Did anyone notice? That when the UBP packages came along...

[ja2nowak]

My first cruise was in January 2015. It was a 1 week standard Caribbean cruise out of Miami. I wasn't in a guarantee cabin and was all by myself in an inside on the Epic. My total fare was $755 including my gratuities and with a $75 on-board credit to boot. I paid out of pocket for my beverage package $435 with the gratuities and all drinks were still pretty much under the limit. The martini's flowed like water, even the ultra premiums. I made sure I tipped a little every night to my regular bartenders and waitstaff and that whole ultra premium limitation went away. It still works even now.

[gidgetgoes]

 

Bourbons? Those have skyrocketed, but at least they're available! Maker's Mark is now an up charge. :mad:

 

do you know if knob creek is an up charge?

[hawkeyetlse]

My first cruise was in January 2015.

Late 2014/early 2015 was kind of the golden age for the UBP. Before that, in addition to the dollar limit, they had brand lists that explicitly excluded many brands (remember this?), even though they were under the limit. They removed these restrictions sometime in 2014, and they made further changes in the customer's favor in the first part of 2015 (adding the UBP credit for drinks over the limit). So that was when the package was at its most generous levels.

 

Since then, we have pretty much gone back to the early days of the UBP where super premium brands are again off-limits. But instead of just saying that, they did it by raising the price of these brands by over 250% between late 2014 ($6.75 a shot) and summer 2016 ($16.95 a shot).

[CruisinHarvey]

Biggest change we've seen since UBP is pre-making some fruity drinks. They're not anywhere close to what they can make fresh. We compared painkillers on the last cruise. The pre-made didn't taste anything like to the fresh made drinks. This is all caused by the volume drinks they need to serve with UBP. They just can't keep up with demand making each drink by hand. It has little or nothing to do with cheapening them.

[spidybabe]

$6.75 and now $16.95 a shot!! That's a big change. 20 NCL cruises all casino guests, so we always had casino drink card, and recently the promo of UBP, so we never really paid attention to the prices. Wow, major change, didn't realize the extent of it.

Safe sailing

 

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[NancyW12]

know what's in your drink and how to get around it- case in point:

I wanted a pina colada. Did not want the pre-made one, so I ordered a Myers rum pina colada= fresh made with the rum of choice.

and-

"I would like a Myers and ginger beer with a lime."

"You want a Dark and Stormy?"

"No, the Dark and Stormy is $17.95. I want a Myers and ginger beer with lime that's $8.50"

In both cases, holding a sail card and a $1 bill, I got freshly made drinks and double pours.

[hawkeyetlse]

know what's in your drink and how to get around it- case in point:

I wanted a pina colada. Did not want the pre-made one, so I ordered a Myers rum pina colada= fresh made with the rum of choice.

But it was still made with the pre-made piña colada mixer out of a carton, there's no way around that (they have pineapple juice, but I don't think they have coconut cream behind the bar).

 

Are people saying that they add some generic rum to that piña colada mixer ahead of time? I have never seen that, and it wouldn't make much sense (pre-mixing is only worth doing for more complicated drinks).

[sanger727]

But it was still made with the pre-made piña colada mixer out of a carton, there's no way around that (they have pineapple juice, but I don't think they have coconut cream behind the bar).

 

Are people saying that they add some generic rum to that piña colada mixer ahead of time? I have never seen that, and it wouldn't make much sense (pre-mixing is only worth doing for more complicated drinks).

 

 

The problem is they are pre-mixing large batches with the mixers and alcohol so they can pour it straight into your cup. There's no stirring it and as it sits the ingredients separate. So you can end up with a pour of straight juice when trying to get a painkiller. And some of the taste is just off, I don't know if it's to do with the large volume recipe or what but I had a rebellious fish premade and it was very bitter. Had one made fresh and it was good. And I do they they are mixing the premade batches that are heavy on mixer and light on alcohol. One of the bartenders (and he also was the one I saw getting those most tips) routinely added an extra pour of tequila into the pre-mix margaritas.

 

 

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[hawkeyetlse]

I am familiar with the practice, for drinks like the rebellious fish or margaritas that have several ingredients. I was asking specifically if people have really seen them do that for piña coladas, as a couple of poster have suggested in this thread. That drink only has two ingredients, since they use the carton mixer (plus ice, but that's added by the blending machine).

[KeithJenner]

i'm not sure why one wouldn't expect good things to drink when on vacation.

 

It's not a case of whether one should expect good things to drink or not.

 

It would be great to get better drinks onboard, but the fact is that the selection isn't great in some areas. For many of us this isn't a big problem. We just drink what is available.

 

I think it depends a bit on what sort of drinks people prefer and how common those drinks are.

 

I have my preferences when it comes to many drinks, especially beer. For most of my favourites there is no guarantee of being able to get them even in different areas around the UK (I have to travel a couple of hundred miles from home to be able to reliably get my favourite on tap at all). If I travel overseas then they will almost certainly not be available.

 

For that reason, whenever I go on holiday, whether in Europe or the US, I have no expectation of being able to get my usual drinks. I know when I leave that I will have a few weeks of drinking things which I don't like as much as what I drink at home. That's just the way it is, and I'm used to it. That is probably why the fact that there isn't a great selection onboard doesn't bother me too much, as this isn't unusual to me at all.

 

For others who drink more common drinks as a preference, whether that be big name beers or common cocktails, they probably do have the expectation of being able to get those drinks wherever they are, and therefore are more likely to find it an issue if they aren't available or aren't as good quality when onboard.

 

That is a reason, in my opinion, why it bothers some people more than it does the likes of me. Neither is right or wrong.

[BostonGal35]

what i want to know is why plain Grey Goose is included in the UBP, but flavored Grey Goose are not. they are the same price at the liquor store. Is it an inventory thing?

[Bollinge]

As someone earlier intimated, a dollar bill, a pound or euro coin with your order is very likely to expedite service and increase your drinks choices........[emoji6]

 

 

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[zqvol]

that the quality of drinks went off a cliff?

 

Just got off the getaway and did not notice any difference in the drinks.

[UPNYGuy]

Just got off the getaway and did not notice any difference in the drinks.

 

 

I was just on Getaway in January and I sure as heck did. I ordered a bushwhacker at Osheehans and it was terrible. Sent it back and the replacement was just as bad. I then saw they were using pre-mixed base. I didn't order any more there for the duration of the cruise.

 

 

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[Eleteace]

Noticed no difference in the slightest!

 

 

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[Justaddvodka68]

More noticeable is how much they jacked up the prices of certain drinks (espresso martini and single malt scotches for example) to remove them from the $15 UBP limit.:(

 

Even the drinks not jacked up enough to exclude then, the drink prices are at the high end, which does suck for those without the package. It's like they're charging a couple bucks more for each drink to those paying to offset those of us with the package.

[Justaddvodka68]

The problem is they are pre-mixing large batches with the mixers and alcohol so they can pour it straight into your cup.

 

 

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I've seen both . . . where they just have the juices premixed and ready to add the liquor, like bloody mary's in giant vat, and premixed things like aviations and other colored martini's that are in dispensers on the bar back. They pour some out over ice, shake and serve.

 

Both are gross.

 

I ask for my drinks to be fresh mixed and haven't even been refused.