Review of new RCI Drinks package out of Aust

[SydSailor]

As there has been limited information about the operation of the new RCI drinks packages on Aust/NZ cruises, I recorded some observations below based on my NYE cruise to NZ on Radiance of the Seas.

 

- if purchased online, your Seapass will be issued on boarding with the relevant drinks package sticker attached. This was useful as it could be used immediately on boarding and avoided the lengthy queues of people looking to purchase on board.

 

- The cost was also higher on board, reflecting that RCI's X-rate online was incredibly favourable in late Dec when I booked online (AUD 0.95:USD 1) vs a market rate of about 0.89. A number of young adults in the 18-20 yr bracket were unhappy at not being able to buy the package online due to RCI's US based 21 yr drinking age restriction, and subsequently having to pay the higher price on boarding once they were able to show the required parental waiver.

 

- all cocktails and many spirits up to $A12, along with wine by the glass up to $A14 are included in the Premium package for Aust/NZ sailings. All cocktails on the bar list are priced within this limit, but there was some confusion about which spirits were included in the cocktails. Eg, the Patron Perfect margarita was priced at $10.50 but Patron was not on the list of spirits included in the package (see attached), so many bar staff would seek to use a cheaper tequila when making this. It seemed to me a bit misleading to have a cocktail listed as containing Patron and within the $12 limit, and refuse to make it as advertised. When pressed, the supervisor agreed and from then on staff would use Patron.

 

- to answer an oft asked question, yes Red Bull was included if in a cocktail, so you could get a Vodka Red Bull. You can't get a can of Red Bull (or any other soft drink) by itself.

 

- the MDR wine list is extensive at 10 pages or so, but there are only ten or so red wines by the glass at $14 or less and many of these are what I would consider house wine level, $8 to $10 per glass. That said, there were a few drinkable options eg, Penfolds Thomas Hyland Shiraz (listed under cab sav) for $13. Ok, it's not St Henri, but it's quaffable enough. There were no dessert wines by the glass and the available Port ($7 per glass) was pretty ordinary.

 

- The Champagne Bar has a number of other wines by the glass. Unfortunately, many of the good ones are priced above $14. According to the RCI UK website, one can pay the difference on any items which exceed the package allowances. Despite Guest Relations agreeing that a print out of the website said this, and taking the point up over the phone with the Bar manager, the latter was of the view this only applied to spirits/cocktails. End of story.

 

- One potentially useful benefit of the package is 20% off all bottled wine and champagne. The Champagne Bar has Moët at $74 per bottle. With the discount this is reduced to $59, which is not much more than Sydney bottle shop prices and worth looking at for a special occasion.

 

- on the non-alcohol front, the package includes all fountain soft drinks and the refillable RCI soda cup, like a large coffee sipper. These could be refilled at any bar, often without even showing your Seapass. Still bottled water (600ml IQ brand) and virgin cocktails were also included. None of the latter contained any fresh fruit, so no sneaking in by the back door on the "no fresh juice included" rule.

 

- For those considering the Ultimate package, coffee from Lattetudes is included.

 

- using your Seapass with the package included was easy. Even though staff would always process the Seapass for any drink other than fountain soft drink, you were never required to sign anything unless including additional drinks that had to be paid for. As far as I could see, there was no discrimination against package users (though occasionally you could detect a bit of disinterest as package users don't sign and hence are presumably less likely to add a tip) or attempts to limit the no. of drinks purchased in a day (absent being intoxicated), though you could only get 1 drink at a time and had to wait a few minutes between orders.

 

- whilst the package seemed popular, I saw little evidence of people drinking to excess or intoxicated and behaving badly.

 

- was it worth it? For me yes. I don't tend to drink much alcohol during the day, but between a Virgin Mary for breakfast, several bottles of water and a few soda refills during the day, a couple of beers or cocktails by the pool late afternoon, 2 or 3 glasses of wine at dinner and a night cap or two in the Piano bar, plus several late nights for NYE, the Quest etc, I definitely got value from the package, especially on sea days. On port days it was a coin toss, but overall I was happy that I had purchased the package. I especially liked not having to sign every time I bought a drink, thereby avoiding that awkward hovering as you sign the chit. The key was probably the wine - at $13-14 per glass that meant the difference. If you are not a wine drinker it may not make sense over a 13 night cruise unless you can really throw the cocktails (average price say $9) down day after day.

 

I am happy to answer any Qs if I can.

[Esilef]

Thank u for the info! We also decided to pre purchase our drink packages.

[Kizza]

Thanks for the info, we all have the package for our Radiance cruise this Sunday. Can't wait! :D

 

Is Star Bucks & Lattetudes one in the same or separate? And do you know if 'Frappuccino's' are included in the package?

[Docker123]

when you buy the wine by the bottle with the 20% discount, is the 15% gratuity then added on top, or is it part of the gratuities included?

 

 

probably answered my own question -- and I am only drinking water :eek:

Edited January 13, 2014 by Docker123

[MAI]

Hello,

 

I was wondering if you knew which beers were not included? I believe the package excludes specialty beers. Does that mean the tap beers in the pub are excluded? or is it just the Fosters oil can that are excluded? For example can you order a Guinness, or is this considered a specialty beer?

 

Thanks

[MicCanberra]

Thanks for the drink package review.:D

[SydSailor]

Thanks for the info, we all have the package for our Radiance cruise this Sunday. Can't wait! :D

 

Is Star Bucks & Lattetudes one in the same or separate? And do you know if 'Frappuccino's' are included in the package?

 

Yes to first Q. Not sure re second as I didn't get the Ultimate package, just the Premium

[SydSailor]

when you buy the wine by the bottle with the 20% discount, is the 15% gratuity then added on top, or is it part of the gratuities included?

 

 

probably answered my own question -- and I am only drinking water :eek:

 

I'm pretty sure that all drink prices on Aust cruises with RCI already include the gratuity

[keagle]

Hello,

 

I was wondering if you knew which beers were not included? I believe the package excludes specialty beers. Does that mean the tap beers in the pub are excluded? or is it just the Fosters oil can that are excluded? For example can you order a Guinness, or is this considered a specialty beer?

 

Thanks

 

When I had the premium inclusive package in November, which is one lower than the ultimate, Guinness is included. I had many beers except for the oil can and all where allowable.

[SydSailor]

Hello,

 

I was wondering if you knew which beers were not included? I believe the package excludes specialty beers. Does that mean the tap beers in the pub are excluded? or is it just the Fosters oil can that are excluded? For example can you order a Guinness, or is this considered a specialty beer?

 

Thanks

 

Tap beers in the pub are only Stella and an Aussie commercial one, so that are included. There are a number of exclusions on the beer list in the Pub, incl Guinness and Fosters Oil can, but I was able to get a can of Guinness on occasion in other bars. The Pub was a huge disappointment as many of the beers on the list, esp the US ones like Sierra Nevada pale ale were not available for Aust sailings. Instead they had the usual array of commercial Aust beers in bottles. As a result it was dead most of the time.

[cruise love]

I was thinking of buying the 5 bottles of wine for aus $199

Is there any difference in the price on board I enjoy 1or 2 glasses per night is this going to be cost effective

 

Cruise love

[MicCanberra]

Tap beers in the pub are only Stella and an Aussie commercial one, so that are included. There are a number of exclusions on the beer list in the Pub, incl Guinness and Fosters Oil can, but I was able to get a can of Guinness on occasion in other bars. The Pub was a huge disappointment as many of the beers on the list, esp the US ones like Sierra Nevada pale ale were not available for Aust sailings. Instead they had the usual array of commercial Aust beers in bottles. As a result it was dead most of the time.

 

It seems strange to not stock the pub with a huge range of beers.:D

[fishtaco]

It seems strange to not stock the pub with a huge range of beers.:D

 

On my voyager cruise last March the Pub had less beer choice,s than the pool bar and Disco:confused:

 

I am a beer drinker and only used the pub "once" in 14 nights even with the drinks package.

 

In the Pub they had Stella on tap, corona a few local OZ beers Guinness and Fosters Oil Can. But they had a multitude of beers on display! My first and only visit I first went through the display beers then went through the list of beers and ended up with a draft Stella as that was all they had lol

 

At the pool bar i was drinking Boddingtons Bass Red Stripe and a few American beers.

 

I called it "The Pub with no Beer" It was as if the open bars got all the pub stock by accident?

Edited January 13, 2014 by fishtaco

[MicCanberra]

On my voyager cruise last March the Pub had less beer choice,s than the pool bar and Disco:confused:

 

I am a beer drinker and only used the pub "once" in 14 nights even with the drinks package.

 

In the Pub they had Stella on tap, corona a few local OZ beers Guinness and Fosters Oil Can. But they had a multitude of beers on display! My first and only visit I first went through the display beers then went through the list of beers and ended up with a draft Stella as that was all they had lol

 

At the pool bar i was drinking Boddingtons Bass Red Stripe and a few American beers.

