Up goes the drink packages on P&O

[dizzy1948]

Just done a comedy cruise 3 days Fremantle. Husband can only have non-alcoholic drinks.

There was 1 non-alcoholic beer left on the ship - we got it in the bar in the pantry. To cut a long story short - I had to ring P & O last week, about another cruise coming up and asked the question!!!!! Canned soft drinks (non-alcoholic) can be brought on board maximum 12 per person packed loosely in luggage. What about non-alcoholic beers???? Spoke to a consultant and after 38 minutes he came back with - yes you can take them on board as long as they are non-alcoholic.

So next question - what about the guys at the terminal - will they know this? Jason ummmed and haa'd a bit. So now - I've gone direct to P & O to check it out. I just got a confirmation of receipt email - 25 days possibly, for an answer. It's a personal thing of course, but non-alcoholic is for me anyway - think it's a great price. IMHO

Anyone else know about taking canned non-alcoholic beers on board?

 

Edited May 15 by dizzy1948
missed a bit off:)

[Gwendy]

Really interested to hear the response, if you get one.  My daughter enjoys non alcoholic beer.  She also does not drink alcohol.

[reeves35]

On 4/30/2024 at 5:04 PM, bazzaw said:

Just did a quick check re comparative prices - 10 nights on New Guinea cruise P&O FROM $1044  -- 10 nights Alaska cruise On QE FROM $1529. Certainly there is a 33% difference there and we would have flights to Canada for the Alaska cruise - but Americans and Brits would have flights to Brisbane for the NG cruise . No - $500 difference does not account for the different demographics!!!  

Comparing Cunard with P&O Australia is fairly meaningless. They are different cruise lines targetting different audiences.  The only thing they have in common is the same parent company which, like its 2 equivalents, loves to find new ways to separate customers from their money. 

 

P&O does target families etc and its price point means it attracts families and groups wanting a good value all-inclusive holiday at a low price.  This audience will never cross-shop against Cunard, it doesn't appeal to them and that is fine.  They will probably be comparing their cruise package against holiday packages in Bali or Fiji etc.

 

Your price comparison is actually larger than 33%.  The P&O fare includes gratuities.  For a 10 day cruise on Cunard, you need to add another AUD230 (USD15 p.d.) so the price difference is large but, as I said, pretty irrelevant too. 

 

On drinks packages, personally, I think they are a scourge.  They only exist because the cruise companies have worked out they are a great way to make more money because very few people actually get their money's worth.  They are part of the "fresh wallet" psychology that the cruise lines have discovered whereby people forget the cost of the items they prepay before departure and are more willing to spend on other things once onboard.  The cruise lines' revenues are now nearly 50% non-fare related so the system has been a huge financial success for them.

 

The further downside of drinks packages is some feel they have to somehow get value out of the package and are compelled to drink to excess.  This leads to the ugly behaviour many have talked about here but it also could lead to far more dangerous things.  P&O suffered immense damage from the Diane Brimble case 20 years ago but seems to have taken no lessons from that sad event.  Surely, the cruise lines have some responsible service of alcohol program but I have never seen it.  

 

 

 

[arxcards]

38 minutes ago, reeves35 said:

Comparing Cunard with P&O Australia is fairly meaningless. They are different cruise lines targetting different audiences.  The only thing they have in common is the same parent company which, like its 2 equivalents, loves to find new ways to separate customers from their money. 

 

P&O does target families etc and its price point means it attracts families and groups wanting a good value all-inclusive holiday at a low price.  This audience will never cross-shop against Cunard, it doesn't appeal to them and that is fine.  They will probably be comparing their cruise package against holiday packages in Bali or Fiji etc.

 

Your price comparison is actually larger than 33%.  The P&O fare includes gratuities.  For a 10 day cruise on Cunard, you need to add another AUD230 (USD15 p.d.) so the price difference is large but, as I said, pretty irrelevant too. 

 

On drinks packages, personally, I think they are a scourge.  They only exist because the cruise companies have worked out they are a great way to make more money because very few people actually get their money's worth.  They are part of the "fresh wallet" psychology that the cruise lines have discovered whereby people forget the cost of the items they prepay before departure and are more willing to spend on other things once onboard.  The cruise lines' revenues are now nearly 50% non-fare related so the system has been a huge financial success for them.

 

The further downside of drinks packages is some feel they have to somehow get value out of the package and are compelled to drink to excess.  This leads to the ugly behaviour many have talked about here but it also could lead to far more dangerous things.  P&O suffered immense damage from the Diane Brimble case 20 years ago but seems to have taken no lessons from that sad event.  Surely, the cruise lines have some responsible service of alcohol program but I have never seen it.  

 

Many passengers think they get value out of a drinks package, but that is only a perception when comparing with $18 individual drinks. P&O still wins if everyone has a package and consumes their 15 drinks. Those $18 drinks are costing P&O less than $5ea, and that includes storage and wages. 

[Hogbay]

18 hours ago, arxcards said:

Those $18 drinks are costing P&O less than $5ea, and that includes storage and wages. 

$5ea !  I have bought a 1l bottle in Vila for the price of one cocktail .🤣🤣

[arxcards]

25 minutes ago, Hogbay said:

$5ea !  I have bought a 1l bottle in Vila for the price of one cocktail .🤣🤣

I have bought litre bottles in Vila for the price of a schooner. But it doesn't come icy cold, expertly mixed in a glass by a bartender, then served with a smile by a waiter. 

[Hogbay]

On 4/30/2024 at 1:19 PM, bazzaw said:

The demographic was my problem to on our Pacific Endeavour cruise - SOOOO different to the demographic on Cunard Queen Elizabeth around Japan. 

We're people still up after 9pm ?

[bazzaw]

8 minutes ago, Hogbay said:

We're people still up after 9pm ?

I don't know!!  🙂 

[dizzy1948]

On 5/16/2024 at 7:12 AM, Gwendy said:

Really interested to hear the response, if you get one.  My daughter enjoys non alcoholic beer.  She also does not drink alcohol.

Started replying to you - but I lost the reply somewhere in outer space - so here I go again.

Answer 1 - Non-alcoholic beer is not included in the soft drink package. I expected that - but you never know until you ask. As there was only one bottle (unbelievable, but true) of Non-alcoholic beer, I wanted clarification, that we could take non-alcoholic beer on board. Had a reply to that email: 

"Please be informed that you are allowed to bring 12 cans of "non-alcoholic drinks" per guest on board, provided that they are loosely packed in your carry-on luggage."

I have gone back to them asking if I can print the email and take it with us in case there is an issue at the port - so waiting now for the last bit of the jigsaw. Non-alcoholic drinks sort of indicates "soft drinks" (to me) it's only when I read it properly that I spotted it didn't. Carlton Zero specifically says on the can/bottle   "ALC 0.0% VOL" Let you know when I get the last piece 😉

 

 

 

[Gwendy]

16 minutes ago, dizzy1948 said:

Started replying to you - but I lost the reply somewhere in outer space - so here I go again.

Answer 1 - Non-alcoholic beer is not included in the soft drink package. I expected that - but you never know until you ask. As there was only one bottle (unbelievable, but true) of Non-alcoholic beer, I wanted clarification, that we could take non-alcoholic beer on board. Had a reply to that email: 

"Please be informed that you are allowed to bring 12 cans of "non-alcoholic drinks" per guest on board, provided that they are loosely packed in your carry-on luggage."

I have gone back to them asking if I can print the email and take it with us in case there is an issue at the port - so waiting now for the last bit of the jigsaw. Non-alcoholic drinks sort of indicates "soft drinks" (to me) it's only when I read it properly that I spotted it didn't. Carlton Zero specifically says on the can/bottle   "ALC 0.0% VOL" Let you know when I get the last piece 😉

 

 

 

Thanks for that info.  We never buy drinks packages, no value for us.  Might try and take some 0.0 beer on board on August cruise and see how we go.

[SuitesRbest]

On 4/16/2024 at 11:16 PM, arxcards said:

Dearer packages, but the cheapest per day cruise fares.

 

The water cap is interesting, but would seem reasonable unless you were bathing in it. Perhaps the bottles of water are easily shared with those not on a package.

 

I am not a fan, as their packages have always been over-priced and often restricted to just menu listed items, especially for cocktails. No P&O on the horizon for us, so I guess I will stick to $65 Princess Plus, which also has internet and a few other less useful bits.

 

All the same, there will be a large number of P&O passengers that won't bat an eyelid.

Correct,

I'll be buying drink package as the cost of fair was very cheap!!!