Royal Caribbean drink package - to buy or not to buy?

[SDA1125]

Just now, SDA1125 said:

So this popped up today - thinking I might have to hop on this one.

 

[vjmatty]

1 hour ago, SDA1125 said:

So this popped up today 

 

Is that Anthem? That's the current "sale" price for the TA from Southampton, down from $71.99

[SDA1125]

June 2023 Liberty of the Seas

[RandomUser123]

4 hours ago, SDA1125 said:

So this popped up today 

This deals happens quite a bit and will be the best deal you get. I have not seen anything better than that in recent times. 

[klfhngr]

When you see a good deal, jump on it! I made a HUGE mistake for my upcoming Oct. cruise. The ultimate dining package for 7 days, 2 people was $236 TOTAL! It's now over $200 per person! Huge FAIL!

[serenegrid]

Should I go for it? 7 nights Western Med on Symphony May 23. 

Prices include gratuity (~US$77.6)

I know I can cancel and repurchase if I see a cheaper price, I'm just thinking there will be a better deal during Thanksgiving and don't want to deal with the refund (looks like quite some people are waiting ages for their refund...)

 

Thanks!

 

[gizbug]

On 8/16/2022 at 6:21 AM, AZDivers said:

not sure how. they tell us every of age adult in the room needs to have the alcohol package if 1 does.

I've called RCCL many times and said wife doesn't drink, she wants refreshment package, I want the Deluxe Beverage, and they have no problem just giving it to me.

[vjmatty]

15 hours ago, serenegrid said:

Should I go for it? 7 nights Western Med on Symphony May 23. 

Prices include gratuity (~US$77.6)

I know I can cancel and repurchase if I see a cheaper price, I'm just thinking there will be a better deal during Thanksgiving and don't want to deal with the refund (looks like quite some people are waiting ages for their refund...)

 

Thanks!

 

 

Being British and sailing a EU itinerary, don't you have the option to call RC and get it for 40?

[DaveAlpern]

We're sailing on Adventure of the Seas next September.  Today is the first day drink packages have been available to pre-purchase - they're showing as $101/pp/pd!  That seems insanely high, have they gone up drastically in the past year?

[Ocean Boy]

1 hour ago, DaveAlpern said:

We're sailing on Adventure of the Seas next September.  Today is the first day drink packages have been available to pre-purchase - they're showing as $101/pp/pd!  That seems insanely high, have they gone up drastically in the past year?

Well, that is an eye popping price.😯 Maybe their thought is to start with an insane price then later they can lower it a little to a just cazy price and call it a sale.

[serenegrid]

2 hours ago, vjmatty said:

 

Being British and sailing a EU itinerary, don't you have the option to call RC and get it for 40?

Seems to be for 2022 sail only...

[vjmatty]

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

Well, that is an eye popping price.😯 Maybe their thought is to start with an insane price then later they can lower it a little to a just cazy price and call it a sale.

 

That appears to be the current trend.

[vjmatty]

1 minute ago, serenegrid said:

Seems to be for 2022 sail only...

 

Bummer.... sorry 😞

[serenegrid]

1 minute ago, vjmatty said:

 

Bummer.... sorry 😞

No worries! £40pppd is such a good deal! Looks like they did this sale last year as well. If they do it around the same time next year again, I might be able to catch it (sailing Mid May!)  I probably will get it now at £65pppd just to secure the price. Also, looks like the regular cocktail prices onboard have increased from 12.99 to 13.99 on Oasis class and the cap now become $14 on those ships. So I wonder whether they will increase the price of the package soon (if they haven't already)... So even a 'better' sale during Thankgiving would end up being more expensive. 

[vjmatty]

1 minute ago, serenegrid said:

No worries! £40pppd is such a good deal! Looks like they did this sale last year as well. If they do it around the same time next year again, I might be able to catch it (sailing Mid May!)  I probably will get it now at £65pppd just to secure the price. Also, looks like the regular cocktail prices onboard have increased from 12.99 to 13.99 on Oasis class and the cap now become $14 on those ships. So I wonder whether they will increase the price of the package soon (if they haven't already)... So even a 'better' sale during Thankgiving would end up being more expensive. 

 

Sounds like it is something they do every year then..... I already called having no idea it was for European sailings only, assuming they had a dollar version and the rep had no idea what I was talking about 🙂

 

Definitely check on Labor Day and Black Friday also.

[baelor]

Having completed my first cruise, I have no regrets getting the package.  We broke even for the whole trip by Day 4 and did not even get tipsy except night on Day 3.  Our consumption did not slow down throughout the cruise, either; it was relatively stable every day.  The drinks were not weak, but they were not strong, either.  But to each their own.

