Booze packages

[1980dory]

Booze packages tend to make purchasers overindulge to get their money's worth.

Why not offer a simple punch card for 10, 20, 30, ......drinks with a discounted price

per drink over the regular price of the drink?

I like a drink or two but I would never buy a package because it would never be

economically advantageous to drink enough to justify it.  I'm just not into heavy

drinking all day long.   Make booze offerings appropriate for the individual cruiser.

[CruiserBruce]

Some cruise lines, Holland America, for example,  have done this in the past.

[Flatbush Flyer]

44 minutes ago, 1980dory said:

Booze packages tend to make purchasers overindulge to get their money's worth.

Why not offer a simple punch card for 10, 20, 30, ......drinks with a discounted price

per drink over the regular price of the drink?

I like a drink or two but I would never buy a package because it would never be

economically advantageous to drink enough to justify it.  I'm just not into heavy

drinking all day long.   Make booze offerings appropriate for the individual cruiser.

Not all cruise lines have the same “booze packages.”

[dolittle]

Royal had a beer card 10 beers for I think 40 dollars . It said draft only but the bar tenders gave you what ever you wanted. They also had 2 dollar mimosas in the casino every morning. They were pretty good at finding your price point(mine anyway). This was the the Royal ship out of Balt.

[BoozinCroozin]

The 2-3 night cruisers are more like as you say. Longer cruises less so. I will have the drink package when we do cruise. Yes, I will get my money's worth but I will not drink so much that I am an idiot. I can easily see sea days having an early frozen drink on the Lido deck, another drink at lunch, a couple in the afternoon and evening as well. It is about $500pp for our cruise. Over 7 nights, that comes to $70/day. With drinks about $12 each, it only takes 5-6 to break even. That is easily achieved without being intoxicated. 

[NantahalaCruiser]

4 hours ago, 1980dory said:

Booze packages tend to make purchasers overindulge to get their money's worth.

Why not offer a simple punch card for 10, 20, 30, ......drinks with a discounted price

per drink over the regular price of the drink?

I like a drink or two but I would never buy a package because it would never be

economically advantageous to drink enough to justify it.  I'm just not into heavy

drinking all day long.   Make booze offerings appropriate for the individual cruiser.

Obviously, cruise lines have determined that drink packages yield more profit than discount cards!

 

With Celebrity's package I do drink a little more alcohol - perhaps 4 per day instead of 2 - but I also take advantage of and drink more of non-alcohol - a 2nd latte in the morning, a coke with lunch, a couple of bottles of water for an afternoon shore excursion and an after-dinner cappuccino.  So it does not necessarily take an overindulgence of alcohol to justify a package.

 

Of course, justification of Celebrity's drink package, now that it is included in the base fare, is now part of the decision process of comparing different fares and packages across different cruise lines.

[rkacruiser]

5 hours ago, 1980dory said:

Why not offer a simple punch card for 10, 20, 30, ......drinks with a discounted price

per drink over the regular price of the drink?

 

5 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Some cruise lines, Holland America, for example,  have done this in the past.

 

HAL used to sell their beverage cards at a discount during the first day or two of a cruise.  The beverage cards are still available, but one pays the face value of the card with no discount.  

 

Since the card is electronically registered to the guest, your bar receipt will keep a running, decreasing total of the value left on the card.  I like that.  I'd dislike a punch-type card, as I think the crew would as well.  

[msmayor]

7 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

 

HAL used to sell their beverage cards at a discount during the first day or two of a cruise.  The beverage cards are still available, but one pays the face value of the card with no discount.  

 

Since the card is electronically registered to the guest, your bar receipt will keep a running, decreasing total of the value left on the card.  I like that.  I'd dislike a punch-type card, as I think the crew would as well.  

 

When the Signature Package hasn't been included as a free perk, we've always used the beverage cards for our bar purchases.  SO much easier this way - no need to keep all the receipts to check against the stateroom account.  All my husband does is keep the newest receipt that has the 'remaining balance' on the card so we know when to re-load.

 

We never need to worry about spending it all either...whatever was left on the card at the end of the cruise was credited back to our account.

[rkacruiser]

18 minutes ago, msmayor said:

 

When the Signature Package hasn't been included as a free perk, we've always used the beverage cards for our bar purchases.  SO much easier this way - no need to keep all the receipts to check against the stateroom account.  All my husband does is keep the newest receipt that has the 'remaining balance' on the card so we know when to re-load.

 

We never need to worry about spending it all either...whatever was left on the card at the end of the cruise was credited back to our account.

 

There was one HAL cruise when the beverage card was not available, I was told.  Hmmm.

 

There was one cruise when I had "some difficulty" in obtaining the card from the Ocean Bar bartender.  Don't recall how I got him to get into his supply cabinet, and lo-and-behold, there were stacks of $50 and $250 cards.  No $100 ones; OK with me.  

 

I wondered in both situations if the "reluctance" or the "lack" of such cards had something to do with that particular bar's staff's handling of beverage gratuities.  

 

Used to be the the beverage cards could be obtained at any well patronized bar:  Seaview, Crow's Nest, Ocean Bar.  On my most recent cruises, the card is only available at the Ocean Bar.  

[getting older slowly]

One must remember.... Cruise lines offer Beverage Packages to Make Money.....

 

personally one has never bought one... and pay as you go.... 

and have not exceeded the cost of a beverage package ...

 

So in short.... there is enough people who buy said package to have fixed costs and/or convenience..... and the cruise line make more profit....

[Joebucks]

21 hours ago, 1980dory said:

Why not offer a simple punch card for 10, 20, 30, ......drinks with a discounted price

per drink over the regular price of the drink?

 

Because honestly, that option would make sense for the vast majority of cruisers, and earn the cruise lines a lot less money. People can justify their drinking schedule and "no brainer" purchase all they want. The drink packages are a complete waste to most people. People love their "packages, bundles, and all you can consumes" and lose the ability to think critically.

 

On Carnival, you can buy a 1 liter bottle for about $110. I consider that my punch card. 

[1980dory]

46 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

 

Because honestly, that option would make sense for the vast majority of cruisers, and earn the cruise lines a lot less money. People can justify their drinking schedule and "no brainer" purchase all they want. The drink packages are a complete waste to most people. People love their "packages, bundles, and all you can consumes" and lose the ability to think critically.

 

On Carnival, you can buy a 1 liter bottle for about $110. I consider that my punch card. 

Duh.  Why didn't I think of that?  Pardon me please for trying to think logically.

Those 'packages' do make sense when you consider the micro amount of booze they put in your glass and then add in the 'tip', tax, gratuity, surcharge, etc. or whatever they call it.  They manage to gouge you seventeen ways from Sunday.  Too bad people cannot  just say No 

to all the gouging and force an end to the practice.

[sparks1093]

22 hours ago, 1980dory said:

Booze packages tend to make purchasers overindulge to get their money's worth.

Why not offer a simple punch card for 10, 20, 30, ......drinks with a discounted price

per drink over the regular price of the drink?

I like a drink or two but I would never buy a package because it would never be

economically advantageous to drink enough to justify it.  I'm just not into heavy

drinking all day long.   Make booze offerings appropriate for the individual cruiser.

Because the goal is to make money for the cruise line and they make more with the packages. That the consumer "saves" money is a marketing gimick.

[sparks1093]

13 minutes ago, 1980dory said:

Duh.  Why didn't I think of that?  Pardon me please for trying to think logically.

Those 'packages' do make sense when you consider the micro amount of booze they put in your glass and then add in the 'tip', tax, gratuity, surcharge, etc. or whatever they call it.  They manage to gouge you seventeen ways from Sunday.  Too bad people cannot  just say No 

to all the gouging and force an end to the practice.

You are thinking logically, but only from you view point as a consumer. I have only purchased one package so far and that is because the price was very nearly what we spend anyway. It allowed me to try every drink that I've ever heard of, without having to worry about paying for a drink that I don't like (all I had to do was wait a few minutes before ordering a new drink, which rarely happened). They charge what the market will bear, the same way any other business does and there is no "gouging" involved.

[c-boy]

the package we purchase works to our advantage.  Sticker shock at first 😲, afterward we are very  pleased with our decision.  Package includes water, all fresh juices,  specialty coffee, discounts on bottles of wine .... so depending on your personal needs, want's and desire you decide.

[LH25]

I haven't done a package yet, I might on my next cruise.  That way, I can have a drink when I want without thinking about what it costs and what our final bill will be.  I probably won't come out ahead on the deal, but that's OK.

[1980dory]

Celebrity is giving me a Classic Booze package on my next cruise.    They also have a Premium package for extra cost.  I suppose the Classic could be called a Booze Light, similar to a Bud Light (watered down for less calories).

Nonetheless, I'll take it and  do a proper assessment but I won't be boozing from dawn to dusk for sure.  A couple drinks and maybe wine with dinner should do it for me.

A nice perk indeed but I'm sure I paid for it already with the unbelievable higher prices for cruises since this covid thing started.

Anyone else notice this?

[Cheesepleese]

Hi, first time posting on this forum. In 2017 we did a 12 night cruise on Brilliance of the Seas in the Mediterrean. On the second day we found out we could purchase a 10 drink card for US$75 plus tax and grats. If I remember it was good for drinks up to a value of $12. For us it was a good value and alternative to a drink package. We also had a coffee card which I can't remember how much it cost. Don't know if they still offer this drink card or if it was only available on Brilliance at that time. 

Cheers, Bill

[ldubs]

On 4/25/2021 at 7:28 AM, 1980dory said:

Booze packages tend to make purchasers overindulge to get their money's worth.

Why not offer a simple punch card for 10, 20, 30, ......drinks with a discounted price

per drink over the regular price of the drink?

I like a drink or two but I would never buy a package because it would never be

economically advantageous to drink enough to justify it.  I'm just not into heavy

drinking all day long.   Make booze offerings appropriate for the individual cruiser.

 

We  have a similar approach and don't get the drink packages.   I've toyed with the some of the "coffee cards" in the past, but never got one of those either.   I just buy what I want when I want it.  I don't want to worry about if I've imbibed sufficiently to justify the price of a package.  I doubt I would ever justify a drink package,  but if I happen to cross the threshold I won't lose any sleep over it.   

[CruiserBruce]

@1980dory, the cruise lines are in business to make money. Losing money does not a successful business  make. Just because they don't do it the way you think they should, doesn't make it wrong, or that they are "gouging" you. You don't have to cruise, or don't have to buy drink packages. 

 

Are you feeling slighted because they won't sell you discounted drinks?

[Doug R.]

We had the package on our NCL cruise and did not find ourselves obsessively counting drinks to make sure we were getting our money's worth or getting sloppy drunk doing it. On our next cruise we have the Princess Plus fare which includes the drink package. Again we will not obsess about consumption due to the fact our credit from a cancelled cruise covered the cost of the Princess Plus fare.

[Nic6318]

On 4/25/2021 at 10:28 AM, 1980dory said:

Booze packages tend to make purchasers overindulge to get their money's worth.

Why not offer a simple punch card for 10, 20, 30, ......drinks with a discounted price

per drink over the regular price of the drink?

I like a drink or two but I would never buy a package because it would never be

economically advantageous to drink enough to justify it.  I'm just not into heavy

drinking all day long.   Make booze offerings appropriate for the individual cruiser.

 

Hi Dory

 

I am the same as yourself; might have a couple of drinks here and there. 

 

My take on it is that the cruise lines make their money with on board spending. They make a lot with the alcohol sales, and casino operations as well as their other services. I spend very little on these other big money makers for the cruise lines. My feeling is that up until now the prices/costs for cruising are more than reasonable. With that in mind, I don't feel that paying their asking price for a few drinks a day is unreasonable. It's those big drinkers (those that are willing to pay for a drink package), gamblers, and other type of big spenders, that are in fact subsidizing my very well priced vacation. 

 

I also have found that different cruise lines, do have their own little quirky promotions where you can get discounted drinks at certain times or in specific venues. 

[1980dory]

7 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

@1980dory, the cruise lines are in business to make money. Losing money does not a successful business  make. Just because they don't do it the way you think they should, doesn't make it wrong, or that they are "gouging" you. You don't have to cruise, or don't have to buy drink packages. 

 

Are you feeling slighted because they won't sell you discounted drinks?

No.

[rkacruiser]

13 hours ago, ldubs said:

I just buy what I want when I want it.  I don't want to worry about if I've imbibed sufficiently to justify the price of a package.

 

My thinking as well.  

[K32682]

My problem with the booze packages are the various restrictions including the requirement that my wife and I both have one. When on vacation I want to drink what I want when I want it not have to think about whether this cocktail or that bottle of wine is included in a package or whether I'm drinking enough to make the package worthwhile.