Beverage package, is it worth it?

[AeroBaldness]

I'm confused about the sentence that I highlighted with the "confused emoticons" about the * specialty beers and the super premium category beverages. What beers are included and which or not?

 

 

 

 

 

Ultimate Package

 

Pay one set price and enjoy nearly our entire selection of liquors, beers and wines, plus non-alcoholic beverages.†

 

Includes: Call and premium cocktails, frozen drinks, beers, premium wines by the glass (up to $12 value), premium coffee, premium tea, bottled water (sparkling and still, fresh squeezed orange juice, non-alcoholic cocktails, fountain sodas with the Coca Cola® souvenir cup.

 

Please note: Orders cannot be modified once they have been purchased. To change an order, you'll need to first cancel the order and then make your purchase(s) again.

 

† Prices subject to change without notice. Packages include server gratuities, cannot be shared, are not transferable. Your check may reflect an additional tax for certain ports or itineraries. When ordering a beverage selection onboard, you must present your SeaPass card bearing the package sticker to your server.:confused: Package does not include specialty beers as listed on bar menus, or super premium category beverages.:confused: Package is subject to the terms of Royal Caribbean International's Alcohol Policy.

 

Go here: http://cruisewithgambee.com/royal-caribbean-drink/ and page down to the 7th and 8th menu pages and you can see which beers are not included. For super premium alcohol, you can go here: http://www.shipcruise.org/royal-caribbean-alcohol-policy-drink-prices/ and see which liquors, etc exceed $10.

[Locobill49]

Could not find an answer to e following in this thread, so I thought I would ask it here.

Is the shipboard water ok to drink? We typically like adding Mio flavoring to our ice water. Is there a problem with this?

We also have our own Tervis glasses. Can we use these on board?

[readytolose]

Could not find an answer to e following in this thread, so I thought I would ask it here.

Is the shipboard water ok to drink? We typically like adding Mio flavoring to our ice water. Is there a problem with this?

We also have our own Tervis glasses. Can we use these on board?

 

 

Yep, ships water is fine to drink. I think it actually tastes better than some of the bottled water I've had. No problem adding the Mio!

[MrsPete]

Is there any advantage to purchasing ahead of time vs after boarding?

 

If you have OBC coming to you, you can use it to buy a drink package after you're on board . . . But you cannot use it ahead of time. After all, they don't call it ahead-of-time credit!

[Ocean Boy]

So if tips are included in the drink package does the crew member that swipes your card get tips later from the company or do they get stiffed all together.

 

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Seems to me to be an issue between RCI and their employees not us.

[Pandabear90]

if i'm going with my girlfriend and I bought 1 drink package, will they make a fit if I just handed drinks to her?

[Clarea]

if i'm going with my girlfriend and I bought 1 drink package, will they make a fit if I just handed drinks to her?

Sharing not allowed.

[Namsteveo]

if i'm going with my girlfriend and I bought 1 drink package, will they make a fit if I just handed drinks to her?

 

Yes

[CruiseAddict1982]

Sharing not allowed.

 

 

The package is a great thing for those that use it correctly! Please don't ruin it for the rest of us

 

 

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[The Sunset Glow]

So if tips are included in the drink package does the crew member that swipes your card get tips later from the company or do they get stiffed all together.

 

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We were chatting with a waiter one day and during our discussion we found out that they do get a tip from package drinks but it is a lot less than what they get for purchased drinks. He said it averages out to be about 25 cents per drink - not much but it's something.

 

This is info from ONE bar waiter - who knows if it's true or accurate...I'm just passing along what I was told.

[mike45orlando]

We were chatting with a waiter one day and during our discussion we found out that they do get a tip from package drinks but it is a lot less than what they get for purchased drinks. He said it averages out to be about 25 cents per drink - not much but it's something.

 

This is info from ONE bar waiter - who knows if it's true or accurate...I'm just passing along what I was told.

 

Thanks. I guess a little extra tipping will be in order.

 

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[butterflymama]

We were chatting with a waiter one day and during our discussion we found out that they do get a tip from package drinks but it is a lot less than what they get for purchased drinks. He said it averages out to be about 25 cents per drink - not much but it's something.

 

This is info from ONE bar waiter - who knows if it's true or accurate...I'm just passing along what I was told.

 

we were just told the same thing by a waitress on the explorer of the seas.

 

She said that is why they make us sign those papers. when they turn them in they get about .30 cents a drink.

[LetsGetWet!]

We were chatting with a waiter one day and during our discussion we found out that they do get a tip from package drinks but it is a lot less than what they get for purchased drinks. He said it averages out to be about 25 cents per drink - not much but it's something.

 

This is info from ONE bar waiter - who knows if it's true or accurate...I'm just passing along what I was told.

 

we were just told the same thing by a waitress on the explorer of the seas.

 

She said that is why they make us sign those papers. when they turn them in they get about .30 cents a drink.

Unfortunate if true, and a bit of a scam actually. 25-30 cents per drink doesn't come anywhere close to the 15% that RCI claims is added to your bill as a gratuity. So they're adding it and keeping it themselves as additional revenue?

 

At $55 per day, doing a little quick math - the prepaid gratuity portion amounts to about $7.17 in gratuities. If they're giving the bartenders/waiters 30 cents per drink, you'd have to be drinking almost 24 drinks per day before they paid out all the gratuities they claim they're collecting from you!

