Why NCL Premium PLUS Adult Drink Package?

[JM0115]

6 hours ago, JM0115 said:

Haven’t looked but will try to find out.

No Johnny Walker blue on the Encore at least currently.

[pbenjamin]

As of 10/9, Breakaway had no Zacapa 23, no Hendricks and only Johnny Walker Black and Red.  That was the Haven Bar, didn't check Maltings.

[Xentrix]

Back home from one week Greek islands cruise with Gem. L-O-V-E-D the PPBP. Made a nice cruise a great cruise. Ordered at least one bottle of wine every dinner. Really nice to don't have call a waiter for every refill. The selection of bottles was ok and nothing was out of stock. Found the Simi and Napa Valley's to be the best red wines. Drank lots of Veuve Clicquot at Magnums. That's a fine champagne. 

 

The selection of whisky was ok but not great. Didn't find the really high end stuff like Blue label but Macallan quest and some other nice malts was available in most indoor bars.

 

The only real bummer was that Veuve Clicquot was out on the last day (probably partly because of me 😅), the replacement was Chandon from California, a nice sparkling but not like Veuve. 

 

My next cruise will without a doubt be with NCL and this package. 

 

 

[Nicky Mouse]

6 hours ago, pbenjamin said:

As of 10/9, Breakaway had no Zacapa 23, no Hendricks and only Johnny Walker Black and Red.  That was the Haven Bar, didn't check Maltings.

The Sun is also out of Zacapa 23, except for a few partial bottles in a couple of bars.

[Rmeister23]

It looks like Remy XO is now off the ships and only Hennessy XO is available. 18yr Japanese whiskey on the Prima was a nice addition though. Also Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select is included at the whiskey bar. All P+ of course. For the whiskey lovers out there!

[JM0115]

Back home from the Encore (Alaska 7 day).  We really enjoyed the premium plus beverage package (PPBP)!  Had many Veuve Clicqot glasses of champagne and enjoyed nice bottles of wine (favorite was Silverado Cabernet) for dinner. For us it was really worth it! 

[Sthrngary]

43 minutes ago, JM0115 said:

Back home from the Encore (Alaska 7 day).  We really enjoyed the premium plus beverage package (PPBP)!  Had many Veuve Clicqot glasses of champagne and enjoyed nice bottles of wine (favorite was Silverado Cabernet) for dinner. For us it was really worth it! 

@JM0115That is great to hear.  I love the Veuve very much and especially when eating at the French Specialty Restaurant.  After my second glass, they just put the bottle close to my table, LOL.  My wife loves the bottles of wine however, she orders by the glass until her last glass.  That is when she orders a bottle.  Has one glass and takes the bottle to our stateroom for a night cap.  

 

I personally will try the Silverado Cab on my upcoming trip.  Thank you for the recommendation.  The Encore is on my list for the future. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[DCGuy64]

I think @Sthrngary may have answered this for me a while back, but is it ever possible to upgrade just ONE person in a cabin? Even once on board? The reason is that while I *might* be able to justify the upgrade for me, my wife is a very light drinker and so effectively I'd be paying for 2 upgrades and only one of us would use it. I seem to recall that it might be possible to have just 1 upgrade, but you have to wait until you're on board. Does anyone know if that's still the case? My other option would be to buy some nicer wines and bring them onboard. Even with the corkage fee, I'd still save money. Thanks!

[Sthrngary]

1 hour ago, DCGuy64 said:

I think @Sthrngary may have answered this for me a while back, but is it ever possible to upgrade just ONE person in a cabin? Even once on board? The reason is that while I *might* be able to justify the upgrade for me, my wife is a very light drinker and so effectively I'd be paying for 2 upgrades and only one of us would use it. I seem to recall that it might be possible to have just 1 upgrade, but you have to wait until you're on board. Does anyone know if that's still the case? My other option would be to buy some nicer wines and bring them onboard. Even with the corkage fee, I'd still save money. Thanks!

