Drink package question from NCL newbie

[ggTexasGal]

2 minutes ago, zzdoug said:

This is helpful information. I was thinking that the ~$300 gratuity means it covers $1500 in liquor purchases which is what I would spend on booze over several years, but 2 per day seems plausible. Plenty of good liquors to choose from on the list. Let's get lit!

 

A few follow up questions:

 

Would a labor intensive mixed drink such as an Old Fashioned made  with a bourbon on the  list be covered under the $15 limit?

 

What kind of juices, coffee drinks are covered? Is there a type of juice I can get that is not available without the package? I understand Starbucks is excluded but could I, say, order a cappuccino after dinner in the main dining room? 

 

Thanks 

I think that you might have mixed concepts of the two drink packages.

 

The basic "Free at Sea" package does NOT include "fresh squeezed juices", Starbucks, cappuccino, or higher-end liquor, wines or champagne.  I believe an Old Fashion on the menu that is included.

 

The Premium PLUS beverage package has no (or very few) limitations on the list.  You should be able to get fresh squeezed juices (especially from the juice bar in the buffet (usually AFT).  Starbucks drinks of any size or variety on their menu!  An Old Fashion (of your choice) will be available!

 

Hopefully I addressed, correctly, your questions.

 

 

[*MoonLady*]

On 11/21/2022 at 9:38 PM, Bxc53 said:

We are looking at our first NCL cruise next year.  Past cruises have been mostly Celebrity and RCL. 
Wondering what the “ Free at Sea” package includes, drink wise. We usually only have 2-3 drinks/day, but do like decent brands. A typical day in warm climates might be a Vodka tonic in the afternoon, then a bourbon rocks or two in the evening. What would be some of the “ included “ brands vs premium at, I assume, extra cost. 
 

Thanks for any insights .

You will be able to get Belvedere vodka with the basic drink package and if you do pick something higher end, they usually put an * by the drink to indicate that you may pay the difference. I would not recommend paying for the premium plus if you are only going to drink 2-3 adult beverages a day.

[*MoonLady*]

3 hours ago, zzdoug said:

This is helpful information. I was thinking that the ~$300 gratuity means it covers $1500 in liquor purchases which is what I would spend on booze over several years, but 2 per day seems plausible. Plenty of good liquors to choose from on the list. Let's get lit!

 

A few follow up questions:

 

Would a labor intensive mixed drink such as an Old Fashioned made  with a bourbon on the  list be covered under the $15 limit?

 

What kind of juices, coffee drinks are covered? Is there a type of juice I can get that is not available without the package? I understand Starbucks is excluded but could I, say, order a cappuccino after dinner in the main dining room? 

 

Thanks 

You will be able to get an old fashioned, juice and coffee. You can get your coffee and juice at the buffet and main dining. Freshly squeezed juices and Starbucks coffee would be extra. Think the juice machine at the hotel. 

[DCGuy64]

1 minute ago, *MoonLady* said:

I would not recommend paying for the premium plus if you are only going to drink 2-3 adult beverages a day.

Agreed. My biggest beef is that in a cabin of two adults, both must get the package. I could see availing myself of the PP package, but it doesn't make sense for my wife since she doesn't drink coffee, ever, and she almost never finishes a glass of wine. I hate the taste of Starbucks so I'm paying double for just fancy drinks and it's not cost effective for me. Maybe we aren't the typical couple, but it just feels like NCL is missing out on an opportunity to make some money off people like us who only want to upgrade one person. But that's just how it is.

[mjkacmom]

34 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Agreed. My biggest beef is that in a cabin of two adults, both must get the package. I could see availing myself of the PP package, but it doesn't make sense for my wife since she doesn't drink coffee, ever, and she almost never finishes a glass of wine. I hate the taste of Starbucks so I'm paying double for just fancy drinks and it's not cost effective for me. Maybe we aren't the typical couple, but it just feels like NCL is missing out on an opportunity to make some money off people like us who only want to upgrade one person. But that's just how it is.

I think it’s the same as the regular UDP, it would be so easy to share that premium beverage package with someone with just one paying for the upgrade.

[European_CruiseGirl]

Different packages include different things on different cruise lines so indeed they may be highly confusing when you change a cruise line 🙂 Just giving some random clarifications to topics which have come up previously in this thread.

 

The NCL basic alcohol beverage package (the Premium Beverage Package) indeed also includes soft drinks - something I did read either op or someone else said that the package would not include. So just to clarify: soft drinks are included. So if op's wife is not drinking so much alcohol but is (like I am) a coca cola addict: well the coca colas (and other soft drinks) are included in that package. Also although premium sparkling water such as Pellegrino is not included in the package a basic (and very good) club soda type of water is included. At least for us that is close enough to Pellegrino. Also your average juices are included on the NCL's package. What I mean by average are other juices than "freshly squeezed oj". If you want that you pay extra but other than that juices are included. 

 

Also if a drink would cost over $15 with NCL's basic Premium Beverage Package you'll only pay the amount that goes over the $15 limit. You don't pay for the whole drink. So if you buy a drink which is $16 you'll pay $1 + tax. 

 

These are just some points which I wanted to highlight. Do let me know if other questions come to your mind which I and the rest of NCL cruisecritic people could reply. For me and DH, although I do not drink so many drinks with alcohol during the day, the Premium Beverage Package is a no brainer. We always take it when we get it "free" so when we only pay taxes for it. I'll easily drink 5-6 glasses of cokes per day which are priced around $3,50 each + tax. So they on their own make around $17,5-$21+ tax daily. Add some club sodas during lunch and dinner (2 glasses on each meal) and it adds up. And then I'll anyway have a glass of wine ($14-$15 + tax) during dinner or a fruity drink ($15 + tax) by the pool during the day. So even though I do not drink that much alcohol the package makes sense when it is part of the free packages and we pay just the tax part of the drink package.   

Edited November 29, 2022 by European_CruiseGirl

[DCGuy64]

9 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

I think it’s the same as the regular UDP, it would be so easy to share that premium beverage package with someone with just one paying for the upgrade.

Agreed, I'm pretty sure that's their rationale for not letting just one person upgrade. But in our case, they wouldn't be losing money. But yeah, you're right about that.

[DCGuy64]

6 minutes ago, European_CruiseGirl said:

Also if an alcoholic drink would cost over $15 with NCL's basic Premium Beverage Package you'll only pay the amount that goes over the $15 limit. You don't pay for the whole drink. So if you buy a drink which is $16 you'll pay $1 + tax. 

This is a great point and one which shouldn't be overlooked. It may also depend on where/when you order. My wife ordered a glass of wine at La Cucina which cost $17, but we weren't charged the $2 + tax. And we found the included coffee (for me) and juices to be just fine. We might splurge and order a fresh glass of OJ occasionally, but that was still way less than upgrading both of us. I did the math and for both of us it would cost well over $600 on our upcoming cruise. We wouldn't get anywhere near close to that on our own.

[New2cruise2022]

3 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

This is a great point and one which shouldn't be overlooked. It may also depend on where/when you order. My wife ordered a glass of wine at La Cucina which cost $17, but we weren't charged the $2 + tax. And we found the included coffee (for me) and juices to be just fine. We might splurge and order a fresh glass of OJ occasionally, but that was still way less than upgrading both of us. I did the math and for both of us it would cost well over $600 on our upcoming cruise. We wouldn't get anywhere near close to that on our own.

This is the right way for everyone to do it. Make your best guess. See how close your “budget” of drinks would come to the Premium Plus. 
 

And there are people that won’t worry about this kind of pricing. For some people, the value is there to be able to order whatever, whenever without concern of running up a bill. 

[DCGuy64]

2 hours ago, New2cruise2022 said:

For some people, the value is there to be able to order whatever, whenever without concern of running up a bill. 

I used to be one of those people, but two things happened to me: 1. I found myself overdrinking to get my money's worth and ended up very hungover and/or sick. 2. I realized I was wasting money, so every $ I don't spend on an upgraded drinks package is one I can use for souvenirs, excursions, etc.

[zzdoug]

9 hours ago, *MoonLady* said:

You will be able to get an old fashioned, juice and coffee. You can get your coffee and juice at the buffet and main dining. Freshly squeezed juices and Starbucks coffee would be extra. Think the juice machine at the hotel. 

 

12 hours ago, ggTexasGal said:

I think that you might have mixed concepts of the two drink packages.

 

The basic "Free at Sea" package does NOT include "fresh squeezed juices", Starbucks, cappuccino, or higher-end liquor, wines or champagne.  I believe an Old Fashion on the menu that is included.

 

The Premium PLUS beverage package has no (or very few) limitations on the list.  You should be able to get fresh squeezed juices (especially from the juice bar in the buffet (usually AFT).  Starbucks drinks of any size or variety on their menu!  An Old Fashion (of your choice) will be available!

 

Hopefully I addressed, correctly, your questions.

 

 

Thanks.  I had understood that anything from Starbucks was excluded from the "Unlimited Open Bar" (UOB) package, but I was trying to figure out if there was some other place on board that served cappuccino type drinks besides Starbucks that would be covered by the package.  I was once on a Princess ship (a long time ago) and they served cappuccino in the MDR and I didn't know if that was a thing on NCL.  It sounds like the answer is no.

 

If I understand correctly, the UOB package really only covers alcoholic beverages and sodas, including mixed drinks (adult or virgin) under $15 from most bars.  If I want coffee, juice, etc, I have the standard options that would also be available to any passenger at the buffet or main dining room without a package.  

 

Thanks everyone for the clarifications.

[New2cruise2022]

8 minutes ago, zzdoug said:

 

Thanks.  I had understood that anything from Starbucks was excluded from the "Unlimited Open Bar" (UOB) package, but I was trying to figure out if there was some other place on board that served cappuccino type drinks besides Starbucks that would be covered by the package.  I was once on a Princess ship (a long time ago) and they served cappuccino in the MDR and I didn't know if that was a thing on NCL.  It sounds like the answer is no.

 

If I understand correctly, the UOB package really only covers alcoholic beverages and sodas, including mixed drinks (adult or virgin) under $15 from most bars.  If I want coffee, juice, etc, I have the standard options that would also be available to any passenger at the buffet or main dining room without a package.  

 

Thanks everyone for the clarifications.

You got it. 

[DCGuy64]

13 hours ago, zzdoug said:

Thanks.  I had understood that anything from Starbucks was excluded from the "Unlimited Open Bar" (UOB) package, but I was trying to figure out if there was some other place on board that served cappuccino type drinks besides Starbucks that would be covered by the package. 

To make matters even more confusing, you can find NCL menus online from the past year that show O'Sheehan's serving Lavazza instead of Starbucks. I love Lavazza (just drank some this morning) and hate Charbucks. But it seems Star$ has taken over completely. *sigh* The included Melitta drip coffee is fine for me.