Drinks Package Changes

[jeanlyon]

38 minutes ago, jaydee6969 said:

 

Many people get value from the package.  Everyone's holiday is different, as has been expressed many times on these threads.  Some passengers may spend little or no time ashore, that's up to them.

 

I personally wouldn't be going on my cruise with a pessimistic attitude that I would end up ill, confined to cabin or covid.  Positive that I would be enjoying myself.

I don't go with a pessimistic frame of mind either, but both of us have been unwell from time to time on a cruise and also spend as much time ashore as we can.   PAYG covers all of that.  As for 15 items per day?  We wouldn't be anywhere near that even with the odd coffee.  Neither of us use soft drinks at all. 

[Megabear2]

Current prices on Arvia - I don't drink much but it's a clue hopefully!

 

Small glass of Prosecco £6.25

Largeg&t with normal tonic (Fevertree is 50% dearer) £8.90

Cappuccino £3.15

Large Pinot Grigo £8.50

Iced coffee small £2.95

Small sauvignon blanc £6.95

Small g&t £6.40

 

I only have a couple of alcoholic drinks a day, normally one wine and one g&t or a cocktail.

 

Don't know if the above helps much with working out prices as they currently are but my estimate based on some of the numbers of drinks being mentioned in this thread is maybe the package might be best for those who like a drink/coffees etc every day.

[Mad4WDW]

1 hour ago, No pager thank you said:

As a simple rule of thumb, it appears to be the case that (based on the higher of the pre-pay price levels quoted, and keeping in mind that buying in advance both means you cannot use OBC or gain the up to 10pc Peninsular Club discount)...

 

Ive logged into our personaliser for a future cruise and the prices get discounted 10% if prebooked 3 days before sailing. At checkout the Peninsular Club discount is then taken off the already discounted price.

 

At full price the classic drinks package is £44.95. The Deluxe Package is £54.95 at full price. I think some of the confusion with all the different prices is because if your logged into your account its showing the discounted price, then when you aadd it to your basket it takes the further discount. But there is also a page of info showing the full prices 🤦‍♂️

 

New terms and conditions PDF attached

 

Terms-and-Conditions-Drinks-packages-2023.pdf

 

 

[Scots Couple]

On 5/14/2023 at 10:08 AM, Selbourne said:

When can we expect the website to be updated with details of the changes and launch dates by ship? 

Prices for the new drinks packages are now on the P&O website. The price for the top package is £49 per day.

 

[Al_W]

We are on Britannia at the moment and don’t like the current drinks package as we like double spirit, glasses of champagne rather than Prosecco and large glasses of a decent wine. We don’t drink 15 drinks but like to choose what we drink. 
 

Previous cruises we have spent less than the drinks package price, so for us we get decent drinks at less than the package price. This cruise is different half way through the 14 night and we are both spending a lot more, over the £45 and we don’t drink a lot. Prices have definitely gone up.
 

So if it included the drinks prices we like then for us we would be better off on this. 
 

 

[Mysticalmother]

Certainly won’t be buying a package on our next 19 night cruise. This would cost us £1862, less discount of £140. If our final drinks bill exceeds £1000 I will be amazed…and we enjoy a bottle of wine with dinner ( of our choice) every night, ( will probably buy the 12 bottle wine package) I might have a glass occasionally at lunch time on a sea day. Maybe a proper coffee each once a day…any other coffees will be from buffet/room/restaurant. Maybe a G&T for me and a lager for his nibs before dinner. The occasional coke or mocktail perhaps during the day. We are quite happy to drink the ships free water…sometimes with squash in it ( which I will take with us).

I know people are on holiday and want to enjoy themselves, but is it only me that finds it worrying that for some it seems to be a competition to see how much alcohol they can get through in a day! And that is from someone who regularly exceeds the recommended weekly number of units for women without being on a cruise!

[Snow Hill]

But still per person, no cabin package. 

[Selbourne]

34 minutes ago, Scots Couple said:

Prices for the new drinks packages are now on the P&O website. The price for the top package is £49 per day.

 

It’s actually £54.95 a day, but you can get a 10% discount (making it £49.45) if you purchase it in advance! I believed that any Peninsular Club discount may also be applied at checkout.
 

If purchased on the ship (on day 1 or day 2) it’s £54.95 and you will pay this higher price if you have any On Board Credit, even if entitled to Peninsular discount, as loyalty discount is only applied once all OBC has been used up!

 

Having trawled through the detailed terms and conditions, it still isn’t at all clear which drinks are excluded and the terms ‘selected’ and ‘extended range’ are used throughout, which firmly implies that many drinks are still excluded. 
 

I read a review recently from someone who purchased the previous top tier package on the ship (which is then non-refundable) and was bitterly disappointed with all the exclusions and restrictions. Given the lack of clarity about the exemptions, I can see this issue re-occurring with the new deluxe package!

[pete14]

So many negative comments about a package they have no intention of buying. I won’t be buying it either because it would not be financially advantageous to do so. However, some people will buy it and that is a choice they will make for themselves. Whether they regret doing so is up to them. It is after all optional and not compulsory. 

