Drink Package - Memorial Sale

[rebeccac]

I know people say having a drink package is "easier", but since I would never come close to drinking enough to justify $72 per person per day, DH and I are just planning to buy a la carte.  It will likely save us several hundred dollars each for the week.  

[Jimbo]

57 minutes ago, mark290 said:

This is the Memorial Day sale. I would think there will be a 4th of July sale and a Labor Day sale

but I don't know if that will be any less. That was pretty much my question. 

 

Like all the experts say, if you're going to get it anyway then buy it now because you can always get the reduction.

Think if everyone thinks like that and BUYS the prices will never go down..........What to do is don't have anybody buy at these prices and then Royal will lower the prices.

[mattb31]

There was an actual sale for my Oasis sailing at the beginning of April. Drink package was on sale for $60.99 a day which is about the most I would pay. Haven't seen it back to that price since, it's at $72.99 a day now.

[ditmar2007]

2 minutes ago, doppelganger2621 said:

Ah yes, I see that now—they probably just misspoke. $77.99 for a week would be INSANE lol

Yup. 

In certain parts of Northern Europe there was a deal around New Year - converted to USD it corresponded to $48+grats per night. That's the lowest I've seen in ages. We grabbed it. 

And-plus-also it was added to the booking, so it didn't have to be paid before the final payment. Win-win.

 

[ditmar2007]

18 minutes ago, rebeccac said:

I know people say having a drink package is "easier", but since I would never come close to drinking enough to justify $72 per person per day, DH and I are just planning to buy a la carte.  It will likely save us several hundred dollars each for the week.  

I make the calculations based upon what I usually consume. I find the cut-over price, and if it gets lower than that, I buy. 

Too tight pursed to waste money anymore for convenience. I retired myself, but I had to cut back on expenses. All that time that's MINE-MINE-MINE is worth it.

[rudeney]

It dropped from $75 to $65 today for our VotS Oct. 2 sailing.

[doppelganger2621]

22 minutes ago, rebeccac said:

I know people say having a drink package is "easier", but since I would never come close to drinking enough to justify $72 per person per day, DH and I are just planning to buy a la carte.  It will likely save us several hundred dollars each for the week.  

I agree that the best method is really to look at the drink package as more of a "What's my break-even" when deciding if to purchase. Of course, you're just projecting what you think you might drink onboard + have to consider how many days at sea vs ported, how many days at Labadee or CocoCay, etc.

 

I do like the "ease" of the drink package to the point that as long as I think I'll be in the ballpark of my "break-even" point, I'll purchase because I'm on vacation and I don't want to necessarily keep track and think "Oh, well if I drink more than this, then I should have gotten the drink package"--but that's just because I'm a neurotic budgeter, and at the end of the day, I'd rather slightly overpay (because I feel like that's in my hands where I could potentially "make up the difference") than wish I'd gotten the drink package because I was drinking more than what the drink package would have cost me, because I see that drink package $ amount as my "I know I won't pay anymore than this" number.

Edited May 24, 2022 by doppelganger2621

[rebeccac]

Since my maximum alcoholic drinks in one day on a cruise is 3 (I almost never drink at home), the price would have to come down quite a bit for me to consider it and I do factor in my non-alcoholic drinks as well.  The last time I purchased the package was when it was $48 per day.  I don't see that happening again anytime soon, if ever.  

[mark290]

1 hour ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

If people are buying at the higher prices then why would the cruise lines lower the prices??? 

Seriously? Maybe because they think they will sell more packages at the lower price than at the higher price, to the point that they make a larger total profit. The same reason many, not all, things go on sale.

[Jerseygirl1416]

6 minutes ago, mark290 said:

Maybe because they think they will sell more packages at the lower price than at the higher price

Which won’t happen if they’re selling at the higher price.

[SG65CB]

DBP Memorial Day sale price for Voyager of the Seas March 2023 is $70/day.

 

Internet access is on sale too. Voom four device S+S is $44/day, was $70 a few days ago but that might have been an artificial increase to make the sale look better. One device is $20/day.

 

 

[ngrund]

For my March '23  Oasis trip-package for two with gratuity for the week was $1,288.28 yesterday, with this sale $1,205.68, so I bought it.

[texasweather]

I got mine for $57.82 per day after all was said and done. (Serenade next month)  I think it was a 30% off sale?

[cynt]

I'm glad I'm a light weight drinker. $1200 is a lot of money to drink alcohol for the week. But everyone has their "thing" on a cruise. Ours is the spa. Overpriced and usually decent. But we don't care. Sign us up! LOL!

