Drink Packages. Worth it?

[ScottC4746]

We will be on a 7 night next year to Alaska and was thinking about the Ultimate drink package. Is it worth it? We are not heavy drinkers but do love my martini's and prefer Bombay Safire while DH like Guiness on tap or Titos. We don't drink all day. A typical day might be:

Coffee, tea, juices, soda, and water during the day.

A drink or two before dinner

A glass of wine during dinner

A night cap either the same as the pre dinner drink or shifting to a brandy or sherry just before bed.

[bkrickles1]

I would say it would not be good for you based on your drinking habits.

Not only do you need to drink a certain amount to break even or get ahead, but you need to do that every day, including the days at port. It's hard if your trip is port intensive.

I'm leaving tomorrow on 9 day cruise on LOS and I'm getting ultimate for me. The trip is ship intensive so I'll be on board all day, almost every day and will get my moneys worth, without too much effort.

 

 

We will be on a 7 night next year to Alaska and was thinking about the Ultimate drink package. Is it worth it? We are not heavy drinkers but do love my martini's and prefer Bombay Safire while DH like Guiness on tap or Titos. We don't drink all day. A typical day might be:

Coffee, tea, juices, soda, and water during the day.

A drink or two before dinner

A glass of wine during dinner

A night cap either the same as the pre dinner drink or shifting to a brandy or sherry just before bed.

[Clarea]

I agree, I don't think it would be financially advantageous to get the Ultimate package.

[jamesr3939]

I agree, based on your drink habits and being port intensive it's probably not worth it.

 

I kept pretty close track on our March cruise to Caribbean where we never got off the ship and drank between 8 -10 drinks per day, plus some pretty nice glasses of wine (paid the extra $6). I would say I at least broke even or maybe saved a $100 or so.

 

We did the premium package.

[jticarruthers]

I would concur with the group and say it sounds like you are a little below the breakeven point.

 

Questions:

 

1. Are you thinking regular tea/coffee or "specialty" coffee (Latte, Capuccino, etc.).

2. Regular juice or fresh squeezed ?

3. "tap" water or bottled ?

 

The premium package is a little cheaper and still includes bottled water but loses the fresh squeezed juice and specialty coffees.

 

2-3 drinks a day and a glass of wine a day would still be a little below breakeven but if you are a bottled water drinker and plan to go through a few bottles a day of water you might be getting close ...

[George C]

I agree with everyone, skip it, if you are going to drink 5 or more top shelf drinks then I would get it

[dplusd]

We tried the drink package once and did not come close to breaking even, and we tried! I should have known better because our typical bar bill is never even close to the cost of the package, but we tried it anyway. Now we just pay as we go.

 

I would consider your normal bar bill on past cruises...if it's typically less than the cost of the package...forget it!

[Goodtime Cruizin]

We will be on a 7 night next year to Alaska and was thinking about the Ultimate drink package. Is it worth it? We are not heavy drinkers but do love my martini's and prefer Bombay Safire while DH like Guiness on tap or Titos. We don't drink all day. A typical day might be:

Coffee, tea, juices, soda, and water during the day.

A drink or two before dinner

A glass of wine during dinner

A night cap either the same as the pre dinner drink or shifting to a brandy or sherry just before bed.

 

 

By your count that is 4 or 5 drinks per day as a minimum, plus water. So you'r right on the cusp. Two questions that help me form my thoughts are...

1. How many sea days vs port days do I plan to have?

2. How active are my excursions?

 

4 drinks/day depending what you drink is about $40/day avg, the Premium Pkg is $49/day. I'd say if you do drink 5 or more, is easily doable at today's prices of their drinks.

 

Enjoy the cruise!

Edited July 1, 2015 by Goodtime Cruizin

[monctonguy]

5 drinks per day on average works out to pay for the premium package 6 for the ultimate.....once you include things like soda and water...

 

Exceptions to everything..but that's about the average.

[Grandprix]

The select package on a 7 day is around $45/day. I only drink beer. I cannot drink 7+/day to break even. Shore days would mean even less time to get to seven. I don't think the drink packages are worth it for moderate or less drinkers. I will pay as I go instead.

[ScottC4746]

I guess they are designed for the binge drinker.

[denatravels]

I guess they are designed for the binge drinker.

 

 

Or those that drink more on a week long cruise than they typically drink in a year!!

[sailor05]

My wife and I both just had the Ultimate Pkgs. I'd say it was worth it to me but not the wife. It's quite the pace of drinking to drink that much EVERY day. On the days she drank it was good, but I think the advantage was quickly wiped by not drinking much, if any on a couple days. Plus for me the Ultimate didn't pay off as imo the specialty coffees stunk compared to the onboard Starbucks so we both ended up paying for those.

[CHAMPDDS]

Can someone provide me an accurate up to date cost of a Budwesier/Bud Lite 16oz that they serve? With gratuity

 

And for a middle ground mixed drink, say, what a margarita would cost a la carte as well..

 

Trying to do the math before we depart Saturday to decide for myself..and have found a lot of old data...

