4olivers Posted May 4, 2016 #1 Share Posted May 4, 2016 we will be traveling on our first cruise in Alaska, starting out with four days on land and sailing Saturday, July 16 through Saturday, July 23. I am more of a wine drinker and my husband tends to drink more beer/rum/vodka. Wondering what most people would suggest for us? I haven't been able to locate any detailed pricing from the ship for alcoholic beverages. Is it worth it to get the alcohol beverage package for the week? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinsoncruiseso Posted May 4, 2016 #2 Share Posted May 4, 2016 We are not big drinkers, but order what we want and usually spend $40 to $60 per day total on drinks. I believe these prices to be pretty accurate Beer $5-$6.50 - packages to buy 4 or 5 at a time at a discount are available. Wine $6-8 per glass - you can bring one bottle per person onboard to drink (or pour) in your cabin Mixed drinks, ie rum and coke I think is under $7 Specialty drinks, ie blended drinks are normally $8.95 Of course you can find more expensive drinks. There are normally two happy hours per day where it is buy one get one for a dollar. It must be the same drink but you can have them not open one beer and take it back to your cabin. There is a fridge and your steward will bring ice. Our drinking habits would never warrant purchasing the package at $50+ dollars per day each...now for my adult kids...that is another story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyweir Posted May 4, 2016 #3 Share Posted May 4, 2016 It all depends. If you're going to drink more than $60 a day per person, it's worth it. An average cocktail is $10-$12. An average glass of wine is $8-$12. Beer is $5-$7 per bottle. You can't use your package for two. Although some try and share, cruise lines keep pretty good track of how much and how many you consume. Remember, you can bring one bottle of wine per person. Open it in your cabin and bring the your filled wine glass to dinner and it won't cost you a cent! During port days I don't think you could drink $60 worth. That leaves sea days. It's cold in Alaska so people won't be spending a ton of time on deck drinking, unless you get rare warm weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moki'smommy Posted May 4, 2016 #4 Share Posted May 4, 2016 The math works out so that if you are doing 7-8 drinks per day, it is a good deal. Of course you are getting cokes, bottled water, etc. included as well. It will never be a good deal for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4olivers Posted May 4, 2016 Author #5 Share Posted May 4, 2016 Great feedback! Doesn't sound cost affective for us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUT2407 Posted May 4, 2016 #6 Share Posted May 4, 2016 we will be traveling on our first cruise in Alaska, starting out with four days on land and sailing Saturday, July 16 through Saturday, July 23. I am more of a wine drinker and my husband tends to drink more beer/rum/vodka. Wondering what most people would suggest for us? I haven't been able to locate any detailed pricing from the ship for alcoholic beverages. Is it worth it to get the alcohol beverage package for the week? If I still drank it'd be a no brainer, I always get the soda package and always come out way in front. It depends how many a day you have, wine you will need to drink about 6 a day. Beer you may need 8 a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheezedr Posted May 4, 2016 #7 Share Posted May 4, 2016 Good answers above but one item left out is that you also get 40% off on any wine up to $100!that you purchase in the dining area. That is a shareable item so you can have wine with your spouse or friends. For some that tips it in favor of the package. I do not go this route because I cannot drink that much anymore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reedprincess Posted May 4, 2016 #8 Share Posted May 4, 2016 Here is an excellent beverage package evaluator spreadsheet to figure it out for yourself. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2038576&highlight=evaluator The updated prices is included at post 205 on page 11. Just go through the spreadsheet, see what you may drink and it's costs and do the math for yourself. For us,it's a no-brainer. We get the package, on virtually all cruises. If we had a port intensive sailing, say 6 ports in 7 nights, we wouldn't. Otherwise, we get it. With bottled water, specialty coffees, and cocktails, it's a no-brainer for us... For others, it's not a deal. Only you know how much you may drink. And for what it's worth, you don't have to drink $60 ($56.35 really, although minus out the gratuity and it's only $49 you're actually "drinking") worth every day. Some days may be more drinks while others are less. If it evens out to the total for the week, then maybe a package is for you (or your hubby). Of it doesn't work out to about $350 or more for the week, then don't buy one. We easily covered the cost of the package on our Alaska sailing this past summer. It was 77-80 degrees the first few days, shorts and T-shirts while in Glacier Bay and enjoyed several cocktails on deck while scenic cruising, and during the other days after returning to ship - hot chocolate, Irish coffees, etc all helped keep us warm and toasty..bottles waters on our hikes and rafting trips, etc -all added up. To each their own. For some it works out, for others it doesn't.. You can do the math from the spreadsheet and decide for yourselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easyboy Posted May 4, 2016 #9 Share Posted May 4, 2016 we will be traveling on our first cruise in Alaska, starting out with four days on land and sailing Saturday, July 16 through Saturday, July 23. I am more of a wine drinker and my husband tends to drink more beer/rum/vodka. Wondering what most people would suggest for us? I haven't been able to locate any detailed pricing from the ship for alcoholic beverages. Is it worth it to get the alcohol beverage package for the week? The way you describe your drinking preferences, the AIBP is worth for you considering that it also includes non-alcoholic beverages. But it all depends on how you work out your numbers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idahospud Posted May 4, 2016 #10 Share Posted May 4, 2016 There is a recent Crooners drink menu under my signature. Wine prices are on the last picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky TGO Posted May 4, 2016 #11 Share Posted May 4, 2016 $40 or $50 dollars pp a day :eek: Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OzKiwiJJ Posted May 4, 2016 #12 Share Posted May 4, 2016 we will be traveling on our first cruise in Alaska, starting out with four days on land and sailing Saturday, July 16 through Saturday, July 23. I am more of a wine drinker and my husband tends to drink more beer/rum/vodka. Wondering what most people would suggest for us? I haven't been able to locate any detailed pricing from the ship for alcoholic beverages. Is it worth it to get the alcohol beverage package for the week? It very much depends on how much wine or beer/rum/vodka yoy would drink in a day. I really recommend you use the spreadsheet that was posted earlier. We find it works for us but we usually have a couple of cocktails a day, as well as wine with lunch and dinner, fresh orange juice with breakfast, speciality coffees, and bottled water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle_and_hawk Posted May 4, 2016 #13 Share Posted May 4, 2016 Here are some drink menus from the Coral this past February: CR22 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr CR21 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr CR20 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr CR19 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr CR18 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr CR17 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle_and_hawk Posted May 4, 2016 #14 Share Posted May 4, 2016 A few more: CR16 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr CR15 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr CR14 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr CR13 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr CR12 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr CR11 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle_and_hawk Posted May 4, 2016 #15 Share Posted May 4, 2016 I had more scanned that I remembered :) CR10 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr Standard menu in the MDR each night: B90 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle_and_hawk Posted May 4, 2016 #16 Share Posted May 4, 2016 These are from Crooners: a76 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr a75 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr a74 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr a73 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr a72 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skynight Posted May 4, 2016 #17 Share Posted May 4, 2016 It all depends. If you're going to drink more than $60 a day per person, it's worth it. An average cocktail is $10-$12. An average glass of wine is $8-$12. Beer is $5-$7 per bottle. You can't use your package for two. Although some try and share, cruise lines keep pretty good track of how much and how many you consume. Remember, you can bring one bottle of wine per person. Open it in your cabin and bring the your filled wine glass to dinner and it won't cost you a cent! During port days I don't think you could drink $60 worth. That leaves sea days. It's cold in Alaska so people won't be spending a ton of time on deck drinking, unless you get rare warm weather. These prices are scoped a little high. The average cocktail, like a martini, margarita, cosmo, is under $10, straight whiskeys, scotches, liqueurs are in the $7 range. In fact almost all alcoholic beverages are priced under $10, and so almost everything is included in the AIBP. Only a few selections of wine and some special whiskeys are priced higher. Cost of the AIBP is $56.35/day, including the gratuity. So for a 7 day cruise the cost is $394.45/pp. The package includes all beverages alcoholic and non alcoholic, prices under $10, but excludes room service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmak8 Posted May 4, 2016 #18 Share Posted May 4, 2016 You have to do the math. In our case, we do not drink enough to make the AIBP worthwhile. Cheaper to pay by the drink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustJoy Posted May 4, 2016 #19 Share Posted May 4, 2016 Thanks so much for the spread sheet for drinks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustJoy Posted May 4, 2016 #20 Share Posted May 4, 2016 Does the beverage package work for room service also? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyVeteran Posted May 4, 2016 #21 Share Posted May 4, 2016 Does the beverage package work for room service also? No. It is good in any restaurant or bar, but not for room service. You will have to walk to the bar, get your drink, and carry it back to your room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reedprincess Posted May 4, 2016 #22 Share Posted May 4, 2016 Does the beverage package work for room service also? Nope. Only for bars and restaurants around the ship. Does not include room service or in-room mini-bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC&KY Posted May 4, 2016 #23 Share Posted May 4, 2016 There are numerous other threads discussing this identical question, e.g., http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2338539, and a very good calculator that you can apply to your situation at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2038576. A common misunderstanding, which appears again in this thread, is an assumption that you must drink a great deal of alcohol to make the package work. If you drink specialty coffees, freshly squeezed orange juice, bottled waters, and sodas along with a moderate amount of alcohol, you may find it works for you.:eek: Only teetotalers will surely fare better with a different package (e.g., soda) or no package. Use the calculator to see how it will impact you. Don't assume just because you aren't going to have 7-8 alcoholic drinks a day that you're better without it. You may well wind up paying more overall.:( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCruisers Posted May 4, 2016 #24 Share Posted May 4, 2016 The AIBP is a YEA for us! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustJoy Posted May 4, 2016 #25 Share Posted May 4, 2016 No. It is good in any restaurant or bar, but not for room service. You will have to walk to the bar, get your drink, and carry it back to your room. Thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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