Silver Spirits Drinks Package

[molymoo]

15 hours ago, duquephart said:

 

So ----- losing $$$ is OK with you? I don't get convenience. Either way you order and get something and it's accounted for. How is one way more convenient than the other?

A bit of a snarky response, duquephart, don’t you think?  Hey, to each his own.  We usually purchase the package (which is one of the cheapest) because it works for us and we feel like we “get our money’s worth” in several ways.  Frankly, I don’t feel as though I need to justify the expense to anyone but my accountant (DH).  

[spryder]

19 hours ago, Selion said:

Talking about have no worries, just book your Viking cruises when Viking is giving complimentary SBP as part of the promotion.

 

Just make absolutely sure the SBP appears on your Viking ticket/receipt after you book.  We had to chase down a support person after booking when we realized there was no mention of the SBP promotion on our booking after we submitted our deposit.  Thankfully I took a screenshot of the Viking page that clearly laid out the free SBP promotion.  They admitted the mistake and sent a new and updated ticket via email that clearly included the gratis SBP.  

[duquephart]

2 hours ago, molymoo said:

A bit of a snarky response, duquephart, don’t you think?  Hey, to each his own.  We usually purchase the package (which is one of the cheapest) because it works for us and we feel like we “get our money’s worth” in several ways.  Frankly, I don’t feel as though I need to justify the expense to anyone but my accountant (DH).  

 

Does being "one of the cheapest" make it a good deal? My point is that you can get whatever you want whenever you want regardless of any other factors. That's the convenience. 

[Mrs Miggins]

9 minutes ago, duquephart said:

 

Does being "one of the cheapest" make it a good deal? My point is that you can get whatever you want whenever you want regardless of any other factors. That's the convenience. 

Most of us can work out if the package is a good deal.  In the UK we have been 'gifted' the package on two occasions and didn't have it on one of our cruises.  Although not big drinkers I found it more convenient to have the package.  Sometimes I just went with the included wine at lunch to avoid the server having to get something else - no big deal.  If you are sharing a table with new friends it is more convenient it everyone is on the same package - although we did find that the lovely crew very helpful.

We do understand that you can order anything at any time but I do not understand the reference to "losing $$$'.  I am sure if we can pay Viking prices then the small extra charge will not break the bank.    The £15 per day charge for our New Year Cruise is very good value and would not buy 2 glasses of wine in a London bar.  

[duquephart]

2 minutes ago, Mrs Miggins said:

Most of us can work out if the package is a good deal.  In the UK we have been 'gifted' the package on two occasions and didn't have it on one of our cruises.  Although not big drinkers I found it more convenient to have the package.  Sometimes I just went with the included wine at lunch to avoid the server having to get something else - no big deal.  If you are sharing a table with new friends it is more convenient it everyone is on the same package - although we did find that the lovely crew very helpful.

We do understand that you can order anything at any time but I do not understand the reference to "losing $$$'.  I am sure if we can pay Viking prices then the small extra charge will not break the bank.    The £15 per day charge for our New Year Cruise is very good value and would not buy 2 glasses of wine in a London bar.  

 

If you do not average $40 per day you are not getting the value you paid for. Understand that?

[bafinegan]

Just now, duquephart said:

 

If you do not average $40 per day you are not getting the value you paid for. Understand that?

per couple.  $20 per day per person.

[duquephart]

15 minutes ago, bafinegan said:

per couple.  $20 per day per person.

 

You both have to buy. Viking should just state as "per cabin" rate to avoid confusion.

[Hockeyump]

40 minutes ago, duquephart said:

 

If you do not average $40 per day you are not getting the value you paid for. Understand that?

And politeness costs nothing but is of great value.

[philw1776]

Given our bar bill (a few martinis for me, a couple specialty wines for wife) has never reached $70, the package is a money waster for us. 

[Mrs Miggins]

I fully understand the cost to me and it is £108 each  for my 8 day cruise.  I think it is well worth the money and represents excellent value.  Not quite sure why it is a controversial subject.  Since it covers any drink up to $15 it doesnt take a genius to work out whether the price is good value for the individual. We prefer the upgraded wines, like a cocktail or three, and like the paired wines in the Chef's table speciality restaurant.

Depending on who I meet on board I may drink more, either for conviviality or whilst shaking my head in despair.

