Where's the break even on UBP?

[Sunshine2U]

Where's the break even point on paying by the drink (with tip) and UBP after service charge? Let's say I drink mostly mixed drinks with some glasses of wine thrown in. Sorry if this is being rehashed for the 1000th time!

[eatdrinkfly]

I'd guess about 8 drinks a day depending on the price point... if everything you buy is closer to $15 each, then at 6 drinks you're ahead. but if you drink cheap beer, then it may take as many as 12 a day.

[sykimball1498]

I would think most mixed drinks and wine would be anywhere from $8.95 on the cheaper side to about $12.95 on the higher end.

 

I think it would take about anywhere from 7-12 drinks would be your break even point based on the prices above.

 

Keep in mind NCL has priced the Super Premium out of the package at $16.95 per shot and many drinks now made with these liquors are $17.95 and are not included in the package so I did not include those prices in my above tally.

[PelicanBill]

If you are going to get this as a promo, consider this.

 

I was also calculating the break even point and then I realized: The value as a bonus isn't what you would have paid for the plan, it's what you would have paid for drinks. I would not buy UBP for the price. But then I would only have 1 or 2 drinks a day. So now I get to have 4, 5, 6, whatever... for no additional cost.

 

If you are considering buying the plan vs. buying all drinks, then you need to be sloshed most of the time to get a good value!

[beerman2]

If you are going to get this as a promo, consider this.

 

I was also calculating the break even point and then I realized: The value as a bonus isn't what you would have paid for the plan, it's what you would have paid for drinks. I would not buy UBP for the price. But then I would only have 1 or 2 drinks a day. So now I get to have 4, 5, 6, whatever... for no additional cost.

 

If you are considering buying the plan vs. buying all drinks, then you need to be sloshed most of the time to get a good value!

 

You don't need to be "sloshed"! I can no longer drink like I used to, but let's do the math:

 

B/fast : 2 mimosa's, bloody Mary's , or Bailey's and coffee = $15.00 approx.

Lunch : 2 drinks/beers = 15.00-18.00 approx

Afternoon by pool 3 drinks/beers =22.00-25.00 approx

Pre dinner/dinner 2 drinks = 15.00-18.00

Evening shows/ walking around etc. 3 more 22.00-25-00

 

That's 12 drinks averaging about 1 an hour ( 8am-8pm)

 

89.00 low end a day, I didn't even add in Martini's at dinner instead of mixed drinks.

 

You are not sitting at a bar for 12 hrs.Straight you are moving around, eating while consuming .

 

To many it may seem quite a bit , to others very manageable ! Certainly not "sloshed"!

[starfishee]

You don't need to be "sloshed"! I can no longer drink like I used to, but let's do the math:

 

B/fast : 2 mimosa's, bloody Mary's , or Bailey's and coffee = $15.00 approx.

Lunch : 2 drinks/beers = 15.00-18.00 approx

Afternoon by pool 3 drinks/beers =22.00-25.00 approx

Pre dinner/dinner 2 drinks = 15.00-18.00

Evening shows/ walking around etc. 3 more 22.00-25-00

 

That's 12 drinks averaging about 1 an hour ( 8am-8pm)

 

89.00 low end a day, I didn't even add in Martini's at dinner instead of mixed drinks.

 

You are not sitting at a bar for 12 hrs.Straight you are moving around, eating while consuming .

 

To many it may seem quite a bit , to others very manageable ! Certainly not "sloshed"!

 

That sounds like a reasonable calculation to me. Some days more, some days less. A perfect justification of the UBP!

[volk904]

I just figured it cost us a net cost of about $460 more to get a BF cabin for 2 with the UBP and free tips vs the Bx cabin paying the room tips. For us at that time I figured 5 drinks a day pp and we were even.

 

It really depends when you purchased. NCL just slashed Sept and early Oct cruises and the Bx strpped to BF gap is larger now.

 

 

 

 

 

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[boatseller]

I measure the break-even point by how fun, relaxing and stress-free my cruise is.

 

Not even thinking about the price is well worth over-paying.

[sleepy305]

Last October was our first time on the Getaway. We booked four rooms - all adults purchased the drink package. It was the best thing. Especially going with such a big group. Not having to worry who bought the next drink, we dropped some coin. We are now booked for another October Getaway - you better believe the drink package is all set. Looking forward 6 weeks out. :D

[Warm Breezes]

You don't need to be "sloshed"! I can no longer drink like I used to, but let's do the math:

 

B/fast : 2 mimosa's, bloody Mary's , or Bailey's and coffee = $15.00 approx.

Lunch : 2 drinks/beers = 15.00-18.00 approx

Afternoon by pool 3 drinks/beers =22.00-25.00 approx

Pre dinner/dinner 2 drinks = 15.00-18.00

Evening shows/ walking around etc. 3 more 22.00-25-00

 

That's 12 drinks averaging about 1 an hour ( 8am-8pm)

 

89.00 low end a day, I didn't even add in Martini's at dinner instead of mixed drinks.

 

You are not sitting at a bar for 12 hrs.Straight you are moving around, eating while consuming .

 

To many it may seem quite a bit , to others very manageable ! Certainly not "sloshed"!

 

That would definitely get me "sloshed" :D:eek::p Some of us are light weights. I very rarely drink more than 1 drink in a week and most of the time not even that. When I do drink, I can't remember the last time I had more than 2 in a day. On most cruises DH and I are lucky to drink a handful between the 2 of us for the whole cruise. I am expecting DH to drink a lot more on our Escape cruise since we got the UBP promo. But I figure I will be ok with 1-2 alcoholic drinks per day and then some diet pepsi's to get me to break even with the service charge we paid. I would definitely not pay full price for UBP...we could never get that be worth it.

