Signature Beverage Package? 15 drinks a day? Yikes

[marluvs2go]

I am doing the math and I guess I cannot figure out how anybody could save money? 15 glasses of wine or 15 beers? I guess if you add specialty coffees and drink everyday maybe you would come out ahead? Since the limit is $8.00 per drink it seems impossible to me to drink up that much each day? Plus somedays I would just choose soda so even if I decided to really "bottoms up" the next day I could no way get near my money's worth. I know younger folks can pack away the beers and maybe this is meant for somebody who starts the day with mimosas and continues to drink? So if they say 15 drinks per day plus 15% tip if you drank 15 drinks at $8.00 plus $1.20 that would be 15 times $9.20 = $138.00 on a daily basis. (Big Savings) As hardly anything is priced at $8.00 mostley at around 7 dollars. So if you buy a Miller Lite beer it would cost you $6.84 you would have to drink aprox 6 of them to break even and of course more to save money? Same for glass of wine....I am just curious here some of my family would save money on this ha but if you choose to not drink or drink a lesser amount say on Shore days or your? hum then the package has cost you a pretty penney? If anybody has some figures or thoughts on this I would love to here them. To me I would love to sign up but only with the thought in mind I could splurge on the more expensive drinks when I felt like it? As an example order a really nice bottle of wine way above what I normally would....but you cannot do that. So seriously I do not see how too many folks would benefit. OR I AM MISSING SOMETHING????I am not what you call a lite drinker I love wine and Rum but something about the structure here is benefiting the ship not me...thanks!

[Krazy Kruizers]

We qualified for the Explore4 package in Oct 2015 that included the Signature Beverage Package.

We do not drink a lot but I did keep track each day of what we drank. We could not get close to 15 drinks a day or the $50+ price per day.

We had originally booked the Signature Drink Package for our spring cruise (21 days) thinking that we would save money. After checking what we spent via the package on the previous cruise -- the price was to HAL's advantage --not ours.

We would never purchase the package.

[KirkNC]

We laughed when it was rolled out a few years ago. We were boarding in Amsterdam and they sent out some cute girls to peddle it to those waiting to board. No one bought it best we could tell. It maybe a great idea on a Caribbean cruise on Carnival, I never saw it working on HAL.

[Snooksi]

I enjoy it for the fact you don't have a huge drink bill at the end of the cruise. You also don't have to keep track of anything. Some days, HAL might come out ahead and other days I'll come out ahead. It's also nice knowing you can try every cocktail and not feel guilty if you don't like one and just order something different. I tend to drink a lot when I'm on vacation because I like trying all of the various cocktails. Do they have special "cocktails of the day" on HAL like on other lines?

 

Just wanted to let you know there are other reasons for purchasing the package and I do so on every cruise. :)

[kali101102]

I enjoy it for the fact you don't have a huge drink bill at the end of the cruise. You also don't have to keep track of anything. Some days, HAL might come out ahead and other days I'll come out ahead. It's also nice knowing you can try every cocktail and not feel guilty if you don't like one and just order something different. I tend to drink a lot when I'm on vacation because I like trying all of the various cocktails. Do they have special "cocktails of the day" on HAL like on other lines?

 

Just wanted to let you know there are other reasons for purchasing the package and I do so on every cruise. :)

 

 

We are the same way! I love knowing I have the drink package and don't have to worry about $$!!

 

 

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[DisneyDatknee]

Even their new soda package is a rip off too.. Cheaper to buy multiple $25 for $50 soda cards + you can share the card. I would only purchase it if the ship had the freestyle machines, which so far is only the K'dam.

Edited October 21, 2016 by DisneyDatknee

[PierceChristopher]

With the drink package, I make it a point to enjoy all the drinks, and I mean ALL lol. For some people like me, it's worth it. For others, no. It's just a matter of figuring out how much you'd have to drink a day based on the price of the package, and deciding whether or not you'd surpass that amount. Of course, they type of drinks you'd be drinking matters too (beer, wine, or mixed drinks). There was one trip that me and my friends tracked all our receipts, and it came to $1700. We won that play [emoji13]

 

 

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[PierceChristopher]

With the drink package, I make it a point to enjoy all the drinks, and I mean ALL lol. For some people like me, it's worth it. For others, no. It's just a matter of figuring out how much you'd have to drink a day based on the price of the package, and deciding whether or not you'd surpass that amount. Of course, they type of drinks you'd be drinking matters too (beer, wine, or mixed drinks). There was one trip that me and my friends tracked all our receipts, and it came to $1700. We won that play [emoji13]

 

 

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Forgot to mention, I've never paid for a drink package. I've only ever paid to upgrade one. If it's not included as a perk, I'm not playing.

 

 

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[IndyDenise]

I must need to see Bill because I can ( and did ) drink 15 a day on my last HAL cruise .. also my last Carnival one too.

 

Mimosas and Bloody Mary's for breakfast . .. along with speciality coffees.

 

Margaritas during the day.

 

A couple of White Russians with dinner...

 

More of those the rest of the evening.

 

The biggest killer of the drink packages are Wangs Wangs. 4 or more ends all fun and giggle fest becomes sleeping on the bathroom floor.

 

The next day is killer too!

 

 

 

 

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[Snooksi]

I must need to see Bill because I can ( and did ) drink 15 a day on my last HAL cruise .. also my last Carnival one too.

 

Mimosas and Bloody Mary's for breakfast . .. along with speciality coffees.

 

Margaritas during the day.

 

A couple of White Russians with dinner...

 

More of those the rest of the evening.

 

The biggest killer of the drink packages are Wangs Wangs. 4 or more ends all fun and giggle fest becomes sleeping on the bathroom floor.

 

The next day is killer too!

 

 

 

 

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***Note to Self*** DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT even try the Wang Wangs :eek:

[sweetlove13]

***Note to Self*** DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT even try the Wang Wangs :eek:

 

 

OMG what's a Wang Wang??? I need to know!!!! [emoji2]

 

 

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[PierceChristopher]

OMG what's a Wang Wang??? I need to know!!!! [emoji2]

 

 

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Me too!

 

 

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[Old As Dirt Mom]

Wang Wang Recipe

 

1/4 oz Vodka

1/4 oz Gin

1/4 oz White Rum

1/4 oz Scotch

1/4 oz Bourbon

1/4 oz Tequila

1/4 Triple Sec

1/4 oz Brandy

 

Topped off with Pineapple, Orange Juice and a splash of Grenadine

[PierceChristopher]

Holy cow! Missed that one on my last HAL cruise! Is that included in the package? I'm assuming they'd charge a "slight" up charge?

 

 

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[POA1]

Holy cow! Missed that one on my last HAL cruise! Is that included in the package? I'm assuming they'd charge a "slight" up charge?

 

 

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Nope. They're included. To be honest, I wasn't super impressed. Bear in mind that I drink Bourbon on the rocks, so everything else seems kind of weak. However, if you don't like the taste of liquor, the Wang Wang might get you where you need to go. (Call it a destination drink.)

[3rdGenCunarder]

The Wang Wang sounds like a license to drive the porcelain bus. No thank you!

 

I would never buy the sig beverage package, but we've had it as part of Ex4 when the price difference with/without Ex4 was small. It's nice to get bottles of water to take ashore (not at the gangway, must do it in advance at a bar), we might have a drink with lunch. But we don't do specialty coffees and we don't like the wines by the glass. So it's of little value to us. I've said this before, but I'll repeat it. I wish I could trade several drinks for a bottle of decent wine.

 

Question about specialty coffees. Can you get French press coffee there? That would interest me. We had French press at breakfast in the PG last time and I got spoiled.

[Bill B]

OR I AM MISSING SOMETHING????I am not what you call a lite drinker I love wine and Rum but something about the structure here is benefiting the ship not me...thanks!

 

You're not missing anything. Beverage packages are a huge 'cash cow' for the lines and most pax come nowhere near getting their money's worth. If they didn't benefit the ship they wouldn't be offered.

[djhsolara]

We have done the math for ourselves as well and we're always better off to have the price adjustment of the sailing rather than the drink package. We like to have a few cocktails, but would most-likely never drink enough to make it worth our while to have it.

 

 

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[Bill B]

As a teenager, I made Wang Wangs.... but didn't know what they were. We called them "s#it mix".

[Bill B]

There was one trip that me and my friends tracked all our receipts, and it came to $1700. We won that play [emoji13]

 

After 15+ 🍸 per day, I'd question my math.

[Bill B]

The next day is killer too!

 

I had an All Inclusive Beverage Package on a 7-day Costa cruise (then $24 per day)... and I DID get my 'money's worth'... but the 3-day hangover after the cruise was not worth it. 💀

[Langoustine]

if you don't like the taste of liquor, the Wang Wang might get you where you need to go. (Call it a destination drink.)

 

The destination would be a terrible hangover the next day, I would think. That recipe sounds like something you'd find in a fraternity house around 4AM. Many years ago, my wife made a large bowl of something similar for a Christmas party at our army base in Germany and we had people passed out all over our front yard. The authorities were not amused.

Edited October 22, 2016 by Langoustine

[IndyDenise]

I tried to order a Wang Wang on Carnival.

 

They told me it was called a Long Island.

 

I had to set them straight.

 

Plus POA's recipe may be the "official" one, but I can tell you HAL's bartenders pour much more freely and generously than 1/4 ounce per shot.

 

Its kinda like reliving your college days and drinking Hairy Buffalo or Jungle Juice.

[sprockie]

I enjoy it for the fact you don't have a huge drink bill at the end of the cruise. You also don't have to keep track of anything. Some days, HAL might come out ahead and other days I'll come out ahead. It's also nice knowing you can try every cocktail and not feel guilty if you don't like one and just order something different. I tend to drink a lot when I'm on vacation because I like trying all of the various cocktails. Do they have special "cocktails of the day" on HAL like on other lines?

 

Just wanted to let you know there are other reasons for purchasing the package and I do so on every cruise. :)

 

These are exactly my sentiments. I love the freedom of not doing any math and seeing something that looks good and say "I'll try one of those" without hesitation. Doesn't take long to add up if you drink coffee, water, wine, drinks at the pool, after dinner drink etc. I LOVE the freedom of the drink package.

[Mosaic]

15 Baileys a day:D.