be given to other passengers that were not on the package.

 

This is consistent with the alcoholic beverages in that you can't get a bottle of wine with the package, only a glass, and I bet they wouldn't give you a bottle of spirits if you asked!

 

Interestingly, they do include bottled beer but I imagine they won't give you unopened bottles to take away.

[Moby0215]

On the Grand Princess last January, I had the all-inclusive beverage package and it included cans of soda. C'mon NCL, soda is not that expensive. That is just being cheap. It's the ultimate beverage package and should include all drinks under a certain price. Can't tell me a can of soda is more than $15.

 

 

Why should they have to provide you a can when fountain is available?

 

 

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[Demonyte]

I think the aim of the package is to provide drinks ONLY whilst on board to those entitled to the package.

 

If canned soda and bottles of water were allowed then they could be taken off ship, which is what they don't want to allow. They could also be given to other passengers that were not on the package.

 

Hearsay and speculation – Celebrity and RCI include bottled waters and canned sodas also in their cheaper packages without any problems like that. They even have large tables selling bottled waters (even to those with drink packages) by the gangways in ports specifically to be taken out of the ship.

 

We just got off Celebrity Summit from a two-week B2B and "only" had the classic alcoholic package ($9pppd cheaper than UBP) and got a lot more value from it than we will from UBP on Getaway in next January - not to mention if we had upgraded to Celebrity's premium package for $10pppd to include sparkling waters etc too.

[nolatravelgirl]

While the can of soda isn't $15 they don't want to provide canned drinks in the package because stocking that many canned drinks is expensive. It is much easier to store the soda fountain "kegs." Also it prevents less waste to stored. All those cans and bottles need to be recycled.

[rigs32]

I think the aim of the package is to provide drinks ONLY whilst on board to those entitled to the package.

 

If canned soda and bottles of water were allowed then they could be taken off ship, which is what they don't want to allow. They could also be given to other passengers that were not on the package.

 

This is consistent with the alcoholic beverages in that you can't get a bottle of wine with the package, only a glass, and I bet they wouldn't give you a bottle of spirits if you asked!

 

Interestingly, they do include bottled beer but I imagine they won't give you unopened bottles to take away.

 

Bingo.

 

I got the base alcohol package for free on a Celebrity sailing and happily paid the $80 to upgrade to their higher package for the week so I could get all the options, including bottled water.

[LrgPizza]

While the can of soda isn't $15 they don't want to provide canned drinks in the package because stocking that many canned drinks is expensive. It is much easier to store the soda fountain "kegs." Also it prevents less waste to stored. All those cans and bottles need to be recycled.

Bingo.

[dshefter]

It's still petty.

[TheDougOut]

On the Grand Princess last January, I had the all-inclusive beverage package and it included cans of soda. C'mon NCL, soda is not that expensive. That is just being cheap.

 

Even with the UBP, I suspect you're still allowed to purchase a can of soda if you're so inclined. C'mon, it's not that expensive. :D

[SuiteTraveler]

I think the aim of the package is to provide drinks ONLY whilst on board to those entitled to the package.

 

If canned soda and bottles of water were allowed then they could be taken off ship, which is what they don't want to allow. They could also be given to other passengers that were not on the package.

 

This is consistent with the alcoholic beverages in that you can't get a bottle of wine with the package, only a glass, and I bet they wouldn't give you a bottle of spirits if you asked!

 

Interestingly, they do include bottled beer but I imagine they won't give you unopened bottles to take away.

 

I was thinking about how this was handled on Celebrity Eclipse. We always drank 1 bottle of wine per evening dinner. We had the beverage package and the sommelier would bring a bottle of wine - we kept ordering the same type - and open it and pour 2 glasses for us. Then she would have to either get another bottle and open it to pour 2 more glasses or get bottles that were already opened to pour our second glasses. After a couple of nights our Sommelier figured out we were ordering the same wine every night and she would just bring the whole bottle and keep it in a chiller nearby (chardonnay) and refill our glasses from it. It was easier for her than having to go back to wherever she was bringing the wine from and made more sense to keep the bottle nearby as we always finished 1 bottle a night. Celebrity did give me bottled water - 1 bottle at a time. Sometimes I'd get one bottle and take it to my cabin and then go to a different bar and get another bottle and take it to my cabin and put both in the refrigerator to drink later at night. It was a 13 day cruise, so I made it a habit to stop by any bar I passed and ask for a bottle of water. They did allow us to take bottled water off the ship if we wanted. We didn't do that because we were in Europe where we could buy anything we wanted just about anytime and if we bought it, it would be cold, so no need to tote around a warm bottle of water. We prefer to be hands free in Europe (I don't even carry a purse or bag of any kind) so carrying extra stuff around is not something we do there. It just weighs you down unnecessarily. Specialty coffees and teas were also included as was the martini bar and various other drinks.

[Demonyte]

I got the base alcohol package for free on a Celebrity sailing and happily paid the $80 to upgrade to their higher package for the week so I could get all the options, including bottled water.

 

Regular bottled water is included in the Celebrity classic package already. Upgrading to premium only gets you Evian and other premium brands like San Pellegrino and Perrier.

[dshefter]

Even with the UBP, I suspect you're still allowed to purchase a can of soda if you're so inclined. C'mon, it's not that expensive. :D

 

Why would I do that? Especially since I can bring cans of soda aboard at a much cheaper rate. The point is when you have an ultimate beverage package, everything should be fair game within the price range of the drinks.

[LarissaRose]

Regular bottled water is included in the Celebrity classic package already. Upgrading to premium only gets you Evian and other premium brands like San Pellegrino and Perrier.

 

My upcoming cruise is on ncl (my last was on celebrity) and I must say I'm quite annoyed with the bottled water issue. I'm a bit of a water snob (I drink A LOT of it) and sometimes I feel like the "tap" water on ships can have a funky taste to it. Worried I'm going to end up spending a ton of money on bottled water. Very curious to me the huge difference between the bottled water inclusions (or lack there of) between ncl and celebrity. Also, the prices to pre order bottled water for your cabin seem INSANE.

 

Long story short totally agree with the OP (but don't drink soda, so have no strong opinion on the cans of soda issue).