NCL Regulars that have tried other cruise lines- Alcohol

[JGmf]

On 4/3/2022 at 5:13 PM, mscdivina2016 said:

We are bad onboard, usually 15+ each per day and we as a rule don't take 7 night cruises.

 

Your liver thanks you for not stretching it to 7 days! 

 

(My liver would like the same consideration you give to yours).

[janice2348]

On 4/3/2022 at 5:00 PM, pcrum said:

We sail NCL due to the drink package. I’m a numbers cruncher and when I look at other lines’ total cost including adding in a drinks package, NCL usually comes out ahead. Specialty coffees and bottled water don’t really matter to us so the fact that they are not included doesn’t influence our decision. Plus, have not sailed another line whose entertainment can beat Howl at the Moon or the Broadway shows shown on NCL. 

We did the same.  When you factor in drink package costs on other lines, NCL is a bargain.  We aren’t big drinkers, so this works out well for us. 

[WIBadgerFan]

On 4/3/2022 at 5:00 PM, pcrum said:

We sail NCL due to the drink package. I’m a numbers cruncher and when I look at other lines’ total cost including adding in a drinks package, NCL usually comes out ahead. Specialty coffees and bottled water don’t really matter to us so the fact that they are not included doesn’t influence our decision. Plus, have not sailed another line whose entertainment can beat Howl at the Moon or the Broadway shows shown on NCL. 

Completely agree.  As others here have said, having just returned from Odyssey, the wine and whisky choices at least were a sad shadow of the offerings I saw on Encore last summer in AK.  The NCL PLUS package was awesome, given the many offerings, especially the Veuve, but also the Macallan for instance.  The beer selections on NCL are amazing as well of course, especially at the tap room which has no competition on Royal.  
We did get a great deal on Royal's Black Friday sale for the drink package but we never saw that price again, or even close to it.  The other NCL advantage in policy is two drinks per order, and they don't ask you for your card every single time you order a drink.  Constantly having to provide both my wife's and my room cards was a pain, especially when they start falling apart after a few days.  That is a subtle but surprisingly impactful advantage to NCL as well, and yes, that did apply to San Pellegrino and fresh squeezed juice at the buffet.

[FlatFooted Freda]

DH & I sailed Odyssey OTS in Nov, Norwegian Encore in Jan, and Royal Mariner OTS in March. DH doesn't drink, so we would never actually purchase the drink package if not included. But  I do, so enjoyed the drink package on Encore. I  usually drink craft beers, so took this as an opportunity to branch out. Most of the drinks were fruity boat drinks. I had a nice glass of vino tinto with the included Italian specialty restaurant. And, as previously mentioned, Encore had a pub with an incredible selection of beer. We've also sailed with  HAL, CCL and Disney, and no other ship I've been on had that kind of variety. 

Also as previously mentioned, I too felt the drinks on the Encore were not that potent. I "felt" the big glass of wine more than any of the other drinks. A few of the boat drinks tasted alcohol-free. Sometimes I felt like it was more of a milkshake package. 

Otherwise, we felt Royal and NCL were comparable. The newer Odyssey was the nicest of the ships. Norwegian had better shows - Choir of Man, and the great Beatles cover band ( the only standing room only on the whole cruise was for the Beatles cover  in the Cavern)(Kinky Boots was a Covid casualty). The food on Odyssey and Encore were comparable, but certainly not on Mariner ( which is headed for dry dock within a year). One difference, as of a month or so ago, was that Norwegian had a larger selection of itineraries. At the time, Royal wasn't sailing in South America, and very few Panama Canal sailings.

We're booked for Epic in May, and Wonder OTS in Jan (much pricier)-we still like them both. Also hope to try Celebrity and Princess before settling on a brand loyalty. Love hearing others opinions!

[HandC4Me]

Apologies for this VERY basic question, but I'm trying to research NCL's Open Bar offering and my head is swimming a bit after so much reading.

 

Our TA quoted me a gratuity charge of about $320 per person for the Open Bar package. I'm trying to figure out how many ("standard", not premium) alcoholic drinks that might equal out to. I guess what I'm really looking for is current price range info on how much drinks are. Specifically thinking of (house) wine by the glass, and drinks like pina coladas, daiquiris, margaritas, etc; no beer.

 

Many thanks in advance for any input!

[geleisen]

2 minutes ago, HandC4Me said:

Apologies for this VERY basic question, but I'm trying to research NCL's Open Bar offering and my head is swimming a bit after so much reading.

 

Our TA quoted me a gratuity charge of about $320 per person for the Open Bar package. I'm trying to figure out how many ("standard", not premium) alcoholic drinks that might equal out to. I guess what I'm really looking for is current price range info on how much drinks are. Specifically thinking of (house) wine by the glass, and drinks like pina coladas, daiquiris, margaritas, etc; no beer.

 

Many thanks in advance for any input!

I would say between 20-30, depending on what you get. 

[smillerholmes]

I recently completed a side by side (I had never heard this term until I did it) the Majestic Princess out of LA and the next week on the Norwegian Bliss same itinerary (ports were in different order) to Mexico.  This might end up being more info than you asked for, but maybe it helps someone else decide.

