Included drinks question.

[mklions]

I am aware that during lunch and dinner beer and wine are included in the cost of the holiday.

My question is do you need to be at a restaurant to obtain these drinks or are they available at any bar during the opening hours of lunch and dinner?

I sometimes like a beer at lunchtime but don’t necessarily want to eat food.

Thanks.

Mklions.

[duquephart]

Lunch and dinner are served in the restaurants. Connect the dots.

[CannyScotTor]

I’ve sat at a table close to the pool bar around lunchtime and ordered a beer and the waiter said that since it’s lunchtime, I won’t charge for it, I didn’t order any food.

 

YMMV

[CurlerRob]

2 hours ago, mklions said:

I am aware that during lunch and dinner beer and wine are included in the cost of the holiday.

My question is do you need to be at a restaurant to obtain these drinks or are they available at any bar during the opening hours of lunch and dinner?

I sometimes like a beer at lunchtime but don’t necessarily want to eat food.

Thanks.

Mklions.

 

I have never encountered a problem ordering a drink without food at mealtimes in the Aquavit Terrace, World Cafe, Pool Grill or Explorer's Lounge. All of them have adjacent food areas and I've never been questioned. I sometime have a drink, then eat later on.

 

I have no experience doing this in either the Restaurant (it would be fairly obvious you didn't intend to eat) or in the Living Room bar, although it always has snacks. 🍺🥌

[mklions]

7 hours ago, duquephart said:

Lunch and dinner are served in the restaurants. Connect the dots.

Connect the dots? what a stupid answer! 

Thankfully others have answered the question for me in a civil manner.

[CDNPolar]

Interesting question...  We have been politely refused when not in an area that also has a food menu attached and I believe that it is down to that person's discretion as well.

 

 

[duquephart]

1 hour ago, mklions said:

Connect the dots? what a stupid answer! 

Thankfully others have answered the question for me in a civil manner.

 

How 'bout we let Viking answer your question: "Beer, wine & soft drinks with onboard lunch & dinner."

[Opinica]

I would also note that Viking allows passengers to BYOB.  We bring a bottle of rum for my wife, cabin attendant  makes sure she has diet Coke and ice, and I usually bring a few beers.

 

Even without buying the drinks package we always have more than enough.

[Mich3554]

3 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

Interesting question...  We have been politely refused when not in an area that also has a food menu attached and I believe that it is down to that person's discretion as well.

 

 

Interesting.  On the cruise we were just on, both DH and I both ordered sodas in the Explorer’s Lounge during lunch, but not eating.  We were not charged for any of them.  

[Peregrina651]

18 minutes ago, Opinica said:

I would also note that Viking allows passengers to BYOB.  We bring a bottle of rum for my wife, cabin attendant  makes sure she has diet Coke and ice, and I usually bring a few beers.

 

Even without buying the drinks package we always have more than enough.

 

Plus, you can shop for local beers and wines in the ports of call and bring them on board.

 

Also note that your BYO can be consumed anywhere on the ship; you don't need to hide in your cabin. There is no corkage fee in the dining rooms and the bars will happily provide you with glasses and ice; mixers supplied at the going rate (free during meals and regular charge outside of meals).

[mklions]

Thanks for most of the replies, we are sailing on the Viking Sea ( San Juan - Manaus) in three week time.

Booked a PH suite so it comes with included alcohol which I believe is replenished daily. I only drink beer and wine at meals and my wife wine at dinner and a G&T one or two max a evening.

 

So I guess a drinks package is not really worth it. 

 

Not bothered either way if they decide to charge me for a beer or not at the bars during lunch and dinner times, but I just inquisitive to know if during the lunch and dinner dinning hours the ships bars charge for a beer even if you are not dinning.

 

[CurlerRob]

5 hours ago, mklions said:

Thanks for most of the replies, we are sailing on the Viking Sea ( San Juan - Manaus) in three week time.

Booked a PH suite so it comes with included alcohol which I believe is replenished daily. I only drink beer and wine at meals and my wife wine at dinner and a G&T one or two max a evening.

 

So I guess a drinks package is not really worth it. 

 

Not bothered either way if they decide to charge me for a beer or not at the bars during lunch and dinner times, but I just inquisitive to know if during the lunch and dinner dinning hours the ships bars charge for a beer even if you are not dinning.

 

 

Your PH suite will have the mini-fridge replenished daily. If you want a different selection of items, just ask your steward - they are happy to assist (I swap out the liquor for a few more beers).

 

The drinks package discussion is one of those that comes up frequently and always appears close to a religious debate. People seem to buy the drinks package for one of three reasons - they do the math and determine that it suits their particular level of consumption and/or price of preferred drink; they just like the convenience of not worrying about individual drink pricing, or feeling free to experiment without losing money if they don't like the choice; and, some mistakenly believe that the package provides access to drinks that the rest of the pax can't have (this is incorrect, the package is just a way of paying for your drinks). Approach 1 or 2 can make perfect sense for individuals.

 

Please report back on your experiences with the dining-area bars - my guess is that you will have the same result that I described earlier, i.e. no issue with having a drink during mealtimes. Enjoy your trip! 🍺🥌

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, CurlerRob said:

and, some mistakenly believe that the package provides access to drinks that the rest of the pax can't have (this is incorrect, the package is just a way of paying for your drinks)

 

Thank you. I didn't know about that one.

