Some actual drink prices on Royal

[lawgirl]

Will you be drinking your allowed wine in your cabin or bring to dinner? If bringing it to dinner, do you just plop it on the table and ask for glasses?

 

Not sure if this is a serious question, but if so, we get glasses from a bar and simply pour the wine in the cabin (actually in the glass:)) and carry to dinner.... No refills, but one glass is fine for me.

 

As to prices, my TA said the increases at RCI coupled with their cutbacks in niceties and seemingly declining service seem to be encouraging people to explore options.

 

We have been fairly loyal, and may still cruise RCI for port intensive itineraries with few sea days. We have the D+ vouchers and often are in a suite, so CL too. But for Caribbean cruises and transatlantic, where we drink more, we will likely go with X.... Better food, great suite perks and often sales that include the drink package.... Of course this does nothing to "hurt" RCIs bottom line, as it is the same company. But somehow I just can't see paying $5 more per drink compared to what we paid on RCI last year ....

 

My guess is that RCI and X will move towards encouraging all-inclusive cruising over time. Drinks, tips included in price. X is kind of doing that already with their promotions. RCI may follow suit, as increased single drink prices no doubt encourage packages.

[Clarea]

Will you be drinking your allowed wine in your cabin or bring to dinner? If bringing it to dinner, do you just plop it on the table and ask for glasses?

There will already be wine glasses on the dinner table when you sit down. Your waiter or assistant waiter will uncork if necessary and pour for you.

Edited June 24, 2015 by clarea

[Dem920]

You can ask your cabin steward for wine glasses in your cabin and an ice bucket to chill white wine. We do on all our cruises and never an issue.

[Teeara]

I'm not a big drinker, but I do usually like to get the drink of the day. But at over $10 per drink, I think that's a bit ridiculous. Since I was already planning on getting the Royal Replenish package (which I would definitely use with 2+ specialty coffees a day, fresh OJ, Cokes and bottled water), I just might switch to the non-alcoholic cocktails for the cruise and only have one special drink on sailaway day.

[mickev99]

Note to self: Make more friends who are tea-totallers .

 

We're not sharing with anyone else.

 

It will work since we can take a bottle or two to dinner with us now that the corkage fees are gone. Wouldn't have mattered before that new rule because we don't spend that much time in our cabins to drink it there.

[Sascol]

Does the bottled water with these packages include things like Pellegrino and Perrier?

[Clarea]

Does the bottled water with these packages include things like Pellegrino and Perrier?

Pellegrino is normally included in the Replenish and Ultimate packages.

[sparks1093]

So what do simple cocktails cost (rum and coke, screwdriver, etc.)?

[Clarea]

So what do simple cocktails cost (rum and coke, screwdriver, etc.)?

I believe those are around $7 to $9 now.

[whitshel]

Here are some current drink menu prices for Royal compared to Princess. Beers are just slightly higher, but other drinks substantially higher. Royal also has a higher service fee.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=46877851&postcount=75

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=45703675&postcount=1

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=45703705&postcount=2

 

didn't see a big difference, mixed drinks rccl $10, princess $9. im sure there were more but the ones i saw were not a huge difference

[finz2u]

The drink package or no drink package, that is the question. We always used to get a wine package. Now I guess we will find out if we go over $700 in bar bills on our next cruise. then the drink package would have been worthwhile.

[Big_G]

"Pool drink service (or lack thereof). It used to be that waiters would walk around on the pool deck on sea days asking you to buy drinks. I saw a few waiters doing this but overall it was a total joke. I personally think that pre-paid tipping and the alcohol packages have made this type of service a thing of the past....at least at Royal Caribbean. With pre-paid tips, the drink people get paid regardless so there is no need to get out and sell drinks! It is a shame that management doesn't make this a priority. For me its about being on vacation! Having a drink service makes me feel relaxed and special. I always enjoy talking to them and I generally tip on top of pre-paid tips. Guess they missed out...and I got some much needed exercise getting my own drinks!"

