Are discounts offered for drinks packages onboard, and when?

[sidekick180]

We are booked on Britannia 18th April 2022. We have looked at the price for the drinks packages, and there is no way we can justify the cost offered at the moment. We simply couldn't drink enough to balance the cost of it. However, if they were to offer a reasonably discounted price once onboard, we might have a re-think. My questions are: Do they offer drinks package deals, when are they most likely to offer them (first day, mid cruise or later on the cruise), and finally, how would we find out about the deals (are they advertised, or would we need to ask at the reception desk).

We don't drink much at all, just a few drinks each night, maybe the odd alchol free cocktail during the day etc. but we do drink loads of water, soft drinks and specialty coffee.

Obviously, we would still need to work out whether a drinks package deal would be worth it for us. We would also need to find out if we could use our OBC to pay for the package. If not, it definitely wouldn't be worth us doing it. We only generally use the OBC to buy our drinks. Thanks in advance.

[Jennizor]

We have had the drinks package a couple of times, we had a chunk of OBC and our 7.5% loyalty discount so it was a good deal for us. You can only purchase it on your first or second day and you can’t book it for just part of your cruise. As you say you don’t drink much at all, I don’t think it would be worth it for you. We won’t book it again as there are too many of our drinks of choice not covered by the package. 

[sidekick180]

6 minutes ago, Jennizor said:

We have had the drinks package a couple of times, we had a chunk of OBC and our 7.5% loyalty discount so it was a good deal for us. You can only purchase it on your first or second day and you can’t book it for just part of your cruise. As you say you don’t drink much at all, I don’t think it would be worth it for you. We won’t book it again as there are too many of our drinks of choice not covered by the package. 

Thank you for that. I haven't really delved too deeply into the drinks covered, so that is something I would also need to consider. Could you tell me what drinks were not covered on your package please?

[majortom10]

To my knowledge there is never any "deals" or discounts on drinks packages. But at £80 per couple even with coffees/teas and soft drinks you will have to drink rather a lot to make it value for money and also when in ports you are off the ship for most of the day.

[wowzz]

2 hours ago, majortom10 said:

To my knowledge there is never any "deals" or discounts on drinks packages. But at £80 per couple even with coffees/teas and soft drinks you will have to drink rather a lot to make it value for money and also when in ports you are off the ship for most of the day.

Just a thought - we are currently in La Coruna, and no alcoholic drinks are available until the ship leaves port. I've never known this before.

I'd be really unhappy if I had bought the package and couldn't have a drink.

[Jennizor]

If I remember rightly, lots of the cocktails were not included in the package and other drinks over £6.95. You could only get a small glass of wine but you can have another after 15 minutes.

[terrierjohn]

43 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Just a thought - we are currently in La Coruna, and no alcoholic drinks are available until the ship leaves port. I've never known this before.

I'd be really unhappy if I had bought the package and couldn't have a drink.

That's very strange, we have had to pay Spanish VAT  in the past, but never been prevented from buying a drink.

[wowzz]

4 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

That's very strange, we have had to pay Spanish VAT  in the past, but never been prevented from buying a drink.

A few unhappy people about !

I've never known it either.

[terrierjohn]

1 minute ago, wowzz said:

A few unhappy people about !

I've never known it either.

Is the Captain perhaps part of the temperance movement?

[wowzz]

3 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Is the Captain perhaps part of the temperance movement?

Perhaps he's recovering from the stress of the fire in the incinerator room yesterday. Apt place for a fire !

[Son of Anarchy]

I think I would bring some of my cabin consumption grog into the bar.  If they try to charge a corkage fee, say that I will only pay once the ship has left port 😲

 

Bizarre.  

[BornLucky]

The "ultimate" drinks package is so bad i get inro a rant just thinking about it. The restrictions are so absurd you will tear your hair out. Unless you have no interest in what you drink it is beyond terrible. 

[Dinglebert]

8 hours ago, BornLucky said:

The "ultimate" drinks package is so bad i get inro a rant just thinking about it. The restrictions are so absurd you will tear your hair out. Unless you have no interest in what you drink it is beyond terrible. 

I don't think they areally wanted to introduce any sort of ultimate package but were forced to as the other lines all had one.   Their answer was to create one which is not value for money so that no-one actually buys it or gains from buying it.

 

I can easily make a RCI drinks package work due to what they have on it and their normal drinks prices.  P+O are very reasonable for their drinks prices anyway.

[BornLucky]

1 hour ago, Dinglebert said:

I don't think they areally wanted to introduce any sort of ultimate package but were forced to as the other lines all had one.   Their answer was to create one which is not value for money so that no-one actually buys it or gains from buying it.

