Drink pkg -- how do you know??

[BOGOman]

When you have one of the drink packages, how do you know for sure that the drink you're ordering is included? For wines ordered anywhere on the ship it's impossible to know from the name alone if it's an included brand for one or more of the drink packages. For mixed drinks it's more complicated but I suppose some discuss those with the waiter before ordering. That is, if the waiter knows accurately which specialty drinks and which brands of alcohol are included in each drink package. If there is no systematic way to do that and if the waiters either don't know or give inaccurate info, then would you be charged the full price for a mixed drink made with a liquor not in your drink package or charged the difference?  

[Bo1953]

Usually or almost always you will be informed after your card is seen and/or you identify which package you have and this happens before the drink is made or wine is poured so there are few surprizes.

 

After a period of time the bartender you use most often will know automatically which you have and let you know.

 

You can also request a drink menu which will show, more often than not, which drinks/wines are for which package.

 

IME - it is very rare for a waiter or bartender to provide incorrect info on this front. What or who has given you the impression that the waiters or bartenders do not know?

 

The 'systematic' way they know is by your seapass which will clearly let them know which package you have and pour accordingly unless you agree to an upgrade of some sort.

 

Cheers and bon voyage

Edited June 4, 2019 by Bo1953

[arsenalboy]

4 minutes ago, BOGOman said:

When you have one of the drink packages, how do you know for sure that the drink you're ordering is included? For wines ordered anywhere on the ship it's impossible to know from the name alone if it's an included brand for one or more of the drink packages. For mixed drinks it's more complicated but I suppose some discuss those with the waiter before ordering. That is, if the waiter knows accurately which specialty drinks and which brands of alcohol are included in each drink package. If there is no systematic way to do that and if the waiters either don't know or give inaccurate info, then would you be charged the full price for a mixed drink made with a liquor not in your drink package or charged the difference?  

Your sea pass card will show which drink package you have and the waiter/bartender will only serve you drinks in your package. They will tell you if not included and you will sign a chit for the extra. No confusion.

 

[BOGOman]

Couldn't be better. Many thanks for both replies. 

[jelayne]

Many drinks can be made with alcohol in both the Classic & Premium package, your card tells the bartender which alcohol to use.  So if you have the Classic package your Sea Pass has the letters CALL on it and when you order a margarita, gin & tonic etc the  bartender looks at your card and knows which alcohol to use in our drink. So it is actually pretty easy for them to get it correct.

 

 

[BOGOman]

1 hour ago, arsenalboy said:

Your sea pass card will show which drink package you have and the waiter/bartender will only serve you drinks in your package. They will tell you if not included and you will sign a chit for the extra. No confusion.

 

So in all cases, the bartender is made aware by the sea pass when the order comes from a passenger and is responsible for sticking to the drink package. Unless the waiter and I agree to something different, I shouldn't get a chit to sign. If I do, that amount should represent the upcharge over the allowance under the drink package. That goes for all drinks and locations, including wines, mixed drinks and nonalcoholic beverages. Have I got that straight? 

[Bo1953]

16 minutes ago, BOGOman said:

So in all cases, the bartender is made aware by the sea pass when the order comes from a passenger and is responsible for sticking to the drink package. Unless the waiter and I agree to something different, I shouldn't get a chit to sign. If I do, that amount should represent the upcharge over the allowance under the drink package. That goes for all drinks and locations, including wines, mixed drinks and nonalcoholic beverages. Have I got that straight? 

Yes.

 

Cheers and bon voyage

[warmwinds]

Every bar has a menu on the table.  The first few pages, particularly for wine, will say "Classic wines", next page will be "premium wines".  Then there will be a list for super duper wines 🙂   For mixed drinks you should know the dollar amount you are allowed up to, all the cocktails will have prices.

 

 

[ipeeinthepool]

My problem isn't with the drink selection but the temporary roll-around bars.  The bartender writes down your card info instead of swiping the card through the register.  It seems like about half the time I end up getting charged for the drink and a trip to Guest Services is required.  I evolved into never using a temporary bar and only go to bars that can swipe my card.

[Mialias]

the bartenders should be helpful with this

[warmwinds]

I don't think I've ever seen a temporary roll-out bar - can you describe them further...location, etc.?

[cangelmd]

I’m kind of picky about my gin and tonics, so I ask for the brand of gin I prefer.

The flip side of that is that we usually ask the sommelier for wine recommendations and on the whole are pleased with those recs. We tend to get premium package, but sometimes the sommelier will actually suggest a Classic pkg wine, and we have enjoyed those as well

[helen haywood]

11 minutes ago, warmwinds said:

I don't think I've ever seen a temporary roll-out bar - can you describe them further...location, etc.?

 

I’ve seen a temporary bar at the Sunset Bar at embarkation sail away.

[warmwinds]

This is in addition to the permanent bar?  I guess I'm not picturing what a temporary bar could be...

[jelayne]

16 minutes ago, warmwinds said:

I don't think I've ever seen a temporary roll-out bar - can you describe them further...location, etc.?

Often a temporary bar in the theater. The bartenders there should be able to read the beverage package designated on your sea pass they don’t need to swipe the card to see what package you have.