 

 

Whenever I read this complaint I always chuckle about all the complaints here on CC not so long ago about too many waiters always pushing drinks at the pool. Then I think careful what you wish for.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[sparks1093]

I believe those are around $7 to $9 now.

 

Thank you, not bad at all since it's about what we pay at the concert venue where we attend concerts.

[Goodtime Cruizin]

I truly hope it does. Everyone here can make excuses all they want to but it all comes down to greed IMO and hoping to force everyone into their overpriced drink packages. Couple that with the terrible to just mediocre service I witnessed as far as bar service goes and once again, its a case of paying more and receiving less. Seems to be RC's new motto lately.

 

I suppose the question to me will be "well why are you going on another RC cruise then?"

 

Because Ive wanted to try an Oasis class ship since the day they plans were laid out. I will likely be shopping around after this one though. :)

 

I'm not disputing with your take on things as all of us can and will have formed an opinion on all things, including drink prices etc. For us, the drink package hasn't gone up. In fact, it has down down on one of our reserved cruise as we took advantage of the BOGO50 promotion.

 

Where I guess I'm confused is that I've read that there are less people buying drinks w/o beverage packages, but serviced has dropped. I would think with fewer people buying drinks (as some believe) that the lines would be shorter thus bar tending service would be more efficient & faster for those that are drinking. It dosn't make sense that shorter lines = poor service. That's my take anyway.

Edited June 24, 2015 by Goodtime Cruizin

[WhenIsLobsterNight]

Thank you, not bad at all since it's about what we pay at the concert venue where we attend concerts.

 

 

I see this statement again and again on this message board and it perplexes me. I get that if I attend a concert or sports event I have to pay a high premium for a drink at those events. However, those events last maybe 2-4 hours tops. You are on a seven cruise a tad under 168 hours. It is silly that they are charging concert premium prices for an entire week in my opinion. I get that RCCL has their defenders who will stick by them no matter what they charge or take away from us, but come on people the drink prices are absurd. I just got off the Indy two weeks ago and my wife and I bought the drink package. We drank like a fish to try and get our moneys worth and it was still a total rip off to pay $800 for that package for two people. We truly power drank for seven days straight and I seriously doubt we consumed $75-$100 of actual alcohol at cost. RCCL could cut their drink prices in half and still make a killing. We enjoy RCCL, but are not loyal to any cruise line and are extensive cruisers. RCCL has just priced themselves out of reality in our opinion. We cruise the last week of May each year and it is currently $4500 for a balcony room on the Freedom next year for a family of four. We just priced NCCL next year same week, same itinerary, same balcony room on their second largest ship for $2717 and that includes two drink packages tossed in. Can you guess which one we are booking?

Edited June 24, 2015 by WhenIsLobsterNight

[Goodtime Cruizin]

I see this statement again and again on this message board and it perplexes me. I get that if I attend a concert or sports event I have to pay a high premium for a drink at those events. However, those events last maybe 2-4 hours tops. You are on a seven cruise a tad under 168 hours. It is silly that they are charging concert premium prices for an entire week in my opinion. I get that RCCL has their defenders who will stick by them no matter what they charge or take away from us, but come on people the drink prices are absurd. I just got off the Indy two weeks ago and my wife and I bought the drink package. We drank like a fish to try and get our moneys worth and it was still a total rip off to pay $800 for that package for two people. We truly power drank for seven days straight and I seriously doubt we consumed $75-$100 of actual alcohol at cost. RCCL could cut their drink prices in half and still make a killing. We enjoy RCCL, but are not loyal to any cruise line and are extensive cruisers. RCCL has just priced themselves out of reality in our opinion. We cruise the last week of May each year and it is currently $4500 for a balcony room on the Freedom next year for a family of four. We just priced NCCL next year same week, same itinerary, same balcony room on their second largest ship for $2717 and that includes two drink packages tossed in. Can you guess which one we are booking?