The NCL cruise had been booked and rebooked multiple times due to C-19, but about a month before I got ready to go I happened to be perusing VTG and saw the Princess cruise with no single supplement and with only 3 weeks before the cruise it was $489 including Princess Plus which is drinks, wifi and what they like to call "crew appreciation" otherwise known as tips.  

Since air travel to LA was ultra expensive anyway I just changed my flight date and got an extra week of vacation on the cheap.  It was my first time on Princess and I've cruised NCL several times - here's what I found to be the main differences.

 

Price - obviously for this cruise Princess came out on top since I booked it after final payment, but I have been checking their site regularly now and they are still offering Princess Plus and cabin fares are competitive for similar itineraries.  Both cabins had a balcony.

 

Beverage Package - Princess included water, specialty coffees and drinks up to $12.  The only problem was when I asked for some of the higher end bourbons they were unavailable???  I ended up with Woodford Reserve a lot of times and chocked it up to supply chain issues.  On NCL I had already paid for the upgrade to Premium Plus and so everything was included, and I had no issues getting Blanton's and Eagle Rare although I did hang out at Maltings. 

 

Food/Dining Experience - In the main dining room Princess seats in "sections" and they take (3-4) table orders at once and then the waiter brings out several dinners at once.  Needless to say temperature was sometimes an issue.  I did try both the Crown Grill and Harmony.  The seating worked like NCL, but my food was still luke warm at the Crown Gill; Harmony was very good.  This is where NCL excels in my opinion.  Cagney's and LeBistro were yum!

** Princess serves High Tea at 3pm in the main dining room. Excellent! Clotted cream and all. Also room service is FREE.  And the little medallion they use instead of a cruise card allows you to use their app to place food/drink orders ANYWHERE on the ship and they will come find you for FREE.  I can't lie - that was pretty awesome.

 

Internet - Princess wins here - it was awesome and I honestly had hoped Bliss would be better since it is one of the newer ships.  It was awful, not to mention the minute limitations.  And the line the first few mornings in the Internet Cafe with people waiting to have their minutes restored.

 

Entertainment - Lots of live music around both ships, lots of puzzles and games hosted by the Cruise Director and staff.  But NCL gets the nod here.  Jersey Boys was excellent and the most memorable thing about Princess was an enrichment talk by Leo Rossi - he used to be a roadie for many rock bands of the 60's/70's/80's.  Hearing about his life was pretty interesting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JGmf]

17 hours ago, HandC4Me said:

Our TA quoted me a gratuity charge of about $320 per person for the Open Bar package.

 

Are you sure it's $320/pp for the gratuities portion of your 'Free at Sea' Open Bar?  Are you sailing on a 16 day trip?  It's usually $20/pp/day for gratuities...which in my opinion, is a true bargain.

 

If you don't have the drink package, drinks are usually in the $10-$13 range.  They advertise a special drink of the day which, I recall, is around $9.

 

Good luck.  Have fun.

 

[FlatFooted Freda]

3 hours ago, JGmf said:

 

Are you sure it's $320/pp for the gratuities portion of your 'Free at Sea' Open Bar?  Are you sailing on a 16 day trip?  It's usually $20/pp/day for gratuities...which in my opinion, is a true bargain.

 

If you don't have the drink package, drinks are usually in the $10-$13 range.  They advertise a special drink of the day which, I recall, is around $9.

 

Good luck.  Have fun.

 

Great post. I hope others give this sort of side by side comparison. Will be shopping for Princess opportunities, just to give them a try. 

[FlatFooted Freda]

Just now, FlatFooted Freda said:

Great post. I hope others give this sort of side by side comparison. Will be shopping for Princess opportunities, just to give them a try. 

oops. Wrong quote. Meant for smillerholmes  post. Sorry

 

[Von & John]

Does anyone know how much, per day, is the Premium Plus?

And does everyone in the cabin have to purchase the Premium Plus?

Edited April 7, 2022 by Von & John

[Hutcha]

19 hours ago, Von & John said:

Does anyone know how much, per day, is the Premium Plus?

And does everyone in the cabin have to purchase the Premium Plus?

It's about $33.50 PP/PD, and everyone has to get it (with a few exceptions. There's a great, and lengthy, thread here on the P+ package 

[catinhat]

I price compare every time I cruise with other ships and their alcohol packages since I started on NCL..   NCL has won out every time.   

 

[NCLGirl2013]

17 hours ago, catinhat said:

I price compare every time I cruise with other ships and their alcohol packages since I started on NCL..   NCL has won out every time.   

 

This is what I am seeing everytime I do a comparison too 

[smillerholmes]

On 4/6/2022 at 7:29 PM, FlatFooted Freda said:

oops. Wrong quote. Meant for smillerholmes  post. Sorry

 

You are most welcome.  Glad I could help.

[btc1951]

On 4/7/2022 at 4:04 PM, Hutcha said:

It's about $33.50 PP/PD, and everyone has to get it (with a few exceptions. There's a great, and lengthy, thread here on the P+ package 

I can't find the thread you mentioned about the P+ package. 

[cruiseny4life]

47 minutes ago, btc1951 said:

I can't find the thread you mentioned about the P+ package. 

I believe this is the one that was discussed: