Why NCL Premium PLUS Adult Drink Package?

[Sthrngary]

Hello everyone.  As most of you know, I have a very popular stream called, "The Secrets of the NCL Haven VIP Luxury Experience" here on CruiseCritic.com.  Folks have recently been asking lots of questions about the Premium Plus drink package.  I am writing this update to bring this stream to the front page of the NCL Cruise Critic blog.  That way as more people cruise and have a question; they can see the subject better.  

 

I just cruise in the Haven on the NCL Joy with this the Premium Plus package November of 2021.  If you have any questions that have not been already answered, please feel free to ask.  

 

Cruise well

[ColeThornton]

18 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

Hello everyone.  As most of you know, I have a very popular stream called, "The Secrets of the NCL Haven VIP Luxury Experience" here on CruiseCritic.com.  Folks have recently been asking lots of questions about the Premium Plus drink package.  I am writing this update to bring this stream to the front page of the NCL Cruise Critic blog.  That way as more people cruise and have a question; they can see the subject better.  

 

I just cruise in the Haven on the NCL Joy with this the Premium Plus package November of 2021.  If you have any questions that have not been already answered, please feel free to ask.  

 

Cruise well

 

Keep in mind that the longer threads get, like this one and your long thread on The Haven although helpful, get outdated and inevitably include incorrect information, especially during these unpredictable times.

 

FYI...from the board guidelines (don't shoot the messenger)

 

Bumping
Please do not manipulate postings on the boards by "bumping" topics to the top of the forum. Members will assume something of value has been posted, only to find that the newest posting is nothing more than a "bump post". This only wastes everyone's time.

 

Again, nothing personal against you, you are a helpful and friendly poster.

Edited February 3, 2022 by ColeThornton

[Sthrngary]

10 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

 

Keep in mind that the longer threads get, like this one and your long thread on The Haven although helpful, get outdated and inevitably include incorrect information, especially during these unpredictable times.

 

FYI...from the board guidelines (don't shoot the messenger)

 

Bumping
Please do not manipulate postings on the boards by "bumping" topics to the top of the forum. Members will assume something of value has been posted, only to find that the newest posting is nothing more than a "bump post". This only wastes everyone's time.

 

Again, nothing personal against you, you are a helpful and friendly poster.

Not my intent to do "Bumping". I had no idea that was a thing.  Noted and fully understood. 

 

Cruise well.

[nattie]

On 4/16/2021 at 1:36 PM, Sthrngary said:

I hope I understand your concern.  I am going to make an assumption.  You both will get the Perk of the "Premium Drink Package".  Based on that assumption, one person in your party can upgrade to the "Premium Plus Drink Package". Here is how.  You wait until you are on board, and you buy it them.  The issue with doing it now is their computer program won't allow it.  On board, no issue.  I have five traveling all over 21.  Everyone has the perk Premium Drink Package.  When I get on board, I will upgrade just my wife and my self.  Problem solved.  I hope that helps you.

Sthrngary,

I dont know if this helped PP, but it certainly answered my question, thank you!

Separate question, and you might not know it since it is kid specific. All adults in our suite have Premium Drink Package, but the kid has nothing (not sure why, TA said he has Soft Drinks Package, but it is not reflected on NCL booking). Should I get him separate package or just order for him? He will want some Starbucks and juices for sure.

[Sthrngary]

38 minutes ago, nattie said:

Sthrngary,

I dont know if this helped PP, but it certainly answered my question, thank you!

Separate question, and you might not know it since it is kid specific. All adults in our suite have Premium Drink Package, but the kid has nothing (not sure why, TA said he has Soft Drinks Package, but it is not reflected on NCL booking). Should I get him separate package or just order for him? He will want some Starbucks and juices for sure.

Oh, this is tough.  I will do my best and say what I would do.  I would get my child the soda package, which I have in the past.  This shows on your "online" reservation.  If it does not, then please consider a discussion with your TA well prior to getting to the port.  The good news is the Soda package is far less expensive then paying for the tips on the "Premium Beverage Package". 

 

The Starbucks you will have to pay per drink you purchase.  Only available on the Premium Plus package.  I think I got all that right.

 

Cruise well.

[Lionkingrichard]

22 hours ago, nattie said:

Sthrngary,

I dont know if this helped PP, but it certainly answered my question, thank you!

Separate question, and you might not know it since it is kid specific. All adults in our suite have Premium Drink Package, but the kid has nothing (not sure why, TA said he has Soft Drinks Package, but it is not reflected on NCL booking). Should I get him separate package or just order for him? He will want some Starbucks and juices for sure.

So we have only done 3 NCL cruises so far, but they have never charged us for my Daughter and she has never been turned down for a drink(child).

 

Just reread your post. I don't think you can get a child package that includes Starbucks.

