Which one?? Udp, ubp, wifi minutes or obc

[Ed]

Booked a 2016 transatlantic on the Epic back to Orlando and had the option of picking one of the following:

Unlimited Dining Package

Unlimited Beverage Package

$50 on board credit

250 Minutes of Wifi

 

We went with UDP only because don't see us getting the full benefit of UBP, $ 50 onboard credit doesn't compare, and Wifi minutes maybe useless when out at sea for 6 start days and connections can't be good in the middle of the Atantic.

 

What would you go with?

 

Thanks

[Sauer-kraut]

I think you picked the one that suits you best. I wouldn't go with the internet package, I am not interested in looking at all my spam while on vacation. :D

 

The drinks package might have been a good move, but if you're not a drinker and you buy just a cocktail a day the $11 over the 6 days is only $66. You come out way ahead.

[Jay Sam]

Myself, I would do the beverage package as I would get full benefit out of it, but if you don't drink enough to take advantage of it, then I would say the dining package is the best.

 

On board credit of 50.00 is lame and the Wifi, I wouldn't choose if it were unlimited minutes. Also a lame offer.

 

Enjoy the Epic.

[karen_cpa]

We do the UDP. We don't drink enough to justify the UBP, but we generally do a specialty restaurant each night.

[Jane Don]

I find that choosing a benefit ought to be done in term of opportunity cost. If you booked recently, you do not get UDP, but SDP which will offer upto six days of specialty dining based on the length of you cruise. If your crossing is 12 days, you get to eat specialty 6 times. If you drink more than $340 worth of alcohol in 12 days (lets say 34 drinks or 17 pp or less than 2 per day) then you are better off with UBP. The UBP covers the cost of juice and other virgin drinks as well which will also cost money.

 

In my opinion, the UBP is the only choice for anyone who will get any drink (booze or not) from any bar three or more times a day.

 

Of course, with the new a la carte menus yet to be released, no one knows for sure what the true dollar value of the SDP is at this moment.

 

I am not trying to dissuade you from SDP, just ensure that you realistically calculate your probable beverage costs before you give up such high priced benefit. Two glasses of good wine per person with dinner will come close to equaling the cost of the dinner itself.

[newmexicoNita]

Booked a 2016 transatlantic on the Epic back to Orlando and had the option of picking one of the following:

Unlimited Dining Package

Unlimited Beverage Package

$50 on board credit

250 Minutes of Wifi

 

We went with UDP only because don't see us getting the full benefit of UBP, $ 50 onboard credit doesn't compare, and Wifi minutes maybe useless when out at sea for 6 start days and connections can't be good in the middle of the Atantic.

 

What would you go with?

 

Thanks

 

What works for one doesn't always work for someone else. We choose the UBP. We figure, 3 drinks a day would cost about 25.00 each (at least) the dining package for us isn't as good because we get 2 free dinners anyway for being platinum. And truthfully, including wine with dinner we are probably more apt to drink about 5 drinks per day. This way we don't have to worry about the cost and base our brand on cost. Hubby will be able to drink his scotch and I can have all the wine I want plus a bloody Mary in the morning and maybe a brandy at night.

 

For those who drink very little the UDP is probably the best and in no way would I get the inter net plan. A $50 OBC, I will get that from our TA I am sure.

[BensonFan711]

We just had to make this decision when I booked my parents, sister, and I on the Getaway for January. My sister and I have paid for UBP before, and while we drank, didn't quite come out ahead. Parents may have a glass of wine with dinner and/or mimosa with breakfast, but not enough to justify UBP.

 

We're perfectly content with the MDR. Mom had weight loss surgery and only eats about 10 bites per meal, but eats often...specialty restaurant meals would be WAY too big!

 

$50 goes really fast onboard (gratuities for a week are almost $100 alone), so that's a bad buy.

 

And wifi? Please! One of the best parts of cruising is being out of reach!!

 

So for us, since it's free, we went with the UBP, figuring if we use it at all (which we will...daily!), we got a deal out of it.

[NLH Arizona]

My first choice is always the UDP, since I'm a light drinker, the OBC wouldn't even cover the cost of the specialty restaurants and I don't do the internet much when on a cruise. Plus, since I only eat dinners in the specialty restaurant, it makes the most sense for me.

[Ed]

After future review and everyone's thoughts and where it comes with the price of the room as a promo I think we will go with the UBP package based on $$ dollars only. The UDP plan for the 11 nights, since we get two nights in Le Bistro for being Platinum, works out to approximately $ 17/PP per day, which if we book Cagneys many of the nights is the bigger bang for the bucks as they say. Since this is TA and 13 days and we are stuck on the ship more than 8 sea days we should be able to drink up me hardies.

Thanks for all the input.

Edited September 6, 2015 by Ed

[**maria**]

I had the same choice but the OBC was $100 so I chose that one.

 

I assumed that the speciality restaurants will be overbooked because so many people get the UDP for free. I don't need wifi because I want to have a proper holiday and I don't drink alcohol. I do like a soft drink so I figured that I could buy the soda package and still have a bit of OBC left.

[Mack704]

Our choice, (DW&me), would be the Wifi. I looked it up. $125.00 for 250 minutes. We don't drink at all. We plan to use the complimentary dining exclusively. We do want to be in touch with the Internet. So it fits for us. What works for you is what fits for you.

 

Harvey

[MtreJ]

When I sailed the Pearl in December 2014, our party felt letdown by the quality of the food in the MDRs. Nothing we ate had that wow factor. Meh at best.

 

When we were presented with a similar offer that you had, especially considering that the UDP or UBP was for all passengers in the cabin, we easily chose the UDP for our upcoming Jan 2016 cruise.

[dcipjr]

We just picked the UBP for our perk for our upcoming cruise. We had $200 OBC last time around, and it was amazing at how fast we burned through that on a drink here, a drink there. If my wife and I both get drinks, it's easily $18 or so after gratuity.

 

We aren't big drinkers by any means, but our next cruise is a B2B, and I'm looking forward to just being able to get a drink for the various sailaways and not having to worry about saving OBC for later, or racking up a large bill.

 

We like the MDRs, and although we tried Moderno and liked it, we'd rather be able to have a glass of wine with dinner in the MDR. UBP for us!

[CaliforniaDreamer]

Didn't they offer you the pre-paid gratuities? That is what i took on my 7 day cruise.

[duce95]

I'd say book a suite and get it all. We are hooked on the suite life and all the extras of all the packages make it worth while!

[MtreJ]

I'd say book a suite and get it all. We are hooked on the suite life and all the extras of all the packages make it worth while!

 

Forwarding you the invoice for my upgrade!

[JAMESCC]

We chose the UBP even though we don't drink all that much just so we don't have to deal with beverages for the whole cruise. We don't have to think about it, if we want it, we get it and don't have to think about where or what to get.

[newmexicoNita]

When I sailed the Pearl in December 2014, our party felt letdown by the quality of the food in the MDRs. Nothing we ate had that wow factor. Meh at best.

 

When we were presented with a similar offer that you had, especially considering that the UDP or UBP was for all passengers in the cabin, we easily chose the UDP for our upcoming Jan 2016 cruise.

 

I hope you are happy wih the specialty dining rooms. Normally they are much bettr than the MDRs and for a good reason. Of course we don't expect the "wow" factor when eating in the MDR on any ship. It is about like eating at mose mid range chains.