Drink Pkg

[drafterdw]

Has anyone purchased? would like to know thoughts on it. Also has anyone ever seen it added as a perk like on a lot of other lines?

[msmayor]

I've never had a drink package but we have it for our upcoming Zuiderdam as it was an Explore 4 perk with our booking.

 

That being said, I can't imagine us ever buying it as it isn't a good value for us. For example, if we had to pay for the package on this 10 night cruise, it would have cost us over $1000. On our last 10 night cruise, our bar tab plus a 5 bottle wine package was $700. The package would have cost more.

 

Explore 4 only increased our fare by $89 each on a 10 night, so for this trip a huge value especially because of the other extras.

[POA1]

Has anyone purchased? would like to know thoughts on it. Also has anyone ever seen it added as a perk like on a lot of other lines?

 

Both. We purchased in in early 2014 and had it as part of Explore 4 in 2016. I wouldn't purchase it again, but if it were included, I'd be all over it, because... free booze.

 

In our case, the cost of our cruise didn't change before or after Explore 4, but some people have reported lower fares without. HAL's drink prices are quite a bit lower than some other lines, so grab a drink menu and do the math to see if it's worth it for you.

[Sequim88]

When we switched from Inside to a Verandah we had the option to drop our Explore 4 promo and switch to the Views & Verandah promo for about $70 less plus $100 OBC and opted to keep the Explore 4. Calculated the break even on drinks would be about 6 (out of 15) per day. On vacation with someone else "driving" we can hit that pretty easy. Bloody Mary with breakfast, beer at lunch and a beer in afternoon and we're half way there before dinner. :cool:

[Krazy Kruizers]

For a couple of cruises the Explore4 package was included.

I kept track of the drinks we had which are not many per day.

We had thought about buying it for our 21 day cruise in 2016 but when I looked over how many drinks we had with that Expore4 package on the previous cruise -- definitely was not worth our buying the package.

Only you can decide if it is worth it to you -- it all depends on how much alcohol you drink per day. The package also includes bottled water and specialty coffees in the dining room and specialty coffees and teas in the Exploration Café if you are interested in drinking -- which we weren't.

[TAD2005]

When we switched from Inside to a Verandah we had the option to drop our Explore 4 promo and switch to the Views & Verandah promo for about $70 less plus $100 OBC and opted to keep the Explore 4. Calculated the break even on drinks would be about 6 (out of 15) per day. On vacation with someone else "driving" we can hit that pretty easy. Bloody Mary with breakfast, beer at lunch and a beer in afternoon and we're half way there before dinner. :cool:

 

sequim88, you nailed it perfectly. The break-even point when you are drinking free is just under 6 per day. Many people think they have to drink 15 beverages a day to make the package pay for itself. Not true. 6 drinks a day is easy to do, especially on sea-days when you want to wash down that Dive-In burger with a few Grolsch beers. And maybe a Bloody Mary for late breakfast, and a few cocktails before dinner (doubles are allowed, it just counts as 2 of your 15 for the day) and a glass of wine with dinner, and a few drinks in the casino or showroom. Plus a bottle of water to take back to your cabin. We have found that we easily break even or better on the regular package. We have never seen it necessary to go for the Elite Beverage Package, ($15 max drink limit vs. $8 on the regular package for a $10 per day extra cost). And, as you say, the captain's driving, you're on vacation, so enjoy yourself and not sweat the final bill at disembarkation day. Nothing like ruining your cruise by seeing that final bill and saying "Holy KaKa, did we drink all of that" ??

[RenaeInCA]

We set sail on the 31st, and I haven't purchased the beverage pkg yet because I am still mulling over if we'll get one, and if so which level. Our first few cruises you could take plenty of wine onboard with HAL. We did not spend a lot on alcohol because we had wine in our room. So we ordered buckets of beer and drinks of the day. On our last cruise (Celebrity) we got a free basic beverage package as a perk but upgraded (for the wine selection) for a pretty low fee. We also go to all-inclusive resorts, so we are pretty used to the "free" drinks idea.

 

DH is much more of a day drinker than I. I might have an occasional drink here and there during the day. What I found when I had the package was that I drank a lot more Perrier/Pellegrino, bottled still water, mocktails, and an occasional soda or special coffee. My drink of choice is wine and I would have a glass or two with dinner, maybe one for the show. I wish I could get the Signature for DH and the Elite for me (for the better wine selection) but I understand why we can't.

 

So, I am going to figure out the cost of what I think DH and myself might drink to compare it with just paying for his drinks and bringing onboard some water and paying an additional corkage for a few bottles of wine above our "free" two. That will help me decide if we are going to get the package and if so, which one. I don't know if this helps you?

[prescottbob]

I don't know if this will help you to decide if the drink package is worth it but on the Princess board someone developed a spreadsheet that's sort of neat. Drink pricing is fairly similar to HAL

 

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2456349&highlight=beverage+calculator

 

Princess Beverage Package Evaluator rev3 posted 02-11-2017.xls

 

Be well & enjoy!

Bob:)

[RenaeInCA]

I don't know if this will help you to decide if the drink package is worth it but on the Princess board someone developed a spreadsheet that's sort of neat. Drink pricing is fairly similar to HAL

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2456349&highlight=beverage+calculator

 

Princess Beverage Package Evaluator rev3 posted 02-11-2017.xls

 

Be well & enjoy!

Bob:)

 

Thank you for posting that!! I'm going to check it out.

[rojay]

We personally love the drinks package, as included is coffees, sparkling water and bottled water. These added to a few cocktails and glass a wine with dinner, soon makes it viable option for us. But you do need to do the maths.