[Szzanni86]

Go here: http://cruisewithgambee.com/royal-caribbean-drink/ and page down to the 7th and 8th menu pages and you can see which beers are not included. For super premium alcohol, you can go here: http://www.shipcruise.org/royal-caribbean-alcohol-policy-drink-prices/ and see which liquors, etc exceed $10.

http://www.shipcruise.org/royal-caribbean-alcohol-policy-drink-prices/

 

 

The drink prices in this link are a lot higher than the drink prices posted on the menu. Can someone just tell me what a simple frozen drink special runs. And maybe how many frozen and mixed drinks did you drink a day. Seems to me that you would have to drink an awful lot on the nights you return from a port just to get your money's worth. $55 dayto me is about 5-7 drinks between 6-8 pm and 12-1 am. Thoughts?

Edited February 25, 2014 by Szzanni86

[Szzanni86]

Also, can someone just give me an idea of how high their bar bill ran if you didn't get a package?

[LetsGetWet!]

Also, can someone just give me an idea of how high their bar bill ran if you didn't get a package?

I've seen numbers (per person) from $50 and under, all the way up to $700 and over for a 7 day cruise. The answer to your question from any one individual - or even a handful - isn't going to be very helpful, I don't think. Most frozen and mixed drinks are going to run $7 -$10, plus 15% gratuity. You just have to ask yourself how many drinks YOU will drink and run the numbers... We will probably start our mornings with a mimosa or two for breakfast, so that's the case even on port days. Your mileage will vary!

[Namsteveo]

Also, can someone just give me an idea of how high their bar bill ran if you didn't get a package?

 

I've had a bar bill around $400 (I'm late 20s) and I was trying to be careful with how much I spent (pound those Fosters oil cans!).

 

Drinks of the day come to around $6.75 plus tip. If you're a cocktail drinker, assume $10/cocktail for everything else on average. If you buy the premium package at $55/day, you'd have to drink 5/day to make it worth it. But you also factor in free soda, beer, wine, etc. if you want to mix it up without even thinking about it. You're on vacation after all.

[Dajbman22]

I've had a bar bill around $400 (I'm late 20s) and I was trying to be careful with how much I spent (pound those Fosters oil cans!).

 

Drinks of the day come to around $6.75 plus tip. If you're a cocktail drinker, assume $10/cocktail for everything else on average. If you buy the premium package at $55/day, you'd have to drink 5/day to make it worth it. But you also factor in free soda, beer, wine, etc. if you want to mix it up without even thinking about it. You're on vacation after all.

 

$10/drink is a little high for the other cocktails, more like $8 or $9 on average. Most estimates are 6-8 alcoholic drinks/day unless you only drink top-shelf frozen drinks or above-house wine (in which case its down to 5-6 drinks) to break even without counting soda/water bottles.

[LetsGetWet!]

$10/drink is a little high for the other cocktails, more like $8 or $9 on average. Most estimates are 6-8 alcoholic drinks/day unless you only drink top-shelf frozen drinks or above-house wine (in which case its down to 5-6 drinks) to break even without counting soda/water bottles.

 

Six $8 drinks plus gratuity is $55. If you could drink 8 before breaking even they would have to average $6 each, and I don't think that's possible. 8 if you drink nothing but beer works.

 

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[CruiseAddict1982]

I've had a bar bill around $400 (I'm late 20s) and I was trying to be careful with how much I spent (pound those Fosters oil cans!).

 

Drinks of the day come to around $6.75 plus tip. If you're a cocktail drinker, assume $10/cocktail for everything else on average. If you buy the premium package at $55/day, you'd have to drink 5/day to make it worth it. But you also factor in free soda, beer, wine, etc. if you want to mix it up without even thinking about it. You're on vacation after all.

 

 

What does your she have to do with ur bar bill?? Lol smh the thirst lives on

 

 

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[CruiseAddict1982]

I've had a bar bill around $400 (I'm late 20s) and I was trying to be careful with how much I spent (pound those Fosters oil cans!).

 

Drinks of the day come to around $6.75 plus tip. If you're a cocktail drinker, assume $10/cocktail for everything else on average. If you buy the premium package at $55/day, you'd have to drink 5/day to make it worth it. But you also factor in free soda, beer, wine, etc. if you want to mix it up without even thinking about it. You're on vacation after all.

 

 

What does ur age have to do with the bar bill? Lol smh the thirst lives on

 

 

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[MCazer]

I'm going to buy the package before we sail, so I can get double RCL credit on my credit card and then take that credit and have it as onboard credit to help pay for excursions and renting the flow rider. If I could prebook the flow rider I would. They would not let us do that last time.

 

 

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[Dajbman22]

Six $8 drinks plus gratuity is $55. If you could drink 8 before breaking even they would have to average $6 each, and I don't think that's possible. 8 if you drink nothing but beer works.

 

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I think the 6-8 estimate assumed you would be mixing beer in with your liquor orders.

[Dajbman22]

What does ur age have to do with the bar bill?

 

I think the implication is that younger people tend to have a higher tolerance, drink more than older individuals. This is obviously a gross generalization, but I can see the poster was implying $400 was on the higher end of a bar bill in his post.

[CruiseAddict1982]

I think the 6-8 estimate assumed you would be mixing beer in with your liquor orders.

 

 

6-8 combo drinks with beer and liquor cAn be done easily.

 

 

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