Best.Sale.Ever. Promotion-Math Question

[Jadn13]

Has anyone done the Math on what the actual amount of savings this promotion offers?
i know it varies based on Cabin and how many drinks you consume but just an average?
princess states $100 per person a day, does that seem correct? 

 

✔ Drinks – Enjoy our Premier Beverage Package, which includes cocktails, wine, beer, fountain soda, bottled water, specialty coffees, teas and more.

✔ Wi-Fi – Stay connected with family and friends - posting, video chatting, sharing - thanks to the best Wi-Fi at sea.

✔ Gratuities – We pay gratuities on your behalf, so the crew who takes such good care of you is taken care of too.

✔ Stateroom Location Upgrade* – Sail in an even better spot on board. Choose your preferred location within your stateroom category at checkout, and we’ll cover the additional cost.

✔ Specialty Dining – Dine at one of our award-winning restaurants, where every meal feels like a celebration.

[adstz]

$59.99 per person per day for the drink package

$14.99 per day for Medallion Net for up to 4 devices

$15.50 per person per day for gratuities in a mini suite

 

$90.48 plus tax

Add in $29 per person for specialty dining and an unknown charge to upgrade the room (depends on the upgrade).

So $100 isn't far off.

[d9704011]

6 minutes ago, adstz said:

$59.99 per person per day for the drink package

$14.99 per day for Medallion Net for up to 4 devices

$15.50 per person per day for gratuities in a mini suite

 

$90.48 plus tax

Add in $29 per person for specialty dining and an unknown charge to upgrade the room (depends on the upgrade).

So $100 isn't far off.

Kind of an interesting exercise with the boundary conditions being that we want to have beverages, wi-fi and daily gratuities pre-paid.  I agree that these three things would cost about $100 per day (don’t forget the grats on  the beverage package) if purchased ‘a la carte’.  So, to save $100 per day, the price of the Best.  Sale.  Ever. would have to be pretty much the same as the bare-bones price and any real savings would be in the cabin upgrade and specialty dining.  I doubt that’s enough!

 

Anyway, this is why I typically look at the overall cost per person per day of a verandah cabin with the beverages, wi-fi and grats included to help me make a decision on whether I’m getting a decent price.  For me, it’s about USD 200 depending on time of travel and itinerary.

[nini]

The bottom line is that this sale costs $40.00 per day per person.

There is no need to go through all of the other calculations.

 

Therefore, I would normally spend:

$14.50 per day for gratuities

$33.00 per day (minimum) for my beverages per day

              (consisting of an espresso drink in am and 2 glasses of wine with gratuities)

 

JUST THIS BASIC EXPENDITURE IS NEARLY THE $40.00 PER DAY

 

We are Platinum and do not worry about paying for internet, but this is included

anyway. So, the "extra" $40.00 per day is a great deal as I do not need to be concerned

about getting any bottled water, fresh squeezed OJ, or a any other beverage.

[Mud_Shark]

Just a small clarification, but the free specialty dining and free room upgrades are given whether you choose the bare bones fare or the B.S.E. fare, so don't add them into your calculation of whether the $40 per day upcharge is worth it for you.

 

Don

[Jadn13]

12 minutes ago, nini said:

The bottom line is that this sale costs $40.00 per day per person.

There is no need to go through all of the other calculations.

 

Therefore, I would normally spend:

$14.50 per day for gratuities

$33.00 per day (minimum) for my beverages per day

              (consisting of an espresso drink in am and 2 glasses of wine with gratuities)

 

JUST THIS BASIC EXPENDITURE IS NEARLY THE $40.00 PER DAY

 

We are Platinum and do not worry about paying for internet, but this is included

anyway. So, the "extra" $40.00 per day is a great deal as I do not need to be concerned

about getting any bottled water, fresh squeezed OJ, or a any other beverage.

We are Platinum and Elite as well so we don’t factor in Wifi and get the Bar set up as well which knocks a few drinks off our  daily total. 
$40 a day seems closer to what I was averaging. 
Thank You

Edited December 29, 2020 by Jadn13

[Ombud]

I'm elite so it depends on the cruise. Drive to port & carry on 2 bottles wine

 

Drive to port:

Gratuities: 15.50 day

Internet: included

Mini bar: traded for coffee program

Carry on 2 bottles: $15 total (pre-pandemic)

 

Fly to port:

Gratuities: 15.50 day

Internet: included

Mini bar: traded for coffee program

Glass wine: $12+ day

Lock in payment: priceless

[skynight]

1 hour ago, Jadn13 said:

Has anyone done the Math on what the actual amount of savings this promotion offers?
i know it varies based on Cabin and how many drinks you consume but just an average?
princess states $100 per person a day, does that seem correct? 

 

✔ Drinks – Enjoy our Premier Beverage Package, which includes cocktails, wine, beer, fountain soda, bottled water, specialty coffees, teas and more.

✔ Wi-Fi – Stay connected with family and friends - posting, video chatting, sharing - thanks to the best Wi-Fi at sea.

✔ Gratuities – We pay gratuities on your behalf, so the crew who takes such good care of you is taken care of too.

✔ Stateroom Location Upgrade* – Sail in an even better spot on board. Choose your preferred location within your stateroom category at checkout, and we’ll cover the additional cost.

✔ Specialty Dining – Dine at one of our award-winning restaurants, where every meal feels like a celebration.

Real cost is $40/pp/day additional

Approximately $15/pp/day is gratuity (the auto-tip). This amount is charged to your account if you purchase the no-frills fare. This nets approximately $25/pp/day extra for the best sale ever fare.

Wifi is $10/pp/day if purchased. There are group packages that reduce this amount or you can purchase only one package and share. If you are Platinum then you receive minutes as a free benefit. If these minutes are enough to cover your requirements then the net advantage is nothing.

Stateroom location can be around $25/pp and up depending on the length of the cruise and the number of categories above the base category you select.

Specialty dining generally is $29/pp for the Crown Grill, and SHARE, believe it is $25/pp for Sabatini's Trattoria, higher for LeMer if you are permitted to use it there and lower if you choose one of the other specialty dining selections such as Planks & Steamers, SaltyDog Gastropub.

Basically we figure that if you drink two alcoholic drinks per day plus some non alcoholic drinks you break even. All the other benefits are just there.

[Jadn13]

1 minute ago, skynight said:

Real cost is $40/pp/day additional

Approximately $15/pp/day is gratuity (the auto-tip). This amount is charged to your account if you purchase the no-frills fare. This nets approximately $25/pp/day extra for the best sale ever fare.

Wifi is $10/pp/day if purchased. There are group packages that reduce this amount or you can purchase only one package and share. If you are Platinum then you receive minutes as a free benefit. If these minutes are enough to cover your requirements then the net advantage is nothing.

Stateroom location can be around $25/pp and up depending on the length of the cruise and the number of categories above the base category you select.

Specialty dining generally is $29/pp for the Crown Grill, and SHARE, believe it is $25/pp for Sabatini's Trattoria, higher for LeMer if you are permitted to use it there and lower if you choose one of the other specialty dining selections such as Planks & Steamers, SaltyDog Gastropub.

Basically we figure that if you drink two alcoholic drinks per day plus some non alcoholic drinks you break even. All the other benefits are just there.

Thank You!! 🚢

[Mike45LC]

For me, the value of the Best Sale Ever is $25 per person per day.

 

I always buy the Soda and More package, which is currently priced at $10 per day.  I pay the gratuities of $14.50 per day.

 

As Elite, we get enough free wifi to cover the cruise.  So to me the value of the free WiFi is zero.

 

In the last 30 days cruising, I have had a total of two drinks, which were comped by the casino.  I give my mini-bar contents to my cabin steward.  

 

So the value of the Best Sale Ever is very personal.

 

[oldracer]

I checked my Sep 4, 2021 cruise tour prices per person on the Grand from Vancouver to Alaska. The balcony room price is $151 cheaper with the best ever sale. I'm going to call and see if I can get that price reduction.

[nini]

4 hours ago, Jadn13 said:

Thank You!! 🚢

That is what I said in Post #4

[Jadn13]

5 hours ago, nini said:

The bottom line is that this sale costs $40.00 per day per person.

There is no need to go through all of the other calculations.

 

Therefore, I would normally spend:

$14.50 per day for gratuities

$33.00 per day (minimum) for my beverages per day

              (consisting of an espresso drink in am and 2 glasses of wine with gratuities)

 

JUST THIS BASIC EXPENDITURE IS NEARLY THE $40.00 PER DAY

 

We are Platinum and do not worry about paying for internet, but this is included

anyway. So, the "extra" $40.00 per day is a great deal as I do not need to be concerned

about getting any bottled water, fresh squeezed OJ, or a any other beverage.

Yes, Thank You. We ended up adding it to one leg of our trip based on the $40 approx

[Jadn13]

Can anyone share what is included in the Elite bar set up?  A bit off topic but it helps with my math. 

[Kamloops50]

39 minutes ago, Jadn13 said:

Can anyone share what is included in the Elite bar set up?  A bit off topic but it helps with my math. 

Anyone in the room can use the Elite bar setup. We are Elite , found that the free wifi (minutes) is based on the length of the cruise. Always run out of time especially if you forgot to logout. The last 15 day cruise I had the option to trade my minutes in and an unlimited 4 device package for $150 USD

[d9704011]

51 minutes ago, Jadn13 said:

Can anyone share what is included in the Elite bar set up?  A bit off topic but it helps with my math. 

