Not the "Unlimited Beverage" Package anymore

[LrgPizza]

New to NCL so please don't flame me...so no specialty coffees? No canned sodas? No bottled water?

Yes, all those things are available for purchase on the ship. No, they are not included with beverage packages.

[graphicguy]

Wines by the glass are included if $15.00 or less. Over $15.00 you pay the difference +20% gratuity.

 

No specialty coffee, no canned soda, no bottled water.

You can get fountain soda (which is better than canned) which is included.

 

I have ordered regular coffee and Bailey’s Irish Cream on the side for no charge.....voila....a specialty coffee. Just kidding. Actually, the Buffett coffee is pretty mediocre. MDR coffee seems to be much better. Cabins have coffee makers in them (at least the ones I’ve been in).

 

I personally refuse to pay for water in a bottle that may, or may not, be as pure as what you get from the tap. I’ve seen all sorts of studies stating that a large percentage of bottled water is no better than tap water. And, the toxins given off by the plastic bottles they come in is harmful.

[graphicguy]

RCCL's ships fill, so booking last minute typically is more expensive. Ex: My November Oasis sailing, 7 nights OV balcony, was $1,750 earlier this year. Right now, that cabin almost $2,500, and it's a GTY.

It does depend on the cruise, the time of year, the ship, etc.

 

NCL does it a little different than RCCL. They get their larger fares up front, and the sell out towards the end. I believe this is mainly due to holding back lots of cabins for the upgrade bidding process. They ordinarily don’t start dolling out the upgrades from the bids until right before the cruise sails.

 

Personally, I want to know what type of cabin I’m sailing so I can make plans. I don’t plan too far in advance, so it works out for me. I may not get the least expensive fare by waiting to book 90 days or less before sailing. But, I feel I get a decent fare.

 

All these ships sail full. So, it’s just a different way of viewing their fare structure.

 

The general rule of thumb for my bookings to get decent rates, regardless of cruise line...

 

-sail when school is in session or has just started. That eliminates the families with school aged children

 

-don’t sail brand new ships immediately.....I’ve usually wait a year or so before looking at fares on a ship like the Bliss or Symphony. I problably won’t look at either ship until at least this time next year. I did sail the MSC Divina shortly after she started sailing from the U.S. But, MSC was trying to get a foothold and was offering discounted rates. That’s the only exception.

 

-Look at fares the weeks BEFORE or AFTER major holidays. Most people like to sail during the Major Holidays. Fares are more expensive then.

 

-There are so many credit card offers these days for points to multiply, large OBC, cash cards, etc. I personally use my AMEX for booking cruises. They offer me a ton of OBC and points multipliers. But, Chase Visa does the same. Some of the cruise company branded credit cards offer good deals, too. At least one big wholesale store offers to book travel and give one of their gift cards to book with them (usually hundreds on the gift card as an enticement to book with them)

 

One thing’s for certain, whether it’s free drinks, free dinners, “buy one-get one”, companion fare deals, etc, most of the cruise lines are offering nice perks at any given time of the year. Keep and eye open and consider the ENTIRE deal (instead of just the fares) to see where the best deals are.

 

 

BTW....have fun on the Oasis. I sailed her Sister, the Allure of the Seas, a few years ago. We enjoyed the cruise.

[PTC DAWG]

It does depend on the cruise, the time of year, the ship, etc.

 

NCL does it a little different than RCCL. They get their larger fares up front, and the sell out towards the end. I believe this is mainly due to holding back lots of cabins for the upgrade bidding process. They ordinarily don’t start dolling out the upgrades from the bids until right before the cruise sails.

 

Personally, I want to know what type of cabin I’m sailing so I can make plans. I don’t plan too far in advance, so it works out for me. I may not get the least expensive fare by waiting to book 90 days or less before sailing. But, I feel I get a decent fare.

 

All these ships sail full. So, it’s just a different way of viewing their fare structure.

 

The general rule of thumb for my bookings to get decent rates, regardless of cruise line...

 

-sail when school is in session or has just started. That eliminates the families with school aged children

 

-don’t sail brand new ships immediately.....I’ve usually wait a year or so before looking at fares on a ship like the Bliss or Symphony. I problably won’t look at either ship until at least this time next year. I did sail the MSC Divina shortly after she started sailing from the U.S. But, MSC was trying to get a foothold and was offering discounted rates. That’s the only exception.

 

-Look at fares the weeks BEFORE or AFTER major holidays. Most people like to sail during the Major Holidays. Fares are more expensive then.

 

-There are so many credit card offers these days for points to multiply, large OBC, cash cards, etc. I personally use my AMEX for booking cruises. They offer me a ton of OBC and points multipliers. But, Chase Visa does the same. Some of the cruise company branded credit cards offer good deals, too. At least one big wholesale store offers to book travel and give one of their gift cards to book with them (usually hundreds on the gift card as an enticement to book with them)

 

One thing’s for certain, whether it’s free drinks, free dinners, “buy one-get one”, companion fare deals, etc, most of the cruise lines are offering nice perks at any given time of the year. Keep and eye open and consider the ENTIRE deal (instead of just the fares) to see where the best deals are.

 

 

BTW....have fun on the Oasis. I sailed her Sister, the Allure of the Seas, a few years ago. We enjoyed the cruise.

 

All good advice...

[CruisingNole]

 

-Look at fares the weeks BEFORE or AFTER major holidays. Most people like to sail during the Major Holidays. Fares are more expensive then.

 

 

That's my go-to. Last year we sailed the weekend that butted up against Christmas (disembarkation was 12/24) and this year we are sailing right after Thanksgiving (embarkation 11/25). It also seems like practically anytime in January (aside from New Year's) seem to be the cheapest time to sail, IMO. September can be cheap in the Caribbean as well, but you're rolling a dice as that's the heart of hurricane season.

[L1211]

I think what the lawyers were discussing was the difference in terminology like "ultimate beverage package", as in "hey, a bottled water is a beverage, why is not included", vs the updated and more accurate "unlimited open bar", which describes more accurately what we actually get. Semantics, I know, but I can see the lawyer angle to the first argument.

 

Don't shoot the messenger!! I love the UBP or whatever we call it nowadays and happily pay the gratuities. I'm just pointing out the reasoning behind the original discussion at the OPs office.

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

Isn’t it actually the LIMITED Open Bar package? I’m a fan of the perk too but the new name is misleading in a different way given caps on prices and the crazy high cost of many drinks without the packing requiring payment over the LIMIT...

 

 

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[Jana60]

That's my go-to. Last year we sailed the weekend that butted up against Christmas (disembarkation was 12/24) and this year we are sailing right after Thanksgiving (embarkation 11/25). It also seems like practically anytime in January (aside from New Year's) seem to be the cheapest time to sail, IMO. September can be cheap in the Caribbean as well, but you're rolling a dice as that's the heart of hurricane season.

 

 

For the past three years I’ve cruised every October which is also still hurricane season and I haven’t had any problems. It does seem to rain more often but I have not encountered any bad storms. The ships are pretty good about changing their route and even their Ports if they need to in order to avoid a hurricane. Some people seem to get upset when an island is canceled but it doesn’t bother me because I appreciate the cruise line protecting my health and safety.

 

 

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[CruisingNole]

For the past three years I’ve cruised every October which is also still hurricane season and I haven’t had any problems. It does seem to rain more often but I have not encountered any bad storms. The ships are pretty good about changing their route and even their Ports if they need to in order to avoid a hurricane. Some people seem to get upset when an island is canceled but it doesn’t bother me because I appreciate the cruise line protecting my health and safety.

 

 

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Technically hurricane season runs through the end of November, but once you hit mid October, chances are slim you'll have issues.

 

I know some people that cruised out of Florida during September of last year. Needless to say, they won't be cruising in September ever again.

[fshagan]

New to NCL so please don't flame me...so no specialty coffees? No canned sodas? No bottled water? Posters mention "free booze" please tell me that means wines by the glass too...I don't do booze unless it is a shot of Patron in my margarita.

 

I don't drink much, never more than a drink or two a week usually, so the beverage plan on NCL is too expensive when it's "free" and just costing about $18 a day. I would drink wine more often on vacation, like a glass with dinner every night, but the wine by the glass selections for the UBP have been very poor in my opinion.

 

So if you don't feel like drinking 2 - 3 drinks a day excluding specialty coffee and are picky about your wine you are better off not taking the beverage package or open bar package.

[DaCruiseBug]

Still don't get it how somehow NCL is more expensive because of the drink tips. I'll make a certain assumption that most would, or want to sail in a Balcony Cabin. Not looking at all fares for all cabin types.

 

I'm booked on the Getaway next month. I looked at some random cruises on the Getaway for all of Sept. Not the cheapest, nor the most expensive....but, the fare I came up with for a Balcony cabin including what are probably the two most requested perks.....Ultimate Drinks Package and Specialty Dining Package. All in fare, with tips, fees....everything....$2,200 for two. $277 of that covers tips and service charges for the dining and drinks. You also get $100 OBC from NCL.

 

On RCCL....similar itinerary on Liberty of the Seas (much older ship than the NCL Getaway) Balcony Cabin, sailing at the same time as the NCL Getaway. No drink package or specialty dining package is offered as a perk, and no OBC. The fare is $2,564 for two, taxes, tips, service charges included. That fare INCLUDES the BOGO promotion they have going on now.

 

Just looked these up. So, where the confusion comes from regarding pricing is beyond me.

 

 

Let me enlighten you:

 

MSC Seaside (brand new ship). 7 night Eastern European sailing next month = $1,198 per cabin in a balcony room. If you’ve sailed MSC before or did the status match with MSC you get a 5% discount so that drops the price to $1,138 plus $108 per person in taxes and you’re at $1,354 with the drinks on us package which is quite limited...go ahead and upgrade to the classic beverage package for $18 per person per day and you’re adding $252 more.

 

Grand total = $1,606 all included for a balcony on the Seaside

 

Also, MSC runs promotions on and off for additional OBC and an internet package.

 

So here you are, $600 less then the Getaway and on a brand new ship.

[Wyoming2010]

Technically hurricane season runs through the end of November, but once you hit mid October, chances are slim you'll have issues.

 

I know some people that cruised out of Florida during September of last year. Needless to say, they won't be cruising in September ever again.

 

In October 2016, we sailed NYC to Bermuda on the Breakaway. Hurricane Michael (I believe) was heading for Bermuda, so all the cruise ships left earlier that Friday than planned. That hurricane slammed into Bermuda and did quite a bit of damage. In all the years we've sailed (17 cruises), we ran into a hurricane on the Pacific coast on our way to Panama Canal, and Hurricane Frances in the Caribbean which kept us out to sea 3 extra days past our 7-day cruise. But we were well taken care of and never in danger or afraid. I like cruising in September and October when the temps are better and kids are back in school ;)

[misha1]

For us, it was Hurricane Sandy...Summit out of Bayonne...many people "stranded" in PR. But, that's beside the point ....

 

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