 

I can easily make a RCI drinks package work due to what they have on it and their normal drinks prices.  P+O are very reasonable for their drinks prices anyway.

I agree that P&O prices aren't too bad. I will not be buying a drinks package on their ships again. The real queation for me is do I go on P&O or give my money to another cruise line that provide the standard of drinks package I am used to. The way P&O treat passengers who have given them money is a disgrace.  Sort it or drop it.

[wowzz]

4 hours ago, BornLucky said:

I agree that P&O prices aren't too bad. I will not be buying a drinks package on their ships again. The real queation for me is do I go on P&O or give my money to another cruise line that provide the standard of drinks package I am used to. The way P&O treat passengers who have given them money is a disgrace.  Sort it or drop it.

Go to Princess and buy their package for £30 pppd, and that includes WiFi and gratuities.

[BornLucky]

42 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Go to Princess and buy their package for £30 pppd, and that includes WiFi and gratuities.

And their choice of both alcoholic and soft drinks is far better. 

[Camberley]

On 4/1/2022 at 12:04 AM, BornLucky said:

The "ultimate" drinks package is so bad i get inro a rant just thinking about it. The restrictions are so absurd you will tear your hair out. Unless you have no interest in what you drink it is beyond terrible. 

Oh yes it is truly dreadful and we would never get it again. But it is probably fine if one’s tastebuds have jumped overboard and you don’t care what you drink - but really limited otherwise.
 

We found that when not on drinks package, drinking what we wanted from the full range of drinks on board worked out much better value for us plus we had nicer drinks so it was more of a lovely holiday rather than a cheap boozer! But for some people it will be fine for them.

[cheshire]

We normally cruise with Celebrity.   There drinks packages are superb.  You just don't think about anything just order it.  we were a family group of six and the bottles were simply left with us over dinner.  its was so relaxing it really makes a difference.

[debgreg]

Does anyone have recent drink menus for Iona. We were going to get the package but if it’s limited we may need to consider our options ? 

[BillieJeanKaraokeKing]

P&O's drinks package seems to be the worst value one out there, when you consider the restrictions on what's available and the ridiculous full price minus 20% charge for something that won't be included.

 

It's as if they have priced it to cover for boozy Brits, but for those of us who drink but not to excess you're better off pay as you go, as we will be in June.

 

Perhaps they should do a £30 for a maximum of say six or seven alcoholic drinks, and then £50 for a 'P***heads Package'?! 😀

Edited April 3, 2022 by BillieJeanKaraokeKing

[Megabear2]

On 4/1/2022 at 2:27 PM, wowzz said:

Go to Princess and buy their package for £30 pppd, and that includes WiFi and gratuities.

We had it on a Regal Princess staycation and it seemed reasonable value.  However there was only one bar offering a pint of draft beer, everything else was 330cl bottles and the choice was not particularly good, lots of American lager and craft type beers. Our travelling companions drank quite a lot of beer through the day and with the 15 drink limit found themselves with nothing left in the package for wine at dinner after having two bottles at a time to create a pint!  My husband and I never reached our daily limit but even then he said it was annoying to have to keep ordering the bottles.

 

I've no idea if this is the norm or just because it was a start up seacations and supplies were limited.

Edited April 4, 2022 by Megabear2

[Bazrat]

I personally would not buy the drinks package because it doesn’t work for me, but to read some of the above comments you would think that if you go for the drinks package your a drunken slob, I think it says more of the posters than the people who actually purchase the package.

Edited April 4, 2022 by Bazrat

[Megabear2]

We found it quite useful, particularly as it included bottled water which I think cruise lines really do rip passengers off on.  It was quite nice to be able to choose different cocktails to try knowing if it didn't suit when tasted nothing was lost.

 

If as reported P&O's drinks packageis a little limited in choice perhaps they should consider offering the two options as do Princess, ie fare without or fare including.

 

I'm due on a Celebrity cruise in June where there is no option to choose not to have the drinks package. I personally think that goes too far the other way and prefer the P&O/Princess approach of purchase it if you will get value from it.  Having said that I do think that if a company is going to sell a package it isn't right for them to limit what a passenger can have.  Every person's alcohol consumption capacity is different, one person can be tipsy on a glass of wine while another can happily consume a bottle and you'd never know they had been drinking.

 

I do find it ironic that the people who are judgmental about others' drinking habits are often the ones who like to bring a couple of bottles onboard for consumption in their room or on some lines live in high end suites where bottles of alcohol are one of their perks!