UBP - Is this math correct?

Our first cruise ever on NCL we didn't get the beverage package and my husband and I racked up a nice size bill just from drinking. I mostly drink wines and him beers but we like trying the different mojitos sometimes. We always take the beverage package now. Our cruise on the Bliss in December added 249.20 of gratuity to our fare for the both of us. So, in actuality we are definitely coming out way ahead.

Even "free" I wouldn't take it unless it was FREE, that is no 20% charge. With the 20% fee we both would have to drink 3 drinks a day, every day, just to be slightly in front.

It works out to $17.80/day for the gratuities... Get a cocktail at the pool, a soft drink at lunch, a glass of wine at dinner and a mixed drink for the night show... PAYS for itself... You have to remember this includes all your soft drinks, wines, mixed drinks, frozen drinks (including virgin drinks)... If you can't come up with a combination that makes it's worth $17.80/day, you simply aren't trying... Just one soft drink is $3 bucks.

I can't imagine doing Sail Away versus picking my cabin outright. Even if you do the GTY in a specific category, you know you will at least get that category or better. With Sail Away they could literally put you in the worst cabin on the ship! Taking a look at my upcoming cruise in October... I paid $999 per person for one of the angled balconies on Deck 13 on the Escape, which includes $100 OBC under the current promo, $100 OBC as a Latitudes Reward, double Latitudes points, Specialty Dining, and Ultimate Beverage. The Sail Away rate is $749.

 

If I do a mock booking, the total for two people comes out to a difference of $388.40 per person (that's after the added service charges for drinks and dining). That would be a lot to pay for just the drink package... roughly $55 per day. Could I spend that in paying for drinks outright? For sure! I would say I easily drink 7-10 drinks per day while cruising. But in addition to those drinks, I get 3 specialty dining meals, I get one of the nice angled balconies in a location of my choosing, we get OBC, and we get double points. Clearly well worth the total difference in price. So I am not "ONLY" paying the extra for the "free" drink package.

How are you still getting double latitudes points?

Having guarantee cabins for sail-a-way prices instead of choosing your own cabin is just another marketing ploy to get you to spend more money for the same thing in most cases. This is a lure to get people to think the free drink package is worth the money. There are very few cabins in a certain category that are much better than others in the same category and if you book guarantee you will get one in the category that you booked or one in a much better category. If you pick your cabin there is very little chance of getting upgraded.

 

Example: If you wanted to book a IE inside cabin on the Gem and pick your cabin, there are only 15 choices and not one is better than another or in a much better location. So you pay extra to book that cabin while some one else books it as guarantee and may either get the cabin next to you or get an upgrade to a much better cabin in a better area or even an oceanview cabin.

 

A few years ago my neighbor booked an OX obstructed view cabin and I booked a guarantee oceanview for a lower price. I was given a nice picture window cabin for a much lower price than his cabin with very little view.

Remember, most ships only have 2 OX cabins so if you know one is booked you have a very slim chance of getting the other one on a guarantee. And if you are Platinum you always have a much better chance of being upgraded.

You do realize that the fact only two rooms are labeled OX is because it's the guarantee category. OX includes ANY ocean view room or higher on the entire ship. Not just the two labeled OX. Just like IX includes ANY room on the ship potentially but a guarantee of at least Inside Stateroom. BX includes ANY balcony or higher category (not just the two rooms labeled BX).

I am still a believer the drink package, gratuities and all is a great deal. We drink pretty much only wine at home with maybe a Bloody Mary on Sundays with our Mexican breakfast I usually make after church, but on vacation I love trying new drinks and just be able to have what I want without worrying about my bar bill at the end of the cruise.

Who would actually pay for a drink package on NCL? Woah! At $90/day that's nuts. I drink a LOT and even that's pushing it for me. That's about double the price of Carnival or Royal.

If you are a Perrier or San Pellegrino sparkling water person, keep in mind, those aren't in the beverage package. However, club soda from the bar gun is. Club soda, bottled sparking water, and traditional soda will all hit you $3 or so each, so the beverage package can still be a good deal (for tips only) for a light drinker who enjoys sparkling water or soda.

How are you still getting double latitudes points?

It's one of the sailings with "Past Guest Offer", which is an extra point per night and an extra $100 OBC.

https://www.ncl.com/latitudes-rewards-program/insider-offer

The other benefit of the beverage package that can't be quantified is the ability to try things you normally might not try, and to walk away from a drink that might have gotten watered down, or that you decide you don't like. Prior to the package being offered as promos, we purchased it when we sailed. We won't sail without it, freebie or not.

It's one of the sailings with "Past Guest Offer", which is an extra point per night and an extra $100 OBC.

 

https://www.ncl.com/latitudes-rewards-program/insider-offer

Also watch for cruises that are classified as Distinctive Voyages. They sometimes offer double latitude points.

And they always seem to offer shore excursion credits and WiFi so you can double up on your regular perks to $100 per cabin and 500 minutes.

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Tip's prepaid...when do they offer that?

Some online TAs will offer it, particularly on the Mini-Suites and above. And the cruise lines themselves will very occasionally offer it as part of a promotion.

I believe there is a limit, but it's sneaky. Like only 2 drinks an hour or something similar to that. I vaguely recall a waiter by the pool telling my friend about it when she wanted to get another drink or 2 drinks at once, but she had already had one drink that hour. It not only regulates how much you drink, but keeps you from "buying" drinks for others who may not have UBP. It's the kind of limit most wouldn't notice. This was over a year ago and my memory of the details are a bit hazy.

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There is no limit on NCL per day, but only one drink is allowed at a time.

Nope... two drinks allowed at a time. I do it almost every time I order drinks on NCL!

Nope... two drinks allowed at a time. I do it almost every time I order drinks on NCL!

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If you have two room keys.

 

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They didn't ask for a 2nd key the last time, maybe the first time...maybe it was the TIP.

They didn't ask for a 2nd key the last time, maybe the first time...maybe it was the TIP.

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No, you are correct. They must have changed the rules since my last NCL cruise. The terms clearly state 2 drinks at a time.

The "official" terms have gone from 1 to 2 to 1 to 2 to 1 drink at a time. They've changed so many times that nobody, not even the bartenders, can keep it straight.

The current promo (Unlimited Open Bar) is basically the same as the UBP. This week, it is back to one drink per transaction....

"Ultimate Beverage Package (Unlimited Open Bar):

Applicable to guests 1-2 on the reservation.

Guest must be at least 21 years of age at time of sailing to qualify for the Ultimate Beverage Package. Guests under 21 will receive the soda package.

Eligible guests are entitled to one beverage per person per transaction. "

In reality, the bartenders will allow 2 drinks per card. I've sailed when it was both 1 per transaction and 2 per transaction and in either case, 2 drinks at a time was never a problem.