 

Well all I got for this is that you're also on vacation for 168 hrs too. For us, we expect to pay more when on vacation than when we aren't. I expect to drink more as well. I'll be off work, I'll be off the grid, the Capt has the designated driver covered etc. I take advantage of my downtime and because I do, I see a value. Now having said this, I'm not one that would have two or three cocktails per day. I'll get $49/day of drinks without any issues, for 7 days w/o the effort of 'power drinking'. Those that can't, don't or won't drink $49/day are the cruisers that will pay more per avg for a drink.

 

If one has to 'power drink' to reach $49/day, one should not buy a drink package. depending on what you order, that's only 4-5 drinks and a couple of bottles of water.

[ryano]

I see this statement again and again on this message board and it perplexes me. I get that if I attend a concert or sports event I have to pay a high premium for a drink at those events. However, those events last maybe 2-4 hours tops. You are on a seven cruise a tad under 168 hours. It is silly that they are charging concert premium prices for an entire week in my opinion. I get that RCCL has their defenders who will stick by them no matter what they charge or take away from us, but come on people the drink prices are absurd. I just got off the Indy two weeks ago and my wife and I bought the drink package. We drank like a fish to try and get our moneys worth and it was still a total rip off to pay $800 for that package for two people. We truly power drank for seven days straight and I seriously doubt we consumed $75-$100 of actual alcohol at cost. RCCL could cut their drink prices in half and still make a killing. We enjoy RCCL, but are not loyal to any cruise line and are extensive cruisers. RCCL has just priced themselves out of reality in our opinion. We cruise the last week of May each year and it is currently $4500 for a balcony room on the Freedom next year for a family of four. We just priced NCCL next year same week, same itinerary, same balcony room on their second largest ship for $2717 and that includes two drink packages tossed in. Can you guess which one we are booking?

 

Couldnt have said it better myself.

 

[fred30]

I usually tip $1.00 per drink but now with the higher prices and 18% tip I'm thinking that should be enough. The included tip is already in the $1.50 - $2.00 range.

Edited June 24, 2015 by fred30

[sparks1093]

I see this statement again and again on this message board and it perplexes me. I get that if I attend a concert or sports event I have to pay a high premium for a drink at those events. However, those events last maybe 2-4 hours tops. You are on a seven cruise a tad under 168 hours. It is silly that they are charging concert premium prices for an entire week in my opinion. I get that RCCL has their defenders who will stick by them no matter what they charge or take away from us, but come on people the drink prices are absurd. I just got off the Indy two weeks ago and my wife and I bought the drink package. We drank like a fish to try and get our moneys worth and it was still a total rip off to pay $800 for that package for two people. We truly power drank for seven days straight and I seriously doubt we consumed $75-$100 of actual alcohol at cost. RCCL could cut their drink prices in half and still make a killing. We enjoy RCCL, but are not loyal to any cruise line and are extensive cruisers. RCCL has just priced themselves out of reality in our opinion. We cruise the last week of May each year and it is currently $4500 for a balcony room on the Freedom next year for a family of four. We just priced NCCL next year same week, same itinerary, same balcony room on their second largest ship for $2717 and that includes two drink packages tossed in. Can you guess which one we are booking?

 

No one is forcing me to go to a concert or on a cruise- it is what I choose to do. I actually could have said that those prices are close to what I pay when I go out to dinner, also (which again no one is forcing me to do). Paying a comparable price on a ship is not a deal killer for me. Your experience with the drink package is why I have avoided getting one- I would drink so much to try to get my money's worth that I'd likely have a hard time remembering my cruise;). (And I'm here to tell you that the drink prices on NCL are very similar to RCI's, although you won't really notice since they included the drink package:).)

[bosoxfan5]

I did buy the "Share a Coke" Ultimate plan, despite the fact I'm not a big drinker. Actually after re-reading my reasons below, I may have a problem that I'm not ready to admit yet..... let's see!

