Why NCL Premium PLUS Adult Drink Package?

[Sthrngary]

31 minutes ago, mtrancher said:

Apologies if answered previously, I read through but did not see this question.

If you are on the Premium Plus Package, is there a limit to how many bottles can be ordered at a meal? From reading it sounds like one bottle per sitting...

I can kind of answer your question.  The key to the bottles is you have a drink from them when they are open. Remember they are not all bottles, they are selected bottles that are pre-chosen for the Plus package.  Now to your question, on one glorious night, my wife ordered white wine, I ordered red wine. We both finished our bottles and ordered again.  We had one glass each from the second bottles and brought them back to our state room.  At no time have I been told on NCL that I could not have another bottle.

 

I hope that gives you part of your answers. 

 

Cruise well.

[mtrancher]

14 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

I can kind of answer your question.  The key to the bottles is you have a drink from them when they are open. Remember they are not all bottles, they are selected bottles that are pre-chosen for the Plus package.  Now to your question, on one glorious night, my wife ordered white wine, I ordered red wine. We both finished our bottles and ordered again.  We had one glass each from the second bottles and brought them back to our state room.  At no time have I been told on NCL that I could not have another bottle.

 

I hope that gives you part of your answers. 

 

Cruise well.

That directly answers my question! Thank you. I guess it's down to what bottles are available to the plus package. Which brings to mind... are all wines available by the glass now available on the plus package, still by the glass of course?

[thedarklord]

7 hours ago, mtrancher said:

That directly answers my question! Thank you. I guess it's down to what bottles are available to the plus package. Which brings to mind... are all wines available by the glass now available on the plus package, still by the glass of course?

That's correct, all wines by the glass are included. I believe the phrase they use is "All beverages served by the glass". They do though exclude Louis XIII, I think they count that as an 'experience' rather than a beverage (though I suppose you'd then get the 40% off)

[Lionkingrichard]

6 hours ago, thedarklord said:

That's correct, all wines by the glass are included. I believe the phrase they use is "All beverages served by the glass". They do though exclude Louis XIII, I think they count that as an 'experience' rather than a beverage (though I suppose you'd then get the 40% off)

I kept asking for Louie as a joke and they kept telling me I could get a 1/2 oz for $58. I think was the number after discount.

[chillyw]

2 hours ago, Lionkingrichard said:

I kept asking for Louie as a joke and they kept telling me I could get a 1/2 oz for $58. I think was the number after discount.

 

I did the Louie experience on the Encore in December.  I forget the cost (it was something like that after grat and tax, you might be right on the money), but it was legitimately a good price vs what I've seen in Vegas and other bars.  

[RocketMan275]

On 3/27/2022 at 12:07 PM, sprez33 said:

 

 - I saw reference to BYOB and a corkage fee in this thread but nothing on the NCL website.  Would love to bring a couple special bottles from my cellar.  What are the rules?

 - Finally, coffee.  I saw some vague (to me) references to French Press coffee on this thread.  Is it possible to get French Press coffee on the ship?  Sorry if I misread something.  

 

Sorry for all the questions.  Like I said, total newbie here.  Appreciate any help!

Two points:

First, there is no  limit on the number of bottles of wine you can bring on the ship.  You will be charged $15 / bottle regardless of where it is consumed.  Case in point, I brought six bottles onto Breakaway about three weeks ago and was charged $90.  (The two bottle limit often mentioned comes from other lines which allow you to bring aboard two bottles without paying corkage.) I would never consider upgrading to the Premium Plus because of the better wine selection.  It's far cheaper to bring your own even when paying corkage.  Plus often certain wines listed on the package may not be available.  Bring your own, you save money and you know what you will get.

Second, the standard coffee offered in the Haven is french press.  Even the coffee your butler brings for room service is french press.

[Kae95]

This thread helped me so much when deciding if we should upgrade to the Premium Plus Package. We did upgrade for our short cruise to the Bahamas and it was totally worth it! Part of the reason was being able to get water bottles while getting a drink at the bar. My boyfriend and I drink a lot of water so that was great. Bringing a bottle of wine back from dinner to drink on our balcony was such a good idea and we enjoyed that a lot. We will be upgrading for every cruise now!

[sprez33]

22 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

Two points:

First, there is no  limit on the number of bottles of wine you can bring on the ship.  You will be charged $15 / bottle regardless of where it is consumed.  Case in point, I brought six bottles onto Breakaway about three weeks ago and was charged $90.  (The two bottle limit often mentioned comes from other lines which allow you to bring aboard two bottles without paying corkage.) I would never consider upgrading to the Premium Plus because of the better wine selection.  It's far cheaper to bring your own even when paying corkage.  Plus often certain wines listed on the package may not be available.  Bring your own, you save money and you know what you will get.

Second, the standard coffee offered in the Haven is french press.  Even the coffee your butler brings for room service is french press.

