gymfreak Posted May 17, 2015 #1 Share Posted May 17, 2015 We cruise on Oceania Marina later this year and are thinking of a Presige Drinks package. We both enjoy wine but like to choose our favoutites from the included list. Are we able to stipulate a wine of our choosing at each venue or are certain wines only available on each day or venue? Are there any included cocktails to enjoy. Can you order drinks on room service as part of this package? Any information greatly appreciated so we can plan accordingly Thank you Vicki and Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanandJim Posted May 17, 2015 #2 Share Posted May 17, 2015 We cruise on Oceania Marina later this year and are thinking of a Presige Drinks package. We both enjoy wine but like to choose our favoutites from the included list. Are we able to stipulate a wine of our choosing at each venue or are certain wines only available on each day or venue?Are there any included cocktails to enjoy. Can you order drinks on room service as part of this package? Any information greatly appreciated so we can plan accordingly Thank you Vicki and Charlie You may order any wine from the included list in any venue, the only caveat being that less popular vintages may take longer to retrieve from the Cellar. Regarding cocktails, it's virtually run of the ship, in that they will serve you anything from the Bar Menu, which may be seen here: https://www.oceaniacruises.com/experience/value/beverage-packages/ Room Service IS included. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gymfreak Posted May 17, 2015 Author #3 Share Posted May 17, 2015 You may order any wine from the included list in any venue, the only caveat being that less popular vintages may take longer to retrieve from the Cellar. Regarding cocktails, it's virtually run of the ship, in that they will serve you anything from the Bar Menu, which may be seen here: https://www.oceaniacruises.com/experience/value/beverage-packages/ Room Service IS included. Thank you StanandJim It's good to know how the package works. We normally cruise on another line which operates differently so having first hand knowledge is very useful. Looking forward to our cruise on Marina Vicki and Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4JACK Posted May 17, 2015 #4 Share Posted May 17, 2015 To StanandJim, Just curious to know whether the Prestige Bar Package also includes all the selections that are in the Martini Bar Menu. For example: The Flirtini, Le French Martini, etc. Noted that the "Big O Martini" is included in the Bar Menu, but not all the martinis. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare doowopbob Posted May 17, 2015 #5 Share Posted May 17, 2015 To StanandJim, Just curious to know whether the Prestige Bar Package also includes all the selections that are in the Martini Bar Menu. For example: The Flirtini, Le French Martini, etc. Noted that the "Big O Martini" is included in the Bar Menu, but not all the martinis. Thanks. My wife made a point of working her way through the entire Martini menu after we went on the plan, so yes, you can get any and all Martinis :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawaiidan Posted May 17, 2015 #6 Share Posted May 17, 2015 1. I discovered that you can buy the package ANY TIME.. NOT JUST IN THE FIRST 3 DAYS but it must be for the remainder of the cruise from when you ou it. 2. There comes a time of diminishing returns after about 10 to 12 days, where you just get satiated with liquor and after 7 or so days I have observed, people start to drink less and less. Putting down 5 to 6 drinks a day, every day gets to ware on a person...and stops being fun or healthy.. THE CRUISE line factors this in... power drinking for the first 3 to 5 days begins to taper off with direct proportion to the "after effects" More power to you if you can drink a liter of 80 proof ever 6 days.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanandJim Posted May 17, 2015 #7 Share Posted May 17, 2015 More power to you if you can drink a liter of 80 proof ever 6 days.. Yes, and as with every other all inclusive option on the ship, it is terribly important to eat and drink to the cusp of illness in order to insure that one has gotten ones monies worth..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hambagahle Posted May 18, 2015 #8 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Well said! And to add - if you are in an Oceania, Vista or Owners Suite you will have a drinks set up in the suite. 6 bottles of your choice (they send you a list) and these can be 6l of all one - whiskey for example - or 6l of any on the list or 6 bottles of wine or a mix of all of the above. We found that having the Prestige drinks package AND all those bottles was really over-kill. We did our best but... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawaiidan Posted May 18, 2015 #9 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Yes, and as with every other all inclusive option on the ship, it is terribly important to eat and drink to the cusp of illness in order to insure that one has gotten ones monies worth..... Some still equate quality as quality.... I long ago quit rushing aboard to get that first buffet and lingering for the last breakfast ...... Prefer to get aboard about 2 hours prior to sailing or less. Strange as it may seem, I actually book Oceania for the pleasure of being in a very nicely appointed ship, with nicely mannered interesting people... Food and booze is parsley on the plate... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kekilia Posted May 18, 2015 #10 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Some still equate quality as quality.... I long ago quit rushing aboard to get that first buffet and lingering for the last breakfast ...... Prefer to get aboard about 2 hours prior to sailing or less. Strange as it may seem, I actually book Oceania for the pleasure of being in a very nicely appointed ship, with nicely mannered interesting people... Food and booze is parsley on the plate... Agree 100%! I book the trip for the itinerary and the ship. I'm not likely to eat a lot since I don't at home - smoothie for breakfast and a very light lunch! Same as the airlines, I book business for the room, not the food! Once onboard the ship, we plan to go back on shore to see as much as possible before sailing!:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSULion Posted May 19, 2015 #11 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Although I mean this in jest, after reading the previous posts, I feel like the Oceania Morality Police are going to chastise me or worse banish me to Carnival if I a) order a extra appetizer or entree or b) have an extra glass of wine or a nightcap if I buy the drinks package, on my first Oceania cruise this December! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kekilia Posted May 19, 2015 #12 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Although I mean this in jest, after reading the previous posts, I feel like the Oceania Morality Police are going to chastise me or worse banish me to Carnival if I a) order a extra appetizer or entree or b) have an extra glass of wine or a nightcap if I buy the drinks package, on my first Oceania cruise this December! John Touché! I admit a lot of my well intentioned plans go summarily astray as soon as I board!!! This is why I DONT buy the prestige drinks pkg or encourage the butler! I am my own weakest link! As a wise character once said, "enjoy yourself, it's later than you think. Enjoy yourself, while you're still in the pink!":D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChatKat in Ca. Posted May 19, 2015 #13 Share Posted May 19, 2015 We bring our own wine on board and pay corkage. We get what we like. If I want a martini or after dinner drink I buy it ala carte. In the specialties we might order a glass of something the sommelier recommends - we had two great glasses in Jacques night before last. Yes at some point, you get to the point where drinking even a glass of something or a three course meal is just too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelcat2 Posted May 19, 2015 #14 Share Posted May 19, 2015 We purchased the Prestige package on both of our Oceania cruises - more for convenience sake than anything. We are used to sailing on an all-inclusive ship and wanted Oceania to feel more inclusive (and do not like to sign for drinks or have to decide if I want to pay for another whole glass of wine when I only want 1/4 of a glass more). Drinks on Oceania are pricey and then you have to add the 18% tip (that is included in the package). Some people just bring alcohol on board and drink in their stateroom. Since we don't drink at home or in our stateroom (unless we have guests), this doesn't work for us. Last, Oceania's array of included alcohols on the package is high level which makes it worth every penny (IMO). Just remember to "call" your drink or it will be poured with whatever the "house" brand is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pet Posted May 19, 2015 #15 Share Posted May 19, 2015 We have recently booked our first Oceania cruise on the Marina which included a free prestige beverage package which until I read this thread didn't know exactly what that means. So, would the advice be to run off a copy of the bar menu link at No 2 above and select drinks from that rather than just asking for a type of red or white wine, or indeed cocktail or beer? Thank you.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanandJim Posted May 19, 2015 #16 Share Posted May 19, 2015 We have recently booked our first Oceania cruise on the Marina which included a free prestige beverage package which until I read this thread didn't know exactly what that means. So, would the advice be to run off a copy of the bar menu link at No 2 above and select drinks from that rather than just asking for a type of red or white wine, or indeed cocktail or beer? Thank you.:) I wouldn't bother printing out the Bar Menu, as those Menus are available throughout the ship, and they do vary slightly depending on which Lounge or Bar you are patronizing. As I say, the Prestige Package gives you run of the ship, the primary exclusions being some single malt Scotch varieties, high end Cognacs and Champagnes, and occasionally Specialty items brought in to suit a particular passenger. What I did was to read the list in advance, so that I knew what was generally covered (which really is just about everything) and then if there was glimmer of doubt in my mind, I would hand my World card over to the server as I ordered, instead of waiting to be asked for it, later. The Drinks Package information will be embossed on that card, so if there is an issue, with Package not covering something (which never happened to me, once in thirty days on the Riviera, and I spend a great deal of time in the bars :p ) they will let you know before preparing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinexpert Posted May 22, 2015 #17 Share Posted May 22, 2015 Can you use OBC to pay for the drink packages, or at least part of the pkgs? I didn't see that listed anywhere. We are taking our first Oceania cruise in October and our TA gave us quite a few OBC. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarpeian Rock Posted May 22, 2015 #18 Share Posted May 22, 2015 1. I discovered that you can buy the package ANY TIME.. NOT JUST IN THE FIRST 3 DAYS but it must be for the remainder of the cruise from when you ou it. 2. There comes a time of diminishing returns after about 10 to 12 days, where you just get satiated with liquor and after 7 or so days I have observed, people start to drink less and less. Putting down 5 to 6 drinks a day, every day gets to ware on a person...and stops being fun or healthy.. THE CRUISE line factors this in... power drinking for the first 3 to 5 days begins to taper off with direct proportion to the "after effects" More power to you if you can drink a liter of 80 proof ever 6 days.. Your point #2 is right on. We purchased the Prestige Package for our first O cruise, on Riviera, last year. While convenient, we definitely experienced the "taper" effect towards the end and probably succumbed to the temptation to "drink our money's worth" the last few days. On our just-completed 17 days on Regatta, we didn't purchase the package. We drank everything we wanted, when we wanted, including the Montadon champagne frequently. By the end of the cruise, our bar bill, including the 18% gratuity, was less than half of what the Prestige Package would have been. People tend to forget the impact of a port-intensive itinerary on alcohol consumption, as well as your so-correct observation that the "fun" tends to diminish after some number of days, and Diet Coke Lust sets in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted May 22, 2015 #19 Share Posted May 22, 2015 Can you use OBC to pay for the drink packages, or at least part of the pkgs? I didn't see that listed anywhere. We are taking our first Oceania cruise in October and our TA gave us quite a few OBC. Thanks. Anything you purchase on the ship you can use the OBC for There may be some exceptions but I have not found any Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted May 22, 2015 #20 Share Posted May 22, 2015 Anything you purchase on the ship you can use the OBC for There may be some exceptions but I have not found any Casino chips :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted May 23, 2015 #21 Share Posted May 23, 2015 Casino chips :D Thanks Paul I never used them ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted May 23, 2015 #22 Share Posted May 23, 2015 I never used them ;) Ditto and have no intention to start now, but so I've heard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m1k2s3 Posted May 24, 2015 #23 Share Posted May 24, 2015 We were just recently on the Riveria and after deliberating whether to take the drink package, decided not to take it. The drinks on board cost about $7 or $8 for a beer and between $9 and $11 for a cocktail, mixed drink or a glass of wine. A bottle of wine can range between $50 to $60 ( for a good quality wine) As it turned out, we had some On Board Credit that had been added to our package a few weeks prior and that pretty much covered our drinks. The beverage package would have cost us approx. $120 per day ($60/day X 2 people). What we did was we would usually have a drink each at lunch, one or two drinks before dinner ( happy hour was from 5 to 6 and drinks were 2 for1) and we'd order a bottle of wine at dinner. If you add that up, that works out to be about $100/day so for us, it worked out cheaper not to take the drink package. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare kazu Posted October 12, 2015 #24 Share Posted October 12, 2015 1. I discovered that you can buy the package ANY TIME.. NOT JUST IN THE FIRST 3 DAYS but it must be for the remainder of the cruise from when you ou it.2. There comes a time of diminishing returns after about 10 to 12 days, where you just get satiated with liquor and after 7 or so days I have observed, people start to drink less and less. Putting down 5 to 6 drinks a day, every day gets to ware on a person...and stops being fun or healthy.. THE CRUISE line factors this in... power drinking for the first 3 to 5 days begins to taper off with direct proportion to the "after effects" More power to you if you can drink a liter of 80 proof ever 6 days.. I have been doing some searching and came across this post by Dan. For point number 1, if you decide to buy the Prestige Beverage package later in the cruise, I would think you are not charged for the days prior when you didn't use it? Do I have that correct? I am thinking that once we reach the TA portion of our cruise we may want to use it, but that would be more than 3 days into the cruise. Would you need to check with someone to verify that it will be possible to order it later? thanks :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChucktownSteve Posted October 12, 2015 #25 Share Posted October 12, 2015 Drinks on Oceania are pricey and then you have to add the 18% tip (that is included in the package). Last, Oceania's array of included alcohols on the package is high level which makes it worth every penny (IMO). Just remember to "call" your drink or it will be poured with whatever the "house" brand is. Last October I bought the Prestige package and was glad I did. A double Johnny Walker Black was $22 each. The only problem I had was that I felt I needed to get my "monies worth" and consumed more than I normally would. On another cruise line, recently I had their free drinks package promo and found I ordered a lot of water, OJ and other non-alcoholic drinks as well as the cocktails. While Oceania includes the non-alcoholic, on the other line I liked the convenience of the package. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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