Silver Spirits Package - Viking Oceans

[SUZEQTEX]

 

I would love to receive feedback from passengers on board with the "Silver Spirits Package" as to what is really included. Of course, before you plunk down your money "Everthing is included"; then after you have paid, not so much. If it is a "premium beverage package", shouldn't it include premium items? We would just like to know what to expect berfore we board.

 

Any feedback from you helpful cruisers would be greatly appreciated.

[CrusinSubMan]

 

I would love to receive feedback from passengers on board with the "Silver Spirits Package" as to what is really included. Of course, before you plunk down your money "Everthing is included"; then after you have paid, not so much. If it is a "premium beverage package", shouldn't it include premium items? We would just like to know what to expect berfore we board.

 

Any feedback from you helpful cruisers would be greatly appreciated.

SSP has improved since the issues I reported about a month ago. Now they have four red wines and four white wines available by the glass that SSP owners get for free but other guests can pay $6 each for.

Right now the wines available by the glass and free for SSP people are:

White

Chardonnay, Valdivieso Reserva, Chile

Riesling, Domaine Loberger, Organic, France

Colombard-Ugni Blanc, Domaine UBY, France

Chardonnay, Louis Latour, Saint_Veran, France

Red

Pinot Noir, Domaine Loberger, Organic, France

Pinot Noir, Chapel Peaks, New Zealand

Bordeaux, Chateau Cone-Taillasson, France

Grenache Syrah Mourvedre, Papa Luna, Spain

 

The gins are Saphite, Beefeaters, Tanqueray, Gordons

The whiskeys include Walker (Red and Black), J&B, Chivas, Jameson, Bushmills, Wild turkey, Makers, Seagrams VO and Crown

 

They also have moved the premium alcohol to less visible locations so that the specific gins, vodkas, rums and whiskeys you can see and ask for all included free. For instance the Macallan is no longer sitting on the shelf in the Explorer's lounge bar.

I am not a SSP person. I get free wine with lunch and dinner a lot. That means I do not get a choice, but just the house wine. It is usually not great, but it is drinkable. If I want something better I either bring a bottle to the meal or order one of the wines but the glass. I sometimes buy a glass of wine, a beer or a drink in a bar. Most drinks are $6-8. House wine is $4 a glass and the others are usually $6 and beers are mostly $4. All drinks have a 15% gratuity added to them as well. The Macallan they have (forget which one now but it is either the 12 or a 10 year brand served only here in Europe) is $10 and is not included in the SSP.

 

As I noted earlier, because drinks are very cheap on board, you really should do the math to figure out whether you are going to order enough drinks on board to justify the cost of the plan. You really have to drink a lot to make the plan pay for itself.

So as an example, if you would be ordering better wine with meals and had 2 glasses at lunch and 2 at dinner and then also had 4 drinks at other times (all every day) then you would reach about $55 a day in drinks (8 drinks x $6 x 0.15). I cannot remember what the per day SSP fee is (a few people told me what they paid but it was a while ago) but that is what you need measure against it to decide if you would be ordering enough alcohol to justify it.

[SUZEQTEX]

Thank you CrusinSubMan for your comprehensive answer, and, yes I agree for most people the value is debatable. However, we purchased over a year ago with the Viking office assuring us that premium wines, including bottles, and all spirits and liqueurs were part of the package. The price at that time was $30 per person, per day with mandatory inclusion of all persons on the same booking. Since pursuing a refund would probably be a “new” nightmare, we decided to just roll with it and enjoy our 22 days on board.

 

Also, thank you and others for the numerous informative comments. In some ways I’m sure it is a venting process, but it is helpful to future cruisers and might eventually bring about improvements for all.

 

However, I am in complete agreement with you on the washing machine issue – HOT water does shrink, discolor and weaken fabrics. And who wants hot lemonade?

 

Hope you and your wife enjoy the rest of your voyage and have a safe journey home. For me, I will continue to read and enjoy your blog until it is my turn on the Sea (Viking that is).

 

All the best.

[CrusinSubMan]

Thank you CrusinSubMan for your comprehensive answer, and, yes I agree for most people the value is debatable. However, we purchased over a year ago with the Viking office assuring us that premium wines, including bottles, and all spirits and liqueurs were part of the package. The price at that time was $30 per person, per day with mandatory inclusion of all persons on the same booking.

Well, at $30 per day and for both of you the numbers are better. Really its then $60 per day between the two of you and that means you are more in the range of 8 total drinks between you both. And really that is an average. Having the package allows you to order all you want whenever you want and to get much better wine at all times including meals. So that does not seem like that bad of a deal. Again though I think the key is the correction they made in the second segment two actually start offering a selection of better wines. Now that they are doing that, SSP folks are able to get, for the most part, what they were promised. There is not much really fine (Premium) hard alcohol on board. I am a bit of a scotch snob and really there was nothing available, even after they hid the "premium" like that Macallan that I really would get excited about sipping neat.

In Oslo yesterday, I found a whiskey bar I remembered (it is actually called "The Whiskey Bar" and has a particularly good rare Speyside selection):) and had a Cardhu 21. It was great. So I got my Scotch fix.