[Heidi13]

12 hours ago, ericosmith said:

A question from one who has never sailed on Viking.  I'm a fan of IPA's.  Are the available beers different whether you have the package or not?  I'd certainly prefer something better than a Bud Light with my dinner.

 

Viking has a Norwegian IPA on the beer list, which is moderately hoppy. At least on the World Cruise they also brought on additional local beers - an IPA from NZ and one from Australia. Can't remember my about those ones.

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, duquephart said:

 

If you do not average $40 per day you are not getting the value you paid for. Understand that?

 

Personally, value to us means way more than just pounds, shillings and pence, or dollars and cents.

 

Let's also consider the included shore-ex, which aren't free, as you paid for them in the cruise fare. Using your methodology, if you don't book an included excursion in every port, you aren't getting the value you paid for.

 

With the shore-ex, if you don't book an included excursion you have lost the entire value and since you can only book 1 per port you have no opportunity to make up for the lost value. With SSBP, if we only consume $30 of drinks on any given day, we are only down $10 for the day, but have ample opportunities to make up the short fall.

 

When considering value, for us, it isn't just about money. Pre-cruise, I research everything extensively and we make decisions on our perception of value, which includes - quality, service, comfort, cost, convenience, etc. If the entire package represents great value, we book. If we don't perceive it as value we move on.

 

Personally, we book Viking because it is almost all-inclusive. Both World Cruises have provided exceptional value compared to a previous WC on a mainstream ship. I also consider my time valuable, especially when on holiday. 

 

In addition to considering value, my hertitage expects knowing where every penny is spent. If we don't have the SSBP then I track all drink costs, to ensure we remain on budget and are billed correctly. Over many years with Princess, I found many incorrect charges on our account. 

 

So if you don't book SSBP, you do track all your bar tabs to ensure the account is accurate. Even Viking make billing errors as we were charged for a bottle of Port one evening.

 

 

 

 

[duquephart]

14 hours ago, ericosmith said:

A question from one who has never sailed on Viking.  I'm a fan of IPA's.  Are the available beers different whether you have the package or not?  I'd certainly prefer something better than a Bud Light with my dinner.

 

Water.

[Mich3554]

1 hour ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Personally, value to us means way more than just pounds, shillings and pence, or dollars and cents.

 

Let's also consider the included shore-ex, which aren't free, as you paid for them in the cruise fare. Using your methodology, if you don't book an included excursion in every port, you aren't getting the value you paid for.

 

With the shore-ex, if you don't book an included excursion you have lost the entire value and since you can only book 1 per port you have no opportunity to make up for the lost value. With SSBP, if we only consume $30 of drinks on any given day, we are only down $10 for the day, but have ample opportunities to make up the short fall.

 

When considering value, for us, it isn't just about money. Pre-cruise, I research everything extensively and we make decisions on our perception of value, which includes - quality, service, comfort, cost, convenience, etc. If the entire package represents great value, we book. If we don't perceive it as value we move on.

 

Personally, we book Viking because it is almost all-inclusive. Both World Cruises have provided exceptional value compared to a previous WC on a mainstream ship. I also consider my time valuable, especially when on holiday. 

 

In addition to considering value, my hertitage expects knowing where every penny is spent. If we don't have the SSBP then I track all drink costs, to ensure we remain on budget and are billed correctly. Over many years with Princess, I found many incorrect charges on our account. 

 

So if you don't book SSBP, you do track all your bar tabs to ensure the account is accurate. Even Viking make billing errors as we were charged for a bottle of Port one evening.

 

 

 

 

What we do is check our bar tab on tv when we get back to our room each evening.  Doing it while you remember is easier than taking an accounting at the end of the cruise.  Then we know that we had a vodka tonic and a scotch pre dinner and 2 glasses of wine during a show.  TBH, I don’t remember any discrepancies.  

[B_A_H]

8 hours ago, molymoo said:

A bit of a snarky response, duquephart, don’t you think?  Hey, to each his own.  We usually purchase the package (which is one of the cheapest) because it works for us and we feel like we “get our money’s worth” in several ways.  Frankly, I don’t feel as though I need to justify the expense to anyone but my accountant (DH).  

We're talking $20 a day.  Celebrity's premium package ($15 per drink max) is $69 a day.  You don't have to be a lush to get your $20's worth on Viking.  A day drink (EG: Bloody Mary) or two, an aperitif before dinner, a glass or two of upgraded wine at dinner, and a cocktail or cordial in the evening and you're there. 

