Deluxe Beverage Package Question

[Tree_skier]

1 hour ago, taglovestocruise said:

Some may breakeven by lunch on a package. 

[sunshinetricia]

55 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

You are not obligated tip any more than the 18% that is included in the overall price.  Many people do.  Some like to find a couple preferred bartenders and tip them generously at the end of the cruise while others add a buck or two to a drink.  Still other tip nothing additional to the 18%.  All are appropriate and don't feel uncomfortable with whatever you choose.  Don't worry about the $12 dollar limit.  My suspicion is that it is an oversight and that a typo or oversight.  Where did you see the pricing?

 

This is where I saw the $12 limit but then I saw the $13 price in the menu that just popped up in the app for my sailing: 

 

https://secure.royalcaribbean.com/royal/media/royal/shared_assets/pdf/Deluxe_Beverage_Package Flyer.pdf

 

Maybe they are just now increasing all of the drink prices with the cruise restarts but haven't reconciled the 12/13 price discrepancy yet? Because they definitely make it seem from the advertising for the package that those types of drinks should be included in your package. 

 

I don't think we will even break even on the drink package, but we purchased it mainly for the convenience (especially on the island). My husband knows how I am on vacations. I'll be thinking "is it REALLY worth it to order a second glass of wine at dinner??" This way, it's already paid for and I can just enjoy without thinking so hard about it! Of course, now I will be stressing about the tipping. lol

[matj2000]

Always tip at least $1 per round.

 

I can walk to a crowded bar on the ship and get my drink ASAP..

 

 

[dswallow]

Don't worry about the $12/$13 discrepancy. Previously, at least, the newer/larger ships generally had prices $1 higher, and the Deluxe Beverage Package was appropriately matching that highest price. It's just an oversight, either on the price side or on the Deluxe Beverage Package description side of the info we're seeing.

[kutchyone]

11 hours ago, sunshinetricia said:

I don't think we will even break even on the drink package, but we purchased it mainly for the convenience (especially on the island). My husband knows how I am on vacations. I'll be thinking "is it REALLY worth it to order a second glass of wine at dinner??" This way, it's already paid for and I can just enjoy without thinking so hard about it! Of course, now I will be stressing about the tipping. lol

Someone I know will correct me if I'm wrong, but at the current 30% discounted price break even is just under 4.5 drinks at $13.00 per drink.  I always tip an additional $1.00 but I sign for/charge it to the room. I thought they received it direct because it was entered under their ID number in the system.  I suppose I could start carrying singles. 

[MiniChunks]

14 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

You are only paying 18% if you break even on the package. Double or triple your breakeven price and you will only be paying 6%. Some may breakeven by lunch on a package.  

 

I believe you are referring to me 😁 Ok, maybe not lunch, but we are usually in the 2 - 3X breakeven crowd, and we tip generously. I find that friendly conversation and a couple extra bucks here and there make the crew members happy, which makes me happy in return. I don't believe extra tips are expected, and I don't believe a crew member would give sub-par service to people who do not. I do believe that they are willing to go the extra mile for people who do though. 

[strickers]

14 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

 Some may breakeven by lunch on a package.  

That's the target! 🤪🥳

[Sea Dog]

59 minutes ago, kutchyone said:

break even is just under 4.5 drinks at $13.00 per drink.

That is what we aim for in figuring out the cost of the DDP. In the end we have always gotten our moneys worth. Also main thing for us is that I would rather pay up front than worry about a bill at the end.

[Tree_skier]

14 hours ago, sunshinetricia said:

 

This is where I saw the $12 limit but then I saw the $13 price in the menu that just popped up in the app for my sailing: 

 

https://secure.royalcaribbean.com/royal/media/royal/shared_assets/pdf/Deluxe_Beverage_Package Flyer.pdf

 

Maybe they are just now increasing all of the drink prices with the cruise restarts but haven't reconciled the 12/13 price discrepancy yet? Because they definitely make it seem from the advertising for the package that those types of drinks should be included in your package. 

 

I don't think we will even break even on the drink package, but we purchased it mainly for the convenience (especially on the island). My husband knows how I am on vacations. I'll be thinking "is it REALLY worth it to order a second glass of wine at dinner??" This way, it's already paid for and I can just enjoy without thinking so hard about it! Of course, now I will be stressing about the tipping. lol

Breaking even is a lot easier than people think without turning into a borderline alcoholic.

 

When you factor in  couple of bottles of water, a couple of diet cokes (or other soda) a fresh squeezed OJ in the windjammer and a specialty coffee.  You only need a couple of mixed drinks and a couple of glasses of wine and you have broken even or better.

