Currency On Board

[delta1juliet]

Hi all!

First time cruiser here, booked for RCI's Ovation of the Seas in December 2024. 

I was wondering if anyone knew if the prices on board are in AUD or USD. I'm trying to work out if the drink package is a good idea, and it will depend on if the cocktails are AUD$15 or USD$15 (AUD$23!) given that the drink package is currently AUD$128/day

 

Thanks in advance

[Chiliburn]

7 minutes ago, delta1juliet said:

Hi all!

First time cruiser here, booked for RCI's Ovation of the Seas in December 2024. 

I was wondering if anyone knew if the prices on board are in AUD or USD. I'm trying to work out if the drink package is a good idea, and it will depend on if the cocktails are AUD$15 or USD$15 (AUD$23!) given that the drink package is currently AUD$128/day

 

Thanks in advance

U.S onboard but if you buy it in the cruise planner it’s Australian.

As for the drinks package you have to drink roughly 7-8 drinks to break even every day.

So if you think you will drink more than that for the whole cruise ,it’s worth getting.

A lot of people taper off after a few days and they are stuck with it .

 

Oh and welcome to cruise critic.

 

 

Edited February 4 by Chiliburn

[ELep]

Hello, prices on board RCI are in $US. We have never bought drink packages, and always come out ahead v's buying a package. Some days we have several drinks, some days only a couple or even none. We are not going to drink fresh juices, fancy coffees (they often taste average anyway) or smoothies etc every day. Just have one now and again if we want one. Enjoy your cruise. It becomes addictive.

[arxcards]

7 minutes ago, delta1juliet said:

Hi all!

First time cruiser here, booked for RCI's Ovation of the Seas in December 2024. 

I was wondering if anyone knew if the prices on board are in AUD or USD. I'm trying to work out if the drink package is a good idea, and it will depend on if the cocktails are AUD$15 or USD$15 (AUD$23!) given that the drink package is currently AUD$128/day

 

Thanks in advance

Welcome.

Yep, that is $US15 per cocktail.

[MicCanberra]

8 hours ago, delta1juliet said:

Hi all!

First time cruiser here, booked for RCI's Ovation of the Seas in December 2024. 

I was wondering if anyone knew if the prices on board are in AUD or USD. I'm trying to work out if the drink package is a good idea, and it will depend on if the cocktails are AUD$15 or USD$15 (AUD$23!) given that the drink package is currently AUD$128/day

 

Thanks in advance

Welcome to Cruise Critic, prices are USD, so  also add the gratuities to the price, 18-20%.

As for drink packages, you would need to be drinking at least 5-8 drinks per day, depending on the wine or cocktails. More if they are beers.

[delta1juliet]

1 hour ago, MicCanberra said:

Welcome to Cruise Critic, prices are USD, so  also add the gratuities to the price, 18-20%.

I'm departing from Australia and booked through in AUD. I was under the impression that gratuities weren't something we had to worry about. Does that mean that the cocktails are actually USD$21? 

[yarramar]

55 minutes ago, delta1juliet said:

I'm departing from Australia and booked through in AUD. I was under the impression that gratuities weren't something we had to worry about. Does that mean that the cocktails are actually USD$21? 

The gratuities on sailings out of Australia are included in the drink menu price. The menus, however are Australia specific so no point looking at generic RCL drink prices from other destinations.

[delta1juliet]

1 minute ago, yarramar said:

The gratuities on sailings out of Australia are included in the drink menu price. The menus, however are Australia specific so no point looking at generic RCL drink prices from other destinations.

I'm looking at the menus from my app for my cruise

[Chiliburn]

Gratuity is included in the bill ,mixed drinks range from the drink of the day $10 to a martini about $15 U.S . I like bourbon and coke , I think they are $11.50 .

I think that’s correct, I haven’t paid for a drink for a while.

[sayaguru]

Keep an eye on drink package prices. Ours just dropped to under $100aud  a day ($96? cant remember). Feb 14th.

[Bubbeh]

There's not many people who enjoy a drink more than me and Grumpy (wine / beer /whiskey) .  When we first started cruising I priced the drinks package and realised that it was extremely expensive for what we drink.  Very occasionally I might have a Brandy Alexander but on a 50 day cruise you could count those times on one hand.  These packages rely on you drinking the same amount day after day and to actually make on the deal you have to be drinking a hell of a lot!  Imagine for a moment that you've come back from a shore excursion, you may be hot and sweaty and even somewhat tired, are you really going to sit around and drink your whatever many cocktails that day?  Remember you're not getting a refund for what you don't use.

 

We had lunch with a couple one day in the buffet and they both ordered a couple of drinks each,  I have no issue with a glass or seven of wine with lunch in company.  However, she said to me that they never normally drink before dinner but they'd bought the drinks package and felt they were being ripped off unless they drank their money's worth.  She also complained to me that her hubby kept missing afternoon events as he needed to have a nap after a couple of drinks at lunch.  LOL!

 

[OzKiwiJJ]

Drinks packages are very borderline with us. When Princess first offered drinks packages here we tried it on three cruises. On the first we got our money's worth as we would pick up a long cocktail on our way back to the Sanctuary after lunch. The second we barely broke even and the third we didn't quite get our money's worth - I caught a bad cold so didn't want much wine with dinner.

 

But the worst thing with packages like that is usually the quality of the wines available by the glass under the package. There is never enough choice and they aren't goid quality. 

 

The current Princess Plus fare has become very borderline for us because we end up paying extra, albeit at 25% discount, for wines by the glass. But the increase in internet prices means we may stick with it as it still covers coffees, water, cocktails, and digestivs.

 

We're very happy we booked Plus, at $40, when we booked our upcoming world cruise. We have no intention of upgrading it to the latest version of Plus, at $65, as there are no extra benefits that we would use. Instead we'll spend that extra on wine by the bottle which has the extra advantage of being able to get our glasses refilled when we want, not 15 minutes later.

[beatleman]

On 2/5/2024 at 7:57 AM, delta1juliet said:

I'm departing from Australia and booked through in AUD. I was under the impression that gratuities weren't something we had to worry about. Does that mean that the cocktails are actually USD$21? 

The prices of all alcoholic drinks have the gratuities all ready included in the price. Cocktails $15usd Beer $8.20  You do not have to worry about gratuities as the prices are inclusive. Just remember to keep an eye on your cruise planner for sale prices on the Drink Package, and all adults in your cabin have to buy the package if you decide to have it. 😀 Happy Cruising.

[Gwendy]

• If you have a lot of shore days it would probably be difficult to break even. However saying that a lot of Aussies see the 15 drinks a day maximum as a challenge. Lol

[arxcards]

As a bit of balance, drink packages cover for more than alcohol for espresso coffee, bottled water, fresh juice, soft drinks. None of those items are included in your fare, and while not as expensive as a cocktail, should be factored into your decision.

 

As a bottom line though, if you are wondering will you find value in getting a drinks package, it is generally a no. Those that will get proper value out of a drinks package don't need an abacus to help decide.

[Tranquility Base]

3 hours ago, Bubbeh said:

Imagine for a moment that you've come back from a shore excursion, you may be hot and sweaty

Perfect time to pick up a couple of cold beers on my way back to the balcony to wind down.

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, arxcards said:

As a bottom line though, if you are wondering will you find value in getting a drinks package, it is generally a no. Those that will get proper value out of a drinks package don't need an abacus to help decide.

True, an abacus is nowhere near sophisticated enough! I need a detailed spreadsheet! 🤣

Edited February 6 by OzKiwiJJ

[arxcards]

2 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

True, an abacus is nowhere near sophisticated enough! I need a detailed spreadsheet! 🤣

I would still figure if you need to calculate to the nearest decimal point, you don't need a package. 

 

Getting a package is also pre-paying your drinks.

Paying per drink on the ship is paying up to 55 days after disembarking.

[Bubbeh]

3 hours ago, Tranquility Base said:

Perfect time to pick up a couple of cold beers on my way back to the balcony to wind down.

Point taken,  Having accepted that, I would suggest that 2 cold beers does not really make the package cost effective.  

[yarramar]

1 hour ago, arxcards said:

I would still figure if you need to calculate to the nearest decimal point, you don't need a package. 

 

Getting a package is also pre-paying your drinks.

Paying per drink on the ship is paying up to 55 days after disembarking.

Good point, but now we have to calculate the current interest rate of our high interest deposit account by the number of days before the cruise compared to post paying on the credit card that may or may not incur international transaction fees. But hey! we have 55 days interest free.

 

Are there any accountants we can get advice from on these boards?

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, arxcards said:

I would still figure if you need to calculate to the nearest decimal point, you don't need a package. 

 

Getting a package is also pre-paying your drinks.

Paying per drink on the ship is paying up to 55 days after disembarking.

Pre-Covid I ran a spreadsheet of all our drinks purchases on the 25 night Hawaii/Tahiti cruise, just to see how our spending went compared with a drinks package price. I updated it every day and even tracked our coffee card usage. We came in well under the package price. 

 

Because the prices are crazy now we end up doing both - Plus fare for internet and most drinks except wine, and buying wine by the bottle at the Plus 25% discount. Although you don't get much of a discount overall on overseas cruises because they add 18% gratuity to the price. Luckily we got the Plus fare for the world cruise at $40. Since we're not interested in all the other rubbish they've added to it we're not going to upgrade it, but we'll spend the equivalent of that on buying decent wines. 

[arxcards]

53 minutes ago, yarramar said:

Good point, but now we have to calculate the current interest rate of our high interest deposit account by the number of days before the cruise compared to post paying on the credit card that may or may not incur international transaction fees. But hey! we have 55 days interest free.

 

Are there any accountants we can get advice from on these boards?

I am not even considering interest, just about spending your money when it is due - better in your pocket than someone else's.

 

For balance, if my local pub wanted me to prepay for my drinks, they would need to have a worthwhile incentive.

[OzKiwiJJ]

The main advantage of a drinks package is the convenience, as long as it's also cost effective. You don't end up with heaps of charges on your account.

[beatleman]

7 hours ago, Gwendy said:

• If you have a lot of shore days it would probably be difficult to break even. However saying that a lot of Aussies see the 15 drinks a day maximum as a challenge. Lol

Royal Caribbean does not have a maximum drinks per day policy, so you can take it on like a camel and a lot of Aussies do.😁🙃

[arxcards]

5 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

The main advantage of a drinks package is the convenience, as long as it's also cost effective. You don't end up with heaps of charges on your account.

Convenience?

Buy one to pay for all drinks vs get all your drinks then pay once on your credit/debit card.