 

Thanks!

 

David:D

[3dog]

I guess they are designed for the binge drinker.

 

Or for those that prefer the more expensive drinks. It doesn't take many of the more expensive wines to "break even" (rhetorical question: how many or the $12 drinks does it take to cover $49).

 

Then there is always what is the convenience worth? If you want a drink, get one. With the higher packages, if that drink costs more than the package limit, only pay the difference. So ever considered what the expensive wines in Vintages were like, get one. In Labadee and wanted a drink, just get one. Didn't like the last one you got and want another, get one. And unless you get lots of the over-the-limit drinks, your bar bill at the end of the cruise will be the same.

 

 

IMO, if the price of the package seems too high, it probably isn't for you.

[Clarea]

Can someone provide me an accurate up to date cost of a Budwesier/Bud Lite 16oz that they serve? With gratuity

 

And for a middle ground mixed drink, say, what a margarita would cost a la carte as well..

 

Trying to do the math before we depart Saturday to decide for myself..and have found a lot of old data...

 

Thanks!

 

David:D

There was no margarita less than $10 on our Liberty cruise this past March.

[bc_redhead]

We have only been on one cruise and this was one item I kept going back and forth on. After some research on drink prices and some tips from people here on cruise critic, I decided it wouldn't be worth it for us. We are not binge drinkers (unless in Vegas...lol) and I didn't want to chase the money I would pay each day for the drink packages for both of us. We took the two bottles of wine which we were allowed and also a duffel bag with a 12 pack of water and 6 pack coke (some bottles were left behind because we didn't drink it all). We shared the bottled drinks we took on board, which we wouldn't be able to do unless we both had the packages. During the evening shows we had our martinis and other beverages and it didn't come close to what we would have spent on the packages.

 

Many port days we wouldn't be back to the ship until the evening and definitely would not have had the time (or the liver) to drink our quota for the day.

 

I can see it being a good deal for people who drink a lot of soda during the day and quite a few drinks in the evening, but that's not us.

Edited July 2, 2015 by bc_redhead

[ryano]

Can someone provide me an accurate up to date cost of a Budwesier/Bud Lite 16oz that they serve? With gratuity

 

 

I was charged 7.08 for Bud Light on Freedom in April. Gratuity included.

[BRUKREW]

My husband and I are going on a 5 day cruise next February. We have never gotten the drink package but we are going to give it a try. Probably the Premium package. Reason is we have $500 shipboard credit from our RCCC and one of the stops is Labadee so we can use the drink package there too. The other stop of Falmouth we have no excursions planned so we will probably get off the ship for a short time to check out the shops and then get back on. I just think the decision is based on personal preference on what you like to drink and how much time you would be spending on the ship!

[ryano]

There was no margarita less than $10 on our Liberty cruise this past March.

 

No margaritas less than 10.00 on Freedom in April either. I dont know if they still run that 2 for 1 happy hour margarita special in the On Air bar or not. I dont recall seeing it in the Compass.

[ryano]

My husband and I are going on a 5 day cruise next February. We have never gotten the drink package but we are going to give it a try. Probably the Premium package. Reason is we have $500 shipboard credit from our RCCC and one of the stops is Labadee so we can use the drink package there too. The other stop of Falmouth we have no excursions planned so we will probably get off the ship for a short time to check out the shops and then get back on. I just think the decision is based on personal preference on what you like to drink and how much time you would be spending on the ship!

 

Im about to purchase the Premium package for my cruise in April. I already know I wont come close to breaking even. I dont really care :) I can pay for it upfront now and not have to stress over ever $14.16 Lava flow I order :cool:

[Ren1216]

Im about to purchase the Premium package for my cruise in April. I already know I wont come close to breaking even. I dont really care :) I can pay for it upfront now and not have to stress over ever $14.16 Lava flow I order :cool:

 

Holy cow, is that really what they cost now? Haven't been on a RCI cruise in a few years.... that just might persuade me to go with the package. I do love me a lava flow (or two, or three). Yum! :D

[Clarea]

Holy cow, is that really what they cost now? Haven't been on a RCI cruise in a few years.... that just might persuade me to go with the package. I do love me a lava flow (or two, or three). Yum! :D

Pretty much all frozen type cocktails run $10 to $12, so it's not unusual to see a $14 bill after they add the 18% tip.

[CP3o]

For anyone on a 7 night or longer, seems like you could experiment with doing it for only a portion of the time to try it out, if on the fence. Or, just decide the first day or two to pretend drinks are free, order w/o sweating the cost, swipe away with the seapass card and drink as much as you want.

 

In the morning add up the day befores cost. Was the cost more or less than package? If it's more, you'd be inclined to get it for the rest of the trip. Unless it was only a little cheaper and you had a headache and dry mouth and didn't think you really wanted to keep drinking like that.

 

Some mention hitting a wall after X number of days drinking on the package so maybe, if on the fence, trying it for only 4 days could be a nice "test" the first time.

[Goodtime Cruizin]

I guess they are designed for the binge drinker.

 

That would be a wrong guess. :cool: