Why purchase Drink Package if.....

[Notquite50]

Why would someone purchase a drink package if instead money can be placed in an OBC account. Am I missing something??? Maybe I don't understand, but from reading the posts here on CC, I am under the impression that I can gift myself OBC and then use that money for the spa, alcoholic drinks, soda, water, etc. and then whatever I don't use will be refunded to me.

Am I right? Because I've been trying to justify the cost of the drink package and from my calculations we need to drink about 7 drinks a day ( YIKES! Will I even remember the cruise:D) not to mention the days we are off the boat not drinking anything until the evening. We definitely want to just enjoy ourselves and not nickel and dime decisions we make while on board - so if a drink package is a better decision please let me know. Thanks in advance!

[Nezmo]

I wondered if it would be a good deal for us on our recent 10 day cruise because we had a lot of ports. We decided to go for it and I know we made out like bandits. Once you realize water bottles and coffee is also included it becomes a lot easier to see how it can be a good deal.

 

It was a good deal for us even counting the fact we got our morning Mimosas and Blood Caesers included with breakfast.

 

I remember our cruise (most of it anyway, lol). It was nice not worrying about what you were spending on drinks. And I tried a few things I might not have otherwise as the risk was zero.

Edited April 6, 2016 by Nezmo

[Thrak]

People purchase it because it lets them have as many drinks as they like without worrying about the cost. They can try a drink and, if they don't like it, simply get a different drink. It's nice to have wine with dinner, drinks before and after dinner, a drink a the show, a drink at MUTS, a drink in the afternoon, a drink with lunch, a drink with breakfast. :D

 

It includes water for taking ashore. It costs too much for me but many people can afford it and love it. It's the freedom that many like.

[cb at sea]

If you don't drink a lot...the package makes NO sense at alll....You can buy drinks as you go...pay per purchase, or in advance...same cost!

Edited April 6, 2016 by cb at sea

[emmaasher]

The benefits of a drink package which can be bought on board using your obc is you have a fixed cost. You don't have to keep track of your drinks all the time. I personally don't get the aibp as i don't drink alcohol so it wouldn't be practical for me. I do buy the soda and more package which i make a killing on. It is $7 a day so I just need to drink two mocktails and I have already made my money and every other drink is a bonus. Also if i am buying a drink for myself and someone else (using separate cruise cards) the waiters often won't bother charging for the other drink.

[memoak]

If you are going to drink 5+ drinks a day then it makes sense (for us it saves us a lot of money since we enjoy coffee drinks, bottled water for gym and ports). If you only drink 1-2 a day then better off paying as you go

[Pam in CA]

Follow the money. The one thing to keep in mind is that cruise lines offer drink packages to make money. Lots of money. Not because they want to save you money. A few passengers will break even, most won't. You'd have to average over five alcoholic drinks a day... including port days... to break even.

 

Water from the tap is free and is as good or better than bottled water. Coffee is free as well. If you drink specialty drinks, you can get unlimited brewed coffee and fifteen specialty drinks for about $36 for the entire cruise.

[skynight]

Why would someone purchase a drink package if instead money can be placed in an OBC account. Am I missing something??? Maybe I don't understand, but from reading the posts here on CC, I am under the impression that I can gift myself OBC and then use that money for the spa, alcoholic drinks, soda, water, etc. and then whatever I don't use will be refunded to me.

Am I right? Because I've been trying to justify the cost of the drink package and from my calculations we need to drink about 7 drinks a day ( YIKES! Will I even remember the cruise:D) not to mention the days we are off the boat not drinking anything until the evening. We definitely want to just enjoy ourselves and not nickel and dime decisions we make while on board - so if a drink package is a better decision please let me know. Thanks in advance!

Yes, you can gift yourself OBC, which is good for any on board expense, except future cruise deposits.The AIBP gives you 'unlimited' drinks under $10 for $56.35/day X the number of days of the cruise. Figure a mixed drink like a martini is around $9.50, straight whiskeys and wine, around $7, espresso drinks around $2.50/$3, sodas a few $$, beer around $5. If you plan on drinking more than $56.35/day then it is worth it. If you don't plan to reach that amount, then not worth it. It is an individual decision and only you can determine if the package is worth it for you.

[RocketMan275]

Purchasing the AIBP is like buying an extended warranty. Economically, it probably doesn't make sense but you know what it will cost.

 

We bought one on our first cruise because we didn't know better.

[bankerbabe]

We did the math - someone on here created a really nice spreadsheet to work with - and for us the cost of the AIBP came out to be about even with paying as we go. So, we went for it.

 

I feel like doing so was worth the cost, especially considering I would have bought the Soda & More package plus a coffee card had I not purchased the AIBP.

