Pacific Explorer Drink Package

[Macneil1969]

Hey.  Just wondering if anyone has been on the P&O Australia Pacific Explorer recently.  I am wanting to know drink prices as I would like to see if the drinks packages are worth it.  Or is it better to have money in your cruise wallet to cover these?

[Gwendy]

Interested as well.  Thanks in advance for info.

[andrew_j]

I was looking at the restaurant wine lists a couple of weeks ago and they were at family restaurant prices. I just don't drink enough to make the drinks package worthwhile, I could do it for a couple of days but not a week or more. As an idea it was about 14 for a cocktail and 40 for a bottle of wine.

 

A hundred a day is a lot of booze.

 

 

Edited September 21, 2022 by andrew_j

[Gwendy]

Thanks for info, I think I will stick to soft drink and coffee package.  I am not capable of drinking enough booze to cover costs and stay upright. Lol

[Macneil1969]

Thanks Heaps Andrew J.  Doesn't look like an alcohol package is for me either.  Appreciate the information 🙂

 

[davo67]

When we were last on P&O for a longer cruise (pre the Rona) we had a drinks package for a 10 day cruise. I don't think I'd do it again for a long cruise as it tends to give you the feeling you need to drink "enough to be worthwhile", meaning on some days you might drink more than you would otherwise do.

 

Depending on what you like to drink there are reasonably priced options. The last short cruise we went on was to Morton Island - 4 or 5 nights from memory. I generally drink beer and could find pints at around $10 each. The cocktails aren't too badly priced either although they aren't terribly strong. My GF at the time liked red wine so we generally bought a bottle for her as better value than by the glass.

 

We're on Pacific Adventure in a few weeks for a comedy cruise so will make a note of the alchol options and costs and report back here so you have an updated reference.

 

[Shazza13]

On 9/13/2022 at 9:34 AM, Macneil1969 said:

Hey.  Just wondering if anyone has been on the P&O Australia Pacific Explorer recently.  I am wanting to know drink prices as I would like to see if the drinks packages are worth it.  Or is it better to have money in your cruise wallet to cover these?

 

[Shazza13]

I am also interested…we are on the pacific adventure sailcation cruise in a couple of weeks. We both enjoy our drinks but wondering the quality of wine choices on drinks package vs costs and choices if purchasing as we go..tried speaking with P&O to view drinks menus and they say they can’t provide one…not very transparent. Any advice appreciated…new to cruising.

[andrew_j]

OK, so I am back from my Pacific Explorer cruise.

 

All the wines by the glass are between $11 and 13. In general, they are quite good. Bottles go from a bit under 40 to over a hundred (including some celebration type stuff). As a wine snob, I thought the wine list was well chosen - solid and drinkable. There's a High Country sangiovese and a chianti for $40 which is what my local restaurant charges. If you want to splurge, there are plenty of good options well under a hundred. Be aware the lists change between the restaurants, the Italian varietals are all in Angelos.

 

The cocktails list is pretty much everything for $15. A couple of stronger cocktails hit 17 and so wouldn't be covered by the premium package, there's also an Archie Rose bar that does cocktails in the 16-21 range. These were the best drinks we had on the ship, AR is a good brand.

 

I never bought any soft drinks or coffee so can't comment. There is free mediocre orange and apple juice at breakfast, and just water at lunch/ dinner (no iced tea unlike other lines).

[Gwendy]

Thanks for info.  We leave on Friday for Melbourne Cup Cruise.  We have purchased coffee, soft drink, mock tail, water package so will be interesting to see if I get my money’s worth.

No use me buying an alcohol package, one drink and I find a corner to go to sleep.  Even in my twenties I would do the same. Lol.

[Ozwoody]

Does anyone have costs of soft drinks, real Juice, Mocktails, coffees, hot chocolate, soda fountain drinks, etc.

 

Thanks 

Regards

 

[andrew_j]

3 hours ago, Ozwoody said:

Does anyone have costs of soft drinks, real Juice, Mocktails, coffees, hot chocolate, soda fountain drinks, etc.

 

Soft drinks come in 250ml cans and are the Coca Cola range - so Fanta etc. Coffee is available at a couple of venues and I think was coffee shop price so about $4 but I'm a bit hazy. tea was good value, it was $2.50 for a pot of T2 tea from the cafe in the Atrium.

 

Mocktails were around $10.

 

Large bottles of water were relatively expensive, about $5 but there was a discount if you ordered six I think. they are in the rooms for you to buy or order.

Edited October 27, 2022 by andrew_j

[Ozwoody]

2 hours ago, andrew_j said:

 

Soft drinks come in 250ml cans and are the Coca Cola range - so Fanta etc. Coffee is available at a couple of venues and I think was coffee shop price so about $4 but I'm a bit hazy. tea was good value, it was $2.50 for a pot of T2 tea from the cafe in the Atrium.

 

Mocktails were around $10.

 

Large bottles of water were relatively expensive, about $5 but there was a discount if you ordered six I think. they are in the rooms for you to buy or order.

Thank you for that info, trying to figure out if the $25 drink package is worth it.

Seems high, and they insist you buy days before cruise day, and you can't purchase on ship.

And they won't let you use OBC, requiring you pay by card.

All a bit over the top it seems to me.

[andrew_j]

18 hours ago, Ozwoody said:

Thank you for that info, trying to figure out if the $25 drink package is worth it.

 

I think it will come down to how much soft drink you would drink with a meal, and whether you prefer bottled water. There is plenty of drinking water stations around the venues, but you need to be organised to stay hydrated; I would sit near a water station after gym to rehydrate when a big bottle would have been more convenient.

 

The cabin water is meant to be safe, but ours was always warm and so only used for brushing teeth etc.

[Ozwoody]

Thanks andrew_j

On Princess I always got the Soda package for around $12/day, and it included Soda on tap drinks, real OJ, mocktails, hot chocolate, etc.

It was definitely worth the package. Recently they had dropped to hot chocolate and supposedly transferred it to the coffee package, but it was always already included in the coffee package.

As this is our 1st P&O cruise can't seem to find definite costs of non alcoholic drinks, so can't make valued judgement if package is worth $25, double what princess has been charging.

Regards

 

[discoseabear]

I know that Pepsi Max is no sugar but do the rest of the soft drinks package range on board have no added sugar versions?🥤

[andrew_j]

Can't really help on this one, all I saw was a row of cans of soft drink in the 'display' at the buffet

[martin jenkins]

just off the encounter, looking at all the wine menus there was a lot not available, we were on the boat only an hour had 2 crown lagers 1/2 an hour later re ordered to be told ' we are out of stock ''

[Ozwoody]

6 hours ago, martin jenkins said:

just off the encounter, looking at all the wine menus there was a lot not available, we were on the boat only an hour had 2 crown lagers 1/2 an hour later re ordered to be told ' we are out of stock ''

We're just off the Encounter also, extremely disappointed in P&O's drink menus, or more to the point lack of drink menu's. If you wanted a cocktail, plenty of those.

Beers, wines, soft drinks, mocktails, fruit juices, ????? had more luck collecting hens teeth on a fishing trawler.☹️ 

Ask a several waiter what mocktails were available, answer was so fast only caught two words Leaches & watermelon on all the replies, no costs were mentioned, so ordered Watermelon what ever.

Won't be going on a P&O cruise anytime soon, felt they wanted you to order blindly and pay what ever.

Very disappointed, would not buy the $25 soft drink package to hard to make it worth while.

Edited November 15, 2022 by Ozwoody

[Vayios]

Is there a limit on number of drinks of a specific type on the $25 package?

[Ozwoody]

1 hour ago, Vayios said:

Is there a limit on number of drinks of a specific type on the $25 package?

No there did not appear to be, but as most soft drinks were about $3.50, Coffees $4, mocktails $5.25.

I found I was pushing it to get $25 worth everyday. If your heavy into Pepsi, or drinking lots of mocktails, it may be worth it.

On our seven day cruise, two days are half days, and then there were three port days, making it hard to make $25 drink package worth it. IMHO.

Oh, note the soft drinks and mocktails glasses are both loaded with ice first, so making the last part of your drink mostly water.

 

On non port days, I was having 4 large hot chocolates a day (2 morning-2 afternoon) at $5.40 each = $21.60 plus 1 mocktail $5.25 so for 4 days I got value, but for 3 port days and the two 1/2 days well under.

Edited November 16, 2022 by Ozwoody

[MFiz]

On 9/22/2022 at 2:12 AM, Gwendy said:

Thanks for info, I think I will stick to soft drink and coffee package.  I am not capable of drinking enough booze to cover costs and stay upright. Lol

how did you find the coffee package was it worth it?  Could you get a mocktail on your package, and then pay for a shot of alcohol in it?

[MFiz]

On 11/16/2022 at 11:38 AM, Ozwoody said:

No there did not appear to be, but as most soft drinks were about $3.50, Coffees $4, mocktails $5.25.

I found I was pushing it to get $25 worth everyday. If your heavy into Pepsi, or drinking lots of mocktails, it may be worth it.

On our seven day cruise, two days are half days, and then there were three port days, making it hard to make $25 drink package worth it. IMHO.

Oh, note the soft drinks and mocktails glasses are both loaded with ice first, so making the last part of your drink mostly water.

 

On non port days, I was having 4 large hot chocolates a day (2 morning-2 afternoon) at $5.40 each = $21.60 plus 1 mocktail $5.25 so for 4 days I got value, but for 3 port days and the two 1/2 days well under.

Could you get a mocktail on your package, and then pay for a shot of alcohol in it?  Someone earlier said the mocktails were $10 so they are only $5.25 is that correct?

[dazadelaide]

Last cruise we did on P&O was before covid. 

Back then mocktails were around $9 - $10 each.

I dont drink alcohol so only had soft drink package.

Wife drinks a little bit so she would order a mocktail and a shot of vodka for about $5.

We drank more coffee than we expected to, so this time ( cruise 13th march ) we have both got the $25 per day package as for us this the best option.

When we worked it out at 3 - 4 coffees a day plus 3 - 4 pepsi max and a mocktail or two each it's well worth it for us. ( totals around $40 ish per day ) 

Our cruise is 14 days 7 sea days.

Daz

[Ozwoody]

8 hours ago, MFiz said:

Could you get a mocktail on your package, and then pay for a shot of alcohol in it?  Someone earlier said the mocktails were $10 so they are only $5.25 is that correct?

Hi MFiz

Yes Mocktails were $5.25 on P&O on our last cruise, see P&O menu attached.

And I guess if you ordered a mocktail and a shot of spirit together you could tip it into the mocktail.

But not sure what a shot costs, may be cheaper just to buy a cocktail at about $12 each I think.

 

Regards