Sthrngary here.  Thank you for the shout out.  I have never been able to upgrade one of the two people in a cabin.  I was able to upgrade, the first two people and not the second two (My adult Children).  All four got the Premium Beverage Package.  My wife and I got the Premium PLUS beverage package.  

 

The way I did it was prior to the cruise, I had lots of Future Cruise Credits left.  The process was to have my Cruise Travel consultant, call NCL, use the credits for my wife and I upgrade to plus.  It worked yet we still had an issue.  When we got on board, we were in the Haven.  Day one, they give you a complementary lunch at the American Diner.  Both my two Adult Kids orders a beverage.  It was charged to my suite portfolio.  It seems that when they upgraded my wife and I, they cancelled my son and daughters program.  The Haven desk had it fixed in 30 minutes.  

 

The issue is NCL Computer Program are simply not flexibly.  NCL policy is afraid one person will provide the other person with benefit.  They have a point.  I assure you all, my adult daughter drank her weight in French Champagne that cruise because of my Premium Plus package.  I feel horrible that I would every so such a thing, NOTTTTTT.  Hope this gives you a smile and answers our question.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[DCGuy64]

4 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

Sthrngary here.  Thank you for the shout out.  I have never been able to upgrade one of the two people in a cabin.  I was able to upgrade, the first two people and not the second two (My adult Children).  All four got the Premium Beverage Package.  My wife and I got the Premium PLUS beverage package.  

 

The way I did it was prior to the cruise, I had lots of Future Cruise Credits left.  The process was to have my Cruise Travel consultant, call NCL, use the credits for my wife and I upgrade to plus.  It worked yet we still had an issue.  When we got on board, we were in the Haven.  Day one, they give you a complementary lunch at the American Diner.  Both my two Adult Kids orders a beverage.  It was charged to my suite portfolio.  It seems that when they upgraded my wife and I, they cancelled my son and daughters program.  The Haven desk had it fixed in 30 minutes.  

 

The issue is NCL Computer Program are simply not flexibly.  NCL policy is afraid one person will provide the other person with benefit.  They have a point.  I assure you all, my adult daughter drank her weight in French Champagne that cruise because of my Premium Plus package.  I feel horrible that I would every so such a thing, NOTTTTTT.  Hope this gives you a smile and answers our question.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

Thank you, that definitely answers my question. Since it's just my wife and I cruising, the Unlimited Plus would not be a good value for us. I'll just pay for my champagne as I go. 🙂 🍾

[PapaGoose]

If you do bring your own bottles of wine with you DCGuy, I don’t believe that you have to pay the corkage fee as long as you have the Premium Beverage package. We are contemplating the same choice by foregoing the Plus upgrade in favour of bringing a few of our favourite wines on our February Panama Canal cruise.

[laudergayle]

My perspective on PP+.  Just off the Breakaway.  DH is mostly a beer drinker and this cruise he chose not to drink wine at dinner (of all cruises, why this cruise???). I did drink my fair share of Veuve, but found that most venues did not have anything but the basic Prosecco available.  So premium champagne and wine is mostly available only in dining rooms and sometimes bars right outside of them.  I did order a bottle of Moët Chandon at breakfast in dining room to take back to our cabin.  Going forward, it will be more economical for me to bring the champagne on board or buy it by the bottle onboard.  

[Sthrngary]

2 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

My perspective on PP+.  Just off the Breakaway.  DH is mostly a beer drinker and this cruise he chose not to drink wine at dinner (of all cruises, why this cruise???). I did drink my fair share of Veuve, but found that most venues did not have anything but the basic Prosecco available.  So premium champagne and wine is mostly available only in dining rooms and sometimes bars right outside of them.  I did order a bottle of Moët Chandon at breakfast in dining room to take back to our cabin.  Going forward, it will be more economical for me to bring the champagne on board or buy it by the bottle onboard.  

@laudergayleI agree with your observation from your last cruise on the Breakaway.  I would like to elaborate though. 

 

Issue One: Husband that drinks beer almost exclusively.  The issue here is not the program.  It is that both member of the stateroom have to have the Premium Plus Package.  In your case, your husbands participation is a complete waste of investment.  

 

Issue Two:  Availability of higher end bottles/glasses of wine.  In the future, if you will tell the wine person at the restaurant you are eating at, the night before, what you want, they will have it for you. We talk a lot about the Premium Plus Beverage Package however the reality is, this option is not taken by most guest.  We focus on the options because it is the topic of this stream giving us the impression it is taken by more guest.  This means, the high end stuff is not always easy to find.

 

Issue Three:  This is not so much an issue as it is a clarification.  Where many folks say, you can only get a selected bottle at dinner.  You just clearly stated that you go one for breakfast.  I fully agree with that and I hope others read this so we don't have to debate that issue any more.

 

IMHO, if one of the two partners will not fully utilize the Premium Plus Beverage Program, it does not make sense to consider it.  Like excursions of specific specialty dining, it is subjective and up to the guest to make that determination.  My wife and I use the program.  We just use it differently then others.  I do spirits (Energy Drinks, Bottled Water, Specialty Coffees, Starbucks) and she does wine.  As you can see even in my case, subjective. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

[laudergayle]

8 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

@laudergayleI agree with your observation from your last cruise on the Breakaway.  I would like to elaborate though. 

 

Issue One: Husband that drinks beer almost exclusively.  The issue here is not the program.  It is that both member of the stateroom have to have the Premium Plus Package.  In your case, your husbands participation is a complete waste of investment.  

 

Issue Two:  Availability of higher end bottles/glasses of wine.  In the future, if you will tell the wine person at the restaurant you are eating at, the night before, what you want, they will have it for you. We talk a lot about the Premium Plus Beverage Package however the reality is, this option is not taken by most guest.  We focus on the options because it is the topic of this stream giving us the impression it is taken by more guest.  This means, the high end stuff is not always easy to find.

 

Issue Three:  This is not so much an issue as it is a clarification.  Where many folks say, you can only get a selected bottle at dinner.  You just clearly stated that you go one for breakfast.  I fully agree with that and I hope others read this so we don't have to debate that issue any more.

 

IMHO, if one of the two partners will not fully utilize the Premium Plus Beverage Program, it does not make sense to consider it.  Like excursions of specific specialty dining, it is subjective and up to the guest to make that determination.  My wife and I use the program.  We just use it differently then others.  I do spirits (Energy Drinks, Bottled Water, Specialty Coffees, Starbucks) and she does wine.  As you can see even in my case, subjective. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Yes, @Sthrngary, I agree with everything you said. We did this as part of FASUP on a port extensive itinerary, so the extra excursion credit and internet upgrade helped to offset the cost.  And, I did want to see if the beverage upgrade would be good for us.  Unfortunately due to everything already mentioned I determined we probably didn’t reap the full value.  I just wanted to share a different perspective. 

[Sthrngary]

2 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

Yes, @Sthrngary, I agree with everything you said. We did this as part of FASUP on a port extensive itinerary, so the extra excursion credit and internet upgrade helped to offset the cost.  And, I did want to see if the beverage upgrade would be good for us.  Unfortunately due to everything already mentioned I determined we probably didn’t reap the full value.  I just wanted to share a different perspective. 

I agree with your perspective completely.  Let me tell you why.  It was well written, you did a great job of explaining it clearly and it was what really happened to you.  That is a perfect post.  I have not skin in the game here other than to assist everyone with an interest with realistic expectations on aspects of cruising.  So many folks pass judgement on items like this drink program with no real experience utilizing them.  The same think holds true with guest commenting on the Haven that have never stayed in the Haven.

 

Your post is what makes CruiseCritic.com GREAT.  Thank you so much.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[DCGuy64]

3 hours ago, laudergayle said:

My perspective on PP+.  Just off the Breakaway.  DH is mostly a beer drinker and this cruise he chose not to drink wine at dinner (of all cruises, why this cruise???). I did drink my fair share of Veuve, but found that most venues did not have anything but the basic Prosecco available.  So premium champagne and wine is mostly available only in dining rooms and sometimes bars right outside of them.  I did order a bottle of Moët Chandon at breakfast in dining room to take back to our cabin.  Going forward, it will be more economical for me to bring the champagne on board or buy it by the bottle onboard.  

