Drink package...when to purchase?

[bostonfred]

Hi, after seeing my sons in law and daughters enjoy themselves on our Allure cruise last year, I think a drink package for them would make sense. When is the best time to purchase ? It says 20% off onboard prices now on my cruise planner. Do they have Black Friday sales or holiday sales? We don’t sail until April...thanks..😎😎

[clarky213]

Price online will always be cheaper than on-board.

 

If you book it now and it reduces in price you can cancel and re-book up to 4 days before your cruise.

[vacationlover_mn]

Hi! I think I do what a lot of people do. I purchase it right away, and if the price goes down, I cancel and rebook.

 

For my upcoming cruise (Symphony in Feb), I first booked at $50, then rebooked at $49, and today rebooked at $47. This might now seem like much, but between 2 people, and with 18% added on gratuities, I've saved $50 :) :)

 

The best price I ever got for drink package was on black friday last year, for our Radiance Alaska cruise. I think it was as low as maybe $37 or $39 on Black Friday. Since Symphony is so new, with so many sea days, I am not sure how low I'll see the price go...

[happilyafterever]

I would join your April sailing’s roll call thread if you haven’t already. People often post there when they see sales in the Cruise Planner online and often there are sporadic 1 or 2-day sales that are specifically for your sailing only. Black Friday they tend to run sales on a lot of things as well.

Cancellation is free until a few days before the cruise if you want to rebook at a lower price, and the same goes for any excursions, specialty dining, spa treatments, etc that you book in the cruise planner (but note that the funds are in limbo as “OBC” in their system for a day or two after you cancel before they go back to your credit card).

[robin13]

I have been tracking the drink package rates for a while now for my 11/30 Serenade cruise and just today it went down to $39. Yesterday it was $42 and the day before that $45. I jumped on the $39 and got to use the $50 OBC Royal gave me so for a 10 day cruise my total was $410. So hoping it will go down a little bit more but if it doesn't I'm happy with the $39.

[stleda124]

Book when you see it at or below $48.00 pp. Then monitor the price if you wish. I am booked on Harmony of the Seas and have yet to see it below $45.00 pp which is what we booked it at. $48 seems to be the norm and that is a newer ship.

[bostonfred]

Book when you see it at or below $48.00 pp. Then monitor the price if you wish. I am booked on Harmony of the Seas and have yet to see it below $45.00 pp which is what we booked it at. $48 seems to be the norm and that is a newer ship.

Thanks, where did you see the $45 price?

[stleda124]

Thanks, where did you see the $45 price?

 

 

 

It’s all ship and sailing dependent but currently my 10/6 Harmony sailing is $45 pp.

 

 

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[SilkySal]

I have been tracking the drink package rates for a while now for my 11/30 Serenade cruise and just today it went down to $39. Yesterday it was $42 and the day before that $45. I jumped on the $39 and got to use the $50 OBC Royal gave me so for a 10 day cruise my total was $410. So hoping it will go down a little bit more but if it doesn't I'm happy with the $39.

 

You should probably stick with that price because you will lose that $50 OBC when you cancel and cannot use it again if you re-purchase!!:eek: CHEERS!!:cool:

[Cincy2]

You should probably stick with that price because you will lose that $50 OBC when you cancel and cannot use it again if you re-purchase!!:eek: CHEERS!!:cool:

 

This is not true. If you cancel you get your obc back and can use it however you choose.

[SilkySal]

This is not true. If you cancel you get your obc back and can use it however you choose.

 

Hope you are correct; however, the last time I called to re-purchase, I was told that I would lose the OBC.:confused: Have you experienced getting it back first hand?:rolleyes:

[Cincy2]

Hope you are correct; however, the last time I called to re-purchase, I was told that I would lose the OBC.:confused: Have you experienced getting it back first hand?:rolleyes:

 

Yes. I returned and repurchased the drink package when the price went down and they returned the obc and I used it to repurchase. Unless it was a mistake on their part. I do believe if you change cabins you lose any obc you got with the original cabin. Hopefully others chime in.

[SilkySal]

Yes. I returned and repurchased the drink package when the price went down and they returned the obc and I used it to repurchase. Unless it was a mistake on their part. I do believe if you change cabins you lose any obc you got with the original cabin. Hopefully others chime in.

 

Yes, would like to hear others' experiences on this. I was told that I would lose the OBC because it had been given to me by RCI. I would not have lost it if it had been given to me by a TA or someone else.

[HallOfPromise]

I've repurchased the Deluxe + Voom package twice and each time you get your full OBC back almost instantly.

[Trip Biatch]

I think perhaps folks are talking about two separate situations. Loss of OBC with cruise price drop and loss of OBC with drink package price drop.

[dswallow]

Any OBC amount you spend on something in the cruise planner gets immediately refunded if you cancel something you purchased with it, and you can use it right away to purchase something else from the cruise planner.

 

If you change something about your cruise booking itself and the OBC you were getting was related to what your prior booking terms were providing, you will lose that OBC and only get whatever your new booking offer terms say you get. Two completely separate things.

 

Now if you're losing OBC for a cruise booking being changed that you've already spent in the cruise planner, I suspect you're in for a much lengthier conversation to sort things out. Just be careful it's dealt with to your satisfaction before ending the call. :)