Edited June 5, 2019 by jelayne

[warmwinds]

Yes, I've seen the one in the theater, but not aft where they already have a bar (of course, I'm most familiar with the M-class, maybe the S doesn't have a permanent Sunset Bar?)

[ipeeinthepool]

Temporary bars roll around the pool filled with ice on sea days and if the ship doesn't have a permanent bar outside the ocean view, there is often one in that area.

[Reel Love]

OP, I would suggest that you occasionally check your account on your stateroom T.V. if you have any concerns.  We have had a couple of instances where they have charged the drinks incorrectly between mine and my husbands cards (and no chit was provided to sign).  I purchase the premium package and my husband always has the classic package.  On occasion they have charged my premium beverage order to his classic card, and an upcharge then appears on our account.  Fortunately this has not happened to us very often, and as another person already noted, guest services will certainly correct the situation.  Enjoy your beverage package 🍹🍸☺️

[crazyman3]

A word of warning: I had the premium package on one cruise and ordered 'Russian Standard' vodka several times whilst in the Ensemble Lounge. Now, this vodka is very basic and does not appear on the premium list --- probably not even on the classic list! Therefore the trainee bartender thought that it must be charged to my account. I, Mr. Slightlyfrustrated,  dealt with guest services to have the charges removed. The next night... yes, you've guessed it! The same thing. Obviously, my next visit to guest services was in my Mr. Veryinconvenienced persona.

So, the being nudge on this is to check your bill, via your TV, daily.

[chemmo]

It is good advice to check your account on TV...Wrong billings for other services can also occasionally come up and you can check your OBC has been posted.

 

If you are in a suite you can ask the concierge to sort out any errors rather than queue at guest relations.

 

Totally agree with what others have said about asking for wine recommendations. We have found the sommeliers in Tuscan and Murano’s very good at doing this. If you are dining in a speciality and want to upgrade your wine choices simply let them know how much more you are willing to pay (for example up to $5 extra per glass). 

[Gordoncruickshank]

When you order a drink make sure you ask for the brand of spirit you want otherwise you will get the cheapest alcohol from the well rather than what you expect to get.

 

[BOGOman]

2 hours ago, Gordoncruickshank said:

When you order a drink make sure you ask for the brand of spirit you want otherwise you will get the cheapest alcohol from the well rather than what you expect to get.

 

After going to the "well" I came up with a boatload of experience and great suggestions from some masters of the fine art of navigating drinking choices. Thank you one and all for this "spirited" discussion on how to get properly and pleasantly enebriated, cruise ship style, in the manner of one's choice. If I'm ever in doubt, it's either because I failed to check with the waiter, the sommelier, the stateroom TV or with my wife, or else because I stopped paying attention. Cheers!

[NutsAboutGolf]

I am currently on the Solstice so I'll share my experience.  Sounds like for you, your best solution is to make visiting a bar a top priority so you can ask the bartenders if specific mixed drinks are included in your package or not. There currently three drink packages so it somewhat depends on which package you have.  When you get to a bar, you should also take pictures of the drink menu.  All the staff (Waiters, sommeliers, etc) seemed to know which wines were included in my package or not yet I never ordered a mixed drink through a waiter.  We only went to one specialty restaurant and saw its sommelier twice, his wine pairing recommendation were wines that weren't included in even the premium beverage package but he did tell us the upcharge price during his wine recommendation pitches.  The possible "gotcha" could be their paired wine or recommended wine listed on the menu because the price of the wine wasn't mentioned.

[BOGOman]

1 hour ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 Sounds like for you, your best solution is to make visiting a bar a top priority so you can ask the bartenders if specific mixed drinks are included in your package or not. 

 

Got it. Lots of people having been helpful, and consistent, on this issue. Seems that it's not a problem because the waiters tend to take care of their customers with regard to the cost of drinks. But I suppose that some waiters know less than others, and sometimes a mistake is made by the waiter or bartender, so it's important to check your bill daily on the TV in your stateroom. If you see an unusual charge, say for a drink or for a portion of a drink because you didn't accept the one included in your drink package, then you can throw yourself on the mercy of the front desk. I get the idea from the comments of others that the cruise line doesn't want you to be unhappy when you lay out big bucks for those drink packages, so they work to encourage interaction between waiter and passenger and to train everyone serving drinks to make sure the passenger doesn't get an unpleasant surprise. The important thing is to make sure that your server notes your drink package, which is supposed to be indicated on your sea pass, and ask if your choice is covered or what the upcharge would be if you prefer a non-included spirit. All new to me as I've never had a drink package on board before. 

 

[TFLG]

On ‎6‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 3:03 PM, jelayne said:

Many drinks can be made with alcohol in both the Classic & Premium package, your card tells the bartender which alcohol to use.  So if you have the Classic package your Sea Pass has the letters CALL on it and when you order a margarita, gin & tonic etc the  bartender looks at your card and knows which alcohol to use in our drink. So it is actually pretty easy for them to get it correct.

 

 

 

The bartenders will use the cheap stuff regardless of package unless you specifically request a top shelf liquor.  If you hand them your card and say nothing you will get the well liquor even if you have a premium package.

Edited June 6, 2019 by TFLG