Thanks, good to know this!

19 hours ago, PapaGoose said:

If you do bring your own bottles of wine with you DCGuy, I don’t believe that you have to pay the corkage fee as long as you have the Premium Beverage package. We are contemplating the same choice by foregoing the Plus upgrade in favour of bringing a few of our favourite wines on our February Panama Canal cruise.

Thank you, @PapaGoose. That is interesting. We do have the Premium Beverage Package (not Premium Plus), so maybe they won't charge us. Even if they do, it's still better value for us than paying the onboard prices. Since I like sparkling wine, I'll probably bring some sparkling wine stoppers and hope that I can keep it fresh for a while-it usually takes me a few days to finish it. I have heard that NCL will keep your wine for you, but I've never figured out how they can keep track of that, unless there are very few guests who bring their own.

[grobma]

2 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

I have heard that NCL will keep your wine for you, but I've never figured out how they can keep track of that, unless there are very few guests who bring their own.

I don't know if it works the same with bottles you bring, but when ordering a bottle of wine with dinner, if I didn't finish the bottle they would put a little numbered tag like a coat check on it, and I would get the other half. No matter what restaurant I dined at next, I could present my side of the tag, and they would retrieve the bottle and serve it.

[Sthrngary]

1 hour ago, grobma said:

I don't know if it works the same with bottles you bring, but when ordering a bottle of wine with dinner, if I didn't finish the bottle they would put a little numbered tag like a coat check on it, and I would get the other half. No matter what restaurant I dined at next, I could present my side of the tag, and they would retrieve the bottle and serve it.

Or you can take that bottle back to your cabin for a night cap.  That is what my wife and I do.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[kylenyc]

7 hours ago, grobma said:

I don't know if it works the same with bottles you bring, but when ordering a bottle of wine with dinner, if I didn't finish the bottle they would put a little numbered tag like a coat check on it, and I would get the other half. No matter what restaurant I dined at next, I could present my side of the tag, and they would retrieve the bottle and serve it.

Still true.

And we also had waiters tell us we can take the bottle with us back our cabin.

[Megp]

Hi all! I just want to say thank you all for explaining the Plus package. I’m going on my first cruise ever next week and decided to upgrade based on your experiences! I’m just looking forward to trying new drinks that I’ve never had before! 
 

Edited October 28, 2022 by Megp

[Rmeister23]

Anyone know if you can do the free at sea plus bundle on board using my OBC or do I have to buy the upgrade bundle beforehand with a cc?

[Nicky Mouse]

4 hours ago, Rmeister23 said:

Anyone know if you can do the free at sea plus bundle on board using my OBC or do I have to buy the upgrade bundle beforehand with a cc?

I don’t think it’s avail on board, it has to be purchased before, but confirm with your pcc, or Guest Services.

[gmbhardy]

6 hours ago, Rmeister23 said:

Anyone know if you can do the free at sea plus bundle on board using my OBC or do I have to buy the upgrade bundle beforehand with a cc?

Yes. You can use your OBC on board. We did it on the Joy.

Edited October 29, 2022 by gmbhardy
Expand answer

[mtrancher]

2 hours ago, gmbhardy said:

Yes. You can use your OBC on board. We did it on the Joy.

So, if I understand you correctly you waited until you were on board to elect to take the free at sea package, and then paid with on board credit?

[gmbhardy]

8 minutes ago, mtrancher said:

So, if I understand you correctly you waited until you were on board to elect to take the free at sea package, and then paid with on board credit?

We were on a B2B in a Joy Haven Suite. We pre purchased the first week to see if it was worth it. We liked it so much that we purchased the second week with OBC. The cost is simply added to your onboard account like any other purchase.