Edited May 24, 2022 by cynt

[rudeney]

30 minutes ago, SG65CB said:

Internet access is on sale too. Voom four device S+S is $44/day, was $70 a few days ago but that might have been an artificial increase to make the sale look better. One device is $20/day.

 

Yep, just cancelled and repurchased 2-device S+S and saved $50 of the total price.  

[ngrund]

1 minute ago, rudeney said:

 

Yep, just cancelled and repurchased 2-device S+S and saved $50 of the total price.  

I'm just going to purchase the key, but it was actually less before the sale, so I'll wait a bit

[billslowsky]

3 hours ago, mark290 said:

Seriously? Maybe because they think they will sell more packages at the lower price than at the higher price, to the point that they make a larger total profit. The same reason many, not all, things go on sale.

You should suggest that to them, I'm sure it's never crossed their minds.

[topnole]

3 hours ago, mark290 said:

Seriously? Maybe because they think they will sell more packages at the lower price than at the higher price, to the point that they make a larger total profit. The same reason many, not all, things go on sale.

It not that simple.  The alternative is either not drink (not a viable option for many when on vacation) or pay per drink at really high prices.  So Royal never really needs to have it on sale.  The drink packages just allow them to more accurately project alcohol sales on a given sales.  They may well make more revenue if they didn’t sell any packages and had ships full of heavy drinkers.  

[Tazzybear14]

12 hours ago, mark290 said:

Is the current sale really a sale? $72.99 a person for the deluxe beverage package?

I purchased it because I know I can get any future price reduction but in recent history

is that about as low as it goes.

 

Harmony, seven nights in October.

I remember precovid getting the drink package for $46 per day:(

[Mark_UK]

8 hours ago, topnole said:

It not that simple.  The alternative is either not drink (not a viable option for many when on vacation) or pay per drink at really high prices.  So Royal never really needs to have it on sale.  The drink packages just allow them to more accurately project alcohol sales on a given sales.  They may well make more revenue if they didn’t sell any packages and had ships full of heavy drinkers.  

Or those drinkers will chose not to go on cruises... Royal say their strategy is to target those who haven't cruised before, but I'm coming across first time cruisers who face quite a shock at the price of drinks and are planning on not returning. Instead they're going back to resorts in Mexico, Egypt, Spain, etc where it's all included.

 

I wonder if this in part explains why in Europe they are offering it for £40p/day ($55?) for 2022 sailings but weridly on your cruise balance rather than the cruise planner. 

Edited May 25, 2022 by Mark_UK

[Cruise a holic]

We aren't taking a drink package this cruise.  Seems way too expensive- the sales are overpriced.  We ordered water delivered to our stateroom and I got a coffee card.  We are also diamond members and will do fine with 4 alcoholic beverages.

 

Some welcome back sales.  Prices are crazy.

[ngrund]

14 hours ago, cynt said:

I'm glad I'm a light weight drinker. $1200 is a lot of money to drink alcohol for the week. But everyone has their "thing" on a cruise. Ours is the spa. Overpriced and usually decent. But we don't care. Sign us up! LOL!

The $1200 is for two of us,  and with drinks at $13 + grat, with water and coffee drinks, I figure we'll be about even

[mkrr1123]

What bothers me about the packages is I am forced to purchase a deluxe package because the rest of my family wants one.  I also had to buy my daughters package at a higher price as she was not 21 during the black friday sale when I purchased the rest of the packages.  I know some people have had luck with calling but I don't have a medical or religious reason - I am just not a drinker.  I mean we spent almost as much per person on a drink package as the cruise.  That is insane. 

 

[ulcards99]

29 minutes ago, mkrr1123 said:

What bothers me about the packages is I am forced to purchase a deluxe package because the rest of my family wants one.  I also had to buy my daughters package at a higher price as she was not 21 during the black friday sale when I purchased the rest of the packages.  I know some people have had luck with calling but I don't have a medical or religious reason - I am just not a drinker.  I mean we spent almost as much per person on a drink package as the cruise.  That is insane. 

 

 

You don't need a medical or religious reason.  If you don't drink, you don't have to buy the deluxe package....  Call and change the package to a non-alcoholic one....

[mkrr1123]

3 minutes ago, ulcards99 said:

 

You don't need a medical or religious reason.  If you don't drink, you don't have to buy the deluxe package....  Call and change the package to a non-alcoholic one....

 

I did call and they would not allow me to change the package.  I will try again but they asked for a doctors note or a religious reason since the rest of my party is on the deluxe drinking package.  I am not one to argue so I will drink lots of bottled water and have a couple of drinks even through it is not in my usual routine.  Maybe a couple of frozen things by the pool.  I will not break even but the rest of my party will so it all evens out.  I do enjoy the coke zero and like I said even though bottled water is not necessary since it is included I will drink it.