[taylortime05]

21 hours ago, baelor said:

Having completed my first cruise, I have no regrets getting the package.  We broke even for the whole trip by Day 4 and did not even get tipsy except night on Day 3.  Our consumption did not slow down throughout the cruise, either; it was relatively stable every day.  The drinks were not weak, but they were not strong, either.  But to each their own.

Which ship were you on and what was your itinerary?  We’re headed to our first Alaskan cruise and I’m going back and forth if we should purchase the deluxe beverage package.   Right now hubby has purchased the deluxe Bev package + internet and I have the refreshment package.  We’re both diamond so I’ll have 8 drink coupons (4 each) that I can have.  This option is $843.  If we both get the refreshment package and wifi streaming it is $520 with savings of $323 and we’d both get the 4 drink coupons each.  I’ve always enjoyed the beverage package and ability to try different drinks without worrying about the price tag.   I need to decide today because online purchases will close soon since we sail this Friday, 9/26. 

[baelor]

44 minutes ago, taylortime05 said:

Which ship were you on and what was your itinerary?  We’re headed to our first Alaskan cruise and I’m going back and forth if we should purchase the deluxe beverage package.   Right now hubby has purchased the deluxe Bev package + internet and I have the refreshment package.  We’re both diamond so I’ll have 8 drink coupons (4 each) that I can have.  This option is $843.  If we both get the refreshment package and wifi streaming it is $520 with savings of $323 and we’d both get the 4 drink coupons each.  I’ve always enjoyed the beverage package and ability to try different drinks without worrying about the price tag.   I need to decide today because online purchases will close soon since we sail this Friday, 9/26. 

I was on Symphony.  Our itinerary had three port days, but one of those was CocoCay, where the drink package carried.  For the other two port days, we left the ship early but also returned early-ish.  We were back on the ship around noon on one day and 2 on the other.  We were first-timers, so we did not have coupons.

 

Our drink package was about $73/per day, so 73*7*1.18 (18% gratuity) = $602.98 per person total.

 

FWIW we would have easily more than broke even as hypothetical Diamond members with 4 passes per day.  I did not purchase internet because I wanted to be unplugged, so I cannot offer insight into the relative benefits of each of your options.

[aubreyc1988]

On 8/17/2022 at 3:40 PM, RandomUser123 said:

This deals happens quite a bit and will be the best deal you get. I have not seen anything better than that in recent times. 

Liberty of the Seas Sept 4th, lowest I have seen was 62.99

[PolicromaSol]

I've been checking the refreshment package daily since booking. I feel like I wouldn't suck down enough mocktails to make it worth the money, but people are claiming they've seen it drop down as cheap as the soda package. 

 

At least I've got until March...

[brillohead]

3 minutes ago, PolicromaSol said:

I've been checking the refreshment package daily since booking. I feel like I wouldn't suck down enough mocktails to make it worth the money, but people are claiming they've seen it drop down as cheap as the soda package. 

 

At least I've got until March...

I have NEVER seen the Refreshment package as low as the soda package!

I think the lowest I've seen since the restart is $20.99.  Lowest before that was probably $17.99.  

Your best bet is going to be Thanksgiving (USA) weekend (Black Friday / Cyber Monday).

 

[PolicromaSol]

1 minute ago, brillohead said:

I have NEVER seen the Refreshment package as low as the soda package!

I think the lowest I've seen since the restart is $20.99.  Lowest before that was probably $17.99.  

Your best bet is going to be Thanksgiving (USA) weekend (Black Friday / Cyber Monday).

 

 

Yeah, that's gonna be my "final decision" date. 

 

 

[clskinsfan]

39 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

Liberty of the Seas Sept 4th, lowest I have seen was 62.99

Thats what we paid for our upcoming Allure cruise in October. But we booked the cruise and bought the package a long time ago. Like a year ago. As was mentioned above, our itinerary had a lot to do with it. Our cruise stops in both Labadee and Coco and the package transfers to both of those ports. So we really only have 2 port days where we wont use it. 

[aubreyc1988]

3 minutes ago, clskinsfan said:

Thats what we paid for our upcoming Allure cruise in October. But we booked the cruise and bought the package a long time ago. Like a year ago. As was mentioned above, our itinerary had a lot to do with it. Our cruise stops in both Labadee and Coco and the package transfers to both of those ports. So we really only have 2 port days where we wont use it. 

I was on the fence even at the 63.00 + tax and gratuity but I KNOW if we do not have it, we will be constantly like "ah no we don't need this drink" and that just isn't the vacation I want lol. 

[Norwich Cruiser]

We definitely wouldn’t get any benefit from buying the deluxe beverage package on a port intensive cruise.

 

Getting five free drinks a day it’s just not worth it to us much cheaper for us to pay as we go if we go over the five we enjoy it that way than the diamond- diamond + cocktail hour(s)

 

On our recent WOTS cruise folks who hadn’t used there free allocation were going to a bar just before midnight and getting unopened cans of water or Coca Cola.