[Mad4WDW]

4 hours ago, Scots Couple said:

Prices for the new drinks packages are now on the P&O website. The price for the top package is £49 per day.

 

Its actually £54.95 less 10% if purchased at least 3 days prior to sailing then your peninsular club discount is also applied to the discounted price at checkout

[Mad4WDW]

3 hours ago, Selbourne said:

 

I read a review recently from someone who purchased the previous top tier package on the ship (which is then non-refundable) and was bitterly disappointed with all the exclusions and restrictions. Given the lack of clarity about the exemptions, I can see this issue re-occurring with the new deluxe package!

 

Hi, 
Re: Exclusions etc. In fairness to P & O on all the occasions we've brought the drinks package the staff selling it have gone out their way to explain the restrictions, they have menus on the counter where they're selling it for guests to look through and see what's included or not. If someone took the drinks package and didn't like it they only really have themselves to blame.

Just to add as well, the previous "Ultimate" drinks package, now renamed "Classic" drinks package seems to work out at 50p per day more expensive each with the 10% pre cruise discount applied and has even more exclusions than before. From what I can see it looks like the new packages/menus will have prices for anyone not using a drinks package. The new symbols R A C D will be on the menus indicating which package any given drink will be included in. They seem to be moving away from price limits to a system that just indicates what's included or not.

 

Alas this is a price rise, no doubt the PAYG prices are going to be higher on the new menus as well. As such people should wait to see the new prices and do the maths themselves based on their own tastes and habits. 

 

 

[pete14]

2 hours ago, Mad4WDW said:

 

Hi, 
Re: Exclusions etc. In fairness to P & O on all the occasions we've brought the drinks package the staff selling it have gone out their way to explain the restrictions, they have menus on the counter where they're selling it for guests to look through and see what's included or not. If someone took the drinks package and didn't like it they only really have themselves to blame.

Just to add as well, the previous "Ultimate" drinks package, now renamed "Classic" drinks package seems to work out at 50p per day more expensive each with the 10% pre cruise discount applied and has even more exclusions than before. From what I can see it looks like the new packages/menus will have prices for anyone not using a drinks package. The new symbols R A C D will be on the menus indicating which package any given drink will be included in. They seem to be moving away from price limits to a system that just indicates what's included or not.

 

Alas this is a price rise, no doubt the PAYG prices are going to be higher on the new menus as well. As such people should wait to see the new prices and do the maths themselves based on their own tastes and habits. 

 

 

It is a price rise, but as I understand it, it includes higher price drinks. In that case, I don’t see why PAYG prices should rise (although I expect they will just like in pubs and bars throughout the country). 

[Happy afloat]

Just wondering if anyone has been refused a drink because they'd had their allowance of 15?

[Mad4WDW]

53 minutes ago, pete14 said:

It is a price rise, but as I understand it, it includes higher price drinks. In that case, I don’t see why PAYG prices should rise (although I expect they will just like in pubs and bars throughout the country). 

No it doesn't include higher price drinks in the classic package formerly known as ultimate package. It is more expensive with even less options.

 

Yes, there are more drinks including large glasses of wine and doubles of spirits etc included in the new even higher prices "deluxe" drinks package. The deluxe package now includes some of the stuff thats been removed from the package formerly known as the ultimate package. And its £15 Per person per day more expensive.

 

I'm guessing we've taken the previous "Ultimate" drinks package about 12 times since the July 2021 restart and even I'm now questioning whether it's worth doing a drinks package. The Classic is too restrictive and the deluxe is very expensive 

 

As far as PAYG prices not changing I don't even know what to say to that lol I've lost count of the price rises over the last 2 years ish There's been times we got back on the same ship on the same itinerary 2 weeks later and the menus had changed with new prices. From month to month there's been a steady rise in prices. The Prosecco index has risen from £5.25 to £6.25 in 18 months 🤦‍♂️

Edited May 19, 2023 by Mad4WDW
typo edit

[Mad4WDW]

34 minutes ago, Happy afloat said:

Just wondering if anyone has been refused a drink because they'd had their allowance of 15?

We've never been refused a drink and have definitely been over 15 on a card. Ive had more than that charged to my card within 30 minutes at Christmas. All on the drinks package with no account charges

[Cheshire Blue]

Seems to be a lot of confusion and conjecture about the new packages - the Ts and Cs for which are not as clear as they might be (e.g. does the 15 drinks limit mean 15 alcoholic drinks (plus any number of soft drinks / waters / coffees) as I think is the current system ?   or do we now have to count all bottles of water etc within the 15 drinks ?).  

 

If it does now include all drinks (alcoholic and soft), it becomes much more likely that you will exceed the 15 drink limit.  What happens then ?   

 

Am sure all this (and much more) will become clearer in the coming weeks once the new packages become operational.  I will look forward to hearing real life experiences from people on the ships in the coming weeks, rather than the current well intentioned guess work.

 

After this we can all do the maths and decide whether to buy a new package (or not).