 

5 Reasons I bought it-

1. I like the idea of not having to worry about how much I'm spending.

2. I figure I'll try out some new stuff I wouldn't necessarily pay $14 bucks for and be upset I didn't like it.... If I don't like it, move onto something different. (Any suggestions??)

3. Not a beer drinker - Would need to drink in excess to really get $$ worth.

4. I like Vodka, and yes, the occasional FooFoo drink, despite the fact they are LOADED with Sugar! They all look to be $12 or $14, so don't need to drink a ton to get to even $.

5. I love coffee - 2 specialty coffees a day at least - Need something to wake me up!

 

Yes I know I've already paid $450 for it, but since the cruise has only 3 ports and 1 of them is Port Canaveral, there's no need to get off there, I'll (most likely) get my money's worth. One of the stops is Coco Cay, so that's a bonus!

 

When I return, I'll report back what I spent vs. the upfront costs.

I leave this Friday! Can't wait!!!

 

 

I did the same thing. We aren't port intensive so I figure I would use this opportunity to try new drinks. I would never have done that if I was paying by the drink. I'm going to compare the individual drink prices to what I paid for the package after the cruise to see if it was worth it. I leave in 5 days!!

[mtu_huskies]

I agree with most everything in this thread.

 

I just hope people are sharing their concerns/comment with RCCL directly.

 

I recently did that with an email to Richard Fain. We haven't sailed for 2 years, but the drink costs and some other items have us concerned and are at least considering NOT being loyal to Royal. An employee in Miami did call and we discussed the concerns, and at this point we're at a wait and see how the Brilliance cruise goes before we decide if we stick with RCCL. These comments need to be sent to RCCL so they know what the drink prices are causing people to do, i.e. drink less or look at other cruise lines.

[NightOne]

I usually tip $1.00 per drink but now with the higher prices and 18% tip I'm thinking that should be enough. The included tip is already in the $1.50 - $2.00 range.

 

This totally depends on the number of drinks per day you have. The less you have the bigger the tip is per drink. The more you have the smaller the tip is per drink.

 

For example, buy the $35 a day select package ($6.30 in gratuity added) and drink 12 beers and you are tipping 52.5 cents per beer. In order for it to be the $1.50 to $2.00 per drink tip you mentioned you would have to consume only 3 or 4 beers per day.

 

With the premium package the numbers get slightly better because it results in $8.82 a day in gratuities. Thus 8 drinks in a day yields a $1.10 per drink tip.

[nbsjcruiser]

These are the actual prices (including mandatory service charge) I paid on Navigator of the Seas last week:

 

Sex on the Beach $12.63

"Drink of the Day" $10.56

Moscow Mule $14.16

 

The prices were significantly higher than what I have paid in the past. I usually have about 3 drinks a day on a cruise and I only had 5 drinks during my entire 7 day cruise this time! I don't drink enough to make the drink package worth it and these sky-high prices put a damper on ordering a drink by the pool.

 

I was digging through a pair of shorts I wore on our cruise in March and found an old drink receipt. I was shocked that I had paid almost $30 for 2 drinks. Its one thing to pay it at the time but when you look at it a few months later, it really hits home. Not that we drink a lot on cruises but on the next few we will not be drinking anything fancy when we do. Any fancy drinks we want will be consumed in port and I'll definitely be sneaking a bottle on board using my sure-fire never fails method. And no, I'm not telling anyone how I do it either because I know RCI monitors these boards. ;)

Edited June 24, 2015 by nbsjcruiser

[monctonguy]

Just checked for my cruise in Jan on IOS, booked in CAD.....drink package is about $80/per day with tips....ouch!

[mollyeilis]

We have 3 staterooms

 

Whew. :)

 

People do sometimes misunderstand the wine allowance, so I'm really glad you understood it!