Second thought about "Free at Sea" open bar...

[mxpenguin]

We've got a Spring cruise in March. When I initially booked it, I went ahead and booked the "free" Open Bar perk, but I'm having second thoughts. It's dumb, because I KNOW we'd save money without it. I don't drink basically any alcohol (last alcoholic beverage I had was in... 2013?), my sister may have one alcoholic drink per day but does love mocktails. So her perspective is that the perk gives extra freedom to a) try new alcoholic things for "free" and b) have all the virgin daiquiris she wants without worrying about cost adding up, since it's basically prepaid. Personally, I preferred RCCL's options of having a soda package, a soda and mocktail package, and then the alcohol package. I'm also worried about annoying my travel agent with trying to... un-choose the Open Bar perk. 

 

Any advice or thoughts?

[Two Wheels Only]

26 minutes ago, mxpenguin said:

Personally, I preferred RCCL's options of having a soda package, a soda and mocktail package, and then the alcohol package.

 

What you currently have includes all of those.

 

If you drop the current PBP promo, you could use what is refunded to you to buy a soda package just to save a few dollars.

 

You might as well keep what you have and enjoy multiple mocktails with your sister.

[Anoynmous Phoenix]

Be thankful if you can remove the Alcohol Package and get money back.   We book through the Sydney office and if we want to just remove the Alcohol Package the cost does NOT change.

 

The only way to get it cheaper is to take a Guarantee offer.

[insidecabin]

NCL package is one of the poorest at sea for the low/no alcohol drinker that does not do soda/sweet drinks as it does not include water of coffee/teas.

 

We don't call it a perk just a relatively cheap drinks package, we work on the drinker(me) has to budget at up to  double cost.

 

Is sis going to hit $40 a day with the mocktails.

 

UK has been doing 50% offers makes it around $10pppd which is a no brainer.

[kayjay76]

I'm not quite sure you can remove the drink package perk. For our Feb 2024 cruise, I asked our cruise consultant, who is amazzzzzzing btw, if we could switch my daughters' boyfriends' package to a soda package and if it would save money. She said we could not remove it and save the $$ unless it was a medical issue, and we'd have to get a doctor's note to remove the price difference. He is an epileptic and does not drink alcohol. In the end, it would have saved I think 200 because we could get the drs note. but decided to just keep it in case he wanted virgin drinks.

[mxpenguin]

2 minutes ago, insidecabin said:

 

Is sis going to hit $40 a day with the mocktails.

 

This would be much easier to answer if I knew how much said mocktails cost. Like, I can make a guess on how much she'd drink, but the answer to the question would depend on if the mocktails are say $5 vs $10.

[insidecabin]

Loads of drinks menus posted just look for fairly recent ones

[KeithJenner]

30 minutes ago, kayjay76 said:

I'm not quite sure you can remove the drink package perk. For our Feb 2024 cruise, I asked our cruise consultant, who is amazzzzzzing btw, if we could switch my daughters' boyfriends' package to a soda package and if it would save money. She said we could not remove it and save the $$ unless it was a medical issue, and we'd have to get a doctor's note to remove the price difference. He is an epileptic and does not drink alcohol. In the end, it would have saved I think 200 because we could get the drs note. but decided to just keep it in case he wanted virgin drinks.

I think the OP is talking about them removing the package for both of them, which you certainly can do.

 

You can’t remove it for just one person (other than for the reasons you mention).

[insidecabin]

Another reason to get 2 cabins when no solo suppliments, can pick and mix Free at sea.

[olemissreb]

8 hours ago, kayjay76 said:

I'm not quite sure you can remove the drink package perk. For our Feb 2024 cruise, I asked our cruise consultant, who is amazzzzzzing btw, if we could switch my daughters' boyfriends' package to a soda package and if it would save money. She said we could not remove it and save the $$ unless it was a medical issue, and we'd have to get a doctor's note to remove the price difference. He is an epileptic and does not drink alcohol. In the end, it would have saved I think 200 because we could get the drs note. but decided to just keep it in case he wanted virgin drinks.

This is what we decided to do with my sister who hasn't had a drop of alcohol since 2004. She does like her Dr. Peppers and some mocktails/virgin daquiris, so it was worth it for us to just keep her package. We got Free at Sea, so for the price of the gratuities vs full price on other lines, it just made sense.

[UKstages]

I’m in a similar situation as the OP. I drink alcohol, but I don’t drink a lot. and I get free “ultra” drinks from the casino, including bottled water. Onboard, I drink mostly sprite zero, sometimes with a dash of cranberry. I drink a few mock tails. and maybe six or seven cocktails on a week’s voyage. maybe a few glasses of wine during the entire week. and yet, every time, I consider whether to purchase the drinks package. and every time, I do. i’ve done the math. it makes sense. 