Thanks, RocketMan!  Very helpful.  I probably wouldn't purchase the PDPP if I can bring 2 or 3 bottles from my cellar.  Also, good to know about the french press coffee in the Haven.

[RocketMan275]

8 minutes ago, sprez33 said:

Thanks, RocketMan!  Very helpful.  I probably wouldn't purchase the PDPP if I can bring 2 or 3 bottles from my cellar.  Also, good to know about the french press coffee in the Haven.

I purchased a six bottle wine carrier a few years ago.   

This one works quite well:

 

https://www.wineenthusiast.com/6-bottle-waxed-canvas-weekend-wine-bag

 

[RocketMan275]

If you have a four wheel roller bag, this wine carrier will sit on top and can be held in place with a couple of bungee cords.  Easily wheeled through check in and boarding.  It is, of course, even easier to carry when leaving the ship.

[mtrancher]

Do you have to declare the wine? I'm thinking we would use checked bags so we wouldn't have them with us during check in. Would they automatically assess the corkage fee upon inspection wherever they do that or would they make it a come an pick up later on the ship and get treated like you were sneaking it on? Can we declare and let them know they are in our checked bags or do we need to bring them through the actual check in?

[RocketMan275]

11 hours ago, mtrancher said:

Do you have to declare the wine? I'm thinking we would use checked bags so we wouldn't have them with us during check in. Would they automatically assess the corkage fee upon inspection wherever they do that or would they make it a come an pick up later on the ship and get treated like you were sneaking it on? Can we declare and let them know they are in our checked bags or do we need to bring them through the actual check in?

They put a sticker on each bottle to signify that corkage has been paid.  You have to sign a receipt for the corkage charge.

It is strongly recommended that you take the wine to the check-in.  There are many wine carriers available on line.  You can always remove the wine from checked baggage, place it in a carrier, and then go through check in.  BTW, if you're planning on transporting the wine in a checked bag on an airline, there are multiple products to protect the wine and possibly prevent a breakage that would ruin your clothes.  

[RocketMan275]

I would not trust the baggage handlers with good wine.  I've even had some tell me that they had to confiscate my wine since I couldn't bring alcohol on board.  Some told me that I could only bring two bottles when there was no limit.  One supervisor told me that since corkage table wasn't manned  yet, I would have to leave the wine with them for later delivery.  

Know your rights which vary by cruise line and insist upon those rights even if you have to demand ships personnel intervene.

[sprez33]

2 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

They put a sticker on each bottle to signify that corkage has been paid.  You have to sign a receipt for the corkage charge.

It is strongly recommended that you take the wine to the check-in.  There are many wine carriers available on line.  You can always remove the wine from checked baggage, place it in a carrier, and then go through check in.  BTW, if you're planning on transporting the wine in a checked bag on an airline, there are multiple products to protect the wine and possibly prevent a breakage that would ruin your clothes.  

There are also some very affordable individual wine bottle protectors on places like Amazon.  That said, I've had good luck many times just wrapping each wine bottle inside a soft t-shirt or some such.  

[RocketMan275]

3 hours ago, sprez33 said:

There are also some very affordable individual wine bottle protectors on places like Amazon.  That said, I've had good luck many times just wrapping each wine bottle inside a soft t-shirt or some such.  

I've  heard that works sometimes.  

I generally don't put wine in checked baggage.  

I like to arrive the day before and if I've flown I make sure there's a 'good' wine store someplace close.  

Our last cruise, we drove so that wasn't an issue.

[Denmar828]

On 3/30/2022 at 2:00 PM, RocketMan275 said:

Two points:

First, there is no  limit on the number of bottles of wine you can bring on the ship.  You will be charged $15 / bottle regardless of where it is consumed.  Case in point, I brought six bottles onto Breakaway about three weeks ago and was charged $90.  (The two bottle limit often mentioned comes from other lines which allow you to bring aboard two bottles without paying corkage.) I would never consider upgrading to the Premium Plus because of the better wine selection.  It's far cheaper to bring your own even when paying corkage.  Plus often certain wines listed on the package may not be available.  Bring your own, you save money and you know what you will get.

Second, the standard coffee offered in the Haven is french press.  Even the coffee your butler brings for room service is french press.

Sounds intriguing. I’ll keep this in mind for future cruises.

 

However, a big part of the cruise experience is total relaxation and being served things that we normally do for ourselves. I mean, I could bring sandwich meat and a loaf of bread and make my own sandwiches too.

 

We like walking around the ship and making a spur of the moment decision to get a drink or coffee on a completely unplanned whim, instead of having to go back to our private room and have it there.

[RocketMan275]

59 minutes ago, Denmar828 said:

Sounds intriguing. I’ll keep this in mind for future cruises.

 

However, a big part of the cruise experience is total relaxation and being served things that we normally do for ourselves. I mean, I could bring sandwich meat and a loaf of bread and make my own sandwiches too.