Edited February 5, 2022 by Lionkingrichard

[RunBikeCruiseDC]

On 1/5/2022 at 3:09 PM, aubreyc1988 said:

I mean, I just have a hard time justifying an extra 500.00 for 2 people for this package, I think if I just paid the difference, it probably wouldn't add up to 500.00. 

Totally reasonable.  So far we have not upgraded to the premium package but have paid the upcharge for drinks.  We may do it in the future for an anniversary or something but my husband mainly drinks beer and cocktails for me with the exception of wine with dinner.  We do hit the coffee bar each morning for our espresso, later in the day we may get an "adult coffee drink" that is included in the drink package like irish/mexican coffee..

[bmwnurse]

For those who have recently sailed with the PPBP: what was your favorite bottle of wine that was included in the package? 
 

[palpieha]

Is there an advantage to upgrading to the Premium Plus Beverage Package once on board, or is it the same cost as doing it beforehand? (assuming there's no OBC to spend)

[phillygwm]

On 2/6/2022 at 10:36 AM, bmwnurse said:

For those who have recently sailed with the PPBP: what was your favorite bottle of wine that was included in the package? 
 

Depends what you're eating and, of course, personal taste.  Moet is included so that's always nice, though Veuve is included by the glass so somewhat redundant.  

 

I'm not a wine connoisseur, so others may laugh at me, but I really enjoyed the Louis Reynald Chateauneuf du Pape at Le Bistro.  

 

[Sthrngary]

1 hour ago, palpieha said:

Is there an advantage to upgrading to the Premium Plus Beverage Package once on board, or is it the same cost as doing it beforehand? (assuming there's no OBC to spend)

Not that I know of however my goal is to have everything paid for prior to the cruise.  Give me the illusion I am on an All inclusive cruise.

 

Cruise well.

[Sthrngary]

On 2/6/2022 at 9:36 AM, bmwnurse said:

For those who have recently sailed with the PPBP: what was your favorite bottle of wine that was included in the package? 
 

For those that really love fine wine, the best strategy and this thread is about strategy, is to order wine by the glass.  The wine by the bottle is "Selected" wines.  Good and in some cases better then good however not great. Where as by the glass, you can come close to great.  

 

Remember, if you love wine, you can keep ordering by the glass and even finish a bottle.  You just can't order the bottle on the program.  

 

Cruise well.

[RocketMan275]

3 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

For those that really love fine wine, the best strategy and this thread is about strategy, is to order wine by the glass.  The wine by the bottle is "Selected" wines.  Good and in some cases better then good however not great. Where as by the glass, you can come close to great.  

 

Remember, if you love wine, you can keep ordering by the glass and even finish a bottle.  You just can't order the bottle on the program.  

 

Cruise well.

Or, you can bring  your own.  The corkage fee is only $15.

[KurtMo]

53 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

For those that really love fine wine, the best strategy and this thread is about strategy, is to order wine by the glass.

Agree this and would recommend the Silverado Cabernet if you like reds (order by the glass).  Simi Cabernet is also good and a bit lighter and available by the bottle if I recall properly.  They were out of the Emblem Napa Cabernet, so I can't comment on that one.

[GeezerCouple]

2 minutes ago, KurtMo said:

Agree this and would recommend the Silverado Cabernet if you like reds (order by the glass).  Simi Cabernet is also good and a bit lighter and available by the bottle if I recall properly.  They were out of the Emblem Napa Cabernet, so I can't comment on that one.

 

We really enjoy "fine wines", but don't like to pay the multi-times upcharges at restaurants or cruise lines, etc.  And then, there often isn't anything really special that we'd like anyway.  In days past, we could each carry a bottle or two on a plane and hand carry them from home, but... no more of that allowed, alas.  But we have had a chance a few times to shop at the port city, and bring a few bottles on board.  Paying the corkage ends up being very cost-efficient in those cases.  That doesn't always work out, however.

 

Several years ago, we discoverd Silverado Cabernet on an NCL ship.  The first cab that we tried on that cruise was.... meh.  The next evening, we tried the Silverado, and it was very pleasant... a really nice surprise.

We've very occasionally found it elsewhere, too.

 

I'm glad to hear it's still available on NCL.  

🍷 🍷

 

GC

[bmwnurse]

Thank you for the advice! We’ll try the by the glass method with the wines. Of course, I’ll be enjoying lots of Veuve too 😅

[phillygwm]

24 minutes ago, bmwnurse said:

Thank you for the advice! We’ll try the by the glass method with the wines. Of course, I’ll be enjoying lots of Veuve too 😅

If you have the Premium Plus, it needn't be an either/or. 🙂

[StevenUS]

I thought about upgrading to the premium plus, but it seams to be it would not be worth it for me. I would like to be able to enjoy some glasses of Champaign though unsure if there will be any by the glass options without the upgrade. Is there a good selection of champagne/sparkling wines without the upgrade? Also will mimosas be an option with just the base premium?