 

 

[Britboys]

4 hours ago, Cheshire Blue said:

Seems to be a lot of confusion and conjecture about the new packages - the Ts and Cs for which are not as clear as they might be (e.g. does the 15 drinks limit mean 15 alcoholic drinks (plus any number of soft drinks / waters / coffees) as I think is the current system ?   or do we now have to count all bottles of water etc within the 15 drinks ?).  

 

If it does now include all drinks (alcoholic and soft), it becomes much more likely that you will exceed the 15 drink limit.  What happens then ?   

 

Am sure all this (and much more) will become clearer in the coming weeks once the new packages become operational.  I will look forward to hearing real life experiences from people on the ships in the coming weeks, rather than the current well intentioned guess work.

 

After this we can all do the maths and decide whether to buy a new package (or not).

 

 

Never let it be said that P&O think thoroughly through all the new changes and processes before they introduce them...😂

[rattla]

20 hours ago, Cheshire Blue said:

Seems to be a lot of confusion and conjecture about the new packages - the Ts and Cs for which are not as clear as they might be (e.g. does the 15 drinks limit mean 15 alcoholic drinks (plus any number of soft drinks / waters / coffees) as I think is the current system ?   or do we now have to count all bottles of water etc within the 15 drinks ?).  

 

If it does now include all drinks (alcoholic and soft), it becomes much more likely that you will exceed the 15 drink limit.  What happens then ?   

 

Am sure all this (and much more) will become clearer in the coming weeks once the new packages become operational.  I will look forward to hearing real life experiences from people on the ships in the coming weeks, rather than the current well intentioned guess work.

 

After this we can all do the maths and decide whether to buy a new package (or not).

 

 

A couple of the Admin in the big P&O Facebook groups have posted they have now had it clarified from P&O that the 15 drink cap is still for Alcoholic beverages as it was before.

 

[rattla]

One of the first new P&O drinks menu photos has come through.  This from Iona Olive Grove.

 

Great to see more non alcoholic drinks included, like cans and bottles e.g. fevertree. And that’s on all the packages except the basic one.

[Pink-belle]

2 minutes ago, rattla said:

One of the first new P&O drinks menu photos has come through.  This from Iona Olive Grove.

 

Great to see more non alcoholic drinks included, like cans and bottles e.g. fevertree. And that’s on all the packages except the basic one.

From this 1st photo that looks really positive for those who like to buy packages.  
 

Last year the package was so restrictive, it would have made no sense at all for us to buy it.  As we didn’t “chose” to drink the included options.  What was good about that was it made me pay attention to our bar bill onboard.  We are light drinkers at home, probably have wine with dinner a couple of nights a week.  
definitely drink more on holiday, drink what we want when we want. We averaged a spend of £60 a day on drinks over the 14 nights.  So although the lemon drizzle spritz is now included in the Deluxe package, it would still be far more expensive to go for a package. 

[Kip family of 4]

On 5/19/2023 at 1:52 PM, Happy afloat said:

Just wondering if anyone has been refused a drink because they'd had their allowance of 15?

We haven’t in the past. I think it depends if you can hold your alcohol or not.

[Kip family of 4]

15 minutes ago, rattla said:

One of the first new P&O drinks menu photos has come through.  This from Iona Olive Grove.

 

Great to see more non alcoholic drinks included, like cans and bottles e.g. fevertree. And that’s on all the packages except the basic one.

I’ve just seen these on an fb page from Ventura which were up in the buffet area

[Selbourne]

That’s brilliant that the menus clearly state which drinks are included in each package and reassuring that the exclusions for the deluxe package aren’t as extensive as some of us cynics might have feared. It would be fantastic if someone was able to post a full set of drinks menus from all bars, all clear and the right way up. I know a very obliging chap who might help if the new packages are live on Iona yet @Interestedcruisefan😂 

 

If Peller Ice Cuvée is included I might have to reconsider my stance on drinks packages 😂 

[Kip family of 4]

3 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

That’s brilliant that the menus clearly state which drinks are included in each package and reassuring that the exclusions for the deluxe package aren’t as extensive as some of us cynics might have feared. It would be fantastic if someone was able to post a full set of drinks menus from all bars, all clear and the right way up. I know a very obliging chap who might help if the new packages are live on Iona yet @Interestedcruisefan😂 

 

If Peller Ice Cuvée is included I might have to reconsider my stance on drinks packages 😂 

I will upload as I see them being posted from others.

 

I’m waiting for the glasshouse wine list to see what wine are included in Deluxe.
 

Luckily for us we buy the package in advance as we have children who get the free soft drinks. I then normally pay extra for the Aperol spritz/ other wines but as P&O have confirmed we will have Deluxe for no extra cost, I’ll be saving money this time 

[Megabear2]

I've not looked at the alcoholic drinks prices but note a 20p increase in the cost of a medium cappuccino coffee from £3.15 I've just paid here on Arvia to £3.35 on the new one. Iced latte bought yesterday was £2.70 on that menu you've just posted will be £2.95.