Do I have to use my drink package

[cmrvancouver]

I have heard that there might be happy hours on board with drinks for sale for approximately 75 cents. If I choose to purchase this type of drink, do I have to use the drink package or can I just pay the 75 cents and save the more expensive drinks for my package.  TiA

[POA1]

11 minutes ago, cmrvancouver said:

I have heard that there might be happy hours on board with drinks for sale for approximately 75 cents. If I choose to purchase this type of drink, do I have to use the drink package or can I just pay the 75 cents and save the more expensive drinks for my package.  TiA

Odds are that the 75 cent drink does not exist. That being said, you can buy a gift card for beverages and put those $0.75 drinks toward it.

[Gigi1977]

I’ve never heard of a 75 cent drink on board in all of my 30 plus cruises.   But I’m sure if there are, you may  pay for them…. 

Edited July 15, 2023 by Gigi1977
Spelling

[sxphil]

Am i missing something if you have the package surely it doesn't matter

 

There isn't a limit is there?

 

I have only used Royal before and there isn't with them

[seaoma]

Yes, there is a limit. For the Signature package, it is 15 drinks per day, including any non-alcoholic drinks. For the Elite package, it's 15 drinks per day, but unlimited non-alcoholic drinks.

 

Personally, if I have the drink package, I'm not going over the limit anyway, so I prefer to avoid the Happy Hours.

[POA1]

13 minutes ago, sxphil said:

Am i missing something if you have the package surely it doesn't matter

 

There isn't a limit is there?

 

I have only used Royal before and there isn't with them

I think that the OP wanted to know if the $0.75 drink could be paid for separately. If you happen to run across a "buy a drink, get one for seventy five cents" offer, you probably cannot take the six bits drink and put it on a separate tab.

[cmrvancouver]

21 minutes ago, Gigi1977 said:

I’ve never heard of a 75 cent drink on board in all of my 30 plus cruises.   But I’m sure if there are, you may  pay for them…. 

This is from unnamed group

[kazu]

16 minutes ago, cmrvancouver said:

This is from unnamed group

 

That was a very special sailing (with a price to match) - a celebration Holland’s anniversary and anniversary of the transatlantic.  It was mentioned on the LIVE thread IIRC.  I do follow them and haven’t seen any such sale since.

 

I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for another one.  I’d be happy to be proven wrong 😉 

[Florida_gal_50]

So far this was only on the Rotterdam TA that I’ve seen.  Lots of big shots on board to give them a distorted idea of how a cruise actually is.

[cmrvancouver]

47 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

So far this was only on the Rotterdam TA that I’ve seen.  Lots of big shots on board to give them a distorted idea of how a cruise actually is.

This was actually from a Koningsdam board, however, the poster did not indicate if it was a one sailing special... Fingers x'ed it isn't ;)

[sxphil]

1 hour ago, POA1 said:

I think that the OP wanted to know if the $0.75 drink could be paid for separately. If you happen to run across a "buy a drink, get one for seventy five cents" offer, you probably cannot take the six bits drink and put it on a separate tab.

Sorry yes I understand but once again if you have the package does it matter?

[VMax1700]

Just now, sxphil said:

Sorry yes I understand but once again if you have the package does it matter?

Only if you are going to 'The Friends of Bill W' afterwards. 😉

[seaoma]

10 minutes ago, sxphil said:

Sorry yes I understand but once again if you have the package does it matter?

 

If you have a package, there is no difference if the drink is offered for 75 cents or if it's $11. You aren't going to be allowed to get extra drinks because you bought 15 drinks at 75 cents each.

 

If Happy Hour is buy one drink and get the second one free, you aren't going to be able to get more than 15 drinks.

 

Now if you are going to drink more than 15 alcoholic drinks in a day, then you may want to buy a beverage card and use it to pay for those cheap drinks.

 

Does that answer your question?

Edited July 15, 2023 by seaoma

[sxphil]

10 minutes ago, seaoma said:

 

If you have a package, there is no difference if the drink is offered for 75 cents or if it's $11. You aren't going to be allowed to get extra drinks because you bought 15 drinks at 75 cents each.

 

If Happy Hour is buy one drink and get the second one free, you aren't going to be able to get more than 15 drinks.

 

Now if you are going to drink more than 15 alcoholic drinks in a day, then you may want to buy a beverage card and use it to pay for those cheap drinks.

 

Does that answer your question?

Yes, thanks didn't realize there was a limit of fifteen drinks on the package as I said that's not the case on Royal. Makes perfect sense now 

[POA1]

48 minutes ago, sxphil said:

Sorry yes I understand but once again if you have the package does it matter?

Let's say that you really like a low alcohol drink like an Aperol spritz or Campari & club soda. You like them so much that you drink 15 per day. (Work with me here.)

 

If you are having 15 of your low potency drinks each day, you might want to pay for a Sprite or Coke because it costs less and you do not wish to lose a spritz for a Sprite.

[cmrvancouver]

1 hour ago, sxphil said:

Sorry yes I understand but once again if you have the package does it matter?

It does. As only 15 drink limit, can save pkge for additional specialty coffees or alcoholic or non alcoholic drinks

[crystalspin]

10 minutes ago, cmrvancouver said:

It does. As only 15 drink limit, can save pkge for additional specialty coffees or alcoholic or non alcoholic drinks

Once you are booked, open your booking and choose BEVERAGES in the blue banner near the top. Scroll to the bottom of the offerings and find the Beverage Cards in amounts $50/$100/$250. Use for non-alcoholic cheaper drinks. Note, neither EBP/SBP or Beverage Card will be used for water bought on the gangway exiting to a ShoreEx. Stock up some water or fill your own bottle from the tap or dispenser in the Lido (using a glass to transfer).

 

Honestly, we have had the SBP on several cruises and never maxxed out.

[seaoma]

5 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

Honestly, we have had the SBP on several cruises and never maxxed out.

 

We haven't either, unless my husband gets lazy and uses one card for both of our drinks. He's usually guilty of doing it in the morning for our coffees. Even then, it's just his card that becomes the problem.

Edited July 15, 2023 by seaoma

[crystalspin]

2 minutes ago, seaoma said:

We haven't either, unless my husband gets lazy and uses one card for both of our drinks. He's usually guilty of doing it in the morning for our coffees. Even then, it's just his card that becomes the problem.

Right, forgot about that 'dilemma'. On last winter's B2B, we caught on and alternated handing our sail-cards to the server on our long afternoons in the Crows Nest! We would say, "Let me buy you a drink" and the server would laugh, but it saves them a few seconds to scan and print one card over two.

Edited July 15, 2023 by crystalspin

[seaoma]

Just now, crystalspin said:

Right, forgot about that "dilemma". On last winter's B2B, we caught on and alternated handing our sail-cards to the server on our long afternoons in the Crows Nest!

 

We do that on occasion too, but bottom line, it is a bit of a pain having to keep track. Also, sometimes the crew don't want to handle both cards for the two drinks and we've had to really insist they do so. One time we did go over when the husband was a little loopy, it was late at night, and I had gone to the restroom. He ordered a drink for both of us on his card and boom, a charge the next morning. They would not spread it over our 2 cards even though I had plenty of "drink" space on mine. This was before they implemented the - just pay the cost overage, too. 

 

My husband has taken to keeping track in Notes on his phone.

 

I will say, just to clear up some of the noise that may appear in this thread, we've never gone over because we drink 15 alcoholic drinks. It's been a combination of non-alcoholic drinks and beverage alcohol drinks. We don't have 15 cocktails/beer/wine a day ever. 

[alwaysfrantic]

If happy hours is buy one get one free, is it counted as 1 drink or 2?

[crystalspin]

30 minutes ago, alwaysfrantic said:

If happy hours is buy one get one free, is it counted as 1 drink or 2?

The Happy Hour deal simply does not apply to Beverage Package holders. The bar servers like to refer to the packages with "Every hour is happy!" or the like.

[seaoma]

31 minutes ago, alwaysfrantic said:

If happy hours is buy one get one free, is it counted as 1 drink or 2?

 

It is counted as 2. Your package is for a stated number of drinks. The only price they care about is the maximum price, either $11 or $15 for the Signature or Elite packages.

 

If my drink costs $8 and my husband's costs $11, I don't get any more drinks than he does.

 

If you have a drink package, look at it this way. You don't have to worry about going to Happy Hour, at a specified time of day in a specified bar. We look at it as a bonus. You aren't packed into a busy bar with a slammed wait staff. 

 

You can have a drink at your leisure anywhere you happen to be and at any time of the day or night.

[Florida_gal_50]

4 hours ago, cmrvancouver said:

This was actually from a Koningsdam board, however, the poster did not indicate if it was a one sailing special... Fingers x'ed it isn't 😉

I’m sorry, what is a koningsdam board?  I’ve been on the koningsdam multiple times and they’ve never had anything like this.  I’d be willing to make a pretty good wager it was just the Rotterdam for that one cruise.

[cmrvancouver]

40 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I’m sorry, what is a koningsdam board?  I’ve been on the koningsdam multiple times and they’ve never had anything like this.  I’d be willing to make a pretty good wager it was just the Rotterdam for that one cruise.

It's a thread forum on another site