 

Even with slow drink service, we had no problem having 5 drinks per day, even on port days. A typical port day's consumption:

 

1 specialty or regular coffee from International Cafe in the morning

1 bottle of water to take off ship

2 drinks at sail-away

1 pre-dinner drink (or two)

1 drink with dinner (would have been more if the service had been better)

1 post-dinner drink, either port or Irish Cream

 

Add to that the fact that gelato is included and we totally got our money's worth. I had 5 or 6 gelatos over the course of the cruise.

 

Keep in mind that the drinks are not large and not particularly strong. So it's not like 5 drinks a day will affect you a lot.

 

But to each his own. If you prefer to put money into OBC and that works for you, then I don't see why you would buy the AIBP. For us it was a no-brainer.

[Murphey]

I feel that the drinks on board are just as strong as most places on land. :) I think we would drink or waste more than we need, so for us pay as you go is our way. But, as others have said it's a personal decision. We have it as an included package on our Mexican trip, it will be interesting to see how that goes. :D

[elliair]

We enjoy wine so we purchase the wine package. Also there's a happy hour every day in the Wheelhouse Lounge from 3-4 pm. Buy 1 drink get the second same drink for $1. We buy 2 glasses each of wine and get 2 more for $1 ea. They usually just bring us the bottle. Sometimes we order 2 more and they bring us the bottle unopened. We take it back to our cabin. DH will have a mixed drink now and then but I stick with wine.

[Steelers0854]

Also include in your cost calculations the convenience of having the package. With the Soda and More all I had to do was walk up, order, show my card and I'm done. No swiping my card, no signing, no ensuring it was correctly listed on my stateroom account (it can be hard when you have 4-5 in a day remembering what and when you ordered when checking your statement). I would imagine that the AIBP is just as easy so even if you don't drink enough to break even the convenience may be worth it for you, it was for us in the soda and more package. If the AIBP is different I know one of my fellow cruisers will help me out [emoji41]

[OCruisers]

The "Liquor Sticker" (All Inclusive Drink Package) works great for us. :D

[fishywood]

Why would someone purchase a drink package if instead money can be placed in an OBC account. Am I missing something??? Maybe I don't understand, but from reading the posts here on CC, I am under the impression that I can gift myself OBC and then use that money for the spa, alcoholic drinks, soda, water, etc. and then whatever I don't use will be refunded to me.

 

And I have always wondered why someone would gift themselves OBC when it is perfectly fine to use a credit card and not have to actually pay for your onboard spend until a month or more after disembarkation, rather than having Princess hold my money for me before I have even boarded.

 

The answer to both our questions is of course convenience. The reason to purchase the AIBP is not to see if you can outdrink its nominal value but because you find prepaying a fixed amount the path of least resistance whether or not there is any savings involved. It is a position you cannot be waffling on, nor relying on others to opine for you whether it is better to take it or not, so judging by the reticence of your opening post I would suggest paying as you go. (Unless of course seeing the phrase "pay as you go" in writing convinces you that you have been leaning towards pre-paying all along...)

 

And I will add that whether or not you will use the plan sufficiently on port days is a non-factor, convenience-wise. A couple coffee drinks and fresh squeezed OJ at breakfast, bottled water to take ashore, and (depending on which ship) a milkshake or Gelato treat upon returning are all included in the AIBP--and you haven't even started drinking yet!

[arb18]

Gelato is not included on the Regal anymore. Just got off on Sunday and had to pay for it :(

[WehoAtlantis]

Why would someone purchase a drink package if instead money can be placed in an OBC account. Am I missing something??? Maybe I don't understand, but from reading the posts here on CC, I am under the impression that I can gift myself OBC and then use that money for the spa, alcoholic drinks, soda, water, etc. and then whatever I don't use will be refunded to me.

Am I right? Because I've been trying to justify the cost of the drink package and from my calculations we need to drink about 7 drinks a day ( YIKES! Will I even remember the cruise:D) not to mention the days we are off the boat not drinking anything until the evening. We definitely want to just enjoy ourselves and not nickel and dime decisions we make while on board - so if a drink package is a better decision please let me know. Thanks in advance!

 

We always buy the drink package and always come out ahead. It even worked in Vines on Crown where you buy a glass of wine and get tapas or sushi / sashimi. Our drink package covered that. Then again we are pros lol!

 

--Mike

[Murphey]

We enjoy wine so we purchase the wine package. Also there's a happy hour every day in the Wheelhouse Lounge from 3-4 pm. Buy 1 drink get the second same drink for $1. We buy 2 glasses each of wine and get 2 more for $1 ea. They usually just bring us the bottle. Sometimes we order 2 more and they bring us the bottle unopened. We take it back to our cabin. DH will have a mixed drink now and then but I stick with wine.