I found this from a post another member made a couple of years ago.  I believe it is essentially accurate:

 

Elite members will get a one-time complimentary mini-bar set-up (1per Elite stateroom) which consists of two (2) miniature bottles each ofCognac, Gin, Vodka and Scotch Whisky, two (2) 12 ounce cans of beer, two (2) 12ounce cans/bottles of tonic water, two (2) 12 ounce cans of Coca Cola, two (2)12 ounce cans of Sprite, two (2) 0.5 liter bottles of water, two (2) 11 ouncebottles of Perrier. The contents of the mini-bar are subject to change.

[Mike45LC]

50 minutes ago, Jadn13 said:

Can anyone share what is included in the Elite bar set up?  A bit off topic but it helps with my math. 

Because I don't use the mini-bar, I am not exact on it, but there are two low-level airplane-sized bottles of scotch, gin and cognac (maybe rum as well?), a couple of bottles of beer, and I think four cans of soda.  More or less.

[skynight]

50 minutes ago, Jadn13 said:

Can anyone share what is included in the Elite bar set up?  A bit off topic but it helps with my math. 

2 x 50ml each of Sky vodka, Dewers scotch, Beefeaters or Gordons Gin, Courvoisier cognac. Two bottles beer usually Dos Equis. Six cans soda, usually 2 coke, 2 sprite, 2 club. @ bottles Perrier water, 2 bottles clear water. Alcoholic beverages can be exchanged for other alcoholic beverages and non alcoholic beverages. Non alcoholic beverages can only be exchanged for non alcoholic beverages. Brands may change.

[kywildcatfanone]

Cruise fare is higher to get more perks, so you pay for them anyway essentially.  Marketing.

[Cruise Raider]

For us, because we do use the unlimited internet, we do imbibe and we, as well as everyone else pays the gratuities .... the $40 a day pp is well worth it.  

[MarcusRex]

When I book cruises, I tend to go a bit nutz on the math. I have a custom built spreadsheet I use to track prices changes and other stuff. Among other things, it automates the comparison between two fares to show me the difference when comparing two sales.

 

I was comparing 2 different cruises with different cabins and I noticed the difference between the "Our Lowest Fare" (OLF)and the "Best.Sale.Ever" (BSE) was fixed, no matter which of the 2 cruises I looked at and which type of cabin I chose.

 

While I calculate in Canadian money, I just did it in USD for fun. The different between OLF and BSE is "always" 560$USD for 2 people or 290USD for 1 person on a 7 day cruise. Call 41.40$ per day per person

 

Now, if I were to take the OLF and pay for all the stuff included in the BSE, this is what it gives:

• Gratuities: 14.50$ per day
• Wifi: 9.99$ per day
• Premiere Beverage: 59.99$ per day

for a total of 74.48$ per day. So, you save about 33$ per day, assuming you actually WANT the stuff included in the BSE sale.

 

Interestingly, if you were to take the Premiere Coffee and Soda package, you still save about 4$ a day by using the BSE option.

 

You only "lose" money by taking the BSE if your 'usual' setup would be just the classic soda. At that point, you're paying about 10$ more a day than you would normally.

 

As always, you mileage may vary.

[donswife]

We booked the best sale ever with the perks just to avoid the constant "is it worth it" regarding beverages and to have the unlimited wifi (another stress reducer) because the free minutes run out pretty fast, especially if you forget to log out.  We'll see if we actually get to take the cruise!🙄

[caribill]

10 hours ago, oldracer said:

I checked my Sep 4, 2021 cruise tour prices per person on the Grand from Vancouver to Alaska. The balcony room price is $151 cheaper with the best ever sale. I'm going to call and see if I can get that price reduction.

 

Unless the price of the cruisetour is reduced when you look at it on the web site, a reduction in cabin only fare does not result in any reduction for your cruisetour cost.

[skynight]

8 hours ago, MarcusRex said:

Now, if I were to take the OLF and pay for all the stuff included in the BSE, this is what it gives:

• Gratuities: 14.50$ per day
• Wifi: 9.99$ per day
• Premiere Beverage: 59.99$ per day

 

Full price of the Premier Beverage Package is US$70.79/pp/day which is the US$59.99 + 18% gratuity. The Best Sale Ever promo includes the beverage package and beverage gratuity.

[MarcusRex]

1 hour ago, skynight said:

Full price of the Premier Beverage Package is US$70.79/pp/day which is the US$59.99 + 18% gratuity. The Best Sale Ever promo includes the beverage package and beverage gratuity.

Cool! I did not know that. That makes the BSE even more worth it. I'll add that to the math.

 

I'm curious, when I buy a drink on board WITHOUT a package and I am paying the 14.50$ pppd gratuities, do I get an extra 18% surcharge as well?

 

For example, I have the soda plan but I buy a fancy margarita at a bar. Let's say it costs 10$USD. What am I charge on my account? Just the 10$ or 11.80USD?