 

I called it "The Pub with no Beer" It was as if the open bars got all the pub stock by accident?

 

How very odd.:eek: I notice the bev packages are quite a bit different to X's as to what is available in each package.:D

[Cruise_me_Crazy]

Oh yearh! My kinda thread! :D thanks for the excellent insight.

[annenic]

Are the majority of the wines offered Aussie/NZ wines? Or are they mainly US wines?

[MicCanberra]

Are the majority of the wines offered Aussie/NZ wines? Or are they mainly US wines?

 

Hi Anne, happy new year. cheers mic:D

[SydSailor]

Are the majority of the wines offered Aussie/NZ wines? Or are they mainly US wines?

 

Mainly US/Chile/Argentinian. There is a separate list of Aust wines, but they are the usual mass producer suspects (eg Rousemount Diamond label) at $7 - 10 per glass and don't appeal to me much. There are a couple of decent kiwi sav blancs as well. Some of the US wines are reasonable. At least with the package you can try a few out and if you really don't like one, send it back for another.

[SydSailor]

I was thinking of buying the 5 bottles of wine for aus $199

Is there any difference in the price on board I enjoy 1or 2 glasses per night is this going to be cost effective

 

Cruise love

 

Depends what you like to drink. Some of the wines on the package list are a bargain ( eg Spy valley Marlborough Pinot Noir with a list price of $67 per bottle) while others can be purchased separately or by the glass for about the same as the package price. It may be best to wait until you are on board and check out the wines in the package though the x-rate may be better online and you won't have the crowds looking to purchase on day 1. That said, now that the all inclusive packages are available, there is less demand for the wine package and you can purchase any time in the MDR, so it shouldn't be a pain to do on board.

[SydSailor]

On my voyager cruise last March the Pub had less beer choice,s than the pool bar and Disco:confused:

 

I am a beer drinker and only used the pub "once" in 14 nights even with the drinks package.

 

In the Pub they had Stella on tap, corona a few local OZ beers Guinness and Fosters Oil Can. But they had a multitude of beers on display! My first and only visit I first went through the display beers then went through the list of beers and ended up with a draft Stella as that was all they had lol

 

At the pool bar i was drinking Boddingtons Bass Red Stripe and a few American beers.

 

I called it "The Pub with no Beer" It was as if the open bars got all the pub stock by accident?

 

My experience was exactly the same as yours

[cruise love]

Thanks

I will check it out on board

Cruise love

 

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Forums mobile app

[SydSailor]

I meant to add that all of the NZ sav blanc was gone within 5 days. I'm not sure there is much you can do to guard against this though - whoever you buy the package from will invariably tell you there is plenty of supply. Best bet is to find a US or other non Aust/NZ drop you are happy drinking as everyone else will be ordering the antipodean product.

[annenic]

Hi Anne, happy new year. cheers mic:D

 

Hey Mic! Happy New Year to you and Rosie :D

 

Mainly US/Chile/Argentinian. There is a separate list of Aust wines, but they are the usual mass producer suspects (eg Rousemount Diamond label) at $7 - 10 per glass and don't appeal to me much. There are a couple of decent kiwi sav blancs as well. Some of the US wines are reasonable. At least with the package you can try a few out and if you really don't like one, send it back for another.

 

Thanks SydSailor - I'm cruising on the VOS in a few weeks and was hoping that Californian wines might still be available on board.

[MicCanberra]

Hey Mic! Happy New Year to you and Rosie :D

Thanks.:D

[tassie cruiser]

Tap beers in the pub are only Stella and an Aussie commercial one, so that are included. There are a number of exclusions on the beer list in the Pub, incl Guinness and Fosters Oil can, but I was able to get a can of Guinness on occasion in other bars. The Pub was a huge disappointment as many of the beers on the list, esp the US ones like Sierra Nevada pale ale were not available for Aust sailings. Instead they had the usual array of commercial Aust beers in bottles. As a result it was dead most of the time.

 

 

I find it strange that things varies so much for different passengers.... ie.. we had the premium drink package and re the beer, and Guinness was certainly included, our husbands lived on it :D, at the pig and whistle they were regulars and Edgar or the other guy would have the cans out ready for them, then when they were leaving, would give them a 4 pack to take back to their rooms..on one occasion he said they were getting a bit low so gabe them an 8 pack.. Not once in our 14 days and between the 6 of us did we come across something that wasn't included in the package.. Fiona