 

We like walking around the ship and making a spur of the moment decision to get a drink or coffee on a completely unplanned whim, instead of having to go back to our private room and have it there.

I can understand your point.  However, even when I want a sandwich, I want high quality.  When we are on a cruise, we want to experience the best.   I don't consider the ones served on board high quality, even the ones on the Premium Plus package.   I can buy a red wine for $20, pay corkage, and the total cost is $35, about $9/glass.  That wine would cost around $70 on board. Or, to look at it differently, it costs about $35/pp/pd to upgrade to the premium plus package.  That $35 upgrade cost is the same price my carry on wine costs me.  

 

Then there is this.  You never know what wines will be available on board.  When I bring my own, I know.  If you're walking around and want a glass of wine, you can get the ship's wine reserving the quality wine you brought on board for the evening meal and your balcony.

[pamps2801]

Keep this in mind. I’ve done research on cruise line wine. A $50 bottle on a ship,  is equal to about a $10 - $15 bottle in the liquor store. $75 bottle on a ship is equal to about a $15 - $20 bottle in the liquor store. So before you think your getting high quality wine, think twice. It just might be best to bring your own.

[KeithJenner]

19 minutes ago, pamps2801 said:

Keep this in mind. I’ve done research on cruise line wine. A $50 bottle on a ship,  is equal to about a $10 - $15 bottle in the liquor store. $75 bottle on a ship is equal to about a $15 - $20 bottle in the liquor store. So before you think your getting high quality wine, think twice. It just might be best to bring your own.

You don’t need to do research to find that out. It is always how the prices are going to compare.

 

If you are happy to do it, and can physically carry on what you want, then bringing on your own wine is likely to be more cost effective. In pre beverage package days we often used to bring a few bottles onboard. Mixing that with buying buckets of beer or viva viva used to save a lot of money. However there is definitely a value in being able to just wander into a bar whenever you want and get whatever you want without having to worry about carrying bottles/buckets around etc. I will happily pay a premium for that.

[mrshorsy]

I think it depends how and what you drink. I’d say I’m averaging a bottle of Veuve a day plus a couple of Starbucks and beers and cocktails so it’s well worth it for me ! 

[RocketMan275]

7 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

However there is definitely a value in being able to just wander into a bar whenever you want and get whatever you want without having to worry about carrying bottles/buckets around etc. I will happily pay a premium for that.

I don't think anyone is saying that you need to carry a bottle with you all day.  Certainly, get a glass in any bar anytime you feel like one.  Carrying a few bottles aboard for dinner is entirely different.  

[KeithJenner]

1 minute ago, RocketMan275 said:

I don't think anyone is saying that you need to carry a bottle with you all day.  Certainly, get a glass in any bar anytime you feel like one.  Carrying a few bottles aboard for dinner is entirely different.  

Of course nobody is saying that, but all of these things are factors when making decisions as to whether bringing your own wine onboard can save having to spend money on beverage packages or upgrades. If someone is planning on getting the upgrade purely in order to have their preference available at dinner time then carrying some on instead probably makes sense, but I'd suggest that for most people it is about more than that (i.e. having their choices available during the day etc). In that case it may still be cheaper to bring their own onboard, but there is an inconvenience factor to take into account.

 

We are probably going to upgrade for our next cruise, but the bottle with dinner is certainly not top of our list of reasons for doing so.

 

There are so many different reasons for deciding on whether to upgrade, and there is no one size fits all answer.

[Sthrngary]

32 minutes ago, KeithJenner said:

There are so many different reasons for deciding on whether to upgrade, and there is no one size fits all answer.

Exactly, Well said. Sometimes it is not about the quality, brand or type of wine.  Sometimes it is just not worrying about having a crazy bill at the end of the week.  Sometimes it is not about wine at all, it is about spirits.  Regardless of the reason, it is up to the guest to be informed and makes a decision based on their personal wants and needs.  

 

To have a great and positive debate on this topic is healthy and really helps us all with our decision making. When we start saying, our approach is the better approach we are not giving others the right to be educated and make their own decision. 

 

I say, what ever floats your boat just be informed.  That is what this thread is all about.

 

Cruise well

[mtrancher]

I appreciate the debate, as I always learn from others opinions. I never considered bringing on bottles of wine but after reading through a number of posts, ii became clear that might be a great solution. While there are other reasons to upgrade to the premium plus package, which we may well do; I know have added the option of bringing specific wines not available on the ship. Thanks to all who contributed to ideas on this post and others. It adds to the fulfillment of better cruising. And, I agree, there is no one way to cruise better; there are options and only you can chose the best for yourself

[Cashsmoney]

Does anyone know if Jonny Walker Blue is still included in the premium plus package?
 

Last time I sailed on NCL it was back in like 2018ish and the package was brand new like online been available for a couple weeks and it included it. I had to have had 2 bottles of Blue in that week, well paying for the drink package upgrade. And is Starbucks still included?