 

The biggest difference between Viking and Celebrity is that most of Viking's drinks are quite reasonable to purchase (EG: $8.00) so not having a drink package won't kill you.  Celebrity's package only ends up a value because they price their drinks from $12-15 and nothing (EG: specialty coffees and wine, beer, and soft drinks with meals) is free.  All the mainstream cruise lines operate pretty much the same way.

 

For me, at $20, it's a no brainer to simply not have to think about what my drinks will cost. Some days I'll come out ahead, some days Viking will.  YMMV

[DaveSJ711]

1 hour ago, B_A_H said:

 A day drink (EG: Bloody Mary) or two, an aperitif before dinner, a glass or two of upgraded wine at dinner, and a cocktail or cordial in the evening and you're there. 

 

Six drinks in one day? I would fall flat on my face! 🤪

[Dukefan]

10 minutes ago, DaveSJ711 said:

Six drinks in one day? I would fall flat on my face! 🤪

After your great reporting of your drive around Iceland before your cruise you deserve a Cocktail or two or even six.   Thanks for your updates and enjoy your cruise but don't stop reporting (unless you had the six cocktails and are in fact flat on your face)!

Edited June 24, 2021 by Dukefan

[bluesea777]

16 hours ago, ericosmith said:

A question from one who has never sailed on Viking.  I'm a fan of IPA's.  Are the available beers different whether you have the package or not?  I'd certainly prefer something better than a Bud Light with my dinner.

 

Here you go ... onboardbeveragemenu_oceans.pdf (vikingcruises.com)

 

We embark on our very first Viking cruise here in Bermuda on Aug 3, and we can't wait! We'll have the Silver Spirits package, of course!!

 

 

Edited June 24, 2021 by bluesea777

[DaveSJ711]

2 minutes ago, Dukefan said:

After your great reporting of your drive around Iceland before your cruise you deserve a Cocktail or two or even six.   Thanks for your updates and enjoy your cruise but don't stop reporting (unless you had the six cocktails and are lat on your face)!

Actually, we’re not doing a cruise — we’ve been in Iceland for 11 days, traveling on our own, and have five more to go. No Silver Spirits package for us, at least not this trip! That way I can keep my balance.

 

Thanks for the note of appreciation. It’s been fun writing reports every so often. I only wish I could stay beyond next week to write some more — Iceland is a great place to visit. 

[NeilP57]

5 hours ago, Mrs Miggins said:

I fully understand the cost to me and it is £108 each  for my 8 day cruise

 

You may find it is slightly cheaper (or better value 🙂 depending who you are) if you purchase the beverage package on board and pay in dollars. It probably depends on the FX rate on whatever credit card you are using. I am on the Icelandic cruise next month and I plan to purchase it on board and pay in $'s rather than pay in £'s before we go. This is because the current $:£ FX rate at circa $1.40 to the £ is more favourable than when the £108 was calculated which was about $1.3 to the £.

 

Its a decision you can leave quite late in the day to work out what is best.

 

 

[Dukefan]

8 minutes ago, DaveSJ711 said:

Actually, we’re not doing a cruise — we’ve been in Iceland for 11 days, traveling on our own, and have five more to go. No Silver Spirits package for us, at least not this trip! That way I can keep my balance.

 

Thanks for the note of appreciation. It’s been fun writing reports every so often. I only wish I could stay beyond next week to write some more — Iceland is a great place to visit. 

Wish you'd stick around until July 10 cruise with us.  I'd buy you a drink or two! Thanks for your reports!

[LindaS272]

42 minutes ago, Dukefan said:

Wish you'd stick around until July 10 cruise with us.  I'd buy you a drink or two! Thanks for your reports!

Dukefan, we were contemplating doing the June 26 Iceland cruise but our pet sitter (three cats) was not going to be available. So we opted for an earlier two week land trip. We arrive near Reykjavik on the 26th and are getting our return test in Reykjavik on Sunday the 27th. We plan to check out the Sky that day too and beg for cinnamon rolls 🙂 .  Sky was the first ship we sailed in July 2019 to St. Petersburg. We fly out on the 29th. Sorry to miss you!

We’re booked on the Venus Sept. 12 for Malta/Adriatic.