 

 

[duquephart]

9 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Thank you. I didn't know about that one.

 

 

 

That fact has been brought up many times although some still think the package entitles them to "premium" wines unavailable to others.

[CDNPolar]

5 hours ago, duquephart said:

 

That fact has been brought up many times although some still think the package entitles them to "premium" wines unavailable to others.

 

We love our wine and we wanted the expanded selection of the wines at lunch and dinner, and then again, after dinner, so we always used to buy the drinks package.

 

We were never under the illusion that we could not get access to those wines if we were not on the drinks package, but I have seen in many discussions that that is what some have felt was the case.

 

For us it was purely the convenience of being able to order what we wanted when we wanted, and not worry about charges.

 

We have now however started to rethink the whole situation and are not buying the Silver Spirits Package.  At $25 USD or $34 CAD per night per person, we feel that it is too far out of reach now and we would feel obligated to drink that amount.

 

In CAD $$ for an upcoming cruise, it would have been $952.00 for the both of us to have the SSBP and we would not spend that much buying individual drinks.

 

We now sail without the package.

[duquephart]

The deciding factor, I think, is whether or not you are OK with the included wines. You have to hit it pretty hard to get your "money's worth" at $50 per couple per day unless you're drinking "premium" wine as well as a couple cocktails each. And if you're ashore at lunch the package is of no value at all.

[CDNPolar]

2 hours ago, duquephart said:

The deciding factor, I think, is whether or not you are OK with the included wines. You have to hit it pretty hard to get your "money's worth" at $50 per couple per day unless you're drinking "premium" wine as well as a couple cocktails each. And if you're ashore at lunch the package is of no value at all.

 

Yep!  And that is more in Canadian dollars and we think in Canadian dollars.  $68 per day CDN.  That is a lot of drinking.

 

We were a bit wine snobbish when we first started with Viking and wanted the extended wine list with each meal.  Now we find that the included wines are very acceptable and on day two or three as you get to know the wine server, they will offer something else if the wine of the day does not please.

 

We also took the SSBP because at that time on River Cruises Veuve Clicquot was included in the SSBP.  This was never included on Oceans.  Veuve Clicquot in Canada is $79 bucks per bottle, and we would easily drink 2 bottles of that a day...  At that time I think that the cost of the package was $15 USD per night.  We more than got our moneys worth.  Now Veuve has been discontinued from the SSBP.  Still available, but not within the package.

[Peregrina651]

11 hours ago, duquephart said:

 

That fact has been brought up many times although some still think the package entitles them to "premium" wines unavailable to others.

 

I knew that all premium beverages were available to all people at any time, I just didn't know that some folks thought that the only way to access the premium pours was with the package.

[mklions]

Hi can someone please confirm that on the included wine at lunch and dinner is there a rose wine option or is it just Red and White.

Thanks.

[Kittykay]

58 minutes ago, mklions said:

Hi can someone please confirm that on the included wine at lunch and dinner is there a rose wine option or is it just Red and White.

Thanks.

I think the 3 rose’s are included below,as there are no asterisks next to them.Drinks with

asterisks are only available on silver beverage package.

[FetaCheese]

1 hour ago, mklions said:

Hi can someone please confirm that on the included wine at lunch and dinner is there a rose wine option or is it just Red and White.

Thanks.

Just 1 red and 1 white included lunch and dinner.  One may ask if rose is available as included. On a prior cruise--(no SSBP) wife asked for a Reisling as included, and they brought one.

[FetaCheese]

8 minutes ago, Kittykay said:

I think the 3 rose’s are included below,as there are no asterisks next to them.Drinks with

asterisks are only available on silver beverage package.

Was on Star Dec/Jan 2024.  Had SSBP.  My recollection is that wines "with asterisk" are not available on SSBP.  However, if one has SSBP, one will receive a discount on bottles priced above $50. 

 

 Any wines listed by glass $18 or less are available on SSBP.

[millybess]

17 minutes ago, FetaCheese said:

However, if one has SSBP, one will receive a discount on bottles priced above $50. 

 

We have done this a number of times at dinner in the alternative restaurants.  Viking's bottles of wine are much nicer than their wine by the glass offerings with many more choices.  Even without the discount, Viking's prices per bottle are very good.  The SSBP discount just makes it that much better.

[benjaminnicholas]

On 2/13/2024 at 8:30 AM, CDNPolar said:

Veuve Clicquot in Canada is $79 bucks per bottle, and we would easily drink 2 bottles of that a day...  At that time I think that the cost of the package was $15 USD per night.  We more than got our moneys worth.  Now Veuve has been discontinued from the SSBP.  Still available, but not within the package.

 

But Veuve is....  Basic.

[CDNPolar]

20 minutes ago, benjaminnicholas said:

 

But Veuve is....  Basic.

 

To me wine and art are similar - if you like it, it is good. If you don't like it, it is bad.

 

You think Veuve is Basic, but we like it and think that it is more than basic.  Veuve "fits" our palate.

 

Our tastes are different.