[Fa-Li]

OP, just to add in about the getting charged extra - I tend to order wines by the glass at dinner that are a little more than $13 and get charged the difference about half the time.  Not sure what makes the difference, maybe just if the server is paying attention.

 

As for tipping, I also tend to throw around 1s and 5s like monopoly money at the bars, and always get treated like a princess as a result, although that's not why I do it.  It's humbling to think that a few dollars can make that big of a difference to someone else, so I give it out of gratitude that it's not that big of a deal to me.  Where in real life can we make someone so happy for so little?

[Tree_skier]

Just purchased my DBP for $47 per day for myself and the RP for DW $23.  😇

[tcrandal]

What we've found is for the bars we are at a lot, we tip a $1 per drink over and above the standard gratuity, and it really adds to the service. They remember your drink, have great conversations, and even some throw in freebies. Certainly it's a personal choice, and all personnel are not created equal. We've had some that we stopped tipping the extra for, and others that we bumped it up. 

 

For this particular service, it is better to tip as you go, as opposed to tipping at the end of the trip. 

[tcrandal]

5 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

Just purchased my DBP for $47 per day for myself and the RP for DW $23.  😇

So you can avoid doing the DBP for all adults by just doing the RP package? I assume you need to call for that? 

[strickers]

16 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

Just purchased my DBP for $47 per day for myself and the RP for DW $23.  😇

 

33 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

Breaking even is a lot easier than people think without turning into a borderline alcoholic.

It’s going to be a challenge at $112 a day each, but we are stuck at sea every day. I still think we can do it by mid afternoon, you’ll be pouring me off the ship by the end though. 

[tcrandal]

17 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

You are only paying 18% if you break even on the package. Double or triple your breakeven price and you will only be paying 6%. Some may breakeven by lunch on a package.  

Yea, but then you need to factor in rehab. 

[purpldoll6x]

My question is how do you keep up with the prices of the drink pkgs?  Since I bought the UDP my cruise planner just shows that I bought it, but doesn’t show the present price.  How will I check to see if the price drops?

[Luckynana]

32 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

Just purchased my DBP for $47 per day for myself and the RP for DW $23.  😇

Wow..nice!  I was looking up the price for our cruise, just before logging on to CC, and my price for today is $58.00 pp.🥴

[MiniChunks]

10 minutes ago, purpldoll6x said:

My question is how do you keep up with the prices of the drink pkgs?  Since I bought the UDP my cruise planner just shows that I bought it, but doesn’t show the present price.  How will I check to see if the price drops?

I know in my cruise planner, all i have to do is click on where it says you already purchased this and it brings you to the page with the current price.

[RedIguana]

As others have said it will cover up to $13 on the more expensive ships (Oasis class I know from experience). The red stuff I have a penchant for usually runs a little more than that, so i just sign for the extra few bucks. I also hand out ones to the bartenders. Between 2 real coffee's in the morning, fresh OJ, a few bottles of water minimum, and 3-4 glasses of the red stuff at night, I will easily break even on DBP even on long port days. Sea days toss a pina colada or two in the afternoon. And maybe a Scotch pre and post dinner. Hard to pass up an ale at the pub. Please don't show me the Tequila, I may be tempted. Sigh, I'm not sure I can wait 483 days... going to have to talk wife or daughter into one later this year

[SullytheBFG]

I am British and even I tip. We get lots of $1s it’s amazing how quickly it gets you drinks. On a very busy sea day the people we were next to had been trying to get a drink for 20 minutes, it took me 20 seconds.

 

We are also very polite and friendly 😁

[sunshinetricia]

Neither of us drinks coffee but the fresh orange juice sounds like something we could get into. And if I'm aiming for 4.5 drinks a day, I definitely need to be hitting the bottled water as well. 

 

Now I just need to know where to get the chocolate martinis that were mentioned earlier in the thread.....

[George C]

We always get drink package and it has always covered all standard drinks including 12 year old scotches, we normally go over the limit to get a good glass of red wine and occasionally a scotch over 12 years. We do bring a hundred in singles for tipping bartenders or waiters. 

[sailor05]

Don't know if it's posted, but the packages are on sale this weekend! Perfect timing for us!

 

https://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Promotions/Snapshot_of_CruisePlanner_Offers.pdf

[RFerrington]

There were no savings at all on any of the cruise planner items for us.  We purchased everything we wanted many weeks ago and those prices have not been seen again.  Glad I went ahead and purchased when I did.

[Tree_skier]

8 hours ago, tcrandal said:

So you can avoid doing the DBP for all adults by just doing the RP package? I assume you need to call for that? 

Yes, just call and it is no problem.  I've done it on every cruise in the last while 

Edited May 28, 2021 by Tree_skier