 

~Linda & Dave

Edited June 24, 2021 by LindaS272

[CCWineLover]

3 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Personally, value to us means way more than just pounds, shillings and pence, or dollars and cents.

 

Let's also consider the included shore-ex, which aren't free, as you paid for them in the cruise fare. Using your methodology, if you don't book an included excursion in every port, you aren't getting the value you paid for.

 

With the shore-ex, if you don't book an included excursion you have lost the entire value and since you can only book 1 per port you have no opportunity to make up for the lost value. With SSBP, if we only consume $30 of drinks on any given day, we are only down $10 for the day, but have ample opportunities to make up the short fall.

 

When considering value, for us, it isn't just about money. Pre-cruise, I research everything extensively and we make decisions on our perception of value, which includes - quality, service, comfort, cost, convenience, etc. If the entire package represents great value, we book. If we don't perceive it as value we move on.

 

Personally, we book Viking because it is almost all-inclusive. Both World Cruises have provided exceptional value compared to a previous WC on a mainstream ship. I also consider my time valuable, especially when on holiday. 

 

In addition to considering value, my hertitage expects knowing where every penny is spent. If we don't have the SSBP then I track all drink costs, to ensure we remain on budget and are billed correctly. Over many years with Princess, I found many incorrect charges on our account. 

 

So if you don't book SSBP, you do track all your bar tabs to ensure the account is accurate. Even Viking make billing errors as we were charged for a bottle of Port one evening.

 

 

 

 

Andy - excellent points, as usual!

We do the same thought processing.  I would like to add one more point that we enjoy about the Silver Spirits.   If we don't get it, we certainly do get drinks at meal times.  However, the SSP  allows us to not worry about what time we can have a drink.  If we feel like a beer in the afternoon, or an early sip in the Explorer's lounge before dinner, or maybe an after dinner drink in the evening, we can do it, whereas without the SSP we'd pay for those.  

It is truly a matter of personal opinion though.  I enjoy good beers and good wines and have found that the variety of wines offered on SSP allow us to learn and find some we really like, whereas the daily selection of wines at meals has often not been to our tastes. 

And then we love the Chef's Table (our favorite) - a lot of it is for the wine pairing experience.  The SSP wines we've found for us are highly superior to what is provided for free (and would cost $25 pp if not SSP).  So our enjoyment of the Chef's Table as often as we can is also enhance.  i.e.  More value!

Just some more thoughts. . . .    🙂

 

 

Edited June 24, 2021 by CCWineLover

[duquephart]

2 hours ago, B_A_H said:

We're talking $20 a day.  Celebrity's premium package ($15 per drink max) is $69 a day.  You don't have to be a lush to get your $20's worth on Viking.  A day drink (EG: Bloody Mary) or two, an aperitif before dinner, a glass or two of upgraded wine at dinner, and a cocktail or cordial in the evening and you're there. 

 

The biggest difference between Viking and Celebrity is that most of Viking's drinks are quite reasonable to purchase (EG: $8.00) so not having a drink package won't kill you.  Celebrity's package only ends up a value because they price their drinks from $12-15 and nothing (EG: specialty coffees and wine, beer, and soft drinks with meals) is free.  All the mainstream cruise lines operate pretty much the same way.

 

For me, at $20, it's a no brainer to simply not have to think about what my drinks will cost. Some days I'll come out ahead, some days Viking will.  YMMV

 

Why stop there? Couple of eye-openers before you brush yout teeth, couple of beers after breakfast, couple of martinis at the port talk, ----------------------------

[duquephart]

8 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

Andy - excellent points, as usual!

We do the same thought processing.  I would like to add one more point that we enjoy about the Silver Spirits.   If we don't get it, we certainly do get drinks at meal times.  However, the SSP  allows us to not worry about what time we can have a drink.  If we feel like a beer in the afternoon, or an early sip in the Explorer's lounge before dinner, or maybe an after dinner drink in the evening, we can do it, whereas without the SSP we'd pay for those.  

It is truly a matter of personal opinion though.  I enjoy good beers and good wines and have found that the variety of wines offered on SSP allow us to learn and find some we really like, whereas the daily selection of wines at meals has often not been to our tastes.

Just some more thoughts. . . .    🙂

 

 

 

You can still do it. You're paying for it either way. I don't get the "worry" part either.