 

Wow!! This is a great benefit...we have not experienced the same. They have always brought us the "pours", It's been awkward to carry glasses of wine back to the cabin. But still nice to get the second glass for $1. We usually just order the one.

Edited April 7, 2016 by Murphey

[Sonoran_cruiser]

You might also get the beverage package free, as part of the cruise sale offering. Problem is, that happens oh so infrequently with Princess (whereas it's a regular offering on Norwegian and Celebrity).

[Working 2 Cruise]

It really is a no brainer for us. Coffee in the morning, a specialty coffee at lunch, bottled water (the large ones) we take and drink them in our cabin, a cocktail or two after lunch, pre-dinner cocktails... Also freshly squeezed orange juice, etc. I figure without the package we'd spend between$60 and $80 a day, and that's without drinking a lot...

[Murphey]

And I have always wondered why someone would gift themselves OBC when it is perfectly fine to use a credit card and not have to actually pay for your onboard spend until a month or more after disembarkation, rather than having Princess hold my money for me before I have even boarded.

 

The answer to both our questions is of course convenience. The reason to purchase the AIBP is not to see if you can outdrink its nominal value but because you find prepaying a fixed amount the path of least resistance whether or not there is any savings involved. It is a position you cannot be waffling on, nor relying on others to opine for you whether it is better to take it or not, so judging by the reticence of your opening post I would suggest paying as you go. (Unless of course seeing the phrase "pay as you go" in writing convinces you that you have been leaning towards pre-paying all along...)

 

 

And I will add that whether or not you will use the plan sufficiently on port days is a non-factor, convenience-wise. A couple coffee drinks and fresh squeezed OJ at breakfast, bottled water to take ashore, and (depending on which ship) a milkshake or Gelato treat upon returning are all included in the AIBP--and you haven't even started drinking yet!

 

I think it may be a "budgeting" issue for some. Some people don't like to have lingering financial obligations after a vacation. Just a thought!

[umbluemusic]

I have it on my upcoming cruise but I got it as a booking bonus. I most likely would not pay out of pocket for it - my fiancé is kind of a lightweight :) BUT! We have already planned on going to the martini bar and trying a bunch, and even if we don't finish them or like them it is fine. I've honestly never had a true martini because I don't know whether I'd like it. I'm going to try a bunch of drinks that I wouldn't usually get because they're included! Also, last cruise I brought on a quart of juice (I'm diabetic) and a case of diet soda. I don't need to worry about that now, nor the bottled water to take ashore. Since we are on our honeymoon I am really glad we have this add on - the pricing has stayed pretty similar to when we booked as well (I think our room category actually has risen) so I also feel like I got a great price.

 

Would I do it for every cruise? No. But I also wish I had it when I went on my 15 day Panama Canal cruise, because the 10 sea days as well as the bottled water would have definitely been worth it to me. Sadly I don't think it was even offered at that point or we would have gotten it.

[elliair]

Wow!! This is a great benefit...we have not experienced the same. They have always brought us the "pours", It's been awkward to carry glasses of wine back to the cabin. But still nice to get the second glass for $1. We usually just order the one.

 

Here's another tip for beer drinkers. During happy hour it's one get the next one for a $1. They bring both bottles, however, do not ask for it to be opened. We've seen people buying 3 bottles of beer and getting 3 more and take it back to their cabin. So if you wanna save some money take advantage of this Happy Hour, you may not need the bev package.

Edited April 7, 2016 by elliair

[cruisequeen4ever]

OP, it's all about the value. If one only spends $10 per day on drinks, $200 OBC for a 7 day cruise perk is awesome. If one spends $80 per day on drinks, the AIBP perk value far outweighs $200 OBC.

I've wanted the AIBP as a free perk, so I can get a latte or margarita whenever I want, but for me, I'd be acid reflux central if I bought the AIBP and tried to get my money's worth.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Tedferg]

Posters above have explained both sides of this coin. I am buying AIBP on upcoming Mexican Riviera - 5 Sea Days and most Port Days will be back on board 3:30 - 4:00.

 

We are cruising with another couple - close friends. He and I will have a couple of beers late afternoon - a beer before dinner - wine or two at dinner and a beer or night cap after the show. Port days might add a beer at pub lunch etc.

 

Not too hard to get close to break even, add coffee, water etc. plus the freedom of fixed cost - I was surprised that it makes sense. On a port intensive cruise like Med - not enough time to get 5 drinks each day :-)

 

Also if we were travelling alone I would not have my Buddy so fewer Bar visits :-)