[KurtMo]

1 hour ago, bmwnurse said:

Thank you for the advice! We’ll try the by the glass method with the wines. Of course, I’ll be enjoying lots of Veuve too 😅

In Le Bistro, the sommelier matched wines with our courses.  We started with Veuve and had like 4 other light pours with the courses.  It was fun not knowing what we'd get, but the pairings were well done.

[CruisingLover]

On 3/6/2021 at 9:37 PM, HBCcruiser said:

Y’all are MY kind of people!! Love the Veuve and great selections on Premium PLUS!
 

How much would this be, per adult, if adding on to the plain old beverage pkg? 

[phillygwm]

8 hours ago, CruisingLover said:

How much would this be, per adult, if adding on to the plain old beverage pkg? 

$34.80 per day, per person, inclusive of grats.

 

11 hours ago, StevenUS said:

I thought about upgrading to the premium plus, but it seams to be it would not be worth it for me. I would like to be able to enjoy some glasses of Champaign though unsure if there will be any by the glass options without the upgrade. Is there a good selection of champagne/sparkling wines without the upgrade? Also will mimosas be an option with just the base premium?

Mimosas are made with Prosecco so they would be included.  There are no included Champagnes on the standard beverage package (Premium).  

 

A glass of Veuve is $35, or $22 "out of pocket" after your premium credit.  If you're literally going to have one glass of Champagne per day and nothing else from the "Plus" package (Starbucks, bottled waters, other premium drinks) you're better paying out of pocket.  But I drank a LOT of Pellegrino, a fair amount of SBUX, and I might have had multiple glasses of Veuve each night 🙂  I unquestionably got my money's worth out of it.

 

The other thing to consider is that you're on vacation.  What I used to hate was that little accountant in the back of my head saying "Your bar tab is now $x."  Or, worse, depriving yourself because you don't want to spend that extra $22 for the drink/pay for that second Macchiato.  So even if you're on the fence, you'll find yourself trying more stuff that you wouldn't otherwise because, hey, it's included.  

 

 

Edited February 8, 2022 by phillygwm

[karmamule]

Depending on your travelers' preferences, don't underestimate the potential value of non-alcoholic drinks covered by Premium Plus too.

 

There are 4 of us traveling on our May cruise on NCL Joy, and while 2 of us will get good benefit from Premium Plus on the alcohol side, 3 of the 4 of us will be having a couple lattes or other Starbucks drinks each day and that's a good chunk of change right there. A couple of us are also fresh-squeezed juice snobs so there's some more savings. Finally, the two youngest like their energy drinks and that's also something covered by Premium Plus but not Premium.

[Summerstravel]

2 hours ago, karmamule said:

Depending on your travelers' preferences, don't underestimate the potential value of non-alcoholic drinks covered by Premium Plus too.

 

There are 4 of us traveling on our May cruise on NCL Joy, and while 2 of us will get good benefit from Premium Plus on the alcohol side, 3 of the 4 of us will be having a couple lattes or other Starbucks drinks each day and that's a good chunk of change right there. A couple of us are also fresh-squeezed juice snobs so there's some more savings. Finally, the two youngest like their energy drinks and that's also something covered by Premium Plus but not Premium.

Speaking of sports drink do we not what is available on the ship? I love my Gatorade zero but I know NCL is limited in its sugar free drinks. 

[KurtMo]

1 hour ago, Summerstravel said:

Speaking of sports drink do we not what is available on the ship? I love my Gatorade zero but I know NCL is limited in its sugar free drinks. 

Last week on Escape they offered BioSteel hydration drinks which were 10 calories each.  Included in Premium Plus.

[StevenUS]

10 hours ago, phillygwm said:

$34.80 per day, per person, inclusive of grats.

 

Mimosas are made with Prosecco so they would be included.  There are no included Champagnes on the standard beverage package (Premium).  

 

A glass of Veuve is $35, or $22 "out of pocket" after your premium credit.  If you're literally going to have one glass of Champagne per day and nothing else from the "Plus" package (Starbucks, bottled waters, other premium drinks) you're better paying out of pocket.  But I drank a LOT of Pellegrino, a fair amount of SBUX, and I might have had multiple glasses of Veuve each night 🙂  I unquestionably got my money's worth out of it.

 

The other thing to consider is that you're on vacation.  What I used to hate was that little accountant in the back of my head saying "Your bar tab is now $x."  Or, worse, depriving yourself because you don't want to spend that extra $22 for the drink/pay for that second Macchiato.  So even if you're on the fence, you'll find yourself trying more stuff that you wouldn't otherwise because, hey, it's included.  

 

 

$35 for a glass? That is very expensive. Although I do not think I spent that much for a bottle so I guess it is obvious I don't go drinking top shelf stuff.