Beverage Package/Laundry Package

[emilee]

I am planning to purchase the beverage package. If anyone has recently purchased this package, I need some clarification with respect to gratuity - do you sign for it each time and then it shows up on your final account or is it considered included in the package?

With respect to the laundry package, so many items are now "hand wash" / "gentle cycle" -has anyone had these types of things laundered and were they treated "gently?" Thanks in advance for your help. Emilee

[6rugrats]

Thank you for your interest! The details of our Premium Beverage Package are listed below.

* Unlimited premium cocktails

* Unlimited wine by the glass from the per glass wine menu

* Unlimited house champagne and beer

* Includes mini-bar beverage selections

* Includes beverages provided through room service

$48 per person, per day*

*Premium beverage package details:

Packages are only sold per cabin and must be purchased for all guests occupying a cabin. Package must be added by the first day of the cruise and must be purchased for the full duration of the cruise. Package price is U.S. $48 per person, per day including applicable taxes and price does not include the standard 15% beverage service charge. Beverage package does not include super premium liquor brands such as X.O. and Louis XIII or select malt whiskeys. Includes unlimited house champagne and beer, plus wines from the Wine by the Glass menu up to US $11.50 maximum per drink. Pricing subject to change. Minimum drinking age aboard Windstar Cruises is 21 years old.

__________________

Laundry info in this thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1671491&highlight=laundry+package

[emilee]

Thanks for the info but I have seen different responses regarding the beverage package that some people have paid gratuity at the end while others have not paid anything so I was curious to know if you received a charge for gratuity for what you would have drank during the week or do they just charge 15% on the daily/weekly charge of the beverage package? It is not really clear so maybe I will just give them a call.

Thanks for the link for the laundry package.

[RAYSAN11]

Is the laundry package price of $109 per cabin?

[6rugrats]

Is the laundry package price of $109 per cabin?

 

Yes, this price is per cabin, double occupancy.

[Babr]

The price of the laundry package depends on the length of the cruise, of course. For our 11 day the price was $176. I did not send any special handling items.

[ducklite]

I brought a mesh laundry bag and put "machine washable on delicate" items in it and noted the slip to just wash and dry the items in the bag with no need to fold. Worked perfectly for items like panties and embellished tops. I hand washed bras and silk knits and hung them to dry over the line in the shower. I usually took 2-3 minutes to hand wash in the morning before we went to breakfast, and many things were dry before dinner that day--nothing took over 24 hours to dry.

[ILCruiser]

Thanks for the info but I have seen different responses regarding the beverage package that some people have paid gratuity at the end while others have not paid anything so I was curious to know if you received a charge for gratuity for what you would have drank during the week or do they just charge 15% on the daily/weekly charge of the beverage package? It is not really clear so maybe I will just give them a call.

Thanks for the link for the laundry package.

 

They add 15% to the price when you purchase the package. It all goes on your shipboard account.

 

You don't sign for anything. On the first day, the bar staff will take note of your room number, but after the first day, they all know you have the package and just give you whatever you ask for.

[yogagal47]

if you have purchased a package will it cover drinks you order from the beach bar the day of the beach barbecue? We are going on the Panama-Costa Rica cruise on 1/5

Thanks

[themutis]

On our cruise (Barbados-Barbados), the beach bar on Pigeon Island, St Lucia and during the beach BBQ on Mayreau were both included with the beverage package.

 

When they charge you for the beverage package, the 15% gratuity is aded in. We never signed for anything.

 

Laundry was a great treat, and they handled our items with great care. Everything was pressed and hung, or folded and placed in paper bags.

 

Have fun!

[Lobes1]

We really like the laundry package. However, we did receive a few washed items that were not ours. Although we both alike a few drinks per day, skipping the beverage package saved us about $300.

[stcruise]

I think each person needs to asses for themselves what they might/might not spend and then decide if the package is for right for them.

 

For us, neither package made sense. On our last cruise, we spent a total of $365.70 on drinks. This included bottles of wine at dinner as well as other cocktails. So, for us, it ended up being $26.12/pp per day.

 

As for the laundry package, we do pack light (carry-on only), but we still only sent laundry out once mid-way during our cruise. So, again, our cost was much lower than the package price.

 

Again, I think each person needs to determine how much they will use the packages and then decide if they are beneficial for their own circumstances.

[dandee2]

Windstar did offer laundry by the pieces. The price were reasonnable.

 

BTW, There is a grocery store in Le Marin (Martinique). It is called Carrefour (big chain in France) and it carries a large selection of wine at a reasonnable price (about 6-7 Euro for a good bottle). We bought 4 bottle and the ship stewart opened them in the restaurant for $15. We could bring our bottle aftrward at the Compass Rose for the evening if there was leftover.

 

Windstrar did check our back-pack, hand-luggage 2-3 times during the week but not more. They do not seems to have a drinking problem on board:)

[surfcitygirl]

We will be on the Jan 26 sailing of Wind Surf and are planning to purchase the beverage package. Is the tip calculated on the price of the package or do they keep track of the drinks you order and base the tip on that? Looking forward to our first Windstar cruise.

[surfcitygirl]

Sorry to repost same question that had already been answered. For some reason, I missed the answer.

[cynbar]

I see that the beverage package covers the mini bar, can someone give us an idea of what is offered there? Is there an assortment of small bottles of hard liquor? Has anyone asked for their mini bar to be stocked with only their favorite items? Mixers?

[Love.II.Cruise]

I see that the beverage package covers the mini bar, can someone give us an idea of what is offered there? Is there an assortment of small bottles of hard liquor? Has anyone asked for their mini bar to be stocked with only their favorite items? Mixers?

 

We'd also like to know the answer to this.

 

Additionally, someone stated that in the "fine print" Windstar states "Package must be added by the first day of the cruise and must be purchased for the full duration of the cruise." We are doing a B2B on Windstar and our booking information only shows 1 booking number. If we do the drink package does it have to be for both cruises? Or can we just do it on the first day of the second cruise?

[RAYSAN11]

That is interesting as we are also doing B2B cruises and we have a booking number for each cruise and had to pay a deposit for each of the cruises even tho I objected to it. Did you have to pay a deposit for each segment?

[Capt. Mike]

My guess since we have sailed several times with Windstar, if you want the package for one week and not the next that probably isn't a problem. There are no massive data center keeping track of your drinks. Just tell the desk you don't want the package for a second week and you won't be charged. it is like dealing with the mom & pop stores of long ago where everyone knows you.

[Lobes1]

I see that the beverage package covers the mini bar, can someone give us an idea of what is offered there? Is there an assortment of small bottles of hard liquor? Has anyone asked for their mini bar to be stocked with only their favorite items? Mixers?

 

The minibar has a small variety of miniatures of various liquors, plus mixers, beer, wine, and liqueurs. If you have specific preferences, let the minibar steward know, and he will take care of it.

[Love.II.Cruise]

That is interesting as we are also doing B2B cruises and we have a booking number for each cruise and had to pay a deposit for each of the cruises even tho I objected to it. Did you have to pay a deposit for each segment?

 

I went back to look at the Confirmation from Windstar. There is one booking number listed on the top right of the document. I don't see another one anywhere else. When we booked this we booked both cruises at once and we have the same stateroom.

 

I know at the time that we paid the deposit it was like paying a deposit for 2 cruises. I didn't think anything of it since when we booked the cruise we were 10 days before final payment.

[Love.II.Cruise]

My guess since we have sailed several times with Windstar, if you want the package for one week and not the next that probably isn't a problem. There are no massive data center keeping track of your drinks. Just tell the desk you don't want the package for a second week and you won't be charged. it is like dealing with the mom & pop stores of long ago where everyone knows you.

 

The minibar has a small variety of miniatures of various liquors, plus mixers, beer, wine, and liqueurs. If you have specific preferences, let the minibar steward know, and he will take care of it.

 

Thanks for the info.

[lovecruisingtoo]

That is interesting as we are also doing B2B cruises and we have a booking number for each cruise and had to pay a deposit for each of the cruises even tho I objected to it. Did you have to pay a deposit for each segment?

 

Why would you object to paying two deposits? You were booking 2 cruises......they just happened to follow one another.

[RAYSAN11]

I am new to Windstar and I am not used to paying deposits for cruises of 35% and 50% of the cruise rates, especially when I am booking 8 months in advance. $3000 dollars is a lot of money to tie up.

[wildcat68]

We'd also like to know the answer to this.

 

Additionally, someone stated that in the "fine print" Windstar states "Package must be added by the first day of the cruise and must be purchased for the full duration of the cruise." We are doing a B2B on Windstar and our booking information only shows 1 booking number. If we do the drink package does it have to be for both cruises? Or can we just do it on the first day of the second cruise?

 

We just got off a BtoB on the Windsurf. The packages, if purchased, are offered for each cruise week, or cruise duration if it is longer than a one-week cruise. We did not purchase either package but could have for either segment. We did have one booking number as well. In my opinion, they poured drinks so strong, a beverage package would only benefit those who really drink a lot. If I would have really tried to drink as much as possible it would have been a push. BTW drinks were $6.50 to $8.50 for decent liquor and wine was about the same. I never had a beer but $5 to $7 sounds about like I remember. You do need to purchase the package on the first day of the cruise segment if you wish to have it. The packages were offered each week. You could not buy the package for just "a couple days" and both persons in the cabin had to get it.