[WashyWashyHappyHappy95]

blackout drunk the whole cruise

[Sunshine2U]

Thanks everybody!

[zqvol]

Where's the break even point on paying by the drink (with tip) and UBP after service charge? Let's say I drink mostly mixed drinks with some glasses of wine thrown in. Sorry if this is being rehashed for the 1000th time!

 

It all depends on whether or not you are paying for it or taking it as a perk. If it is a perk, and you are just paying the gratuities it is about 1.2 drinks per day.

 

If you are paying for the whole thing is it at least 6 drinks per day.

 

If you just drink beer it takes more drinks to get to the break even point.

[pieshops]

If you are doing this you also have to figure generally 3 full days off the ship in port, not going to drink as much that day as well as embarkation and debarkation day, so generally only 2-3 full days drinking

[sleepy305]

Thanks everybody!

 

I'm curious - did you decide if it was for you - or - no?

[khaide612]

That would definitely get me "sloshed" :D:eek::p Some of us are light weights. I very rarely drink more than 1 drink in a week and most of the time not even that. When I do drink, I can't remember the last time I had more than 2 in a day. On most cruises DH and I are lucky to drink a handful between the 2 of us for the whole cruise. I am expecting DH to drink a lot more on our Escape cruise since we got the UBP promo. But I figure I will be ok with 1-2 alcoholic drinks per day and then some diet pepsi's to get me to break even with the service charge we paid. I would definitely not pay full price for UBP...we could never get that be worth it.

 

Before my most recent cruise I would have the occasional glass of wine or a drink at dinner. In Feb I had the UBP - my family booked my solo cruise & paid the 18% - which is about $100 for a 7day cruise. I drank over $100 worth on my first day and was not drunk. If I was paying by the drink I would not have consumed that much but since I didn't have to think about my bar bill I just ordered what I felt like. I think the motion of the ship & the sea breeze counteract the alcohol. ;)

Edited September 8, 2016 by khaide612

[Quilting_Cruiser]

That would definitely get me "sloshed" :D:eek::p Some of us are light weights. I very rarely drink more than 1 drink in a week and most of the time not even that. When I do drink, I can't remember the last time I had more than 2 in a day. On most cruises DH and I are lucky to drink a handful between the 2 of us for the whole cruise. I am expecting DH to drink a lot more on our Escape cruise since we got the UBP promo. But I figure I will be ok with 1-2 alcoholic drinks per day and then some diet pepsi's to get me to break even with the service charge we paid. I would definitely not pay full price for UBP...we could never get that be worth it.

 

That's me, too! LOL. In my 20s I could have easily had has much as Beerman said, but now I'd be completely hammered with that much! On my last cruise, I had two or three drinks the entire cruise and the one before that I had a glass of wine with dinner each evening. But, on my next I have UBP so I suspect I'll have two or three a day. That's heavy drinking for me! :D

[FranknBeans]

The break even is when your so drunk you can't walk.

[PelicanBill]

You don't need to be "sloshed"! I can no longer drink like I used to, but let's do the math:

 

B/fast : 2 mimosa's, bloody Mary's , or Bailey's and coffee = $15.00 approx.

Lunch : 2 drinks/beers = 15.00-18.00 approx

Afternoon by pool 3 drinks/beers =22.00-25.00 approx

Pre dinner/dinner 2 drinks = 15.00-18.00

Evening shows/ walking around etc. 3 more 22.00-25-00

 

That's 12 drinks averaging about 1 an hour ( 8am-8pm)

 

89.00 low end a day, I didn't even add in Martini's at dinner instead of mixed drinks.

 

You are not sitting at a bar for 12 hrs.Straight you are moving around, eating while consuming .

 

To many it may seem quite a bit , to others very manageable ! Certainly not "sloshed"!

 

I think this is very hard to achieve for the average person, especially on a port day... to reach that # of drinks on a port day after returning to the ship I would be unconscious. To average 12 a day means reaching 15 or more on sea days. And for someone like me who drinks 4 or 5 a week.. a 12 drink a day pace is going to be really hard to achieve. That is why I say it is hard to get the full value of UBP unless you are a, well, experienced drinker. But when UBP is free, I won't feel bad at all if I don't get the full value out of it... I never would have spent it in the first place. On vacation I can reach a dozen in a sea day but only 6 on a port day. My wife drinks even less than I do!

[pieshops]

so for us, we really do not drink, we would never purchase the package. We probably buy 2 or 3 drinks each on a 7 day cruise at most.

 

We have had the beverage package on our last 2 cruise as we were in the Haven and it came with all the perks so we utilized it. We never got trashed but when I wanted to try something different I didm when we wanted a glass of wine with dinner we did it. It is nice to try new things and not have to worry about not liking it and wasting 15 bucks.

 

Now I understand we did not have to pay the 18% on the package so breakeven dollar wise we certainly came out ahead even though we tipped on each drink, but even having a regular cabin with the choices of amenities we probably would choose food and drink as our 2

[mom2tcdx2]

I would personally never be able to drink 12 mixed drinks in a day. I too would have no desire of mimosa's or early morning drinking. I would normally start with something at lunch and continue on. At their going rate the UBP would be a ridiculous thing for me to personally purchase. As I would normally only do around 6 a day at most. Though if a ship has super good martini's which are on the smaller side I could do quite a few of those.

 

Though we took the drink package as the gratuity it cost would be way below what I would typically spend on my own. Normally I budget around $300-$400 per cruise for drinks.

[Flamencacha]

I had the UBP Promo, and like most like the convenience. There is no way I would have gotten my money's worth if I had purchased it.

 

So if it comes as a promo I will take it, if not I will pay as you go.

 

 

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