[talkone]

12 hours ago, kayjay76 said:

I'm not quite sure you can remove the drink package perk. For our Feb 2024 cruise, I asked our cruise consultant, who is amazzzzzzing btw, if we could switch my daughters' boyfriends' package to a soda package and if it would save money. She said we could not remove it and save the $$ unless it was a medical issue, and we'd have to get a doctor's note to remove the price difference. He is an epileptic and does not drink alcohol. In the end, it would have saved I think 200 because we could get the drs note. but decided to just keep it in case he wanted virgin drinks.

My wife is epileptic and wanted a soft drink package instead but they wouldn’t do it even with drs note

[CCJack]

3 hours ago, UKstages said:

I’m in a similar situation as the OP. I drink alcohol, but I don’t drink a lot. and I get free “ultra” drinks from the casino, including bottled water. Onboard, I drink mostly sprite zero, sometimes with a dash of cranberry. I drink a few mock tails. and maybe six or seven cocktails on a week’s voyage. maybe a few glasses of wine during the entire week. and yet, every time, I consider whether to purchase the drinks package. and every time, I do. i’ve done the math. it makes sense. 

Agree... we are in a similar situation and when i do the math I say keep it.  Keep in mind if you cancel both drink packages you don't get all the gratuities back because some are for the SD.

 

[dbrown84]

4 hours ago, UKstages said:

I’m in a similar situation as the OP. I drink alcohol, but I don’t drink a lot. and I get free “ultra” drinks from the casino, including bottled water. Onboard, I drink mostly sprite zero, sometimes with a dash of cranberry. I drink a few mock tails. and maybe six or seven cocktails on a week’s voyage. maybe a few glasses of wine during the entire week. and yet, every time, I consider whether to purchase the drinks package. and every time, I do. i’ve done the math. it makes sense. 

I also get the free drinks in the casino, so I decline the fas drinks.  Especially since the casino drinks include water, cans of soda, and coffee.  I can only go to one bar, but that's not a big deal for me 

[phoenix1181]

3 hours ago, dbrown84 said:

I also get the free drinks in the casino, so I decline the fas drinks.  Especially since the casino drinks include water, cans of soda, and coffee.  I can only go to one bar, but that's not a big deal for me 

That works for sea days but what about port days?  Is the casino bar open when the casino isn't?

 

[dbrown84]

47 minutes ago, phoenix1181 said:

That works for sea days but what about port days?  Is the casino bar open when the casino isn't?

 

No.  You do have to wait until the casino opens after leaving port 

[UKstages]

8 hours ago, dbrown84 said:

I also get the free drinks in the casino, so I decline the fas drinks.  Especially since the casino drinks include water, cans of soda, and coffee.  I can only go to one bar, but that's not a big deal for me 

 

4 hours ago, dbrown84 said:

No.  You do have to wait until the casino opens after leaving port 

that’s the kicker.

 

on port intensive itineraries, it makes sense to me to buy the package because the casino is closed so much. and yet, even with the package,  i still sometimes will visit the casino bar before dinner if i want a glass of premium champagne. i then take that to whatever restaurant i’m dining in.

[david_sobe]

If you don't drink then it does not make sense to get the drink package.  Save that money and put it to use at a specialty dining restaurant.  You have to drink at least 4-5 drinks per day to pay for the gratuities.  It sounds like you are not going to make that happen. 

[UKstages]

i think it's closer to two drinks a day at break even. if t were four to five, i wouldn't purchase it.

[cruiseny4life]

3 hours ago, david_sobe said:

If you don't drink then it does not make sense to get the drink package.  Save that money and put it to use at a specialty dining restaurant.  You have to drink at least 4-5 drinks per day to pay for the gratuities.  It sounds like you are not going to make that happen. 

My husband doesn't drink alcohol at all. I try to ply him with the sweetest drinks, but he still says they taste terrible. So, I've given up. But, we still take the Free at Sea package. He'll drink somewhere around six to eight sodas a day, plus multiple mocktails. The price vs. the package makes the package be a good deal for us. 

[mjkacmom]

3 hours ago, david_sobe said:

If you don't drink then it does not make sense to get the drink package.  Save that money and put it to use at a specialty dining restaurant.  You have to drink at least 4-5 drinks per day to pay for the gratuities.  It sounds like you are not going to make that happen. 

It’s 1 1/2 drinks for me to break even, gratuities are about $20 a day, drinks are more than $10 each after gratuities.